Harley Benton UkeBass Mahogany

I have played several Ubasses in the past, and have a Kala Ubass already. This HB Mahagony Ubass is just as good (better in some cases) as any of the other's I've played, and is a fraction of the price. The string action on the HB is the same as on my Kala (I measure 10/64" at the 12th fret of each string), which is a bit high for a bass in general, but is on par with all other acoustic/electric Ubasses I've played (and measured). The HB is very well intonated (12th fret notes are perfectly in tune), which is better than my Kala. The HB pickup/preamp sounds very good (good tone and even volume across all strings and the full register of the instrument), and has a 3 band EQ (better than the Shadow preamp in my Kala). The built in tuner is very good and I really like the "HB" logo that lights up when the note is perfectly in tune, which is very easy to see. The one issue I found is that the rear access door is nearly impossible to remove (6 screws which is more annoying than the magnet that Kala uses, and then the door is on so tight that I feel that I need to break it to remove it ). Overall, this HB ubass is an incredible value and the quality is just as good as Kala.

I moved to different country not long ago and needed some tool to practice and do songwriting stuff on the go without putting heavy load on my wallet. So I bought this thing because it seemed affordable and good looking.
The truth is it is really fun to play Harley Benton U-Bass. That what I unexpectedly discovered the moment I pulled it from the nice gigbag included in the package.
It has surprisingly deep, almost throaty double-bass-like sound which I didn't expect from such a small instrument.
The tuning stability and intonation are decent. Onboard preamp and tuner both work good (2 CMOS-style battaries are included).
The frets are a bit scratchy on the ends (plastic neck binding doesn't help much here) but not drastically. There are also some minor (barely visible) finish imperfections.
All in all I wish I could've got it years ago.

I got it for noodling around, having a super portable bass (the other bass I have is a six string), and just for a different sound to have.
It makes you play different (duuh), also you can reach intervals you couldn't before.
The E and A strings were a little buzzy, so I had to raise the strings (release the truss rod - counter clockwise turns, 90 degrees at a time).
The tuner is great, the preamp seems versatile.
The reason for 4 stars in quality was that the first one I got had a bridge problem - thinner strings sounded wayyyy louder than the fatter ones. I found a fix for it online, but having just gotten the instrument, I went for replacing it and keeping my warranty. People at Thomann were super helpful and in some time I received my replacement and it was great!
It's a lot of instrument, especially for this price. Definitely a recommend

This was my first ever u-bass, I have always played electric bass and I didn't want to spend too much money in case i did not like it. I am reviewing this after a year and a few hundred hours with it.

- I enjoy the double-bass-like sound very much.
- While you can play (on your own) and even record acoustic, it is much better through and amp, especially the low ends.
- The body feels lower quality but not "cheap".
- Rubber strings take some getting used to if you haven't played with them before, but only a few hours.
- Same applies to a shorter scale of course.
- No major issues with sound although there is the occasional buzzing or creaking.

If you can splurge or somehow justify the money I would definitely go for a more expensive model. Now that I know I enjoy it, I want my next model to be at least 4 times the price and hoping the materials and sound quality will be roughly 4 times better.

If you cannot, don't want to, or just want to get a feel for u-bass when starting out this is more than acceptable an instrument considering the price.