MB-4 SBK Deluxe Series : Epic bass!

The HB was really well put together. It was playable straight out of the box. Almost every bass I’ve ever bought needed a few tweaks to make it right, and the HB was no exception. The main tweak was the action (string height) at the nut…each string slot needed a little file to lower the string (being careful to not go too low!). It took about 10 minutes and made a huge difference. I took it on a session together with my Status Retro Jazz…an unfair comparison as the Status cost 35 times the HB. The HB was more than adequate; it had the honky sound of a Stingray, it sat well, with no neck dive, smooth frets, a slightly fatter neck profile than the Jazz…a joy to play. A P bass sounds like a P bass, a J bass sounds like a J bass, and the HB sounds like a Stingray. It’s a great looking bass, nice and light. Un-be-f8cking-lievable at this price. Couple of negatives: the pole pieces in the pickup protrude a little more than I’d like, and the tuners feel cheap (but the bass stayed in tune all day). I’ve played £500 basses that are not as good as this. At £119 (UK price Sept 2023) I might just get a few more to match my clothes.