Harley Benton PB-50 SB Vintage Series Bass

This Bass on Thomann* ► bit.ly/HBPB50SB
Thanks for watching! :)
Gregor Fris - BassTheWorld.com
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*The links above are affiliate links. If you order something from this website after clicking it, we get a little kickback, which supports our channel. If you decide to do that - thank you very much!
This video was sponsored by Harley Benton. This fact doesn't influence my opinions or test results. Technically it is considered to be an ad, even if that is not the intended purpose.

[@martyrofgrenth2136]

It's nice to see you review a more affordable bass. All those basses that cost thousands of dollars are great and amazing, but I think this kind of video is good also for bass players who are new or people who want to get into bass.

[@skooterbrah]

I just received mine, and I am very, very pleased. Frets were perfect, no sprouts or rough edges. Neck was straight, and string height was almost perfect. Fit and finish are flawless. I seriously can't find any bad spots. The wood grain is very nice, as well. Tuners work smoothly, and hold tune. As for the sound, it has a very distinct P-bass thump. Honestly, it is one quarter of the price of the cheapest Fender, but it holds it's own! Definitely better than anything Squire makes. The only thing that I am going to change is the strings. This bass is just screaming for a good set of flat wound strings! If you want a vintage looking, and sounding P-bass, I highly recommend it!

[@chrisb48907]

still liking it ?

[@discobassgroove]

Hows the noise with the single coil pickup and wiring? Debating if I should change pickups when mine comes

[@CoenBijpost]

It’s so great that HB actually put a vintage correct neck on this thing! I totally didn’t expect that. I get that beginners want thin necks, but I don’t. I want big, fat, meaty necks on my guitars and basses. And most of the time you need to go custom shop for that. Go HB! Cool move!

[@richardrichard5409]

A proper early 50s Fender P (not a reissue) neck is bigger than this...they are proper bassball necks in comparison 😎

[@beltube]

unfortunately the finish on it feels terrible and the frets are unreasonably sharp 🫤 going to get it set up eventually but it's still very annoying

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Baswood is also used on guitars costing 1000's euros. Suhr and many other companies

[@balazsszomor5964]

Yes, it all depends on the care when choosing the particular slab of wood and the effort put into preparing it to become an instrument.

[@ricardog.s2505]

And most Fender Japan instruments!

[@gregory7958]

The best bass i've ever bought. It's cheap and it plays awesome.

[@michaelgarrett8281]

I plan on buying one in about a week. My biggest fear is that they'll get so popular that Harley Benton will raise the price!

[@immanuelrohy]

Really enjoy seeing Lars play in these videos!

[@alessandrogouveia2268]

Theres a Band in Berlin that the Bassist Uses one. Awesome sounds and very versatile

[@GergodrKos]

I'm falling in love, with this PBass!!! I need one! :) Thanks for this video!

[@bassist12345]

You guys should do the Harley Benton B-650! There aren't many budget sixers out there, so it would be awesome to see a good review on that one.

[@basstheworldofficial]

@Meon - you know what to do ;)

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Sounds like a plan! :)

[@lordisern3024]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHKQlXmufN57l7c

[@hang-sangitch]

This is a great review. Your channel is invaluable for bass reviews. Seriously thorough and to the point! Nice work!

[@basstheworldofficial]

Thanks 🙂

[@mac163]

7:24 Sabotage! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[@Fonkemman]

Hell yeah

[@rodoherty1]

That blues solo was fantastic!!

[@jacobbylling4433]

Do more Harley Benton reviews!

[@basstheworldofficial]

+Jmb Cool aye aye Sir ;)

[@blocksnstuff14]

I always thought that those type of basses sound the best when you really dig into the strings

[@KozmykJ]

The opening sample reminded me so much of Tim Bogert's sound in the old Beck, Bogert & Appice days. That's got to be a good thing IMO.

[@viksm9379]

i own one. best money i have ever spent ! infact i own 3 Harleys, a pb shorty , the pb50 and the MB4 sb. they are just the most unbelievable basses for the money. buy one !

[@KnightingaleRock]

3 Harleys? For one moment we thought you meant Harley Davidson motorcycles ;)

[@elsdvm]

I have one of these and after some minor setup adjustments (action, truss rod) and some experiments with different strings I like it very much. Keep it in my den so I can pick it up whenever. Lots of fun. Amazing value/fun ratio!!!

[@lordisern3024]

Every bass sounds great when Lars plays them! :)

[@lordovwitchcraft1665]

Wish they had them in black!

[@theharleybentonclub3144]

Great to see an HB on BassTheWorld!!

