Post by reddog3d on Jun 18, 2015 20:01:42 GMT
Thomann shipping comes through again. All the way from Germany to Florida, 7 days (5 business days), and with zero damage. And this Harley Benton is perfect. No flaws at all!
Okay, so on with the details.
This is the Harley Benton RB-414CS semi-hollow body 4 string bass that is designed similar to a Rickenbacker. However, do not be mistaken. This bass does not sound like a Rick. Which for me is a good thing. I have never been a fan of the Rick bass sound, although I like the body style and looks. And I have been wanting a semi-hollow bass for a long time.
The bass has two pickups. A mini-humbucker in the neck position, and a single coil in the bridge position. Although, calling it the bridge position is a little misleading. Because the bridge is almost at the back edge of the bass, it does not provide the typical flat (high treble) sound. IMHO, this is a good thing on a bass. And the single coil is HUGE, as you will see in the pictures below.
There is a pickup selector switch with typical setup. Neck, both, bridge. There are individual volume and tone controls for each pickup. The pots are typical mini Chinese and I will be replacing them soon.
The finish is perfect on this bass. Very well done, excellent binding, with even binding in the f-hole. Even the finish and glue job on the set neck are excellent.
The frets are very well done. Smooth edges and nicely polished. The top nut is perfectly cut - a big surprise. A lot of the Chinese made basses I have played have very poorly cut top nuts. The neck itself reminds me of a precision bass. Nicely thin, and not too wide. Very comfortable to play.
The sound is unique also. The mini-humbucker provides a very full sound, very similar to a Thunderbird neck pickup sound. The single coil on the other hand sounds like a bridge position Precision bass sound. But with both selected, you can get some very unique sounds.
The bass is also very light. Again, I have no scale to weigh it on right now, but it is definitely lighter than any of my other basses. And the body shape makes it very comfortable to play when sitting. When standing, it is well balanced and there is no neck dive.
The only bad thing I found is the scale. It is 34" scale, but because the tailpiece is so long, and right at the back of the guitar, long scale strings are not long enough. I had ordered a set of Fender Flatwound Lights (Fender 9050L), but the fabric wrapping on the ends come past the top nut. I guess I will need super long scale strings for this thing.
Okay, I know, enough with the words. Here's some pr0n for you!
Full front
Full back
Body front
Body Back
Headstock
Bridge Singlecoil
Tailpiece/Bridge
Neckjoint
Topnut
f-Hole
Final thoughts? I am very pleased with the build quality and detail of this bass. I need to go out and buy some flat wounds for it as I am not a fan of round wound bass strings. But it has a great, unique sound, and is comfortable and fun to play. And that makes 2 for 2 with Thomann and Harley Benton products. Got my eye on the full hollow body bass they have on there next. Or maybe the Rick themed 12 string? Who knows :-)
Okay, so on with the details.
This is the Harley Benton RB-414CS semi-hollow body 4 string bass that is designed similar to a Rickenbacker. However, do not be mistaken. This bass does not sound like a Rick. Which for me is a good thing. I have never been a fan of the Rick bass sound, although I like the body style and looks. And I have been wanting a semi-hollow bass for a long time.
The bass has two pickups. A mini-humbucker in the neck position, and a single coil in the bridge position. Although, calling it the bridge position is a little misleading. Because the bridge is almost at the back edge of the bass, it does not provide the typical flat (high treble) sound. IMHO, this is a good thing on a bass. And the single coil is HUGE, as you will see in the pictures below.
There is a pickup selector switch with typical setup. Neck, both, bridge. There are individual volume and tone controls for each pickup. The pots are typical mini Chinese and I will be replacing them soon.
The finish is perfect on this bass. Very well done, excellent binding, with even binding in the f-hole. Even the finish and glue job on the set neck are excellent.
The frets are very well done. Smooth edges and nicely polished. The top nut is perfectly cut - a big surprise. A lot of the Chinese made basses I have played have very poorly cut top nuts. The neck itself reminds me of a precision bass. Nicely thin, and not too wide. Very comfortable to play.
The sound is unique also. The mini-humbucker provides a very full sound, very similar to a Thunderbird neck pickup sound. The single coil on the other hand sounds like a bridge position Precision bass sound. But with both selected, you can get some very unique sounds.
The bass is also very light. Again, I have no scale to weigh it on right now, but it is definitely lighter than any of my other basses. And the body shape makes it very comfortable to play when sitting. When standing, it is well balanced and there is no neck dive.
The only bad thing I found is the scale. It is 34" scale, but because the tailpiece is so long, and right at the back of the guitar, long scale strings are not long enough. I had ordered a set of Fender Flatwound Lights (Fender 9050L), but the fabric wrapping on the ends come past the top nut. I guess I will need super long scale strings for this thing.
Okay, I know, enough with the words. Here's some pr0n for you!
Full front
Full back
Body front
Body Back
Headstock
Bridge Singlecoil
Tailpiece/Bridge
Neckjoint
Topnut
f-Hole
Final thoughts? I am very pleased with the build quality and detail of this bass. I need to go out and buy some flat wounds for it as I am not a fan of round wound bass strings. But it has a great, unique sound, and is comfortable and fun to play. And that makes 2 for 2 with Thomann and Harley Benton products. Got my eye on the full hollow body bass they have on there next. Or maybe the Rick themed 12 string? Who knows :-)