Harley Benton PJ-5 HTR Deluxe Series

I play mostly in my home studio.
For the money you spend, you'll get a VERY nice 5 string Bass.

The wood that makes up the Bass, I got, is very good. The hardware is OK, let me qualify that the bridge and tuners are the OK part, both are more than adequate. The Pickups both sound very much like the pickups they are emulating. (2023 I changed the bridge pickup Vol to a blend knob.The pickup screws are another matter, they seem weak, as I was trying to raise them, they couldn't push hard enough to get the pickups higher and hold them there. As they came from the factory the pickups were decidedly low.

I did a setup (intonation, string height and truss rod) using the strings that came with the Bass, and now the neck is comfortable (though somewhat thicker than the other 5 string necks I've played on) and holds the truss rod adjustment well.

The tuners work as expected as does the bridge (upgrades for the bridge, tuners and pickups depend on your cash flow and whether or not you want to spend at least the cost of the Bass or more for replacements) The fingerboard is well manufactured (as is the complete Bass for that matter) with the frets seated well and no sprout.

I play through a Fender Rumble 100, not a big rig. The Bass is clear with great pitch definition (surprisingly the B string comes through the same, a trick for a 34" scale, but I believe the thickness of the neck has something to do with that !) very old school P Bass sounding (I use the vintage switch in with it out the Bass has a more modern sound) I used to play through a GK 1001RBII and a pair of 1X15 GK neos. I think this Bass would translate through that rig to the concert stage with ease.

If you're thinking of picking up a 5 string but can't afford the cost of a "BIG NAME" Bass... rest assured that this Bass will give you all you need to get playing in a professional manner..... with out shredding your wallet.

My background:
I've been playing for the last 50 years

In the 80's I toured then world with country artist Bobby Bare

I played the largest Country club west of Gillie's in TX in the house bands from 1978 through the 80's when not on the road.

I'm now 71, on a fixed income so a bass like this is a real deal.

The Harley Benton PJ-5 HTR Deluxe is effectively Harley Benton at its all time best. I have owned this bass for 14 months now and it has very swiftly become my most travel ready and most reliable bass.
I originally bought this Bass to be my second bass and to fill in the gaps in versatility, i.e mostly what my other bass wasn't capable of doing tone wise (the bass in question being a standard 4 string short scale hollow body bass). I figured at 129 euro it wasnt much of a gamble and needless to say, the PJ 5 greatly impressed me when it arrived. The Alder body is as sturdy and heavy duty as a battle axe, and the neck is swift and reliable with a light finish that doesnt slow down the playability of the instrument, the intonation is beautifully consistent and required very little setting up. It needed as little as a quick tune up once it arrived and was more than ready to go.
The strings that came with the bass were fantastic quality, which shows Thomann isnt going to cheap out on their customers any time soon, that said, I did replace them after about 2 months and swapped them for a set of warwick red labels which changed the instrument entirely and for the better.
I am presently attending college which consists of 4 practicals a week on mondays and fridays and time after time, i'm drawn to grabbing my PJ 5 above any of the others purely based on its sturdiness and excellent tonal range. It can be used for many diverse genres such as Jazz, Blues, Folk, Rock/Pop, Punk or Reggae.
It is also worth mentioning, at present I have the same bass set up with a "high C" 5 string set, 105 - 32 gauge strings tuned EADGB and use this tuning for all of my practicals in college (Practicals are mostly in Jazz/Blues) and it handles this tuning seamlessly without any need for adjusting the action or changing the nut at all.
The one downside to this bass are the fact that the pickups are slightly cooler than most other basses i've used, and as a result the bass output is quieter. which isnt overly significant, if anything it just requires more amp volume once you swap from another bass to the PJ 5 and to turn the amp volume down again when swapping back.
In all, I would go so far as say this is my favourite bass to play any clean or 'light gain' song with, which approximately makes up about 60% of my average setlist.
I would also personally recommend the PJ 5 bass to any student, beginner, or intermediate bass player who like I was 14 months ago, is looking for a new string to their bow, looking to take up 5 string bass or even constantly commuting to and from college and are wary of an expensive or fragile instrument getting damaged during the constant travelling.
10/10 for playability, sound, appearance, sturdiness and for the fantastic hotrod red colour.

