People starting to play bass now may never fully understand how amazing the market is now for basses across the price spectrum, and particularly the low price side. For the money, the quality, sound, playability is amazing. The younger version of me could never have imagined the overwhelming number and variety of basses at this price point and price ballpark.

@hawedehre

Жыл бұрын

Früher war doch nicht alles besser 🎉

@lfm4820

Жыл бұрын

Totally agree with you 💯

@cheapmusicgear

11 ай бұрын

I say that all the time to people. I’m old enough to know what it was like 20+ years ago vs. now, and I’ve heard about what it was like further back than that. It’s amazing the options out there under $200 these days.

@liampreviglian8597

9 ай бұрын

This is especially true for me because I’m a lefty and once I discovered brands like Harley Benton not was Alice saver

@llnn5112

Ай бұрын

You mean people staring to play bass IN THE US. Here in South America even budget Squiers and Harley Bentons are two months worth of minimum wage salary

I feel the opposite about the tortoise shell pickguard. It's the perfect pairing.

@superduperj1202

Жыл бұрын

Same. I am really a fan of the Tort pick guards.

@patrickpeterson2174

Жыл бұрын

Your Right! That pick guard looks great!

@cbly

Жыл бұрын

I love the same color combo on the Stingray copy. Looks like Satan's toilet seat!

I`ve had high end basses since the `70`s and I can`t believe how good some of the new low cost basses are. I just got the CNZ mini J bass and I just love this thing. It`s light, solid and stays in tune well. I just put La Bella flats on and I couldn`t be happier.

@kane6529

Жыл бұрын

It’s amazing truly

@TheChef470

Жыл бұрын

I bought 2 of them,(CNZ) short scale jazz basses. Swapped out the pups with emg geezer's and changed the strings to Daddario Chromes.......love these guys. : )

Got one of these about a year ago when I had a week-long gig and wanted something to use apart from my hollowbody Ibanez. It is a lot of fun to use and delivers a good sound! Thanks as always for your thorough review, Lobster!

Great review. I have this bass. I put an active EMG pickup in it (because of the noise) and put in a Fender High Mass bridge for comfort. I love it. It's fun, like you said.

I have the exact bass...havent done any mods to it...straight out of the box...the functioning tone knob as you mentioned is a blessing to help cancel some of that noise.. mine seems to stay in tune quite well. i dig it !

I am becoming a low cost bass aficionado because of your show, especially for modding. Thank you!

As a long-time Fender player, I've got to admit that this bass has to be the holy grail of modding. Originally, I've ordered this HB as a Christmas present for my brother (along with a Squier VM P and a Sire P5) and was quite overwhelmed by how good this 100€ instrument was. So I ordered another one (I mean, it's a 100€ for an instrument) .- and got another great, nearly flawless bass. Even the setup was flawless on both basses. To be fair, the stock ceramic PUs aren't anything you want to keep (as an experienced player). Although they sounded good on some recordings, they just didn't cut through in live situations. I've replaced the electronics with the EMG GZR Set, put some copper foil in the cavity and changed the strings for LaBella flats. Now, the HB PB20 is the first non-Fender Bass I haven't actually sold after a few months. Quite the opposite - I rarely use my Fender HW1 P-Bass anymore, although it was my go-to P for more than 10 years. If you don't care about resell value, this bass is just a no-brainer. I've paid 240€ for this bass, including new PUs, electronics and copper foil. Even if I am going to replace the tuners, nut and bridge (although I dont feel a need for it right now), this bass will still be sub the 500€ mark, but one of the better P Basses you can get for your money.

@oleksandrnovakov4295

Жыл бұрын

I bet you will eventually get to change the tuners too. On my student’s bass they didn’t last a year, unfortunately

@Peter-Alexander

Жыл бұрын

That's amazing. Thanks.

@tomallonsmusicalcreation1111

Жыл бұрын

Hey The emg ? If i just replace pickup and keep the buttons of the harley will that work ?

