Painy

Sounds like it's probably worth a punt for the money then especially as the scratch plate can just be sanded back to white. If the snob in me rears it's head I can always remove the HB logo easily enough too and maybe even reshape the headstock a little!
Just remembered I have an electro acoustic bass kicking around which never gets used too, so if I can sell that to speed things up a bit money wise I reckon I'll give one of these a go and if it's no good it can go back and I can put the money towards saving for a Squire VM precision V instead

Thanks everyone for helping me give in to my GAS!

Thanks Twincam. All useful info. Had a look at you your guitar review to and all useful again.

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1415742170' post='2603377']
Last week, I ordered their cheap P bass copy as a gig back up for my main squeeze. Total cost £65 to my door.

I changed the tuners and bridge to some Wilkinson gear I had kicking around, put on a set of Picato flats and its okay. The rosewood board did look a bit dry, so gave it a good going over with some lemon oil.

The frets have no sharp edges, bass is nice and light and sounds pretty decent through my amp at home noise levels. I removed the transfer as I was looking to put on a Funder transfer, which I may do in the future but for now it`s a Spiderman bass!

[attachment=176177:SAM_0792.JPG]
[attachment=176178:SAM_0793.JPG]
[/quote]

I like the look of the black tuners you've put on there. When you say you removed the transfer though do you mean it wasn't under the laquer so you could just peel it off or did you have to sand it off?
I'd be interested to know what the output from that p type pup is like too.

[quote name='madshadows' timestamp='1415736441' post='2603279']
I've had my HB bass ( [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbb1975_na.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbb1975_na.htm[/url] ) since January this year and it's a great bass for the money, excellent pups, plays nice, nice tone variations using the tone and volume controls, stays in tune, looks great, build quality is very good, the only negative on mine was that the fret edges were a tiny bit sharp in places, the bass is quite heavy though

John
[/quote]

Thanks for the info. I can always sort the fret ends out easily enough. I've never been bothered by weight. In fact I actually like a substantial feel to a bass. My Warwick Corvette is so heavy that, if I leave it out of its case for too long then it's gravitational field actually starts to create a tiny black hole in the air above it up near the ceiling!

[quote name='darren' timestamp='1415730656' post='2603193']
Thomann accept returns without too much hassle If you decide it's too heavy or doesn't sound good enough etc
[/quote]

That's actually a really good point. Am I right in thinking I'd only have to cover postage (both ways) if I returned it?

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1415730828' post='2603197']
Probably nothing wrong with them at all or Thomann wouldn't sell them. However, I would suggest that as makers such as Peavey and Aria have always made basses and guitars since the year dot, would it not be better to buy a secondhand one of those? I seem to remember a Peavey Milestone on here for about £50 just recently.
[/quote]

To be honest it's probably the traditional styling of a good old fashioned Fender P that appeals as much as anything. If I didn't have a wedding to pay for next year I'd probably be looking at the Squire VM purely for the look even though (based solely on the sound clips on Thomann) I actually slightly prefer the sound of the Harley Benton!

To be honest I've found my Cort to be a great bass and actually use it as my main bass now over my corvette which has lead me to look past my previous snobbery.
To be honest this whole gas attack is kind of symbolic of me throwing out all my old misconceived ideas from my uninformed youth about what a bass 'should' be:

Natural finish is better - coloured finished are only there to cover up cheap wood.
Active basses are better quality - passive is for people who can't afford a preamp in their bass.
All Fenders are boring and people only go on about them because they don't know about all the much better boutique basses out there.
The exclusivity and value of my instrument is a direct reflection of my abilities as a musician.

Fortunately I am now a proper grown up and have left all that behind me but unfortunately I now have crippling levels of gas for the style of bass I've been missing out on combined with a budget that will involve putting all my loose change smaller than a 50p in a jar until I have enough money!

Having said that I don't want to waste all my hard collected change on a bass I can't make use of.

