Harley Benton HBB600TBK

For the money...I cannot believe how good this guitar is. Its made of REAL wood...looks a good piece of timber too!! 24 excellent frets and chrome hardware, transparent finish is pimp in my opinion and is TOUGH !! Great neck shape and has the same finish on the back as the body...weighs a ton though and is quite a neckdiver but I've adapted to it now..if you could get a non-slip strap it would not be an issue at all...but its not too bad for such a big neck! Even the lead it comes with is sonically as good as most standard kit around.

I think this will suit any style of music, it does everything I want with my Line 6 LD-175, I've even tried it with a Marshall MG100DFX lead guitar combo for a laugh...FANTASTIC !!
All the pots work great with good range of tones, the active pickups are pretty quiet too...its all here with this baby and I don't hesitate to gig with it, albeit with a back-up, but I do the same with any guitar/gig. I don't over analyze things too much, I just get on with playing, but a fussy friend who has a neck-thru Peavey 6 string was gutted when he played this. Nuff said !!

Guitar came set-up pretty good...Neck relief OK...action not too bad but lowered the saddles slightly. Intonation and tuning slightly out but hey, all the adjustments are there for you to tinker. Tuners tune and they stay there...pickups pickup well and I have never adjusted them. Always changing batteries though !!Soldering is fine under the cover and the pots are nice feeling...TOP STUFF.
The neck heel could be a more snug fit in the body but with 5 bolts its not gonna move.
There had to be a weakness at this price point however...its THAT nut!! One of the most critical parts on any guitar and they mess it up...its shoddy, the spacing to the B was unequal to the others and the whole thing looks like it was cut with a hacksaw, although they somehow got the height roughly correct. HOWEVER...I got a replacement Ivory coloured aftermarket replacement nut off EBay for TWO QUID delivered, was the correct width and height, fitted it myself and now is perfect...looks like factory fit...NICE !!
Really great quality finish overall on this guitar and would rate a 9 if it wasn't for the nut issue...bit its a doddle to replace and took me ten minutes...simples.

Easily withstands live playing...stays in tune and so far all the electrics have been flawless after 6 months!!
Paint (or whatever it is) hangs on well, seems very resistant to chipping and has not worn through anywhere. The buttons are up to the job, but then I'm pretty static on stage !! Consider changing if you are a stage gymnast, this is one slab of a guitar, remember !!
I believe this baby will last...no problem !!

With Thomann there's NEVER a problem.

It it were lost or stolen I'd definitely try another without hesitation.
Overall, I enjoy the grins this bass gives me with its immense tonal range, and its proven nack of rivalling similar instruments at many time its price when it comes to producing sound...SIMPLE !!
I have never used high end kit and I never will when there's stuff like this around!!
SIMPLY DOES AN AWESOME JOB AND IS VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

For the money...I cannot believe how good this guitar is. Its made of REAL wood...looks a good piece of timber too!! 24 excellent frets and chrome hardware, transparent finish is pimp in my opinion and is TOUGH !! Great neck shape and has the same finish on the back as the body...weighs a ton though and is quite a neckdiver but I've adapted to it now..if you could get a non-slip strap it would not be an issue at all...but its not too bad for such a big neck! Even the lead it comes with is sonically as good as most standard kit around.

I think this will suit any style of music, it does everything I want with my Line 6 LD-175, I've even tried it with a Marshall MG100DFX lead guitar combo for a laugh...FANTASTIC !!
All the pots work great with good range of tones, the active pickups are pretty quiet too...its all here with this baby and I don't hesitate to gig with it, albeit with a back-up, but I do the same with any guitar/gig. I don't over analyze things too much, I just get on with playing, but a fussy friend who has a neck-thru Peavey 6 string was gutted when he played this. Nuff said !!

Guitar came set-up pretty good...Neck relief OK...action not too bad but lowered the saddles slightly. Intonation and tuning slightly out but hey, all the adjustments are there for you to tinker. Tuners tune and they stay there...pickups pickup well and I have never adjusted them. Always changing batteries though !!Soldering is fine under the cover and the pots are nice feeling...TOP STUFF.
The neck heel could be a more snug fit in the body but with 5 bolts its not gonna move.
There had to be a weakness at this price point however...its THAT nut!! One of the most critical parts on any guitar and they mess it up...its shoddy, the spacing to the B was unequal to the others and the whole thing looks like it was cut with a hacksaw, although they somehow got the height roughly correct. HOWEVER...I got a replacement Ivory coloured aftermarket replacement nut off EBay for TWO QUID delivered, was the correct width and height, fitted it myself and now is perfect...looks like factory fit...NICE !!
Really great quality finish overall on this guitar and would rate a 9 if it wasn't for the nut issue...bit its a doddle to replace and took me ten minutes...simples.

