Harley Benton jazz basses JB-20 Vs JB-75 (their vintage modified clone)

[shoulderpet]

Hi

Am looking at picking a cheap jazz bass and I can easily afford a Harley Benton, looking on the Thomann website they have the JB-20 which appears to be there Squier affinity clone and for a bit more they have the JB-75 which is basically a Vintage modified clone, does anyone have experience of these? Is it worth paying the extra for the JB-75? Thanks

 

JB-20

 

 

JB-75

[jezzaboy]

I would go for the JB 75 as they get a good rep especially for the price you pay. The thing that has put me off buying one is they can be heavy but if you can live with that I would go for the 75. I fancied getting one and throwing some upgrades at it, bridge, tuners, just stuff that I would do to a Squier.

[shoulderpet]

1 hour ago, jezzaboy said:

I would go for the JB 75 as they get a good rep especially for the price you pay. The thing that has put me off buying one is they can be heavy but if you can live with that I would go for the 75. I fancied getting one and throwing some upgrades at it, bridge, tuners, just stuff that I would do to a Squier.

Thanks, yeah that is my aim with this is to have a cheap bass and use it as a modding platform

[shoulderpet]

And after giving it some thought I have actually decided to go for the PB-50 (Harley Benton single coil p bass) there is just something about the simplicity of the one pickup one tone that appeals to me.

Also means that if I do mod it there is a simpler circuit to modify and one less pickup to swap out.

[prowla]

Well, going for the vintage P reduces your mod options.

But at £99 (inc VAT, + £8 shipping), you're not going to lose sleep over it!

As for simplicity, the J is about 0.05% more complicated than a P - it's just got a 2nd Vol pot attached to what is otherwise the same circuit.

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by prowla

[Delberthot]

I have both basses and both basses have been modified with different parts.

 

Looking at them objectively as just a body and neck to modify then they're pretty much the same, the JB75 just looks cooler with the block inlays.

 

They're both about the same weight - i.e. heavy but not too heavy to gig with. My JB75 was used as a test bass for a load of different parts before I had my Warmoth/Status bass made and I gigged it every weekend so it's good enough to gig. I did a few gigs with it in its original, straight from Thomann form and it was still pretty good.

 

My JB20 is my practice bass for home and rehearsals and has a set of Tonerider pickups, Six String Supplies wiring loom, D'addario Chromes, LA Lakers Decal and Hipshot Licenced Ultralites fitted. All parts that I already had from years of modifying basses.

 

One thing that I love about these basses is that they are worth next to nothing second hand so you won't be tempted to sell it further down the line and instead can get good use out of it knowing that it's going nowhere.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Delberthot

[kodiakblair]

10 hours ago, shoulderpet said:

And after giving it some thought I have actually decided to go for the PB-50 (Harley Benton single coil p bass

Good choice , the PB-50 is a great bass.

 

Not much of a platform for modding.

 

Peghead reshape and change of strings are pretty much the main things folk do. Roswell pickup is basically a Duncan SCPB-3 wound to 9.5k instead of 13k ; fairly high output but you don't lose some mids 👍 I fitted 2 saddle bridges to a few but that was purely a visual decision. Stock pots/cap and jack sockets are still going strong after 4 to 8 years. Tuners benefit from a dab of grease.

 

Plenty folk dislike the black scratchplate , or the white one if buying the red model.  Brian Pillans in Glasgow has the solution there. 

 

Having owned at least 6 of them my advice is play it stock for a while , most mods are done just for the sake of it rather than for any real improvement 🙂

[shoulderpet]

32 minutes ago, kodiakblair said:

Good choice , the PB-50 is a great bass.

 

Not much of a platform for modding.

 

Peghead reshape and change of strings are pretty much the main things folk do. Roswell pickup is basically a Duncan SCPB-3 wound to 9.5k instead of 13k ; fairly high output but you don't lose some mids 👍 I fitted 2 saddle bridges to a few but that was purely a visual decision. Stock pots/cap and jack sockets are still going strong after 4 to 8 years. Tuners benefit from a dab of grease.

 

Plenty folk dislike the black scratchplate , or the white one if buying the red model.  Brian Pillans in Glasgow has the solution there. 

 

Having owned at least 6 of them my advice is play it stock for a while , most mods are done just for the sake of it rather than for any real improvement 🙂

Well, when I say a mod platform I don't mean anything crazy, just basically swapping out the parts that are generally junky on cheaper basses (tuners, pots, pickguard, bridge,fret dress if needed maybe the pickup depending on what the stock one sounds like), I know this will cost more than the bass itself but if I like the bass once I receive it then I have no qualms about putting money into it to get something I like them more.

