stewblack Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Bought this here a couple of weeks ago. It's the lightest, fastest HB jazz I've ever played. Oh and the shell pink finish is really lovely. I gigged it this weekend. The previous gig I had used my Sandberg California - a truly beautiful instrument to play. I have to say there was absolutely no drop in quality. None. Not in sound, feel, balance or playability. Anyone trying to convince me that price is any indication of quality, or 'you get what you pay for' has their work cut out I'm afraid. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 SNAKE!.. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 That's super cool! There really are some fantastic budget instruments around these days. I quite fancy an inexpensive ray style bass and keep looking at the HBs.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burns-bass Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Used to be mine and I echo what Stew says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 I agree. I gigged my PB-50 10 days ago. I honestly didn't think about it at all. It's superb. It's just mad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Are the stock pickups on the HB's okay? Also, do standard aftermarket J/P/MM pickguards fit them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 2 hours ago, TRBboy said: Are the stock pickups on the HB's okay? Also, do standard aftermarket J/P/MM pickguards fit them? Never felt the need to change the pickups so I honestly can't say. Some people who have stronger views on these things change them without trying them. I've never had a problem with the parts on HB basses. Funnily enough I was thinking about this in relation to the Sandberg I mentioned earlier. The finish is bubbling and peeling off one of the tuners - I noticed it on Friday - never had anything like that on my 'cheap' basses. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 2 hours ago, TRBboy said: Are the stock pickups on the HB's okay? Also, do standard aftermarket J/P/MM pickguards fit them? Point 1 - probably Point 2 - probably not 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 3 minutes ago, neepheid said: Point 1 - probably Point 2 - probably not Thank you for the concise answer 😅 I'm quite tempted to pick up one of the MM 5 string models as a project, with a view to moving the pickup forwards, but I'm comfortable with making a pickguard, it just takes time and elbow grease 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 (edited) At risk of sounding like a "well in my day, we 'ad it tough" crusty old fart, when I think back to the days when I was starting out on the bass, you had to spend quite a bit of money to get anything even halfway decent. £140 now gets you a really very nice Harley Benton Jazz; that's the equivalent of £45 in 1983. Forty five quid. That wouldn't even have bought a dog-legged piece of Korean balsawood back then, much less a good quality solid-wood working bass. It seems to me that these days you actually have to work quite hard to find a genuinely bad instrument. This can only be a very good thing. And having read this again a couple of hours later, yes, I do sound exactly like a "well in my day, we 'ad it tough" crusty old fart Edited February 27 by Rich 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 13 minutes ago, TRBboy said: Thank you for the concise answer 😅 I'm quite tempted to pick up one of the MM 5 string models as a project, with a view to moving the pickup forwards, but I'm comfortable with making a pickguard, it just takes time and elbow grease 😅 The way I see it, even Fender can't standardise on pickguard layouts between their various factories, so what hope do we have if you then spin it out to non Fender products? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 The pickup in my PB-50 is excellent. I get an awesome sound from it. The tuners feel a bit flimsy and stiff in places but they hold their tune perfectly I may but another one and refinish it to a 50s Fender sunburst with no red in it. But there's no rush 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 HB pickups are really good. I also see no need to replace mine. The tuners, not great but they do they do the job. Pickguards... Mine doesn't actually have one, it's the "jaco" style fretless, but if you want a new pickguard get one made by GigInk (that's who I'd use) or something of the others that are often recommended on here. It's cheap and you get what you want instead of hoping an off the shelf buy fits or looks as good as the stock photos. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TbirdnTalman Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 I had to change the tuners on my PB-20 when I broke one..... but otherwise good, although my search for an HB Jazz neck as a replacement (without buying the whole kit) seems fruitless, but that's hardly a massive complaint! and EarlPilanz (eBay, Glasgow) makes HB guards to order 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TbirdnTalman Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 .. and courtesy of https://www.basschat.co.uk/tags/hooky_lowdown/, JB-75 neck fitted, v easy to do - screws lined up perfectly 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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