neil___lien Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 (edited) Hey y'all! Due to financial issues, I was down to zero playable basses for the last three months.. This Jim Harley Pbass copy was given to me pre-Covid by a couple of friends after it had sat in a garage for 10+ years. Metal parts were rusty, pots were scratchy, the bumpy pickguard would come off everytime U'd pull the jack out... It's made of really shitty soft wood (is it even wood?) and the screws were just spinnin' in there like there was nowhere to cling to lol... Pics of the bass before & now below: - Guyker bridge with brass saddles (no through body option, sadly enough, but that'swhat i had so that's what i had to work with), - Squier CV tuning machines, - Harley Benton strap pins & knobs, - MusicLily CTS 500k pots, - Ancable input jack, - Sprague Orange Drop capacitor (0.047uF), - copper tape shielding - cloth covered wiring & - D'Addario Nylon Tapewound strings. This will have to do until i get smthg better.. Hopefully soon... Aesthetically not really different.. i do plan to refinish it in Pehlam Blue or Dark Lake Placid Blue with dark red tortoise pickguard if it turns out i like the bass a lot.. I am curious though. I can't find much online about Jim Harley as a brand. There are a few really dreadful reviews of this bass on Audiofanzine in France for instance.. but other than that... Does anyone know anything? Where it was manufactured, etc? There is a sticky area behind the headstock on mine where it seems a sticker was at some point, probably indicating country of origin & serial number.. but it's been removed... Before: After: Edited September 2, 2023 by neil___lien Added info 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 Hi, nice job, as long as it’s playable and it sounds good you’re good to go 👍 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted September 2, 2023 Author Share Posted September 2, 2023 14 minutes ago, Reggaebass said: Hi, nice job, as long as it’s playable and it sounds good you’re good to go 👍 Recorded this after driving for 7 hours so no good playing there but U can hear it played close to the neck & palm muted: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cwn_wCvszdn/?igshid=MmU2YjMzNjRlOQ== 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 5 minutes ago, neil___lien said: Recorded this after driving for 7 hours so no good playing there but U can hear it played close to the neck & palm muted: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cwn_wCvszdn/?igshid=MmU2YjMzNjRlOQ== Sounds great, I like the P bass muted sound myself ,and nice playing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted September 2, 2023 Author Share Posted September 2, 2023 Thanks @Reggaebass! I think i got sloppy halfway through the video but kept it anyway... Hope to record better videos with the bass a bit louder soon! Thanks again! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JK 138 Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 I found one in France in a car boot sale. I couldn't find anything about them either. The previous owner had let it rust and there are some deep gougers in the back of the neck, he said it was about 10 years old and cost him 400 euros new (I'm guessing that would have been about £300ish). I think they're just a cheap, Asian made fender replica, probably sold under different names in different countries. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paolo85 Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 To me, it sounds rather good! Can't go wrong with a P! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted September 2, 2023 Author Share Posted September 2, 2023 Funny.. the couple that gave it to me are French. My only other friend who knows about the brand is French. And Audiofanzine, where i found a couple of very negative reviews, is also a French forum (i believe)... It's not a bad bass, in fact, after all the work i've put into it... The neck is super nice, frets are super shallow, which is new to me, but happy to report there are no pokey ends... There is one thing i hate though, which i've only had with one other bass before: It's that i really need to be careful not to touch the pole pieces when i am playing or my ears regret it instantly.. Is a pick-up upgrade necessary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paolo85 Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 17 minutes ago, neil___lien said: Funny.. the couple that gave it to me are French. My only other friend who knows about the brand is French. And Audiofanzine, where i found a couple of very negative reviews, is also a French forum (i believe)... It's not a bad bass, in fact, after all the work i've put into it... The neck is super nice, frets are super shallow, which is new to me, but happy to report there are no pokey ends... There is one thing i hate though, which i've only had with one other bass before: It's that i really need to be careful not to touch the pole pieces when i am playing or my ears regret it instantly.. Is a pick-up upgrade necessary? For that, to my understanding clear nail polish at the top of the pole pieces would do. With zero impact on the sound. I think it means that the pole pieces are not grounded, somebody else can correct me and/or explain better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paolo85 Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 ...there you go http://www.audereengineering.com/FAQ_PUMag_Gnd.htm#:~:text=If you are getting noise,a new wire to ground. Different pickups alone may not solve the problem 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted September 2, 2023 Author Share Posted September 2, 2023 Thanks a lot! I guess am gonna have to open this bass up again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 The dark paint over the forearm contour is a dead giveaway that it’s not great wood HOWEVER as we all know wood contributes little to the sound of electric bass 🍿 so if it sounds good, totally play it till it breaks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted September 3, 2023 Author Share Posted September 3, 2023 Ooh! I didn't know that! I thought it was just poor aesthetic choices!! Thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 There’ll be a sanding sealer/filler sprayed on the contour to disguise the exposed rough ends of the ply - that’s why Conmon with plywood bodies on 90s Korean strats 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 Plywood is not the worst material to make a bass from. Do you still have the original bridge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 I know guy pratts bass Betsy was discovered to be made from plywood in his book. like I said, if it sounds good, play it till it breaks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted September 4, 2023 Author Share Posted September 4, 2023 7 hours ago, BreadBin said: Plywood is not the worst material to make a bass from. Do you still have the original bridge? Nope, i gave it away to a guy who wanted to mod a Bronco... Further down the line when i have money & time i might go back to a through body bridge (the holes are still there), change the pick-ups or ground the poles, & refinish the whole thing Pehlam Blue or Dark Lake Placid Blue.. but that'll probably be in 2024... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 10 hours ago, Geek99 said: I know guy pratts bass Betsy was discovered to be made from plywood in his book. like I said, if it sounds good, play it till it breaks It wasn`t Betsy as it`s a real 64 if I remember right. It was the Jazz copy that his dad bought him that was ply. Nowt wrong with a ply bass though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 24 minutes ago, jezzaboy said: It wasn`t Betsy as it`s a real 64 if I remember right. It was the Jazz copy that his dad bought him that was ply. Nowt wrong with a ply bass though. And in an interview guy says the jazz used to belong to John Entwistle, very rare colour too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 I stand corrected though my point holds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil___lien Posted September 4, 2023 Author Share Posted September 4, 2023 https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwyNgIyMc4q/?igshid=MmU2YjMzNjRlOQ== Another video with my plywood musical shovel :0))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2pods Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 Jim Harley ? The illegitimate offspring of a Jim Deacon and Harley Benton perhaps ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 (edited) What was wrong with the stock bridge? And I never got why cloth covered wiring is a thing, when plastic insulated shielded wiring (that is the ground running as a braided shield all along the insulated hot wire) is much better, at least from a noise eliminating viewpoint. And yes, plywood can be as good as any other solid types of wood for guitars and basses. Edited September 9, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 6 hours ago, 2pods said: Jim Harley ? The illegitimate offspring of a Jim Deacon and Harley Benton perhaps ? It's quite an oldie, I'd expect it's what Jim Harley did before he teamed up with that Barry Benton. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 Jim Dunlop and Harley Davidson... New 'Potato Potato' version of the 'Wah Wah'... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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