NBD: Harley Benton JJ-55OP and JP-55OP (Jazz and PJ 5-string)

[mcnach]

Well, I start with a lie since I received it on Saturday... but it was meant to arrive today!

 

I have owned a few 5 string basses in my time. From cheap ones like a Squier Jazz V DeLuxe and a Peavey Millenium to less cheap ones like Lakland 5502 and a USA made EBMM MusicMan SUB5, oh and a G&L L2500 (beast!). I never really gelled with any of them (Lakland was the closest, beautiful beautiful neck) and didn't really get to use any of them frequently enough. Eventually I decided that I didn't need a 5 string.

 

Last year my girlfriend got me a Harley Benton MB-5. The black matt one, Stingray style. For some reason it just felt right, I loved its sound, and I kept playing it... Eventually I got used to 5 strings and these days I use either, and I'm getting to really like having 5 strings.

 

Then I saw the new Harley Benton JJ and PJ series, I had some unexpected money in my pocket... and before I realised it I had spent £181, all included, on a natural finish JJ-550. I'm far too impressionable.

 

This bass is not light. It's 9.8 lbs (The MB-5 is 9.1 lbs), which is not terribly heavy as far as 5 string basses go, but it's not light. I use these wide and nicely padded Lekato straps since I hurt my shoulder a while ago, and they have made weight pretty much a non-issue. I can't recommend those straps enough (and they aren't even expensive).

 

Not light, but not a boat anchor, and it balances really well, both standing and sitting down. The neck is wide but shallow, perhaps not as shallow as the Lakland, but not far off. I find it very comfortable. Fret ends were smooth, nut is a tiny weeny higher than ideal (will take care of it at some point)... I had to do nothing to it and it alreay played well. It turns out this exact bass was the bass Thomann used as a model for their photographs, so perhaps they spent some time adjusting it: I have played another two HB basses and both needed some minor adjustments to frets and nut (as well as intonation etc).

The string spacing is 18 or 18.5mm I think, I need to measure it (not in my hands this minute!), so it's in the wide side, which I prefer. 

 

Build quality... no complaints. It was £181, but it could have been a £600 bass and I'd see nothing wrong with it in that respect. It would be a very good platform for building your own with better quality hardware and electronics.

 

Hardware... Nothing to call home about. Far better than the black hardware on the other HB basses I've had my hands on, but nothing amazing, just the usual inexpensive chrome hardware you get in this kind of instruments: they do the job without fuss, 'though. 

 

Electronics... Probably the best place to start investing money on, but just like with the hardware I don't see a need to replace anything just yet. My first impressions were a bit 'meh', but it turns out the EQ on my amp was all over the place and I had not seen that. Once I noticed and set it to more reasonable parameters, the bass sounded a lot better. I do think I will replace the pickups, simply because I like humbuckers on my Jazz type basses. The single coil hum can be annoying. It's no worse than any other single coil Jazz pickups, 'though, and I tend to roll off quite a bit of treble which also reduces hum. I would like a Model J here, but they don't make them for 5 strings so I'll have to wait and see what would be a good one to use. 

 

It's got a 2-band active EQ. Nothing amazing, but I have to say I like it more than the usual cheap preamps you find on low end basses. And not so low end! I really dislike the 2-band preamp on my Sandberg VM4, and I'm not a fan of the EMG in my Schecter Model-T Session. One 'problem' I find with a lot of 2-band preamps is that the treble is too high, so that when cutting it only cuts finger noise and little more (I'm a fan of passive tone controls). However this one works quite nicely, which was a surprise.

The bass EQ is still a bit lower than I'd like, ideally, but it's no different to most other 2-band preamps. It's probably centered at around 40-50 Hz. 

 

Shielding is non existent, 'though, which for a bass with single coils is not great. Easily remedied, but really, it should be standard in any instrument. Polepieces on the neck pickup hum when touched, but the neck one is silent. Again, easily remedied, but the fact that one hums and the other don't probably hints at the care (or lack of) when choosing these components. 

I felt I had to say something negative, so that's that!  

I even like the strings it comes with (same as the MB-5: I have a set of Newtone strings I bought for it, but I ended up liking the stock strings so I have not replaced those either).

 

I'll deal with the shielding later tonight. I have a recording session tomorrow and I would like to use this one. I've put some foam at the bridge, and I'm cutting down treble a lot, so I really don't hear any noise as long as my hands are on the strings (and very little when they're not), but I don't want to take chances tomorrow: I'm showing up with a really cheap bass, I don't want to have unwanted noise and look like I don't have a clue.

 

Anyway... that's it for now. I'm very impressed by this bass. The MB-5 and PB-20 (Stingray and Precision style) I've played were fine (after some TLC) but you know they're cheap. This one feels like a substantial improvement in quality. Did I get lucky? Or is this representative of the range? I don't know. 