Easily withstands live playing...stays in tune and so far all the electrics have been flawless after 6 months!!
Paint (or whatever it is) hangs on well, seems very resistant to chipping and has not worn through anywhere. The buttons are up to the job, but then I'm pretty static on stage !! Consider changing if you are a stage gymnast, this is one slab of a guitar, remember !!
I believe this baby will last...no problem !!

With Thomann there's NEVER a problem.

It it were lost or stolen I'd definitely try another without hesitation.
Overall, I enjoy the grins this bass gives me with its immense tonal range, and its proven nack of rivalling similar instruments at many time its price when it comes to producing sound...SIMPLE !!
I have never used high end kit and I never will when there's stuff like this around!!
SIMPLY DOES AN AWESOME JOB AND IS VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I've just bought this from Thomann for the stupidly low price of ??124 and I feel that I've conned someone somewhere. I know it's not a WAL or a Warwick but you really will not find a better equipped piece of kit for the money.

I've played for 20 years and couldn't believe how quickly I adapted to the wide neck and the extra 2 strings. Like aircon, after 5 minutes, you wonder how you ever managed without it.

The "transparent black" finish is a bit of a copout because it looks like they just couldn't be bothered to prime it but, who cares?

Hardware, knobs etc look a bit flimsy but again, you are getting far more than you paid for.

I've had Fenders and a Burns in the past and can't honestly believe how light this guitar is. (Those of you who think this is heavy, try holding a Jazzbass)

Actives are very good, very wide tonal range with no buzzes or hums. I play through a Behringer V amp and you can get such a wide range of sounds out of this guitar, you would be hard pushed to guess that it was a chinese ??100 job.

I made it purr, I made it scream, the possibilities are endless

Bass arrived from Thomann in tune and set up correctly. Action and intonation are dead on.

I would be happy to gig with this bass. As for paint wearing off............did it hurt Jaco's Jazz?

I bought this from Thomann and are delighted with their service. The staff are friendly and helpful, delivery took four days by DHL (I work for DHL and that is remarkable in itself). Warranty is 3 years and the guitar arrived well packed and complete with a lead.

As I said I've been playing 20 years. I've owned (as far as I can remember) A 1960's Burns TriSonic shortscale, A 1980 Fender Musicmaster, A 1983 Westone Thunder 1A, A 90's Fender Jazzbass and a 2003 Vintage FL640 fretless. None of them have impressed me on first play like this one.

Perhaps I'm easily pleased these days but if you are considering moving to a 6, this is an excellent place to start.

6-string fretted Active Bass, weighs a tonne... Transparent black finnish, extra-long scale length. Came with a lead! Very fat neck. Body shape is just like that of a Yamaha RBX bass. Maple neck, Rosewood fretboard. Esh body. Chrome hardware all over it! Two humbucker pickups. Could be lighter, but I guess that's what makes it sound so great.

Very nice sound when used for slapping and popping. Very, very heavy sound when used for fast, low B fast picking! I find a bit of buzz sometimes on the lower string, but it's hardly noticable. Really wide variety of sounds can be produced from this bass. I've not tried it in the studio, but playing with a band it sounds great!

The bass got to me packed in it's box, and when I pulled it out, it was in tune. That was a surprise in itself! The action was quite high, I lowered it a tad myself. I found that one of the control knobs was a bit pressed in, making it hit the body of the bass when turned. That was fixed with a quick pull! The truss rod needed re-tightening too, but again no biggie.

I'm looking forward to playing this bass live, even if it will cause permanent shoulder damage. I can see myself still playing this bass in a few years time, it doesn't look as though it'll break anytime soon. The strap buttons it came with were solidly in there, no wobbling, although I have replaced them for straplockers. I had to adjust the truss rod when I bought it, never had to do it again since. I'd most probably take my trusty old 4-string to the gig with me, but not because I don't trust my new 6-string!

The bass came with a 3-year warranty, and a 30 day money back guarantee, which thankfully I've not had to use. I found the company very friendly, even if my bass took a good few weeks to deliver. When I asked why, they replied to me in a nice manner, and most importantly to me it was a real person on the other end, not an automatic computer message. That really did it for me.

Been playing a very old, battered, 3/4 length 4-string Encore Bass for a good 4 years now, alongside an Ozark Acoustic bass. I wish I had asked exactly how much this bass weighed before I bought it (Seriously... Unless your strap has a lot of cushioning don't try to lift it for too long!).

If something were to happen to this bass, I'd definately replace it with another. It's about the best 6-string I've ever seen for the price, indeed the only 6-string I've ever seen for the price.

I love the feel of it. Even as a player of a tiny 4-string bass, this bass felt right to me. As soon as I got hold of it, I could play it well. Not many basses have done that for me.

I know I keep mentioning this, but I really hate the weight. I've had to fit my strap with a big chunk of pink foam wrapped in cloth just to prevent bruising to my shoulder. Then again I'm not a huge guy so that's probably why I get this problem.

I went out to a lot of music shops and played various 5 and 6-string basses. This was the only one that actually seemed worth the money. I didn't really want to pay ??300+ for a 6-string that was only as good quality as my Encore. That is the sole reason I chose this bass in the first place.

I wish this bass had less black, as when I look close up to it I can see underneath the transparency, and I'd rather that showed up more!

I think that's about it. Overall, I'm massively impressed at everything about this bass.

6 string active bass. The guitar is big & heavy but sounds great. Superb value at ??114 (November 2006).

Plenty of different sounds available and something for everyone.Only problem is that the bottom 'B' can resonate a little.

Bought from Thommann. !st one was awful! frets too high, chip on body. Thommann's sfter-service was superb. They collected and replaced within a week. The new arrival was brilliant. Well set up and a delight to play.

Not sure I would gig with it as it is big and heavy (I use a headless Hohner on stage, but if I had to , I could.

Superb! It is only when you have a problem that you find out how good a company is !

Been playing for 10 years or so.

I would replace it if something happened to this one as it is incredible value for money...and it was much better than I dared expect.

- Black Transparent Finish
- 6 String
- 4 Control Pots, (Volume, Bass, Treble Ect.)
- Passive Twin Humbucking P-Ups
- Twin Cutaway Body

This is a great bass for the price. I've had theis Produck for almost a year and the pickups are lasting. although the high C sounds too soft and the low B is slightly over-powering.
The finish is also nice and even.

The bass is very versitile. I play everything from funk to death metal and due to the 3 Band Eq. you can set it the way you want.
I have played it on stage without a back-up and it seems to handle itself well. I have also used it in the recording studio and it blends in well with the other instruments, not intruding too much.
The main problem is you can hear the low B rumble while your playing on the other strings and this can sometimes be annoying.

I got this bass and i never done much to it. The only thing I have ajusted on the bass is the action (It was slightly high when i got it). The factory strings have lasted me well, although i will change them shortly.

This bass is a rock! It stays in tune forever (apart from the low B which goes out constantly). I have tropped it many times and it has just taken it.
The hardware is remaining suprisiningly strong and looks like it will last for a good few years.
Action is staying where it is and is rarely needed ajusting.

I have been playing for around 4 years and originally bought this as a back-up. Now it is my main instrument and at ??114 it is unbelievable value in money. I own a harley benton HB-80 (Upgraded to 160W). And this bass works very well with it. I also own an array of electric and acoustic guitars. I think i might be getting a Peavey BXP 5 soon and that will become my main instrument but this will remain my main back-up.
The only thing i wish it had was active pick-ups, but im not surprised on a low-end bass like this now having them. I probibally woundn't buy anotrher one is it was stolen, not because i dont like it, just because i like change.

Made in China 2004. 24 fret rosewood board on one piece maple neck, bolted via 5 ferrules (no neck plate) to a 3 piece Ash body. Transparent black finish on neck and body that shows off the grain nicely. 6 strings, chrome hardware. Two passive humbucker pickups with active EQ circuit (treble cut/boost and bass cut/boost) plus a volume and blend pot. Body shape same as cheap Yamahas, i.e. the long tapering top horn extending to the 12 fret giving the instrument balance on a strap.

I play this through a Joemeek VC3 pre-amp/compressor direct into a desk. Don't know how it sounds through a bass amp as I sold my Ampeg like a fool.

With brand new strings (or old strings that you've boiled) the sound is bright and deep with presence peaks in the upper-mid-range and bass. The humbuckers are smooth - you won't get that single coil Fender punch here - and unobtrusive. Perfect if you like your bass to sit in the background doing its job. For Geddy Lee stuff get a Rick or a Jazz.

