Noooooooooooooo - reallyyyyyyy? I’m shocked 
I understand! Everytime I look at your store pics, I’m like “WTF?”
One random store in Japan has as much choice as all stores combined within a 200km radius her (in Hamburg - city of the Beatles!!!). Just saying…
With so much choice it’s also likely to find a bass you don’t need to mod. And with those low prices there is no need for a discounter like HB, I get that!
So, (bass) paradise exists. It’s called Japan!
It’s also the current exchange rates and import duties that would kill it for Thomann.
Well, I learned this year that tariffs are a way to make everybody rich and happy - so Japan must be a paradise in every respect
More tariffs for everybody!!!
What is a good model? Now I want to price one out to see 
Harley Benton is excellent but it’s not exactly for first time buyer. in order to keep the cost low the amount of hands on the instruments are kept at minimum as the CNC parts doing most of the work. Labor cost is the probably the highest compared to the components even when assembled by a blind crippled 80 year old, 
you’d get some fret sprouts which is common budget instruments is not going to get properly dried piece of neck. You are not going to get a decent pots or pickups you can swap them out for just a few bucks.
if I’m in the market for my first bass I’d definitely give HB a look but it’s not easy here in the States because it’s not free shipping, not yet, if it’s me I I have $200 to get in to a bass, I’d be hunting the used market locally.
As for comparison, hands down Sire would out performs HB by large margin in the quality control department. Rolled frets alone is worth considering Sire. Sire pickups are properly spec to hit the benchmark right out of the box. Some Squiers models like classic vibe and 40th anniversary and the contemporary are among the best built right out of the factory. I took the 40th Anniversary right out of the box and tuned it and recorded this. Oh! I paid $200 for them new listed as open box so they can put a discount on it.
3 Squiers all cost me less than $200 each and a $350 Sterling short scale well the Fretless neck was custom but I didn’t have to pay for it it was a gift from Lignum Art. They sound great and ready for a recording session. I can’t say that about the my Harley Benton Jazz bass as it was a bit nasally out of the box
Fender is the most predictable. They have their 3-4 house sound per each model line and the religiously stick to it. It’s the most boring and predictable brand out there.
In your case, I would go for the Harley Benton MV-4P, which looks like the long scale version of mine.
According to reviews, there are better HBs, but this one I kind of “know”.
Again, I found my Harley Benton MV-4MSB at be least on par with the Sire U5, especially when it comes to built quality (neck/body).
EDIT @Al1885 - I found the Sire pickups marginally better, so I can confirm your experience with HB. Also the tuners of my HB did not feel right, though they worked flawlessly. And though they supposedly have exactly the same strings (D’addario), the HB version s#cked totally! Thomann sent me new ones. For all three basses…
I heard great things about the Harley Benton Enhanced MJ-4EB too - but there is no short scale version of that one, so I didn’t bother. Also it has one thing we both don’t like: a very high weight!
Not possible in Europe 
Why do you have high tariffs and we have high prices? That’s unfair!!!
It took some hunting as the MSRP are more than double what I paid, even street price was higher. I just happened to learn a valuable lesson to buy one when I don’t need it and it’s a good deal. When you want something now, you’d pay what they ask.
Total cost including shipping but not factoring in import duties (~10% IIRC), it would be 46000 JPY. So locally it would be competing with entry level at double the price of Fernandes entry level line (and in line with the low end of their midrange), about 60 euro less than a Yamaha BB434, and about the same price as an entry level Bacchus. They would have a very difficult time.
TBH, that price IS less than I expected though
You know, I’m dancing around a Reverend Lil LinhBacker Bass (which is the non-heterosexual version of my beloved Avocado bass, the Dub King) since a few months.
Now I have the money, but fortunately, it’s sold out.
The price is very high here … I saw some offers in the US for a few hundred $$$ less.
Lesson: that whole tariff business keeps us from getting the great stuff we want
Oh, and I just discovered that Reverend is not HB. Still want one
Still have high hopes for globalism but that’s not a popular opinion either in my own country or my current one.
I don’t, unfortunately.
In Europe, everybody is becoming less “globalistic” (= more nationalistic).
I expect HB to open up a German bass factory soon. And Germany to go to war, as this is the ultimate consequence of nationalism.
So there is some good and some bad
Well, we made it just over a hundred years since the last time militarizing nationalist governments with interlocking mutual defense treaties came out to play. Good thing there’s no more Archdukes around.
I just talked with a friend (great bass player) about this discussion. He was like, “Loooool - Americans!”
According to him, I should have mentioned this bass too:
Harley Benton Enhanced 25th
And this one (Harley Benton JB-25TH)
And finally this one (Harley Benton Marquess-4, which I find ugly):
The JB-25th in Firemist gold is discontinued, however, you may get lucky on Reverb for one. I found one today:
Harley Benton JB-25TH 2023 - Firemist Gold https://reverb.com/item/92694782?utm_source=android-app&utm_medium=android-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=92694782
it was based off of Harley Benton’s JB-62CC jazz bass platform. Like mine here, in seafoam green:
Another problem HB have in North America is brand recognition and resale value.
The cheapest new hollow body bass is around the $1000 mark that’s Epiphone, Guild and Ibanez
So this HB in good shape for $250 is a steal. It’s been there for months. 
New price is $335 +$112 shipping + customs
So ballpark is $500
A really good price but unlike me buying a bass in Canada. If I’m not happy I have to eat the shipping. So it’ll cost me $150 to send it back.
That’s a big ask and probably why I don’t see too many on the used market?
Price wise I was looking at the Squire Classic Vibe 60s P Bass. Might this be a good first bass?
That’s probably the biggest problem, when the brand is known for being cheap and cheerful, people expect to get even cheaper and more cheerful price used.
You’re going to get a universal yes from most owners of that bass in this forum.
Cheaper than a Mexican Fender and arguably as good if not better QC.
Open your wallet 
