Harley Benton JB-20 BM Standard Series

I'm a guitar player, but I needed to buy a bass to record with as I don't think you get the same effect pitch shifting a guitar down. I wasn't going to spend a shedload of money on a bass guitar that I'm only going to use for recording bass parts so I decided to take a punt on the cheapest bass you can buy and was I pleasantly surprised with what I got!

When it arrived I was expecting that it was going to need a bit of work and a setup for the price paid, but to be fair when I took it out of the box there was very little I needed to do to it. The nut was cut nice and the strings sat snug in it & there was no sharp frets anywhere on the fretboard. The bridge and saddles were fine, and the tone control and volume knobs were perfect. The blue metallic finish is very nice & really makes the bass look a lot more expensive than it is. The action was a little too high for my tastes so I adjusted that to get it to how I like.

The last thing to do was to play it, so I plugged it in and gave it a bash & I was blown away with how nice it played. The neck is nice and smooth for fast playability & the pickups are great for what they are, tone wise it's perfect for what I need it for. The tone controls offer a wide variety of sounds that you can play with.

So in conclusion, if you're just starting out with bass or you're a guitar player first and foremost like me & need a bass guitar for recording, I would definitely recommend picking up one of these as they're well worth the money.

This is a delayed review as I first got mine in January 2020. I wanted a new bass for recording but didn’t wanna spend an unnecessary amount. It wasn’t until I was reading a post on a forum about basses when someone mentioned Harley Benton. To be honest I’d never heard of them, so I began to research and came across this jazz bass.

At the time of purchase, the bass cost me only £83. At this price I wasn’t expecting much, but when it arrived I was blown away. We all know all guitars are individual and some people won’t get lucky all the time, but I did. Paint work, build quality and all the little details were absolutely spot on. The metallic blue colour looks gorgeous. Action was good and comfortable, but I did get it a tweaked a little, lowering the nut and lowering action a little, which made it play beautifully.

I’m guessing the pick ups are cheap, but they sounded brilliant through my amps and a PA system I also tried. My friends were really impressed with the sound and couldn’t believe how cheap it was. Comparing this bass to one’s I’ve owned and played in the past really proves that you only pay more for the logo on the headstock. This bass has better finishing and build quality compared to a bass I had which was 4 times the price.

The only criticism (which isn’t unexpected due to the price) is sharp fret ends. I got my fret file and smoothed then over in a couple minutes. After that it was perfect. The neck is nice and slim and very comfortable to play. You could upgrade the pick ups and tuners to better specs and make it a project bass but to be honest I’ve had no reason to.

Wether played live or used for recording, this bass is a no brainier for the price. This was my first ever HB instrument, and I was so impressed that I went on to purchase 2 more (acoustic and electric guitar). No other brand gives you value for money like this.

Love the colour, bought it because I wanted that jazz bass sound.
The bass arrived in great shape, Thomann knows their packaging as always. The original pickups weren't my cup of tea, but I planned on changing those anyways. When removing the pickups, I noticed that one of the magnets were broken in half, which might be why I didn't like the sound though, so YMMV.
In addition to this, the fretwork was... Less than ideal. Fret sprout bad enough to cut your hand pretty deep kind of less than ideal. Oh, and it's pretty heavy, so get a decent strap. Or just sit down with it in a studio setting.
After a round with a fret file, new pickups and a fresh set of strings however, this bass has ended up as my main bass. Still some areas where I'm going to upgrade it in the future (bridge, tuners etc), but for now it's great. Highly recommended, if you have the skillset/time/money to properly set it up and fix the issues that might be present upon arrival.

It usually goes without saying that at this price point ‘don’t expect anything amazing’. However, this Harley Benton is a major exception to the rule! This price is ridiculous for the quality you get!

When I opened the box the first thing I noticed were how smooth the frets were. No sharp edges, no rattle or dead spots and just very good quality. All the hardwear from the bridge, pots and jack input all the way to the tuners felt very solid and reminiscent of the more affordable series of fenders priced at over £500 more. The pickups are very responsive to dynamics and sounds great with any level of gain (I may have tried some highly distorted metal tones for laugh…).

All in all a fantastic option not only beginners but more advanced musicians. This is the first Harley Benton product I’ve bought but certainly will not be the last!

I have had this bass for about 5 months, during which time there were no problems with it. Excellent workmanship, no complaints. A very beautiful color, it shimmers in the light, and in the shade it looks very strict and also beautiful. Chic fretboard and wood pattern on the fretboard. The tuners are also good, they keep the tuning well. The only problem is that the bass is pretty quiet. Without amplification, the mixer cannot be played. I play through the processor and the sound is quite good. Also, the sound from the sensors is quite flat, but this is solved by equalization. After 5 months after the purchase, the frets got out a little, I had to trim them with a file from the master. But this is normal for a guitar delivered from Germany to the harsh climate of Russia with its cold and low humidity. And so I played several concerts with this bass and was very pleased, it looks expensive and very beautiful on stage.

Santa was very good to me! This is my 9th bass, 7 of which from Thomann, 5 being Harley Benton’s. This bass came in absolutely perfect setup, including intonation and low action. Perfect fret work. No faults or blemishes at all. Very solidly put together and the most amazing metallic color. The sound is vey much vintage J bass as I had hoped. I might change the strings to see if I get an even better sound. I forgot to say that the neck profile and finish make this bass my favorite to play. Any shortcomings? A bit on the heavy side. Overall: I’m in love!
Puts other brands to shame in terms of value for money, or, I would say, quality for money!