sellisnba Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Hi all[size=4].[/size] I have a bit of a an itch for a jazz bass at the moment,but with a baby on the way and other boring stuff i don't have a lot to spend. I was looking at the Harley Benton basses on the thomann site. http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbb1975_na.htm http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jb_75_sb_vintage_serie.htm Anybody had one? Can anyone tell me if any of these basses are worth the money. Do i need to figure in a decent set up or anything like that or would they be playable out of the box? I'm liking the maple board model however i can' t tell if the "binding and blocks" are painted on or not. Any info on these would be a real helpful. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Go here http://basschat.co.uk/topic/229973-harley-daverr-benton-jazz/page__hl__harley%20benton%20jazz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madshadows Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 I have the the bass in the first link and it;s terrific, it came well set up, plays and sounds great and looks beautiful in the flesh, in fact just put mine down after playing it, worth a punt in my IMHO John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 I have the bass in the second link. It is very good, and has a great sound. The only reason I don't play it more is because it is fairly heavy, but when I had to do a rage against the machine song the other day, it was the bass I picked to do it with, as it had the best sound for it. It is surprisingly good for the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sellisnba Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 Gas is a cruel mistress, I have just pulled the trigger on the sunburst model. After much deliberation I went for the rosewood board. I already have a bass with a maple board and though a bit of variety wouldn't go amiss. I shall report back when I have received the bass although the pepperoni pickguard may have to be swapped out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 GAS? You've come to the right place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) Just don't get one with a Tort pickguard or else you'll end up with this and it will only get worse....(it's where my highly abrasive thumb is anchored and has worn through the finish in 5 months of intermittent playing) [attachment=168578:P1030851.JPG] Edited August 6, 2014 by yorks5stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 For £100, you just can't go wrong. I want One Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylkinut Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I was at the Thomann Fleamarket a couple of weeks ago and picked up a natural-finish one for £25! I'm deeply impressed with it, even for £100 I'd be chuffed to bits. Very solid and great fun to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 For £100 I'd be tempted to take a punt on the 70s model, you'd probably get two thirds of that back if you wanted to move it on, so are probably only looking at about £40 risk. If my girls were older I'd happily get them one as their first bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 They are great bass and perfect for modification you can make a truly awesome bass for about 200 pounds and a bass of the same kind of spec with a Fender on the headstock would cost about 5 times more obviously the bass with Fender on the headstock will be better in terms of quality but if you cant afford a Fender or whatever these are corking value for money and coming from a huge Fender fan like me that's a compliment and would like to add Thomann are a great company if you buy one and dislike it you can pay the return shipping and get your money back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 (edited) Blimey, the Precisions are even cheaper - entry level P-bass for £60! http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbp120bk_ebass.htm How much do Thoman charge for shipping? Edited August 9, 2014 by Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 (edited) [quote name='Graham' timestamp='1407593369' post='2522137'] Blimey, the Precisions are even cheaper - entry level P-bass for £60! [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbp120bk_ebass.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...120bk_ebass.htm[/url] How much do Thoman charge for shipping? [/quote]!0 euros about £7 but the pickups are crap but for £60 cheap enough to swap em Edited August 9, 2014 by Thunderbird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4-string-thing Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 (edited) I bought a s/h HB 50's P from a fellow Basschatter a few months ago, I have to say it's a great bass! Easily as good, or better than a CV or VM Squier. The only issues I had were the scratchplate screws sitting a little too proud (sorted, 2 minutes countersinking with a 10mm drill bit) The scratchplate not sitting flat near the neck (too tight against the edge of the neck, sorted with a file in 2 minutes) And the modern shaped headstock (sorted by a local luthier, who re-shaped to something more fitting and refinished it for £45) I added Fender chrome from ebay and for less than half the cost of a CV Squier I have a great looking and sounding bass that plays really well and is exactly what I was after. It's more of a 68 Telecaster bass than a 50's Precision, but I love it! If the Jazz is anywhere near as good, you could do an awful lot worse.