Is This $155 Thunderbird A Beauty Or A Bust?! - Harley Benton TB-70VS [Demo]

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[@Charlesbakowski]

Say what you will about neck dive, muddy tone, three point bridge... the thunderbird is one of the coolest looking basses ever made!

[@ilpatongi]

Yeah but what's the point if you can't play one?

[@billfraser1491]

@@ilpatongi you can play it. People who are complaining miss the tone of a great bass

[@ilpatongi]

@@billfraser1491 You surely can play it, but with those flaws it won't be easy.

[@2und2sind4]

I have an Epiphone Firebird and easily got rid off the neck dive by moving the upper strap pin. I put it on the back just below the neck joint. Worked like a charm

[@WakizashiSabre]

And you you mean TB or Fender Jaguar? :P

[@TheBassChannel]

I was sincerely surprised by this bass. It sounds and plays well beyond its price point.

[@hifijohn]

You don't to spend great deal to get a decent bass, I have a $100 rogue 5 string and it's really not a bad guitar.

[@WeZte]

could you review the Harley Benton "rickenbacker"?

[@loutrec4375]

I was looking for a serious review and demo of that one because I cannot really afford a proper ricky. I just hope that you can mod the hell out of it

[@driverbass1554]

Yes this!!!

[@kirtfulcher6288]

If you go to www.talkbass.com/threads/i-own-a-harley-benton-club.1123735/ you can find lots of info on various HBs, including the current run of the Ric clone w/ sound and/or video clips. I couldn't pull one out of the hat, but they are there... I do recall they have non-wax potted pickups as they strive to be authentic in their reproduction...

[@bassman3235]

YES PLEASE

[@louie8604]

There's a guy called Johnny dibble who has done a pretty good review

[@kerplunk9292]

I love how it always looks like he’s having fun when he’s playing

[@tmb1065]

looks like he’s constipated

[@rikosborne1212]

What convinced me to subscribe to your channel? You don't launch into a slap solo for every demo like most others do.

[@aarondavis4341]

Thunderbirds are the only basses I've ever played that you don't need a ton of compression,they sound so compressed and tight just plugged in

[@Owen-ne6pe]

i still like using compression on my embassy which is very similar to a tbird

[@PhullyNo1]

The Gibson doesn’t have as much as these pickups, it does show some internal compression and I’ve always wondered why.

[@marsmediapro]

Right on!

[@sixsentsoldiers]

Patrick, you can make most anything bass a beauty with your playing.

[@louie8604]

Just as i was looking for a thunderbird, keep up the great content my dude.

[@WattchomanBrandySavage]

this bass is BEGGING for EMG's. looks like a quality candidate for a fun mod project.

[@b_olson542]

That is how I tend to view the Harley Bentons at large.

[@visiblesailorsstorys8918]

It’s not i put some in and it sounded awful.

[@WattchomanBrandySavage]

@@visiblesailorsstorys8918 That's a shame, sorry to hear. :/

[@Irkin_Bollikans]

@@visiblesailorsstorys8918 because emg's sound awful...

[@complexambtn10]

Dude I threw some emgs on it and with my darkglass photon it made for a gnarly metal tone

[@joshbeast8599]

I will have to say this plays better and sounds better then a lot of other Basses at a higher price range!!🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@TheKaappari]

I honestly love the sound of the thunderbird. I have the pickups in a 2011 Gibson Explorer bass and it has the biggest tone I've heard from a bass. The explorer doesn't even have neck dive issues as the headstock is so slim compared to the T-bird. I think one day I will custom order a Fender style bass with the T-bird pickups.

[@samroberts6335]

ive got an epi thunderbird gothic, and i absolutely love it. yes, it has massive neck dive, yes it ha(d)s a three point bridge (upgraded to a hipshot, well worth the money) but... the sound. the look. im in the midst of some body mods akin to the dingwall d roc and putting a mudbucker in the bridge and i cant stress how much i miss playing it right now.

