Harley Benton PB-50 SB Vintage Series 5-stars Reviews

Surprisingly good

This guitar was delivered with a decent set up: low action, even a bit too low...

The finish is excellent, no sharp frets at all, very smooth neck, just a bit chunky (as it should be for a P-bass). The neck pocket is VERY tight, incredible! Only esthetic flaw is the fastening of the pickguard, which was screwed very unlovingly, as they say.

Weight: around 4 kg. The body's fairly light, but there is some neck dive.

The sound is impressive, very powerful pickup apparently!

The volume and tone knob work very well, tuners also do their job.

All in all incredible value for money, though for a beginner I would recommend something with a slimmer and lighter neck, such as a Jazz bass.

Amazing value for money

I enjoy playing this as much as I do with my american p-bass. It looks like they focused on the quality where it matters and saved where I couldn't care less when I play it. Setup was good straight out of the box and the neck has the perfect size for my taste. Best money I spent, it saved my quarantine when I got stuck without a bass and for sure I'm never selling it. I would have loved some other color options, personally I would have loved having a butterscotch blonde or a surf green one

A very versatile bass.

This bass sounds better than more expensive basses, it is capable of producing more tones than its simplicity would suggest . It arrived and after unboxing it I just had to tune it and I was immediately playable, it felt like I had owned it for years. I cannot fault it at all.

Absolutely a bargain.

The Finnish on this bass is superb! Plays as good as it looks. The Roswell pickup has loads of punch and the tone pot gives a good variety of er, well, tones. The volume pot is not so smooth in the way it raises the volume but I shall have it cranked up full all the time so not a problem for me. Did someone say value for money? Yes they did and it was me! If you're thinking of making a purchase then you won't be disappointed.

An excellent bass.

This, in my view, is an excellent bass for such a small amount of money. The pick up is very versatile - from huge amounts of bottom end thump to a lighter sound with the tone pot fully open. The neck is wide but the unlacquered wood means that you can move around it with easy. This bass will cover almost any style if you pair it with a decent amp.

Great bass, great price

As a guitar player I wanted to buy a bass, but I did not want to spend too much money. This bass appealed to me because of its design and price. the finish was perfect, it was set up nicely , the electronics and hardware all work. I would definitely recommend this to a new bass player, someone who already plays guitar and wants to try bass out or a bassist that wants a guitar they can upgrade.

Cool bass

Very happy, decent quality bass

Outstanding value, Terrific bass

I already own 3 Fender P basses in straight P and PJ configuations. I always wanted a '51 P bass but not at the price the big "F" is asking. I also have been VERY pleased with the 4 other Harley Benton basses I've bought. So getting this HB PB-50SB Vintage Series was automatic. I read the reviews and never even considered the more expensive Squire.

I use this for mostly punk and it just nails it. Great tone Stays in tune and looks really nice.

It's simple and elegent in it's simplicity.

As has so far been my experiance out of the box it was undamaged from overseas shipping and only needed a minor set up and tuneup to be ready to play.

At 8.6 pounds it is a full 2.2 pounds lighter than my HB Jazz bass. The neck is approrpriatly chunky as it should be for that model without being bat-ish and is very playable. All the fret work was well done. No sprout, sharp ends, buzzing or dead spots. The single pickup needed to come up a bit but right at "F" spec. I feel no need to change either pickup or pots.

All around a solid ***** star bass.

*Update Nov. !8, 2020* I upgraded the stock pickup which was fine by itself. I put in a Seymour Duncan SCPB-3 Quarter Pound Single Coil P-Bass Pickup for a deeper bottom end thump. Sound and tonewise I'd put it up the original any day.

great bass will buy again

perfect for begining

it's my first bass, easy I'm very satisfied for that

I buy this bass for my friend and he is so happy with it! After this bass arrived he plays only it and order few more HB bases, and have some on his wish list!

Great and natural tone, great for all music styles! Neck is not built for fast metal playing, but it sounds amazing!!!

