kodiakblair Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 First spotted these back in September I think,at the time it was the hollow body HB-60 that had the edge though. This is the 6th Harley Benton I have and I'm always pleasantly surprised at the quality you get.It was on the list to try eventually until the week before last. On another forum a friend from Spain mentioned them and I saw one on ebay being sold by our own green alsatian. Certain conditions on this site exclude promoting some styles of basses and this might come under those rules. Nearly £50 off the retail price,I was in.And a few days later it arrived.[attachment=179120:RB414 (2).jpg] Yep I know what folks are thinking " It's a *++++++++ ". I'm going to avoid comparing it to another brand. Call me chicken, Thomann's been selling their products for 20 years and if they had a problem with it they'd take action. I can't say for sure they'd treat BassChat by the same rules So design strongly hinting at elements from elsewhere. At £190 it's at the higher end for a HB. Set neck, long scale with a wee humbucker and a massive SC. 2 V and 2 T, 3 way selector switch. Semi hollow mahogany body. Could the set neck and hollow body have increased the build cost ? [attachment=179121:RB414 (3).jpg][attachment=179123:RB414 (1).jpg] Not too heavy and comfortable neck it balances well and no problems with frets or access up and down the neck. Sound-wise the controls are quiet, no humming and no crackles. It came strung with flats so it's heavy on the lows and mids. Adjusting the pickup height should help the highs. The bridge comes in 2 parts,the saddles rest on a plate. Intonation is fixed by grub screws and string height by 2 grub screws either side of the plate and 1 between the A and D string so it's a bit of a compromise. My gripe is the pickup cover, it's fixed using the 2 screws that set the bridge pickup height. Strings off to remove it. Bloody silly idea. To sums things up Aye it's a decent bass, plays nicely,has a good finish and looks better in the flesh than the photos. I don't mind the upper horn being short. The style will be the stumbling block for folk I imagine with some thinking it should veer towards lawsuit territory. There you have it Retro type vibe on a decent bass at an affordable price [attachment=179124:RB414 (4).jpg] Still fancy the HB-60 in white Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Happy NBD. Could you please tell us a little bit more about what it sounds like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidder652003 Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 bet it sounds just like a RICKENBACKER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Cor, there's some cool looking bang for buck there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted December 24, 2014 Author Share Posted December 24, 2014 That does look cool. From the little info I could find the fella went on RicResource with " Hi I'm a small Nashville guitar company and here's my new bass " Then was crushed by the PTB. The prototype might have sold on ebay or the listing got tugged. Bloody shame. I understand JH being on the ball regards trademarks, he has to be to keep them,but in this case don't see the infringements. If there had been an action raised Waterstone probably would have won but didn't have the money to defend themselves. Big business wins again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basskit_case Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 (edited) [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I have one of the [/font][color=#333333][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Harley Benton RB-414CS's, only using mine at home. [/font][/color] [color=#333333][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]How does it work live in a band context, cutting through, sounding good? I imagine the weight must be a godsend when gigging.[/font][/color] Edited February 2, 2015 by basskit_case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UglyDog Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 [quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1419391689' post='2639538'] That does look cool. From the little info I could find the fella went on RicResource with " Hi I'm a small Nashville guitar company and here's my new bass " Then was crushed by the PTB. The prototype might have sold on ebay or the listing got tugged. Bloody shame. I understand JH being on the ball regards trademarks, he has to be to keep them,but in this case don't see the infringements. If there had been an action raised Waterstone probably would have won but didn't have the money to defend themselves. Big business wins again. [/quote] So JH is quite happy to flatten a small company for the tiniest of resemblances, but won't take on a big outfit like Thomann with the clout they would undoubtedly have. What a big brave man he is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Sadly it's common business practise UD.I think the same tactic was used against Dave from Retrovibe. There's a really strange mindset regards Rics, on another site a fella bought a Chinese copy then did a video. Just went this is my Ric 4001 and this is my Chinabacker then A/B'd them sound wise.He pointed out what he reckons were design flaws in the Chinese but really made no attempt to say it was better in any respect. Man he got slaughtered. Was talking to him last night,thankfully he's still tinkering with it and gigging with it too. As I've a break between jobs I should spend some time with the RB414. If I can keep away from the Peaveys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1419373524' post='2639382'] It reminds me of the 'Waterstone Skelly' bass, which I think was never actually built (?). It looks pretty cool! [/quote] I'd forgotten about these - didn't know RIC had "buried" them. Comparing this & the HB, I there are enough similarities that I'm not sure it's a coincidence - the body shape's identical & apart from the f-hole & Chickenbacker hardware, everything else is very, very close. Anyway, I'd be very tempted by the HB if either a: it had cat-eye f-holes, checked binding & fancy inlays, or b: a Deko one came up for £60. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basskit_case Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 (edited) Have Rickenbacker put a stop to the Harley Benton RB-414CS bass? No longer for sale: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_rb_414cs.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...on_rb_414cs.htm[/url] Edited March 8, 2015 by basskit_case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 (edited) I would guess that they have just run out of them. The HB60s disappeared for a while and then reappeared. Edited March 8, 2015 by Annoying Twit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfslick Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 I began looking at the HB414cs in August '20. By the time I ordered in October '20, they were out of stock til late December '20. I ordered on 10 /7, it was shipped on 12/24 and arrived in CA, USA on 12/29. No longer semihollow. Other wise all the same. Round wound strings. Same bridge...no good, when changing strings, 3 of the bridge pieces fell on the floor before I realized it. What if you were in a gig and broke a string? The bridge piece would fall out before you were aware and be under the drum kit or in the crowd....you're out of business. I installed a solid bridge which is adjustable and now have strings through the body to boot! This is a great bass, a change of the bridge might make it look a little less like that other brand, but it would be great and reliable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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