[@Havanacuba1985]

First bass I played a friend had one in his collection and I loved it,never owned one though

[@tullyDT]

move your strap button the back of the body just below the neck joint, that'll eliminate the neck dive issue

[@samroberts6335]

@@tullyDT have done that now, also moved the tail end button up onto the point of the furthest out part which seems to have helped

[@tullyDT]

@@samroberts6335 Glad to hear you were able to get it sorted

[@IngwarMuller]

I love Thunderbirds and build one myself. Alder body, mahogany neck, wenge fretboard. With 36 inch scale there is absolutely no neck dive! First I put EMG TBDC pickups in it, but I don't like the tone. So I put EMG 35 DCs and that was the right decision because it's now THUNDERGOD!!! I will never buy Gibson or Epiphone. Also, I hate 3 point bridges too)))

[@re_se6375]

i really like how you are talking an explaining. I'm not a native english speaker so it's really nice to listen to you talking

[@finrot_crapbag]

In the 80s when I wanted my first good bass I saved up for a firebird after watching Pete Way look so cool with UFO. When I finally tried one I hated everything about it and bought a neck through Ibanez Roadster instead!!

[@christophermitchell1827]

I understand dude. It was after i wanted that ric 4001 after seeing geddy lee play it. But after i actually tried one out, i realized i needed my own instrument😁😁😁😁😁

[@viperkeeper]

I have the real deal, 1978 Gibson T-Bird. This brand is a nice option for the price.

[@adamkarkowski1545]

that PHAT riff from 1:00 mark made me click "buy". Daaaamn son, thats some tasty playing.

[@SDMF04]

My awesome Thunderbird was stolen from a gig. I love my Thunderbird and had to go from that to a borrowed old '77 Jazz. I might try to find one of these to beat around on until I can afford another Gibson. Thanks for the video!!!

[@caseypayne5138]

I just got one of these and...man, it sounds awesome. Having new, bright strings really helps but I think it's honestly one of the cooler things you can get from Thomann

[@jameslewis2635]

I have an Epiphone Thunderbird and it is one of my favorite all-time basses in terms of sounds. The trouble with it is the afforementioned neck-dive, the weight and the three point bridge. Being made of mahogany the weight is an issue when playing in a band (assuming you can get past the neck dive). Personally I don't have any problems with the sound getting muddy, I just use lighter guage roundwound strings which stay relatively bright and set up my tone at the amplifier. For me the best way to play these basses are sat down in the studio. If I was making a Thunderbird inspired instrument I would flip the body shape to fix the neck-dive, install a proper bridge on the thing and possibly reduce the size of the headstock.

[@larylhuntington5398]

I hope Harley benton gets around to making a Les Paul bass. I'd buy it. Overall, I think this t bird did great.

[@marvintimke3978]

I would like to see a SG bass by Harley Benton

[@Odiex27]

I just received the satin black version of this bass. I've never played a Thunderbird before and I'm still a beginner but my huge-ass hands and long arm span are a good fit for it. I love how it feels. The neck (on the satin version at least) is really easy to play and it looks gorgeous. I do want to replace the red tortoiseshell pickguard with just a black one, but that's just me.

[@Havanacuba1985]

I love the Matt black one ,I’ve just bought the warlock shaped one WB 20 bk ,can’t wait for it to arrive

[@alphanumeric1529]

Best looking headstock I've seen since Fender and Jackson. Damn, son.

[@crazycucco6793]

I kind of think that it looks better than the gibson and epiphone. Idk if I'm biased or not but the Thunderbird is one of my dream basses and the fact that I can get one of these for like 200 bucks is amazing!

[@alphanumeric1529]

@@crazycucco6793 Crazy Times... but are we making a deal with the devil!?

[@crazycucco6793]

@@alphanumeric1529 idk. It's really weird how they sell these instruments for such a cheap price. If that's what your talking about

[@gmon78]

@@crazycucco6793 I just ordered the HB Rick clone. Fingers crossed!

