Harley Benton MSB-5 ASP

I waited 3 months for this bass to come back into stock, as it just looks spectacular! My first 5 string and fanfret. Arrived well packed as always and reasonably in tune and set up. The pre-amp initially seemed good at home - then I took it to a rehearsal - forget it! Far too much interference coming through, also meaning you could never gig it in active mode! However, the volume knob incorporates a pull switch for passive mode, which actually sounds great on account of the uprated HBZ pickups no doubt. Just handle your EQ on a pedal! Feels good quality and well made. A good entry level fanfret bass for the price if you forget the pre-amp.

My only regret is I didn't buy it sooner.

It seems it was built pretty solid. It's gorgeous, although that's probably subjective. I love the neck on this guitar, it's a 5-piece and it's roasted so the colour is insane, I never thought I'd be impressed solely by the aesthetics of the neck. I've seen some reviews where people complain about the upper part of the neck and say it's hard to play because of the neck joints, but for me it's completely accessible - I guess it depends greatly on the technique style.

What makes it even comfier is the multiscale. It's basically calling you to experiment with soloing in that higher register. 35" on the 5th string is good enough for me, some people say that's too short.

Basically I'm a guitarist who got bored of writing MIDI bass and decided to finally buy the real thing for writing demos for my band. I play bass as well, but I've never got the chance to play one that is high end professional grade. That means my opinion probably isn't very relevant.

Pickups and the preamp are not that great, but you can't expect high end electronics on a 300eur instrument. The blend knob works well, and sounds good in basically every position.

All in all, I think this bass is perfect for me, and if you're in a similar situation I encourage you to go for it.