Harley Benton MV-4M Mustang-like bass. £198. Opinions?

[lksmks792]

That's not the same bass. The Mustang has a tort pickguard. Guess they're doing a regular P as well, great news!

[Pea Turgh]

100% the Mustang-a-like!

 

[Jonesy]

Ohhh, so there's potentially a range of basses on their way....

[chrisba]

They are back.   Very tempted...  https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mv_4msb_seafoam_green.htm

[Baloney Balderdash]

6 hours ago, chrisba said:

They are back.   Very tempted...  https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mv_4msb_seafoam_green.htm

And they have added a pickup switch, so it is not just both the P and J pickup in parallel all the time, as it was on the first initiation of these basses, but you actually get to chose. 

 

Edited May 28 by Baloney Balderdash

[ezbass]

17 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

And they have added a pickup switch, so it isn't just both the P and J pickup in parallel all the time, but you actually get to chose. 

And increased diameter tuning pegs, making it easier to use long scale strings. The pickups look different from the original Roswells too.

[thegummy]

Something that stands out to me from the specs is the glow in the dark side dots since Luminlay itself is expensive and I've only really seen it come stock on quite expensive instruments. 

 

I wonder if they've found a cheap alternative that works as well as Luminlay or if it's a really poor substitute like they might use on a child's toy or something.

[MichaelDean]

4 hours ago, thegummy said:

Something that stands out to me from the specs is the glow in the dark side dots since Luminlay itself is expensive and I've only really seen it come stock on quite expensive instruments. 

 

I wonder if they've found a cheap alternative that works as well as Luminlay or if it's a really poor substitute like they might use on a child's toy or something.

Glow in the dark power itself is pretty cheap (you can find it on eBay). If you can find someone to make it into a shape you can quickly install as an inlay, I can't see the extra spend being enormous. Especially since they've dropped the Gotoh hardware for this incarnation. 

[thegummy]

30 minutes ago, MichaelDean said:

Glow in the dark power itself is pretty cheap (you can find it on eBay). If you can find someone to make it into a shape you can quickly install as an inlay, I can't see the extra spend being enormous. Especially since they've dropped the Gotoh hardware for this incarnation. 

 

Yeah the stuff they use for toys and kids stickers etc. must be cheap cause the products themselves cost less than Luminlay material. But those things don't glow in the dark as brightly or for as long Luminlay.

 

That's what I'm wondering, have they used the cheapo stuff (so it's a bit of a gimmick) or have they found a way to make the dots as good as (or close to) Luminlay for much less money?

[mcnach]

8 hours ago, thegummy said:

Something that stands out to me from the specs is the glow in the dark side dots since Luminlay itself is expensive and I've only really seen it come stock on quite expensive instruments. 

 

I wonder if they've found a cheap alternative that works as well as Luminlay or if it's a really poor substitute like they might use on a child's toy or something.

 

Luminlay is not that expensive, but postage from Japan became very high. At least that was the case last I looked. I bought 2-3 rods years ago and I still have some so I heven't been keeping up.

[MichaelDean]

8 hours ago, thegummy said:

 

Yeah the stuff they use for toys and kids stickers etc. must be cheap cause the products themselves cost less than Luminlay material. But those things don't glow in the dark as brightly or for as long Luminlay.

 

That's what I'm wondering, have they used the cheapo stuff (so it's a bit of a gimmick) or have they found a way to make the dots as good as (or close to) Luminlay for much less money?

It's just about how much powder they use as to how long it lasts. I've seen YouTube videos of guitar makers, making their own glow in the dark inlays that last longer because they just put more powder in than Luminlay. They don't have a magic formula that no-one else understands, as I understand it, they're just the first to do it at scale. 

[thegummy]

10 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

Luminlay is not that expensive, but postage from Japan became very high. At least that was the case last I looked. I bought 2-3 rods years ago and I still have some so I heven't been keeping up.

 

Was expensive when I bought it but that was years ago. The fact I've only really seen it stock on reasonably expensive instruments made me think it still is. 

 

Wonder why more instruments don't come with it stock if it's cheap now. Maybe it's not deemed to be that desirable and Harley Benton are taking a chance that maybe it will be a selling point. 

[thegummy]

5 hours ago, MichaelDean said:

It's just about how much powder they use as to how long it lasts. I've seen YouTube videos of guitar makers, making their own glow in the dark inlays that last longer because they just put more powder in than Luminlay. They don't have a magic formula that no-one else understands, as I understand it, they're just the first to do it at scale. 

 

I was under the impression that Luminlay is a different material to the stuff they use in toys, stickers etc.

 

Maybe it's not but then it would be strange that people would go to the expense of importing it specifically from that Japanese company. 

 

Don't know if it's the case for Luminlay but usually when one company has a product that others don't it's because they have patents for it rather than no one else understanding how it's done. 

 

Would be interested to see a comparison in brightness and longevity between these Harley Bentons and an instrument with the Luminlay brand dots. Won't hold my breath that I'll see one though lol.

