Harley Benton MV-4PJ Gotoh MODIFIED - Checking out Aguilar DCB PJ Pickups! - LowEndLobster Builds

[@daviddesmond2143]

Another interesting video. Modding a bass is not always an improvement and these pickups cost more than the whole bass costs. Thanks Lobster for showing us this!

[@Losbass]

To my ears listening with headphones, the Aguilar neck pup has more bottom , while the stock neck pup has more bite in the mids. So Aguilar Neck pup= more organic classic P tone Roswell Neck pup = Modern P tone The Aguilar bridge pup sounds more organic slightly more bottom output. Also when you did the pickup comparison using the pick, the Aguilar neck pup sounded like it had more bite! Slap test both pups with Aguilar = scooped compared to stock 100% tone Slap test Aguilar Neck pup 100% tone = Clearer slap sound To my conclusion after the upgrade the bass sounds more balanced , I would definitely do this mod! 😎👍🏼 Thanks for the comparison video! 🙏

[@klaymeister]

Sounds great but agreed the P tone isn't a major "improvement". Maybe just throwing a hum canceling dimarzio in the bridge position of one of these and leaving neck pickup alone is the way to go.

[@alexanderlyon]

Sounds great. I'd love to see a 5-string version of this. I love that neck with the rectangle fret markers.

[@mhunt8957]

PJ Bass tone is glorious

[@dantesinfernopurgatory7826]

Roswell 👽 pickup replacement series. Nice job, Will 👍

[@LowEndLobster]

The truth is out there! ;P

[@milosmajinovic8034]

Iny humble opinion, stock pickups sounded better in every version but both pickups 0 tone, and bridge pickup singled. It's so great you do these kind of videos, especialy when you compare previos pickups with the fresh ones. Keep going ❤️

[@Ypsiroselee]

I have a Cort Action PJ and I’m looking right at you, stock pickups! These Aguilar pickups sound like my groove…

[@precbass]

I find the stock pups to be perfectly adequate going by that listening test.Most of the time I had to look to see when you had changed settings,rather than telling by ear.Admittedly the stock bridge pup is slightly thinner sounding than the Aguilar,but not by much.But I like that.Also I've never liked that style of tuner on that style of headstock.Elephant ears forever! Great review as always though.😁

[@LowEndLobster]

During editing I thought the same thing. TBH the stock P was the star here, and though the PJ tone improved I don't think that this upgrade was really worth it (esp considering how good this bass was stock)

[@lipptech1]

I own one of these basses in black and I really feel that the pick up's are just fine for the bass and I will say that outside of a good needed setup of ANY bass you buy. This bass has all that a bass player needs without changing anything out ! Just play the bass like you would any old fender and you will be happy !!

[@tortolita633]

To my ears these Aguilar pickups are a clear improvement.

[@DiogoBaeder]

There's something I like about the stock pickups, but I think it was a nice upgrade overall. The slap tone on the DCBs though is massively better!

[@stushwartz]

Great Vid again 🦞P Pickup I think I prefer the original, Neck The Roswell you are right a bit twangy ,DCB much more rounded, Maybe Aguilar set AP4 Hot and Matching neck would be good . Still for the price of the bass, Not to worries about messing around with it , Price for Features its great value . All the best 🤘🤘

[@michaelcreel534]

I don't entirely dislike it, but compared to the original, it sounds a little "harsh" to my ears. I have a cheap Ibanez SR375EF fretless and I was going to spend around $280 on 2 Bart Original soapbar pups and a 3 band NTMB preamp. But I tried some DR Fatbeam compression wound strings and it really sings with the cheapo stock pickups! I think I'll leave well enough alone. Great review, Lobster! You are truly a wealth of knowledge and an excellent player!

[@degeest5571]

Dang…that sounds awesome 🤩

[@Earthshaker1965]

The clarity and snap of the Aguilar pickups are fantastic.

