NBD - Harley Benton PB-50 Precision Bass

[discreet]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][b]NBD - Harley Benton PB-50 Precision Bass[/b][/font][/size][list]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Bolt-On Neck Construction[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Basswood Body[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Canadian Maple C-Shape Neck[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Maple Fretboard with dot Inlays[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]20 Frets[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]864mm Scale (34")[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]42mm Nut-Width (1.65")[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Double-Action Trussrod[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Wilkinson MWVXPB Alnico Vintage PB -Style Single Coil pick-up[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Electronics 1 Volume & 1 Tone[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Side Mounted Jack Socket on Cat's-Eye Plate[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Deluxe Chrome Hardware[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Classic PB-Style Tuners[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]D'Addario XL 045-100 Strings[/color][/font][/size]
[*][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#000000]Hi-Gloss 3-Tone Sunburst[/color][/font][/size]
[*][color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Price Paid: £85 inc VAT & Delivery[/font][/color]
[/list]
[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_pb_50_sb_vintage_series.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...tage_series.htm[/url]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]So apparently you can't buy a bad bass any more. Not like the 60s and 70s. Budget basses are great. You can gig with a decent Squier and it can easily be your main bass. All well and good, if true. But is it actually [i]possible [/i]to buy a bad bass these days? [Update: Yes. Now read on.] Logically, you'd think that the worst possible bass would be the one that cost the least. The Harley Benton PB-50 costs £85 including VAT and delivery to your door from Germany. So it must be terrible then, right..?[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Not necessarily! OK, you'd very soon notice the difference if you A/B'd it with a Japanese Fender 51P Re-Issue, and definitely so if you compared with with a genuine 1954 USA Fender Precision. This bass is one of Thomann's own-brand offerings, a vague and approximate amalgamation of Fender's USA 50s P basses. It has the body shape, the 50s rout, the 50s pickguard shape, the 50s single-coil four-pole pickup and the 50s side-mounted jack socket. It doesn't have the Telecaster-bass headstock shape, the heel-end truss rod adjustment, the long vintage-reverse tuners, the through-body two-saddle bridge and obviously it doesn't have an F-decal.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]It arrived wearing D'Addario XL roundwound strings and the SC pickup is by Wilkinson. A pair of good-quality brands to give one hope, then. The action and intonation did need fettling, but not by much. It turns out the tuners, while not pretending to be toppest of gear, work well enough and properly hold tune. Which is handy. The bridge is a top-loading hi-mass job which looks like a clone of the Gotoh 201, but doesn't quite have the quality and finish of that item. However, it adjusts well enough and though a real 50s P would have Leo's original 50s two-saddle through-body bridge, it doesn't bother me. I like accurate intonation and realistically no-one is going to be thinking that this bass is the real thing. So it's not an issue.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]So how does it play..? I had some idea of what to expect as I already own a HB Strat, so the smooth, straight, satin-feel neck was no surprise, but very welcome. The fret-ends show no sharpness at all and the frets are level. This isn't the sort of bass you'd start shredding on, but it's no slouch either. The neck is nice, and very playable.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Into an amp next and the pickup produces the fast attack, fast decay and relatively short sustain you'd expect from a four-pole single-coil. It lacks the mid-bump you get with a split-coil 57-type P pickup, but has something of the extended low end and airy highs associated with a SC P pup. But it's not scooped in any way. I was expecting lots of RF noise, but there's none. There is a slight 'click' when you touch strings or bridge with your finger, which hints at a shielding issue. the XL rounds are as you'd expect, but given the vibe of this bass I think Thomann/HB would be better off supplying it with a decent set of flats.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]So is it worth it? Yes, well worth it. It's silly money for a brand-new bass and with a little work you can get it playing and sounding way better than it has any right to be. The finish is exemplary (though the body grain is FotoFlame), everything works and there's no real reason you couldn't take it straight out of the box, plug it in and do a gig with it at a push. [/font][/size][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I'd want to fettle it a little more extensively, myself. In fact I am going to do so and there will be a [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/281077-harley-benton-pb-50-modded-audio/"]PB-50 modding thread[/url] in due course... [/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]So if you want a back-up P, a beater or a gigging bass that you don't have to worry about, this should be in the frame. It could even be a regular squeeze if necessary. This example is not bad at all and the price makes it extremely attractive. Obviously, if you can afford to buy a better bass then you probably have already, but there's no reason for this bass to attract too much derision or be regarded as completely sub-standard, because it's not.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]For myself I'd feel a bit iffy playing out with the Harley Benton legend on the headstock, but then I'm very shallow... in the real world no punter would give it a second look or even a second listen and would certainly notice nothing amiss. It's good![/font][/size]

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Edited March 21, 2016 by discreet

[No. 8 Wire]

Just got one of these delivered today myself. Mine has a few QA issues so I'm hoping Thomann offer something to sort that out. Missing screw from a machine head, a few dents and stratches on the headstock, tone pot shaft seems bent.

I agree with your review though, except I really hate the bridge. The saddles on mine don't seem to sit right and look rough. That'll get changed for a Wilkinson at some point.