@chickenhype5797

Жыл бұрын

@@tomallonsmusicalcreation1111 Yes, the EMGs. Had to replace the pot knobs. They just cost around 10 € though.

I got this as my first bass a month ago and couldn't be happier. Setup was a mess from the factory, but after a bit of tweaking it plays great for my beginner fingers. Shielding is a must on this bass. Also lift up the bridge and scratch off some of the paint where the grounding wire touches it.

Great Review! I have been eyeing this one for a while. Can't wait to see what upgrades you do to it too.

Dei tanti canali KZread che trattano temi legati al basso elettrico, il tuo è sicuramente quello che preferisco. Non nascondo che prima di acquistare uno strumento cerco sempre sul tuo canale se lo hai già recensito. Mi piacciono molto i video sugli strumenti di fascia economica e media, e apprezzo il tuo approccio chiaro e obiettivo. Continua così 👍

Nice Bass! Great review on a true value! Thank you Lobster!

Been eyeing up this bass for ages with the mind to do them upgrades. Can't wait to see what you come up with

I have this bass, but lefty model. Bought it used dirt cheap and it was in good condition. Did put TI flatwounds on it and could't be happier. Sound is fantastic and it plays well. Flats tames the brightness a bit.

Looking forward to seeing / hearing the mods.

It sounds like what to expect from a Harley Benton, a solid foundation of a budget bass. 👍

I've been thinking about getting 2-3 HBs and modding the hell out of them because of this channel. Please review the PJ-75

I have this bass and it really is a fantastic instrument for the price, but putting on quality hardware turns into a far superior beast. Don’t have to spend a small fortune on Hipshot hardware, Gotoh bridge and machine heads do a fantastic job for less money.

Hi Lobster !!. Got me one of these to leave it at the rehearsal room and it's a great instrument for the price. Electronics a bit noisy, changed the strings and a minor set up but for the rest I left it stock. More than enough for me and for the purpose. Looks good to me, it's light and sounds pretty decent. It's crazy what you can get nowadays for this price. Cheers!

I just bought one in left hand for $89 when I was in Germany and took it back with me to the US as carry-on luggage. It's a really good bass to be honest. Nothing fancy, but it looks good and gets the job done. I went through it and did a good setup and such. It's a good catch for that price.

I would love to see you do a review on any of the Michael Kelly basses.

Those pickups have more treble than the average P-bass but that makes it great for pick and slap. Looking forward to the mods, I would instantly replace that pickguard for a black one, the tuners and maybe the bridge.

I've started few months ago, and finaly watched each one of your videos, from the begining 😁😁😁 Now it's like waiting new episode of favourite tv show 😁😁 Ps. I hope u will do review for new Harley Benton 25th aniversary line, especialy P/Humbucker model, looks really great 😁

Hot damn, lobster, that slapping sounds great!

I have the PJ version of this bass. I put in a set of EMG Geezers, and it is an absolute monster of a bass now.

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

NICE! That sounds like a great combo. I'm really impressed by the build of this bass, specifically the neck and fretwork. A bass this cheap should not play this well

@MB57

Жыл бұрын

Same. Easy mod, huge upgrade!

@barackmycat9448

Жыл бұрын

I am curious of the PB compared to the Jb. The Jb is great but I may want a 2nd.

@ChazHardplow

Жыл бұрын

​@@LowEndLobster Yeah, I was floored by how good the neck played, how well the frets felt and just the over all vibe. I also put on a Hipshot Kickass bridge and a set of DR Pure Blues when I changed the pickups. For roughly $400 and some change, I've got a ridiculously awesome bass. I'm gonna do the tuners eventually, but the stocks hold up pretty well.

@basscoup

Жыл бұрын

Same here

Very good sounding bass.