[@crazycucco6793]

@@gmon78 Nice. Hopefully it will be great

[@NealRobinette]

Nice video, bass sounded pretty good, imo. 👍 Also just wanted to mention that, some of the things you don't like about Thunderbirds - shape/ergonomics, sound, 3-point bridge - are some of the things I love about them 🙂

[@daveethridge7342]

I love the deep dark tone of my Epiphone Thunderbird. I have a padded leather strap, which helps with the neck dive.

[@SuperLemmy1916]

As a thunderbird player myself, i am with you on the 3 point bridge (got an hipshot the same week as the bass), and also on "muddy" character. It can be its charm but also its flaw, requires a lot of tweaking on your rig. You say that t-birds can sound pretty good depending on the amps they are ran trough, i'd be curious to hear from you a couple examples on which rigs for them would be optimal? thanks and keep up the good work

[@Garebear21]

Wow, never been this early. Just wanted say hope everyone is staying safe and sane!

[@JamesJohnson-hb1me]

I really really rreeeaaallly like Thunderbirds!... but not for playing. Thank you for the video!

[@thefool2007]

Nice bass. Tones are useful. Dark tone (blackcherry cola) but a decent one. For the price...it looks like a lot of fun.

[@dezsodebreceni4829]

The lower horn is just off 😖 Otherwise looks and sounds nice

[@rindred]

I think they deepened the cutaway for better upper-fret access. It does throw off the traditional lines, though; who really needs to go above the 16th fret on a Thunderbird?

[@xMidnightBASSx]

rindred Me..? For example I use the bass as a solo instrument. And I have a T-Bird. I use it as a bass as well, but yeah. The horn is a little off. Well. Copyright issues maybe..?

[@dezsodebreceni4829]

I completely get that it needs upper fret access, but the Dingwall d roc nails it better in my opinion. That Gibson RD-ish horn on the harley just doesn't fit... But for way less than 200 bucks, ffs that's a golden bass

[@RadityoPramAdi]

reminds me like ESP take on THunderbirds. Pretty similar...

[@bozhidarrachev9879]

No, it's the pickups. I think the neck pup is too close to the neck.

[@LowEndLobster]

Hell yeah! He's back!

[@022rty]

That reverse neck stock is sick!

[@jakeadams0412]

Sounds great to me! I loved the tone. Nice video.

[@kevmac1230]

Like all good players your tone is in your fingers.Every bass you play sounds similar,but nice.

[@shaunmatthews4601]

I’ve found that a thick leather strap and moving the strap pin from the bottom further up the wing helps eliminate the neck dive.

[@MuhaSore]

I use stainless steel strings to run from the mudiness lol Love the thunderbird sound and shape more than any other xD

[@darkySp]

One guy told me that Ernie Balls are a must for Thunderbirds, with the nickel-plated stainless steal, since they're super bright. Might actually be right

[@MuhaSore]

@@darkySp makes sense! I prefer the sound of new nickel strings, but it doesn't last long. stainless steel lasts forever lol

[@Havanacuba1985]

I love thunderbirds ,I like the Matt black one , am a huge Nikki Sixx fan

[@mrmystery8578]

Fuck yeah bro he was one of my inspirations to playing bass but my top inspiration is cliff burton from metallica or steve harris from iron maiden

[@gazfarr]

I’m starting a ‘death to the 3 point bridge club’ - who’s in?

[@maxsokolov7863]

Why the 3-point bridges even exist? :(

[@z3r0x456]

But why?

[@oscarmorales-cn3hz]

The sound is amazing!!!!!

[@irrsinnrainer]

Finally a decent demo of this thing! Thank you very much! But now I want it... so thanks for that, too.

[@shaunmatthews4601]

Do they have that cavity underneath the pickguard where the pickup wire runs through the body like on a Gibson/Epiphone Tbird? If not, I’d be tempted to leave the plate off to really show that finish!

[@sanjinadum9634]

When it comes to neck dive, Alex Camargo bassist for Krisiun has a great sollution.

