Harley Benton JB-75MN NA Vintage Series 5-stars Reviews

Great Bass

I love my new bass, It is my first so I don't have anything to compare it to, but Ill give it 5 stars. I need a bit of help tuning D and G strings but I can take it to my guitar shop. Customer service is great and they help you solve any issues you may have. Thanks Francisco!

Fantastic bass

This is my very first bass and I absolutely love it. It's heavy, but not unpleasantly so, and the J-bass neck is super comfortable to play. The sound is great. I'm not experienced with basses enough to really give an in-depth rating, but as a beginner, and for this price, I cannot recommend it enough.

Surprisingly good for the price!

I already own a Harley Benton PB-20 which is the worst bass I've ever laid my hands on. Truly horrible in every way. But these cheap Harley Benton basses seem to get good reviews so I decided to give them another chance. Quality control probably isn't the best in this price range so I expect instruments can vary a lot in quality. I figured maybe I would have better luck this time. I decided to step up one level from the PB-20 "Standard series" to this slightly more expensive "Vintage series".

I'm glad I gave Harley Benton another chance because this bass is in a totally different league than my PB-20. Even when unboxing it I could tell the level of craftsmanship was much better.

The fit and finish is absolutely top notch! The neck pocket couldn't possible have been any tighter. An absolutely PERFECT fit. The finish is flawless. The body is a beautiful two piece ash with such a nice selection of wood that the seam is practically invisible on the front. It's slightly more visible on the back but still as good as I would have expected from a MIA Fender. Very beautiful wood, nice patterns.

The pickguard is perfectly cut. Very nice! I've read some complaints about poor quality pickguards on these basses, that they get easily scratched and ugly but it seems like decent quality to me. I deliberately tried scratching it with a pick and it left no marks whatsoever. Maybe they've changed to a better type? It's certainly a LOT thicker and sturdier than the poor quality, flimsy junk they used on my PB-20.

The block inlays look a bit like they are painted fakes due to some VERY slight smearing along the edges but a few of them are actually slightly recessed into the fretboard which would suggest they're real inlays? On a top quality bass there wouldn't be such a noticeable edge along the inlays but it's a VERY minor flaw and nothing that will have any practical significance whatsoever.

The binding is definitely a painted fake though but it looks nice. One strange thing I noticed is that the fretboard is a glued-on slab of wood so I don't see why they couldn't install the truss rod from the front rather than having the skunk stripe on the back? I guess it must be cheaper that way. This is not a problem whatsoever though, just an observation.

The neck profile is surprisingly slim. A very nice and comfortable C-shape. Many of the reviews say it's very chunky but it's not bad at all. It's slightly chunky compared to most Jazz Basses but compared to a typical P-bass it feels very nice and slim. I was expecting it to be a lot chunkier based on my Harley Benton PB-20 which is more like a U-shape and EXTREMELY chunky front-to-back, even for a P-bass.

The hardware is ok but not great. The tuners feel a bit cheap but far from the worst I've seen. Unlike many other cheap basses they don't feel like they will break anytime soon and that's a huge positive. They work perfectly fine and tuning stability is good. In this price range I would say they are as good as anyone can reasonably expect.

The bridge has brass saddles which is a nice touch but they don't line up perfectly because there's a slightly too wide gap between them. It looks a bit crooked, like they're slightly the wrong width for the spacing of the adjustment screw holes in the baseplate. Not a big deal but it looks a bit messy. Other than that it's just your typical vintage style Fender bridge. Nothing fancy but easy to adjust and does the job.

The setup was actually half-decent, which I didn't expect at all. No worse than with many MUCH more expensive basses. The saddle height was more or less perfect but the truss rod needed to be loosened quite a bit to get rid of severe lower fret buzz. Out of the box the neck had no relief whatsoever. I often experience this with much more expensive basses too and it's to be expected in a factory fresh bass that has traveled across half the world so it's no big deal.

The fretwork was slightly below average though. Even with a perfect setup there was still some fretbuzz around 5th-10th fret on the A-string and 6th-7th fret on the G-string when digging in. With soft playing it was ok. I often play rather aggressively so I will have to level the frets to get it perfect for my playing style. But I didn't expect any better in this price range. In fact, I had expected it to be worse.

The sound is really impressive for this price range. It sounds exactly like a Jazz Bass should and definitely sounds nicer than the slightly more expensive Squier Affinity. Not quite as nice as a top quality MIA Fender but at that point we're obviously in a completely different price range. The pickups have strong output, tight lows, nice growly mids and reasonably smooth highs. The sound is perhaps just a tiny but strident and "hard" compared to more expensive basses but the pickups in those basses will cost as much as this entire bass! Plus the sound might mellow out a bit when the bass has seen some more use. Factory fresh basses often feel a bit "stiff". And don't get me wrong, this bass does sound pretty good. Amazing for the price really! Just not QUITE as nice as a top quality EXPENSIVE Jazz Bass.

