JohnDaBass

The heel of my Fender MIM Stu Hamm Urge neck is 62.7mm and fits the neck pocket with some slight clearance. The MM 84A SB has a 34ins scale and 24 frets, this means that the bridge is fitted closer to the neck to accommodate the 24 frets of the 34ins scale. You need to compare photos of the MM 84A and the MB-4 side by side, you will see that bridge is mounted in different positions. This was one of the reasons why I chose the MM 84A because the bridge was fitted at a position close enough to accommodate my 32ins scale neck( only had to purchase extra long 70mm bridge piece screws). I believe if you tried to fit a standard Fender 34ins scale 20 fret neck to the MM 84A you may have to move the bridge back towards back end of the body to allow for correct 34ins scale intonation. That shouldn't be be too much of a mod as the existing bridge mounting holes would be hidden under the bridge. Apologies for such a long answer. ( I normally try to avoid taking up too much space on threads with endless drivel)😂😂😂😂😂

I replaced the neck with a Fender MIM Stu Hamm 32ins and added some longer bridge piece screws (70mm) to achieve the correct 32ins scale intonation. Even though the tone controls have centre detent the mid point is not really "flat". I prefer to back treble, mid & bass right off and then just add to achieve the tone needed. The range of tones on offer is very broad indeed. My upgrade plans are to install Warman PUPs and CTS pots.

What strings did you decide to use?

The routing for the Pups is over sized so great for changing to a wide variety of Pups but not possible to remove the pickguard. Maybe tort pickguard sometime in the future.

I am really impressed with the range of tones on offer with the Harley Benton MM 84A body, but the control pots are your typical low cost Chinese variety. So I sent an email to Thomann Service department ( cheekily) asking for a copy of the circuit diagram or parts list for the Bass. Within 24hrs I received a PDF of the circuit with the values of the pots clearly shown. They reminded me that I would invalidate my 3 yrs. warranty if I did proceed to upgrade the pots. I did some Tinterweb searching and discovered that the company supplying the preamp for the MM 84A designs and supplies preamps to C F Martin for their acoustic guitars. Another good endorsement for the quality of the parts used in the some of the Harley Benton basses. I have used Warman Pups of other Bitsa projects and from Jeff @DarkHeart feedback I think I will be replacing the current Pups with Warman.

I am really impressed with the range of tones on offer with the Harley Benton MM 84A body, but the control pots are your typical low cost Chinese variety. So I sent an email to Thomann Service department ( cheekily) asking for a copy of the circuit diagram or parts list for the Bass. Within 24hrs I received a PDF of the circuit with the values of the pots clearly shown. They reminded me that I would invalidate my 3 yrs. warranty if I did proceed to upgrade the pots. I did some Tinterweb searching and discovered that the company supplying the preamp for the MM 84A designs and supplies preamps to C F Martin for their acoustic guitars. Another good endorsement for the quality of the parts used in the some of the Harley Benton basses.

Nice, but my eyesight would not be able to see the cord charts at that distance 😂😂😂😂

This really appeals to me, I have been considering a Line6 POD Go but I'll wait to hear what others think once the bass version is released in the UK

How much of an improvement did the Warman pup make?

Do you have to use Brasso to keep the pickguard clean 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Purchased one last week , as @stewblack said great variety of sounds on offer the 5 way switch is very effective to change tone mid-song. See more details on the Bitsa thread.

+1

OMG that's absolutely awesome. 1969 thro 1974 Antoria were the very best main brand copies. While at Uni in Cardiff I worked part time in a music store and tried loads of Antoria guitars & basses they were head and shoulders over everything else at that time and to see one in such good condition today is a real joy. You are a very, very lucky guy. Congrats on your find.

