Harley Benton HBZ-2004 Deluxe Series

The bass guitar is gorgeous to look at, and it makes me want to pick it up and play it, and that’s the main take away from this product. But there’s simply too many things askew with the product that I received. So here’s the rundown.
Frets: Lots of buzzing on multiple notes, and a few dead notes. It had 5 different frets not seated (gaps of up to 0,5 mm).
Volume/Tone knobs: 2 loose pots, meaning I had to uncap all four of them and re-tighten them.
Pickups: Weren’t fully seated/screwed in. They’re not adjustable either. The 9V battery seems to do very little in making the pickups feel active. But the sound it does pick up is quite pleasant for the Punk/Rock/Metal that I play. But there’s zero reasons not to leave the volume and tone knobs on 100%. It’s also frustrating that the pickups are wired in series, so there’s essentially zero point in four pots.
The bass required such an intensive setup from a local tech, that he charged double his usual rate.

TL:DR fit and finish barely existed, but the shape of the neck and body is really comfortable. guitar ended up with a 'hidden' 120 EUR extra cost in setup (instead of the usual 60 including strings).

OK to start off, i want to say that i wish more than anything else that i could give the instrument a perfect 5/5 in all categories. However, there are some problems that need to be adressed.
Good things first (and they are plenty). This bass looks AMAZING! I love the natural finish, the inlays are a nice change to your classic white inlays. It really is a beautiful bass and it is just so inspiring to pick up and play, and for me that is always the most important.
Sound wise i think it really delivers. Great tone and sustain. I think it can go against competition from higher price ranges with ease.
Combine those with the active electronics and neckthrough construction and you get a solid instrument capable of much more than being a stepping stone for begginers. I would easily take it to a gig, without second thought.
Having said all that, mine came with quite a few toolmarks and scratches. on the fretboard, on the neck and on the body. particularly 2 of the scratches are somewhat large and noticeable, and i am a bit worried that they ll grow with temperature/humidity change. I dont care about the visuals in that aspect, so i dont mind them now, i just dont want to think that i might need to spend more money on a new instrument.
Lastly, the ceramic pickups do absolutely fine, but perhaps for next generation Thomann could go for an eponymous brand and that would lead the already amazing sound that the HBZ-2004 has to skyhigh levels.
No matter what, we can be thankful that we can have instruments so good at such a great price! Thanks Thomann and Harley Benton

Im a guitarist for 30 years but this is also the 4th bass I've owned in that time. I've played bass in a few bands and now I've settled down in a new country, I'm building my gear back up and wanted to buy a bass again. I've been playing this via amp, DI into DAW, rehearsal rooms and live over PA. I'm reviewing this bass according to its price and therefore expectations at that point.

Firstly this guitar looks great but thats obvious in the photos.

The build, while structurally solid has a few very minor cosmetic flaws in the finish but you really need to look to see them. a small tool burn when routing the top horn, it could be sanded out easily as there is zero lacquer finish but I wont bother with that, maybe one day if Im bored. The back plate doesnt quite fit the hole at one corner, its short by about 5mm but it is completely shielded inside, I may make my own wooden backplate to match the guitar. The inlays on the fretboard arent perfect when you look up close. Nothing major!



It plays very well, after an adjustment of the truss and bridge, the action is low, no buzz, the neck is slim and thin. The frets stop about half a mil before the end of the fretboard and are clean and smooth.

Sound is very versatile, having the active controls is extremely useful when you want to ease or apply more treble/bass depending on style. The tone between the two pickups is matched well. There is a small notch you can feel when the pickup and bass/treble pots are in the center positions.

The only con I can find with the bass is that I have nowhere suitable for me to rest my thumb when playing as the pickups come quite high outside the string width so I may add a wooden thumb rest if I cant get used to it.

I've been playing other low cost / big brand basses since I got this and this HBZ just feels far superior in every way.

Active, through neck with this versatility, playability and looks at this price is a strong 5/5. Even at twice the price id give it a 5/5. three times the price id expect the minor flaws to not be there and then give it 5/5.