“Maybe the bass…is not really to blame,
I can treat the cause, but not the…symptom.”
Frank Furter, MD
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This sounds fun, but I suspect it will be outrageous odds.
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@Whying_Dutchman have you ever tried putting a bit of chorus on? It’s definitely not the same as a soapbar humbucker, but it does give a more round and full sound. Just a bit where you have to really listen for it to know it’s there and it doesn’t sound like the an effect at first listen.
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Probably the best bass modulation effect IMO, plays nicely with distortion and reverb too.
A whole lot of post-punk uses chorus on bass, it’s a good sound.
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OK, so a few things (@howard, @Al1885, @terb , @Billn ):
- I’m in for then bet…
- … cause I find it funny, that everybody has an opinion about that bass, but none of you has actually had first hand experience with it. Most people that have modded this HB find it an ideal platform to mod. Everybody that has it finds it much better than entry level Fenders that are a few times the cost of the HB. So where does the opinion come from? It can only be prejudice, sorry! I’m sure that when that same bass had “Fender” or “Yamaha” printed on it, opinions would be different! What does this say about us? Are we fanboys, one way or another?
- somebody that makes great quality stuff can be on ETSY (only). I think of it as the garage of the 21st century. Steve Jobs started in a garage and I’m sure, Leo Fender too (it might have been a horse carriage shed though ^^).
- the only point of failure in this undertaking is me: having wrong expectations and not enough knowhow. But that is one of the very cool things of modding (and basically anything fun in life): the possibility to f#ck up. But here I appreciate the feedback of you all. Very much!
You would be incorrect.
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OK, let’s try the other way around. I find it a logical issue, more than anything else…
If Harley Benton would build a bass in the same factory as Fender, using the same materials, according to fender specs … but put a “Harley Benton” print on it - and would not tell anybody that that bass was manufactured that way.
What would the opinions of that bass be here, especially if nobody had played it?
No matter what reviews say, no matter what people say that own it: it would still have the Harley Benton stigma.
In another thread I saw some cool basses from (for the sake of argument) Baum Guitars. A really cool bass (NIDHOGG), everybody is raving about it, everybody wants it - but nobody has actually played it.
What makes Baum different to Harley Benton? Image?
What if this bass had Harley Benton printed on it? I would still want to have it (providing it were short scale).
By “everyone” do you actually mean “Lobster?”
FWIW I have no issues with HB as a brand, but if you swapped it out with “Squier” (absolutely its level-appropriate Fender peer) we’d be having exactly the same conversation.
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I have had two HB basses. One was perfectly fine, no issues.
One was unplayable out of the box, I had to mod it with a new bridge just so I could tune it. The neck was as big around as a tree trunk, and when I pulled the pickguard off to replace the tort with something I didn’t hate, the screws for the guard were screwed through the side of the chamber, splintering the wood.
I don’t offer an opinion on HB or yours because I don’t know which is the right one, and which is the anomaly.
People are pretty honest here, and if there is a company to bash, Fender would be it. The can disagree without bias.
Other internet forums, people have all sorts of agendas. This is the most fact based bass one I have run across
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Yeah, Lobster:
but also:
Bonedo is very trustworthy…
And of course:
Also, read the other forums about it! @Wombat-metal - I know, what you mean with “all sorts of agendas”, and BassBuzz is my favourite forum cause of “agenda freeness” (among other things).
But again, I read some very strong opinions about this now, without facts to back it!
Well, my granpa always said one experiment is worth a thousand expert opinions
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Your granpa must be a great man … totally agree!
He was maintenance manager for about 8 buildings in Manhattan and got his family through the great depression by making sure his relatives took all the maintenance jobs. Pure nepotism.
He also came through Ellis Island. Part of my colorful ancestors
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First thing first, None of us has first hand experience with that bass. Of course not! It’s not even release yet.
I actually typed this answer earlier in the day but decided against it.
There’s nothing wrong with the HB. It’s a fantastic bass as is. I have an HB Strats and beside a few frets sprouts it’s great. I have an EMG pickguard set it’s a drop in David Gilmore set that cost more than the guitar itself, that I plan to drop it in to complete the look.