Hi all.
I've started a couple of threads on here recently about my newly acquired gas for a P bass but on a tight budget. I've also mentioned that I feel lost on a 4 string these days having played 5s/6s for the last seventeen years so I'm now looking at 5 string P bases.
I've come across the Harley Benton PJ-5 HTR Deluxe on Thomann and aside from the minging scratchplate it looks pretty good. Sounds really nice and growly in the sound clips on their site and on clips on YouTube but we all know that's not always the most reliable way to judge the sound of a bass.

Harley Benton PJ Precision Deluxe 5 strings Sound…: http://youtu.be/u07Xf-kVjzk

Not me playing by the way, I haven't bought one yet!

Now I'm not a beginner by any means having played well over 1000 gigs over the last 19 years and until recently played German built Warwicks exclusively and (until finances forced me to swap my SS1 for my current Cort A6) I've always been a bit of a gear snob if I'm completely honest.
So my question to those of you out there who own these basses is: Can they genuinely cut the mustard - not just as in great for beginners, but for serious gigging musicians too (albeit pub rock covers)?
Any opinions greatfully received!

REPOSTED IN BASS GUITARS!

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1415648837' post='2602414']
Or you could cover your pickguard in vinyl or spray it with Hycote for about a fiver
[/quote]

Funny you should say that, just been looking at vinyl on eBay. Can't get white pearloid vinyl unfortunately but I reckon plain gloss black would look pretty cool.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1415637282' post='2602243']
Even if you were to turn round the pickup you would probably find a stock scratchplate still didn't fit properly. Even from one Fender to another the screw holes don't always line up exactly.

I'd say the best bet is a custom made scratchplate using the old scratchplate as a template.
[/quote]

That's a good point. Looks like a custom plate then. Mind you, at £98 for the Bass (+ postage from Thomann), even my modest budget should have a little room to play with

Only got a stock pic I'm afraid. I was looking for a cheap bass that I could modify and was looking at the squire affinity basses originally but found this Harley Benton. The fact it's a P/J gives a bit more versatility and it's cheap as chips (I'm on a pretty tight budget) plus people on here seem to think they punch above their weight. The other thing I'd probably change would be to reshape the headstock to a little more like a Fender shape just because I prefer it (not to try and fool anyone, lol).

Anyway, this is the pickguard it comes with which unfortunately reminds me out either raw meat or, worse, the cover from Metallica's load album!

Sorry if this is a bit of a long one but bar with me.
As I've posted on here recently, I currently find myself gassing for a P bass for the first time in my life. One worry I have had though is that, having played 5 & 6 strings exclusively for the last 17 years I do feel a bit lost on a 4 string. I have however now found a 5 string P which I really like (not a Fender) but with one little problem - the pickguard actually makes me want to vomit!
The obvious solution is to just change the pickguard but all the ones I've seen are to suit a Fender (neck side of the pickup covering B, E & A strings / bridge side covering D & G) but this bass is the other way around (B & E on the neck side and A, D & G on the bridge side).
So, finally getting to the point, could I get a standard pickguard and just turn the pickup around without messing the sound up or do I need to look at ordering a custom pickguard?
Also, what am I likely to pay for a custom made white pearloid P pickguard if I do have to order one?

Try this item number on eBay-

261651210710

Looks like it's one item in an auction though rather than a store selling lots of them so if you miss it there might not be any more!

[quote name='patrikmarky' timestamp='1415433281' post='2600213']
I'm shocked mate !...never thought I'd see the day "painey and a p bass "!!!...I borrowed a American std for a day ,..hated it
But saying that I do gig that aria gt I got cheap quite often but saying that the pup configuration is nothing like the typical p bass sound ..
It's for sale for £100.00
[/quote]

I know it's weird! For some reason though I can't get the idea out of my head now.
I never did get to see the end result of your home relic job on that Aria. How'd it turn out?

For me it's Jaz Lochrie on Paul Rogers' Now album. Particularly the track 'Overloaded', Glenn Hughes' sound on the Feel album and Pat Badger on Pornographiti.
Weirdly enough, if you asked me if I prefer the sound of fingers or a pick then I'd say fingers 99 times out of a hundred and yet two out of three of my favorite bass tones are from pick players!

[quote name='thebassist' timestamp='1415295108' post='2598941']
Wow, check this out...

