Record a cover and post it up so we can hear how much better it is than other brands. 
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I have a medium scale one of these. I keep it at work. I really like it. A lot of fun to play. I’ve only ever heard it through the small amp I keep there too, so I’m not sure how it really sounds. Found it for 150 dollars used.
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Come over to Germany and play my basses … and don’t forget your power tools 
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Simple request. If you think that the standard Harley Benton pickups are better than others within its price range then post a cover to prove this.
Of course if you’ve swapped out the pickups for aftermarket ones then your argument doesn’t hold up because it’s apples and oranges.
Facts - they’re hard to hear
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I don’t know if you have followed my “Should I shoot” thread?
I went in great detail to explain, that every HB I have is modded. Especially the PUs.
They suck … compared to EMG GZRs, DiMarzio DP126 and especially the active EMGs I have now.
But the HB were not worse than the PUs of any Fender I tried, again: compared to the ones I mentioned above. I also preferred the Sire U5 pickups to any PU of Fender (also to the stock HB PUs, by the way). But not to the ones I mentioned above.
Of course, nobody forces you to like EMG nor DiMarzio.
I know that you have some Fenders. You like them … that’s great, really. It’s a classic. I get it!
But tone is a very personal thing … so why this discussion?
PS I’m happy to send you my HB PUs if you pay the shipping. I have no use for them…
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The thought that a cheap Harley Benton has better tone (whatever that means) and feel than an American Professional or Japanese Fender is a bold claim.
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Believe me, I was shocked too. I mean this sincerely!
When I started my quest for a short scale, I had a budget up to about 1000€, which somehow mysteriously extended to 1500€.
I was open to any solution, as I am neither a brand fanboy, nor need to play a specific bass cause somebody famous plays it.
To me, it’s not a religion … in fact, nothing is!
I just wanted to play a bass that fits me ergonomically and sounds great.
If it were a Fender it would have been better, so I could “be cool”, I know.
HB is not cool. Even I have to giggle at the thought how that name came to be (like “Harley Davidson” is cool, let’s do something simlar?).
But basses are in the end just some screwed-together pieces of wood, they often share the same shape … and then they have good or not so good parts on it.
There is really no magic to it … a brand adds to te myth, not the tone!
I have simiular discussion with a friend of mine who is in Audi management. He talks about “German Quality” and all that. And it was true, once.
But have a look at those japanese cars first, then the koreans and now the chinese.
Except for the very high end., most Asian brands are better than Audi (especially electric).
But of course, it’s very cool to drive an Audi…
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I only have one Harley Benton as they are like gold to ship to Australia.
Otherwise I would have more in a heartbeat.
My HB BassVI is very well made.
I did swap the pickups, but only because I wanted to try lipsticks, stock ones were fine.
I added some circuity but again this was because I wanted to add switches it didn’t come with.
Build quality was faultless on mine.
I have some Artist guitars and a fretless bass, made in China and they are also pretty great-I have changed nothing on them
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How do you judge the paint job?
All my HB’s look(ed) really great when they came, but here and there the paint chips off (especially around the screws).
This is worst with Minty, less on Ronin and Pink’s Hot.
It might be cause of all the modding. Taking apart the bass, changing stuff, not being careful sometimes.
But I wonder if this is better with the established brands!?!?!?
I have to say that the neck is absolutely faultless. My punk-funky luthier told me that the neck on many 1000++ € basses are often not better (and mostly worse).
The body of the HB he found just average, and I quote: “like a Fender”
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I agree with this statement up to a certain price point. I’d say probably up to around 2500 for the mass produced, standard neck/body product… but I’m guessing. Once you get into the handmade custom realm, I think this statement falls apart. Different manufacturing process, different material selection etc. I don’t know a ton about these custom basses, but that’s just the impression that I get. At the point where you are paying for a handmade, custom bass, I think you are paying more for the process of manufacturing than you are for the actual cost of the materials. You can probably buy the same hardware(similar quality anyway) that a custom builder uses, slap them on a neck and body and end up cheaper. But, part of what makes that custom bass great in your hands is going through the process that makes it truly custom.
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Oh, I absolutely agree! I drool over some custom basses that @TheMaartian owns all the time
I’m not questioning workmanship, not at all. I celebrate it!
I spend quite some time with my punky-funky luthier to chat and watch him do his magic.
Some custom basses are a piece of art. The process of making those is impressive. I could watch it for hours and hate that I am not allowed to help!
But I looked at the wood of the basses my punky-funky luthier uses. Yes, it’s painfully selected. But I have the feeling, it’s more for the looks … and the legend.
Any properly selected wood from a hardware store would work, I guess…
In one of our discussions he said that it’s almost impossible for him to get to a quality of a highend Dingwall (for the same price).
And he feels the pressure of really well made chinese HB’s (like mine), especially if they are just Fender copies or copies of any other “standard bass”.
The quality of chinese basses became very very very good, recently.
He is not buildnig any knock-offs anymore, only original designs…
But all this is like discussing, what car is better: a Jaguar E-Type or a VW Golf? I prefer the E-type, but it’s a sh#tty car
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Actually, it’s good right out of the box. I kept all of the original parts to put them back if and when I’d sell it. Seems to be unnecessary for me because the two times I brought it to my gig someone made a really good offer to take it.
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How do you do that?
Do you have a shirt with “I SELL MY BASS!” printed on it?
I never had the idea of going to a bassist and ask him to sell his bass after a gig.
What’s your secret?
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Should write a song, “I will do anything for tone, but I won’t do that.”
I can take my bronco back to stock easily. The pots are still on the original pickguard. Swapping would be ez pz
Tone is not a make or break item when I look at a bass. You can always change the tone - pickups, strings, preamp. The feel and playability is more important.
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I’ll NEVER buy an Audi again!!! I had an awful experience with an A4 and its crappy gearbox!! Never again. We’re Nissan and Volvo in this house now!
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I had an A4 quattro a looooooooooooong time ago. In the winter we went snowboarding every weekend … Düsseldof => Austria. Drive through the night, arrive in the morning. Get on the boards, go back on Sunday.
It was a great car for driving fast in snow…
And I broke my speed record (260km/h) with a “modded” A6, so I have great memories!
But I would never buy one (though I can get them really cheap, cause of connections).
That said: my last car was a black Saab Convertible. When it exploded, and my gf did not allow me to buy a Jaguar XJS convertible, I decided not to buy a car anymore - ever! I ride my bike, take the public transportaion … or rent cars, if really necessary…
Now my life is about basses I’m not allowed to buy
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I’m pretty sure I beat that in my twin turbo Alfa Romeo on the Autostrada around Naples.
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I drive Jeeps. I’ve done crazy dangerous things at 5 mph
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Speed is the best!
Unfortunately, the A6 was electronically restricted to 260km/h.
Usually it’s 250km/h for that class.
But I gotta say, every speed beyond 240km/h gets me into a strange kind of tunnel vision. Maybe it’s not healthy???
PS my memory of Italy was a very high fine I had to pay for speeding. And it wasn’t even much faster than allowed.
You were very lucky!
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I lived there for 3 years, and that is not how I remember it at all. I didn’t even think there was a speed limit tbh. The Polizia and Caribineri drove the same model of Alfa that I did.
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