biro

I have a Harley Benton JB (the 75 model) and a Les Paul model guitar, both with Wilkinson pick ups. In terms of quality, I am very, very happy. The Les Paul I received had a cracked tuning machine, but that was hardly Thomann's fault - I decided to repair it myself, but they had offered to replace the item. The good: both instruments play beautifully. The fretwork is very good on the guitar and flat-out incredible on the bass. I have written about it: the only bass I owned that would have compared was my Peavey TL-Six - my Status S1 wouldn't have come ahead. As to the bass, the truss rod works flawlessly and the neck is stable. I like the Wilkinson PUs, which are yield a very good, if modern, tone. In terms of finish, the pieces of the body could have been matched slightly better, but nothing ugly going on. That does not apply to the pickguard, which is one of the most horrible specimens I have ever witnessed. However, it is just paint, so three minutes with fine sanding paper will make it plain white if needed. Or, you know, you can always replace it. The bad: there is a very tiny 'crack' on the back of the neck (over the skunk stripe). I am using the inverted commas because it is actually quite difficult to say whether it is in fact a crack or just some rougher finish. Certainly it is not the skunk stripe coming out of the neck. (It's on, not on the sides of the stripe.) It is invisible unless one looks for it quite carefully or makes a commitment to feel it running the fingers on the neck. It's not a major concern, and doesn't really bother me. (The thought of it being there does, but that's just me!) The shielding could be better, I guess, but it's good enough for recording anyways. In short: worth the money? Big time. How does it compare with similarly priced items? I can speak of Squiers (I had a Deluxe V active) and SXs, and I think this is is far better than the SX in terms of sound and fretwork. Perhaps the body of the SX was a tad nicer in terms of colours, but I sold it long ago.The Squier was an entirely different beast, but its cost was not at all justified when considering the HB as a comparator. Hope this helps!

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1415005380' post='2595424'] The V4 I used to own had the nicest feeling P neck, rock solid. An added plus over Squier is that the V4 has a full length headstock so it can wear true large vintage spec (like a Fender) tuners whereas the Squiers have a stubbier headstock so you need smaller bodied tuners. [/quote] Thanks man! I might have to take the plunge then!

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1414960696' post='2595139'] The necks on the couple of vintage instruments that I've owned were good enough for me to not feel the need to swap them out. [/quote] Thanks! I have no doubt that this is the case. The two 'Vintages' I have tried were very nice instruments, and I am sure the neck will be more than fine. My concern is partly a matter of precaution, partly me being a diehard tinkerer. (As in 'hey, this Status neck looks very nice!')

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1414956429' post='2595068'] I think the neck pocket's a couple of mm narrower - ~61mm against 63.5mm (2.5 inches) for Fenders. [/quote] Thank you barkin! Oh dear, this is some kind of a disappointment, especially considering how good the bass looks. I might have to wait for the right Squier I am afraid. (Although sanding, could always be an option.)

Hi all, just a very quick question. (Apologies in advance for not being able to use an older topic - the brand name just makes it very difficult to find suitable ones!) I just laid my eyes on a very nice Vintage V4 Tony Butler signature model. I don't care so much for the signature thing, but boy the bass looks good and the price would be right for my taste. However, as I like to tinker with my guitars I was wondering if anyone has had any experience in replacing the neck. I don't plan to, but you never know... Hence my question in more straightforward terms: are Vintage basses (Vintage as in JHS Vintage) compatible with Fender replacement necks? Thanks!

Just a quick note to let you guys know that I took a couple of minutes to measure - in a very sloppy fashion - the neck pocket, and if I am not mistaken, a fender/fender replacement neck should fit nicely in it.

I have recorded a short sample of the bass: neck pick up, tone fully open, pick and some foam at the bridge to mute the strings (à la Carol Kaye). Straight into my Focusrite interface and Logic, just a tad of compression and some highs rolled off. https://soundcloud.com/ballpointmusic/harley-benton-jb-75sb-vintage-series Apologies for the truly embarrassing keyboard sections.

[quote name='Lucien' timestamp='1410821280' post='2553667'] it's also very heavy (14Kg). [/quote] Did you get the uraniumburst version?

Ok, I am going to chime in to give the community some news about my most recent purchase. Today I received a Harley Benton JB-75 too, the sunburst version with a rosewood fingerboard and fancy blocks and binding. What can I say? I was genuinely surprised a bass so cheap could play that well. I am, unfortunately, still unable to record it because I am temporarily sans audio interface, but I am quite sure I am not going to have surprises -- I am familiar with the pups, as I had installed them on a SX jazz bass I had. The PUs might not be your thing if what you're after is supervintage tone -- I am after a decent sounding Jazz Bass, which is the epitome of the concept of "good enough" in bass world. Sounds good in a crappy built in input, so I guess it works well enough. Speaking of which, I must say that I found the build quite better compared to the SX. Except for the pickguard, which truly is astonishingly ugly (and will, in due course, nay, immediately, replaced with a black one), the bass is reasonably well made. The sunburst looks more or less the same as the SX. The body is, I think, two pieces, reasonably well matched. The neck has a satin finish, unlike the SX, which may or may not entice you. It does feel excellent. The neck is, perhaps, a bit bulkier than a regular J, but then again, I like it this way (I'd very much have a P neck on every four stringer). The nut is low and the fret job is excellent. I am playing with basically no relief and my action on the G string is a hair less than 1.5 mm at the 20th fret, perhaps 2 on the E string. I have a reasonably light touch, but I must say that of all the basses I had only my Peavey TL-Six could handle something like it. My Status S-1 just couldn't, to name a classic name. I don't know what they do to these new guitars, but when I think to my first crappy bass around the year 2000, I am just baffled. The bass arrived well packed, in tune and was definitely playable out of the box (I only set it up because I need something to tinker with, and I prefer a lower action). Finally, I don't know if anyone noticed yet, but the saddles on the bridge are look like brass. It reminds me of the Squier Classic Vibe series bridge. The bass does have a lot of sustain, albeit with the usual dead spot at the 5th fret of the G string -- not worse than that on much more expensive counterparts. Bottom line, I would use it in serious live or recording situations, no doubts on that. I will, however, have to replace the pickguard, or better yet cover it with something. Hope this helps!