I bought the bass for studio use as I required something with a single coil (and I generally don't like p-basses, so decided to buy the cheapest).

And oh boy, this one's fun.

It is relatively heavy (mine is approx. 7kg as stated in shipment).

The neck isn't laquered but finished rather nicely (I owned lots of "cheap" guitars, and before this one I'd avoid non-laquered neck on anything cheaper than $300 because it would feel "rough", but this one's smooth and pleasant to use).

EDIT - THE FRETWORK - after some time I had to conclude that the fretwork is terrible. Fret edges are very rough and you can't safely play the instument for any useful amount of time.

The tuners are reliable and hold just fine.

The pickup isn't the best.

Mighty bass with a punch of rock

The neck is massive, no other word for it, but it also gives the whole bass a proper rock sound. Growling aggressively, and it's loud, like going to 11 loud. It's as loud as my Thunderbird with Gibson pickups.

Overall quality, especially considering the price is really good. The bass also hangs nicely on the strap. Only the tone blend could be a bit more useful, it's either on or off...

Great bass for the price

I was skeptical but the one small pickup in the middle packs a punch! Not super bassy, but also not thin. Great articulation and it looks just great.

Waaaay better than other basses in the same price range.

Bought it years ago as my first P-bass and still have it

I really love this bass! I bought it years ago as my first P-bass and still have it in my rig! I really like this style of P-bass and for the price it was a no-brainer. Even to try out setups or look how upgrades turn out, this bass is perfect! Really nice to see that basses like these are made for that price with that quality!

Great bass

Bought it, without any expectations.

When arrived, i was totally blown away.

Flawless finish, superb setup (yes yes) and great sounding.

And all for 109 euro.

Unbeatable!

To me; this is every bit a legitimate Precision Bass.

This a beautiful instrument and it plays great! The fit and finish are great and I cannot find a single thing wrong with it. It did arrive with a slight backbow on the neck, but an 1/8 turn on the truss rod to loosen it fixed it right away! For just $103 I am shocked at how nice this bass is. Other than the minor backbow issue (easily fixed), it's proven to be an excellent bass right out of the box. Honestly speaking, if someone were to place this into my hands while I was blindfolded I would not be able to tell the difference. Not by feel, not by weight, and not by sound. To me; this PB-50 IS a legitimate P-Bass.

The paint job is solid and the clear coat is perfect. The neck has a wonderful satin finish which makes it a delight to play. The frets were well-finished, crowned, and clean with no sharp ends. The Roswell pick up is simply outstanding. Sound-wise this bass is every inch a Precision Bass. The tone amazes me. I cannot and my friends cannot tell the difference between this and any single coil P-Bass. And, just like a true P-Bass the tone sits PERFECTLY in the mix. How do you do this for just $103? I like to present a con, but so far I just can't find one.

Outstanding Value

This was bought for a beginner but I couldn't believe the quality for the money. OK when you hold it up to an American made Fender the difference is obvious but it is very hard to justify the ¤1500 price difference! The sound is excellent too. I'm very please that I bought it.

Just a hobby

I am professional musician, but just a hobby bassist. I chosed this bass because i liked its simplicity and price. Well, i enjoy playing it a lot. I changed the strings right away. Sound, tunes and feels great. Even my bassist-frinds loved it a lot. Absolutely worth it!

i can't believe this is only ¤109

this bass is amazing, it sounds amazing and looks like a classic 50's bass. the only issue i had with it was the pick guard, its fine just aesthetically i didn't like it. So that came off right away, which i think makes it look much better. the bass sounds great with the Roswell pickup and the one i got had a nice low action with no buzz! it was even in tune, awesome!

there is nothing about this bass i would call a con its all pros. its not too heavy or light, it sits on my lap and around my neck comfortably. I think i'm going to get another one of these in red. they're that good.

if anyone that reads this decides to get one i swear you will not regret it. it's an amazing instrument.