Harley Benton PB-50 SB Vintage Series Reviews

PB 50

Ordered the bass Sunday night and had it by Friday delivered to the UK. I play in a rock covers outfit and bought this as a back up.

This is a cracking little bass. Out the box the intonation was spot on, just had to lift the saddles a couple of turns to get the action the way I like it. D`darrio strings are fitted as standard which is good as they are my brand.

The fit and finish is really good: hard to believe the bass is so inexpensive and I have bought basses from the well know makers that are 3 times the price and the quality of this bass is equal.

The chrome hardware does the job and there is no sharp fret ends. I brought it down to a rehearsal the day I got it and the guitarist prefered the sound of the PB 50 to my more expensive Yamaha!

I may buy another to modify a bit but this is a great buy.

Good starter bass

Very good starter bass. Generally well finished minor cosmetic mark around pickup hole and slight lack of Finnish at top of neck. Holds tune well. Not as full a range of tones as other basses I've owned but for the price you can't argue. Well packed and delivered pretty quickly.

fun fun fun

this bass is fab, great weight, great balance, looks cool, gain-y as anything - volume off, turn up a bit and nothing, turn up a bit more and nothing, turn up to near halfway and it roars into life, big, full sound! played straight out of the box, good set-up, no LX problems, tuned it and played it.

and versatile, the full time player in a band i'm in loved it, we play jazz, latin, soul, funk and rock-y stuff too, and he just couldn't hurt it, he only put it down cos the brand new strings were hurting his fingers - get your dress off!!!

I need to play it more, lots more, but to grab it and have a thump for an hour or so is great, play along with all your 70s favourites on an old school 4 stringer. fab. get one. get two.

Better can't be you can't go wrong on this one!

I've been testing and looking for an affordable bass for very long time, Till now that I've finally decided to try this brand and I can say you can't find a bass such well made as this goody price. I've tested basses 10 times more expensive and I can't find such big differences qualities.

Well finished, tunning perfectly, simple beauty sounds grea!

I'll be purchasing some of the guitar line also!

Thanks for the serious and professional passion for music everything was perfectly delivered, no scratch! See you around!

AR.

Buy one now, what a bargain

What a great bass guitar, looks great and sounds fantastic, set up beautifully - nice low action. Especially pleased with neck, lovely mat maple finish just like top 1970s fenders I like. Body is light so neck dives, not too bad and nice colour, not sure what others mean about scratch plate, it's nice 2 ply. Tone control wide range, no noise, good earthing, strings top quality. Quick to tune, tuners nice and retro, smooth too. Prefer sound of my Squier Pete Wentz and Vintage Tony Butler (that's a bass, not some old bloke..) but this is so nice to play I will definitely be gigging with it. Totally recommended, need to clear out some less good stuff (Hohner, GAK) so I can buy more HB copies, based on quality of this one, the rosewood PJ must be fantastic.

Amazing value.

Disclaimer:

I play mostly metal and classic hard rock. Exclusively as a hobby, for my own enjoyment. My opinions are entirely from that perspective and do not reflect the needs of musicians who gig or play mostly with others.

Good:

-Fantastic price.

-Very good overall fit and finish

-Looks great

Bad:

-The pickguard is poorly finished.

-The pickup sounds a bit thin.

Fit and finish:

The body is finished very well. No flaws in the lacquer.

-Fret ends are very nicely done. The fret wire stops just before the edge of the fretboard and the gap is filled in as it should be.

-The neck is finished in a very light matte. It feels almost unfinished and my guess is that there is just enough clearcoat to keep it looking nice for a long time.

-The neck pocket is a very tight fit.

-All metal hardware is decently finished. No sharp edges anywhere.

-The pickguard seems a bit flimsy and the edges of it are not finished very well. Nothing 5 minutes with fine sandpaper can?t fix but a bit of a shame since everything else is so nicely finished.

Playability:

-The neck and fret finish ads a lot to overall playability.

