What's the deal with Harley Benton/Thomann?

[neil___lien]

Hello everyone,

 

Has anyone else noticed how a lot of Harley Benton products will only be in stock in x weeks?

I wanted a HB-35 Plus guitar & a Ukebass from them but ended up getting an Ibanez semihollow on the second hand market & am on the lookout for a solidbody ukebass to pop up used here in France, as the model i want will only be available in 10 to 13 weeks (from 8 weeks announced in June already...).

I wonder how many other sales they are missing because of those supply issues.

I also noticed that on top of Harley Benton bass ukeleles, they now have a "Thomann" brand, made in Europe line of instruments.

 

Does anyone know more about what's happening? Is there a problem with their factory/ies? Is this the end of Harley Benton? Are they moving production to Europe for good? 

[lksmks792]

I'd say sales numbers might be so high it would be impossible to keep up for any retailer.

Thomann has been making and selling HB for years (maybe even decades?) now. Quality has risen significantly over the last few years and so has popularity I guess.

The Thomann branded bass ukes have been on the website since 2016. Thomann use this brand name for their traditional and ethnic/folk instruments as well. No need to fear the end of HB i'd say ...

[neil___lien]

Didn't know about Thomann being also an instrument brand!

Thanks for clarifying. 

Still frustrating though to have arrival dates pushed back repetitively and so far in time. If those instruments are so popular, surely they must miss out sales in favour of the second hand market...

[neepheid]

They've just released new instruments with the Harley Benton name, I think it's safe enough.

[fretmeister]

43 minutes ago, neil___lien said:

Didn't know about Thomann being also an instrument brand!

Thanks for clarifying. 

Still frustrating though to have arrival dates pushed back repetitively and so far in time. If those instruments are so popular, surely they must miss out sales in favour of the second hand market...

 

They have a popular product. They cannot instantly hire a new production line in the far east if they are in full use, and I'm sure they've done the maths to decide whether they want to fund the building of a new factory. Rapid expansion kills more companies than careful restraint. Sometimes purposely keeping supply a bit low keeps the used values up and that in turn gives the product a better reputation and makes it more desirable.

 

If you want one, order it and at least be in the queue.

[pete.young]

Suez canal.

[BigRedX]

7 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

If you want one, order it and at least be in the queue.

 

This is exactly what I was going to say.

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, pete.young said:

Suez canal.

 

Mornington Crescent.

[bremen]

1 hour ago, tauzero said:

 

Mornington Crescent.

That's Numberwang!

[Dad3353]

[neil___lien]

Now, even the new HB-50 (both colours) is out of stock for the next few months.. 

The Ukebass OPNT FL, same thing. 

The Ukebass OPNT, 9 to 12 weeks...

 

IDK.. it does seem to me that they are having issues with their provider/factory. 

Does anyone have any info on what's going on?

 

[casapete]

Just seen that HB have announced a new range with nitro /  relic finishes. 

[stewblack]

[stewblack]

Only a 29 week wait for that beauty. I'm in.

[Dad3353]

22 minutes ago, stewblack said:

Only a 29 week wait for that beauty. I'm in.

 

Ha..! Mine should arrive end of next week (bought from fellow BCer end of June, and in 'bass relay' transit ever since...). It's the pre-series one, seen on a U-tube of a bass show. Patience has its rewards. 

[Guest]

I understand that they buy a lot of their instruments, particularly the in house brands, in batches direct from the factory, each batch made to order. 

 

When stock dries up they have to await the next batch.

 

There is, apparently, no steady stream or drip-drip of stock for their own branded instruments.  If the gaps are getting longer then I'd surmise there is some kind of issue at the production end as i'm sure Thomann could sell all the HB gear they could lay their hands on.

 

 

Edited October 1, 2024 by Bassfinger
Teribblee tyypmg

[neil___lien]

5 hours ago, casapete said:

Just seen that HB have announced a new range with nitro /  relic finishes. 

Yes i did see that too.

But if they follow the trend set by what happened with the HB-50, where people had to wait for months until they became available for a week, and now out of stock for another x months... 

Gives GAS plenty of time to drift towards other items from other manufacturers.. 

Like it happened for me, GASsing for a HB-35 Plus, but got an Ibanez AS83-STE on the second hand market for the same price...

[stewblack]

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Ha..! Mine should arrive end of next week (bought from fellow BCer end of June, and in 'bass relay' transit ever since...). It's the pre-series one, seen on a U-tube of a bass show. Patience has its rewards. 

I believe I may have had that very thing in my grubby mits once. It travelled down from bonny Scotland to the SWBB

[neil___lien]

Just now, Bassfinger said:

I understand that they buy a lot of their instruments, particularly the in house brands, in batches direct from the factory, each batch made to order. 

 

When stock dries up they have to await the next batch.

 

There is, apparently, no steady stream or drip-drip of stock for their own branded instruments.  

But is it "normal" that it takes 3 to 4 months to get a new batch? The Ukebass i've been wanting to buy since June keeps being pushed back... 

And also: is that way of managing their stock good for their business ?

[Guest]

1 minute ago, neil___lien said:

But is it "normal" that it takes 3 to 4 months to get a new batch? The Ukebass i've been wanting to buy since June keeps being pushed back... 

And also: is that way of managing their stock good for their business ?

I've just done an edit while I was correcting my usual woeful typing. My final sentence sums up the likely situation.

 

As for managing stock...they get it and it sells fast.  I'm sure they'd get more if they could, but if they went to other suppliers the danger is suddenly its not so inexpensive and people drift to the lower echelons of the higher quality brands instead.

Edited October 1, 2024 by Bassfinger

[neepheid]

1 minute ago, stewblack said:

I believe I may have had that very thing in my grubby mits once. It travelled down from bonny Scotland to the SWBB

 

Almost the same - bridge, tailpiece and knobs have changed a little since the prototype, and I made some modifications to mine that made sense to me (the rotary series/single/parallel switch)

[mcnach]

On 01/10/2024 at 16:35, neil___lien said:

But is it "normal" that it takes 3 to 4 months to get a new batch? The Ukebass i've been wanting to buy since June keeps being pushed back... 

And also: is that way of managing their stock good for their business ?

 

Don't get worked up about it, it's out of your control

[neil___lien]

Just checked the Thomann website and most of the Harley Benton basses wont be available until after Xsmas.. i still think it's weird...

[Dan Dare]

The thing to remember is that there isn't a Harley Benton factory. The instruments are made for Thomann (HB Is its in-house brand) by one (or more, depending on which has production availability) of the mega factories in China and the Far East that build for many other companies. Think firms such as Cort and World Musical Instruments in Indonesia and Korea.

 

Thomann has to book production slots to have each batch of instruments made. At this time of year especially, all the other instrument brands are competing to get their instruments built. If a major name, such as Squier or Epiphone, wants several thousand, their order will take precedence over those from people such as Thomann, who don't buy in such large quantities. Money talks.

Edited November 18, 2024 by Dan Dare