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Harley Benton JB-20 BM Standard Series

207

Electric Bass

  • Body: Poplar
  • Bolt-on neck: Maple
  • Fingerboard: Amaranth
  • Fingerboard inlays: Dots
  • Neck profile: Modern C
  • 20 Frets
  • Scale: 864 mm
  • Nut width: 38 mm
  • Double-action truss rod
  • Pickups: 2 JB-style single-coils
  • Controls: Volume and tone
  • Chrome hardware
  • Classic PB-Style machine heads
  • Factory strings: .040 - .100
  • Colour: Blue Metallic, high-gloss
Available since December 2019
Item number 460178
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Colour Blue
Soundboard Poplar
Neck Canadian Maple
Fretboard Amaranth
Frets 20
Scale Longscale
Pickup System JJ
Elektronic Passive
Incl. Case No
Incl. Gigbag No
£99
Including VAT; Excluding £10 shipping
In stock within 4-5 weeks
In stock within 4-5 weeks

This product is expected back in stock soon and can then be shipped immediately.

Standard Delivery Times
1

Affordable classic

Electric 4-string bass Harley Benton JB-20 BM Standard Series

The Harley Benton JB-20 is a four-string bass that is especially interesting for bassists who prefer the look and sound of a classic, but don't want to spend a fortune on it. In terms of design and features, the JB-20 is based on the well-known American model from the 60s and already offers amazing sonic flexibility with two pickups and passive electronics. A simple bass with no battery and no limitations at a price that won't break the bank.

Harley Benton JB-20 BM Standard Series body with singlecoil pickups

Reduced to the limit

A poplar body, a maple neck, and an amaranth fingerboard are the basis of the Harley Benton JB-20. Just like the original, it has a bolt-on neck design, which ensures a sound with plenty of attack. 20 frets offer enough space for basslines of all kinds and the neck itself, which is 38mm wide at the nut and features a C profile, promises an instantly familiar, comfortable playing feel. Two pickups and passive electronics with a volume control for each pickup and a master tone control have always been part of the "JB" signature sound, and the JB-20 is no exception. That's all it takes to make musical history, but it's not only the sound that counts: So do the instrument's looks. The JB-20's design, finish, vintage-style machine heads, and pickguard all contribute to its authentic appearance, and the Metallic Blue finish gives it a modern yet understated appearence.

Harley Benton JB-20 BM Standard Series seen from the back with a bolt-on neck

Great sound at an affordable price

The Harley Benton JB-20 is clearly aimed at musicians who are price-conscious but still want to get their hands on the look, feel, and sound of a classic. Stylistically, the JB-20 cannot be squeezed into just one category. In terms of sound, it is at home everywhere - from Pop, Rock, Funk, and Soul to R&B and Jazz - thanks to its two pickups. Beginners looking to find out whether playing the bass is something they enjoy will be particularly pleased with the low price, as will musicians who would like to acquire a decent bass as a second instrument.

Harleey Benton 4-string headstock on a bass guitar

About Harley Benton

Since 1998, the Harley Benton brand has been catering for the needs of numerous guitarists and bassists. In addition to an extensive range of stringed instruments, Thomann's house brand also offers a wide choice of amplifiers, speakers, effect pedals, and other accessories. In total, the range includes over 1,500 products. Built by established names in the industry, all Harley Benton products combine quality and reliability at attractive and affordable prices. The continuous expansion of the range ensures that Harley Benton always provides new, exciting, and innovative products that keep players perfectly in tune with the musical world, day after day.

Well-equipped for all situations

As already mentioned, the JB-20 offers a wide range of sounds thanks to its two pickups. The bridge pickup delivers punchy mids and the necessary definition for precise fingerstyle lines, while the neck pickup adds the punch and the low end for powerful Rock, Blues, or Soul grooves. Both pickups together offer the typical all-round sound for every possible situation. Thanks to its attractive price, the Harley Benton JB-20 is also perfectly suitable as a second bass. Harley Benton also offers matching bass amplifiers, which are a practical, cost-effective add-on, especially since the bass is also available as a bundle with all the necessary accessories.

207 Customer ratings

4.6 / 5

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136 Reviews

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A solid purchase
casual musician 24.02.2021
Okay, editing this review after 2 months of usage.

At this price, you shouldn't have to expect anything but the sounds and playability absolutely hit above its weight.
I've owned a Mexican and Japanese J Bass, and a US P Bass previously.

PROS:
At this price, this is an absolute steal. I can imagine basses 2-3 times more expensive than this one failing to match the level here.
Everything from the neck straightness & relief was on the spot, strings began playing better after 20-30 minutes with my finger grease on them - plays great after 2 months in. Everything's pretty solid enough.

CONS:
1 It does need a setup. Or at least someone to adjust saddle height. If you're a beginner, it might be nice to have someone who can do that for you.
2 I thought the tuners are flimsy, but they do hold up. I do find myself tuning more often than on better basses.
3 Lemon oil is necessary. The fretboard was dry as dead wood. After some lemon oil and some time later, it feels great now.
4 BIGGEST FLAW. Fret endings hurt, and will cut your skin if you keep making slides (no blood, but made my hand look like beaten leather after a track of recording). But the bass is cheap enough to risk some DIY - I got some sanding paper and sanded the edges away, and now it feels fabulous.

Tips: If this is your first bass, you'll need someone to help you out. If you know your way around a bass, get some lemon oil, sanding paper, prolly a new set of strings. Once that's done, you're going to love this bass.
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Probably what you're looking for
snailgazer 21.04.2021
First off, if you're considering this bass, you are on a budget, so don't expect a legendary instrument. With that said, will you get bang for your buck with the JB-20? The short answer is yes.

As a mostly guitar playing amateur, I wanted a bass for home recording, and was curious to see what the HB hype is all about. First impressions are great: It really is well built, and quite a looker, too. Factory setup doesn't feel half bad, with low action but no buzz, and decent intonation. There were no issues with the fret work. Right out of the box, this is probably the most comfortable bass I have ever played.

There were some small problems, too. Notably, the D string's tuning peg is a little loose. Also, the knobs aren't perfectly straight, but do their job adjusting tone and output level. I get the feeling that buyers can get lucky and receive an axe that's just percect, but take into account that there may be small faults.

Overall, I'm satisfied. Above all, the instrument feels great to play, better than more expensive basses I've laid my hands on. If I should ever need to get a higher end bass, I will probably just upgrade the pickups and make other adjustments to the pb-20. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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Best budget Jazz Bass
TheDan 12.05.2022
Even after spending a fair bit of time playing high-end jazz basses, I was more than satisfied with this instrument and I would recommend it to anyone, beginner or not.
I loved it so much I ended up purchasing two more to give to my students.

There were always minor issues, but nothing I couldn't deal with with proper setup. It's cheap material, of course. A bit of fret polishing, adjusting the machine heads and the bridge and I was good to go.

(Not to mention the colour OH MY GOODNESS it looks so sweet)
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Great starter & recording bass for the price.
DanDaMan1992 29.10.2022
I'm a guitar player, but I needed to buy a bass to record with as I don't think you get the same effect pitch shifting a guitar down. I wasn't going to spend a shedload of money on a bass guitar that I'm only going to use for recording bass parts so I decided to take a punt on the cheapest bass you can buy and was I pleasantly surprised with what I got!

When it arrived I was expecting that it was going to need a bit of work and a setup for the price paid, but to be fair when I took it out of the box there was very little I needed to do to it. The nut was cut nice and the strings sat snug in it & there was no sharp frets anywhere on the fretboard. The bridge and saddles were fine, and the tone control and volume knobs were perfect. The blue metallic finish is very nice & really makes the bass look a lot more expensive than it is. The action was a little too high for my tastes so I adjusted that to get it to how I like.

The last thing to do was to play it, so I plugged it in and gave it a bash & I was blown away with how nice it played. The neck is nice and smooth for fast playability & the pickups are great for what they are, tone wise it's perfect for what I need it for. The tone controls offer a wide variety of sounds that you can play with.

So in conclusion, if you're just starting out with bass or you're a guitar player first and foremost like me & need a bass guitar for recording, I would definitely recommend picking up one of these as they're well worth the money.
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