Whatever happened to HB JP450 & JJ450 ?

[JJMotown]

Been interested in the harley benton JP450 and JJ450 basses for a while, thought I'd pick one up used, but seems they rarely turn up for sale. So, whatever happened to these basses?

 

 

[neepheid]

I'm no expert, and it's zero help to your quest to procure such a bass but if you can't find many examples of a recently issued bass in the second hand market, I think that's a good sign that they're decent basses.  People clearly holding onto them.

[MichaelDean]

I wonder if because they were essentially identical to some Aria models but with a different headstock, Aria kicked up a stink? A shame really. I'd only heard good things about them.

[madshadows]

I have the HB JP450P in natural that I bought of @Shepster8316 on here and it's an incredible bass that I play every day !!, beautiful neck on it, my favourite bass

 

John  

[stewblack]

I have one of each and they are excellent instruments. 

[Lozz196]

3 minutes ago, stewblack said:

I have one of each and they are excellent instruments. 

Given your liking of HB Stew I thought you were going to say you’d bought them all!

[stewblack]

Just now, Lozz196 said:

Given your liking of HB Stew I thought you were going to say you’d bought them all!

Ha! I felt one of each would be enough 🤣

[Bassassin]

On 11/03/2025 at 11:46, MichaelDean said:

I wonder if because they were essentially identical to some Aria models but with a different headstock, Aria kicked up a stink? A shame really. I'd only heard good things about them.

 

I suspect it was this - I thought at the time that HB/Thomann had contracted the factory that made the Aria RSBs & were very probably using the design without permission. Behringer did something similar back in the '00s with a range of bass heads that were essentially Ashdown MAGs, made in the same factories with the same components, but with a slightly re-jigged front panel.

 

Maybe it's a German brand thing...