Harley Benton JB-75MN NA Vintage Series

I got the bass about two years ago on a whim to see what's all the fuss about with Harley Bentons.
When I got it, out of the box, it played and felt good. Tuned it up and was ready to go. Setup was done well, so I didn't have to do much. I noticed right away that the bass is noisy, but it is a jazz bass copy with single coil pickups, so I knew what was I getting into. The pickups are Roswell, brand I've never heard of. Probably Thomanns house brand, not the best out there but not the worst either. OK, sounding but nothing to write home about.
It held tuning pretty well and was stable enough to play in rehearsals.
Where it really shined was the looks department. It looks amazing with that ash body, maple neck, and fingerboard.

Now, fast forward two years, I decided to modify it. I replaced the tuners with Shallers, the stock bridge with a Gotoh, new strap buttons, and string retainer. Then, the time came to replace the pickups. I went with an EMG solderless passive set because I didn't feel like routing a battery compartment for the active ones. I took the time and shielded the electronics with copper tape as well.
When I plugged the bass in after modifications, the difference was very noticeable. The pickups made all the difference. Like I said, the original ones were not that bad, but compared to EMGs, they are really lacking. The bass is now dead silent, holds a way better tuning, and is much more stable overall. The pickups are higher output than the stock ones, so the bass has a pretty nice growl.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to bash Harley benton here. All of those modifications would not be possible if they didn't build a good overall skeleton.

I must say the best feature on that bass when it was completely stock is the neck. It is very stable, doesn't move a single bit, and even after all that surgery, I did a setup and found that I didn't have to adjust the trussrod at all. In its stock form, this bass is a very good beginner instrument. I got it with modifications in mind. And for that, you won't get a better platform.

The bass itself was around 170€. I put another cca 350€ of modifications in it and got a pretty nice mid range instrument. So now we are talking 520€ which is the price of a new higher range Squier, which still doesn't have Shaller tuners, Gotoh bridge, EMG pickups, EM shielding, and tend to be noisy so people modify them as well. The price of a bass with all that from factory and made from the same woods would be much higher.

So, in conclusion:
1. Wood construction is top-notch. You won't get a better moding skeleton for the money anywhere else.
2. From the get-go, it is a good beginner bass that won't set you back a lot of money.
3. Stock electronics were not the best out there but not the worst either. I've heard waaaaaay worse than that. It is a completely usable bass in its stock form. It shoots way above its class, considering the price
4. Neck is the best feature on the bass overall. I own instruments that I have to set up every season change. Not this one.
5. It is body heavy. Which is a good thing because there is no neck dive. If it had a lighter body, that huge headstock would tend to dive the neck.
6. For moders. All the parts have more or less direct replacements. I had to drill new holes for the Shallers (two were lined up per tuner, and two had to be redrilled). A 7 mounting hole Gotoh bridge fit 90%. I had to redrill the upper two holes, while the bottom 5 fit perfectly. EMGs solderless passive set fit perfectly. There is no need to redrill the holes or to route the pickup cavities. I think they build those basses knowing very well that people are going to modify them.

Excelente baixo elétrico, a um preço bestial. Vem equipado com cordas roundwound. Não tem muito que se lhe diga, saiu da caixa pronto para tocar, apenas tive de afinar, não irei fazer um setup num futuro próximo. No geral, é um bom instrumento, acabamento clássico muito agradável. Por este preço, sentimos que ficámos a ganhar sem sombra de dúvida. Tenho apenas intenções de mudar as cordas para flatwounds. *UPDATE* já o uso há 1 ano e continuo inteiramente satisfeito, já toquei ao vivo, já gravei, já fiz tudo o que podia fazer, e o instrumento não desilude.

Great bass guitar at a great price. Comes with roundwound strings. There's not much to it, it came out of the box ready to play, just had to tune up, won't do a setup anytime soon. Just overall great bass, absolutely beautiful classic finish. And for that price, it feels like a bargain. Just gonna change to flatwound strings and that's it.*UPDATE* I've been using it for a year now and I'm still fullfilled with the bass, I've played live, I've recorded with it, I have done as much as I could with it, it hasn't let me down yet.

This instrument is excellent. The tones from the pickups respond in the way you'd expect from their 'jazz' configuration and all the 'Jaco' to 'Marcus', sounds are very well-represented. The build quality is of a very high standard, frets dressed nicely. If I have a criticism, it is that the nut wasn't smoothed off but worked as it should. I'm being picky; something that I sorted out myself within minutes.

The hardware is cheaper but functional; tuners holding pitch fine. The bridge is fine with 'brass' saddles. The bass wasn't quite 'in-tune' but again, once I had adjusted the bridge, no problem. The neck has a kind of 'D' profile, so don't expect the 'modern' jazz here - it is a 'vintage' model. However, I love the dimensions and the neck itself is very comfortable and solid. There is probably a finish on the back of the neck but essentially it's 'unfinished', meaning that it's very easy to get around. This is a very playable bass!

If there's a drawback certainly for me, it's the weight. The body is a three piece ash (American?) and is too heavy for my (older) frame and that's why, most reluctantly, I am returning this truly fabulous instrument. This has been a hard decision and I would encourage HB to come out with a lighter body version as at this price point, aimed at the beginner - they would benefit from an instrument that doesn't weigh them down (me too!).