[url="http://www.rondomusic.com/ursa2mn6bk.html"]http://www.rondomusic.com/product6141.html[/url]
[/quote]

I have looked at those and I reckon they'd be a good starting point for a decent bass with a few upgrades. It's the shape of the headstock I struggle with though although there was a thread on talk bass about a guy who's reshaped the headstock on his.

This is what keeps me up at night but as a 6er rather than a 7. About 1/3 the price of the Xotic though so you could have 3 of them in different colors (although just this one in white would keep me pretty happy).
Only thing is they're only available as an import from the US so a bit tricky to try before you buy.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1415275282' post='2598626']


If I was in the market for a new jazz sixer I'd be looking at this from Xotic... never played one but think it looks great.


[/quote]

You need to stop posting pictures of this all over the place or I may sink into deep depression because its not mine!

As someone who was never much of a P bass fan, this was the exception for me. There was a gun metal grey one in the music shop next to the bus stop where I got off the bus coming home from school and I used to go in to play it on my way home from school about once a week. After a while the guy in the shop used to start getting it off the peg ready when he saw me at the door. Couldn't afford to buy it at the time but I did buy a cheap Aria Magna series from there which hopefully made up a bit for my being such a nuisance.

I did see this on eBay and from the description on there he obviously went to great lengths to get the cab just right to the original (with his own touches in the fancy patterned tolex / Fender silver grill cloth).
Can't imagine you'd have too much trouble getting that kind of money back on it in future either if you decided to move it on.

GAS can be a cruel mistress. To be honest, longer term at least, what I'm really gassing for is a six string jazz style bass which is what got me thinking about Fender style basses in the first place.
A budget P bass was really just a way to keep the GAS at bay while I save for a Bass Mods K6 which is why I was looking at the affinity range as I don't want it to put too big a dent in the savings for the jazz. Unfortunately I now actually want both basses so maybe the VM or CV would be a better option longer term.

Once again I find myself questioning how much I really need both my kidneys and how much I could get for one of them!

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1415010905' post='2595499']
This one runs out tonight no bidders as of yet.
[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Squier-Affinity-P-Bass-Excellent-overall-condition-/121472082453?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1c484ce215"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Squier-Affinity-P-Bass-Excellent-overall-condition-/121472082453?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1c484ce215[/url]
[/quote]

Did spot that as it happens. Given that £40 for any bass that's half playable would obviously be a bit of a bargain anyway , would the general view here be that the £80 buy it now price is not unreasonable (if for example a few people were to put bids in pushing the price up from its current bargain basement price).
To be honest if I could pick this up for £40 if be pretty happy. I think I'd feel a bit bad offering that low a price to a friend but a complete stranger on eBay is another matter!

For some reason, despite the fact that in over 19 years of playing I've always found the look, feel and sound of a P bass to be a bit 'mmeh', I suddenly find myself with horrendous gas for one. I don't really have the budget for a pre CBS Fender (or even a pre CBS tuning peg to be honest) but I may have a chance to pick up a Squire affinity P.
I know it's an entry level squire (I'd probably mod it to a better spec over time) but my question is, what would be a fair price to offer for one in decent condition?

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1414367158' post='2588738']
I bought a Snark pedal tuner from eBay a few months ago for £22 brand new. Its great, prefer it to the pitchblack I used to have.

If its just for home use and you have a smart phone then check out things like HT6 which is basically a polytune in app form. Its really good.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.harman.hsp.ht6&hl=en

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/hardwire-ht-6-fasttune/id492692669?mt=8
[/quote]

Definitely +1 for the Snark pedal. Mine picks up the open low B on my 5 and 6 strings which my guitarist's pitch black does not. Really well constructed, clear bright display, true bypass, good battery life and fantastic value for money!

As people have already said, it gives you the option of playing the same lines in different positions. With my band playing rock covers, most of the songs will inevitably be in E but when improvising runs its nice to be able to take it both above and below the low E.
I've been playing covers for 19 years now and I haven't gigged a 4 string once for the last 17 of them. When it comes to a low B I tend to take the view that it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it and after playing fives (and more recently a 6 string) for so long, a four string neck feels like a pencil to me now!