I took the Guitarbass to my luthier to change the strings and do a set up. But of course almost any guitar or bass can be improved :) However the single coils do not seem to be prone to picking up noise unless deliberately provoked and I do not think they would benefit significantly from upgrading.Ĭonsidering the very low price this was a good instrument. The middle pickup seems to be reverse wound reverse polarity which is very good. There were no problems with the sound other than a very slight probable ground loop hum - almost imperceptible. The action out of the box was reasonably good - certainly quite playable. The fret edges were not rough and the fretboard block inlays were nicely done. The finish was excellent - a lovely sunburst front and back albeit with a few inconsequential tiny lacquer splashes. Whereas the Harley Benton suffered from none of these disadvantages and had a much lower cost. Plus I thought the layout of the knobs and switches, whilst authentic enough, looked rather fussy. I had previously tried out a Fender Squier Bass VI, but the tremolo put me off completely. I really liked the idea of an inexpensive Bass VI without a tremolo arm. So this rating and review is solely about the replacement. Thomann Customer Support was very good and paid for the return carriage and sent a replacement at no extra cost to me. Unfortunately the first Guitarbass had to be returned to Thomann with a large number of faults of which one was very serious. I bet this would be killer for a 2-piece band, or a looper-based solo project! Famously used by Peter Hook in New Order, Robert Smith on "Disintegration", and Glen Campbell in "Wichita Lineman", there's a lot of sonic possibilities available. It's an ideal rhythm instrument that has a distinct timbre from a bass or guitar that can give you massive backing tracks and low-end lines. I love the offset body and neck shape, and the finish is great and light on the neck so it's easy to move your hand around.
Harley girder front end neck attachments install#
And you could always change to a heavier string gauge or install different pick-ups. The stock single-coil pickups & strings can be a little thin, especially if you're expecting a traditional bass sound, but the tone knob gives a lot of variety. The GBVS has a simple setup of volume, tone, and a 5-way pick-up selector that gives a wide range of sounds. So this is exactly what I've been looking for! Right out of the box this thing plays perfectly. You won't be disappointed!Īs a guitarist I'm most interested in the lower end, often tuning down to C, but as a bassist I end up playing chords like a guitar. Overall, this was a terrific first instrument purchase for me from Thomann/Harley Benton, and I really recommend it for guitarists and bassists looking to inspire some "outside the box" playing/writing. Pickguard is a little plain without the metal control plates of the original design Neck is a tad too "beefy" for smaller hands Now this HB is every bit as versatile as my "real" Bass VI, and it really makes me want to write more songs to perform on it instead of standard guitar. Secondly, I replaced the volume pot with a 1M pot, and the tone control with a push-pull pot wired as a traditional tone pot, but with the push-pull function to act as a "strangle" switch (high-pass), similar to the original design. First I added a VibraMate V5 and a Bigsby B5 vibrato so that I get my wiggle-stick action going on this one like on my other one.
Harley girder front end neck attachments mods#
I then decided on two other mods to make this my go-to gigging Bass VI (I've preferred to leave my "real" one in my studio). So when I got my HB, I started by adding a tiny shim to the neck to even out the action a bit, and it plays like a dream now. The hardware is solid, and again, if I were to complain about anything, it would be the lack of a vibrato/vibrola/tremolo (some may actually prefer this hard-tail/stopbar configuration though). The only complaint I have is I do kind of miss the individual on/off switches for the pickups, and the "strangle" switch like my real VI has. The pickups sound good, and are in fact fiber-base AlNiCo pickups, not cheapo bar-magnet bottom-of-the-heap pickups. The inlays look nice, and mine came with well-finished frets and binding. The neck, while a thicker profile on the HB, is visually similar, and insets into the body at the same place as my Bass VI. And I am glad I did!Īside from a slightly trimmed-down body, this is very close to my "S" branded VI. When I saw Harley Benton did their own take on this unique, inspiring instrument, I had to try it. A few years ago I indulged myself and bought the "S" brand "vintage modified" version, and aside from a couple VERY minor complaints it is damned near perfect. I have been a fan of "Bass VI" instruments since the 90's when I first tried out a Japanese "F" brand reissue at a local shop (still kicking myself for not buying it).
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