Harley Benton UkeBass Mahogany

Det är väl ingen hemlighet att det här är Thomanns/Harley Bentons variant på Kalas u-bas, fast den kostar mindre än hälften så mycket. Den har strängbytarluckan på baksidan, de gummisnoddslika strängarna med det ståbasaktiga ljudet, osv. Däremot är den här basen såvitt jag förstår lite större än Kalas variant, vilket knappast är en nackdel. Den är välbyggd, snygg och prydlig och känns som ett betydligt dyrare instrument, som det ofta är med Harley Benton. Elektroniken är jättebra — en av de bästa stämapparater jag har stött på finns inbyggd. Den drivs med två små klockbatterier, vilket är ett framsteg jämfört med de gamla niovoltsbatterierna. (Stämapparatej behövs, eftersom syntetgummisträngarna har en tendens att töja sig mer än normala strängar.) Kort sagt, ett utmärkt u-basalternativ till ett nästan obegripligt lågt pris. Rekommenderas.

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