TB
Written for Noobs, by a Noob
OK so, let's take it from the top. Selection and ordering. This site is one of the best online retailers I have ever encountered. Everything is accounted for. The site is unbelievably intuitive and easy to navigate and supplies answers to questions I had before I even knew I had them. Placing the order could not have been easier and communication was great.
The package arrived earlier than stated and the container was in perfect condition. This was due to the shipper (UPS) and not so much a function of Thomann. I was a little surprised at how the packing was done, not as much "padding" as I would have thought but everything was in perfect condition. The bass was in immaculate condition. Not one nick, dent, scratch, or other imperfection. Removing it from the box my first reaction was, "Wow, this is heavy." It's listed at 5.15 kgs (one of the lighter in the series and the reason I chose this particular model.) But I don't know what the average bass weighs in at.
Not having the slightest bit of experience with a bass there is not much more I can say. I tuned it up but felt that it did not sound just right so I trekked on down to the local guitar shop for a setup. The tech picked up the bass and the first words he said were, "Wow, this is heavy." He made a few minor adjustments to the string height but otherwise said the instrument was in good shape.
When I got home I could notice the difference.
So now I am learning how to adjust the pickups and create different effects. I tune it up before every practice session and it stays very well tuned day to day. I'm taking an online course (which I can highly recommend from bassbuzz.com) and feeling more confident each day. The neck is smooth and easy to navigate.
I chose this particular bass as an entry level instrument. I had never heard of the Harley Benton name before but after doing some research and reading many positive reviews decided this was the best bang for the buck and I am not disappointed.
Because I am just starting out I didn't want to go all out and buy a speaker amp in case things didn't work out so I bought the Vox amPlug2 and it really works great.
So, from a Noob's perspective I have absolutely no complaints and I am thoroughly satisfied with the purchase. At the entry level my personal opinion is that you don't need to spend a lot of money on the instrument until you're sure you want to stick with it and this bass is very reasonably priced. I am enjoying the learning and playing experience very much and would highly recommend this bass for folks in the same position as me.
Really hopes this helps.
The package arrived earlier than stated and the container was in perfect condition. This was due to the shipper (UPS) and not so much a function of Thomann. I was a little surprised at how the packing was done, not as much "padding" as I would have thought but everything was in perfect condition. The bass was in immaculate condition. Not one nick, dent, scratch, or other imperfection. Removing it from the box my first reaction was, "Wow, this is heavy." It's listed at 5.15 kgs (one of the lighter in the series and the reason I chose this particular model.) But I don't know what the average bass weighs in at.
Not having the slightest bit of experience with a bass there is not much more I can say. I tuned it up but felt that it did not sound just right so I trekked on down to the local guitar shop for a setup. The tech picked up the bass and the first words he said were, "Wow, this is heavy." He made a few minor adjustments to the string height but otherwise said the instrument was in good shape.
When I got home I could notice the difference.
So now I am learning how to adjust the pickups and create different effects. I tune it up before every practice session and it stays very well tuned day to day. I'm taking an online course (which I can highly recommend from bassbuzz.com) and feeling more confident each day. The neck is smooth and easy to navigate.
I chose this particular bass as an entry level instrument. I had never heard of the Harley Benton name before but after doing some research and reading many positive reviews decided this was the best bang for the buck and I am not disappointed.
Because I am just starting out I didn't want to go all out and buy a speaker amp in case things didn't work out so I bought the Vox amPlug2 and it really works great.
So, from a Noob's perspective I have absolutely no complaints and I am thoroughly satisfied with the purchase. At the entry level my personal opinion is that you don't need to spend a lot of money on the instrument until you're sure you want to stick with it and this bass is very reasonably priced. I am enjoying the learning and playing experience very much and would highly recommend this bass for folks in the same position as me.
Really hopes this helps.
10
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T
I was shocked when this beauty showed up at my door.