 

Btw do you know if the stock pots are 250 or 500k?

Edited February 20, 2022 by shoulderpet

[kodiakblair]

1 hour ago, shoulderpet said:

Btw do you know if the stock pots are 250 or 500k?

Pretty sure they are 250k. Will be home in an hour or so, I'll double check and report back. 

[prowla]

I'd guess 250k.

[shoulderpet]

24 minutes ago, kodiakblair said:

Pretty sure they are 250k. Will be home in an hour or so, I'll double check and report back. 

Thanks, if I get the bass and I like it then then I am thinking of fitting 500k pots or maybe even 1meg pots

Edited February 20, 2022 by shoulderpet

[kodiakblair]

1 hour ago, shoulderpet said:

Thanks, if I get the bass and I like it then then I am thinking of fitting 500k pots or maybe even 1meg pots

£5 is a small price to see if you want it that bright 🙂

 

Opened the first one near at hand. 

 

B/Linear 250k Vol

A/Log 250k Tone.

 

Cap is 683/0.068uf

[prowla]

1 hour ago, shoulderpet said:

Thanks, if I get the bass and I like it then then I am thinking of fitting 500k pots or maybe even 1meg pots

Why the higher value pots?

 

8 minutes ago, kodiakblair said:

£5 is a small price to see if you want it that bright 🙂

 

Opened the first one near at hand. 

 

B/Linear 250k Vol

A/Log 250k Tone.

 

Cap is 683/0.068uf

Ah - the old A/Log vs B/Linear question; some say Log for Vol and Linear for Tone.

[shoulderpet]

1 hour ago, kodiakblair said:

£5 is a small price to see if you want it that bright 🙂

 

Opened the first one near at hand. 

 

B/Linear 250k Vol

A/Log 250k Tone.

 

Cap is 683/0.068uf

I have an even cheaper way, thanks for looking, much appreciated

Edited February 20, 2022 by shoulderpet

[shoulderpet]

1 hour ago, prowla said:

Why the higher value pots?

 

Ah - the old A/Log vs B/Linear question; some say Log for Vol and Linear for Tone.

More brightness really, I always find right single pickup basses I like them as bright as possible

[prowla]

58 minutes ago, shoulderpet said:

More brightness really, I always find right single pickup basses I like them as bright as possible

I like the no-pots option there! 🙂

[shoulderpet]

21 minutes ago, prowla said:

I like the no-pots option there! 🙂

Yeah no pots is a good option, if I could find a control plate with no holes where the volume and tone would be then that is probably that I would do

[Geek99]

Maybe someone could 3D print one, or you could just cut one out of scratch plate material? Use the metal one as a template?

[yorks5stringer]

23 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

Maybe someone could 3D print one, or you could just cut one out of scratch plate material? Use the metal one as a template?

or get one made?

[Pea Turgh]

I surprised myself with how easy it was to make a scratch plate.  Bought a blank from eBay, made a paper template, cut out with a jigsaw, finessed the shape with a bit of sand paper, edges beveled by dragging a blade over them at a 45% angle.

[Geek99]

1 hour ago, yorks5stringer said:

or get one made?

Or simply buy this 

This

 

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Geek99

[kodiakblair]

26 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

Or simply buy this 

This

 

Those are pretty big compared to a 51 style plate ; 1/4" wider and 1 1/4" longer.

 

I've a hazy memory of seeing blank 51 plates someplace ; probably was drunk 😃

 

Quickest and easiest fix would be keep the control plate but hide the holes with dome caps.

 

[shoulderpet]

Something has just occurred to me as a possibility, hoping someone with more know how than me can weigh in.

 

If I used no load pots for both the volume and tone when both pots are on full would that then essentially be the same in terms of tone and output as going direct to the output Jack?

[prowla]

What’s a no-load pot?

[Geek99]

3 minutes ago, shoulderpet said:

Something has just occurred to me as a possibility, hoping someone with more know how than me can weigh in.

 

If I used no load pots for both the volume and tone when both pots are on full would that then essentially be the same in terms of tone and output as going direct to the output Jack?

Yes i am that person

 

I have those in my p bass - there’s a very slight tactile “click” (not audible) as the pots go full on at 10 and come off the track - sounds amazing 

 

Much better answer than a blank plate - good idea