JB-40FL 3-Tone Sunburst : Excellent fretless bass

I received this bass about 10 days ago. It took about a week to arrive and I was able to track its progress easily. The box arrived in good condition. The honeymoon period is over now so I can be fairly objective now.

The fit and finish on the guitar is excellent.

I am struggling to find any fault with it. The neck is a beautiful tight fit to the body. The plastic nut is cut well and the slots are neatly done although there is a little white plastic debris from the filing process that I will tidy when I fit flat wound strings. I bought Fender flat wound strings with the order and pushed up the price to give me free shipping.

The set up, string height / intonation are fine.

The materials and hardware are perfectly acceptable. I have fitted Schaller strap lock buttons.

The fretboard deserves special mention. Not only was the neck perfectly finished, the fret board is made of blackwood (Pinus radiata). It looks like rosewood in colour but appears harder with the kind of tight grain associated with ebony. If someone told me this was an expensive wood, I would have no reason to doubt it.

I bought this bass as a inexpensive fretless for modding but nothing needs changing straight away and it's perfectly gig-able.

As time goes by, I might fit brass saddles, upgrade the tuners if they wear prematurely and upgrade the electronics if the mood takes me. I considered fitting a pick guard but the guitar is finished so well, it seems a shame to mess with it.

One last thing. It's quite heavy. I don't know how many pieces of wood make up the American Ash body. Looking at it, it seems like one piece but it could be 6 pieces and veneer front and back.

In any event, it's a great bass for little money. I have been playing for many years and have quite a few guitars of varying value. The Harley Benton JB-40FL 3 Tone Sunburst is a worthy addition to my collection.

Highly recommended.