Harley Benton B-650FL BK Progressive Series Reviews

Not for beginners

In terms of sound, construction and features it's an incredible instrument for its price. However, one feature which this bass does not have and which could be very useful for beginner fretless players is fret markers.

Amazing Bass

In general, it is an amazing instrument for the price, it has good sound, it doesn't feel cheap and it is probably the best 6 string fretless bass in that price range. The only small issue i found is the cutaway because it is a little hard to reach the high register of the neck without stretching the hand. Aside from that, everything in this bass works fine. The battery is very easy to remove since you don't require a screwdriver, so you can always remove it if you aren't going to play for extended periods of time; it also has a pull/push knob to swap between active and passive mode. The only feature i would like to see in this bass is a mid knob for the pre amp.

Good sound but poor quality

It seems the bridge is made of plastic and I think as time goes by it would definitely brake, this is something they should write in the review, i would not bought it if i have known it was plastic

Some assembly required...

I don't know how this bass made it through Quality Control, to be honest.

It arrived and before plugging it in, it was painfully apparent that every string was buzzing on the neck...without any frets to buzz against. It seems they didn't do any rudimentary set-up at all once they put strings on it.

Worse, when I plugged it in, the neck pick-up was not working at all. Definitely the cheaper electronics are to blame. The potentiometers are basically there for show as they don't change any tones on this instrument.

Customer Care was unable to provide any help or solutions, and made sure I was aware that I could not return the bass for free.

I'd recommend you steer clear of this one.

Quality is far exceed the price.

This bass has a really nice build quality that even better than a lot of bass in 400$ range , everything is solid , no wobbly part

Best for Budget

This "golden oldie" is best for its budget. Super workmanship.

For the price, this instrument is amazing. My only complaint is that the pickups are too high, even when I lower them playing the low B with a bit too much attack will cause the string to hit the poles of the neck pickup, which isn't great. The stock strings aren't amazing either, but these can be changed (for an amount half of the bass itself, ha , ha)

The price is stunning... The bass needs a few improvements

After a month, I can see what this bass needs to be a "good one".

I changed the strings on the first day. Then I noticed that the fingerboard is going up near the nut (on three half-tones!). It means that this area is not really playable.

I must admit that these are not huge issues when you are not scared to do some woodwork. I will take the neck off and refine it pretty soon. I might even take the fretboard off to replace it with a "better" wood (peroba rosa, angique, pau brazil, ...)

I have to dramaticly use a graphic EQ to get the sound I like... These pickups are quite muddy to my taste. Good basses though.

Overall, I think it's a good buy, and with a few (small and big) modifications it will get usefull I'm sure.

Good value

It's not an $800 instrument, but for the price it's pretty good

perfect quality-price ratio, the sound is pretty good and i like the massive body.

Sound

An important point of improvement is the sound.

The most affordable decent 6-string fretless

It's pretty good, especially for less than $200 (plus shipping)! It's light, and the body is small. The neck feels great. Fingerboard could probably use a coating, especially if you use roundwounds. The setup out of the box is okay, just needed an intonation adjustment. The stock strings aren't so great. Pickups and electronics all work fine, but they're nothing special (I hear EMG 45s fit well, though). If you're looking to learn fretless, or looking for something you can put a bit of time and money into to have a really great bass, this is a good option.

Smooth as glass!

I have always wanted to mess around with a six string bass but I never wanted to invest a boat load of cash to do so. I was intrigued by the retail pricing of this instrument, especially considering the features it has. I prefer a fretless bass after I was in a motorcycle accident that cost me a leg as well as a broken forearm and a couple of snapped fingers. The pressure needed to play a fretless bass was difficult for me after recovery so I opted for a fretless. The one gripe I had was the strings that came on the bass were pretty rough to me. I prefer a lighter gauge as well as the strings being flatwould, especially of a fretless model. This thing sounds amazing. Active pickups that absolutely scream! I have four other electric basses, all outfitted with EMG pickups of farious configurations. This bass performs right on par with all of them, even on the one I did an 18V upgrade on! The action is low and every note rings out beautifully. I have healed a lot after my accident and I think I may snag up one of the J-Bass style natural finish Bentons. This bass performs as good if not better than many other basses I have played/owned. Worth the scratch without a doubt! If you're on the fence, just pull the trigger and be ready to be pleasantly surprised!

Fantastic bass at any price

Don't let the "nay sayers" put you off this bass, it's got all the features you'll ever need, and a sound that's up there with brands 10 times the price. I own a lot of high end basses, but the Progressive Series basses are now my go to basses for touring, and recording. In my own humble opinion these basses situs be market leaders

Awesome looking, great feeling, Affordable

This bass is great and affordable and for such a low price what more could you ask for? Great for beginners and experienced players. Sure out of the box it could use a major set up, Pickups are decent but for this price what do you expect. Highly recommend this to anyone who’s into fretless playing or for those who are interested in trying out a fretless.

Great Quality, sound and playability!

My B-650FL Progressive Series bass arrived quickly and safely, (I live in USA). It was set up nicely right out of the box. I changed the strings and adjusted the pickup height to my liking, that was it. The playability, tone and craftmanship rival basses costing5 times as much... seriously. I am now a Harley Benton fan and have already recorded some quality tracks with this instrument.

Great value

Plays well, good sound, stable.

Shipped with a noticeable amounts of paint chipping on both head stock and body.

The bass was shipped with a major paint chip in the head stock and on the back of the body. I was planing on repainting the body any-who so this wasn't the end of the world but I was concerned.

The pickups on the bass were set up very slanted. the action was far far too low and the strings that came stock were of the lowest quality. However after setting it up and repainting the body and head stock I have very much enjoyed playing this bass and definitely recommend it especially at such a low price.

Very much useable

I've owned a few HB basses, and this is one of the better ones. I'm not reviewing this bass as a sub 200 Euro bass, but objectively as in if it truly useable or not.

The build quality isn't bad. The bridge kind of feels like plastic or even hard rubber, but it does the job and holds the intonation. At least the saddle feels like real metal. The nut feels completely like a piece of cheap plastic, but then again, it is holding up so far.

The fretboard is way too soft to my liking. I feel like the fretboard held this bass back in sounding more professional. The pick ups...... They will be changed as soon as I decide that it is worth the money to upgrade this bass.

I play this always in passive. Active mode sounds kinda weird, and I can't put my finger on exactly why. Passive/active don't really have any differences on this bass anyway. The knobs feel great to turn, EXCEPT for the volume knob. A little whisper of wind could turn the knob.

Overall, a useable bass. If someone you don't care much for wants a 6 string fretless, this is it.

Absolutely amazing quality and sound, for this prize group. I highly recommend to you all, how want to try out fretless but willing to pay thousands of it.