HARLEY BENTON MB-5 SBK EXTENDED REVIEW - DO THEY ACTUALLY QUALITY CONTROL THEIR PRODUCTS?
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- čas přidán 16. 09. 2022
- #harleybenton #review #part2
I didn't plan on making another video on the Harley Benton MB-5 SBK bass guitar, but after re-stringing it, I found a few notable faults with the guitar that I thought might be worth mentioning as an "extended review" or some sort of unofficial part 2. When it came to re-stringing this guitar, it got me asking the question as to whether or not Harley Benton actually do have quality control or not, as the issues I found with the guitar seem to suggest otherwise!
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FIRST MINI REVIEW VIDEO - • HARLEY BENTON MB-5 SBK...
Full Guitar Specs:
Basswood body
Bolt-on maple neck
Roseacer fretboard
Matching headstock
Neck profile: D
Scale: 864 mm
Fretboard radius: 350 mm
Nut width: 45 mm
21 Frets
Pickup: 1 Humbucker with coil splitting
2x Volume and 1x Tone controls
Double action truss rod
DieCast bridge
Vintage style machine heads
Black hardware
Factory strings: .045" - .130"
Colour: Matte black
Available from - www.thomann.de/gb/harley_bent...
Music Credits:
INCOMPETECH MUSIC - BY KEVIN MACLEOD
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Thanks for watching this video! What do you think of Harley Benton guitars? If you own one, have you had any issues with yours? Comment below!
Hi Jay! Thanks for this in-depth review, I’ve been looking at this bass, but I decided to hold off for something else. Hope you don’t mind a question about your desk setup, I really like the cabinet where your PC monitor, interface and monitors rest! I could use something like that. If you have a link, would you share where you got it? Thanks in advance!
Hey Oscar! Thank you for the comment. That unit is actually just an old DVD rack that I had lying around that I turned on its side and laid across my desk as I needed more room for my monitors and stuff. It worked out better than I thought. I think it might have been from IKEA, originally. Thank you for your question! I hope that helps. 🙂🤘🏻
I have 4 HB basses one of which is the MB4. One of mine was replaced under warranty because the preamp died. All the others were taken to a guitar tech for a setup and have the frets levelled and any sprouting (which has been minimal) sorted and they’ve been spot on. The extra that I pay for the setup and new strings makes the HB basses at least match those at twice the price!!!
In my opinion these are fixable issues and most of which can be avoided from the beginning. I’ve bought several budget basses and here’s what you HAVE to do…
1) learn to to turn a screwdriver and a wrench. The tuning peg issue can be avoided if you take a screwdriver as soon as you pull the bass out of the box and tighten every loose screw on the bass. ALL OF THEM! More than likely that center screw on the tuning peg was loose which caused the gear to become offset and thus grinding itself off. Fixable from the beginning if you know what to do!
2) For the B string issue. Go to Harbor Freight or any hardware store and by a stepped drill bit or take a regular drill and drill bit about the same size as the part of the string that won’t go through and reem the hole out just enough for the string to slide through. Simple fix.
With these budget basses, you have to do a little preventative maintenance right out of the box. Nothing major but do it periodically for the duration of the time you have the bass and it should last you a long time.
you are absolutely right, when you buy dirt cheap you gotta be ready to work on it at least a little. if not now later.
but like you dont even need a drill to fix the bridge diameter issue, a small rasp would do the job easy. Dont forget to tape off the pickups so you can collect the metal shavings if they are magnetic
I have 6 HBs, some modded some as bought but all fantastic guitars. What people tend to forget is that HBs are inexpensive because there are far fewer margins in the final price. Thomann created the brand and the guitars are constructed in Vietnam, China and Indonesia in existing guitar factories that make guitars for big names. They don’t go though exporters, distributors, agents, shops, etc, each adding to the price. There’s the factory, Thomann and you. 👍 Also you’re not paying for the name!! 🤣 If I had come across that string problem I would have drilled out the tailpiece in the better part of 30 seconds and just got on with it. End of speech!😊
I get what you are saying. And even I had the patience to mod the guitar myself, I may have taken that route, but instead thought "oooh, content!" Haha! I do appreciate your input though. I have since had the guitar replaced by Thomann and the second is far better! It took about a month to get sorted, but it was relatively painless and straight-forward enough. Can't go wrong for a guitar that cost me a little over a hundred. I'm still likely going to purchase another HB in the future.