I have this bass, growls like a P bass but weighs a ton. Also the black tuners we're were soft and the gears got chewed. I've put a mirror pickguard on it and big mass bridge fender bad ass style and also chrome tuners

Greetings from eastern Canada. We too know a thing or two about lobsters! Thanks as always for another fine review. I've been sitting on the fence for this exact model but now will make the plunge, which isn't much of a plunge!

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

Greetings friend :)

Lobster, I'm a beginner bass player and bought this mainly because of the price and looks. Swapped out the bridge for a Hipshot, painted the pickguard matte black, and changed the strings to black DR's. Will probably change the pickups as well. Sent a picture of of it to BullytheKidd and he said it was "Dope." 😊

@oleksandrnovakov4295

Жыл бұрын

Change the tuners before the pickup. On my student’s bass they didn’t last a year..

Hello😊 That's really funny, first KZread suggests me your Harley Benton JB-40FL videos. I've owned it for a while and love it, but I'm currently considering whether to sell it because it's actually too heavy for me. And now I find your newest video about this instrument! That can not be a coincidence!🤪 I bought a very similar Harley Benton instrument just three days ago. For 60€. However, it is a short scale fretless version in black. And I can't find any information about it. Not even at Thomann! but I also think it's very good, it plays very well and sounds almost as good as its big brother, the HB JB-40FL! Too bad you are not here and can help me with my decision😇 Greetings and Happy Easter 🐰🦞🎸

Actually (owning one myself) it is one of the best sounding P basses I've heard so far. A bit different from a "classic" , old style tone, - exactly what I like from a (today's) P bass tone. The neck of my PB20 is very chunky, like the ones of the Telecaster version. But as a neck is not unimportant for tone, I love it.

Damn! Sounds like a better budget P bass than my Jackson JS1M. I have to play it through my SansAmp just to make it sound decent.

Thank you for all these killer budget bass reviews. I have a Harley Benton guitar that’s great but no bass yet. Any chance you’ll review anything from guitar fetish/xaviere/slick. I’ve been curious about that brand. But there isn’t near as much testimony on those basses as there are budget companies like HB. Thanks again!

I would have gone with three claws but it totally looks decent for the price… looking forward to the mods!

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Maria!

I’m looking forward to seeing those mods

sounds great! slap at 50% tone sounds amazing, and at 0% tone like under water 😅

That bass sounds and looks killer for $115.00!! My first P-bass knockoff was double that price and was a POS!! I can’t believe how much bass you can get these days for so little money!! It’s a great modding platform too. 🔥👊🏽😁🎶🎶🔊🔊

@bobbyzig3879

Жыл бұрын

I had a rogue pbass when I started playing and then “upgraded” to a squire vm p bass in 2006ish and both were huge piles of shit. The rogue was actually better and I think was the same price then as this HB.

@danielirvine7468

Жыл бұрын

Same here I think mine was a hondo bass it was so bad

Haha, good timing on this one to make me nervous for a bit. I have one (and some other stuff) waiting for shipping company to pickup from Thomann (just missed ship out time before weekend I guess). Going to replace the tuners, add some shielding and throw some flats on it. Then I need to find a replacement for the hideous pickguard and it should be fine for a while ;)

This was my first Bass from September 2020 😄Made 54 videos with it ........ I put the EMG P pickup, made a custom (and very "original") Cat white pickguard with super cheap fretboard stickers ... still with cats 😂 So far the tuners are doing just fine, and so is the bridge. Also, the stock strings being absolutely horrible, I put a set of D'Addario Black Nylon which felt soooo good back when my fingers would simply not build up skin thickness. It's also great to go into "flatwound sounds" territory. The Satin Black finish is still holding up, even with my acidic sweating 😅 These days, I'm much more into JBass necks width. This Bass came out at 79€ and is now at 129€ 🤔 For 9€ more I'd just go with the PJ-4 variation, which is hopefully at least as good. (it jumps into "deluxe series", whatever that means for a Harley Benton)

great review! one thing that I would love is a shootout of an older standard mexico fender say year 1999-2003 era vs a more budget to midrange bass like this one. Is used always better? what are some benefits / disadvantages of getting a brand new but entry level bass?

