Then again, the most expensive HB costs 549€ (Harley Benton BZ-6000 II NT). The cheapest is 90€. I would say that the average price of a HB bass is about 200-250€, maybe less.
About how much loss are we talking with those numbers?
Also, the Harley Benton MV-4MSB Gotoh was about 230€ new … and went for about 300-350€ 2nd hand, during a time you could not get it.
Even the Harley Benton MV-4MSB (without the Gotoh) did cost 200€ used (230€ new) after a year. I know, cause I got one - the only one you could get used here in Germany for almost a year….
Not many HBs will become a classic and go up in value, though a bass like the Harley Benton Marquess-4 (or the totally ugly Harley Benton MSB-5) might be an exception.
Last but not least: resale value is a strange concept to me. That’s like marrying the love of your life and already calculating how much the divorce would cost you. I admit, a very American concept
The best part about HB jazz and P basses is that they are excellent mod platforms. HB neck joints are solid and tight fitting with no play. And because the cost of the bass is plus or minus $200, the potential for mods are endless, you can now afford higher end mods such as pickups, preamp, bridge, tuners, etc.
Just as long as there isn’t major bank-breaker issues such as a bad truss rod, body cracks, etc…..you’re good to go.
Here is one I recently modded, Aguilar pickups and an Audere preamp. I had my luthier guy route out a 9-volt battery cavity on the back to receive the new Kaish 9-volt battery box.
Don’t know, sorry. Yamaha QC is really good. So you’re not going to be wrong with either choice.
But you should choose the one you like the look of the most. As insane as it sounds. Having a bass you like the look of will make you want to pick it up and play it more.
That’s unfair! You made me an Offbeat fan (without EVER having seen or played an Offbeat in real life) … and I cannot convince you to give some love to HB?
Well, Volkswagen owns Porsche, Audi, and Lamborghini. You put a Volkswagen badge on a Lambo and no one would buy it. It’s human nature. Perceived value.
I used to work in retail grocery at corporate. We had a house brand breakfast cereal for Toasted O’s, made in the same factory as Cheerios. Same cereal basically. We could sell it for a quarter of the price, but no one bought it as it was perceived as cheap. We raised the price to 30 cents below the name brand and it flew off the shelves as it was now a good deal. Consumers are fickle creatures.
Hahaha!
I was raised very conservative and kind of high brow. My grandmother, who was an almost aristocratic person, only purchased a-brands, and then the most expensive ones. NEVER anything 2nd hand: “if it’s cheap, it cannot be good”
So, my favourite cookies were “Prinzen Rolle” (best with a glass of milk). It’s a brand here. There are knock offs, half the price, and I could not eat them for a long time due to my grandmother’s influence, even 40-50 years later.
This year my financial situation changed, so I decided to discover the dark side of the cookie.
I went to a cheap super market (Aldi … also a big NONO for my grandmother: “poor people shop!”) , got the cheap cookies … and really enjoyed them!
I felt the rebuking gaze of my grandmother in heaven though
They were not 100% the same, but good enough for eating them in the park while playing bass.