[attachment=168790:newbass2.jpg] Edited August 9, 2014 by 4-string-thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 The temptation to buy one of those precisions and put in a £30 Entwistle ceramic pickup is remarkable; it would make a more suitable bass for tuning to Eb for Sweet Child Of Mine and Basket Case than my L2000. However, I'm pretty sure the wife has all the money earmarked for other things at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyellowcar Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 This thread has sparked my Jazz GAS again, which is ridiculous because everyone knows I don't get on with Jazzes. Still, the 70's model in natural just looks too good to be true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethFlatlands Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 [quote name='theyellowcar' timestamp='1407691603' post='2523081'] This thread has sparked my Jazz GAS again [/quote] Mine too, and I only got hold of a new bass 2 days ago. Damn you BC.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixiechick23 Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 This has just gotten me wanting the HB fretless even more. I just bought a new bass, I do NOT have room for more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sellisnba Posted August 13, 2014 Author Share Posted August 13, 2014 Update. Well the jazz bass turned up so HNGD or so i thought [size=4] It seems somewhere along the line a courier has decided to ruin a perfectly nice instrument, It turned up with the inner box [/size]completely[size=4] wrecked, [/size]weirdly the outer box was fine!? [size=4]Result a major dent in the headstock, bent tuning peg and the lower strap pin bent which now won't tighten. Contacted Thomann to see what they suggested, They have offered me a 25 euro discount (£20). Personally I'm not that happy with the discount but maybe i'm being a bit unfair.[/size] [size=4]What do the basschat massive think. Take the discount or return the bass for another?[/size] [size=4]Cheers [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 [quote name='sellisnba' timestamp='1407949373' post='2525662'] Update. [/quote] That sucks! I would personally return it for another one, and make sure you don't have to pay the return shipping as its not your fault it was handled by a bunch of apes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyellowcar Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 [quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1407949649' post='2525669'] That sucks! I would personally return it for another one, and make sure you don't have to pay the return shipping as its not your fault it was handled by a bunch of apes! [/quote] This. Although the fact that it was the inner box only suggests to me it was Thomann's own handling that did the damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 [quote name='sellisnba' timestamp='1407949373' post='2525662'] Update. Well the jazz bass turned up so HNGD or so i thought [size=4] It seems somewhere along the line a courier has decided to ruin a perfectly nice instrument, It turned up with the inner box [/size]completely[size=4] wrecked, [/size]weirdly the outer box was fine!? [size=4]Result a major dent in the headstock, bent tuning peg and the lower strap pin bent which now won't tighten. Contacted Thomann to see what they suggested, They have offered me a 25 euro discount (£20). Personally I'm not that happy with the discount but maybe i'm being a bit unfair.[/size] [size=4]What do the basschat massive think. Take the discount or return the bass for another?[/size] [size=4]Cheers [/size] [/quote] This is exactly what happened to me ( twice) earlier this year and I showed them via photos and text how their packaging on the HB was not robust enough. Tell them to FO and send you another instrument, I did ...and that arrived damaged too! The problem is that the inner box is not robust enough and even thought the outer carton may be undamaged, the neck rest and padding to the Headstock inside the inner box becomes detached and the Bass then moves around. Don't take any crap from them. You could say its an issue that has been mentioned on Basschat. The only reason I kept my second Bass was ( apart from the discount) it was noticeably lighter than the first one! What annoys me with them is that instead of accepting your word the Bass is damaged, they ask to see photos, then make an insulting offer rather than accepting the word of the customer and replacing the Bass as a matter of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sellisnba Posted August 13, 2014 Author Share Posted August 13, 2014 Thanks for all the reply's. I have decided to exchange the bass for another, I wasn't happy with the damage or the discount. What really bugs me is the way it was packaged, Little box put into big box then some pillow packs on top. There were enough of the pillow packs to line the bottom of the box then wrap around the guitar box then finally putting some on top. I put 3 layers in each area to send it back. Whats stopping them from doing this, they provide enough packaging, Fingers crossed for the next bass. Anyone want to sell me there HB Jazz bass [size=4] [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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