e un buon basso , pecca la quinta corda ma e dato dalla tipologia di pick up e non dalla qualità.. manca un po sunstain dipendemente dal legno, la botta per lo slap c e anche se onestamente quei pickup fanno un po di rumore , ma acquistando un buon cavo come il planet wawe circuit breaker il ronzio è quasi nullo.. consigliato! da acquistare subito le corde , le corde di serie non danno botta , volume e timbro allo strumento . sono pessime .quando comprate questo basso vi consiglio di comprare un buon cavo planet wawe circuit breaker e una muta di corde d addario nickel o acciaio , cosi potete suonare alla grande , il suono non e male , ci ho anche registrato ..

The bass is beautiful. The body's deep, red wine/bloody color is a sight to behold. If you think this instrument looks cool in photos, just wait till it's in your hands. The photos don't do it justice. I've seen some complaints about the pickguard, but I think it looks fine. Just remember to remove the plastic covering.

How does it play? Well, as a beginning bassist... pretty well, I guess. The neck is long scale, which is a little tough for my small hands, but that's not a failing of the bass itself. The neck is fast, though, and the frets were (mostly) immaculate on arrival. All are well leveled, No sharp ends or choke points anywhere. There was a small bit of gunk on some of the fret ends, but it scratched off easily enough. However, all of the frets are well polished; no file marks anywhere.

After getting this beast tuned up, I've been thoroughly pleased with the tone. The pickups probably aren't anything to write home about, but as a beginning bassist, they sound perfectly fine to my ear. Also of note: the strings this bad boy ships with sound great. I bought some Ernie Ball strings in anticipation of the bass' arrival, but I don't think I'll be needing to whip them out just yet. Also, the action feels pretty good.

I searched the body for any dings or scratches and couldn't find any. The worst I can say about this thing is that two of the pots feel a little cheap/scratchy, which stands out next to the third pot that actually does feel quality. The hardware itself is perfectly acceptable, though not exactly premium. But I'm really stretching to find things to complain about here. These little niggles would be irksome on a more expensive instrument, but they don't mean much for a bass that costs only ~$138 USD (pre-international shipping costs, of course).

This bass is my first experience with Thomann and the Harley Benton brand. I'm totally satisfied with what I've gotten here, and now I'm even more excited to get my hands on the HB electric guitar I ordered.

It's not a boutique bass costing $$$, but it exceeded all my expectations. It feels like a decent bass, plays like a decent bass and I love the tone, the pickups are fine, lots of middle lows. It doesn't have the slap snap sound like a jazz bass, but I can get it with EQ.

I've had none of the issues mentioned earlier. I adjusted the pickup heights and all strings sing perfectly. The headstock weight is fixed with a leather strap. It's not too heavy btw. The best thing is the neck, no sharp frets, no lumps, just nice quality.

The only minor 'cheap' things about it are the pickup poles are slightly out of alignment, makes no difference to sound. The pickguard is horrible, but I've already made two really cool ones out of blank sheets using the old one as a stencil, black and brown tort. You could even just spray it another colour. There are some minor polishing omissions on the fretboard and body, but hey??

I got a great bass to get me into 5 string, no regrets at all, get one.

I read the reviews and just went for it. Like some before me stated: I’m a guitarist but wanted a bass for playing and recording tracks in my small project studio. And it’s a great choice for both.

Bass sounds nice, a bit on the quiet side with passive PUs. Neck feels smooth and stabile. Controls usable, P-sound, J-sound and with both PUs mixed it has a voice on its own. It can be quite punchy or growly, depending on playing style.

Setup was remarkably good, bass was playable out of the box. I still didn’t change strings since I got it - because why fix it if it isn’t broken. I plan to paint the cavities with insulating paint for less humm and noise once I find the time. Also planning to wrap the pickguard in flat black foil as the original pickguard is kinda “salami-like”.

Would recommend it mos def. The build quality and setup convinced me to take the Harley Benton brand into serious consideration for future guitar and bass purchases. It’s great to have the option of playing such a usable bass for a very reasonable price. It’s s joy!

And it’s a bit of a paradox that while I give it 4/5 in all categories, overall it gets 5/5, but that’ due to its awesome price-performance ratio.