Harley Benton - cheap AND cheerful?

[mcnach]

2 hours ago, SICbass said:

Hi All,

 

after much hemming and hawing between an MB-5 SBK Deluxe Series and a PJ-5 HTR Deluxe Series, I plumped for the MB-5 SBK Deluxe Series. The bass is fine, but I find the string spacing a bit narrow at the low end of the neck. Not a big deal, but...

My question is, has anyone had both basses and is the PJ-5 spacing any wider? They both have the same width of nut, but I couldn't find clear info regarding spacing at the bridge.

 

Thanks,

Paul

 

 

Not sure which PJ are you are referring to, but if you mean the JP-55OP, those have a wider string spacing, yes.

 

I'm the same as you with regards to the MB-5 SBK, it's narrower than I'd prefer. I got used to it (used it live at the weekend for the first time at last, no issues at all) but I feel more at home with a wider spacing. The neck is wide enough so I considered replacing the bridge with something a bit wider but I never did. It's a possibility, if spacing is uncomfortable. 

[SICbass]

1 hour ago, mcnach said:

 

 

Not sure which PJ are you are referring to, but if you mean the JP-55OP, those have a wider string spacing, yes.

 

I'm the same as you with regards to the MB-5 SBK, it's narrower than I'd prefer. I got used to it (used it live at the weekend for the first time at last, no issues at all) but I feel more at home with a wider spacing. The neck is wide enough so I considered replacing the bridge with something a bit wider but I never did. It's a possibility, if spacing is uncomfortable. 

 

Thanks for your feedback - the one I mean looks more typically p-bass-ish and is the cheapest one they do (a lot less than the JP-55OP). I was in a jam and needed something to practice on while visiting my family in the UK (long story 😃).

The JP-55OP also has a 45mm nut. I'm curious as to whether the perceived string spacing lower down the neck is purely a product of the string spacing at the bridge or if the spacing of the cuts in the nut also vary (are perhaps set a little wider?). Any ideas?

Thanks again for your input.

Edited August 16, 2022 by SICbass

[tauzero]

I've just bought my third Harley-Benton - not a bass, though. But I do have one HB bass.

 

The first was that bass - a five-string fretless acoustic bass, Deko, but as far as I could see flawless. Currently tucked away in a wardrobe but it will re-emerge. Something ridiculous like £60-£70.

 

Next was the first guitar, a classical electro-acoustic with cutaway lower bout (CG300CE NT IIRC). Also around the £70 mark. Nothing wrong with it - maybe not a Takamine, but certainly worth the money for my purposes.

 

Yesterday's arrival was a B-stock Dullahan AT-24 headless guitar. Again flawless, lovely and light (something it appears they haven't quite got the hang of on the basses), very playable neck, with a 5-way switch for the two pickups which gives a great variety of sound. Came at the frighteningly high price of £240.

 

This probably marks the end of my HB buying, but it's given me three instruments that I feel no need to sell on or upgrade.

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 24/06/2022 at 11:07, Lw. said:

I can't go on Talkbass but from that thread on here it seems like mostly positive reviews, seems like budget basses have come a long way since I started playing many moons ago! 

Cheap budget basses have indeed in general come a huge long way, which I think predominantly is thanks to the fact that the exact same computer controlled machines being responsible  for the largest part of the manufacturing process of just about all mass produced instruments, and some budget instruments will even be made on the same factory and by the exact same people as some higher end basses.

 

So that is bound to have closed the gab considerably when it comes to production quality between cheap budget and higher end basses.

 

What's left really is the quality of the materials used and then the consistency/extend of the quality control, the latter really effectively meaning consistency of production, or how high the risk is of getting a dud no good unit (which isn't really a real issue if you have the opportunity of trying before buying, or ordering from a web shop with a proper return policy, at most really just being an inconvenience), the former usually really mostly affecting hardware and electronics, which are both for most parts relatively cheap and relatively easy to perform updates, and if the given budget brand chose wisely of which cheap budget electronics and hardware they use for their instruments, not even that necessarily being a major issue.

 

For example, while I personally found that the pickups on budget instrument in general exposing the biggest issue in terms of preventing a budget instrument from sounding great, most of the pickups Harley Benton uses, even on their cheapest models, seems to actually sound genuinely great, some even amazing. Though the rest of the hardware and electronics is generally still not exactly being the highest quality on the cheapest models, and usually there will also be a higher risk of the pickups not functioning quite as they are otherwise supposed to, referring to the part in the above paragraph about lacking quality control of cheap budget products.

 

And I do think Harley Benton in particularly is unbelievably high quality for the money, also in comparison to most other budget brands, and likewise on the other side of the spectrum there are still some budget brands which are best avoided. 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash