Took the Plunge on this

[Mike_S]

Harley Benton PB-Shorty LH BK Std. Series from good ol Thomann

Been thinking about this for a long time. It could well be the cheapest Bass Guitar you can purchase BUT judging from reviews it seems decent for the money. So it cost 89€ plus delivery another 15€. So 104e in total. Was hesitant because my last purchase of a Harley Benton was not without problems. My HB Les Paul actually needed a proper set up from someone who knew what they were doing before I could play it, I wasn't happy, although it plays great now.

But after thinking about it and reading more HB reviews I decided to go for it. You do see some people saying they do need a tweak here and there before you can play them, but you see a lot of people say they are good to go more or less. And for the sake of about 100€ it's hardly breaking the bank.

I am not a Bass player, so this is merely just to mess around on, maybe help inspire me, take song writing in a different direction and also to record more interesting bass lines, maybe more natural sounding too...

[cuthbert]

Congrats  (in advance?) on the new bass, Mike! Looking forward to hearing it.

[Zoltan]

I'm sure you'll be having lots of fun with it! And it might turn you into a bassist also One never knows!

Those cheap HB basses and guitars have got gradually better and there's lots of people who enjoy them. And even if it wasn't perfect. If you're not a bassist, would you know?

I've played horrendous basses in my life and all have been fun. Even those that have some issues. It's a different thing than a guitar and it's sure to spark some new inspiration. And just playing basslines is fun.

So congrats in advance!

[Pete C]

Enjoy it Mike ! I got a Squier Affinity P Bass about 11 years ago, purely for recording instead of using the bass sim on my BR which I used before. You'll find it's easier doing decent basslines than on a regular guitar because of the space between the strings plus a better sound. I love the "growl" you can get from a P Bass.

Pete

[Farrell Jackson]

A cool purchase Mike and at a bargain price! I think you'll like playing the bass to your songs. It's a lot of fun and can be inspirational. I remember the bass fest we had a few years ago...creating songs with just a bass, drums and voice. It's possible to do a lot of music with just a bass...just ask Ferryman!

[StephenM]

I know you are going to love this...probably will feel like throwing it at the wall sometimes too... I think this will be just what the doctor ordered... 89 Euro's?  That's almost free isn't it?
I love my HB (not the bass, the guitar).... it does need some work.  But so do I so I just play it as it is!  A little distortion always removes problems!

[Ted]

Reminds me of buying a cheap bike. If you buy A $200 bike at a box store (like WalMart), expect to pay a good mechanic $100 to set it up. And you'll probably end up with a bike that rides a little better than a $300 bike. Otherwise you'll end up with bike you hate – or hating bikes.

[Mike_S]

So yeah... good ol Thomann, you gotta love them. How on earth they produce decent instruments for those prices I don't know. You do fear they might have millions of 7 or 8 year olds putting these together for a couple of quid a day, but for some reason I put aside my moral compass when it come to music!

Anyway... she arrived this morning, just played it for about half hour. Gotta say, it's not bad. For the money it's probably not right to complain about anything and there isn't too much to complain about in all honesty. Needed a fair bit of truss rod adjustment to get rid of fret buzz so action is very high I think, but it's very playable and does sound very good. Decent quality I think, lovely neck and looks cool which is the deal clincher!

Haven't touched a bass guitar since I was about nineteen or twenty when messing around with other band members bass guitars, so it's really a new experience. Definitely going to give me a new angle to come from. It's tiny as well as far as Basses go... about the same size as a normal strat.

Mike

[cuthbert]

Very nice - congrats, Mike! Pretty awesome-looking flame on the headstock... that's got to be uncommon in this price range!

[TPB]

I think we should have a bass festival now it would encourage me to pick up mine
Tim