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Harley Benton 5 string Fretless - Sold
£215
Bristol

Burns-bass

By Burns-bass,
in Basses For Sale

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Burns-bass Grand Master

Burns-bass

Posted
Posted (edited)

Here's a lovely Harley Benton something  BZ-5000 NT - Fretless. This is in good used condition, with a few marks to the body (pictured) and some slight wear from roundwounds on the board.

The bass is strung with a reasonably new set of rounds and sounds great. Quite how they can produce such a high-quality neck-through bass at this price is bewildering. It's genuinely a beautiful piece of engineering and luthiery.

I'm based in Bristol and can't really send this (although I could dig out a case if you're insistent). Trades are always welcome.

Price is now £200.

Don't be fooled by the £255 price on the Thomann website, this is before VAT and a whole host of courier charges).

Possibly irrelevant specs from Thomann

Deluxe Series
Ash / Nato / Ash body
Sycamore top and back
5-Piece maple / nato / maple / nato / maple neck
Neck-through-body neck attachment
Ebonol fretboard
24 Frets
Scale: 864 mm (long scale)
Nut width: 45 mm
String spacing: 16.5 mm
Graphite nut
2 x G&B humbucker pickups
18 V 3-Band active/passive EQ
Volume with push-pull function
Balance, bass, mids and treble controls
Black DLX hardware
Bushing bridge
DLX diecast machine heads
D'Addario strings, .045 - .065 - .080 - .100 - .130
Colour: Natural High-gloss

IMG_4057.HEIC IMG_4059.HEIC IMG_4054.HEIC IMG_4055.HEIC IMG_4056.HEIC IMG_4058.HEIC

319FEE73-9DB8-416F-B9A9-1C6AABDAB652.jpeg

B9C63AD2-6B75-44D2-BCA3-71CB461FD8AC.jpeg

D4EEF424-B3CD-4565-8149-9BA26E569879.jpeg

B0589ED8-3BC9-4A67-872F-54C209CE304F.jpeg

9D5F3545-F6BD-48CD-B7C0-20AA0743E321.jpeg

20821D22-A680-4CDB-9432-01F9DF3E92EA.jpeg

Edited by Burns-bass
  • Like 3
silverfoxnik Grand Master

silverfoxnik

Posted
Posted

Isn't that an old Peavey design rebranded? 

If so, that might be the answer as to how they could produce such a quality instrument for the money. 

GLWTS 👍😊

alyctes Grand Master

alyctes

Posted
Posted (edited)
42 minutes ago, silverfoxnik said:

Isn't that an old Peavey design rebranded? 

If so, that might be the answer as to how they could produce such a quality instrument for the money. 

GLWTS 👍😊

It does look like a five-string Peavey Grind.  Even down to the knob positioning.  Though I can't remember if that was neck-through, and I don't remember seeing a fretless one.

Peavey closed down their UK operation  in about 2015.

Edited by alyctes
Burns-bass Grand Master

Burns-bass

Posted
  • Author
Posted

It’s a wonderful bass and I was genuinely amazed at the quality of it when I got it. Sadly, I just can’t do fretless (and I spent almost £1500 on a Shuker too, but don’t tell anyone).

Trade wise I’m less about electric bass but I’d dearly love a Helix pedal or anything DB related!

  • Like 1
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alyctes Grand Master

alyctes

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Burns-bass said:

It’s a wonderful bass and I was genuinely amazed at the quality of it when I got it. Sadly, I just can’t do fretless (and I spent almost £1500 on a Shuker too, but don’t tell anyone).

Trade wise I’m less about electric bass but I’d dearly love a Helix pedal or anything DB related!

Oh well.  Barring a sudden unexpected influx of dosh, that's me out, I'm afraid. 

Good luck with your sale :)

Oldman Grand Master

Oldman

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 19/02/2021 at 17:41, silverfoxnik said:

Isn't that an old Peavey design rebranded? 

If so, that might be the answer as to how they could produce such a quality instrument for the money. 