-The simple bridge made for pretty easy setup, but getting a very low action will take a bit of work.

-Comes with quality Daddario strings right out of the box. Something I would not have expected for the price.

Sound:

-The Wilkinson pickup sounds a bit ?thinner? than the classic 50?s P-bass but is not bad at all. Not the warmest tone but it handles dirty overdriven tones without any issues.

Overall:

I would definitely recommend this bass.It is more than worth the very low price and easily competes with instruments several times its price. By no means perfect but a very solid product that should give years of enjoyable playing.

If it came bundled with Rocksmith 2014, I would call it the perfect gift for new bass players.

Destined for different (if not greater ... not with my playing) things.

Well, I bought this Bass after a discussion with a luthier friend at a summer party. The discussion was basically "how good can a cheap bass be, and how good can you actually make it?".

I've always had a hankering for a 50's P Bass, and this seemed the perfect way to do it.

On arrival we were BOTH (my untrained eye and his expert eye) impressed with the finish and construction. For the price, it's an AWESOME bass.

My luthier has sorted out many Fender and Gibson instruments that have been supplied with far more issues that this instrument did.

We were also impressed at the fact it came with a Wilkinson Pickup and D'addario strings - how can they do it at that price! I used it at a rehearsal and a gig before handing it over to him. I think I may have invalidated the warranty at this point...but it's worth it. I have no intention of sending it back.

He reshaped the Headstock to the proper 51/54 shape (Just enough room, then applying his own Decal), put on a 51 Style P Bridge and provided thru-body stringing. He didn't need to do a lot to the neck (a little fret finishing maybe) and made a pearloid scratchplate before handing it back.

Biggest issue was that the jack plate was a little ill fitting, which he soon sorted. Tuners seem a little cheap construction wise, but they do the job well and I've seen far worse.

It is RAPIDLY becoming my favorite bass. Everyone who grabs it can't believe how good it plays. Even with the extra work to customise it, it still cost far less than a Squier and has so much kudos.

Way beyond expectations.

I bought it as a 'bang-around' bass, to carry around and record bass parts for my compositions. I didn't want anything fancy, or high priced, but having played one prior to purchase, it was a no-brainer. This bass is steal! Good hardware, perfect body finish, came with proper setup and intonation.

I play it mostly 50's style, with a pick. Sound-wise - It's much more than expected - great old-school grown, I had no problem nailing Conrad 'Guybo' Smith sound (heard on Eddie Cochran records). Looks great, plays sweet.

Neck is in satin finish, what not everyone might like, but at the price, there's nothing to brag about.

The 51 style pickup not only looks great on the guitar, but also does the justice to that classic sound I was going for.

Volume and Tone control do what they're supposed to do, broadening sound from bite to mellow.

This instrument is basically one of those great deals - it's simple, aesthetic, great sounding, and really nailing what it's based on - old 51 P-bass. I can't recommend more, if you're into classic sound of great records made at GoldStar studios, or anytime from early 50's to mid 60's.

I bought this bass a few months back mostly as an impulse purchase. Considering the price the quality of this instrument is unbelievable. Looks incredible, solid sounding and feels amazing to play!

Pros:

-Amazing sound for the price.

-Nice Precision style neck, not too thick or thin.

Cons:

-Minor issues with tuning pegs (easily fixed).

-Cheaply made scratch plate (easily replaced).

This bass is now being primarily used as my secondary/drop-D bass right beside my Fender Precision (and it holds up quite well in comparison to the Fender :) )

I highly recommend this bass, for beginners and professionals!

Excellent bass guitar

I bought this bass guitar in two minds - I was not really sure what to expect for such a low price.

Having owned and played it for a few months, I can honestly say it is an excellent instrument worth more than the asking price.

The build quality is very good, my only complaint is that the edges of the pick guard are sharp and this can be easily fixed with a file.

I removed the guard and use it without one - it looks better in my opinion.

