Harley Benton Olympic White PJ

[la bam]

just looking for a backup bass at the moment.

had my eyes on the harley benton vintage jazz bass for a while, then came across this!! looks great and a PJ configuration too!

this olympic white gloss looks great. good price too.

[url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_pj_74ow_vintage.htm?ref=search_rslt_benton+ow_409652_4"]https://www.thomann....ton+ow_409652_4[/url]

Edited August 10, 2017 by la bam

[Elfrasho]

If it's anything like the vintage jazz I had, it'll be a very playable bass indeed. Just watch out for weight though, my hb was the heaviest bass I've ever owned! And a big neck.

[lojo]

I've a natural maple CIJ 70s P it's a quality bass

Can't recall seeing a sunburst 70s one for sale , I'm sure they are out there though , but rare beast id assume

Edited August 11, 2017 by lojo

[bigsmokebass]

I'd be tempted to say look at the marketplace on here for a cheap squier or something alike. Bound to be better quality and similar price marks.
For me, it just seems better to invest in the second hand market anyway and HB instruments tend to be "1 in 10" for something that [b]doesn't[/b] need some work done to it from the factory.

[kodiakblair]

Must have owned 12 maybe 15 HBs,never needed to do any work on them. The dirt cheap PB-20 stood head and shoulders above the Squier Affinity p bass I had.
Must say its good to see a PJ with a P bass neck for a change.

[jrixn1]

I have a Harley Benton PB-20 (i.e. their split-coil P-bass) - originally bought as a back-up, although it's currently my bass of choice (functions/weddings).

I'd also be interested to hear if someone has tried the PJ-74 you linked to.

Another option for a £100 PJ is http://www.dv247.com/guitars/jandd-yc-pbj-4-string-bass-guitar-3-tone-sunburst--201881

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='jrixn1' timestamp='1502450898' post='3351526']
I have a Harley Benton PB-20 (i.e. their split-coil P-bass) - originally bought as a back-up, although it's currently my bass of choice (functions/weddings).

I'd also be interested to hear if someone has tried the PJ-74 you linked to.

Another option for a £100 PJ is http://www.dv247.com/guitars/jandd-yc-pbj-4-string-bass-guitar-3-tone-sunburst--201881
[/quote]

As above, DV247 is worth checking. My J&D 75 Jazz bass is amazing, lighter than the HB equivalent and only £109. I bought it as a backup but it has usurped my EBMM Stingray as my main gigging bass. Outstanding value.

[la bam]

I'm so tempted by the j&d as well.

But i love the wood grain alder body on the harley benton.

Hmmm decisions, decisions...

Cheers.

Edited August 12, 2017 by la bam

[NJE]

I LOVE my Harley Benton fretless, there are some tiny cosmetic things on the back of the neck (the board is an amazing piece of wood) but the sunburst finish is one of the best I have ever seen and again the body is a stunning piece of wood.

Love the look of this HB PJ....

[Paolo85]

I am resurrecting this to check if now someone actually owns or has owned one of these HB PJ74.

I have returned a Squier Affinity PJ because of a truss rod issue and I am tempted to try the HB instead. The reason is that I like the Roswell pickups in my HB JB75fl more than the squier affinity pickups so maybe this PJ with Roswell is right for me

I have however a few concerns

1- neck size. My HB jazz bass has a very chunky neck for a jazz. I am ok with it given the 38mm nut width, but maybe on a precision I would find it more problematic. The affinity neck is extremely comfortable

2-bridge pickup: would that be the same as in the HB jazz? Or woukd they use a weaker one on the PJ?

3-weight. My HB jazz is very heavy and pretty much everyone seems to say that of their HB jazz. I can live with one bass like that, not two. I understand those PJ basses should be lighter but do they tend to be heavier than an average P (whatever that is)?

Many thanks

[kodiakblair]

@Paolo85

 

1- neck size.  Chunky is a personal thing. My Fender 51 has a thicker neck than any of the HB's I've played. However the necks on my Wishbass Lobes are the most comfortable I've played and they sit mid point between my upright and the Fender.My opinion on chunky is no good to you 👍

 

2-bridge pickup. JB-75 and PJ-74 both use the same bridge pickup. It's paired with a bloody hot split-P, take care when going solo from one to the other. You'll also find a wee drop in output when both pickups are even volume, pay off here is they are acting as a wide humbucker.

 

3-weight. The PJ-74 is the PJ-HTR with a different paint job and some higher quality parts. My PJ-HTR tipped the scales just over 9lb, my JB-75 was easily 12lbs +. The difference is down to the smaller P-bass body and alder instead of ash. Alder averages around 28 lbs per cubic ft , ash between 38 & 42.

[Paolo85]

55 minutes ago, kodiakblair said:

@Paolo85

 

1- neck size.  Chunky is a personal thing. My Fender 51 has a thicker neck than any of the HB's I've played. However the necks on my Wishbass Lobes are the most comfortable I've played and they sit mid point between my upright and the Fender.My opinion on chunky is no good to you 👍

 

2-bridge pickup. JB-75 and PJ-74 both use the same bridge pickup. It's paired with a bloody hot split-P, take care when going solo from one to the other. You'll also find a wee drop in output when both pickups are even volume, pay off here is they are acting as a wide humbucker.

 

3-weight. The PJ-74 is the PJ-HTR with a different paint job and some higher quality parts. My PJ-HTR tipped the scales just over 9lb, my JB-75 was easily 12lbs +. The difference is down to the smaller P-bass body and alder instead of ash. Alder averages around 28 lbs per cubic ft , ash between 38 & 42.

That's very helpful many thanks!