GLWTS 👍😊

Looks more like an MTD 

Edited by Oldman
NickA Mentor

NickA

Posted
Posted

How can it be so cheap?

Made by Chinese slaves in a "re education centre"?

Even an Indian made neck through 5 string Chowny is £1500 ( does have Aguilar electrics tho)

 

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vincbt Experienced

vincbt

Posted
Posted

Sorry, not entirely related to your sale, but extremely interesting for me to see such an instrument branded as a Harley Benton. The first bass I ever bought back in Italy, I think in 2002 or 2003, was a 4 strings bass identical to this one (but with a worse bridge). It was branded Jim Reed, which was supposed to be a small independent Italian luthier who was sourcing instruments in Asia. The electronics were terrible and eventually failed, but the bass was otherwise decent..

There is a similar one on sale here - https://www.mercatinomusicale.com/mm/a_jim-reed-basso-elettrico-jr-be-5_id6806222.html

http://www.jimreed.it/eng/prodotti.php

And that is the brand's website, they have changed the shape of the headstock now but mine was identical to this one. At the time they were doing a copy of the J-Bass, Stingray, Thumb and this one.

GLWTS

 

Burns-bass Grand Master

Burns-bass

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 hours ago, vincbt said:

Sorry, not entirely related to your sale, but extremely interesting for me to see such an instrument branded as a Harley Benton. The first bass I ever bought back in Italy, I think in 2002 or 2003, was a 4 strings bass identical to this one (but with a worse bridge). It was branded Jim Reed, which was supposed to be a small independent Italian luthier who was sourcing instruments in Asia. The electronics were terrible and eventually failed, but the bass was otherwise decent..

There is a similar one on sale here - https://www.mercatinomusicale.com/mm/a_jim-reed-basso-elettrico-jr-be-5_id6806222.html

http://www.jimreed.it/eng/prodotti.php

And that is the brand's website, they have changed the shape of the headstock now but mine was identical to this one. At the time they were doing a copy of the J-Bass, Stingray, Thumb and this one.

GLWTS

 

Hi, it’s not identical but I can see similarities. In fact several brands offer a similar construction. Anyways, back to the sale.

BaggyMan Mentor

BaggyMan

Posted
Posted

definately built in the same factory as the peavey's of a few years ago.  some detaikl changes but not much,  very good for the money and of course an ideal mod platform for the spannery ones..

 

  • Like 1
Brother Jones Rising Star

Brother Jones

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, alyctes said:

How does ebonol handle rounds?

I'm not 100% that that board is ebonol. While I'm sure there are different ways of treating the material, etc, the board looks very different to (for example) the "ebonol" on a Squier VMJ fretless. 

That handles rounds pretty well; but this board looks more open grained and untreated to me; e.g. on the fifth photo down. . 

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Burns-bass Grand Master

Burns-bass

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I’m no expert with wood and have simply used the manufacturers specs here. Should you disagree, that’s your want, but I have no reason to disbelieve it…

The fretboard has some marks on it caused no doubt by rounds. They’re old and not my preferred string choice, and was going to swap them for Chromes but this bass will never get used with me, hence the attempted sale.

Actionmike Apprentice

Actionmike

Posted
Posted
On 19/02/2021 at 21:28, Burns-bass said:

It’s a wonderful bass and I was genuinely amazed at the quality of it when I got it. Sadly, I just can’t do fretless (and I spent almost £1500 on a Shuker too, but don’t tell anyone).

Trade wise I’m less about electric bass but I’d dearly love a Helix pedal or anything DB related!

Do you mean you have a Shuker fretless aswell? My wife has two Shukers, and I want a Shuker fretless!

Burns-bass Grand Master

Burns-bass

Posted
  • Author
Posted
1 hour ago, Actionmike said:

Do you mean you have a Shuker fretless aswell? My wife has two Shukers, and I want a Shuker fretless!

I’ve had a couple of Shukers (and still have one somewhere) but my wife, friends and band mates are all pleased it has frets…

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