 

I'll take some pictures when I get a chance... but it is the very same one pictured here:

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jj_55op_natural.htm

 

 

 

 

 

edit: I liked it so much, I went and bought the PJ version a week later, see below.

   

Edited May 7, 2022 by mcnach

[mcnach]

edited title... it's not a JJ-550 but a JJ-55! The 'zero' was an O, OP=open pore.

 

So JJ-55OP.

 

[Paolo85]

Without the pickguard I suddenly find it very attractive!

[stewblack]

That's a really good review, thank you. 

The stealth black MM and P are sooo nice to play aren't they?

I like reviews where you tell us a bit about your other basses, what you like and don't like in them. It gives context to your analysis. Rather than saying this or that is rubbish you are clear that it's an area you've been unhappy in with other brands too. 

I have put a 4 string JJ in my basket now. Just in case the money fairy visits..

 

[mcnach]

12 hours ago, Paolo85 said:

Without the pickguard I suddenly find it very attractive!

 

Yeah, I like it too. I just wish the routing for the neck pickup were neat, like for the other pickup. 

Planning to vinyl-wrap the pickguard with either cream or black matt vinyl (I've got both already, and a few other crazy colours that I won't consider here although the metallic copper one might be interesting  )

[mcnach]

2 hours ago, stewblack said:

That's a really good review, thank you. 

The stealth black MM and P are sooo nice to play aren't they?

I like reviews where you tell us a bit about your other basses, what you like and don't like in them. It gives context to your analysis. Rather than saying this or that is rubbish you are clear that it's an area you've been unhappy in with other brands too. 

I have put a 4 string JJ in my basket now. Just in case the money fairy visits..

 

 

No, thank YOU! You are the instigator!!!  

 

I love the black MB-5 and PB-20 too. I cry when I think about the quality of the budget instruments when I was a teenager. And not so 'budget', actually... Back in... 1986-87 my choices when I wanted a Stratocaster were to get a USA Fender (forget it), or some low quality, like very low quality copy, for around £100, which in those days was a LOT of cash for me. The Squier Affinity or Harley Benton or SX etc of today are soooo much better.

But Harley Benton is starting to stand out, to me.

The MB-5 (Stingray style) had very sharp frets, the nut was cut too high... but otherwise was ok. Now, I get that a lot of people are reluctant to fiddle with their instruments much but I am used to it and things like filing teh edge of frets or nut slots don't bother me at all. The MB-5 just sounds mighty and as a long time Stingray fan I was very pleasantly surprised at how Stingrayesque it sounded. The string spacing is on the narrow side for me which is not ideal, but regardless, it was teh first 5 string bass that truly spoke to me and a year later it's become not "just another bass in my collection" but one of my favourites. I'm starting to use that more than my Stingray which has been my #1 for over a decade. No, I'm not saying it is better than a much pricier USA Stingray, but it's not 'worse enough' to put me off. I think I'll end up putting a John East MMSR on it (I do miss that preamp, I use it on the Stingray).

The PB-20 is my girlfriend's, but I have played it quite a bit too. Again, it just needed some very minor tidying up of the nut, and nothing else. I found a slightly tall fret I think around the 14th-15th fret area which really is of no consequence. I won't even try to level it unless it ever gets in the way (and it hasn't, in over a year). It sounds great too!

 

You're incorregible...  A JJ too???

Well, glad that you said that... because I keep looking at the 5-string PJ myself! 

I think I got the JJ because the fact it was substantially under the magic threshold of £200 swayed me. If it's above £200, I think about it. If it's less I just press the button and think later sometimes . I would prefer the P sound, but a neck Jazz usually makes me happy enough. However, after playing this one and finding mysef so at home with these 5-strings, I'm very very tempted to get a PJ as well. Rounds on the JJ, TI Flats on the PJ, hmmm. 

I'm running out of space! 

[stewblack]

8 minutes ago, mcnach said:

I'm very very tempted to get a PJ as well. Rounds on the JJ, TI Flats on the PJ, hmmm.

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me!

[mcnach]

I was looking at pickup replacements and see what's out there that could be close to the Model J, ideally, and humbucking.

 

Well, not a lot of choices!!! 

It seems that while 4-string Jazz pickups are very very very similar and interchangeable, the 5-string ones come in a variety of sizes. That means DiMarzio is not an option at all  So no Area J or Ultra Jazz for me either. The Area J is more of a traditional Jazz pickup sound, but humbucking. It's been my favourite Jazz pickup for a while. The Ultra Jazz is a bit more mid-scooped but also very nice sounding. None of those are close to a Model J anyway.