Thanks for the review! This is a great deal if you live in Europe.

I purchased this for $114 plus ship..TOTALLY WORTH IT! my son thinks it rivals his MIM P- bass for $114-dub $200 with ship.

Got that pj 5. Changed out the pick ups and guard

Amaranth is another name for Purple Heart which is similar to Ebony in terms of hardness (maybe slightly harder), though for these they dye it black (most Ebony is also dyed black)

Mane , LETS GOOOO MANE!

I moded one of these with all gold hardware and a Les Claypool EMG Pickups. My only complaints was light the noise with the stock pickup and how soft the body wood is. Otherwise agreed. It's a solid bass for the price.

Who has a fender and is considering buying one of those? 😂 they do look good - and don’t sound that bad! Great review!

Great review, Mr Lobster, and the 4 claws give it a surprising rating! How about the finish? Does it mark as in the Stingray-ish example?

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

It's the same finish, though this one didn't get marked up as easily as the ray. I have another one of those Rays as well that is doing fine. A bit rougher play and it would definitely show some wear.... but TBH on this P I think a little wear would look kinda cool hahaha. This is a mega fun beater P platform with KILLER bones.

@davelock3166

Жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster Thanks for your reply!

Please review the Harley Benton 25th Anniversary JB if you can get your hands on one! Seems like a killer deal on a good looking bass!!😊

Thanks for the vid! If you get an opportunity to review Harley Benton's JB - 62, I'd be more than happy to see the review!

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I have one coming as well as a hilarious mod for that :)

@mr0ash

Жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster wow, that's awesome! 💪

First five seconds in and I closed my eyes and thought to myself I wouldn't be able to tell this didn't cost four times as much. No complaints at this price!

I have a vintage brand PB, its not too bad but it was so awfuly adjusted from the factory, and with the saddles all the way down on the bridge i'm only ably to get medium action which is what i go for. I could shim it but it had a MSRP of 479$ and if i bought it new and didn't know how to work on instruments, I would have taken it back, but hey, lots of clear coat lol. I was able to fix the dead frets up top with a fret hammer and file and i have it sounding and playing great now, time for a set of some 1964s.

I like the pj version

That sounds as good as anything really. If it plays well it's a steal.

I would like to see you replace the speaker in your amp to a vintage style Celestion one, then play your basses through that, it will change your tone

You should review Fender Jaguar Player or Vintage Icon/Reissued P bass :) I wonder how those compare...

For me,any bass I buy under $700 I always replace tuners,nut,bridge,pu's and bridge and minor fretwork..this bass would be worth it

🚫🐢 pickguards! Great review!

This accidentally became one of my main basses. As a lefty it's nice to get new shineys that aren't the same sunburst/tobacco colours. I seem to have lots more neck dive than you get unfortunately. Would you bother putting geezer or dimarzio relentless pick ups in? Can't wait to see how far you can take it with add ons

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I'd probably tackle the tuners first. Gotoh GB528 will use the stock screw holes and save a lot of weight off the headstock

I'm hella curious as to what you're going to do for the bridge!

I’m waiting for the mods 🤘

Cool thanks. I want to buy a cheapo HB bass, guitar player but I need one to record stuff, without a bass it just doesn't work. And I bought myself an HB guitar and am extremely impressed, it competes with my Gibson and LTD. Though it was ine of their premium models (SC550 + EMG) but people seem to like the cheap ones too so not being a bass player and just wanting ro mess around, record a bit and improve my groove, it seems like a great deal, 200 bucks for something like this an amp and a couple of goodies. I am the stereotypical lead guitarist who just learnt strumming chords properly after 18 years of shredding and wailing blues solos. Always the guy who can barely keep time. So I think learning bass would be good (and maybe some drums). Plus I do love the sound and with a cool bass line, the guitar is less important and I don't have to do some auper complex stuff to sound interesting, just make a real song. But I wouldn't want to take too much money out of my guitar buying budget haha. The HB guitars are so good I will need more. Why buy pne Gibson or Fender when I can have 6 HBs that are actually good and cash leftover... also my Gibson is the jealous type, so it wouldn't feel right to get another one. It'll start going out of tune in protest. More than usual I mean. Not just the G string. Rambling over.