[@mikealbright2470]

Your thoughts on the three point bridge alone was enough for a thumbs up! Hate those damn things!

[@ThomCate]

@6:30 the knob-fiddling truly shows off what this bass can do!

[@RossTheBossTrotter]

SO, how do you blend the pickups and or switch between them?

[@Granyonky]

I am purchasing it right now because of this video. Great job!

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

For the price, I have no complaints, I like mine.

[@vince8081]

It sounds really great for rock/metal & blues styles.

[@hodaridaniels8786]

The bass sounds clear and great because of the humbucking pickups on the Thunderbird bass.

[@zhengzhao3643]

Gibson Thunderbird user here. Killer looking，sounds way better when you play it LOUD! Mine has a ebony finger board and im using stainless steel strings, and always keep the Darkglass B7K + Alpha Omega on. Love the sound I got out of this combination. Heavy as FXXK，a nightmare when you play it sitting down. The bridge... looks cool but Patrick was right...

[@barrywebber100]

Another great value guitar from Harley Benton. Thanks for the review.

[@christiancain6603]

what song are you playing at 0:32?

[@charlesdigennaro4981]

I have a Rex brown signature. Headstock a little smaller than the vintage. No neck dive!

[@fernandogarajalde4066]

For $155 I'd buy one, rip off the neck and the bridge, then replace it with one of my stock Warmoths (or a Fender P-bass neck) and either a Wilkinson or Gotoh bridge. For laughs I'd probably use a vulture sticker on the pickguard. If that was good enough for John Entwistle then it's good enough for me.

[@alexskibicki2262]

I’m not a big fan of thunderbird basses, but this one doesn’t sound too bad. personally I’m a fan explorer styled basses(mainly because I like the look of the bass) and bass guitars like the schecter stiletto and ibanez soundgear bass. I also like Yamaha basses.

[@aarondavis4341]

This one sounds great,only 150$? Sold! To fix the neck dive,just buy a heavier bridge,I just did the same thing on my GLARRY 5 string,perfect fix

[@nikolacvetkovic2276]

Actually I really like the tone of that. I absolutely hate so called modern bass tone with way too much plinky jangly metallic sizzle into tone (I play precision with flatwounds), that is a guitarist job. Only thing I completely agree is that that 3 point bridge is just rubbish and that a neck dive is certainly a problem. Does it have a neck dive problem when standing? It is much more comfortable to stand and play bass for me. Also I think that You personally sound better on that then on most other basses I have heard You play. Would like to see You and hear of course playing with a drummer and a guitarist playing that one.

[@12mamcu123]

Killer demo as always. Not a huge fan of Thunderbirds but gotta admit it sounds really good for the price

[@feliko5373]

It looks like the neck sits further out from the body compared to the original Thunderbirds, and you can see that bridge and pickups are shifted up accordingly. This might make it easier to reach some high frets but probably also worsens the neck dive.

[@conorbelvin9024]

Not happy that it’s active, but I do have to say, the fact that it’s a set neck makes it a fantastic deal

[@jesseparrish9198]

I'll stick with my Jackson Kellybird

[@EpictheEpicest]

Tip for basses with neck-dive: Attack a small weight to the bottom or back of the body near the strap button, maybe 2-3 lbs, and it will change the center of gravity of the bass and eliminate neck dive.

[@wbertie2604]

That's a lot of extra weight on a gig. No thanks.

[@juanshaman3177]

@@wbertie2604 I saw the Epiphone TB has the strap nut screwed into one of the neck bolt holes.

[@howardwhitehead5927]

Great vid as usual. What’s the riff at 6:30??? ...luv it!!!

[@SisterRose]

Thanks for this review - was interested and still somewhat interested but not a bass for me right at this moment.

[@OGM_OriginalGameMusic]

I feel this bass is great for genres who use that mud as a character. Old school hip hop, grunge, some punk.

[@gustavo-GcG]

thanks, for remember me that Beastie boys, Sabotage, continues sound good!