@@JTStudios Thanks Jay! A shame that the QC isn’t a bit tighter but with Thomann, if you get a lemon, you can send it back , no questions asked and the guarantee is three years. (I don’t work for them btw, just a happy customer). It’s much easier when you live in Europe of course. In my experience with the HBs I have bought, all were playable out of the box but all have benefitted from having the frets polished and the ends rounded but that’s also the case on a lot of high-end guitars. The tuners (as you discovered) aren’t always the best but usually do the job. HB’s latest line of PJ basses has Gotoh tuners as standard. Great content and I’m loving your channel! Keep rocking (with the occasional roll 😄)!!
You know what, I didn’t even know that (about the 3 year guarantee), so that’s useful knowledge! Thank you!
Sincerely appreciate the comment and the kind words. I’m sure this bass will provide a lot of good rock and/or roll! 😄
Really useful video man, was considering this bass but looks like it needs the tuning pegs replacing out the box and tapered low b string sets going forward 🤔
Thanks, James. If it wasn’t for those issues, I’d have been happy with it. I’ve just literally received my replacement after over a month of communicating with Thomann. I’m yet to take it out of the box, so I’m hoping it’s not going to be a repeat issue. 😬
One wrap of the strings on the post??? even a basic beginner knows you have to wrap more than once.
I just got one of those myself. I put some DR Fat Beams on it with a 125 B string and it fit fine through the bridge hole. The tuners are functional, though they do feel cheap. The sides of the frets aren't the smoothest, but not not super jagged like LowEndLobster's. All in all, not bad for the price. I'm gonna explore some better electronics options to see if I can liven it up a bit, hopefully not having to cut a hole in the back for a battery. Though with that caveat, I'm not sure I have very many options. It sucks you got a lemon. At least it's an affordable and fixable one.
Sounds like you’ve got a good plan for the guitar though! Hope it brings you the sound/tone you want! Appreciate the comment, my friend. I definitely got a lemon. 😂
Good news is, I did manage to arrange and have it swapped out and it has since been replaced. This one is much better! 🤘🏻
enjoying these videos.
that is some shocking quality control haha
Thank you, dude! It’s been a nice change making something a little different to my usual. And yes, zero QC, I’d say! 😂😂
I still really like the bass though, despite the recent discoveries! Haha!
I had a HB 5-string bass. The PJ-5 HTR to be exact. It was OK, no really big issues there. I didn't expect too much, knowing that it was the absolute cheapest 5-string bass that i could buy new. Crap factory strings, but I also expected that, so I bought a set of D'Addario strings together with the bass the bass. It had a .135 low B string, which was a bit thicker, so I just used a needle file to make the hole in the bridge a bit bigger. It wasn't absolutely necessary, but only took about 2 minutes. I only bought it, because I wanted to try out if I liked 5-string basses. (As it turned out: not really, so I sold it later.)
I also have a tele-style guitar from the same SBK series, just to have a guitar too. Also really cheap, and it shows too, the fretwork on that is horrible, jagged fret ends, some frets not seated properly in the slots, uneven fret height, but again: I kinda expected that.
All in all: The PJ-5 HTR was OK, the frets were much better than the tele, but don't expect any actual QC in the case of these cheapest HB guitars. It really is true, that you get what you pay for. They say the upper line of the HBs are much better quality, but I didn't try those yet.
Thomann has an excellent customer service policy. Did you contact them re the issues? They would have replaced the guitar or sent replacement parts.