[mcnach]

23 hours ago, thegummy said:

 

Was expensive when I bought it but that was years ago. The fact I've only really seen it stock on reasonably expensive instruments made me think it still is. 

 

Wonder why more instruments don't come with it stock if it's cheap now. Maybe it's not deemed to be that desirable and Harley Benton are taking a chance that maybe it will be a selling point. 

 

 

I used Luminlay on a couple of cheap basses as a test, it was most definitely 'affordable'

 

I just checked, £16 for the blueish one (side dots: 3mm with black surround, which is what I used before) and £15 for green. I didn't see the shipping cost. 

[thegummy]

2 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

 

I used Luminlay on a couple of cheap basses as a test, it was most definitely 'affordable'

 

I just checked, £16 for the blueish one (side dots: 3mm with black surround, which is what I used before) and £15 for green. I didn't see the shipping cost. 

 

I remember the shipping costs being quite bad but even just taking £16 - that's a lot of money for a very small part of a mass produced bass that's selling to the end customer for 200 quid.

 

It's like we might think "why use cheapo pots and switches when the higher quality ones are only a few quid" but at the level of mass production to make basses as cheap as that, every penny makes a big difference so I'd be shocked if Harley Benton were using Luminlay brand product.

 

I expect they're either using a worse version or have somehow found an equal alternative that's much cheaper.

[stewblack]

I just bought one of these HB Mustangs 2nd hand assuming they were permanently discontinued.

However, this is a different spec so I expect to get one once I can decide on the colour.

[mcnach]

9 hours ago, thegummy said:

 

I remember the shipping costs being quite bad but even just taking £16 - that's a lot of money for a very small part of a mass produced bass that's selling to the end customer for 200 quid.

 

It's like we might think "why use cheapo pots and switches when the higher quality ones are only a few quid" but at the level of mass production to make basses as cheap as that, every penny makes a big difference so I'd be shocked if Harley Benton were using Luminlay brand product.

 

I expect they're either using a worse version or have somehow found an equal alternative that's much cheaper.

 

 

I would imagine that Thomann would have negotiated a much better deal than that, with the volume of instruments they sell, just like I don't expect they'll pay for the hardware what I would pay in a shop. 

 

edit: I also needed less than one rod to do a full neck

 

They do look just like Luminlay, but even if they're not, it's not exactly hi-tech. I'm sure they will do a decent job. 

I stopped using it because I don't think they're that useful. They're very bright initially, but that fades away rapidly in a few minutes. The residual glow is good in the dark, but any dark stages I've been, there's always some other moving lights and in the end it doesn't help as much as I wished.

I once made my own, buying a small pot of glow in the dark paint, and powder separately. I mixed a bit of paint with powder until I got a paste, and put "blobs" over the existing side dots. They were very discrete and glowed brightly... but the best was that I could tell the dots by touch, and that was far more useful than any glow, for me.

 

 

Edited May 30 by mcnach

[JohnDaBass]

NBD

My black/Tort Mustang-a-like turned up yesterday.

Very pleased with the purchase, all the previous comments and reviews by Lowend Lobster & Bassthe World are spot on.

Excellent fit & finish, light weight, lovely roasted bound neck and great balance on a strap.

The improvements of the tuners and 3-position Pup selector switch are just right and the Pups are loud and mid forward.

Great P tones and the high gain bridge Pup adds just the right amount of honk to replicate a Jazz tone.

I missed these the first time round but fate provided the opportunity to buy one of the later runs with the improvements that I would probably have done if I had purchased one from the first batch.

I bought this as an upgrade platform to follow @pedand @Andyjr1515 lead with the mods to the '66 Mustang by adding a Gemini TBird Pup and swapping out the bridge Pup for a Warman Twin rail humbucker ( yet to be decided).

Interestingly the 'P' Pup is exactly positioned in the short scale sweet spot, 10ins from the 12th fret, so the Genini TBird Pup should sound full and rich.

Great value for money, JMJ on a shoe string( how do they do it?????)

Edited May 31 by JohnDaBass
spelling

[thegummy]

11 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

 

I would imagine that Thomann would have negotiated a much better deal than that, with the volume of instruments they sell, just like I don't expect they'll pay for the hardware what I would pay in a shop. 

 

edit: I also needed less than one rod to do a full neck

 

They do look just like Luminlay, but even if they're not, it's not exactly hi-tech. I'm sure they will do a decent job. 

I stopped using it because I don't think they're that useful. They're very bright initially, but that fades away rapidly in a few minutes. The residual glow is good in the dark, but any dark stages I've been, there's always some other moving lights and in the end it doesn't help as much as I wished.

I once made my own, buying a small pot of glow in the dark paint, and powder separately. I mixed a bit of paint with powder until I got a paste, and put "blobs" over the existing side dots. They were very discrete and glowed brightly... but the best was that I could tell the dots by touch, and that was far more useful than any glow, for me.

 

Surprised your Limunlay faded like that - mine stay bright for at least an hour's gig. That's why I assumed it was totally different to the powder they use on toys (which do fade in a few minutes).

 

How long did you charge them for before the gig?