[@atomfallen2409]

It looks good with the sunburst.classic bass.i like em alot.really want one

[@simonbirtles8981]

As a bassist myself got to say you are a great bass player👏👏👏

[@coolowlman]

that mini sabotage cover was fucking sick

[@kennethcostello5987]

I play a thunderbird bass and I found that if you lower the bass down past the hip and if u have a fair bit of slack in your strap it can help with neck dive but then you have to play your bass super low but I've grown accustomed to it and I find quite comfortable. My first complaint with this Harley Benton thunderbird bass is the headstock, there long enough as it is and can be hard to tune if u got shorter arms, to be honest I dont think the reversed style headstock doesn't work, it's harder to tune on the fly like say when you are playing a gig or something, the lower horn doesn't work its to long and looks outta place I think they should have kept it closer to the original but there could be something to do with copyright or something like that. My last complaint is the finish I think it looks really cheap and plane I think solid colours work better like black or white but that is my opinion on this bass, also $150 for a Thunderbird style bass thats not bad... not bad at all.

[@rattmann3170]

I've always had a Thunderbird in my collection but I've gotta agree with his statements on them being a bit awkward to play.

[@johnquinn3164]

Forgot to mention the Harley Benton has got that lower horn for upper fret access! Epiphone and Gibson usually stops you around the 17th fret with the lower horn in the way

[@dangermoose666]

That's why I never bought one. Love there look but I like to play the "dusty" part of the fret board.

[@wesleyzimmerman94]

It's got nothing to do with the horn. The bridge and neck sit farther from the bottom on the instrument

[@gr8avocado]

I'm really digging what Harley Benton has been putting out. Just wish they were easier to get in the US. Would love to try one out.

[@caseypayne5138]

They're really easy to get in the US, you just have to wait a couple of weeks to get them. Even with the wait and shipping costs, they're still totally worth it.

[@Luthiart]

I always hated Thunderbirds. They're mud machines, and uncomfortable to play. But one day I played an Epiphone Classic IV Pro Thunderbird (not the $400 bolt-on variant), which was identical in construction to the Gibson T-Bird (multi-laminate neck-through), and came stock with the same Gibson USA pickups, but somehow sounded light years better than the Gibson birds. It was a lot more articulate and well defined with a massive, mid-range punch. I A/B'd three different Classic IV Pros against three Gibson birds in different stores over the course of a couple of weeks, and they all blew the Gibsons away by comparison, so it wasn't just a one-off fluke. I eventually bought one, and yeah... It may have sounded fantastic, but MAN was it uncomfortable to play! It feels like you have a frickin' aircraft carrier hanging around your neck. The headstock is HUGE, and the bass is unbalanced in two directions... The neck wants to head for the floor, and the body wants to lean away from you, so you have to press the bass against your body with your right arm while you're playing. Playing it sitting down wasn't any better. My arm got tired from supporting the weight of the neck after a while, and it always felt like I had to stretch to reach the first fret... And it was HEAVY, and I was constantly whacking the headstock into things... It sure looked cool, and it sounded glorious, but it was NOT fun to play. Ultimately, it ended up collecting dust in the rack, so I sold it.

[@jettlethedragonpeeltheoran8915]

As a Tbird Pro IV player myself, I would agree with you about the sound. I don't find the ergonomics bother me, but that could be just having got used to them over the last few years.

[@Luthiart]

@@jettlethedragonpeeltheoran8915 Yeah, you either get used to it, or you don't. I guess I'm just too accustomed to Fender basses. I've owned a bunch of different basses over the years, and I always come back to the J, P, and Jaguar.

[@danadane2501]

The tone is good . However my only criticism is how low output these pickups are . There's no bite to it at all. You can get a good precision with Wilkinson pickups and they're much more clear with hotter output .

