Harley Benton PJ-5 HTR Deluxe Series

I ordered this instrument with a standard expectation of HB products - price/quality, and I won again. Feels good, plays good, sounds good. At this price it is comparable with 100-150 euros more expensive instruments, the fretboard looks a bit cheap, however I understand at this price it can not be the best wood. Pickups do a good job, no characteristic sound, but good anyway - again look at this amazing price tag! More of a P bass than J bass to me. Great for begginer, good as a backup or broadening instrument skills.

I was looking for a cheap 5 string for home use, as I play a PJ Bass ( with flats) and a Yamaha BB1500 ( rounds) as my gigging tools but missed having a 5 string around. Having read the reviews, and liking P type basses, I thought I'd give this a go.

Quick delivery from Germany with good communications and no drama!

Build quality is really good, neck pocket is tight, fretting is fine and the finish is flawless. The neck is pretty chunky, but is quite comfy and the satin finish is comfortable and consistent. The colour is very dark, and I can't really discern any grain through the finish. Weight is average for a 5 string.

The hardware is fine, there is no play in the machine heads and the bridge is more than adequate ( certainly as good as a Squier comes with.)

The pots are quiet, and do what they are supposed to do. 2 volumes and a master tone give a really versatile range of sounds. I was really pleased to see a front mounted jack socket!

When the bass arrived it was really well packed ( double boxed, lots of bubble wrap etc) and came with a couple of keys and a cable.

Action was ok - certainly very playable, but I've made some adjustments to bring the action very low without excessive fret buzz.

All good so far!

The main weaknesses are the strings, horrible pickguard and ( possibly) pickups - the low B sounds really weak (despite some pickup height adjustment) , but the EADG strings sound great. I'll replace the B string with a .135 D'Addario before writing the pickups off, and if this sorts the problem I'll restring the bass accordingly.

I've run the bass through my practice rig ( Peavey Max 115 , Aphex Bass Xciter, EBS Octabass and Digitech Chorus) - and it really does sound pretty good. I'm looking forward to trying it with my bigger set up after replacing the low B. If this doesn't sound right, I'll link a compressor up, as the extra tension of the 135 will certainly improve the tone ( if not the output).

Overall I'm very happy with the quality and sound of the bass, and it will certainly fit the bill as a cheap 5 string for occasional use. Just a shame Thomann don't list replacement pickguards for this, as a black one would look so much better!!

If you're after a cheap, passive 5 string you can't go wrong with one of these - just a shame about the strings and pickguard.

If it holds up ok I'll be looking at other Harley Bentons, as the value for money is astonishing.