I put flats on mine and it's great, though they forgot to put a second strap button on mine 😂

A new bridge would probably cost more than the whole bass 😁

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

Not when you get the cheapy $15 Musiclilly one from amazon ;P hahahah but yeah.... Outside of the bridge and the pickguard, the upgrades that I'm gonna do make no practical sense from a cost perspective and were done because I have way too many spare parts laying around LOL.... But it'll be fun!

Can you review the Dan Electro basses?

I like the tort pickguard. But yeah, odd choice from HB.

Great sounding, outstanding for the price. To bad shipping to the US is $70.

@dm4728

Жыл бұрын

Buy 2 other basses make it worth the shipping 😅

Better tuners and a better tort shell pickguard id buy then

I know (from personal experience lol) translation from room to video sometimes gets lost, but I thought it sounded decent stock....I also like brighter basses

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

It def sounds really solid stock! I like a little more oomph in the lower mods. Just got a Sire P5R and I'd be curious to hear what you'd think between the stock P5 and the P5R with the "fat" pickup

Thanks for the review Lobster! Got mine 2 yrs ago and still going strong with some mods though... Replaced the bridge with Babicz FCH, the pickup with SD Steve Harris and the nut with Graphtech. Only part remaining to be changed are the tuning keys which are a disgrace 😢😢😢 I mean they hold tuning but they lack in precision big time... Do you know what tuners would be a direct fit???

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

Hell yeah! The Gotoh GB528s that are direct replacements for Site also work here with no drilling. That's what I used in the upcoming mods

@wesoldoursoulsforrocknroll5652

Жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster faster than a bullet... Thanks bro!!!

Have you ever done a comparison between Harley Benton v Glarry?

this bass + emg p pickup, what do you think?

Had one of these; decent instrument - but it was really difficult to get a propper setup; all in all not bad for the price tag;

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

That's a bummer. My JB 62 CC is a bit more finicky like that, but my PB 20 here setup surprisingly well.

Hey lobster, I really like the sun burst Music Man bass hanging on ur top right,want to sell it?

The fretwork on these matte black HB basses often tends to be... lacking. Prepare to get your fret files out if you buy one.

Bought one and slapped some Bill Lawrence P46s in it. Love it. Looks nice, plays nice, now it sounds really nice.

Theres is a update version with PJ pickups configuration and samme finish. Sounds a little better to my ears.

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

Indeed! The PJ is actually like 4 bucks cheaper too. I have a MV4-PJ too and didn't want to have a PJ overload hahaha, so I went with the P for this one.

Where will you get your black pickguard from?

Looks wise Harley Benton does a really good job on most of their guitars and basses. The only complaint I have on the SBK models is the pickguard. I am not a fan of that color in general though, so that may be it.

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I agree, the tort can go. Luckily it's a mostly standard sized guard with only two screw holes in slightly different spots (easy to drill).

@sinakaedwards2009

Жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster never expected a reply, much obliqued. I think colored chrome pick guard might be cool, like smoked chrome or a dark color chrome. a question on the sound, it sounded louder than most budget basses, was that the video or does it get loud and clear easily?

Love this bass, replacing the tuners is a must. The rest is super fine. Any suggestions on how to compensate the neck heavy issue??

