Harley Benton RB-414BK Classic Series

Use – mostly for personal pleasure, but will be used for an occasional gig. My usual amp is an Ampeg Portaflex 500 through 2 4x10 Kustom cabs. Also sounds good with a Behringer 300w head.
Summary – Good value for money for this style of bass. I like this, already playing it a lot. Looks the part and sounds good. It is very reminiscent of a certain US manufacturer’s classic basses, one of which I used to own.
General - I have not had happy experiences with HB basses, which unlike HB guitars have often in the past been poorly made and sound terrible. This though is somewhat different, looks great, seems well made enough, but still far short of being beyond criticism. It does have that RB like growl – the neck pickup is a thing of beauty. It also has a very nice thin neck profile with a more traditional wide fretboard – a very different playing experience compared to more modern neck profiles and widths. The polar opposite of a jazz bass.
Pros – plays very well. Intonation and neck relief were perfect out of the box, and action height suited me too, so nothing to adjust. As it has acclimatised to my house I have had to make a small adjustment to the neck. The tuners seem fine. The growl and mids from the neck pickup are IMO what I am looking for in a bass of this style. The neck and body binding are really nice to have, and on the neck helps with the slick playing experience. The bridge pickup saddle makes a perfect wrist rest for a bit of slap bass.
Cons – a few minor finishing issues, some chrome missing from one of the bridge saddles, the odd bit of not quite tidy finishing, a few sharp fret edges at the dusty end. No fret buzz, but a lot of buzzing from somewhere around the pickups from any G (+/- one or two frets) played anywhere; this is a sympathetic mechanical buzz and you can’t hear it through an amp. The bridge pickup is set far too far from the strings, and the height adjuster screws are also what hold the chrome cover on. As these are screwed with springs over them into a plastic plate underneath the pickup the whole assembly is prone to moving. I re-engineered the setup to get the pickup higher and the saddle solidly mounted, which unsurprisingly has also eliminated the buzz I mentioned earlier. I’d rather have a higher output, but that’s what the gain control on the amplifier is for. It did arrive with the bridge pickup saddle badly bent – I am not a fan of Thomann’s new paper packaging, it definitely does not work as well as the blown plastic packaging did.

I'll start by saying I wouldn't recommend this bass to a beginner. Works fine out of the box but will not last forever. I've tried to keep myself from modifying the bass as long as possible to see what will last and what won't. Had this bass for a little over a year and a half and have been dealing with the output jack loosening itself for the entire time. Just yesterday it seems to have finally come loose enough to disconnect or cross the ground cable, only thing that comes through the output is buzzing now. A year and a half before needing to be opened and repaired is definitely not ideal for anyone who just wants an instrument to play.
On top of this are issues others have mentioned;
- cheap bridge with limited adjustment and little bridge pins that are only held in by the bass strings. I imagine if a string broke during a show I'd be on the floor searching around for this tiny little piece of metal for 10 minutes.
- flimsy bridge pickup mount, also with limited adjustment but I've found is less of a problem when the bridge pickup cover is removed. Doing that however requires the strings to be removed and the bridge pickup to be re-mounted since they share screws.
- wiring! This bass is NOT wired up like a Rickenbacker. Adjusting the volume or tone for one pickup also affects the other pickup. On top of that, the pickups are both wired to 500k pots despite only the neck pickup being high enough output to require it, the single coil bridge pickup sounds thin and metallic through the pots, making the neck pickup position a fair bit louder than the middle and bridge positions. Be prepared to do some rewiring.
- frets definitely require clean up. After lowering the action to where I like it I've found the nut isn't too terribly high but notes on the thinner strings get VERY buzzy close to the nut.

If you're still reading this review you might be wondering why it has four stars, so I'll talk about what you can actually get out of this bass.

In my opinion the RB-414 is best used as a DIY project Rickenbacker. I've made two kit guitars and a kit bass before, so I'm viewing the RB-414 similarly. If comparing to other kits, this is a really great and affordable starting point for a great bass guitar. You won't find a pre-painted set-neck bass for this cheap anywhere else, and if you're looking specifically for a Rickenbacker kit, forget it. Rickenbacker is VERY active on taking down websites who sell Rickenbacker copy kits.

The RB-414 feels great, sustains great, is balanced really well, has solid tuners (pleased to say I probably won't need to replace them anytime soon), arrives fully playable and looks damn good.
If you're someone like me who really gets into replacement parts and pickups, this will be a seriously good platform to work on. I've been told official Rickenbacker pickups should just slot right into this bass without any problems.

It's hard to even compare this bass to other Harley Benton instruments given that all the hardware (except the tuners) is outsourced. The bridge sucks due to it being the only mass-produced Rick style bridge Harley Benton could get their hands on. I've played some other Harley Benton guitars and the hardware on those feel sturdier than what the RB-414 comes with.

TLDR; if you're like me and want the Rickenbacker bass sound but would rather swap some pieces on a copy than drop $2,000+ on a real one, this is the bass. With some hard work I believe you could really get this bass to sound indistinguishable from a real Rick, if that's what you're going for.

How many of us bass players dream of owning a Rickenbacker? Its fans are legion, but how many of them can actually afford a $2000+ instrument? Harley Benton offers a viable and very affordable solution : the RB-414.

Though it doesn't sound exactly like a genuine Rickenbacker 4003, the RB-414 offers the classic look and spirit of that legendary bass, in a package that affords many modification options (bridge and pickups can be substituted for higher end Rickenbacker or aftemarket parts), for a total price tag which still remains far below the price of an actual RIC. The mahogany body and set neck provide good resonance and sustain, and though the pickups do not successfully emulate the RIC sound, this bass has a unique and full-bodied tone, especially for rock or funk-minded bassists.

Though probably not destined to become a classic vintage instrument (it is, after all, a clone), the RB-414 offers the budget-minded bassist an affordable and eminently moddable option that won't break the bank. I own one of these, and would recommend it.

Nice to see the look feel, sound (for the most part) and, perhaps most importantly, integrity of a Rickenbacker doesn't need me to have to put a second mortgage on my house to afford.

Bass was delivered right to my door as scheduled, well packed and playable right out of the box (well, an action tweak - typical of HBs). Other than an inferior bridge and a low output, thin-sounding bridge pick up, this is a fantastic bass - regardless of price.

Now if only the CDN$ wasn't the value of a peso, I'd really save money LOL!

Well done, Thomann/Harley Benton! Again.

1. It looks GREAT [a gold-effect for pickup cover/surround would look even better, I think],
2. Feels great [albeit a tad - just a tad - heavy]. Very nice balance,
3. Plays really well - no dudders (well, what you YOU call dead spots?),
4. Or rattles. I prefer the action a little high,
5. It holds the tuning really well - no slippage(s),
6. If you (also) use a double-octave, the 414 should compliment it nicely,
7. All-in-all, recommended. I'm well happy with my purchase - give me another 30 years or so (practice) and I'll give you a decent copy of Stanley Clarkes iconic School Days....