Very Cheap Harley Benton UkeBass - Bass Ukulele From Thomann - Watch BEFORE You Buy!

[@UkuleleWales]

➡ An interesting and rare negative review of a bass ukulele. There are some positives for this bass uke but the problems mean I really can't recommend buying this bass uke. Harley Benton UkeBass OPNT - Full Review - kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYu1pql-jq1pi6s 🚀 If you'd like to join my Patreon Page for exclusive goodies such as PDF downloads and behind the scenes footage - www.patreon.com/UkuleleWales

[@clivehunte3026]

You are absolutely right Rachel, even if the instrument is cheap, they shouldn't compromise on the workmanship, it's a real shame, as it looks nice. I'm wondering if this was a one-off that escaped from the factory.

[@UkuleleWales]

Hi Clive, looking at other reviews and a few comment left here it doesn’t seem to be an isolated instrument and yes, cheap should still be playable.

[@atleengelstad5303]

The interresting part is wether you could get it playable by either adjusting the truss rod..., levelling the frets, or replacing the nut..., I love cheap instruments that only needs a bit of tweaking and l and TLC to be really good workhorses

[@UkuleleWales]

The only thing I didn’t do was replace the nut but after hours of frustration I have returned it now. 👍

[@Riccardo_Silva]

Thank you for doing this! I think Thomann's authority should not be ruined by endorsing and selling instruments that are not playable. Cheap can be fine, of course, but it doesn't mean wasting money!

[@UkuleleWales]

100% agree 👍

[@alanm8431]

I have a Denver fretless ubass I bought used for not much $$. The things I disliked about it were fixed with: 1. about a half turn on the truss rod to put a bit more bend in the neck and 2. tightening the nuts that hold the tuners in. In every used uke I have bought I have found some of the nuts that hold the tuners in have not been at all uniformly tight, some quite loose. I have put Thunder Blacks on my Denver and, yes, the E and A strings were quite stretchier (word?), so after a month I cut them all shorter and then after a few more months cut them again. The pickup was split when I got it so I don't know if it was made that way or done by the previous owner. The H-B might be a good inexpensive platform for someone who might like a fiddling/learning project. Excellent forthright review; I'm looking forward to seeing how you go with it. alan

[@UkuleleWales]

Thanks Alan, good to hear your story with the Denver bass. So far I’ve worked on the frets and even though it is better it still has horrible fret buzz on the A & E. We try and bit more and also the truss rod. We’ll see…….

[@ausserhaus]

I use a Thomann Harley Benton Uke Mahogany - I do not have these issues and I'm a rookie. My Bass-Teacher told me, that Ukulele Basses are a bit different to play compared to normal Bases. So I did some researches on youtube and you'll hear many Ukebass players with Kala Bases ore any other brands who have noises your bass produces as well. But as I said: I am a complete rookie, I never touched a bass before I bought mine and I feel quiet comfy with my instrument. I buy a lot of stuff at Thomann and even tough I'n not a fan I have never been disapointed - but that is just my feel. I would prefere Thomann to the other big sellers which is Music Store in Köln: I had my bad shopping experiences there; I will never again buy anything there even tough it's less than 30 Km away. Anyway: sorry to hear that this bass was disapointing for you. My problem with my instrument is, that I can't change the strings because the screwd plate won't come off. There is a reason why ony instrument is ardound 100€ and the other one around 400€... Have fun and a nice day! Grüße aus Deutschland.

[@UkuleleWales]

Danke ☺️ I am sorry that you had a bad experience with a music shop, it is always disappointing when it happens.

[@Snoopitsa0405]

I bought the same ubass, did you solve your issue with changing strings?

[@SpaceSkeletonDragon]

Side note, not related to this video, I popped into the Southern Ukulele Shop today. Saw your picture on the wall! They're really nice guys in there, they let me play on a Magic Fluke Firefly banjolele (it will be mine! Oh yes, it will be mine). Great shop.