[@leighcoulson2148]

Nice ...agree, I think just changing the j would be fine but slight upgrade

[@kaganozmeric9822]

If I hear right Aguilar has more oomph in the low mid region which can be desired for some genres. But overall, with some eq work they can be made sound identical. By the way I like those HB JB Gotoh series: nice colors, retro vibe block inlays, binding, decent hardware, quite useful sound with stock electronics... Thanks for the comparison 🤘

[@markblackstad8705]

I have a few Harley Benton bases with the Roswell pups in and for the most part really like them and have left them in so far. They can be quite noisy (especially soloed Js) so that in itself may be worth the switch out alone. I have the Mustang version of that bass, same color and pickguard and did your push pull mod to it. Thanks! That mod really helped out that bass and added much more tonal versatility! BTW, I am playing it at church on our worship team this Sunday!

[@anotherrandombassguitarcha9482]

I feel the same way. I like those Roswells, which is a better option compared to the Wilkinson jazz pickups that were being used in earlier Harley Benton models.

[@grantkoeller8911]

I love the color

[@AudioNyq]

The Aguilar bridge pickup sounds a lot better to me than the stock pickup. The Aguilar P-pickup possibly has a slightly more "refined" sound than the stock, but to be honest I think I prefer the stock P-pickup. Either way, the Harley Benton MV-4PJ Gotoh looks like a terrific bass for not much money - it's on my wish list ;-)

[@schreds8882]

I have a little Ibanez Mikro bass which is super fun to play but like you, I'm not in love with the jazz pickup. I've considered changing out the J but didn't wan to fuss with pickups that may not be balanced. Thoughts?

[@BlommaBaumbart]

I preferred the original J pickup. Didn't expect that.

[@enricoviappiani4305]

I like the stock pickup more

[@TheMlvswoll]

Tone is more modern but sounds great. Lacks a little of the traditional pbass bottom end.

[@rustyshackelford4503]

I’ll echo your own sentiments as well as most on here. They do sound nominally different, but honestly if you just gave me two random AB samples here I wouldn’t really say one is a clear winner. The aggies slap a little better, but the Roswell’s have more bite. They’re just different. Definitely not an upgrade. Lateral move

[@Klejpull123]

Perfect example for why not to bother with changing pickups, difference is so little noticible that it's not worth money and time.

[@Bassdriver]

There is no major difference between the P pickups (the Aguilar has a bit more top end) but with both pickups on the Aguilar set sounds better. Is it that so much better as to justify the price, remains up for debate.

[@LowEndLobster]

I agree TBH. Notice I'm not really gushing about the tone of these pickups. The stock ones were great performers, and this project definitely shows that not all 'upgrades' are upgrades. Not to say all pickup swaps aren't worth it, because I really enjoy the new DiMarzio PJ setups a lot (and they vary greatly in tone), but I don't feel like this upgrade was really worth it overall. That's why I like to approach these as a "let's see what happens" instead of feigning joy and satisfaction just to lie to myself that something was worth it. Some will be winners, others definitely won't be!

[@wanieldeir2]

@@LowEndLobster It's not a lie if you believe it! At least that's what I tell myself if I spend an inordinate amount of time on a project and the juice wasn't worth the squeeze.

[@samuelbrainsample]

Is the bridge position noise-cancelling? I think that is a must for me. I've ordered a set of SD STK-J2 for the Paranormal.

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Thanks for Sharing Lobster 🦞 🇬🇧

[@MutantNetwork]

Nice! Love aguilar

[@tibi1687]

this with a Darkglass tone capsule... Glory, i think!

[@revlewisrees9880]

I’m not sure if the J pickup (any noise issues aside) sounded greatly better than stock. Personally, I doubt whether they upgrade would be worth it - but then I’m a notorious skinflint.

[@dylanfairhurst7837]

As someone with this bass I was really eager to see what you did with it since I share your feelings about the j pickup being the only real weak spot. I was thinking about keeping the P and just replacing the j with something different to keep the P sound nice when its alone but have a unique sound when they are together or just the J. Would you recommend the Lace Aluma J or the Dimarzio Relentless/Sixties? I see you have used them on other basses so your ideas would be appreciated.

