Harley Benton JB-62SB

Just some context. I've been playing for many years and have owned around 15 various basses in various price ranges. I also do a bit of woodwork and bass adaptations and minor repairs.

As for JB-62. Picked it up because I wanted a jazz (again), and I like the rosewood board and roasted neck. Hoped for a lightweight poplar body.

My initial impressions were very favourable:
- it's beautiful (especially the neck)
- it feels right (again, the neck)
- it sounds like a decent jazz bass
- build quality and finish are truly excellent
- hardware is really good (bridge flawless vintage-style, tuners good, though not 100% smooth)
- setup is decent

Some things weren't ideal:
- fret ends were a bit sharp when sliding
- pickup height can't be so easily adjusted because the pickup screws are at imperfect angles/locations
- the nut was cut a bit high
- it's not that light (4.2kg), but that's just my luck

What I did:
- filed the fret ends a bit (10 minutes)
- filed the nut holes (20 minutes, just being careful)
- oiled the fingerboard
- swapped strings and set their height to my liking

That's around 1 hour of work on it, for a non-professional with some experience and tools. Now the bass it top-notch. Not just "good for the money". Really an excellent instrument. On par with a Fender MiM, in my opinion. Action can go very low. It sounds great and it feels fantastic to play.

At some point I'll drill new pickup holes (Harley Benton please start doing this right!), which actually is a bit tricky...

All in all, an excellent Harley Benton offering, and if you put in a bit of work in it, then it's an instrument to last you a lifetime. I'm keeping mine.

I was a bit worried if an instrument at this price point could be any good because people on the internet make them seem much worse than it is.

Everything functions, nothing is broken, the neck is super smooth and fret ends well done. Color is gorgeous and the glossy finish feels like silk in my hands. Honestly, compared to the matte finish guitar i bought years ago this feels super premium. Everything is sturdy, no smells. Love it.

The sound is great, i can feel it in my body as i play. Sounds like a bass what can i say.

I recommend to anybody that just started playing or for artists who simply need an instrument to record/play music with, nothing fancy.

I bought thins bass because its the cheapest Jazz bass with a roasted maple neck on the market. I was well aware of the quality of this brand because I have 2 of their DIY kits. Out of the box it was a little dirt and not properly set up. Not a single flaw on the finish. I dismantled the bass in all of his components and started to inspect them. Starting wit the neck using a fret board ruler. It was perfectly straight. I cleaned and oiled the fret board. The wood came to life after 3 coats. There were no sharp edges on the frets. Removed the bridge and installed a fender mass bridge. Installed a set of Schaller strap S-Lock M and shielded the electronics cavities with Copper foil. Mounted the whole thing and started setting up trust rod and action height. It was already a monster of a bass to play. With the original cheap strings on, it sounded amazing. The Roswell pickups are so hot this bass put my MM bongo to shame. Fantastic sustain and clarity. But then I noticed that the tone pot makes from 0 to 90% of its run almost no changes to the signal and then everything happens in the last 10% and its almost impossible to properly adjust the tone. Also, I don´t like the 2 volume- 1 tone- 1 input jack on the front metal plate of jazz basses. So I ordered a Artec SE-2 bass preamp, a Switchcraft Panel Mount 1/4” TRS Jack and 4 Gotoh VK1-19 Metal Knobs. Drilled a 10mm hole for the input jack and after installing it I started soldering. The replacement went straightforward except for the fact that there was not enough room for the 9 volts battery. So I carved a little between the bridge pickup and metal plate and voila. Volume - Blend - Bass - Treble on the front plate and input jack down the lower side edge. Now I have a dream Active jazz bass for less than 300 and a little elbow oil. I can not be happier. Thank you Thomman and thank you Harley Benton for this fantastic product.