Harley Benton PB-50 LH FR Vintage Series

TL;DR -- PB-50 is a great instrument that doesn't scream "budget" at all. Highly recommended to anyone who looks after a bass with the classic precision sound we all love.

For quite some time I've been looking after the Fender Precision bass, though I've been lacking the funds to buy one. Then came to my attention the PB-50, for which I've read only good things. Combined with the 30-day Money Back Guarantee of Thomann I thought I could try one and see myself.

Around a week since my order I received the bass. First things first, the bass was carefully packaged (double box). Not sure if this is a standard practice on other retailers, but at least in the case of Thomann this is something worthy of remark. Great job!

When I opened the box, I was expecting to see a good low budget instrument. Good as in "good for the money". Suffice to say that only "budget" thing on it applies only to its price.

Let's see why:

+ Construction/Materials: It sports a lightweight body and a stable maple neck with some awesome grain showing on the back and a very nice satin finish -- bonus points that it sits perfectly tight in the neck pocket. The headstock isn't based on the classic tele look, but it can be modded easily if needed, though in my opinion it looks great as is. As for the fretboard, it is flawless with no sharp frets whatsoever and no dead spots as far as I'm aware. Also, at this price point don't expect anything like mother of pearl or abalone for the inlays -- that would surely raise the price and I'm thankfull they didn't go that way since painted inlays do the job just as good. The nut is a basic plastic one, as expected, though it was engineered with precision and the strings sit nicely on it -- well done! As for the pickguard, it is of good quality and it lends to the classic '54 Precision look of it, though I removed it since pickguards aren't my cup of tea and prefer to let the awesome red finish to fill the room with color!

+ Electronics: The hot passive single-coil Roswell pickup does a great job at providing that well-known sound of the first generation of Precision basses. Some hum is to be expected due to its construction, though it is so little that i'm not even going to bother myself shielding the cavity. It provides the thump and the clarity that is associated with the early Precisions but if you boost the mids on your amp, it does the split-coil Precision sound well enough. It won't be the same, so if you're looking for that particular sound, then there's the PB-20 for you. The two big potentionmeters work as intended, turn smoothly and they don't feel flimsy at all.

+ Hardware: The bridge and the open-gear tuning keys are solid and they do their job at keeping the tuning stable. No problems whatsoever. The original strings are fairly decent for certain kinds of music and sound good whether you play with a pick or fingers, though in my opinion the bass really shines when strung with flatwounds. In any case, it all comes down to personal preference but either way it sounds great.

+ Ergonomics: The bass sports a double cutaway body reminiscent to the '54 Precisions. That means more comfort and less weight which in turn means more enjoyment during the longer sessions. The one I received measures 3.5 kg. The neck is fairly chunky but super comfortable, even with my average sized hands. Reaching the higher notes bears no problem if needed.

+ Setup: It arrived with a perfect setup for my taste: aside from the spot-on intonation, the action was about my preferable 2mm and out of the box it felt just like I just did the setup. I mean, how cool is that! Perfect service, kudos to the T.team!

Overall, I'm surprised to receive such a *great bass* for so little price. Outstanding service and quality, really recommended to anyone looking for an inexpensive P bass of great quality.

Having said that, if at some point I'm able to afford an original Fender Precision, I'm definitely not going to part with this one -- it's a keeper! 10/10

Thanks to Thomann's largesse (and with an initiative with a prominent Youtuber) we lefties get to have this sweet axe. Proof is in the number of runs they've already went through (as of this writing, it's been sold out four times! Clearly, they're moving a lot of these)

First off, this bass is gorgeous in person. The photos don't do it justice. Its construction is solid and tight and the ergonomics make for a very comfortable feel. The neck has a nice, smooth satin finish, very thin, feel like an oil finish. The hardware is very good quality (the tuning machines do work, but their look screams 'budget'!!!) but the bridge and string retainer are solid steel components that are as good as anything out there.

The Roswell pickup sounds phenomenal. Dynamic, full range, I doubt swapping it out would be necessary. The potentiometers work smoothly and offer a great volume and tone taper for more precise settings.

The bass feels balanced and light, plays well.

Although the neck is a two-piece, it has been milled and finished like a one piece, and it ends up feeling like a one-piece (the maple they used for both the fret board and the neck seem to be from the same tree and have the same wood grain, so it's a fairly decent job of it)

The fret ends in the wintertime since I got this bass at the end of December have started poking out of the sides, but considering this instrument was made in Southern China or Vietnam, then shipped to Germany, then to eastern Canada in winter, it's to be expected (and fairly easy to fix) Luckily, the truss rod works well and the neck otherwise is very stable.

My overall impression - with an upgrade of tuning machines, I would confidently compare this model (and the sunburst version, I'm sure) to the Squier Classic Vibe 50s Precision Bass -- and that's high praise and important, considering we lefties can't get a left-handed version otherwise.