Harley Benton P/J Bitsa So the Harley Benton MM 84a SB Deluxe arrived safely last Wednesday. The reason for the purchase was to graft the body onto my MIM Fender Stu Hamm Urge 1 neck. I have tried in vain to find a suitable, reasonably priced body as the Stu Hamm is a 32ins neck. Having followed the various threads of the Harley Benton basses the MM 84a SB appealed to me as it had a 24fret neck on a standard body which had the bridge mounted closer to the neck to maintain the 34 ins scale length. From the photos on the Thomann site it seemed quite a cost-effective solution for my Stu Hamm neck. Fitted the Stu Hamm neck and I was incredibly pleased with the outcome. SO!!!! What to do with the spare HB 24 fret 34 ins scale neck?????? Well, about 25(?) years ago while visiting one of the musical instrument shows in the NEC I purchased an Alder P/J body for the princely sum of £5 from one of the bigger retailers who was having a “Fire sale”. I used the body, with some extensive “fettling” to a Squire Bronco neck, to create a “Mustang” short scale P/J. I chose to use the Seymour Duncan Pro-Active P & J Pups with the active preamp to match. The result was a decent short scale bass but alas it just did not get the use. I was so impressed with the quality of the neck off the MM84a that I grafted it onto the alder body and created a very versatile 34 ins scale bass.

Fender Stu Hamm Urge Ray So the Harley Benton MM 84a SB Deluxe arrived safely last Wednesday. The reason for the purchase was to graft the body onto my MIM Fender Stu Hamm Urge 1 neck. I have tried in vain to find a suitable body as the Stu Hamm is a 32ins neck. The history of the neck is another story that I may share on a thread of its own. Having followed the various threads of the Harley Benton basses the MM 84a SB appealed to me as it had a 24fret neck on a standard body which had the bridge mounted closer to the neck to maintain the 34 ins scale length. From the photos on the Thomann site it seemed quite a cost-effective solution for my Stu Hamm neck. I managed to secure a “B-Stock” which cost only £149 delivered. Having checked the bass over when it arrived it was in first class condition, sounded great and had a fantastic finish. Sure enough, the neck pocket was to the Fender standard and I fitted the Stu Hamm neck. The screws on the bridge were not quite long enough to allow for perfect intonation so until I source some longer ones, I temporarily added a Squire bridge to accommodate the 32ins scale length. The pre is “Okay” and produces some very familiar StingRay tones and the Rosewell Pups are really good, however the plan is to upgrade the Pups to Warman MM in the near future and maybe one of the fancy active Preamps that are around. All in all a fine outcoming having spent hours & hours trying to find a reasonably priced P or P/J body for the Stu Hamm neck. So here we have it my Fender Stu Hamm Urge Ray Bitsa.

Ordered one of these following the feedback on the MB-4. https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mm_84a_sb_deluxe_series.htm Arrived Wednesday and indeed it is a very fine bass for £149 B-stock. Purchased for the 24 fret neck and the positioning of the bridge closer to the neck. I will post a follow-up on the Bitsa thread.

Barefaced probably do not have a vastly strong Balance Sheet so any deviation into new market segments have to be cautious. The Bass amp market place is very crowded with companies who are innovative enjoy huge balance sheets, resources and history. I think I understand Barefaced's direction of travel, they have established a strong bass cab range and reputation, they are developing a complimentary FRFR range of active cabs, so a front end range of pre-amps would be a "low cost of entry" into products which extend their brand value. Perhaps we were a little over excited with their possibilities without fully grasping their financial constraints. I feel that the biggest omission is a DI output but this maybe addressed with a sister pedal being a straight forward preamp DI with a variable HPF.

Dai Iawn.

What a lovely project and thread. Following with interest. Looking forward to more historical enlightenment. Thank you @Maude

Oh my Lord, what a fantastic rig. You are truly blessed, enjoy young man while you are able to immerse yourself in such heritage.

I'm chasing my Bass with a small Johnny Walker, luverly.

That colour combination is fantastic, congrats, enjoy it for a while before considering any changes.

Great work , looks very professional, excellent finish. Any chance of a couple of pixs showing the baffle? The Beyma SM212 is a great speaker. Congrats