That said, I’m coming at this from a resale point of view. Harley Benton may be a great brand in Germany, but it’s a knock off of a knock off here in the States. A $300 Mustang clone Harley Benton with $500 worth of upgrades would only worth $450-500 on the market. A used $250 Squier mustang with $300 worth of upgrades can sell for $500-550, maybe even $100 more if you slap on the Fender Logo and a full disclosure.
My buy/sell and trade hobby allows me to grow my collections. While I don’t have great taste I do follow the trend and I was able to benefit from it Before you tell me that’s this is going to be your forever bass and the mod is a fun thing to do. It’s all good. I know that you’ll see it for yourself after a few more mods that it worth more to start with a better platform.
There’s a reason why Fender/ Squier, MusicMan/ Sterling is a good platform to mod. Well known name, tons of parts and easy to sell. If you mod it and don’t like it the chances are someone might like it, because the brand name carry enough weight so you can still sell it to recoup your investment. It what makes the hobby fun and rewarding. That’s also the point of asking for information isn’t it, to get other’s perspective and experiences.
If you want to mod up every single components on a bass pick a better bass or start from a kit bass that way it would be dirt cheap. There’s nothing wrong with Harley Benton bass. It’s probably super cool to play it as it is. My question is what do you think is wrong with it? Why don’t you like it before you even play with it? Don’t look at LowEnd Lobster, I follow him on Reverb, not only he gets a few bucks from YouTube video, when he sells his Harley Benton mod and some less mainstream brand basses, he sold them at a loss. The guy is also a moron, didn’t he try to mod a Dingwall to sound like something else?
Well we are here offering our opinions from experience. You can choose to take it or not, no skins of our back, certainly not mine. I know that sooner or later, you’ll see what I’m trying to say to you. I’ve done some crazy mods, in fact my gold P bass mod is what caught @T_dub attention and lead him to introduce me to this fine forum.
I’d still be playing lots of Squiers if I kept modding Glary basses. I was just trying to save you a few years of time and get you into the fast lane. The 2 basses that you bought and return had tons of great reviews in the media as well as members here, but you didn’t like it, what’s the chance of you liking the xBlend II from ETSY.
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Can you point out posts that you feel contained prejudice against HB? They are pretty popular here.
And I think if you look back on my posts you’ll see I call out that it is probably an excellent entry level jazz bass, and what I actually call in to question has much less to do with HB and everything to do with how you plan to frankenbass a J-bass in to sounding like a humbucker.
I would be saying exactly the same thing if it were a Squier, a Fender, or especially a Yamaha (since you called that out), since Yamaha’s only current J-basses are pretty expensive 
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Lobster is a MORON! He’s no longer a bass reviewer. He’s making money creating contents on YouTube. He sits in front of a bass and think, what’s the theme for this review. Check out his review on a Joe Dart II bass. I have one and he’s 100% wrong. I called him out on that too.
His impression is was all positive
Then the scripts came
Why buy a signature bass from an artist on a band who’s known to be unique and different then decided to complain against the very unique features that make this a signature bass.
Low output? OMG, you just go to the gig and plug in your bass and pray that it’s enough out put from your volume knobs? Did you try to turn up the volume on your amp, or ask the engineer to give you some more volume. I’d think that’s an easy fix but apparently he’s struggling with the concept. Wait he did review the Joe Dart Jr, Fcuk!!! That bass has no knobs!!! His hand turns back into claw I guess.
I wouldn’t be surprised when he tries to mod his Dingwall to a traditional scale because it what’s need to be done in his opinion, What a MORON!
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It’s so funny. I like his content but his reviews are generally just extremely subjective hot takes.
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From a resale point of view I totally agree!
But I’m not gonna sell it. Ever! I will give it to the next generation when I die, so they can remember me by playing a sh#tty bass
I am looking forward to that, as this is one of those “siehste!” (= told you so) situations that I thoroughly enjoy with my friends too
In fact, I like the hard way … maybe, in a few years, I’ll have a room full of basses, just like you. And then tell a noob - just like me - the very same thing
So, I try to learn everything I can from you and the others here - and make my own mistakes after. I need other opinions to make good (or bad) decisions…
I really don’t know. Still communicating with the guy.
The bass is not even here yet (yeah yeah, my terror chats did NOTHING ^^), so let’s see how it plays. I will put the DP123 on that bass if I keep it, no matter what.
The rest remains to be seen - I am prepared now!
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