Shocked and pleasantly surprised. For the money, you simply cannot top this Jazz Bass clone. If you want a great-looking, great-playing, and great- sounding Jazz Bass but you don't quite have the dough for the real thing, the Harley Benton JB-75 MN SB will do quite nicely. I was simply amazed that a bass could be so good for the price it sells for. Is it perfect? Not quite, but it's very close.
Where most cheap instruments show their cheapness is in the neck, especially how well the frets feel. When you rub your hand along the edges of the frets. Most cheapos will slice you open with the sharp edges of the fret/neck union. No such flaw with this bass, it's I perfectly smooth and the frets are seated well. I said it before and I'll say it again, I'm amazed by the quality of this bass at this price. I've played a lot of basses that cost way more than the JB-75MN SB that sounded and played a lot worse.
I'm not a big fan of the bridge and will probably replace it with a BadAss II or something similar. The tuners, although they amply get the job done, are a little rough around the edges and feel cheaper than their actions would indicate. Lastly, the pickups could use an upgrade but to some Seymore Duncans or a couple of EMGs would be great, but a pair of either of those cost more than this whole bass did, and the OEM Roswells sound pretty good as is.
Where most cheap instruments show their cheapness is in the neck, especially how well the frets feel. When you rub your hand along the edges of the frets. Most cheapos will slice you open with the sharp edges of the fret/neck union. No such flaw with this bass, it's I perfectly smooth and the frets are seated well. I said it before and I'll say it again, I'm amazed by the quality of this bass at this price. I've played a lot of basses that cost way more than the JB-75MN SB that sounded and played a lot worse.
I'm not a big fan of the bridge and will probably replace it with a BadAss II or something similar. The tuners, although they amply get the job done, are a little rough around the edges and feel cheaper than their actions would indicate. Lastly, the pickups could use an upgrade but to some Seymore Duncans or a couple of EMGs would be great, but a pair of either of those cost more than this whole bass did, and the OEM Roswells sound pretty good as is.
4
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S
Absolutely Stunning Instrument
Harley Benton did it again: It's incredible that such an amazing instrument can cost that little! All the hype you read about in other reviews is entirely justified. This is a marvelous bass. Until now I was playing a bass bought by… a competitor (yes, that one), at about the same price range. Any comparison is not even close: The Harley Benton blows the competition out of the water.
The only negative about it is the first thing you'll encounter receiving the box: This thing is heavy. Really heavy. But guess what: It's the price you have to pay for getting stunning tone. The sustain is beyond belief – just hit the string, let it ring, and you'll be amazed.
The pickups are excellent, guaranteed to give you full control and the tone you've been after.
The finishing is great, high quality with no discernible flaws.
All in all, you really can't go wrong with this bass!
The only negative about it is the first thing you'll encounter receiving the box: This thing is heavy. Really heavy. But guess what: It's the price you have to pay for getting stunning tone. The sustain is beyond belief – just hit the string, let it ring, and you'll be amazed.
The pickups are excellent, guaranteed to give you full control and the tone you've been after.
The finishing is great, high quality with no discernible flaws.
All in all, you really can't go wrong with this bass!
2
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j
Best sound and build quality of anything I've owned
I have been continually impressed with this bass as it has the best sound and build quality of several basses I've owned over the last decade. The build out the box is well beyond the $400 squire vintage bass and more on par with the $800 Fender Player series. The higher weight must contribute heavily to the sustain and warmth that it generates as it sounds ridiculously good with all genres that I play. I really appreciate that it came setup out of the box and the stock strings sound great. I also like the neck as it is a good length and thickness with great looking inlays. I introduce it to people as my "Gazz Bass" (German Jazz) thanks to Thomann.
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A
Awesome stuff!
Always great quality! Arrived perfect and in great shape!
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A
HOW!?
TL;DR:
Pros: feels good, sounds awesome, and is well setup before it gets to you
Cons: Really heavy, and can have quirks if you play in tunings other than E standard without a fret mute.
If you're down here reading reviews, you're wondering if buying this cheap of an instrument is worth it. I decided to bite the bullet so here's my experience. For context I am a recording artist and engineer. Not a lot of live gig use in my case.