[@UkuleleWales]

So cool to hear and yes, they are a fantastic bunch of guys. I will look forward to hearing when you DO get the Firefly banjolele, they are very cool! 😎

[@Kunibert_Knatter]

No matter, what the price is, but if you sell an instrument, is has to be payable in a decent way. If its not, you disappoint your customers. And they keep that in their memory! Thanks for this honest review. Waiting for the new Kala Minis now.... The price of $350 raises the expectations.

[@UkuleleWales]

Totally agree and just heard the Kala minis are on the Kala website now. 👍

[@Bettys_Eldest]

I've had several folks bring instruments to me with a buzz at the first fret, usually only one string. In most cases I have been able to temporarily fix the issue by slipping a small piece of thin paper in the string slot under the string. By raising the string height the buzz disappears. I tell the owners to take the instrument back to the vendor, or to a music shop for a new nut as appropriate, though I know one owner who is still playing with a piece of paper under the string about six years on.

[@UkuleleWales]

Yep, I did try to raise the nut but to no avail and the saddle. In this case there was one fairly obvious fret higher, I’ve managed to get it better but not great. I haven’t given up hope yet though.

[@biolkasprowicz]

Hi, Rachel, have you checked the levels of the frets with fret rocker? I think it may be a reason of buzzing - one of the frets (2nd one?) is too high comparing to the others. Please check it before nut mods. Best regards!

[@UkuleleWales]

Hi Michal, yes I thought that too and when I checked the 2 fret was much higher! I’ve done some work on it and lowered it a lot, the A & E are still buzzing so a bit more work to do but great advice. Thanks 😊

[@maricallo6143]

Interestingly, The Bass Advisor channel (spanish) says quite the opposite, he's mostly disappointed with intonation across the fretboard, unlike you, which renders it unusable in playing together with other instruments, but doesn't notice any major problems with buzzing or fretting or anything else really. I'd like to have a short scale and small light bass instrument to more easily travel and manage in a room for doodling or recording, also I have smallish hands for a man and I am struggling on the lower end of a full scale bass but don't really want to spend any significant amount of money since I already have two longscales and a guitar. The trouble with regular short scale basses in general is: those that are short enough are rather expensive, and cheaper 28.6 or 30" ones are really not much shorter nor lighter overall than my existing Cort bass. This puppy is the right thing for me but alas....perhaps by now they have fixed the issues as per bad rep on YT and other places?

[@titichartay7216]

Thank you for the heads up - looks nice but it is a musical instrument not a wall decoration ! What a shame.

[@UkuleleWales]

Yes I agree, still trying to make it better, we’ll see……….

[@snörre23]

Thank you, so there IS a difference in quality to the neck through version you showed. Really makes no sense to sell something like this especially in the lowest price segment because thats what beginners would buy and they have no experience with setup.

[@UkuleleWales]

Yes, a big difference and totally agree, a beginner instrument should be playable, no matter how cheap it is.

[@peterbradley4391]

Another useful video, it's good that you review a bad instrument now and again has gives buyers an insight as to what is out there and what to check for, it also highlights that most of the time you get what you pay for; by this i don't mean you cannot have issues with more expensive instruments; I think it's a debate that could go on forever depending on your personal experiences. Good luck in trying to sort it out for your friend. As ever keep them coming good or bad ❤

[@UkuleleWales]

Thanks Peter and yes, I do try to show all sorts of instruments and be as honest as possible. 😊

[@bjenksful]

I bought this u bass over a year ago and never play it because I think it sounds horrible and muddy. I just changed to flatwound strings, thinking it might improve the sound. It did a little, but it still sounds odd. It's a shame because I tried an even cheaper u bass off of amazon that was damaged and it sounded waay better. It was also missing a strap holder. I wanted to return it, but since I'm in the states, the shipping would have cost waaay more than what I spent. Very disappointed.

[@UkuleleWales]

I’m sorry to hear about the issues you also had, yep, not a good bass I’m afraid.