Intonation and tuning is perfect, fret work, tuners and electrics very good and everything works as it should

The sound is powerful, deep and even across the strings.

It weighs just under nine pounds and it looks great - what's not to like?

Factory Item

Well. What would You expect under £100? In my case: Missing varnish on the fretboard. 2. Unleveled frets. 3. Very high action at the nut side.

But the good side: Amazing quality body, very well painted - looks gorgeous. After leveling frets and shaving the neck - very chunky neck BTW, filing the nut - feels like my USA Fender... With an strings action just over 2mm on E string over 12th fret! No random buzz, no buzz at all...

Astonishing for the price!

I needed a bass guitar for a recording project I've been working on. I considered various second hand options, but decided to take a chance on a new Harley Benton (I have and like one of their T-style guitars too).

The set up on the bass wasn't great straight out of the box, but with some adjustment of the bridge and truss rod it now plays well and is buzz free.

The neck is nice and chunky, certainly more P-bass than J-bass in profile. The satin finish feels really nice in the hand, and much better than the sticky poly on other brands.

All the hardware does what it should, so there are no complaints on that front.

In terms of sounds, it's a warm and thumpy sounding bass. Rolling on the tone brightens it up a bit, but it's got that woody 50s sound in abundance. I'm surprised at the sound from such a small pickup (but Wilkinson tend to make impressive components).

Great Bass for peanuts

I needed a spare bass to throw around the house.

The bass was well packed and arrived in the UK fairly promptly.

THe bass is solid and not to weighty. There was no real flaws in the craftsmanship , infact ive see worse in squire and fender bases. The neck has one minor wood grain flaw that is basically just a slight difference in colouring.

The routing and bridge and pickup fixing was spot on and the nut and machine heads all quite straight,

The tuning was noticeably stiff but improving.

The pick-up sounds clean and quite with a low mid punch much like the bass it copies.

Action was initially high and neck a little to curved for me. A quick tweek and the action is nice a low with minimal buzz. A couple of hours fret dressing would probably only reep a mm lower action. Neck is big and wide but I have big hands. I feel quite comfortable playing this even at speed.

Bottom line... This is quite astounding for the price. BAck in the 80s, I've played worse US fender basses than this. TBH if this had fender on the headstock, 50% people would not know. Comparable to a medium quality squire and poor Fender.

Maybe I was lucky.

Harley benson pb-50SB

Bass arrived this morning via parcel force intact and early NICE !

bass was well packed even though someone had had a peep inside the box and resealed it customs I assume.

Well down to the guitar the finish is very good machine heads smooth pup excellent throughout the range volume and tone pots very clean no buzz or hiss when plugged into my ashdown amp what can I say all in all I am very impressed by the guitar it plays perfect If I had paid 4 or 5 times the price it would still be worth the money ive owned fenders gibsons etc over the years and this bass is up with them

If you are contemplating buying this little beauty go for it you will not be disappointed I have no idea how they can produce such a lovely guitar for this price

I will be ordering more Harley Benson guitars very soon

what a bass

had this bass for a few months now and couldn't believe how good it has been.

Arrived 5 days after ordering and with a little setting up out of the box its ready to go. Great looks and finish and plays beautifully. No problems after 3 months and would recommend buying one.

Good at a good price

I bought this with the intention of using it for Rocksmith 2014. I have no experience of bass guitars from before, so I might not be the best person to give my opinions of it.

First of all, I think it looks and feels more expensive than it is. It feels quite heavy and sturdy. I haven't found anything wrong with the build quality or the intonation.

There was, and still is, quite a lot of debris (from packaging, I think) stuck between the body and the surface that is screwed on top of the body which will take some cleaning to get rid off. It doesn't bother me though.