In conclusion: Highly recommended instrument for left-handed people. Thanks Thomann!!!

I bought it for the wood (plain white maple/basswood) and minimal cavities routed in the body, which are leaving plenty of space for pickup placing experiments. Surprisingly light, even with the solid body and enormous headstock. Since it's a P replica, the wide and thick C-shaped neck might not be comfortable for everyone.

Being my first HB after several Ibanezes, I was surprised by the overall quality, regardless of unbeatable price. Frets dressing, hardware, painting, assembling (including truss rod adjustment, action -high for me- and intonation out of the box) - all are quite good. I didn't expect much from the single coil, but I was surprised by output (medium) and tone (warm-ish) - I swapped it with an EMG HZ 35 (also from Thomann) only if I wanted to (minimal routing was required, also moved towards the neck to get harmonics on a 5th). Will see how the stock tuners will wear.

If used as designed (i. e. played), it is a straightforward instrument, with very good acoustic (wood) and carefully matched components, including the stock strings. There is nothing entry level about it but the price.

I really love the way Thomann is setting standard for good and affordable instruments for any musician. Also for order processing and logistics.

I am mostly a garage player and was looking for something with an old school look and sound.
As a lefty, not an easy task, especially on a budget.
I am very impressed wit this bass.
The build quality is excellent, as is the fit and finish.
It has the old school look for sure, (think Fender '51 P Bass) and the Fiesta Red just adds to it.
The volume and tone controls work fine and the tuners not too tight.
Although fitted with decent D'Addario EXL 170 roundwound strings, this bass is begging for flatwounds, and that is the first thing I did.
Got a set of D'Addario ECB-81 Chromes, a perfect match.
I did not need to change action or intonation at all, which was fine right out of the box!
I received much more than I expected with this guitar, it looks, sounds, and plays like a much higher priced instrument.

I bought this two years ago and prior to that waited 6 months or so for it to be in stock.

Excellent product. The red finish is stunning. The neck is so smooth, very chunky and much attention was given to the frets and bevelled fretboard edges. The nut was cut perfectly. The blend of old and new (belly cut, modern bridge) is just right.

I took it to a local luthier to have the headstock reshaped to look like this design's original influence... He was gobsmacked by the instrument and purchased one himself (right handed).

He found the bridge and tuners to be good quality and the factory installed strings were excellent (d'addarios) and the Roswell pickup fantastic. He recommended changing the potentiometers and output jack - which I said yes to.

I was going to put flats on this bass but have left the factory installed strings on - it is an unlikely slap monster! The bass sound is naturally quite bright (single coil and bright strings) but with the tone knob and playing technique it can also sound old school, full and thumpy.
I flick between taking the pickguard on and off - currently it is off - there is no visible routing underneath - it looks so beautiful!

It is not too heavy either at 9lbs.

Highly recommended.

I came across this bass accidentally on flickr and I instantly fell in love. Finding a lefty 50's-style P Bass is extremely difficult, and the only way to get one is to purchase a vintage (Telecaster Bass) or a Custom Shop, both of which are way out of the realm of affordability for the average Joe like me. I wasn't expecting this bass to be even remotely good at this price point, but when it got here and I played it, I was instantly blown away. This bass plays just as good as basses that are three times it's price point. I get a lot of compliments on it and everyone can't believe how little I paid for it. I've been using it in the studio now for the past two years. Aside from minor quality control issues (pickguard screws not seated all the way, bridge screws not seated fully), this is a total knockout!

the pick guard screw on the lower horn wasn't fully in because there where lacquer around it whits means the drill the holes when put the pick guard on I unscrew it and clean out the area around the hole with a piece of paper.

It hums a bit which probably has to do with the singlecoil Roswell pickup and maybe bad grounding ill look under the bridge there should be a groundwork underneath just like on telecaster guitars.

Also its a bit neck heavy the body is is a little to light weight but all and all its a nice precision 51 ass and sounds really decent what surprised me is them vol and tone pots are BIG ONES that's good maybe they came with the Roswell alnico pickup.

its my first bass ever and comes with decent D’Addario strings also I am very happy with this purchase so do not hesitate as a lefty you won't regret and the looks it is just stunning

Outstanding quality & sound for ridiculous price...

PROS:
1. Sound, sound, sound... Absolutely amazing and dynamic.
2. Overall build quality & paint job. For the price it's almost unbelievable.

CONS:
1. Vintage tuners feel cheap-ish, u might want to consider replacing them first. They do hold pitch pretty good tho...
2. Tone knob (seems like everyone has that problem) works only on last 20% knob range (quite an exponential curve), seems like they choose wrong value pot for this which is easily fixable by changing it to a right one.
3. You will need to do at least basic setup, the action is pretty high on the bridge side. The intonation was quite good tho...

To conclude, for the price it's a no brainer, whether u want a playable vintage-toned instrument or a base for heavy mods. Well done!