Oh, absolutely. I couldn’t actually fault their customer service. They were quick to ship me out a replacement for this one. 🙂
I drilled the B string hole to make it fit
That’s a smart move. I’d probably break it if I tried that 😂
My man, did you return this bass? As I bought a B stock of this, and I had the same thing on the same tuner, the same string colours, the B was sticking out (purple) and from the looks of the neck I have the same small discolouration on the 1st fret
No way? I did return this guitar. They swapped it out for a new because of the faults. Are you telling me you are in possession of it? 🤣
This is weirdly kinda cool. 🤘🏻
@@JTStudios Yeah, I couldn't believe myself. I also checked some cues like the truthful QC check stiker position and everything and all adds up. Anyway, i sorted the B string by widening the hole with the drill and got a new set of tuning pegs, it works like a charm now. Take care 🤘
That is awesome. I’m actually happy that you’ve fixed up the issues. I suppose these were things that I could’ve sorted and fixed, but I didn’t want to. 😂
Dude, thank you for reaching out and sharing this. I really appreciate it. 🤘🏻
Thanks....
Now I know for sure if I ever purchase a Harley Benton bass, have my tool box and a new set of strings ready.. .
😂 yes and yes! 🤘🏻
The way you put them new stings on had amateur all over it but just looking at the windings
Yeah, the f*cked tuner thing sucks. That shouldn't have passed QC. They would send you a replacement, refund some of your purchase price or let you return it. You're right, though, with inexpensive instruments they have to save costs somewhere. It's unfortunate when cheap parts or lax QC ends up negatively affecting your experience. The bridge hole thing is lame as well... but could be easily addressed with a file, a reamer or a drill, so IMHO not on the same level as the tuner.
I can only speak to my own personal experience, so your mileage may vary, but I've bought like 72 Harley Benton instruments over the span of 3 years... and about 25%-35% of those have been B-stocks. That averages 24 per year (6-8 of those being B-stocks), spread out over time, usually buying 2-4 instruments per order to minimize shipping costs. The spread over time is important because it demonstrates consistency over the span of 3 years.
The instruments I've bought have varied across the entire spectrum of the Harley Benton brand models of electric guitars & basses: entry-level to the highest end models, of every category they offer, copies of Strats, Jazz basses, 4 & 5 string basses, Les Pauls, MusicMan bass copies like yours, metal-oriented guitars, 6 & 7 string guitars, fan-fret guitars, semi-hollows, etc. of every construction type: set necks, bolt-on necks, neck thru, manufactured in facilities in China, Vietnam & Indonesia.
Within this sampling I have not experienced anything on the level of your jacked up tuning peg. The worst I've had was a quality control issue in the wiring of an active bass. I took care of it myself, no problem, but it could have been a show-stopper for someone else depending on their knowledge & experience. Obviously, your mileage may vary.
I think Harley Bentons represent a great value proposition if you have calibrated your expectations and are pragmatic about it. The model of bass you have and similar models cost like ~$100 plus shipping. You couldn't buy a kit worth a damn, or body and neck alone for that. Entry level models, especially ones which conform to industry standards like the P-Bass, Jazz Bass and MM-Bass models as well as their guitar counterparts like the Strat & Jaguar type models are good mod platforms. The bodies and necks are solid. Consider the hardware and electronics as FREE temporary parts. They'll get you by and generally work fine until you replace them with something better. Parts of every level of quality and cost are plentiful for these 'standard' models. You have to be realistic about what you're buying and what's reasonable to expect for the amount you're paying. Did you expect your $100 Harley Benton MusicMan bass copy to have the same features & performance of a $2500+ USA model? No fkn way!! Even a $400-$1000 Sterling? Not without some aftermarket parts and the time & attention to make it so. BUT, if you invest the $100 for the bass as a platform and spend another $100-$250 in parts you can arrive at something as good, if not better in looks, feel, performance & sound quality as a mid-tier Sterling, customized to your personal preferences for less than a Sterling off the shelf, no question.
