Annoying Twit

Is there anyone who bought a non-deko Harley Benton acoustic?

That looks absolutely fabulous Rob. BTW: Two of my dekos arrived unplayable due to setup, which was easily fixed.

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1440180556' post='2848951'] HOLY MOLY! It's finally up! A four string fretted natural acoustic! [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_b_30_nt_acoustic_bassdeko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...ic_bassdeko.htm[/url] I have been waiting! [/quote] Please tell me that you actually bought it. EDIT: Still available now.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1440147078' post='2848583'] There were! [/quote] Congratulations. I started on classical guitar because my father said that he would only pay for instruments and lessons if it were classical. Later on he did buy me a nice electric bass guitar ('77 Ibanez Artist -if only I had it now ) and amplifier. Good to see you're getting one (almost certainly).

This has been posted before, another Harley Benton 'deko' which cost me £37 plus postage shared with other items. It looks as if there are some flaws on the back - that's the camera flash. There are some lighter regions on the front where the finish hasn't been done properly. I've got Fender Flats on it, and am happy.

How about going for a veneer top so that you can have a natural finish? As Andy, who has mentioned this thread in another place, does. I have a guitar (Yammy Pacifica) which is a natural finish, even though it's made from about five pieces of wood. If I were doing what you are doing, I'd think about seeing whether a dark brown transparent finish with something to make the grain pop would be a possibility. I googled ash veneers to see if the above was possible, and there are similar veneers. But, I found this ash burl veneer. Wouldn't that look fantastic on a top?

What are you planning to do with it? Or, are you making it up as you go along?

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1440060559' post='2847875'] Saw that. Bought that. Let's see if there were any left. [/quote] There's a Startone now up on the main page, but clicking through shows it as out of stock. The CG300CE similar, on the list but sold out. CG200 still available. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_cg200_bk_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...200_bk_deko.htm[/url] EDIT: The full price of the CG200 is only £27.49!! Classical guitars seem quite popular here. Is that because of the common use of fingers between basses and classical? I still feel I want to wait until I find if the Santos series models return. BTW: Too lazy to check who was interested in a deko progressive six string, but here is an old (Shine) style six string bass on Ebay with a reasonable starting price. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/harley-benton-six-string-bass-guitar-/221858584149?hash=item33a7cd5655"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item33a7cd5655[/url]

CG300CE electro-acoustic classical guitar as bought by Shockwave (if I remember correctly.) Back again: http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_cg300ce_nt_deko.htm

Nodules? Can you post a photo of these 'nodules'? Congratulations on receiving what sounds to be an instrument that can quickly be fixed with a couple of new strings. Or something depending on what these nodules are

Andy, good luck with the shipping. I haven't actually really done anything with the neck yet, I've just been looking at it really closely from time to time. I managed to remove the nut, but it wasn't in very tight

I'm not going to be buying a double bass any time soon. However, my interest was piqued when I noticed the Thomann 111E BR 3/4 Double Bass. Does anyone have one, and if so, are they as good for the money as the reviews suggest?

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1439919913' post='2846805'] De-fretted it's 3.9 kg on the bathroom scales and the nut is 45mm wide: B-E is 0.9cm, E-A 0.9cm, A-D 1cm and D-G 1 cm assuming you use Nylon Flats! It does not feel heavy and the body is quite contoured. [/quote] My mini clippers/whatever they are called have arrived. I haven't yet had a chance to file the ends flat. As they are, they don't really grip the frets (on the ex-Andytre deko jazz bass neck) enough, but I assume that they will once filed down. If I successfully defret the neck, does that mean that I'll have to buy a deko jazz bass to fit it?

P-bass, not on Deko page. http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_pb_20_bk_standard_seri_deko.htm

[quote name='ChunkyMunky' timestamp='1439895114' post='2846501'] I have to politely disagree with the folks on Audacity and put in a vote for Reaper. [/quote] I use Audacity, but not Reaper. However, I would recommend Reaper for the OP because Reaper supports realtime plugins and instruments in it. Adding reverb to an Audacity mix is possible, but is a pain unless you can always get it right the first time. Audacity is great for simple recordings, but IMHO it's not designed for nor suitable for sophisticated mixing of music. ProTools and Logic (which I use) are streets ahead, but Reaper is close enough such that someone who can't afford the larger packages can still do music production in it. Reaper also does mix down automation, doesn't it? PS: If the OP has a Linux box at home, then Ardour might be worth looking into.

Nice work on the sanding, and that Jazz bass really does look lovely. The bass ukulele is back. http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_kahuna_clu_bass_ukulel_deko.htm

I wonder if they are deliberately making it all go weird in order to wrongfoot people who use programs to track the site. Edit: If I click on grid view, I see the extra instruments too. This black classical guitar is available in grid view, but not in standard view. http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_cg200_bk_deko.htm

Great to see that everyone is enjoying their progressive basses. @Shockwave - it's great to hear that your classical sounds great. I must admit however that I'm hoping that you won't praise it too much, as I really want to hold out for a Santos series assuming that Thomann will order more from their suppliers But, how does your classical play, and how does the fretboard feel?

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1439728790' post='2845243'] On a linisher belt, you could use a grind stone or do it manually as they are not the hardest metal ever.... [/quote] I'll see if I can get the machine shop at work to help me. Thanks. [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1439730040' post='2845255'] Bartolini make some suitable pups. [url="http://www.bartolini.net/product/4-string-bass-soapbars/"]http://www.bartolini...-bass-soapbars/[/url] The BC4C-B and BC4C-T seem about the right thing. I doubt I'll rush though, the stock ones seem ok and it would be sensible to see what different strings sound like first. The higher priority could be replacement pots. The pre-amp seems very versatile, but the pots are a bit stiff. [/quote] Wouldn't each single Bart pup cost more than the entire bass?

Thanks Y5S. I've bought the mini cutters from that seller. How did you flatten the ends to make them a better tool for removing frets? I'm going to have a go on the neck that Andy gave me.

How can a well made bass have significantly more string tension/tightness than a cheaply made bass of similar design? E.g. a cheap 34" 5 string rosewood/maple/alder jazz bass versus an expensive one, if they have the same strings?

Looking at this Ali Express page, it appears that the 'W' has been added at the factory. This is slightly different from the eBay bass, but there is enough family resemblance that I expect they were made in the same factory: http://www.aliexpress.com/item-img/Free-shipping-Top-quality-2014-new-Warwick-LTD-Corvette-5-strings-bass-Dark-brown-electric-bass/1541477289.html Given that it appears to have been intended to be a copy/forgery, then more of your criticisms hit home. If it were just a similar bass that someone 'W'ed, then I don't think it would be so objectionable if the shape etc. was a bit different from the original.

Excellent work York5stringer. Would it be possible for you to post eBay links for where you bought the mini end cut pliers and the veneer? @KB - sorry to hear that your ukulele bass hasn't arrived yet.

[quote name='goonieman' timestamp='1439664610' post='2844851'] Indeed, it's dubious and questionable resale ethics... at best. If you look closely, its very shoddily put together. I remember being a teenager and I was very naive... i'd be tempted by such a thing. Very sad. [/quote] What's wrong with it? Looking closely, I see that the veneer on the top is chipped, not quite finished well around the edges. The pickup routing looks slightly generous. I can't see anything else obviously wrong. The bridge and other hardware appear straight. The neck through body looks OK from the distance of the photos. Apart from the top veneer, which isn't a deal breaker for a cheap bass IMHO, what else is shoddy?

I've seen similar confusing things. You always need to check your pricing at checkout.