[thegummy]

2 minutes ago, JohnDaBass said:

NBD

My black/Tort Mustang-a-like turned up yesterday.

Very pleased with the purchase, all the previous comments and reviews by Lowend Lobster & Bassthe World are spot on.

Excellent fit & finish, light wight, lovely roasted bound neck and great balance on a strap.

The improvements of the tuners and 3-position Pup selector switch are just right and the Pups are loud and mid forward.

Great P tones and the high gain bridge Pup adds just the right of honk to replicate a Jazz tone.

I missed these the first time round but fate provided the opportunity to buy one of the later runs with the improvements that I would probably and done if I had purchased one from the first batch.

I bought this as an upgrade platform to follow @pedand @Andyjr1515 lead with the mods to the '66 Mustang by adding a Gemini TBird Pup and swapping out the bridge Pup for a Warman Twin rail humbucker ( yet to be decided).

Interestingly the 'P' Pup is exactly positioned in the short scale sweet spot, 10ins from the 12th fret, so the Genini TBird Pup should sound full and rich.

Great value for money, JMJ on a shoe string( how do they do it?????)

 

Sweet, do a wee video

[nicsim]

Does anyone know how well the H-B MV-4MSB's compare with a Gretsch Junior Jet? 

I've been tempted for a while to get a J-J, but only yesterday I saw the new H-B's were available. There's a bout a £100+ price difference between them, but reviews of the HB's seem positive - although nobody seems to have done a direct comparison yet. If anyone's had an experience of both it would be useful to know 🙂 

[David B]

It’s a reflection of how far Harley Benton have come that the main talking point about their latest line of budget basses relates to whether or not their dot markers glow brightly enough in the dark. It may only be 200 bucks, it may play and sound great but dammit the neck isn’t bright enough!

More expensive basses don’t seem to get the same level of critique (their faults are often glossed over as being well known quirks or design features).

 

To be more serious for a second, I think HB guitars and basses (I only own one but have played a few) are superb vfm.

 

I have a shorty P bass which cost £83 and I keep it at my son’s house. Yes, it’s built to a price but well put together. With a little bit of eq tinkering it is ideal for jamming and in a mix it holds its own (admittedly it sounds a bit lightweight played solo - but as a useable, cheap bass it is ideal).

 

I’m keen to see full reviews of these new basses. A shorty PJ could be right up my street.

[mcnach]

On 31/05/2024 at 11:32, thegummy said:

 

Surprised your Limunlay faded like that - mine stay bright for at least an hour's gig. That's why I assumed it was totally different to the powder they use on toys (which do fade in a few minutes).

 

How long did you charge them for before the gig?

 

They all act the same way, just with higher or lower peaks. There's a period, relatively short, where the emission is brightest, and then it settles at a lower level. It's just physics :shrug:. 

That lower level does last quite a bit, but I didn't see (no pun intended  ) much use for it, as I never play in total darkness. Maybe I was wanting brighter than it is reasonable? Sure, it still glows an hour later, but for me it's not a useful glow.

 

I charged them for a few seconds (each dot) just before going in with a UV torch. A blue torch also worked. 

The places where it was great is where there were UV lights on stage.

 

This is one of the ones I had done, before they had the version with the black pipe surround. A few min after charging they're still bright to be seen indoors with natural light. But that level of brightness is not where it settles.

Mine were the blue ones, by the way, which are not quite as bright as the green ones anyway.

 

 

I can't find their emission graphs anymore, but their FAQ tracks with my experience:

 

Quote

Q: How long will the Luminlay continue emitting light ?

A: If you charge a Luminlay dot just for several seconds, you can have enough emission of light for about 20 minutes. The emission will be weaker as time passes, but, when in a really dark room, you can see that the Lumilay dots continue to be luminous all night long. Actually, on a stage, the darkness will not continue so long, and when the stage is lighted, Luminlay can be charged also by the stage lights. The fact that many professional guitar/bass players love using Luminlay proves the effectiveness.

 

Edited June 1 by mcnach

[mcnach]

22 hours ago, David B said:

It’s a reflection of how far Harley Benton have come that the main talking point about their latest line of budget basses relates to whether or not their dot markers glow brightly enough in the dark. It may only be 200 bucks, it may play and sound great but dammit the neck isn’t bright enough!

More expensive basses don’t seem to get the same level of critique (their faults are often glossed over as being well known quirks or design features).

 

To be more serious for a second, I think HB guitars and basses (I only own one but have played a few) are superb vfm.

 

I have a shorty P bass which cost £83 and I keep it at my son’s house. Yes, it’s built to a price but well put together. With a little bit of eq tinkering it is ideal for jamming and in a mix it holds its own (admittedly it sounds a bit lightweight played solo - but as a useable, cheap bass it is ideal).

 

I’m keen to see full reviews of these new basses. A shorty PJ could be right up my street.

 

 

I wish we had Harley Benton years ago! 

ButI'm doing my best to catch up, with 2 guitars and 3 basses so far

 

[chrisba]

....and , they've gone again...