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I just realized I never released the mod video for this. Another beard vid LOL

@gus3333

Жыл бұрын

@LowEndLobster maybe replacing the tuners with guitar tuners ? 😂

@Buckers2202

3 ай бұрын

​@@LowEndLobsterI'd be excited to see that when you're back to it 🙏

Cool review and honest . Nice playing too sir. But 4/5 is only 80% recommendation. Is that an accurate overall score . I dont know sir. Maybe you are being a bit "crabbie" with that !

…….Has assumed control……love the shirt,,,,

You know it's a fun bass when he breaks out Roundabout

You know somebody at the factory thought that tort pickguard was sick.

Unfortunately, those matte finishes are difficult to keep clean and eventually wear into a shine at the contact points.

Keep the tort! 🐢

The neck dive on this instrument is terrible, it’s not “a bit” like was mentioned in the video!!! One of my students have the same bass so I know this instrument pretty well (they bought this bass before having approached me, I would never recommend it). We eventually fixed it by installing a heavier bridge and putting more weights into the control cavity. Now the bass is well-balanced and easy to play (some additional fretwork was needed as well); but from the box it’s a no-go for those who want to LEARN how to play. UPDATE: one year after the purchase the gears on tuners are totally worn off, literally! One broke already and two more are coming. They are probably made of the cheapest metal compound available which is not surprising at this price point but a huge disappointment. So if you want to spend a hundred bucks to have headache in year, here you go!

So my question to everyone is, would you buy the HB or a Squire?

what tuners would you put on? i'm considering upgrading the tuners on my ibanez tmb100.

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I did the Gotoh GB528's on these. Direct replacement (screws into 2 of the 4 stock screw holes, leaves the other 2 bare - same as with Sire)

looks like you could easily slap some pups in that and have a cheap killer bass

I definitely don't need another bass and will not be getting one, but I've kind of had my eye on them for a year or two. If I were just starting out and was going for a metal look, this would probably be my literal very top choice.

Nice p bass 1 question .whats the point slapping with tone all way down its more passive then ever .

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

Ram my friend, you've been watching this channel long enough to know that we do many pointless things for fun ;P hahaha

@ramshaar2597

Жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster every thing is fine my freind you know what is my favourit basses keep on doing good things 🙂🎼

Can i use the harley benton's body for replace my broken body on my fender precision?, or is too heavy?

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I think it could work. You may have to massage the neck pocket slightly (or maybe not) but good luck!

@TommasoBass96

Жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster u reccomend me to do this or nothing?

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I make no recommendations there as I haven't done it. Do what you think is best!

Lobby, Which of the two would you recommend? MB-4 SBK Deluxe Series or PB-20 SBK Standard Series

@LowEndLobster

10 ай бұрын

I mean it depends on what you want, a stingray or a P bass. I can recommend either for the price as they're great values, but they don't really overlap tonally where one would be 'better' than the other

@objectivejerk

10 ай бұрын

@@LowEndLobster I want to own an actual Music Man one day, so I am leaning towards the P Bass. Thanks for replying.

A killer sounding P bass for a little over $100? What's not to like? Seems like it requires very little modding too.

It would definitely look better with a black anodized aluminum pick guard.

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

That's coming in the mods :)

@virginiacamper

Жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster Will standard P Bass pick guard holes line up on a HB?

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

@@virginiacamper Most, you will have to drill a few I think. The ones that matter line up, and it's easy to get the rest done

Put some Black Beauties on there and you'll be ultra stealthy. 😄

Sire V10dx 5str. Please 🙏

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

We got a P8 5 string vid coming ;P. Don't have the V10dx or P10dx (yet heheh)

@bertilbroddeus8458

Жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster ok Nice with the P8 !👍But please test the V10dx before the P 10dx . I hope Sire listened to your good advice to upgrade the V10

How much was the shipping?

@LowEndLobster

Жыл бұрын

I bought this with two other basses, was like 90 or 100 for shipping all 3.

Salutations Crustaceans 🦞!