I wanted a jazz bass for a while. I've played many, yet never owned one myself. I also wasn't trying to spent over $1,000 on a Fender Jazz. While researching all the different brands, I came across Harley Benton and as humans do, I wrote it off as cheap because well...... this bass is cheap. I always look for sound examples off of YouTube, and I was actually kind of impressed when I heard this guy. I decided this bass was cheap enough, so why not give it a try? After all, it isn't a huge hit against my wallet, and Thomann has a good return policy if I didn't like the bass. After shipping to the US, I paid a grand total of $230 US dollars
Firstly, I was very impressed with the shipping time. I got this bass to my house in the States less than a week after I ordered it. The instrument was well packaged and no scratches/issues with the bass itself.
First impression: This bass feels very nice to play, came shipped only slightly detuned due to international travel, so a quick tune up and I was good to go. Action and intonation were also spot on, so big props to the quality control guys at Thomann. One con I will give this bass, is that it is HEAVY. I weighed it and it is 11.7 lbs (5.3 kg). This isn't an issue for me as I am a recording artist and usually play sitting down, or standing for short periods of time. But this would be something to keep in mind if you are a gigging musician who would be wearing this for well over an hour or longer.
Sound: Trying this out for the first time was a lot of fun. I wanted to get a good sense of what this bass could do so I recorded it two ways. DI, and through my usual recording setup (a Sansamp RBI and an 1176 compressor).
The Direct signal was shockingly good. Considering this is a jazz bass, I'm not all that surprised but still.... I could easily record and mix the dry signal and it would still work well on a record.
But through my recording rig, I was honestly floored. I couldn't get a bad sound out of it. I gave it just a little bit of drive, slightly boosted the midrange, and this thing sounds beautiful.
After my initial testing, I threw on a new set of strings as I planned on using this bass in Eb tuning. Everything still sounded good, but the nut didn't like the thicker strings all that much. The A string started buzzing pretty bad whenever I played the string open. I will say that the bass had NO buzz with the original strings in standard tuning, it just didn't wanna play nice with the new strings. It wasn't a big deal though, I just bought a $5 fret mute off Amazon and the problem was immediately fixed. Just thought I should mention it though. You could fix this by widening the opening on the nut, but I don't really like altering my instruments in a way that I can't undo. Plus the mute was perfectly fine.
Conclusion: For the money, it really doesn't get any better than this. I don't know how the heck Thomann is selling this for this cheap but I'm all for it. If you're on the fence, give this bass a try. Worst case, you're out a couple hundred bucks and you still have a good bass for practice. Best case, your mind will be changed about cheap instruments, just like me :)
Pros: feels good, sounds awesome, and is well setup before it gets to you
Cons: Really heavy, and can have quirks if you play in tunings other than E standard without a fret mute.
If you're down here reading reviews, you're wondering if buying this cheap of an instrument is worth it. I decided to bite the bullet so here's my experience. For context I am a recording artist and engineer. Not a lot of live gig use in my case.
I wanted a jazz bass for a while. I've played many, yet never owned one myself. I also wasn't trying to spent over $1,000 on a Fender Jazz. While researching all the different brands, I came across Harley Benton and as humans do, I wrote it off as cheap because well...... this bass is cheap. I always look for sound examples off of YouTube, and I was actually kind of impressed when I heard this guy. I decided this bass was cheap enough, so why not give it a try? After all, it isn't a huge hit against my wallet, and Thomann has a good return policy if I didn't like the bass. After shipping to the US, I paid a grand total of $230 US dollars
Firstly, I was very impressed with the shipping time. I got this bass to my house in the States less than a week after I ordered it. The instrument was well packaged and no scratches/issues with the bass itself.