It did help a bit to get rid of those nasty, clanky sounding D'Addario strings. I personally can't stand them but some people like them so this is just my subjective opinion of course. The D'Addarios are certainly a million times better than the no-name junk strings they put on the Harley Benton PB-20 so it's not like the bass was useless with the D'Addarios, just a matter of personal taste.

I haven't opened it up to have a look at the electronics but the pots feel really nice. They have just the right amount of resistance and feel like good quality pots. A very positive surprise!

This of course also means that I haven't had the chance to check for shielding inside the bass but based on the amount of noise this bass picks up (except when running both pickups at full volume of course) I'm pretty sure there is no shielding whatsoever. It will definitely need a bit of shielding to be usable in locations with much electrical disturbance (you know, like on stage or in a recording studio...).

I've seen many complain about the weight of these basses but mine wasn't THAT heavy. I mean, it's definitely heavier than your average Jazz Bass but compared to 70s Fender ash Jazz Basses it's pretty much spot on. This is after all a "JB-75". But maybe I got lucky and got one of the lighter ones? Weight will surely vary a lot with cheap ash basses.

I don't understand the design of the headstock though. I don't mind the actual shape but why does it have to be so big? It looks like a severely oversized Sandberg headstock. The bass could definitely lose some weight right there and look nicer too.

So, to put things into perspective:

-Out of the box without a proper setup it was unplayable with severe buzz below 5th fret on all strings.

-After a quick setup it was decent enough that I could easily have used it for live performances in a pinch but not good enough for studio work due to some fret buzz and noise.

-After shielding the bass properly and leveling the frets I'm sure it will be very, VERY nice. I might change the pickups at some point but decent pickups will cost more than the bass itself so it does seem a bit overkill when the stock Roswell pickups are perfectly decent. If I didn't have any other Jazz Basses I would probably have left it stock but I've got better sounding (expensive) Jazz Basses so unless I upgrade the pickup this one probably won't see much use. And it's far too good not to be used.

To sum it up:

This is a VERY impressive instrument for the price. You know that feeling when you pick up an instrument and it just "speaks" to you? Well this one does, even with it's minor issues. If you're looking for an ultra-cheap J-bass and can accept that it may need a little bit of work to be buzz&noise-free I can HIGHLY recommend this bass. There's really no other basses even remotely close to this quality in this price range. With some minor fret leveling and shielding this will be a very, very nice bass. With a pickup upgrade too it can easily compete with pretty much anything out there.

Of course it remains to be seen how stable the neck will be over time and with varying seasons. This is often the weak point with cheap instruments. But so far so good!

Well Worth The Wait!

Well, I went and had the itch to purchase another bass, and read the reviews on this particular one on several sites, and made the purchase. It took 5 weeks to get here, but is well worth the lengthy wait.

The finish on this bass is excellent. The neck has a satin finish on the back, is not too thick or thin, just right. Tuners turn pretty easily, and hold the instrument in tune. The bridge is pretty nice, has brass saddles on it, give it a crisp sound. Pots turn nicely and do what they are supposed to. Pickups are really nice. The Roswell alnico pickups have a bright forward sound to them, and are quite articulate when playing soft or loudly. Playability is quite good, was setup quite well from the start, but had to slightly raise the action on the E string to stop buzzing sound.

I am comparing the overall experience to my other bass, a vintage G&L L2000 bass, which I have had for many years. This Harley Benton bass actually plays better than the G&L, but is brighter in sound overall, mostly to the single coil pickups, vs. the humbuckers in the G&L. As for the weight, believe it or not, it is quite a bit lighter than my older bass. It ain't made of balsa wood, but it is not a boat anchor, either.

For the money, you could not ask for any more instrument than you get with this bass. The high ratings are well warranted, Great quality for the money.

Amazing bass for the money

This bass is amazing for what it costs. Quite an amazing instrument for those looking an entry-level or a practise bass. 5/5.

amazing budget j-bass

it's honestly kind of incredible for the price. in terms of playability, you can spend two or three times as much and not get the same level of quality.

the finish is very beautiful, too. it not only handles but also looks like a much more expensive bass. i'll probably swap out the pickguard because i think the black looks cheap (even on more expensive basses) but that is a personal preference and not a slight on this instrument.

there was some fret buzz, particularly on the e string, but that's not too difficult to sort out if you consult youtube.

i'm very happy with this purchase

great starting bass

my first bass and I think it's awesome. I'm not sure how, but the finish had peeled off in a small area. Besides that it is great.

Can't afford not to

Bass sounds amazing. Like all the other HB instruments, they tend to sound just as good as instruments that are 3-4x the price. The JB-75 is no exception. I threw some flats on mine and it's a perfect bass for getting vintage tones out of. The action was set a little high but the neck tension was just where I like it.