As far as the higher end Harley Benton guitars and basses like Enhanced, Elegant or Progressive basses or the higher end LP & Strat copies: SC-550 Plus EMG or Fusion III EMG models and the Amarok neck-thru EMG metal-oriented guitars, they are more expensive at ~$300 to $500 but come with premium features like Stainless Steel frets, high-mass bridges & active electronics for the basses, locking tuners, name brand pickups, both active or passive, with more sophisticated wiring & switching options, etc. These instruments represent an extremely high value proposition even with their higher price-point, easily competing with instruments in the $900-$1500 range.
Just do your research, calibrate your expectations and contact Thomann customer service if you encounter any issues and you'll have a much better experience.
Well, I did end up contacting the guys at Thomann about this guitar and they did swap it out for me and replace it, which was great. The second one works just fine and has none of the issues that this particular model had, so I’m pleased with it for a cost effective purchase. It was one of those things where I kept hearing about Harley Benton guitars, and I needed a new bass anyway, so I figured I’d try them out. The first experience was certainly a memorable one, but I’d still buy another from them if necessary.
Funny story - I recently had one of my viewers reach out and message me to tell me that they are now in possession of the very bass guitar in this video. Complete with the same issues and the same string I replaced the stock strings with. I thought it was cool that they’d bought the return stock of this guitar and even cooler that they’d share that story with me. Small world. 🤣
Really appreciate your comment and input my friend. Thank you! 🙏🏻
Thomann would send you replacement tuning pegs if you ask them. My experience of HB has been largely positive but I am in UK so if I had to send back to Thomann it wouldn't be a big expense or time lag.
I tend to buy HB to mod. But I agree you should expect the HB to function. Maybe the strings were also incompatible with their bridge.
Really? Maybe I’ll reach out to them and see if they’ll send me some replacement pegs. This is handy to know because I was expecting to simply buy replacements myself. This is great to know, so thank you for your input and sharing your experiences. I’m certainly still loving the guitar despite the couple flaws I’ve had. 😄🤘🏻
@@JTStudios well particularly as you know what you are doing with guitar - so you can point them at your channel / video, they can see this isnt your 1st rodeo - and it must be MUCH cheaper to send 4 pegs rather than a whole bass. Not sure about the bridge - if it were me I might open it up with a drill bit. I _guess_ they could say "oh brand X strings work". But given strings are the 1st point of contact with your fingers, and 2nd with the pickups, personal choice comes into play. The B string didnt look too fat. There again I have the funny (remake) Steinberger's so string choice is often limited by a particular bass.
Regarding weak output - on my channel I reviewed a fretless HB - and even though that is active it also needs a bit more gain than most passives I have. The EMGs are larger output - but even they can be quite. I tend to favour active over passive mainly because of noise in my local environment. That being said - I found out recently I have a large burn hole in my florescent tube ... I feel some LEDs will be on the way - maybe this will quieten the env.
Let Thomann know you will make a video after you have fitted the parts - again so far I have found them to be much better than most UK suppliers and they are probably gutted you got one in a slightly shoddy state. Let us know if they have changed their tune.
I just ordered this bass knowing that it is very inexpensive. I was nervous at the start of the video thinking there might have been serious construction issues. Glad to know it's just some cheap hardware. I had intended on replacing most of the hardware anyways, and the bridge can be removed and drilled out :)
The build of this one was terrible, but thankfully they replaced it for me and that one is much better. I would guess it was the last day for whoever did the "quality control" on the first bass. Haha! I don't think you'll be disappointed. Cheap as it is, it's not a terrible guitar at all, and I'm sure it'll be even better once you've upgraded parts!
@@JTStudios Bass just arrived yesterday. No lemon hardware or too small string holes. Tuners are definitely shit by design, goes out a bit after every song. Feels really f**ing nice though. Sounds fantastic
That’s great news! I’m pleased you’re happy with the guitar, dude! And more so that you were sent one that wasn’t defective. 😄
Maybe a few small upgrades and it’ll be even more impressive! Thanks for the update on this! Super awesome! 🤘🏻
I am still rocking my Ibanez basses I bought from the pawn shop....zero issues....