I'm going to leave mine standard for a little bit and then it'll get extensively modded too. Look forward to your thread on it.

[discreet]

[quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1457117154' post='2995596']
Mine has a few QA issues so I'm hoping Thomann offer something to sort that out. Missing screw from a machine head, a few dents and scratches on the headstock, tone pot shaft seems bent.
[/quote]

I'm sorry to hear that, though not entirely surprised, as I suspect Thomann are employed twenty-four hours a day packing these up and shipping them out. I reckon there must be thousands of container-loads of them regularly turning up at their warehouse. How else can they offer them at this price? I'm guessing they're selling them cheap and stacking them high. Really cheap and really high...

[quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1457117154' post='2995596']
I really hate the bridge. The saddles on mine don't seem to sit right and look rough. That'll get changed for a Wilkinson at some point. I'm going to leave mine standard for a little bit and then it'll get extensively modded too. Look forward to your thread on it.
[/quote]

Mine was OK, if not super high-quality. If you're going to mod it anyway it may be preferable for Thomann to give you a store credit so you can spend it on modding items...

Edited March 5, 2016 by discreet

[gary mac]

Great review and great photos as always Discreet

Following this review they will probably need to stack them even higher. I predict an HB stampede

[discreet]

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1457118483' post='2995613']
Great review and great photos as always Discreet
Following this review they will probably need to stack them even higher. I predict an HB stampede
[/quote]

Thanks Gary, but the pics are Thomann's own and not up to my usual standard. A bass has to cost at least £100 before I'll take my own pics of it. The modded version will have extensive discreet pics, don't worry.

Edited March 4, 2016 by discreet

[kodiakblair]

Excellent choice Mr Discreet. You're obviously a man of outstanding taste !!

OK I have to say that having bought multiples of these

It's a strange thing those D'Addarios as if ever a bass performed better with flats or tapes the PB-50 is it.

Happy NBD

[No. 8 Wire]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1457117987' post='2995605']

Mine was OK, if not super high-quality. Looks like it IS possible to buy a bad bass, then. If you're going to mod it anyway it may be preferable for Thomann to give you a store credit so you can spend it on modding items...
[/quote]

If they offer the store credit I'll take for sure, I'll wait and see what they offer. I'll send it back if I have to but as you say a store credit would be a lower hassle solution. I'd like to get it playing well as standard before the mods begin otherwise you never know if you've made it better or worse!

Eventually, I'm going to change the bridge as mentioned for a Wilkinson with brass saddles - maybe also a brass nut. The neck will get stripped eventually and refinished in Tru Oil, possibly with an amber stain. Will reshape headstock to a tele style. There will be a lot fettling and tidying up rough edges. I have a Seymour Duncan pickup to go in it, but the current one sounds great so it'll just be sticking with whichever sounds best to my ears. Also I have a set of TI Flats lying round that will go on too. Not sure if I'll do anything to the body.

What's the mod plan for yours?

[discreet]

[quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1457118850' post='2995619']
What's the mod plan for yours?
[/quote]

Surprisingly similar... re-shape headstock to tele style, prep neck and apply nitro vintage tint. Spray pickguard gold to simulate a gold anodized... even though such a thing never appeared on pre-57 basses. Should be white with a 54-type, but I don't like white on sunburst. Depending on how that goes I may upgrade the pup, but as you say the stock pup is pretty good. I may also replace the bridge, or at least the saddles and saddle-screws. Brass. I'd really like some vintage-reverse tuners but they're a bit pricey. Might go for Wilkinson tuners, keep it in the family.

That's it, really... I may replace the electrics with a KiOgon loom, or the low-budget alternative, wire the pup direct to the jack socket.

The one thing that will make a huge difference to the sound and playability of this bass is to fit a set of quality flatwounds. La Bella by choice, but of course you're then in the situation where the strings cost an appreciable percentage of the cost of the bass. But string choice is extremely important (as Kodiakblair said, above), so I think it would be well worth it.

Edited March 6, 2016 by discreet

[No. 8 Wire]

I think mine will be going back, just running through a setup now, reasonably high action and slight relief in the neck and its buzz city between 11-15 frets on the G and D strings - and a little on A from 5-7. No wonder they shipped it with with such a high action.

I think I may got the Friday afternoon bass - or the Chinese equivalent. Worse thing is these have been through factory QA and then by Thomann too - the sticker is right there by the missing screw! I knew it would be a gamble though, I mean those deko basses got to come from somewhere! I don't expect to play perfect but's unplayable above the 11th fret basically.

I'll just have to decide whether to go for a replacement or but together a bitsa to cure my 51/54 cheapo P bass lust.

[kodiakblair]

Within an hour of unboxing mine I was ordering a set of Status tapes. Massive improvement to the bass IMO.

The mate I gave the deko one to went for D'Addario chromes. Strings make all the difference I think.

[StraightSix]

Has anyone with one of these had a look under the scratchplate...?

I'm just wondering if the scratchplate is covering any cable routing or if the bass could be used sans scratchplate...