First impression: This bass feels very nice to play, came shipped only slightly detuned due to international travel, so a quick tune up and I was good to go. Action and intonation were also spot on, so big props to the quality control guys at Thomann. One con I will give this bass, is that it is HEAVY. I weighed it and it is 11.7 lbs (5.3 kg). This isn't an issue for me as I am a recording artist and usually play sitting down, or standing for short periods of time. But this would be something to keep in mind if you are a gigging musician who would be wearing this for well over an hour or longer.
Sound: Trying this out for the first time was a lot of fun. I wanted to get a good sense of what this bass could do so I recorded it two ways. DI, and through my usual recording setup (a Sansamp RBI and an 1176 compressor).
The Direct signal was shockingly good. Considering this is a jazz bass, I'm not all that surprised but still.... I could easily record and mix the dry signal and it would still work well on a record.
But through my recording rig, I was honestly floored. I couldn't get a bad sound out of it. I gave it just a little bit of drive, slightly boosted the midrange, and this thing sounds beautiful.
After my initial testing, I threw on a new set of strings as I planned on using this bass in Eb tuning. Everything still sounded good, but the nut didn't like the thicker strings all that much. The A string started buzzing pretty bad whenever I played the string open. I will say that the bass had NO buzz with the original strings in standard tuning, it just didn't wanna play nice with the new strings. It wasn't a big deal though, I just bought a $5 fret mute off Amazon and the problem was immediately fixed. Just thought I should mention it though. You could fix this by widening the opening on the nut, but I don't really like altering my instruments in a way that I can't undo. Plus the mute was perfectly fine.
Conclusion: For the money, it really doesn't get any better than this. I don't know how the heck Thomann is selling this for this cheap but I'm all for it. If you're on the fence, give this bass a try. Worst case, you're out a couple hundred bucks and you still have a good bass for practice. Best case, your mind will be changed about cheap instruments, just like me :)
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D
Excellent choice for many
Love this product and it's classic design. Finish is good, neck has lovely satin finish on it, in contrast with high gloss body. Pickups are hot and punchy with nice deep frequencies, in good single coil fashion they do pick up some unwanted noises too, so I'll probably do some shielding. D'addario strings are nice bonus because I use those anyway.
Came almost perfectly set up, string height just as I want it. Neck is straight, no fret buzzing experienced so far. Just had to fix intonation on G string, but that was very minor and most wouldn't even notice.
One minor negative thing - it is heavy. About 1 kg heavier and even longer than my old LTD, barely fits into my universal gig bag. Might be issue for some, but I'm fairly big and heavy too so it's perfect :)
Came almost perfectly set up, string height just as I want it. Neck is straight, no fret buzzing experienced so far. Just had to fix intonation on G string, but that was very minor and most wouldn't even notice.
One minor negative thing - it is heavy. About 1 kg heavier and even longer than my old LTD, barely fits into my universal gig bag. Might be issue for some, but I'm fairly big and heavy too so it's perfect :)
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A
Great guitar punches well above its price point
Arrived safely, no damaged. Fantastic sound. Once setup to my preference it was a joy to play. I tend to find you need to spend a good few hours playing a new guitar, get familiar with it. I made some adjustments to the pickup height and the poles,.I prefer to try get the most out of the stock hardware if possible and rarely see the need to change.
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R
There is no better bass than this jazz bass
I have experience with many HB instruments, and was surprised from the very beginning how good they are for the price. However, this one is (seriously) way too good for the money! It came ready straight out of the box (I just fine tuned it). Neck - perfectly straight, great touch, I love the maple, tuners - robust, like on any better JB, bridge and saddle - great, and the brass parts - wow nice, Daddario strings - perfect, the black binding on the neck - lovely. The pickups ? Unbelievable, the sound is seriously better than was on my older mexican fender JB, with minimal hum, knobs feel firm. I can not praise this bass more, it really isn?t just good bass for the money, its great instrument overall. I can really compare it with other expensive basses, and unless you are a giggin pro, you need nothing else! I also have HB PJ-5 HTR Deluxe 5-string bass which is great, but this one is even better. I recommend it to everyone.
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T
Great
Great guitar for the money value.
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