If I could only have one guitar it would be the PJ-74/75 series, but if I could only have two guitars than this would definitely be the other one. There's just a surreal amount of value in this bass. Highly recommended!

amazing bass

this bass has change my view on all the basses ive played before and has now change my chosen instrument from a guitar to bass the is an amazing instrument for the price point

Looks, feels and plays better than its affordable price point.

At first glance, you may have really low expectations of this Bass guitar on account of its ridiculously low price point, but don't let that cheap price fool you into thinking that this guitar is cheap. It is actually really, really good value for the money. It is built well, looks great, sounds pretty decent and certainly much better than what I was expecting for its price point. The action and setup was not perfect out of the box but of course that can be said of really expensive guitars too. With a bit of quick and basic setup to adjust action and intonation to suit your needs, you will be having fun with this Bass in no time. I am strongly considering getting the P-Bass pickup version from this series as well.

Good bass.

I'm very new to bass, but this seems like a good beginner bass.

I received the guitar as described and without blemishes. After the test, it worked up to my expectations wonderfully.

All-around great budget bass

First of all, let me start with the fact that for its price, this bass is truly a great deal.

The bass played great, straight out of the box, with the factory setup being nearly perfect. Of course one may want to do their own specific changes, but nevertheless, the stock setup was balanced and quite good, not requiring further changes initially by a complete novice. The strings it came with were pretty good for stock strings, but just like in every new bass purchase, new strings should be a priority.

The neck, even though it's slightly thick, plays great and is certainly *not* what one would call a "sticky" one.

The electronics are decent, nothing mouth watering, but they get the job done and I don't think there's something better at this price range. The controls provide a decently versatile, albeit kinda basic, spectrum of sounds. In any case, you won't it lacking for its price range.

The only thing thing that one *may* find as a downside, is that this is a quite heavy bass(~5kg). A teenager or an adult shouldn't have too much trouble to get used to this. But I wouldn't recommend getting this for a child.

Overall this is a great budget bass, with great sound and playability. I'd recommend it to novices but also professionals who wanna have a cheap practice bass. If you don't have a problem with the weight, you should definately go for it.

An unexpected winner.

Let me start by saying that I'm absolutely blown away by the overall quality of this thing. I use it to track basslines in my own compositions and it is simply incredible.

Sure, you can get way better ones out there, but for this price? For this price, this one is way better then I was expecting. Please keep it up, Harley Benton!

PROS:

- Nice design;

- Very good sound quality.

CONS:

- I couldn't find even one!

WOW,,NICE,,

What can I say but WOW,,this is a beautiful bass guitar,,I have been playing a long,long time and I have a lot of basses of all kinds and I thought I would buy this one to use as a beater and save my other more expensive guitars,,but this is now one of the nicer basses I have maybe not the most expensive but it is very nice,,well worth the money,,looks great,, plays well,,feels very good,,only one thing you need to know,,this is a very,very heavy guitar,,it is 12 pounds on the money,,I like a heavy bass even tho I have had back surgery,,just thought you needed to know..if you are looking for a nice bass for little money this is your guitar...

What a bass!

After spending more than 3 months with this bass, I am finally writing a review. Running it through a Fender Rumble 500 2x10 combo (cost nearly 400 Euro used).

Pros:

sound, feel, strings, frets (fret ends not sharp at all), very well set up from the box (minus the pickup height), flawless finish (on a HB!)

Cons:

It is heavy, but not so bad as I am mostly sitting down. Pickup height adjustment is a pain, because pickup screw holes were drilled sideways i.e. fast and not perpendicular to the body.

Neck skunk stripe can be felt through the finish - should have sanded it down better. Does not make any problems and you cannot feel it while playing.

EQ/volume pots do not give a huge variety of sounds, but what is there is definitely useable.

This is my first Harley Benton guitar/bass that has absolutely no specs or faults in the finish (I also have a uke and an acoustic). Great job!

Great Deal!

2 days in still using the strings that came with it and it sounds great. Sounds like it should cost more.

PROS

Sounds clean and clear.

Does'nt need much post processing to sound "professional". Sounds great just pluged into my scarlet 6i6 and using a virtual preamp.

CONS

It's a bit heavy but not too much.

A very good buy

Splendid construction apart of some minor visual arm flaws. Plastic over the pot unit is very hard to remove without damaging the chrome or removing all knobs.

The unit had to be adjusted in terms of string length, all the strings were slightly out of adjustment. Adjustment screws on E and A strings are almost past the limit in length terms, but were marginally enough. Height had to be adjusted on the bridge pickup, was far too low, and the E and A strings had to be lowered. l As expected some very low ac noise I will correct by shielding all compartments later on. 5-star buy.

Excellent Bass!

You find a better Bass at this Price!

Lot of bass for low price

ash body, brass saddles, AlNiCo pups for a very low price. Sound is good. I love the resonance of the ash body.