Which Harley Benton or leave alone?

[Dennis1971]

So the unavoidable has happened, sold my rig (highway 1 precision and Genz Benz Contour) a couple years ago but being drawn back in to play bass with guitar buddy and drummer.

Looking to keep it affordable, any experience with this Harley Benton model, JB-75MN (https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbb1975_na.htm) . Reviews seem to be good on youtube. Not a lightweight but if that is the only concession. Also wondering if it is worth going for a model up from there to the MJ-4EB (https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_enhanced_mj_4eb_lake_blue.htm). It's double the price so not sure.

Also lookig for an amp again, might be home use only or small head with cab so I only have to lug the head to the practice room.

Cheers

Dennis

 

 

[nightsun]

I picked up one of the JB-75MN as deco.  Nowt wrong with it and a fine budget bass I'd say.

Sometimes you get lucky:  https://www.thomann.de/gb/decorative_guitars_and_basses.html?ref=search_prv_0

Edited April 11, 2019 by nightsun

[Marc S]

Hi Dennis,

I had a really long break from bass (25 years!) But so glad to be back again.
Perhaps your case is a lesson to us all - to keep just one bass, just in case you get tempted back into playing again
However, on the plus side, you can start your journey again, and with a clean slate

First obvious question is that of budget, then the question of what it's all for? i.e. - what are you going to end up doing? gigs? recording? etc Because that will dictate the rig you will need.
There's plenty of choice in the marketplace here on BC, both for basses and amps / rigs. And of course, plenty of people who are willing to share their thoughts, opinions & experiences of any equipment.

Harley Benton basses seem to get good reviews as an excellent starter or backup instrument, or even a good gigging bass for those who don't want to take expensive basses to "dodgy" venues
Keep an eye on the marketplace for a 2nd hand HB - that may save you even more dosh. Perhaps even consider a 2nd hand Squier from this forum? EDIT: There's always plenty of second-hand bargains to be had in the marketplace

let us know what you opt for, and good luck with your search
Oh.... and welcome back to Bass       

Edited April 11, 2019 by Marc S

[Dennis1971]

Thanks for the replies, I mostly be having a bit of fun with a guitarirst and drummer. Will venture into rehersal rooms but won't be doing gigs. Just having a bit of fun and noodling around.

Hence I want to keep it affordable. Budget for the bass is up to £200,  been looking at Youtube channel from Bass the World and their reviews are fabourable towards the Harley Benton range. Just watched a review on a Cort Bass and I did like that also. Choice will be active vs passive. Played both in the past and I am turning into an old geezer who likes less buttons....so passive and amp without any program crap.

Haven't thought about the amp to hard yet. Can use whatever is available at the rehersal studio... Either buy a small head and cab for home use or small combo. The advantage of the small head woudl be I can take it to rehersal and use one of the cabs theres. TC electronic seem to do some affordable small heads.

Will do some browsing on the forum!!

 

Cheers for replying

Dennis

 

 

 

[Newfoundfreedom]

I've never actually owned one but I'd buy a Harley Benton in a heartbeat. In fact there's a couple I've actively had to restrain myself from buying because I just don't need another bass. To be honest I wouldn't hesitate to buy anything Thomann's own brand range. I've had lots of bits like power packs, leads, music stands etc. They're an absolutely superb company, great customer service and surprisingly good gear for the price. 

[Andyjr1515]

I'm a great fan of Harley Bentons - and I build custom basses!

They do tend to be heavy, but generally very well made and good performers.

[TheGreek]

£200 is not a bad budget - also in your budget are Squiers and Sires (I'm a poet...and I know it), Revelation and Yamahas. All decent instruments.

[jrixn1]

Harley Benton good but Yamaha BB better - perhaps either the current BB234 or a second-hand BB414 or BB424?

[Rikki_Sixx]

Given the rave reviews from the rest of the BC family over the last few years, I'd absolutely buy a Harley Benton if I wanted another sub-£200 bass or guitar. I've rarely heard a bad thing said about their gear or customer service. They're also cheap enough that you can start to tinker if the urge overcomes you.

You might find this @Andyjr1515 build thread interesting, where he works wonders on @Harryburke14's HB Jazz. Gave me all sorts of ideas that I'm not talented enough to pull off

[bertbass]

I bought the 1st bass you mention, l/h and deco and only cost about £20.  I still haven't found why it was a deco except that the pickup screws hadn't been screwed down properly.  The bass itself is HEAVY and the neck, for me, is very baseball bat, modern C shape apparently.  I tried it live and it didn't seem to project very well so I've put it back in its case and haven't touched it again since.  I really ought to get it out again and have a fiddle and see if I can't improve things. All that aside and it well be just me, it is incredible value for money, especially if you can get a deco one.  I've also got an l/h HB shorty and a Beat bass that I've converted to left handed. both deco and both incredible value for money!