[@hiephoi058]

Can you please review the Harley Benton PJ-74

[@jameslewis2635]

I would be highly tempted to buy one of these and install something like a Seymour Duncan Hotrails pickup in it. Personally I think that this type of bass is more attractive to seasoned players than newer ones as most new players are more likely to go for either a more modern P bass, Jazz bass type or a budget contemporary instrument.

[@juanjan__]

(three years later.....) you should check the video in which Bully Thakidd (that's the name of the channel) did exactly this

[@matthewbeckwith663]

I found the notion of beginners needing and benefiting from thinner necks to be a misconception. That advice was the norm, so I started with an Ibanez SR bass because of its "fast neck." I then moved to a Squier Jag with a jazz style neck. My fretting technique platuaed and I developed carpel tunnel. I fell in love with the Pbass sound and picked one up - I instantly noticed that my playing was more comfortable, smoother, and after a few weeks carpel tunnel symptoms disappeared. When I try to play on a small neck today, all of the sloppiness and discomfort returns. The chunky Pbass was key for me. Side note - I have small hands.

[@manonbassguitar]

Dammit, I want a red one, until I saw your sunburst. Now I can’t decide which one.

[@thebassrogue]

I really wish this was sold here in Brazil! It's really good!

[@gioigeniale6711]

Cool review. I play such a Bass. Excellent wood, body as the fat neck (maple on maple!). The tuners are good. I painted this instrument candy apple red, the pickguard antique white. Then I put on flatwounds. And I replaced the PU by a Symour Duncan. My upgrades costs about the same as the bass. So I got a valuable bass, outstanding look & sound. As a double bass player it fits perfectly to me. A very cool instrument for very little money.

[@anatol07]

i would play that bass all day long :D

[@ChickenSagittarius]

I have this bass and I love it, didn't have to make any alterations to it, came out of the box ready to go, no even fret buzz, I now own 3 Harley Benton basses and wouldn't play anything else, great value for money and solid guitars

[@nikklazz]

Music man has a LOT of expensive instruments made of basswood. And my Fender jazz MIJ for like 1500usd is basswood. But still I want one of these aswell

[@oscarsantos2608]

Should do a hb vs. Fender 50s pbass. That would be interesting!

[@basstheworldofficial]

An original 50s? 😉

[@oscarsantos2608]

@@basstheworldofficial yeah! That would be a cool comparison! Thanks for your really cool videos!

[@MrTimdriver]

Four years later this is now on sale for 100 euros, I bought a b-stock one last year for 107 euros. It’s great!

[@charleslambiase5670]

just to head stock should be at Le Tele Style or 51p Style however for what it is this bass sounds great

[@HelterSkelter117]

Put some flatwounds on that thing and it will sound a million times better.

[@nolanbridger2709]

I know Im pretty off topic but do anyone know of a good place to watch newly released series online?

[@antoniorhys261]

@Nolan Bridger I watch on FlixZone. You can find it on google :)

[@jaxxdamien7452]

@Antonio Rhys yup, I've been using Flixzone for since march myself :)

[@nolanbridger2709]

@Antonio Rhys Thank you, I went there and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :) I really appreciate it!

[@antoniorhys261]

@Nolan Bridger You are welcome :)

[@TheMills567]

Whats better than a $9k Fedora? A really great sounding inexpensive bass! I have always said, with an unlimited budget it's hard to NOT make a great bass. But to me the real magic, ingenuity and engineering cleverness is displayed in a great sounding "cheap" basses or guitars. That is WAY harder to pull off. I own a couple boutique-ish basses, and sometimes my fave to play is the $175 NEW el cheapo. I won't name it cause I don't wanna step all over this review with a name drop.

[@basstheworldofficial]

I think the same. I own a number of "hi-end" basses. My best sounding one is still a cheap Sunn P-Bass from the 80s that I bought for 170€ on eBay. Unfortunately it's a fretless...

[@isher9035]

The problem I have is everybody that makes a '51 or '54 P bass always uses the P-bass rout or the '50's SCPB rout. I have one that's a Chinese one that uses a standard Strat single coil rout, and it sounds GREAT with hot alnico bladed pickups.

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

Just a thing - ingenuity means being dumb.

[@colmwatulikededazio973]

I want to buy a cheap bass but is it this or the jb20 or the pb4 for the same price...why not do a compare 5 hb basses ?

[@arthurmarek8418]

Thank you for this review, I also cannot understand how it can be so cheap…will buy it and see!

[@2000SkyView]

How does that sound so good?

[@ayao28]

I was just considering this bass yesterday, thanks for the upload!!

