Harley Benton PB-Shorty BK Standard Series 3-stars Reviews

Bang for buck, but not very good

This is a very cheap bass guitar, so it´s kind of a mixed emotions review. First off, the strings are so crappy it´s unbelievable and has so low output that they are totally not usable and you HAVE TO change them. The neck had a really bad back bow, so had to release the truss rod more than 2 turns to get it in the ball park. I have also lowered the saddle to the max and would like to lower it even more, but it´s not possible as is. The pickups are not great, but they are OK for the price. The frets cuts your hand, so I had to round basically all of them of on the sides. All in all it´s OK, but you would have to know how to setup up a bass/guitar to have any fun with this instrument, as the delivered setup is totally unplayable.

Ideal Project Bass

I was looking for a cheap basic bass I could upgrade in the future.

The finish is nice, the bass looks good and has no distinct visual issues. The paint is nice and even throughout the body, the neck is feels smooth and the headstock also looks good.

For me the best features are the low weight and the short scale, which make it a really comfortable sitting-at-home instrument.

However, this is a very cheap bass, thus it comes with some flaws:

- The pickups are just straight up bad, both their sound and their adjustability.

- The frets have some sprouting.

- There's a lot of string buzz.

I had a JB-75 NA which sounds and plays a ton better than this one. If you are a beginner, with no plans of upgrading this very instrument in the future, I would suggest getting either that, or any other HB bass.

Neck Dive

Pros: Great action, great sound.

Cons: Horrible neck dive. Very awkward to play even sitting down.

Bit unlucky I guess

Bought this for home use, hobby only. Had to stop fingerpicking acoustic due to problems in both hands so thought I’d try a bass with less fancy hand movement. Delivery was fast up to local depot, but then got a message saying the address was incomplete. This proved untrue, but it was Friday afternoon and Valentine’s Day so a late trip to our remote village may have seemed unappetising. Got it on Monday.

It looks fine, body unblemished. Took several days before it would stay in tune, probably because of front pickup, which was badly fitted with one corner significantly higher than the rest. The adjusting screw had a stripped head so I guess someone had noticed. Eventually lowered it. Two bridge Allen key sockets didn’t work, one seems to have no hexagonal interior at all. Truss rod is jammed solid. The intonation screws worked fine as did the tuners. So not the best review, sadly.

If, after a month, my hands are coping, I’ll get that American Mustang in Aubergine. Wouldn’t that be nice?!!

Good for projects and practice

I got this bass so i can have something sitting next to me that i could just pickup and practice with no worries.

My review of the bass right out of the box:

1) Finish - looks great. there were no problems with the finish on the body, the pickguard or the neck.

2) Hardware - the harley benton shorty comes with a vintage bridge and open back tuners, much in the style of an old school p bass. the tuners are fine, they hold the tune and do their job. the bridge however was not mounted correctly and i had to make some adjustments to it. the knobs all work fine.

3) sound - out of the box the sound was not impressive at all but after installing flatwound strings by GHS the sound improved alot. i intend to replace to pickup in the future.

all in all the bass required a good setup + changing the strings in order to play well and sound well but for the price i think it's worth it.

good inexpensive starter bass

Bought this to record with. I'm Been playing guitar for 40 years but Not a bass player so preferred the shorter scale. Just used for recording ideas for songs. Did not expect too much for the price but was pleasantly surprised. Adjusted the action a little and the pick up height and off I went. Works fine but has a few difficulties with tuning. I'm just going to see if replacing the nut with a better quality one helps. If you need something to start with or what I amusing it for cant really go wrong

Short scale beauty

I'm a pro bass player, been playing for 10 years now - this is my first short scale. I bought it to easily schlep it to rehearsals and practice, as the 34" scale heavy basses are doing a number on my back.

Immediately after I recieved it, I took it directly to Rehearsal without even a test, and it performed admirably for the price. It definitely needs a setup and a change of strings, but with the right turn of the tone knob, I got the sound i was looking for, and the short scale makes it a breeze to play. I was so happy I even gigged it the next day!

Few cons, though.

1. neck dive!

2. the pickup on mine seems to be a bit noisy at times, but this might be a problem with the amp I was using. Also, there is definitely a difference in output for the strings, something I need to resolve with setup.

Pros

1. So easy to play, and light!

2. A really good P bass growl that I didn't expect from a bass of this size or price

Overall, A sensational buy if you want to try a short scale and don't want to pay too much - and also if you love the P bass sound!

It's ok.

So there's nothing fancy about this guitar but price:)

The quality is ok for the price. Frets were bit sharp at the lower edge of the neck but I filed them easily. You can tell that some parts like tuners are done quite cheaply.

Sound would suit almost every music genre but metal and I wouldn't recommend to tune lower than D.

Features... oh come on it's a simple electric bass guitar.

Harley Benton HBP90BK

This bass was my first ever bass guitar. I think that this bass is brilliant for beginners because it is not overly sized and it is great for just having at home to practice with. For gigs I would tend not to use this bass as the tone from it is not the best and without a good amp or effects pedals it possibly would not be good enough. Having said this it is good for practising because it is great for learning to play scales and riffs because the neck is not as long as other basses so its not as easy to be confused, you can also get a couple of different sounds from it. Overall I think its a great beginners guitar and ideal for using for practice.

Harley Benton Short Scale Bass

Bought as a cheap and simple practice bass to just "grab and play" when the impulse strikes.

It's not meant to sound or feel like a 1000+ euro instrument, but it's great for what it is.

Tonal range is very limited, but it's screwed together just fine, finish is good for the price and everything is lined up reasonably well. Stock strings are it's weakest link, so I changed them immediately and for personal practice or just a quick jam it's fine.

Don't expect too much but at around 55 euros it's amazing how they can make something that plays like a bass for that kind of money!

Small bass

A bit difficult to play since it's not very well balanced, it keeps falling down on the neck side. Sit down while you play and this will give a nice introduction to the bass playing world.

Decent first level

You will need to make some adjustments and a bit of a fretwork. but after that you will have a good fist level instrument that will get you off the first couple of years of lessons.

Harley Benton PB-Shorty BK

I love this bass. its of decent quality , but it feels very nice to play. the frets dont go far past 12 but it was perfect for learning bass and i plan on upgrading soon. it was great value however it is evident that it is not quality. if you intend to gig look elsewhere but if you want to learn bass and have fun doing so its a surprising charmer and ive never been disappointed with it.