Harley Benton JB-75MN LH NA Vintage Series

After many years playing guitar I decided finally that I would try bass. I had heard that this model was very good for the money and so I figured it would be only a minimal financial risk for me to buy one.

The package arrived in perfect condition - double boxed and padded with what seemed like 50m of bubble wrap.

I got to say I was immediately impressed with the feel and weight of the guitar. I didn't weigh it but it felt really solid. Everything was in proper order - it produced a beautiful JB tone and stayed in tune. Only a buzz on the 15th fret of the D string (no big deal).

One problem though that bugged me too much. The body was made of 4 pieces of wood which were very poorly matched at the front (in fact they looked matched at the back). The 4th piece was a small oval bit(maybe 5 cm long) piece on the bottom edge of the body that was noticeably darker than the others. It really looked like a defect.

I agonized about whether to return it because it played so well but I decided to do so in the end. Thomann to their credit accepted the return and facilitated the shipping. The process was painless. Top marks to the company for their excellent customer service again.

So a couple of weeks later I received the replacement unit.

This time the body was perfectly matched - and there wasn't even one buzzy fret. Again bridge, tuners (and did I mention the excellent sounding Wilkinson pickups) were all present and correct.

My only complaint about this one is that the neck alignment seems marginally 'off' insofar as the G string is a little too close to the fret ends. Intonation is perfect though and the strings run properly over the pickups polepieces so I'm not sure exactly whats wrong. I can play the guitar without the string slipping but that is because any bends I do on the G string are towards the center of the fretboard. It may be a problem for other players (and it's really only too close on the 3rd to 5th frets). It bugs me and I'll probably loosen the neck to see if I can get it to align perfectly. I'm hesitant though and the reason I didn't return it is that I can play it perfectly so I've pretty much gotten what I asked for.

In summary,

1. A beautiful looking, hefty but well balanced Bass with great pickups, brass saddles and a really quality feeling neck.
2. Theres a chance of quality problems but rest assured Thomann will see you right.
3. Still superb value for money
4. Recommended.

Hello everyone! I can't resist writing a few words about my new acquisition. When I go to a musical instrument store in my city, my mood immediately deteriorates. Because for us left-handers, these stores have nothing to offer. .. Absolutely nothing. At best, there is one acoustic guitar, and that's if you're lucky. About an electric guitar, and even more so a bass for left-handed people, you don't even need to ask: there is none of this in stores! But they can offer you to order a blind instrument from the catalog. in that catalog in the budget range, the number of offers is amazing (sarcasm). There are exactly two of them! How and where I bought my instruments is a topic for a separate sad story. Therefore, when I found myself on Thomann's website, my wishlist rapidly approached in size to Guinness Book of Records))). Now I will slowly but steadily reduce it, crossing out the already acquired. Starting from the first position: Harley Benton JB-75MN LH NA Vintage. Paid, waited. Although I had to wait exactly forty-five days ((. Although these are claims not to Thomann, but to the postal service. Expectations did not disappoint. The instrument arrived in two cardboard boxes. The large one, the outer one was slightly crumpled, but the inner one did not suffer at all, like the bass guitar in it. Now about the tool itself. The Harley Benton JB-75MN LH NA Vintage turned out to be exactly what I expected for the money. A good budget version of the jazz bass. Everything was done soundly and neatly. The appearance deserves 9 points out of 10. Especially pleased with the neck, thin very nice on the hand, very comfortable. The jack for the jack was so tight that it took a lot of effort to disconnect the cable. But I think that over time this will go away. The balance of the instrument itself is slightly shifted and the neck outweighs, but for an instrument like jazz bass it can As for the sound, I can put 6 out of the same 10 points. Replacing the strings with other strings of a well-known brand, bought by the way, from Thomann, achieved an improvement. Now my sound rating fluctuates between 7 and 8. Now oh, it's unpleasant m ... All those instruments that went through my hands had classic springs for adjusting the pickups in height, but I did not find them on the Harley Benton JB-75MN LH NA Vintage. Instead of them, some kind of elastic pads made of a substance similar to tourist The mat is made of polypropylene. Therefore, there are problems with the adjustment of the pickups. You can still lower them lower, but you can’t raise them up. I understand that the instrument is of a budget class, but this is a very strange way to save money. I will adjust it on my own, though for now I don’t know how ((... Conclusion: Harley Benton JB-75MN LH NA Vintage is a very good tool for beginners, or as a second tool to substitute for established musicians. In terms of price and quality it is ahead of many. In terms of the convenience of playing it and the sound will not satisfy everyone, but very many. And although the untidiness with the adjustment of the pickups spoils the overall picture, I still recommend the Harley Benton JB-75MN LH NA Vintage to everyone who loves the growl of a bass guitar, but not has a lot of money in his pocket. And although they say that happiness cannot be bought, a small piece of it can be bought here, from Thomann ... And I will come back here!

Amazing bass for the money!
Very well built, nice selected woods, no flaws in the finish. Tuners are good (enough), they stay in tune. Great sound!
Plays well right out of the box, and even better after a set up(action is a bit high).
It's a bit heavy.
It's amazing how they can make this bass for the low price tag! I have become a big fan of Thomann and Harley Benton in the recent years, keep up the good work!