JB-40FL 3-Tone Sunburst : Unbelievable value for money

If you are considering trying out fretless playing but don't want to break the bank then this is the instrument for you.

This was my first Harley Benton and my first fretless and I have to say I am very impressed with the the whole buying experience.

In terms of looks this bass is stunning. The paintwork is spot on with no marks or blemishes at all.

Playing comfort: it's nicely balanced and sits well on the strap for standing playing.

The slim jazz neck is a delight to play. I have small hands but this neck is very comfortable for me. The fret lines make it so much easier for the novice fretless player to get awesome tones.

It is a touch on the heavy side but that's what you get with a good quality ash body.

There are a some issues that mean I can't quite give it 5 stars.

1. Setup; the neck is perfectly straight with no relief which is exactly how it should be for a fretless. However, the action is set too high and the nut slots need to be deeper to bring the strings closer to the fingerboard. It has the same nut and slots as a fretted jazz. The strings are flat rather than radiused to match the fingerboard radius. This is stuff that I can fix but not everyone has the tools.

2. Shielding / earhing: there is a significant amount of pickup hum unless the volume controls are even for both pickups. Again a fairly easy fix although it does entail taking the bass apart to shield all the cavities with either copper foil or conductive paint and ensuring the earth wire to the bridge is making good contact.

3. Strings: the bass is factory fitted with D'darrio round wounds which are of course really good strings. However, round wounds are not ideal for the fretless fingerboard. I would prefer to see them fitted with flats or pressure wounds. I replaced mine with D'darrio nylon wounds which give awesome warm tones that suit my playing style very nicely.

Overall this is an exceptional instrument for the price and I do recommend it.