Harley Benton HB-60 WB

Greetings from the USA. I wanted something different from my '73 P Bass fretless and my '80s MIJ Jazz Bass Special. I wanted something with some different tones and definitely lighter. My HB-60 is all of that and more.

THE LOOK
I love it. The finish might be a little too dark to really show off the wood, but it's still very nice. The craftsmanship is much better than I would have expected for an instrument at this price. My friends see a little bit of rockabily in this bass, but I'm OK with that.

THE FEEL
It's much lighter than my J Bass Special. I'm looking forward to playing gigs again because I know I'll be able to play all night long without feeling like my shoulder is going to give in under the weight of a slab of wood. The frets feel great - nothing snags. The tuners are just fine. And there isn't any noticeable neckdive. Overall it just feels good in my hands.

TONE
When I first plugged the bass in I wasn't wowed. The tone was OK but a little thin. It turns out that one of the first things to do is to remove the felt from under the floating bridge. (Careful when you do that, though, so intonation stays true. You might want to mark the position.) Then I upgraded to medium length La Bella Deep Talking strings. WOW! Talk about deep, rich sound! The combination might be too dark for some, but that's what I'm looking for.

The biggest sound definitely comes with the switch in the middle position. It's just a HUGE sound. I like the bridge pickup for brighter work and the neck pickup for more subtle songs. The tone knob doesn't seem to make a huge difference for me, but changing the volume of the neck and bridge pickups can really make a difference.

Even after adjusting the pickups, getting an even tone across the strings can take a little work. I find that it works best if I play the lower strings a little closer to the bridge and the higher strings a little closer to the neck. That gives the most even tone across all of them. I mean, if you play them all at the same place it's OK, but a little tweak to technique just helps out a bit.

In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm a tone geek. I've found that I can really work the tone in this instrument. Right hand finger position and plucking technique can make a massive difference. There's plenty to experiment with here. And then once in a while I pull out the pick for something completely different. There's just something fantastic about that middle position with both pickups one full and blasting something with a pick!

OTHER THOUGHTS

There was one minor flaw in my bass. I think I found someone on a forum with the same flaw, so it might be a design issue. At times the next pickup will rattle a bit. It does not sit securely in the bracket. I placed a small piece of felt or ribbon around the pickup between the pickup and its housing. I can't see the felt or ribbon, but it's just enough to keep the pickup from rattling.

I bought this with modifications in mind - maybe an option for switching between double and single coil and/or a series/parallel switch or even doing something crazy like adding a piezo pickup. All of that seems possible, but I'm not really sure I want or need to make any of those changes. Of course, if I do that and then decide that I liked the original sound I know I can a replacement for cheap, so it's low risk.

One note - the bass does not come with a case. Paid shipping to the US is NOT cheap through Thomann (like $50 for a $39 case), so you might want to buy a case at the time you buy the instrument. Similar cases are much more expensive on US-based sites.

I have recommended Harley Benton to other people based on my experience and might buy more in the future.

I wanted a short scale, semi acoustic bass to use in a sixties influenced pop / rock trio. This HB-60 was drawn to my attention by a friend who has recently purchased a couple of HB instruments and forund them value for money.

The bass finish is much darker than it appears in the catalogue photograph. Nonetheless it is an attractive instrument and the quality of finish is good, save for one (very minor) blemish near the upper F-hole. Whilst not the heaviest bass I own (a Peavey T-40 holds that honour) this is a solid feeling instrument and I have no qualms about taking it to reherasals.

Once tuned up, the bass was playable, with a reasonably low action (approximately 3mm) at the 12th fret. There was no relief in the neck and consequently open strings rattled when played hard. I restrung with Fender 9050L flatwound strings (.045 - .100) and loosened the truss rod about 1/2 a turn which solved the problem.

The neck is comfortable, and I had no problem swapping between this and my long scale basses.

Sound unplugged is full and rich. Loud enough for quiet practice. Through a Line 6 Bass Pod it is possible to obtain a range of useable tones. The 'Sgt. Pepper' tone in particular is quite convincing! I play fingerstyle, but this bass also responds nicely when played with a pick.

No problems with electronics so far, all work as they should and without noise.

The only con is that the bass is too large for most cases, so the Hagstrom Viking bass case is the only one that will fit. It is a nice, retro looking, case, but relatively expensive.

It probably helps if you are confident enough to perform a basic set up, but that goes for most guitars. So far, I am very pleased with this purchase and consider it good value for money.

I bought this bass as I didn't have a short scale, and I needed a cheap passive to use for rehearsals and jams. It was supposed to be almost a disposable bass, but it is way better than that.

