Post by JAC on Feb 9, 2015 18:46:47 GMT
I would like to start this forum with a quick review of my first ever bass...
It is a Harley Benton HBB400TBK
I cant remember how much it cost, but I think it was under 200€ including gig bag, combo, cable and tuner. Although it looks black in the photo's, it was actually a transparent black finish, as you can see better in this pic:
Unfortunately, I didn't get much joy out of this bass, and when I played on a Squier Jazz fretless, I made the asumption that it was due to the P sized neck. That led me to purchase basses with Jazz style necks. However, when I started to mod this bass, I sanded the finish off the neck, and found that it wasn't the neck shape or size, but the painted glossy finish. (This opened a whole new range of GAS! )
When I was researching the bass, I came accross wiring diagrams that said it was active pickups:
But when I took the bass apart, I found what looked like a small preamp:
All this has been (or is going to be) replaced by DiMarzios and an Artec 3 band Pre as soon as I get the body back, which had been with an "artist" friend for a refin for over a year!
This is what the body looked like under the finish:
The line that you can see running down the body, just to the left of the pickups, is not actually the join, but part of the wood grain (the join is further to the left). This is the reason I didn't go with a transparent finish
Anyway, I hope to have the body back soon, so I will post updated photos when the mod is finished.
It is a Harley Benton HBB400TBK
I cant remember how much it cost, but I think it was under 200€ including gig bag, combo, cable and tuner. Although it looks black in the photo's, it was actually a transparent black finish, as you can see better in this pic:
Unfortunately, I didn't get much joy out of this bass, and when I played on a Squier Jazz fretless, I made the asumption that it was due to the P sized neck. That led me to purchase basses with Jazz style necks. However, when I started to mod this bass, I sanded the finish off the neck, and found that it wasn't the neck shape or size, but the painted glossy finish. (This opened a whole new range of GAS! )
When I was researching the bass, I came accross wiring diagrams that said it was active pickups:
But when I took the bass apart, I found what looked like a small preamp:
All this has been (or is going to be) replaced by DiMarzios and an Artec 3 band Pre as soon as I get the body back, which had been with an "artist" friend for a refin for over a year!
This is what the body looked like under the finish:
The line that you can see running down the body, just to the left of the pickups, is not actually the join, but part of the wood grain (the join is further to the left). This is the reason I didn't go with a transparent finish
Anyway, I hope to have the body back soon, so I will post updated photos when the mod is finished.