I own a hb banjo which is okay for 120€ that I paid back in the day to see if banjo is for me and a ja60 (jazzmaster with a hard tail) which was flawless except for the pots and shielding and okayish tuners. But they make great modding platforms. So yeah I think I take a shot at this stingray rip off 👍
That’s awesome. If you can commit time/money to customising and modding, absolutely, I agree. 🤘🏻
What do u expect you probably paid 160 bucks lol. Out of all the ones they ship out I'm sure there is a % that are not good. Also I wouldn't trust the " quality control". You can drill a bigger hole that's no big deal but the tuners I can understand but maybe it stripped out when you were turning it and it didn't do that at the shop but yeah the tuners on these cheap guitars suck and the bridges suck. That's how they are able to give such cheap prices but the key is to invest just a tad more after you get them and put a couple better parts on it and for still much much cheaper price you will have a pretty damn good instrument. I'm sure this is nothing you don't already get so I'm really typing this for nothing but hey the comment helps your algorithm! Cheers
Spent less than that! 😂
I get what you’re saying though, and of course, I appreciate the comment my friend! This was one of those times where I kept hearing about Harley Benton guitars, bought one, regretted it. 😂 you definitely get what you pay for. Thanks, Mavrick! 🤘🏻
If the bass is damaged, ask Thomann for help.
I did speak to Thomann about it, and thankfully it all got resolved in the end with a replacement. Thanks for your comment, Thomas! 🤘🏻
@@JTStudios Good 👍 I know it night be easier from Germany.
THICCCCC 😈
To be honest I would expect better for a £100+ guitar. I've bought Mooey cheap acoustics from PMT for less with better QC and their playability is pretty good.
I just can’t understand how they stamped this guitar as being “QC’d” in the first place. 😂
Good thing the guitar still plays fine… hopefully it’ll be okay for future recordings! 🤔 We will find out soon enough. 😜
Thanks for watching the video, Pixie! 🤘🏻
thanks, I would therefore not buy this bass which basically is not worth more than the displayed price. Merci.
I'm glad the video helped you. Thanks for watching and commenting!
If you tell them they will send you another tuner.
Thanks, Lomax! I have shipped the guitar back to them and I’m currently awaiting the results of their “inspection” to see what happens next. 😬
@@JTStudios Im not gonna lie I have sent back or sold every harley benton guitar I ever bought. Its just not worth the headache, either the tuners are messed up or the bridge wasnt installed streight or a crack in the fretboard or neck. I would never buy another one. Squier is litterly better quility if I needed a low cost instrument.
I think I’ll bear this in mind! I was disappointed and it’s a shame as I’d seen so many other people sing their praises and claim they were good guitars for the money.
@@JTStudios Yea people do sing their praises but I have had 4 and got rid of all of them as soon as I got them, either returning them or selling. These guitars make decent content but I don't think anyone serious about making music (even on a tight budget) should waste there money on harley benton. its just not worth it imo.
@@Real_shred_krueger Yeah, I think I can safely say I might be done with the whole Harley Benton thing. Haha!
You put XLs on a bass designed for standard strings... DERP on you, not HB for that.
The D’addario XLs that I use are the exact same gauge string that the guitar ships with - it makes no difference. This guitar was replaced, like for like, by HB and I’ve had zero issues since. It was just a bad build. Simple as that. 🙂
@@JTStudios Hello! Did you have any problems replacing the strings on the bass that was replaced?
Понятно. Харлей Бентон производит одноразовые гитары. Никогда не куплю гитару от этого ужасного бренда.
Sounds wird when he says guitar.
I actually don't ever purchased a Harley Benton guitar or bass, even if they seems interesting. I know for a fact that this brand is a brand you can find ONLY ON THOMANN, they own this brand.
Well, since is like very low-budget produced, you can give it back and get your money back 😅
Nah, I’ll keep it. Mainly because the effort of having to send it back! 😂
I’ll make it a pet project that I can do from time to time… maybe. Probably not. 😂
@@JTStudios LOL 😆
lol insulting a random worker ... if you can do a better job just go buy your gear in person and inspect it yourself
such a crybaby lol fixable issues... what did you expect?