Harley Benton JB-75MN NA Vintage Series

THE GOOD:
It looks & sounds great. It's certainly the most solid bass I've played, and it makes my other guitars feel like toys in comparison. It is very heavy, but it's comfortable to play and balances well on a strap. It has a rich tone, with a bit of 'growl' to it which suits my style perfectly.

THE BAD:
Out of the box, it was completely unplayable. I have three other Harley Bentons and they all arrived in a playable condition (my ST-62 was even in tune!), however this needed a LOT of work. The neck had a pronounced up-bow, the saddles were squint and the strings set at random heights. There was noticable fret buzz which I couldn't entirely eradicate. I had problems with the stock strings too.

The issues were so great I ended up taking it to a professional. He could tell straight away that the frets were completely uneven and it needed extensive repair. I'm pleased to say, however, that Thomann have been exceptionally good in handling this, and all the above issues have now been sorted at minimal inconvenience to myself. For that, they can be assured of my future custom.

It's therefore very hard for me to rate this bass. I think I was just unlucky and got one which completely escaped quality control. Out of the box: 0/5 Now: 5/5. Hence a compromise score of 3/5!

Really nice, the build quality surprised me. The neck has a lovely finish, and it feels good to play. There's was just one small problem build-wise, the scratch plate is a bit warped near the screws, and there was some saw dust under there, pushing the scratch plate upwards a little bit.

A bigger problem is the weight of the instrument. While the build quality is great for the price, the playability is not the best. It has strong neck dive, which might be a common thing with basses, so I'm not sure, but I find it quite unwieldy. And as many reviews have said, it's very heavy. I didn't really listen to this when I bought it, and thought I could manage it, but it's quite a beast and it makes it uncomfortable.