[@thegoose0m1]

If you think about it, why would you use anything but "bass wood" to build a bass with? I would think if one were to build a table, table wood would be the way to go and so on....😁

[@ibendiben]

But if you really care about quality, treewood is the best.

[@richardrichard5409]

Would Popular be popular too?

[@richardrichard5409]

Green Gartside reckons Wood Beez good for bass.

[@markbass354]

Very nice bass Gregor I prefer the thick neck because I have big hands.

[@miky8788]

i have mod the headstock .. now is look like an hold original p-50

[@2508wolfman]

How did you modify, Miky?

[@dusaovox]

Miky ॐ Could you tell us more about it ?!

[@juanjan__]

Hi! Great video, very informative in sound and specs! My question is: does it buzz? As a single pickup this can be an issue that I'd rather not have. Thanks!

[@kevmac1230]

I hear zipper effect as he moves on the neck,and it's not him.The bass looks great and not bad sounding but maybe a good set up will do it.Potential is there.I was thinking of this because I wanted a red 50s p. the shipping costs almost as much as the bass.

[@iperTONYco]

is it possible to adjust truss rod and settle strings's action in this cheap bass model?

[@bassatisfaction]

If this guy talking advertised every bass in the world, I'd probably buy every bass in the world.

[@richardrichard5409]

Loving that blues riff mid video😎

[@richardrichard5409]

Ahh, the tone wood thing. If you think that an early 50's P bass is or has the tone of bass playing angels.....the inconvenient truth is very unromantic. Leo used 8/4 boards (planks) of Ash as it was cheap (a box wood) easily available, took machining well and reasonably stable to keep the strings tight. 8 quarters are 2 inch, hence 8/4 in lumber speak. 8/4 board or 'eight quarter' means you have just enough wood to plane and then sand both faces, hence the usual Fender body thickness of 1 and 5/8ths to 1 and 11/16ths. Cheap, available, suitability to machining in a nutshell. There are other woods that meet this parameter so Fender changed a few times, then marketing wised up to vanity woods, afterall a bsss isn't just for Christmas so why not make them pay for a pretty one.

[@ResoBridge]

As you say this is a great bass, it looks cool, plays well and sounds great. It is a very affordable way to get a bass of this 50's design. BUT on my particular sample the nut has a curved bottom and the neck slot has a flat bottom. They cut the nut pretty low to start with and over the short period I have had this bass it has developed bad string buzz in the first position, it seem the curved nut is slowly collapsing under string tension. The second problem is that the pickup is starting to fall apart. Like a lot of basses the pickup is fitted on top of a block of hard foam rubber to act as a spring. Unfortunately the rubber block is quite short and the pressure from it against the screws holding the pickup down has bent the bottom plate and started peeling it away from the coil and the magnets.

[@TheBassfresh]

that bass sounds great! according to my state forester brother basswood is the only tree in the forest that emits an actual not when struck by an axe handle or pole...it is very resonate

[@richardrichard5409]

😂😂😂 Brilliant

[@TheKimgower]

Very much enjoyed this review. Thanks !

[@outalingamcrap9366]

Woyeah! Chuck Rainey, James Jamerson, Bob Babbitt, Duck Dunn and Rocco Prestia tones on the fly!

[@stevecaldwell5416]

My fender squire works great, as a novice bass player, im interested in New bass left handed bass players, and noteation also- Thanks for the information, play on-- Bassmen! from a disabled veteran who loves playing🎼🎸🔢

[@paultraynorbsc627]

excellent reviews keep up the good work best wishes

[@basstheworldofficial]

+Paul Traynor thank you :)

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Your welcome

[@nikolacvetkovic2276]

Great bass, I have red one and it holds itself quite good with distorted Fender , Peavey and Ibanez guitars in my band. Only thing it needs is a good setup and better nut. Also would be nice if that pickup (that has very good sound) is noiseless. Of course impossible thing at that price.

[@suprbird]

Just ordered one to go with my telecaster. Ordered it in the red and ordered a white pearl pickguard.

[@donjorge8329]

I like this thing...would you really recommend it?

[@basstheworldofficial]

Yes, it’s a very decent bass for its money

[@BassAdvisor]

Sold out in Thomann. Deliveries in two months or so. Partly your fault ;) I think it's a great option for such a particular bass. I wonder how has to sound with a high end pickup.

[@bassgaming5094]

Martí Sanmartí I put a Seymour Duncan quarter pounder in mine, the original wilkinson sounded better!