[@ChrisDavis1975]

Dude, I thought you were playing Sabotage by the Beastie Boys! Completely agree with the horrendous 3 point bridge. I like the reverse or upside down headstock. I had an Epi Thunderbird for a couple of months a few years back. Had to sell it for financial reasons. I did find a strap that greatly helped with the neck dive. Sometimes , I want to get another Thunderbird because they are so classic & cool. This might be an option. Would be good to know if Hipshot’s replacement bridge was a direct/no mod application. Great demo & video, dude.

[@johnlane2303]

Would like to see you review a Yamaha TRBX304. I’ve seen other reviews but find yours to be more thorough and I like your playing style

[@Metalistopheles]

Hi Patrick ! Could you review the Harley Benton WB 20BK Rock Séries (B C Rich Warlock copy) please ? Thanks

[@mark-lk9ue]

Great job, could you please tell me the name of the song you were playing at the beginning? Thanks!

[@jerrycrowe62]

When I had one I put a strap button on the back and it solves the neck dive.

[@mrkentleong]

I have the same bass but older version with Wilkinson pickups.... May I know why when I turn on the treble control, it adds white noise kinda noise to the sound? Any solution you can suggest?

[@TheopticnerveX]

Ya can fix the neck dive by moving that rear strap button higher.

[@congerscott6064]

The thunderbird is a bad ass bass period.

[@TMac-Attack]

So, both pickups are on all the time and you just adjust the bass and treble with the back two knobs?

[@Beeef_Supreme]

That rif you were playing at 8:00...could you perhaps put a tab out for it?

[@CJ-hh1pl]

Sounds good just doent have the growl of the epiphone, but looks great, and if the headstock isnt as heavy as the epiphone then it might be a shout in for my next purchase

[@jeffreygraham9553]

Looks and sounds great 👍 think I'll be buying Harley Benton 😁

[@xavierarmendariz7155]

I just wish Epiphone would still make the Thunderbird Pro IV basses

[@jettlethedragonpeeltheoran8915]

I have one and I love it. Capable of a more versatile and clearer sound than your regular Thunderbird whilst still being able to deliver that rock growl when you want to.

[@anthonyrita4366]

I wish you would have pumped up the effects for more of a metal/punk sound. I have got to play one!!!!

[@박물관을찾아서]

Harley Benton Bass is not available. How can I buy it? I couldn't find the bass through Google.

[@wombat7156]

It sounds friggen' awesome. Looks awesome. Is the boss of basses. I guess slap guys with their preference for twitching thumb and fingers' "fart/pist/splink" sounds call a low tone bass sound -> muddy.

[@kevmac1230]

Sounds good.I'm with you on 3 point bridge thing.Why?

[@krzysiekortman7196]

As much as I know those humbuckers are not "mini" humbuckers, those are standard sized ones. Mini are mych smaller - that's the only thing that really pinched me in yout reviev. Every time I hear it - "These are not mini humbuckers, damn...". Overall not bad reviev. Honestly one of few of yours i like.x)

[@davidcatalano3781]

Great bass for British rock etc.

[@danswon]

Do you use very thin strings, or tune down? The strings seem to be flapping very loosely. 🤷‍♂️

[@jorg5492]

Which one(s) do you consider the best Harley Benton basses?

[@Tomas-te3ph]

Can you take the pick guard off or is there electronics under it?

[@FoamSquatch]

First bass I bought myself after starting back up at playing was a Epi Thunderbird. Love the looks, hated the neck dive, the tone, the bridge. I sold it and went to a Jazz bass. Much better player for sure. I always wanted to build up a bass, like Entwistle, a Fender bird. and put a real bridge on it, but that meant modding an Epi or a custom build. For $153 I would totally buy this. Has the head stock shape I would want to add. Active EQ to shape the tone a little differently then standard mud bucker, and at that price, and the fact that there would be no ding to resale value, I could justify ripping that bridge off and figuring out a Fender style high mass bridge that would make the functionality 10x better but also add some much needed weight at the end of the bass. Would it be my main player? Nope. My G&L Kiloton Tribute is too good, but I would absolutely add this to my arsenal considering the price.

[@Pai3000]

Thank you very much for such a great review