 

The only pickups I've found that 100% absolutely will fit are Delanos... They have 2-3 interesting options. One day. No rush. A nicely shielded guitar goes a long way to make single coil pickups not hum (much). I will probably try my old U-Retro preamp on this. The semiparametric mids in particular come very handy on Jazz style basses, in my experience. With that on, I might just leave the stock pickups: they really aren't bad at all. 

[mcnach]

2 minutes ago, stewblack said:

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me!

 

You're not helping!!! 

 

(saying that loudly so others can hear me, while discreetly giving a thumbs up and a wink)

 

[mcnach]

I'm so weak...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

another NBD next week I suppose. And that's it for the rest of the year, I promise!

[stewblack]

Yes! Get in.

HB make it so easy for us don't they?

[mcnach]

2 hours ago, stewblack said:

Yes! Get in.

HB make it so easy for us don't they?

 

Too easy sometimes. But look, after these I really don't feel the need to get any more 5 string basses, so it's actually SAVING me money as I won't be saving for more expensive ones

 

(don't say anything, let me believe)

 

[crazycloud]

On 28/04/2022 at 08:50, Paolo85 said:

Without the pickguard I suddenly find it very attractive!

Same here. I'm tempted, but I don't really need a 6th 5er.

On 28/04/2022 at 21:32, mcnach said:

The only pickups I've found that 100% absolutely will fit are Delanos.

Do you mind sharing the PU dimensions? Curious what might fit as I have some in my parts box.

[mcnach]

2 hours ago, crazycloud said:

Same here. I'm tempted, but I don't really need a 6th 5er.

Do you mind sharing the PU dimensions? Curious what might fit as I have some in my parts box.

 

What's the meaning of that verb, 'need'?

 

I'll send the measurements tomorrow, I won't be near the bass today.

[crazycloud]

11 minutes ago, mcnach said:

What's the meaning of that verb, 'need'?

I'm negotiating with a store now for a 5 I want as part of a larger deal, so the HB would be #8 as well as 5 6s. I already have 40 instruments.

12 minutes ago, mcnach said:

I'll send the measurements tomorrow, I won't be near the bass today.

Thanks.

[mcnach]

@crazycloud I double-checked and the dimensions of the Delano 'AS' sized pickups match those in the JJ55OP. It's not just the overall width, but also the distance between the mounting screws:

 

 

 

 

edit: the original is of decent resolution, but once embedded here it may be hard to read. You can download the image and open separately, or just zoom in within your browser (typically pressing Ctrl and + until the desired zoom level is reached). 

You can also view the PDF here (page 2): https://www.delano.de/downloads/jc_jcas_neck_bridge.pdf 

Edited May 6, 2022 by mcnach

[mcnach]

By the way, the JP55OP arrived today. Nice and light (8.5 lbs!). Different pickups to the JJ (JJ look ceramic judging by the polepieces, JP look alnico of some sort) and passive... and I prefer it to the JJ. Once again the nut is cut a little tall so you can't get the lowest action until that's done, and hopefully the frets are reasonably levelled. Just like the JJ, everything seems well built, smooth fret ends, plays well out of the box, and tonally it's a nice PJ. The P pickup is 2cm closer to the neck than on a regular Precision, but the sound from that pickup is unmistakeably that of some kind of Precision, with a nice growl. 

 

I'm done buying basses for a while now  but Harley Benton is now definitely on my radar as a brand to definitely consider next time I want some other kind of bass.

 

 

[crazycloud]

9 hours ago, mcnach said:

@crazycloud I double-checked and the dimensions of the Delano 'AS' sized pickups match those in the JJ55OP. It's not just the overall width, but also the distance between the mounting screws:

 

 

 

 

edit: the original is of decent resolution, but once embedded here it may be hard to read. You can download the image and open separately, or just zoom in within your browser (typically pressing Ctrl and + until the desired zoom level is reached). 

You can also view the PDF here (page 2): https://www.delano.de/downloads/jc_jcas_neck_bridge.pdf 

Thank you for that. Dimension wise I don't think they match the ones in my parts box but not at home ATM to confirm. However, that large neck rout looks like with a little tweaking with the router an EMG45 would fit. Same with the bridge, just more sawdust. I have a few of those in the parts box anyway. Perhaps an option for me and needing it to look like a J is not an issue.

 

I've had another 5 turn up I'm interested in and have been wanting for a while, so if I get that, this one would be off the table. Much more $ though.

Edited May 7, 2022 by crazycloud

[mcnach]

11 hours ago, crazycloud said:

Thank you for that. Dimension wise I don't think they match the ones in my parts box but not at home ATM to confirm. However, that large neck rout looks like with a little tweaking with the router an EMG45 would fit. Same with the bridge, just more sawdust. I have a few of those in the parts box anyway. Perhaps an option for me and needing it to look like a J is not an issue.