[@jacktowers7533]

they're made to the same quality and often in the same factory of the Squier range from fender, they're just cheaper because Thomann cut out the middle men

[@richardrichard5409]

No, they aren't. Squiers are made by Cort. The Harley Bentons come from factories, latest ones are coing out of Vietnam. 😎

[@jacktowers7533]

@@richardrichard5409 Harley Benton come out of lots of factories in south east Asia like Korea, Vietnam, China and Indonesia The production lines rub shoulders with (and are built to the same standard as) Squier, Epiphone, LTD, Gretsch, Schecter, Vintage (the Wilkinson brand), and even Solar and Chapman when coming out of the World Music Factory in Seoul While we’re at it, Some squires are produced by The Cort Korean factory but turns out so are some Harley Benton’s, also other Squier’s are made elsewhere my Jazz Bass was made in Indonesia and my Tele was milled in China and assembled in Mexico ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ you don’t know everything mate

[@iPauli1993]

Nice!!! Didn't expect such cool sounds. Also a really good demo, like always ;) But does it have any noticable dead spots?

[@jaco9232]

Mine has no dead spots. It really is a good bass.

[@callmedeno]

I got this bass and my action at the 12th fret is like 4.5 mm, its my first bass but surely thats very high? The strings start out low and as they go up the neck they go what seems like really high. Also the pickups catch these really odd frequencies if I do anything more than the lightest of pluck.

[@basstheworldofficial]

You need to tighten the truss rod. There should be an allan key in the package to do that

[@callmedeno]

@@basstheworldofficial Thanks a lot! I just tried that, and also lowered the saddle so it plays much better. Only thing is notes further down the fretboard aren't quite in tune, I've heard it takes some hours to settle, but what is the adjustment that impacts intonation the most? Also, what are the screws going into the saddle for (that are going in in the direction of the strings), should they be as tight as possible?

[@Snandra66]

@@callmedeno The screws in your bridge that are holding the rollers that your strings lay on are what you use to adjust intonation.

[@TheDp1965]

Very cool bass and ultra inexpensive..

[@69luca_33]

I've got one of theolder ones with the Wilkinson PU

[@orionsharmony9845]

Sounds so good!

[@markporter1901]

I like mine enough that I’m getting the cherry Ted as a back-up.

[@christiangarcia7458]

Have you seen the Harley Benton PB-20 yet? I own that bass since 2014 and I would like to know what do you think about it (in my opinion, it's a good bass for beginners and really affordable)

[@AttitudeCastle]

If they did one of these with a P pickup I'd buy it in a heartbeat!

[@juanjan__]

well they do now: the P20

[@ThomasMLampe]

if you put a fender pbass pickup cover up there, is there still enough space to play near the neck? Great video as always!

[@usta028]

I'm kinda on the fence about getting a bass with simple controls. In the beginning it seemed to appeal me more but in the end I got a bass with an active EQ and sometimes I still think about getting a no frills bass.

[@richardrichard5409]

Had all the active basses over the years and..... ......now all my bassrs are passive. 😎

[@lengyelgu]

basswood is fine, check out Japanese jazz basses

[@kongandbasses8732]

....and Ernie Ball MusicMan Bongo Basses. They are made of basswood as well.

[@lengyelgu]

Anyway, I feel the body wood contribution to sound is not convincing for me, I think the state of the wood (dry etc) and the construction of the instrument has more to do with the sound, like neck joint, bridge, and the amp you play through. And today, with active electronics you can improve the sound as much as you want, but try to construct a great sounding bass with passive circuits, it is hard because active electronics have changed our expectations concerning how a bass should sound

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

And Suhr guitars.

[@RubenFarzati]

Hi! I find your reviews very usefull, and I would like to know which model from Harley Benton try to imitate the Fender Musicmaster or Fender Mustang, just in case they have done this. I appreciatte any comments. Thanks!

[@roda3110]

Hallo. I saw some of this bass has different head shape also. It's like sting precision bass with jazz bridge. Does thomann has it? Thank you

[@jobass]

Very nice bass!

[@davelock3166]

Great bass, but Lars is a great bass player!

[@jusztinnemeti6380]

How is the fretwork? Sharp edges? High frets? Is the nut cut correctly?

[@oldboy229]

Worth every cent

[@deccers6459]

I wish there was other finishes

[@jorgesxbass7606]

nice tones!!

[@rpsequeira]

Hi. Nice review. What about the weight? Any neckdive?

[@benchinho]

does anyone know if this neck would fit on the normal P-bass from Harley Benton? the neck pocket looks rounded...

[@balazsszomor5964]

Good looking backup bass for a punk rocker, haha! :D

[@pascalezimmermann9003]

You conviced me to buy one ! thanks :)

[@stevecaldwell5416]

Pascale Zimmermann How much money ? for the HD?