Using it with Rocksmith 2014, I was first a bit disheartened because the game wouldn't recognize that anything was plugged in, even at the highest volume settings on the bass. I was however able to get it to pick up the bass by going into the settings (the RealTone cable acts as a microphone) and turning up the volume from around 17 to 40-50 (more than 50 and it will have too much noise). This process has to be repeated each time I start the game, and it has never been an issue with my Les Paul Jr. so I don't know why it is like that. After that however, it works in the game just fine.

I went for this bass after seeing the positive reviews. I?ve previously gravitated towards traditional post ?58 style split coil P-basses, and wanted to try a ?51 style layout without spending shedloads and to be honest, I?d never really seen an attractive budget version that I was happy with.

First impressions out of the box were very good. Firstly, it was packaged very well and there weren?t marks on it. As a general summary, the bass exceeds expectations, and anything that is a bit rough is more than excusable given the price.

Fit and finish - The body has some nice grain showing through and the finish is even and very nice, far better than the price suggests it will be. The pickguard is a little roughly cut, but for the price, not really an issue. The control panel is nice and neat, and all screws and so on around the body are neat and there are no rough or snagging edges. Controls were solid with no movement. The neck has a smooth satin finish and sits well in the hand with a nice C-shape. The 2 piece maple neck I had had a slight colour difference between the two woods, which aesthetically was a little noticeable at first, but again for the price, really not an issue. The frets were actually finished quite well, no sharp ends and although one or two of the frets might be a tiny bit higher than others, it?s really only noticeable with a very, very low action, and as good as I?d expect from even more expensive basses. The biggest surprise for me was the quality of the bridge and tuners. I expected them to feel awful and on par with squire affinity hardware I?d had before, but they are actually far sturdier than I imagined and hold tune and intonation well. I had originally planned to remove these straight away, but will now keep them until they begin to show any signs of problems, which may be a while. Yes, it needed a set-up out of the box, but so does any new guitar or bass you buy online, so again, really not an issue.

Sound ? Overall, it?s what I expected. The body and fit give the whole bass some nice resonance and warmth. The pickup covers standard rock from 60?s to modern very well, and is far bassier than I expected. If you play around with the EQ you can get a bit of mid range rauch from it, and the highs are clear and not too trebly. It lacks the character and punch of a split coil P bass pickup, but that?s the design. Rolling off the tone and volume can give you some softer/pop tones, but again slightly lacking in character. The tone control is a little ?on-off? but not a surprise for the price. With a pick and the tone rolled up, it gives a very solid punk bass sound, and probably it?s best sound actually. Funk however, it doesn?t really cover. Overall it?s a good solid pickup, if a little lacking in character (but what do you expect for the price?) that can handle a good range of sound styles, being particularly suited to punk or rock.

Bargain

Wanted to relic the bass so it was similar to the one Sting now uses. Beautiful to look at straight out of the box. I thought the pickup sounds rather nice. Adjusted it closer to the strings and did neck setup. Jas quite a growl to it. D'Addario strings. What more could you want?

Cool bass

Got as a cheap bass for experimenting with as the reviews are positive.

It's a simple bass - single pickup, with volume & tone. But it's also very nicely made. The neck in particular is beautifully smooth and fast - I find I keep picking this bass up just because the neck is so nice. Fret work is decent, neck relieft & intonation were pretty much spot on out of the box. The tuners hold the tunning well. To my ear, the tone is good - particularly when rolled off a bit.

What's not to like? I'm not a fan of the stock strings - but that's because I prefer flats and these are roundwounds. Other than that I'm struggling to find anything bad to say - for the money it's a great bass guitar.

Really good value Bass Guitar

I was looking for a cheap but good bass guitar to start me off playing and I believe this one is perfect for the job. Brilliant for beginners this Bass sounds good and feels nice. The cable it comes shipped with is of decent quality and is still working nicely for me after a good few months of playing.

The Bottom E string does rattle a little against the fret board but this can be easily fixed by taking it to any guitar/bass shop and getting it set up and serviced.

After the service this bass sounds even more wonderful.

Really happy with the purchase, was boxed up well and sent out promptly.