Harley Benton MM-85A SB Deluxe Series Reviews

It was love at the first sight

Let me start that I am a guitar player, but was always facinated with bass. I had seen and heard lots of cheep basses that were more expensive than this HB MM-85A (Cort, Ibanez, SX etc.) and this one beats them all with both price and sound.

I have not noticed and major flaws most people find in HB guitars, like not ideal fret job or woodwork. The battery was in a package and it serves well for well over 3 months with no need for replacement (keep in mind that I use this bass mostly to play at home or to record some demos on it).

The sound is fantastic. I was not expecting anything extraordinary, just wanted to try out MM-style bass as those are pretty rare in the place I live. And boy how satisfied I am with this one.

I have checked a nice demo of this bass in the video

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And it gives the correct impression of the bass sound. I was affraid that due to the price it would be muffy and without sufficient low-end and those fears were BASSless (sorry for the pun).

The stock humbuckers are decent, the 3-way EQ provides versatility of tone, different pickup possitions change the overall tone up to the point what you can truely say that you have 5 different basses in 1 and that is exactly what I fell in love with in this bass.

The other day I have tried Yamaha TRBX and it felt miniscule in comparison to MM-85A. Their 5-way switch was only the variants of EQ and it made me even more happy that I went with Harley Benton MM-85A.

Might change pickups to new ones from a local brand. It proved a good strategy for my Harley Benton 8 string fanfret. So I anticipate even better sound on this guitar.

I could recomment it to anyone who is looking for a bass with tight budget.

Nearly perfect!

I decided to buy a bass to add it to my home recordings. Tired of synth basses. I am mainly a guitar player and the bass is what I need to fill my tracks' bottom.

So I decided to try out Harley Benton bass. Few hours of looking reviews, comparing different basses, 4 vs 5 strings, pickup combinations, etc... finally came up with this one. Two humbuckers with splitting option, onboard preamp and EQ, 5 strings, 24 frets — what else can I wish?

Yes, a playability, and that's what I got! I tried few other 5 string basses of my friends and they weren't as good in playability as this one! The neck is truly awesome! Fret job is just nice. You know, it could be better, but this is a bass guitar — no need to bend strings. ;)

Tuning stability is great, even after few days of not touching the guitar and then playing for an hour or two — it stays in tune, proved by tuner.

So, PROS:

• Playability is fantastic, super comfortably to play. Feels better in hands than basses 3-5 times more expensive.

• Features are great! 5-way switch with really different sounds in it! 4/5 positions of the switch is what I use all the time!

• Stays in tune. Really. Tuners are good, no trouble while tuning it.

• Active EQ onboard. Very helpful!

• Fret job is fine.

• Electronics made really good. I opened the guitar from the back and inside is a really good electronics, no flaws at all, soldering is really good.

• Good setup out of the box. Truss rod adjustment wasn't needed, I only did a little bit of intonation and string height adjustments.

• There was also cable included, but I do not really use it. Looks like the cheapest possible, but it is in — so counts as a con. ;)

• Six months of joy. Great! My tracks now have natural bass line!

Okay, let's dive into bad things. CONS:

• Pre amp catches radio sometimes. Especially when played with gain on. But not so loud as many others say. Gonna add a bypass switch for the preamp to get a cleaner sound when I want it.

• Cheap looking pickguard. But you can't tell it's cheap from two meters away.

• The cap of the 5-way switch was loosy and fell away when I got the guitar. A drop of glue — and it's in place again.

• Pots are not good leveled. If you look closer, they are at an some angle to the control plate. Not an issue at all, not everyone will even notice it.

• 5-th string is a bit loosy, but that's common for 5 string basses. Gonna change it to heavier gauge, I think.

• The sound is not as bright as I think it should. Maybe stock strings are bad, maybe I should try different pups. Am I the only person who plays stock string for a half year? =)

If you want to see the review video and hear LOTS of sound samples, search for this on youtube or google: oU0H6KrmBlA

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So, would I buy this guitar again if I was a time traveller? Surely yes! It's great and really, REALLY pleasant to play!

amazing for the price

this bass is amazing for the price.

has a nice range of tones with the 4 way selector, pickups are good

the setup was decent

only 2 issues i found. The knobs were a little stiff/ wonky. but it is easy to fix. Also the bass is quite heavy.