I have been a professional bass player for many, many years and I was looking for a cheap bass as a project to play around with, perhaps replacing the hardware and experimenting with different pickups - obviously, I wouldn't be playing around with one of my vintage basses.

In conclusion, I would recommend this instrument with confidence. Don't be put off by the name or the crazy low price. This instrument represents a 'bargain'; the weight just didn't suit me. I would happily play this on a gig - I'm not a 'label' snob and I would challenge anyone to tell the difference between this and say a Mexican Fender at four times the price? However, it's all subjective but I would suggest that if you're looking for a 'vintage-style' jazz, this has got to be on your list.

Excellent J-bass for its price. Price-to-quality ratio is top. Plays great. Has the feel and sound of a jazz bass, which is encouraging. Looks good. Great first, beginner or part-time bass. Would recommend it to all. Downside is its weight, it's a very heavy bass.

One of the frets popped out after 4-5 months of intensive use, probably due to the onset of winter. Since this is known to happen to all basses, including expensive ones, I don't hold it against this model. Very worthy purchase.

EDIT 1: Several frets are popping up a little after 6 months of active playing. I like to play with low action and this is unfortunately a problem, as I am getting more frets buzzing every week. Excellent bass but the fretwork is a cause for worry.

*EDIT 2: The wood of the body seems to be deforming slightly, so much so that there is friction when turning the potentiometer knobs. In hindsight, great value for beginners, probably unreliable as a main instrument for too long.

I am a bit of a budget guitar/bass addict. The most expensive thing I have in my arsenal is a hagstrom HB8. This is up there in the weight category so it isn't too much of a problem that the JB-75 weighs the same as my car. I think this is an excellent, versatile bass. I have to admit that I am becoming very fond of Harley Benton guitars and this is the 4th addition to my collection.

My band packed in earlier this year but it was to be my primary 4-string for that. But now I am on my own I use is primarily for my home studio.

SOUND: It fit with the rock/blues we were playing seamlessly and has the versatility to cover most bases being a jazz copy. The pickups are nice and hot, the heft of the body ensures a nice full tone, and I've had zero problems with the neck like I had with the bass vi copy (sharp fret edges needed filing) and the strat copy I bought recently (same issue with the fret edges, and one fret above the 12th was raised slightly but was remedied with a bit of filing). So no buzz and the intonation is spot on.

BODY/FINISH/BUILD QUALITY: it looks gorgeous. The finish is around what you might expect for a mid range bass and much better than you would expect at this price point. There's no glaring problems with the body, the plastic covers are all well cut and everything is well secured. The jack is solid and the pots feel good, no crackling/buzzing to speak of which is more than can be said for the hagstrom... The tuners are the only real let down, but they work. There's a lot of play in them so they would be worth upgrading at some point, if I was to get a lot of use out of the bass, but as I am only using it in the studio then there's not much point.

CONCLUSION: For a gigging musician this might be a little heavy for a lot of stage use. It's akin to having about 7 real jazz basses hanging around your neck. For occasional use or use in the studio where you can sit in a nice comfy chair it is an absolute belter. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something to start out on as it wont break the bank but you arent buying rubbish. I personally think it is an excellent bass and would thoroughly recommend it.

When my JB-75MN arrived, it looked great and sounded decently, so I immediately dived into some training (being not a bassist) and recording. But after a while I discovered some definite scuffs on my left hand, so I had to polish the corners of the frets with a file. But my main issue was that the JB sounded not as brilliantly as on the Thomann's website, especially in recordings. I suspected pickups and electronics to be candidates for replacement. But I happened to read elsewhere that the main source and cause of the sound are strings, and it showed me the way. Eventually I changed the stock strings for D'Addario EPS170. Now this bass sounds as good as Fender alive, and even better in recordings (a sight exaggeration maybe). Thus, no upgrades in foreseeable future. Thank you, Thomann ;).

Quick summary: Use 10€ for a new pickguard for this and adjust this properly: absolutely insane bang for that buck! Tools included!

If you want a cheap bass to start or to mess wildly with, you really should not be afraid about this Harley.
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First of all, I have to say that i'm glad I bought this. I bought this months ago and i still don't regret buying this.

For the price, body is finished really well. And the body isn't any basswood crap. American ash underneath that beautifull high-gloss finish looks just stunning and there isn't really anything that would reveal that it costs just barely over 100€. I just love the way this thing looks.

Sound is fairly good considering that original mics are cheap ones. (What could you expect with price tag like this?) It sounds a bit plastic and muddy. Atleast i'm fine with them since bass isn't my primary instrument I play with, but if you changed the mics with better ones, I can promise that this bass is going to sound awesome!

About quality: I needed to readjust intonation, string height & truss rod, but other than that, it was ready to roll. All tools to do those easy adjustments came with the bass and they performed well for their purpose.

All metal parts are firmly attached and do their work really well (That's rare for this price range.) Tuners feel surprisingly accurate and smooth, I have no intention or need to replace em! Bass keeps itself tuned really well, even with my "hammer that b****!" kind of approach. No need to tune after every jam session.

Pickguard though was made from some cheapo plastic and it was so soft that it turned looking ugly pretty fast. I replaced it with general JB replacement part (<10€) and wow; it looks more awesome than it was directly from the box!

(Later on, I had to tidy up some frets' sharp ends due Finlands widely changing temp and humidity, but that's something what happens on top-end guitars and basses too.)