This is my first message here, I’m a 42 years old from Spain that fumbled a little with guitar at a VERY basic level years ago and that always wanted to learn bass.
I got a dirt cheap acoustic bass and I’m starting to enjoy it so I got the course. I’m about to finish the first module and I’m really eager to keep learning, but I’m starting to feel like an acoustic bass probably is not the best instrument to start this journey with since some of the fundamentals just won’t work (plucking and general position, for instance) and I’m sure I’m going to love slapping a piece of wood so I thought about getting an electric bass, something not too expensive but reliable and that would allow me to get a good fundation on bass techinque.
I think a Harley Benton would be a good choice, since I’ve played some guitars previously and were amazing on the price/quality balance, which seems to be the case also with their bass line for what I’ve seeen.
For what I have seen, both the PJ-4 and PJ-74 have great versatility, which is something I consider important since I am a little all over the place with my music tastes. As far as I have been able to find out (not so easy, I thought it would be a fairly common comparison but I struggle to find something mentioning both) they are basically the same thing with some better components on the PJ-74.
Are the improvements really worth it? I’m not talking about pricing because it’s like a 40€ difference between both, which is something that wouldn’t make such a big difference for me, but I really like the PJ-4 aesthetics way more than the PJ-74’s. I know the wise decision would be to go for the better one, but on previous experiences I’ve found that having an instrument I find attractive tends to make me pick it up more. It’s not the end of the world since I find the PJ-74 pleasing also, so if it’s really worth it I would suck it up no problem, but I really dig the matt finish on the other one.
Anyone knows the differences, and why/how much do they matter?
Also, should I consider any other (HB or not) basses instead?
Yes. If the 40 euros difference is not that big of a deal it’s better to pay now and avoid the urge to upgrade the lower model later. HB offer great value especially for Europeans.
I had seen the video, and it’s great, but pricing is really different here than it seems to be in the US (the Yamaha one is like 4 times the price of the ones I mentioned, coming close to arround 600 USD equivalent, and the cheap Cort one is roughtly double the HB).
As I said the money is not a factor here, but aesthetics. And although you make a good point about spending more now and avoiding spending twice down the road, I’m confident that if I become more serious about playing bass (which I hope I would) I’ll end up buying a better one anyway
That’s why I wanted to see if anyone had experience with those two models, or at least information about the real world differences between them.
It’s basically a Fender copy and the pickups will be a popular passive ones. There’s nothing to worry about. I doubt that there’s any noticeable difference between build quality aside from components upgrades. Even Fender instrument are Lego style assembly.
this video led me to my Yamaha TRBX 304 and I love it!
but now I see your comment that in Spain they are really expensive. If you have a music store nearby just go and look. I started out by renting a bass to see if I liked it and then I bought the Yamaha. You may find other models that just feel right.
I would also check out the Yamaha BB234, great bass.
Nothing wrong with Harley Benton as a brand though they do have wider quality variance than other brands per reputation. Not sure if that was just an early thing or not, but I would still definitely trust Thomann there over a Squier that wasn’t a CV or Paranormal, or over any Epiphone.
I would actually say it is more versatile- but not because you are getting a mix of a J and a P, because it doesn’t sound like a J-bass at all, even remotely. However, yes it does have a larger tonal range than a pure P-bass. But not the same versatility as you would get with something like an HH or MM/P.
@superkoko I doubt that they have anything in the Harley Benton price range, but if you live anywhere near Burgos, or if you will be traveling in that area, do yourself a favor and visit the DoctorBass shop. It’s like going to heaven for bass players.
so…… just thinking……. what actually makes it a dedicated P? obviously the neck is slimmer as per the Jazz, but that wouldnt affect the sound i guess. what makes the P sound like a P, is it the pickup?
Quality was really bad 20+ years ago (= hearsay), became ok-ish 10 years ago and turned out great from 3-5 years ago.
Here in Germany, many bass players I know have at least one Harley Benton, often in addition to a Fender (for traditional reasons) and even more often next to one (or several) very (!!!) expensive custom boutique basses.
I always read the Bonedo reviews, which are truly great.
The PJ-74 seems to be very good:
A step up might be the Harley Benton Enhanced MJ-4EB, which is a P/H. It’s quite heavy though…
My personal favourite would be the Harley Benton MV-4PJ. It’s the long scale version of my beloved short scale.
A great thing about the sub-250€ basses from Harley Benton - if you mod them with some (EMG) Pickups, you will have a bass that sounds like the very expensive ones for well under 500€…
so I thought about getting an electric bass, something not too expensive but reliable and that would allow me to get a good fundation on bass techinque.