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1409769525' post='2543183'] Nanyo-made Bass Collections tend to go for the criminally low price of £150-200 or so second hand and I've heard that the later models aren't as good as the original Japanese ones so I'd not want to pay as much as one of those. However, saying that... the ultimate decider is how much you think it's worth yourself (which I know doesn't help!). Every bass feels different to someone else and if this one is spot on for you then you'd pay more for it than others would. Personally, I'd not want to pay more than £100 or so for one. [/quote] Thanks a lot Mornats. The price I've been asked is actually lower than that, so I might give it a go and see how it behaves!

Update. Seen the bass and looks and plays nice. It's in good condition and I cannot locate any "made in" label. It's a normal black four-stringer. Anybody has an idea how much I should pay for it, if I go through with the purchase? Thanks a lot!

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1409689918' post='2542350'] I don't think these are the Japanese Nanyo-made ones. They may be the Korean reissues that came out after the original company went bust. [/quote] Thank you very much Mornats! Have you ever happened to get your hands on one?

Hello guys, quick question. A friend of mine wants to get rid of this four stringer. I don't know why, but I generally like these kind of basses. Are these any good? I read that there is some sort of a cult following, but I sorta got lost with all the various series and I couldn't really fetch any info on the SB100 model/ series. Any generous soul who could give me any info? I really wouldn't want to deal with a massive lemon faulty truss rods and the likes. That would be massively appreciated.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1379074779' post='2208388'] I really like the second one very nice stuff [/quote] Thank you charic! I will have to work on my intonation using a bottleneck: I've been trying to tame that little piece of metal, but to little avail.

Hey guys, here is a couple of new videos in which I tried to make the most of my newly acquired Ibanez BTB705DX. I'm very happy with the sound and overall feel of the bass. I went straight into my trusty Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and then recorded with Logic Pro X, which so far has surprised me in terms of ease of use. The drummer function truly is a nice addition. I am far less happy with my playing technique and timing, but still the videos might be helpful to someone who is curious about the bass. So, here we go: [media]http://youtu.be/EUtMzt-s1uw[/media] [media]http://youtu.be/PEDiCy6v2iY[/media]

Ok, I think I finally found the culprit. In some monorail bridges such as mine, which looks more or less like this one, the actual string saddle is enclosed in a somewhat bigger structure. It's a nice design and, if everything is crafted properly, there will be a tight fit between the inner and outer parts of each monorail bridge. That is exactly what I found to be lacking: the saddle is a tiny bit too narrow and, as a consequence, when the string vibrates, the saddle vibrates too and starts "bouncing" onto the outer part enclosing it. This produces the buzz whereof I have been speaking... As usual, thank you guys for helping me out with this problem!

Thank you very much! I think your comment is spot on, the resulting noise is quite similar to that caused by a nut which has not been cut properly. However, this affects fretted notes and thus cannot be due to the nut. On the other hand, a bass bridge always makes contact with the strings and is the most likely cause. I wonder if there is anything I can do to improve the saddle. The point is: the D and G strings vibrate wonderfully, and the B string ain't bad either. Short of replacing the strings, I think this might have something to do with the size of the strings slots on the bridge.

Hello everyone, I was wondering if any of you tech-savvy gearheads could help me sort this issue out. I have recently bought an Ibanez BTB705DX, which is by far one of the best instruments I ever played in terms of playability and tone--which is hardly surprising, as it is loaded with some EMG goodness. However, I am experiencing an issue that really bothers me. While the sustain on the treble side is just plain awesome, the same does not appear to apply to the same extent to the bass side. Well, the B string sounds remarkably clear, loud and for a long time. Nevertheless it appears that something is choking the proper vibration of the E and A strings. The phenomenon appears to mainly affect the E string when I am fretting notes and to result in a buzzing sitar-like sound that seems to originate from the bridge area. I have attached a video in order to avoid splitting hairs. http://youtu.be/0KBv2_vw0sE I am not talking about the normal string buzz, which I am used to, and I like to a certain extent. The noise to which I am referring is lower in pitch and has a different nature. I tend to exclude the truss rods from being potential causes of the noise at issue (hitting the back of the neck results in no noise whatsoever). They also work fine, and I don't think they are responsible for that noise. I tried removing the bridge springs on the E and A strings and the noise appeared to diminish, but did not disappear. I put on a "fairly new" E string, but it didn't really solve the problem. I took it from another bass, tough, so it may well have been subject to weird torsion and stuff. I also tried to put on an exposed core E string (LaBella Supersteps) but, besides the usual chorus effect, there was little improvement. I've come to the conclusion that the most likely cause is that horrible bridge, but I am not quite sure about what I should do -- short of buying and fitting new strings on the bass. Any thoughts? Thank you so much, mateys!