Build my own vs Harley Benton vs Gear4Music 5 string P(ish) basses

[Jimothey]

I really want a 5 string P bass and can’t afford a lot (around £100 max) I’ve been looking at the Harley Benton PJ5-HTR Deluxe and the Gear4Music LA 5 string p basses and reading reviews there doesn’t seem much in it?

The big thing for me is I don’t really like Red Basses and hate Tort pickguards so I’d have to mod the HB straight out of the box and I don’t know what it is about G4M basses but I don’t really trust that the quality is as good as HB Basses??

Has anyone played either and could give me a review of them??

The last option would be to build my own??

[itu]

BYO is the most expensive way. Hands down. £100 is next to nothing: check some component prices and add them together. You will be amazed. It is like building a car from spare parts.

@pedwrote a nice article:

 

Edited September 22, 2019 by itu

[kodiakblair]

Fella over on Talkbass is over the moon with his PJ-75 VW, £50 over your £100 budget 😞

 

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/i-own-a-harley-benton-club.1123735/page-321#post-23095149

 

i owned  the 4 string PJ HTR a few years back. TBH don't remember much about it,that's not a negative cause I'd remember if it was crap 🙂

[hooky_lowdown]

Harley Benton over G4M and anything else in the price range  hands down.

Having done BIY kits, never again. Far cheaper and easier to buy already built. 

[Jimothey]

3 hours ago, itu said:

BYO is the most expensive way. Hands down. £100 is next to nothing: check some component prices and add them together. You will be amazed. It is like building a car from spare parts.

@pedwrote a nice article:

 

I read that review the trouble is Glarry I don’t think do a 5 string Precision 

Out of all my builds my most expensive was about £90 because I don’t use premium parts (allparts, warmouth etc) and because I’m skint I buy cheaper parts that you would find on HB, G4M etc anyway the timber I don’t use exotic woods it’s mostly stuff I’ve got hanging round my workshop at work

I've worked out building my own would be approx:

Paulownia body modified to allow for 5 string neck and split coil £23

5 string Maple/Maple neck £24

Pickups £20 

Hardware £30

Pickguard + Paint £20

So it will probably be around £110 give or take and the end result will be something like this (I hope!!) but with Maple fretboard and block inlays 

If I wasn’t going for brass hardware I’ve already got a chrome bridge and tuners it would be even cheaper................😀

Edited September 22, 2019 by Jimothey

[Jimothey]

2 hours ago, hooky_lowdown said:

Harley Benton over G4M and anything else in the price range  hands down.

Having done BIY kits, never again. Far cheaper and easier to buy already built. 

Thats what I was thinking I’ve not really heard anything bad against Harley Benton’s 

2 hours ago, kodiakblair said:

Fella over on Talkbass is over the moon with his PJ-75 VW, £50 over your £100 budget 😞

 

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/i-own-a-harley-benton-club.1123735/page-321#post-23095149

 

i owned  the 4 string PJ HTR a few years back. TBH don't remember much about it,that's not a negative cause I'd remember if it was crap 🙂

Thanks mate I’ll have a look at that later I think if I’m gonna buy one it will be a Harley Benton not unless anyone can recommend any other brand that does a 5 string P that would be worth a look.........😀

[itu]

If you have your own workshop, things show up in different light. Then you are able to cut the costs. Usually the components and tools tend to cost some more, than the Joe Average thought before starting the project.