 

Here's the page for deco if you're interested.  https://www.thomann.de/gb/decorative_guitars_and_basses.html?pg=2&ls=25  you need to keep checking it though and maybe set up an alert as they sell very quickly.

Edited April 11, 2019 by bertbass

[Pea Turgh]

I bought a demo one for £50 delivered.  Loved the sound, but the weight would make it a sitting down/home/studio bass rather than a gigger.

Sold it to my mate who bought it for his studio - sorted!

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Dennis1971 said:

Budget for the bass is up to £200, 

Look at Squier basses. I bought a Jaguar VM SS and I've hardly put it down since.

[Marc S]

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Look at Squier basses. I bought a Jaguar VM SS and I've hardly put it down since.

I had mentioned Squiers earlier - as Stub Mandrel says, there are some crackers out there, and for not much money second-hand
TheGreek also mentions Sires - another example of a great second-hand buy.

For me, though I've heard great things about Harley Benton's - I think the weight would be an issue
Don't forget about the "Vintage" brand either. I played a fairly decent, cheap Jazz Vintage a while back - though again, it was a tad heavy

You may not be intending to play any gigs at the moment - but that may change fairly quickly, if you gel well, and someone starts wanting the buzz of playing a few live events....

Edited April 11, 2019 by Marc S

[Stub Mandrel]

Worth adding the basses you linked to are NOT 'decorative' ones.

Harley Benton is Thomann's own brand and has a decent reputation of good budget instruments; the deco ones are QC fails and the mere fact they weed out the bad ones should give you some confidence in the full price ones!

[Newfoundfreedom]

7 minutes ago, Marc S said:

Don't forget about the "Vintage" brand either. I played a fairly decent, cheap Jazz Vintage a while back - though again, it was a tad heavy

 

Good call. Vintage are also ridiculously good for the money, and they can be picked up second hand for next to nothing. 

[owenojo]

I bought a Sunburst Harley Benton JB75, and returned it straight away - out of the box one of the pickups was set so high as to foul against the open strings. (easy fix, but didn't speak well of any quality control. The fret ends were literally as if the frets had been installed, clipped to size....and just left with zero finishing (suffice to say they were a just a little sharp!) and the body weighed so much that playing seated almost cut off the circulation to my right leg. This is not an exaggeration- the weight was extreme on the one i received....

Admittedly there are plenty of half decent examples out there, but I wouldn't ever bother looking at them again myself.

Edited April 11, 2019 by owenojo
edit

[DoubleOhStephan]

57 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

Good call. Vintage are also ridiculously good for the money, and they can be picked up second hand for next to nothing. 

+1 for Vintage! I had to borrow the studios Vintage Jazz when my Sandbergs electrics gave up the ghost and was impressed. The build quality and hardware was excellent, it sounded plenty bassy in the mix, but the neck was what really impressed me, very slim and fast.

There's one on evilbay as we speak with bidding at just £30!! I'd be tempted to have a cheeky bid myself if I didn't "have enough basses already Stephan!" 🙄😁

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F293041733620

 

[Rikki_Sixx]

1 hour ago, StevieE said:

There's one on evilbay as we speak with bidding at just £30!! I'd be tempted to have a cheeky bid myself if I didn't "have enough basses already Stephan!" 🙄😁

Oof, that colour tort on that sunburst is so nice. If only the owner wasn't called ukkinkyboy 🤢

[DoubleOhStephan]

10 minutes ago, Rikki_Sixx said:

Oof, that colour tort on that sunburst is so nice. If only the owner wasn't called ukkinkyboy 🤢

Make sure to give the fretboard a good clean when you get it home 😂

[Grahambythesea]

While we’re on the subject of terrific value, Revelation are a steal, but there are plenty of second hand Squiers around to be had at below your budget.

[naxos10]

Also so add the Bass Collection brand to your list. These often come up at good second hand prices in the classifieds.

[bigsmokebass]

Genuinely..... Hold it out and see what you can find on the marketplace. You could find a decent Squier that will serve you better (HB to me were always "ornamental" items due to poor QC) or perhaps even find a Bass Collection Jive or Power bass. 

[timhiggins]

I have owned and played a few Harley benton bass's and they have been great 

weight wise i found the Harley benton JB to be much the same as some sire v7's or squier vmj's which although not light was still perfectly acceptable,

any of the bass's stated above would be a good call in my opinion but if you go for a Harley benton i'd go for the cheaper one as it will be a decent bass ,and you can decide later on if you need another once you are back to playing

it's also worth considering the HB p bass which is even cheaper and cool sounding too

the soundclips on Thomann's site well help you decide what you like.  

[Dennis1971]

Cheers for all the input, some food for thought.

Will have a look around the classifieds and the usual places. 🙂

Promise to report back!!!

 

Thanks

[Lozz196]

5 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

Good call. Vintage are also ridiculously good for the money, and they can be picked up second hand for next to nothing. 

Very good quality instruments.