The sound is a lovely warm vintage tone, which I've immediately found a use for in recording, which I didn't expect. It doesn't have a vast range, but you can still get a good variation, with a distinct difference between the pick-ups. Clearly it's not going to work for any high gain stuff, but from blues to classic rock, it'll do a really good job. It has a very rounded, open, almost acoustic quality, while still staying nicely focused.

Build quality is excellent, though obviously the tuners aren't top notch at this price point. Still holds the tuning well though, even when played hard under lights. As expected with this type of bridge, intonation is a bit tricky, but it's just going to take a bit of patience to get it right. Knobs and pickup selector are okay, though could be smoother, but nothing that seriously causes an issue. No crackle or noise when in use.

Frets are smooth and didn't need any work, and the fretboard is fine. Action was a bit high out of the box, but dropped easily enough, and neck relief was spot on.

Just one final comment on how it looks, which is amazing. Every time I've taken it out, people have come up to me to comment on it. It really is an eye catching guitar. No faults or blemishes at all on the finish, and a really classy colour. It looks a much more expensive instrument than it is.

If I did damage or lose it, I would be straight onto Thomann for another one.

i'd wanted one of these for ages, i love love love them, everyone i've told about it or shown a picture of it ha gone "oooh, yes, get one". so i did!

plusses: it's beautiful, the finish is flawless, the balance is just right (i have an aria ABG and it suffers badly from neck-dive), the neck is smooth and after a bit of practice it felt just right (i usually play 5s, so the smaller neck felt a bit lost until i got 'into it' and then mm-mm-mmmmm), the hardware compliments the woodwork perfectly, little touches like the shark-fin fret inlays, the body binding, everything, cosmetically and aesthetically it's perfect. and the sound, oh my stars, through an ashdown MAG 300 1x15 it's lovely, thick, warm, creamy, i love it.

cons: pick-up selector switch. it's a bit loose and not properly connected, so the bridge pick didn't work on first playing but the neck PU was fine. after some jiggling and crackling i got them both working, then neither, then the neck only, then both, then nothing. it's not the end of the world, i could dismiss it and say it worked loose it transit, but it'll be a nightmare to get fixed without opening the body up or someone being a real whizz with hollowbodies. disappointing, means i can't gig it, but it'll look beautiful on the stand for now.

but i would still recommend the bass, for what it is it's beautiful, if you want one for a different colour on gigs or as a on-off only-use-it-once-in-a-while it's the absolute business, if you want one for a main bass go mental and spend two or three times the price, it'll do the same thing but it'll cost you, for my money this one's perfect. apart from the switch.

Play bass and own many different basses: Fender P-Bass, Yamaha TRBX775, Sterling Ray4, a Peavey T-40 & a Foundation, Even a stand-up bass and an EUB (BSX)...Saw the pic & it was lust at first sight...For the $, I plunged in, had her setup and a set of LaBella flats put on. That was back in July and it's Nov now and I can't stop playing it. I've gigged with it, jammed with it and can't say enough good things about it. Intonation has been good, stays in tune, easy to play (first short scale bass and I may have to add more, it's that fun). I know there were some complaints about the 3-way switch; been a non-issue for me. Prior to receiving the bass (and it was back-ordered, so I had a little wait), I toyed with the idea of swapping out the stock p-ups for some TV Jones...for me, it would have been a waste of time and money...these stock pickups sound great through my Rumble 200. This is my first HB product and it won't be my last. Every bass I own, save one, was purchased used. If I had known about Harley Benton, I'd probably have a full quiver of HB basses!

First of all let me start off by saying that this bass is an absolute looker. Always wanted a semi hollow bass but never wanted to drop a lot of cash on one. This one is amazing!!!! That said, there are a few things to consider. First, the cons. I knew that right off the bat that it would “neck dive” like crazy so I purchased a wide strap that fixed that issue. I highly recommend getting flat wound strings due to the nature of the bass. It’s totally for show for sure. I am used to playing jazz and p basses so don’t think along those lines. Think violin bass. Definitely needs fret work done as they are pretty sharp. The intonation is slightly off due to the floating bridge and you can’t adjust each string. Now to the good stuff. WHAT A FUN BASS TO PLAY!!!! I can’t put it down. Being more of a short scale bass allows me to fly up and down the neck. I have been playing more reggae/surf rock/rockabilly and it’s perfect for that. Like I said, over all it is a good purchase for my arsenal.

***Update***

This is all I play now. The strings sound and feel like butter. I never thought a particular style instrument (semi hollow) would change my preference. I am loving every bit of what it can do. Love the tone that only a semi hollow can have. Even if this isn’t your main axe, still a great addition to any arsenal. You will never find a better deal for a semi hollow bass.