[@Pw1zoLive]

i had the same problem with the first fret on my old uke - im realy happy that i won the new one :) but i cant play it right now because of my finger :/

[@UkuleleWales]

You be careful with those fingers J!

[@lastoftheurgents1965]

I was thinking it's about time you put another video up . Cheers 😀

[@UkuleleWales]

Hope you enjoyed it! 😊

[@blousug]

Would be amazing if it actually played well. I liked the Flowers demo. It’s different then how I play it. My bass instructor tells me that I play with a lilt lol. Anyway, thanks for the video.

[@UkuleleWales]

Such a shame really. Will be doing a bass flowers tutorial very soon.

[@axelmorisson]

Hello! Thank you for this nice review! Indeed this model has its share of problems, but this particular one is the worst I have seen. I do have the same- and mine is fortunately very very much better compared to what 'happened' here. Maybe check the trussrod too? Mine has the saddles perfectly cut and also a decent nut, what it did have that was "not allright" was a tendency to buzz- not like this, on the first, but a bit anywhere as in too low of an action out of factory. On this kind of cheap instruments - yes, restringing correctly is a must, and the setup seems to be .... not present- at all. They are just put together not adjusted in any kind of way. I had to do bridge raising, trussrod adjusting, and a good restringing. Cheap instruments = luck of the draw. Some are really nice (but pretty rare) others are so-so, and most are thrown together and need a setup. But asking around a luthier friend said that the setup part actually sometimes costs more than the cheap instrument itself, so they simply don' t do it anymore. To make it playable a decent setup AND a change of strings was in order. I don't know if these strings have an expiry date or something but mine arrived .. cooked somehow. Replaced with separately bought "same" kind -Aquila Thunder Blacks - and trimmed them properly too. Now after a truss adjust and bridge height increase (not very easy to do on this, despite the screws) now the little beast sounds ok, intonation was ...simply impossible with the old strings but- somehow perfect with the new set and the raised bridge. I still don't know what exactly was wrong with mine when it came out of the box but - it had NO setup at all and the strings were cooked. So bad /non existant intonation and fretbuzz- on every fret! Now - no fretbuzz, no (major) intonation problems, just a couple of cents on the first string but I suspect it has to do with the way I did not wrap it correctly . Was testing the tuners. Will re-string and re-check, but I suspect I can improve that as well. Overall - yes I agree- not a directly playable instrument. But after a good setup, it is a nice (and cheap!) surprise. The bass tone knob is probably just loose from the retaining nut, some are not really well tightened at the factory (wherever that is) and some are excessively over-tightened. had both kinds on mine, re-did all fittings and now it is fine,.

[@UkuleleWales]

I am glad to hear you have had some success with yours, shame they don’t have any quality control and with so much work needed to be done I’m not surprised that a luthier doesn’t want to touch it because as you say, the work would cost more than the instrument. 👍

[@dougirvine6978]

Hi, Nice review, shame about the quality of the HB setup. I've bought a number of guitars and basses from Thomann and they have all been great value. Some have needed more work than others but you can usually end up with a good instrument. If your friend wants to get rid of his bass I would be interested as it looks like an ideal candidate to have a Pbass pickup, new bridge, new nut and metal strings. Let me know what you think. Regards, Doug

[@UkuleleWales]

Hi Doug, will certainly mention it to Dereck, I’ll let you know what he says. 👍

[@dougirvine6978]

@@UkuleleWales Thanks 👍

[@gingerbeer914]

8:13-8:35 No, there is no chance... The curve of the neck is too small and the 2nd fret is too high in relation to the 1st. IF it was a nut problem, the horrible sound would occur when playing open strings, and it doesn't. The neck is simply too straight. The question is: is there enough tension on these rubbery strings to pull a nice curve into that neck? So, what happens if you loosen the truss rod (and lift the bridge a little bit)? Maybe some old cut off steel bass strings could pull the headstock a little more forward. Then the next question is: Will the newly acquired neck curve stay, when you go back to the rubbery strings with the lower tension? It seems obvious to me that you can never tighten that truss rod again. Give it just enough that it doesn't rattle.