I found no sharp edges on the frets and apart from the slightly stiff controls was put together very well, the bass looks great.

Great deal

Love this bass, great price and outstanding quality for the money, versatile, plays well, after a setup it seems to have a more expensive instrument in your hand, amazing flamed maple top and 24 frets to play. Only downside it's hard to find the right spec data.

Amazing instrument

Amazing quality for the money!!!

Ready to go!

The bass came fully set up out of the box. I just had to tweak the intonation slightly. But, neck relief and string action was bang on.

I only gave 4/5 on sound as there is very slight buzzing but some DIY shielding should cure that.

The build quality is excellent but there is a lot of head dive because of the lightweight basswood body.

Overall, its a excellent guitar and worth every penny.

Can't complain for this kind of money.

Nice looking and pretty good craftsmanship for such a inexpensive bass. The only problem i had is that it came with a crooked bridge saddle, but managed to fix it. Everything else works nice after a proper setup.

Great instrument, a real player ax!

12 days elapsed from order to delivery. Packed in two boxes, the end pin punctured both boxes and an area around the end strap pin was blemished. I have no other complaint about this otherwise unflawed instrument. It was set up satisfactorily out of the box and needed only tuning to pitch and installing a 9V battery. I found suitable tones in all 5 pickup switch positions, and they in fact correspond with the positions found on the Sterling, after which this bass in obviously inspired. The position with two single coils is valuable to emulate jazz bass tones and the all on middle position is just full and solid for rock and country. The other variations seem to point to Funk or slap, or reggae like dub from the front pickup. Good string spacing for slap or finger style; I don’t use a pick much. This is a very versatile and gigable bass.

Good for the price

The bass is indeed good for the pricetag. It's not pro built quality, as you would expect, some of the frets were a bit over the edge of the fretboard and I had to replace one of the tuning pegs (B string), because it's top part (holding the string) was broken. Other than that feels and plays ok, output is hot and you get a nice range of tonal options with the 5 way selector.

Amazing bass for the price.

What a great bass straight out of the box. Has real oomph to it. Nice crisp highs. Great for mid scoop slap. Maybe a little less low end to it, the bass boost has major boom to it. But what an amazing bass for less than $200 US. Only thing I would advise if you buy it is cut the low end a little. Beautiful laminate to the bass too. Plus one MAJOR thing for me, it holds it's tune so well. Pretty much a MM Stingray without the $2000 price tag.

great bass guitar

great bass guitar love the active pickups great value for money highly recomended

Very happy

Just got it...but first the bad news, there was a bit confusion in the delivery but that got sorted out, when it came the packaging was damaged and opened (every customers worst nightmare when seeing before receiving their stuff ).

Now the good news, strangely and luckily the bass did not had any damage on it, not a scratch after checking the physical features and even strangely the neck is still straight. I may not be a pro but this bass does surprise me of its overall playability, sound and weight. My only problem with this bass is that i'm biased to passive pickup wiring but after trying and playing through the selector switch ( first time for me ), again did not disappoint me with the sounds i can get. All in all this is still a good bass and i recommend it for those in a budget.

I'm amazed

This bass amazed me! I'm using it for metal and rock purposes, and it fits very well in the sound I want. It has active pickups, which can help you get the sound you want, the neck is extremely comfortable! I own an Ibanez ATK200, and the neck feels chunckier than the Harley Benton!

PROS:

- Active pickups;

- Comfortable neck;

- Dual humbucking pickups that gives a fattier sound;

- Kinda lightweight, in comparisition with the Ibanez ATK200;

CONS:

- The strings dont align at 100% with the pickups;

- The neck came with some sort of glue stuck on the 23rd fret on the B string;

- The knobs feel a little bit meh;

Not so good...

Cannot recommend...Just bought a Warwick RockBass and there's no comparison to that POS. Sharp frets, neck pickup partly off, super large uncomfortable neck, plastic nut that floats+ super heavy...