Looks very sweet

[No. 8 Wire]

[quote name='StraightSix' timestamp='1457123467' post='2995702']
Has anyone with one of these had a look under the scratchplate...?

I'm just wondering if the scratchplate is covering any cable routing or if the bass could be used sans scratchplate...

Looks very sweet
[/quote]

http://www.musiker-board.de/threads/bass-harley-benton-pb-50-sb-vintage-series.583476/

[kodiakblair]

Here's one of mine,shame about the screw holes.
[attachment=213900:PB-50 SF no PG.jpg]

[discreet]

[quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1457120402' post='2995657']
It's unplayable above the 11th fret basically.
[/quote]

And your point is..?

Seriously though, it may turn out not to be a problem if you were going to fit flats. Otherwise, it's a shame you seem to have got a duff one. I hope it's unusual that you got a duff one and not unusual that I didn't!

[discreet]

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1457128400' post='2995758']
Here's one of mine, shame about the screw holes.
[/quote]

Is that a Peavey Super Ferrite by any chance? Obviously there's a whole scene of PB-50 modding I wasn't aware of!

Edited March 4, 2016 by discreet

[No. 8 Wire]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1457128619' post='2995759']
And your point is..?

Seriously though, it may turn out not to be a problem if you were going to fit flats. Otherwise, it's a shame you seem to have got a duff one. I hope it's unusual that you got a duff one and not unusual that I didn't!
[/quote]

I guess I could just keep returning them until I get a decent one?

Judging by all the reviews etc, it must just be a duff one. Or maybe its that the duff ones get returned so don't end up giving bad reviews.

I don't think flats are going to solve this one, its pretty bad. Also TIs are pretty low tension so that isn't going to help.

[discreet]

[quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1457130645' post='2995778']
I don't think flats are going to solve this one, its pretty bad. Also TIs are pretty low tension so that isn't going to help.
[/quote]

TIs certainly are low tension. Shame, I hope you get a good one if you decide to get a replacement.

[kodiakblair]

They got one of the easiest returns policy going so just return it but now you had it have a think it you want it replaced or a refund.

@discreet

It certainly is the fabled Peavey Super Ferrite. I gave up hope of finding another for a spare Foundation body that's lying around here,also hid the nasty mess I'd made
attempting to fit a toaster.Hammer and chisel is not the best way to rout out a pickup

[No. 8 Wire]

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1457133029' post='2995793']
They got one of the easiest returns policy going so just return it but now you had it have a think it you want it replaced or a refund.
[/quote]

I'm going to get a refund rather than replacement. I don't doubt that the majority are good, I've just kind fallen out of love with this particular model after this bass turned out to be such a pig. So look out for a PB 50 deko in the near future but be prepared for a significant fret dress unless you enjoy playing with action similar to fencing wire.

I think I'll probably build a bitsa, maybe even a pine body. It won't be that much more expensive as long as I can find a decent neck. Cheers guys.

[kodiakblair]

Best policy going for a refund.

Put TI's on the Super Ferrite fella last night,it's now Super Slinky too. I'm quite worn out by all racing about I felt compelled to do

[discreet]

[quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1457177365' post='2996014']
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I'm going to get a refund. [/font][/color]I've fallen out of love after this bass turned out to be such a pig.
[/quote]

I don't blame you, there's definitely a point of diminishing returns. I'm quite pleased you didn't buy it on my recommendation though, so there's that to be said for it. It would seem that it [i]is[/i] still possible to buy a bad bass in the twenty-first century and that as usual, you largely get what you pay for. [i]Caveat Emptor[/i]. Good luck.

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1457185461' post='2996126']
Put TI's on the Super Ferrite fella last night, it's now Super Slinky too.
[/quote]

Stoatin'!

[No. 8 Wire]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1457186138' post='2996129']
I don't blame you, there's definitely a point of diminishing returns. I'm quite pleased you didn't buy it on my recommendation though, so there's that to be said for it. It would seem that it [i]is[/i] still possible to buy a bad bass in the twenty-first century and that as usual, you largely get what you pay for. [i]Caveat Emptor[/i]. Good luck.
[/quote]

I'm not sure caveat emptor applies anymore with the return policies that are on offer now. It's not a risk to take a punt on a bass line this anymore.

[discreet]

[quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1457186626' post='2996137']
I'm not sure caveat emptor applies any more with the return policies on offer now. It's not a risk to take a punt on a bass like this.
[/quote]

You're right, especially with Thomann's great customer service and extended warranty. I just wanted to seem clever because I know two words of Latin. Four words if you include [i]Tempus Fugit[/i]...

Edited March 5, 2016 by discreet

[kodiakblair]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Stoatin'! [/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Yes indeed[/font][/color]

[ColinB]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1457186941' post='2996140']
You're right, especially with Thomann's great customer service and extended warranty. I just wanted to seem clever because I know two words of Latin. Four words if you include [i]Tempus Fugit[/i]...
[/quote]

....and not forgeting [i]Status Quo[/i], that makes six!

Edited March 5, 2016 by ColinB