[@LowEndLobster]

I have a few videos coming up with the new DiMarzio Sixties PJ setup.... Probably my favorite PJ pickup combo to date. Will have a comparison with the Relentless too, but the Sixties P is SO GOOD (we've already demoed that in my Sire P5 4 string with rounds, but this time we have flats and the PJ setup!)

[@dylanfairhurst7837]

@@LowEndLobster That's great to hear! I'm looking forward to seeing them then! Yeah my initial plan was to just replace the J but I've heard (and seen here) how great the Sixties P is so was on the fence about whether I should just get a balanced set rather than different pickups. Depending on the next video about the PJ it might just help that decision.

[@JGSandman38]

@@LowEndLobster would this PJ setup work fine/be a good upgrade in a Mustang SS or Squier VM SS?

[@ironblast5]

I would shield the cavities but otherwise it sounds much better now

[@bnutz3k]

I'm mad at them for discontinuing that color.

[@JGSandman38]

How would you say the HB compares to a Sire with similar specs?

[@anotherrandombassguitarcha9482]

The Sires are really nice,....they have their advantages. However, the main issue that Sire active jazz bass have is the confusing seven-knob controls on the preamp. The Sires cost significantly more than the Harley Bentons. The real advantage to a Harley Benton is that you have an EXCELLENT platform for upgrades. The fit and finish on Harley Benton passive jazz basses are much better that of the Fender Squiers,...have you ever played a Made In Mexico Fender?.....They are absolutely horrendous.

[@JGSandman38]

@@anotherrandombassguitarcha9482 thanks, that is good info! Didn’t realize that about the Sires. I want a Jazz to mess with but don’t want to spend a ton. I already have an AmPro P & a PJ jaguar so not really wanting to go all in on a higher end jazz. Might be fun to mod an HB if I can’t find a good deal on something like a Reggie Hamilton model Jazz. Thx 🙏🏽

[@brooksonly7337]

Would you consider selling the bass? Would love to have it in that color! Im very interested in buying it.

[@LowEndLobster]

Sold this about a month ago unfortunately

[@LowEndLobster]

Unrelated, guess who finally bought a Tony Franklin fretless? hahaha

[@brooksonly7337]

@@LowEndLobster no way!

[@brooksonly7337]

Funny...im in the processs of trying to sell mine. Ha ha ha

[@brooksonly7337]

@@LowEndLobster remember make me famous! LOL HAHA

[@TheDarkKnight73]

hmm so put back the p pickup and your good. 😁

[@Bassdriver]

With both pickups on, there is an improvement, but overall, I don't think it justifies the price. As far as I know, DiMarzio makes some of the best balanced PJ sets so that might be the way to go. But yeah, HARLEY BENTON, GIVE US THE PEEPEE!!!! ...Ummm, that didn't sound right, did it

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks BD! I 100% agree. I have another couple DiMarzio vids on the editing block including the Sixties PJ set, and a comparo between that and the Relentless PJ. Big difference between them!

[@chriscockey7649]

Old pups sound better when using both,and old P is better.

[@ninovalenti96]

Hmm… Kinda likes the stock pickups better.

[@cmharris67]

wHeRe iS tHe cNz miNi uPgrAde viDeoooooooo????? .... j/k This one is dope as well.

[@spencerh1428]

Can I buy this off of you?

[@LowEndLobster]

Sadly this already sold. I'll usually post stuff on Reverb after I'm done with it, but a video may not come out for a month or two. Keep an eye on my store :)

[@hunybadgerbill]

Huhuhu you said PP! Huhuh!

[@meyersguitars2196]

The Aguilar sound like EMG with being very flat response. I may actually like the stock neck better and who really cares about thdd we bridge pup. You really only need one pickup to rule them all