Save yourself some cash, spend more....

Good cheap MM style bass

Got this bass primarily as backup to my 6 string ESP and because I wanted something MM style and believe this instrument delivers.

Aside from 2 quality flaws (lacqer on the headstock and poor fretwork in some places) it's a properly made bass which sounds the business and is really comfy to play.

The neck is on the thicker side, yet it's rather pleasant to play and adds to the massive sound this instrument produces.

The Wilkinson humbackers do their job pretty well - the bass is loud, growly and cuts through the mix with ease.

The factory setup was very good, nothing to complain about and I didn't touch a thing.

Overall, pretty solid bass, definitely worth the money - thumb s up from me;)

Solid and versatile in every way!

First of all, I want to explane 4 star on quality. That would probably be 5* if I didn't get damaged instrument, but still 4* is good mark!

WOW!!! Everything on this bass is pure MusicMan! Such a solid body and neck! Neck so tick, head sooo big... WOW!!! This bass is so confortable. Good balanced, not to heavy!

These Willson pickups are simulating MM sound as musch as thay can! But with 2 hams' and 5 position swich, you can realy get much more than MusicMan tone. 3-band eq is great for shaping a tone to fit your needs.

From vintage to metal tone, folk to hip-hop, you name it this bas has it! From pure warm tone to that sharp and growly esence even with stock strings.

I can't imagine what will happen when I string it up with Elixir... By the way string spacing is great for slapping and action is as low as it can be... Such a soft feel while playing it.

Only thing that I didn't like on this bass guitar is that it comes only in this ugly finish... but that's just me... some of you probably like this yellow - red sunburst, I don't. I'm more of black/blue guy. And that is only bad thing on it!

With this bass you get much more than you have payed! Thing about it, and buy it ;)

Cheers! Stay Funky!

Pure Music Man Copy

Hello!

I bought this bass a few days ago after having a 3 year break from bands and music. This was merely an interesting choice since it came out as a MM copy. It does not disappoint although it is not a perfect representation of a bass guitar.

Features - Do not get me wrong, this is heavy machinery, the all maple build is indeed something one might want to pick up. The neck of the bass is very thick and you really feel like you are in control of it, very much like the real Music Man product.

With the maple fretboard to accompany it it is not only a wonderful piece, but it produces a powerful sound. Even if you get to play it without an amp is makes enough noise for practice.

Build Quality - Not the best, but definitely sturdy. The nut is a bit troublesome, it looks like it's not properly fit at 90 degrees, but then again even the strings don't perfectly align with the pole pieces of the pick-ups. I do not think this is a deal breaker since it does not really make any difference in tone, so far at least, I had no problem with it.

You might want to adjust this if you want low action with no fret buzz and it is doable, lovely instrument. The electronics look good, very tidy inside of it, the knobs work perfectly, though you might want to screw them in a little bit more. The tuning machines work perfectly and seem really sturdy.

The bridge.. fully adjustable, not my favourite type of bridge and I'm thinking to make a little investment and get a different type of bridge. Also consider getting a new nut if you don't find yours good and want to get a really good action set-up. But let me tell you, the strings fit perfectly within it.

Its not ultra polished like a more expensive bass, but the essence is there, and the important bits are well put together. The 19th fret on the G and A string wasn't perfectly slotted but nothing that can't be fixed at home, Consider a fret polisher as well? I think this goes for every instrument.

SOUND - Oh my, where do I even start, the tone of this.. It is a pure monster. I wanted to record a little bit but the Active EQ is so strong I had to turn the knobs to the lowest position and only give it some volume. It bites and growls like nothing I ever had, Not BTBs not the Yamaha RBX775. I think this is really close to what a Music Man is really intended to be.

For 150 pounds this is a great investment, if you are a beginner or a professional player you could use it in any imaginable way. Lately Harley has produced some great instruments, so don't be afraid to get one! This thing was perfectly playable out of the box, you just need to tune it and you're set. But as a more experienced player I really had to spend time wit it and adjust it to my preferences.

Have one!