[@savanaviolenta]

Pascale Zimmermann me too I couldnt pass this bass its too good ive always wanted a maple fretboard p bass and tgat 50s style is just killer,cant wait for another two weeks until it arrive.

[@joshuavanscoyk9404]

Is the thumb rest removeable?

[@janlicek4160]

Which is better? The PB-50 or the JB-75 ?

[@basstheworldofficial]

+Jan Licek there's no better or worse, they're just different

[@janlicek4160]

I understand, but which do you like more ?

[@vincentkoster6291]

The jb-75's are said to be REALLY heavy, which is too bad because they look soooo good

[@giorgiodeluca6154]

Think the same, which is better?

[@vamps_vids]

I've got the same bass, but mine was 10€ cheaper... but the body wood was described as "lime wood"

[@someone3662]

One question before I order this bad boy. Is this a single coil pickup? Will I have the 60 cycle hum?

[@basstheworldofficial]

Yes it’s a real single coil

[@someone3662]

@@basstheworldofficial Yes, I mean it wasn't really audible in the demo and I was wondering how it will be in rehearsals and home practice

[@osipworks]

Is the neck wider than a standard PBass?

[@richardrichard5409]

Not really

[@telmopereira7372]

Help me out guys!! Do you think that its possible to install a p bass pickups in this bass?

[@basstheworldofficial]

Only if you route out a bigger cavity for it

[@eddieperez9565]

I want one!!!!!!!!!

[@wobamusic]

Hey Gregor, even if I am German too I write you in english. So that more people understand ( I hope so ;-)) My question; How about deadspots? That's for me always important. I found them very often even on high priced basses. They can be really annoying. Thanks for your reply and thumbs up for your channel. Great stuff. All the best

[@basstheworldofficial]

+Wolfgang Bachmann this one was fine, but the next could have some. You never know...

[@kongandbasses8732]

If you find a deadspot feel free to use the 30-days return policy of Thomann. They'll send you another one.

[@willg8742]

Sounds like a 50s bass

[@demofactory]

I would love to put a passive humbucker in one of these basses.

[@richardrichard5409]

It's called a telebass😎

[@demofactory]

@@richardrichard5409 Not correct friend. Telebass has a single coil pick up. I was talking about a humbucker pick up.

[@jamieholmes6087]

Listen to to his hand on the fret board.

[@primozhrovat699]

Is there any difference in sound between this pickup and later P bass pickup?

[@basstheworldofficial]

Sure. This is a singlecoil so it has more highs and a bit less bottom end

[@alessiocairo2994]

Did you apply any post-production equalization or is the sound of the bass as it has been recorded?

[@basstheworldofficial]

+Alessio Cairo I rarely use EQ, but compression, sometimes a bit of overdrive (1st sample) and a cab simulation to add some warmth

[@alessiocairo2994]

thanks so much for answer 😊

[@St0nice]

ciao, the neck dimension is the same of fender Tele bass '68? thanks

[@JCBigCat]

“Size”

[@scottmatthews172]

I don't understand why they didn't just go all the way a put a Telecaster style headstock on it.

[@TheVascomaria]

Hi, can you make a check of a new pickup Roswell VTN4 Vista Alnico-5P?

[@savanaviolenta]

Vasco Maria Cleri thats the exact pickup that's in that bass.

[@tomek9966]

The "only" work I have done was frets levelling and painting unpainted fretboard between 2 frets. Everything else great for it`s price.... Friend of mine also got one without painted fretboard in between 2 frets... - what da hell?

[@okantonio92]

Is the overdriven riff the Beasty Boys song "Sabotage"?

[@Mipster_]

Not really overdriven AFAIK, I have this bass, it naturally distorts a bit on hard playing. That's part of what I like, though :P

[@caplippi]

Antonio Frascogna it is indeed. :)

[@TexasRigged]

damn it's got some bite to it

[@kubahurvajzcz]

I actually bought this bass in red color, it is great for the money, however, it had some issues. The nut was cut too deep on the D string so it buzzed and almost muted while played open D. The high mass bridge is cool but it started to lift a little bit after a year. The pickup poles were not alligned with strings and the E sting was almost above the pole, so when I was picking upwards, the string was too far away and the signal was weak to none (and when finger picking you're only striking upward). But the sound was nice and I kind of made an emotional bond so I upgraded it. New nut, drill strings through body, new electronics and - of course - new pickup. I put a Seymour Duncan Antiquity Jazz Single coil to the bridge position and threw away that horrible Roswell thing. However, my luthier who did the upgrade noticed there is a bow on the neck between 1st and 5th-7th fret that couldn't be fixed without taking the frets off and basically filing a new fretboard profile. Still it's very playable.