JB-20 BM Standard Series : Bargain bass better than most

This is a delayed review as I first got mine in January 2020. I wanted a new bass for recording but didn’t wanna spend an unnecessary amount. It wasn’t until I was reading a post on a forum about basses when someone mentioned Harley Benton. To be honest I’d never heard of them, so I began to research and came across this jazz bass.

At the time of purchase, the bass cost me only £83. At this price I wasn’t expecting much, but when it arrived I was blown away. We all know all guitars are individual and some people won’t get lucky all the time, but I did. Paint work, build quality and all the little details were absolutely spot on. The metallic blue colour looks gorgeous. Action was good and comfortable, but I did get it a tweaked a little, lowering the nut and lowering action a little, which made it play beautifully.

I’m guessing the pick ups are cheap, but they sounded brilliant through my amps and a PA system I also tried. My friends were really impressed with the sound and couldn’t believe how cheap it was. Comparing this bass to one’s I’ve owned and played in the past really proves that you only pay more for the logo on the headstock. This bass has better finishing and build quality compared to a bass I had which was 4 times the price.

The only criticism (which isn’t unexpected due to the price) is sharp fret ends. I got my fret file and smoothed then over in a couple minutes. After that it was perfect. The neck is nice and slim and very comfortable to play. You could upgrade the pick ups and tuners to better specs and make it a project bass but to be honest I’ve had no reason to.

Wether played live or used for recording, this bass is a no brainier for the price. This was my first ever HB instrument, and I was so impressed that I went on to purchase 2 more (acoustic and electric guitar). No other brand gives you value for money like this.