[@UkuleleWales]

Excellent advice thanks. I have brought the 2nd fret down as it was very high, better but will a bit of a buzz on the A & E strings. Will be looking at truss rod next. 👍

[@marcsmith1134]

Hi there. I'd be interested to see whether you manage to improve / tweak this little bass for your pal Derek. Does it need a little shim, underneath the nut? (Or a new nut, of course). I wonder what that "clicking" noise is, when playing near the bridge? Is it maybe that the saddle is loose? Or just cheap components? Only asking, in case anyone comes across one of these second-hand. As you say - they do look quite nice. Thanks for the review. (I'm also in Wales - so I might keep an eye out for Derek's Uke bass in Cash Converter! lol

[@UkuleleWales]

Shwmae Marc. It’s a little better after filing down the second fret but still not great. Will be doing some more to it. I *think* the popping is because the saddle has been cut to improve the pick-up sound but is no longer holding the string properly. More work to do still. 👍

[@georgediehl1659]

I have a Harley Benton solid body tenor. Very disappointing. It is whisper quiet even with the amp turned way up. I contacted the company and they were unable tp provide a fix for it. They did refund my money and told me to keep the ukulele. I don't display my ukes, so it just sits in a closet.

[@UkuleleWales]

That is a shame to hear but glad you got a refund. My husband’s solid body soprano uke is VERY quiet too although it does still sound when the amp is cranked up.

[@paulbaker6683]

ive just bought one of those :( and suffer the first fret issue you show...can you please advise/show if you manage to fix it ? are they worth getting a shop to setup ? Wondering on costs for this type of work ? many thanks

[@UkuleleWales]

Hi Paul, I’ve lowered the 2nd fret and it is better but still a buzz o the lower strings. Will have another go and let you know if I solve it. 👍

[@tiptonbrett]

That's really a shame. It's a cool looking instrument. If they sorted out that buzz and pop, it would be a bargain even if they add 25% to the price. When you were playing certain riffs, it sounded pretty good. Then, buzz, pop, and ugh!

[@UkuleleWales]

Totally agree Brett, I’d say up the price and sort it out, we’ll see.

[@charharrison2443]

love your t-shirt!!!!!!!

[@judih.8754]

Me as well!

[@stefaniedecoster2772]

@charharrison2443 @judih.8754 It's UkeTok (online ukulele club here on youtube) merch 😃

[@UkuleleWales]

Thanks, it’s a Uke-Tok T-shirt.

[@marcsmith1134]

I meant to add..... Harley Benton instruments are generally very good quality, considering their price tag.

[@UkuleleWales]

Yep, I would agree with that statement too.

[@MrJogiMar]

Sorry, I have the same one and have no problems or defects. The bass is pretty, small and inexpensive. what more do you want. And it's no Problem to send it back and get a new one without defect. For these reasons I find this video is incorrect bashing!

[@UkuleleWales]

Sorry you feel this way but the bass was unplayable. I really like Thomann and the way they have built up their family business but even the absolute most basic QC should have spotted this bass. I totally agree that most of their instruments are fine but I am always going to be honest when I review an instrument.

[@donwright3427]

Well I would not even say its iawnish but I think with a bit of tinkering it could be made to work. Shame it looks nice. No gogoniant for this one

[@UkuleleWales]

So far a lot of work, better but still buzzing. We’ll see………

[@deniseshaw3871]

Ohhh great ..Im after the HB electric guitar !

[@UkuleleWales]

TBH Denise, I know many of the HB instruments are pretty good so maybe try and find some reviews of the guitar you are after to make a decision. Remember, this is a VERY cheap instrument for what it is. 👍

[@deniseshaw3871]

@@UkuleleWales fantastic reviews !! Bought one ! Its lovely semi hollow

[@UkuleleWales]

@@deniseshaw3871 Good to hear Denise.

[@deniseshaw3871]

@@UkuleleWales thank you