P
Best value for money going.
I bought this due to wanting a stingray-style bass for a few years now, but not having the money to be able to splash out on an expensive ray34 or some other options, and I'd heard good things about Harley Benton basses.
What I'd heard was not wrong.
This bass is very well made, frets are nice and smooth, everything feels solid. The action out of the box was rather high but a few adjustments made it a dream to play.
The tuners hold tune very well, the feel of the bass is excellent and personally the visuals are fantastic.
The sound is very stingray-esque, great for funk and slap. I can't detect any hum or buzzing when playing through headphones/an amp.
The only negative is that the tone knob is rather sensitive and uneven as you turn the tone down.
The fact that this bass is £107, and being the quality that it is, is ridiculously good.
I would've killed for a bass like this when I was first learning to play.
Highly recommended.
What I'd heard was not wrong.
This bass is very well made, frets are nice and smooth, everything feels solid. The action out of the box was rather high but a few adjustments made it a dream to play.
The tuners hold tune very well, the feel of the bass is excellent and personally the visuals are fantastic.
The sound is very stingray-esque, great for funk and slap. I can't detect any hum or buzzing when playing through headphones/an amp.
The only negative is that the tone knob is rather sensitive and uneven as you turn the tone down.
The fact that this bass is £107, and being the quality that it is, is ridiculously good.
I would've killed for a bass like this when I was first learning to play.
Highly recommended.
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F
In your face Bass
Let's start with the cosmetics... It arrived looking absolutely perfect, just a beautiful and sleek instrument. The fret job is perfect, all frets had a mirror shine. The action needed lowered just a tad, it was around 2.4mm and I like mine around 2mm, a small amount but us musicians are a picky bunch.
The sound of this bass is beautiful, so full and round without being muddy, it doesn't have a huge range in tone but what it does do, it does exceptionally well. It's worth a lot more than it's asking price in my opinion... Buy it NOW!
The sound of this bass is beautiful, so full and round without being muddy, it doesn't have a huge range in tone but what it does do, it does exceptionally well. It's worth a lot more than it's asking price in my opinion... Buy it NOW!
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A
Cool bass, but with quality issues
I've had several HB basses over the years, and my current go-to is a modded PB-20 SBK. So, I wanted to try the MB-4.
What I liked:
- The tone
- The neck (very enjoyable profile)
- The look
What I didn't like:
- Two pots were very gritty, one very difficult to turn
- There were paint blemishes on the fretboard and a small one on the neck
- The pickup screws are at weird angles making it extremely difficult to adjust pickup height (a common issue with HBs in my experience)
If it was any one of these points alone I would have kept it. But all three was just too much for a "deluxe" bass. Seems QC is worse then on my "standard" PB-20 (and the MB costs around 40% more). I was a bit sorry as the tone and playability are pretty good.
What I liked:
- The tone
- The neck (very enjoyable profile)
- The look
What I didn't like:
- Two pots were very gritty, one very difficult to turn
- There were paint blemishes on the fretboard and a small one on the neck
- The pickup screws are at weird angles making it extremely difficult to adjust pickup height (a common issue with HBs in my experience)
If it was any one of these points alone I would have kept it. But all three was just too much for a "deluxe" bass. Seems QC is worse then on my "standard" PB-20 (and the MB costs around 40% more). I was a bit sorry as the tone and playability are pretty good.
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D
Better than expected
The quality, fit and finish and sound were better than I had expected. I would say on par with any squire or the cheaper MM Sub's that cost more. Not perfect, of course, but pretty darn good. I had one defective tuning machine that Thomann replaced free of charge. Otherwise, good electronics, good hardware, very good sound and it plays reasonably well. The fretwork was actually very good, which just one high spot and no unreasonably sharp fret ends. Again, I have seen worse Squiers and even Mexican fenders. Light too - the bass only weighs about 8.3 lbs. For the price of $179 delivered to my door, it is an amazing value and I would recommend them to anyone.
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BB
Great bass, but needs some changes
It's a great price and sounds fantastic, but if you turn down one of the volume controls to play a single coil pickup, there's barely any difference between one coil and the other.
I understand that re-using the same 4-hole control plate from the other models helps keep down manufacturing costs, but replacing one of the volume controls with a series/parallel/single-coil switch provides far more tone options.
Fortunately, that's an easy mod to do yourself.
I understand that re-using the same 4-hole control plate from the other models helps keep down manufacturing costs, but replacing one of the volume controls with a series/parallel/single-coil switch provides far more tone options.
Fortunately, that's an easy mod to do yourself.
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P
Very good for the price
At this price it is difficult to complain. It is a nice looking bass, especially the black satin finish feels nice to play. It is a bit heavy but not extremely so. The sound is OK and in general I enjoy playing it.
On the negative side, the pickguard seems covered by a plastic wrap that is torn in places and the tuning machines feel flimsy. More importantly, there is a constant chirping sound coming out of it if the tuning knob is fully turned to the left. It seems I am the only one having this issue so maybe it is a defective one. However, as a secondary bass, I preferred to keep it at hand instead of requesting a replacement from Thomann.
On the negative side, the pickguard seems covered by a plastic wrap that is torn in places and the tuning machines feel flimsy. More importantly, there is a constant chirping sound coming out of it if the tuning knob is fully turned to the left. It seems I am the only one having this issue so maybe it is a defective one. However, as a secondary bass, I preferred to keep it at hand instead of requesting a replacement from Thomann.
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