JB-75MN Black Vintage Series : Very good value, but manage your expectations.

So I pulled the trigger on one of these after seeing some reviews and added yet another instrument I don't need to my collection. I've had some previously very good experiences with HB basses and, along with the great reviews, this convinced me. The bass arrived in a decent time and very well packaged (DHL absolutely mangled the outer box but everything inside was safe and sound).

First impression were..... OK. It's certainly very pretty but a quick look over the bass showed up some QC issues, although this is to be expected at this price point. Scratchy knobs, badly fitted hardware, a few finishing blemishes and rough frets are all here and signs of an instrument thrown together quickly. Like I say though, all to be expected on an instrument which costs £144.

There are good points though: the pickups are incredible. Full, punchy and with plenty of output. It sounds way, way more expensive than it actually is. The tuners are a nice surprise too - I was planning on replacing them but they're going to stay now. They're smooth, feel solid and so far are holding the tuning well. And of course the bass is very very pretty.

I bought this bass with my eyes wide open and never expected it to match more expensive instruments in terms of quality. I enjoy working on guitars and I intended this as a modding platform so it absolutely fits the bill for me. In many ways it exceeded expectations, particularly with the pickups.

Nevertheless it is worth considering that a little bit of work is required to get it playing well, in particular it is going to need a fret dress. If that isn't something you can do yourself then it might add to the cost significantly.

Would I buy again? Absolutely. To me it represents a bargain and something I will enjoy working on. To someone less experienced with set up work though, the costs will add up, possibly to the point where other brands might be worth looking at instead.