 

I've had another 5 turn up I'm interested in and have been wanting for a while, so if I get that, this one would be off the table. Much more $ though.

 

 

I was looking at the Nordstrand Big Split 5 (EMG40 size) which look like a nice option too. Some route expansion needed, but with a couple of sharp chisels and taking it very slow it should not be too hard. It's another option I'm considering, since I'm the same: I don't need it to be very Jazz-like.

 

I have just got the JP-55OP, and I'm liking it more than the JJ. Ok, part of it is the weight, it's only 8.5 lbs, which to me is as light as I could ever hope a 5 string like this to be, and it adds to the comfortable feeling. But the pickups are different too and I'm really liking the Precision pickup. I always see PJ basses essentially as a Precision with the option of bringing in some of the neck pickup sometimes. I never use the bridge alone, so I just adjust its height to the point it sounds best to me when blended equally, and it's important that the P sound is good, so from that point of view I'm very pleased and have no urge to replace anything. 

 

The P pickup is 2cm closer to the neck than it would be on a typical Precision. It still has that Precision 'bark'', when you hear it you know it is some kind of Precision, but it's a bit darker/smoother. I wish it were at the standard position, but it's a good sound.

Pickups look alnico of some sort looking at the polepieces, while the JJ's are ceramic. Comparing the bridge alone on both basses, the JP one has a bit more grunt and it's a sound I could find a use for with a little added low end, while I'd never use the bridge alone on the JJ (much like I do on any Jazz, really, I find the bridge too thin), but the two J pickups together have that classic Jazz sound, so that's cool.

 

Everything build-wise is much like the JJ, I can't fault it. 

The JP is passive, and the simple electronics suit the bass well. Maybe one day I'll put a Tonestyler on it, I really like those, but honestly the passive tone control does what I want it to do.

 

Like on the JJ, shielding is just not a thing, apparently. Easy to fix, 'though.

 

Just like on every Harley Benton bass I've had my hands on new, the nut is cut slightly tall. I am thinking that's by design now. I'm always a bit wary when I get a bass that out of the box seems to be prepared to play with highish action (the stock strings are very compliant, so it doesn't feel hard even at high action), as it can hide a multitude of fretwork sins... but when you adjust it for lower action it responds well and no fretbuzz to speak of. I only filed down the nut slots a tiny bit, so it's not quite there but the action is now fine for me. I like a medium action with enough relief so that when I did hard I don't get excessive fret noise, but not too high that it compromises my slap (which is not amazing on a good day... I learnt enough to play in a RHCP tribute band for 5-6 years, but while I can copy others it's not a technique I feel I can use very well using my own ideas, and I'm worse on a 5 string).

 

Not a fan of tortoiseshell effects or pearloid, so I need to do something about those ugly pickguards (going for black single ply on the JP, or just vinyl wrap)... but overall I think they're pretty nice looking, the feel/balance is very good (if this is Aria's original design... well done, Aria, it's not a small body but it's shaped in such way that it feels small), the build is very good and only the electronics are a bit 'meh' in the case of the JJ. I have no complaints whatsoever about the JP.

 

I like that they come with this nice little rod to turn the truss rod wheel. I've been using a small screwdriver for years on my Stingray, and it's fine, but this rod fits better which is a nice touch.

 

This is the JP-55OP:

 

 

[mcnach]

This is not going to be a great demo, exactly, but it's the only recording I've got so far. 

 

This is the JJ, with a foam mute. It's still very much a work in progress using a click track, ignore the horns, they're little more than placeholders right now. It'll be done better. The bassline is extremely simple with just this one sound which is dark and devoid of a lot of nuance, so not much of a demo  , so more of a "it looks like a £180 bass can be ok straight out the box". Hopefully I'll get better examples in the near future.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y0vg9ghf0pitrf7/220506 - Summer wind so far.mp3?dl=0

 

MP3

 

[crazycloud]

30 minutes ago, mcnach said:

I have just got the JP-55OP, and I'm liking it more than the JJ.

Snipped for brevity only.

 

Excellent review and has given me quite a bit to think about. Thanks.

[mcnach]

Got a new pickguard for the JP-55OP

 

[Rich]

48 minutes ago, mcnach said:

Got a new pickguard for the JP-55OP

 

Oh yes. This we like, v.muchly.

And now I have GAS, damn you sir.

[mcnach]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

Oh yes. This we like, v.muchly.

And now I have GAS, damn you sir.

 

A certain seller on ebay now has a template derived from mine, so getting a replacement pickguard in whatever colour you prefer should be straight forward