The EQ works very well, giving you more oomph and disguising the fact that this is a cheap bass with cheap pick-ups. Roll the bass boost right off and select the bridge pick-up and put this through a guitar amp, you can get almost Dimebag pinch harmonics off the top. Not something you'd normally get on a bass! And down the bottom, the fat low B with full bass boost on is all bloody and thunder.

Accousticly, the instrument plays very well. The action was a little low on arrival cause a lot of fret buzz, but raising it only a smallish amount cured that. The wide neck, once you get used to it, it very playable and fast.

Plugged in, the pickups are a bit of a let down. Although the bass sounds nicely balanced (i.e. all notes and positions giving similar tone and volume) that's not what comes out of the speakers. You'll need a good compressor or a limiter at the very least to get all the notes out cleanly.

This is the only area on an otherwise excellent value bass that fall down over a ?500 Yamaha. But then, a new set of 6 string Bartolini pick-ups and EQ circuit won't cost you more than ?200.

The action was too low but its fine now, and the standard of hardware and finish is excellent. I'll give this ?100 bass a 10 for this, and ignore the pickups. The neck joint is solid and the heel nicely chamfered, making top fret access easy. It's also quite light and well balanced on the strap.

The Medium-gauge fretwork is excellent, VERY good for a bass at this price.

One small niggle - the body is VERY thin making it a little uncomfortable in the lap. Only a small area of the instrument rests on your leg, giving you pins and needles after 10 minutes or so. Still, you can always rest it on a pillow if you don't mind looking like a tool.

So far so good - it keeps itself in tune regardless of changes in humidity and temperature you get at gigs, band practices etc. I haven't really given it a serious torture challenge test yet, so in absence of such data I'll just give it an 8. No problems.

I bought this from Thomann in Germany via the internet. The thing didn't turn up for two weeks so I rang them ("Guten Tag...spreken zie English?" "Ja!") and it turns out that I'd put the wrong post code in the order form and it'd come back to them. NEVER BUY ANYTHING ON THE INTERNET WHEN YOU'RE DRUNK!! I had to pay the postage again, silly me, but I'd buy from Thomann any day.

A mate of mine bought my old falling to bits drum kit last year, and I like to spend any money from selling gear on more gear. I needed a bass and quite like Dream Theatre, and at ?114 with a returns policy you can't go wrong.

Apart from the so-so pick-ups (they're quite usable) this is great and I wouldn't feel so bad spending twice as much on it. But don't expect it to be of the same quality as a ?500 job.

I?m not sure of the year, but it has made in Korea stamped on the pots Solid Ash Body, I think the neck is maple which would make sense
24 frets, 6 strings, Active electronics, controls are Volume. Treble, Bass, Blend Twin Soap bar Pups, Heavy Badass Type Bridge, and Good solid tuners Transparent black finish

With everything on neutral or full you get a very modern punchy sound, play with eth controls and most things are possible, I can?t imagine a situation when this bass couldn?t deliver, all in all very versatile.

I?m using a Hartke 3500 Head & Hartke Model 4.5XL Cab, which is a great live rig; I use a Boss GT6B and a DOD Envelope Filter.

The finish and set up were perfect, unbelievable for the price, it played perfectly right out of the box, but the guy that sells them on eBay sets them up, so this isn?t a factory set-up.

Built like a tank, no problems here?.

You never know what the customer support is like until you have a problem, but the guy was very friendly and knowable, and I like to think any problem would have been sorted without any hassle.

I?ve been playing for years, and gig regular, I fancied a 6 six but didn?t want to spend a fortune, after owning this bass for a month or so, I?m convinced six strings is the way to go, this bass is amazing value, , one thing about the bass that did strike me was the balance, 6 stringers can be quite neck heavy but this one is fine.


I?ve tried some Washburn?s etc but they have necks like ironing boards, I?d like to try a Yamaha JP but I doubt if I could justify the #1,300 price difference. I'm giving this bass a 9, but for the money it should get an 11!

Made in Korea 2004, active six string model, twin soapbar pickups, ash body,black gloss finish, controls for volume, tone, bass and blend, five screw bolt on neck, badass style bridge

the controls are a little strange as they are not marked but you soon get used to it but sound is pretty good thanks to the active pups and preamp, it does most of your basic stuff from slap to motown, not as hot as my warwick but probably more versatile, a good workhorse bass.

Played great straight out of the box with no adjustments needed, the neck feels thick compared to my ultra thin warwick but I soon got used to it, there is a little decolourisation on the fretboard but everything else seems ok, everybody who has seen it things it must have cost around #600.

It?s built like a tank and everything is rock solid and it, I can?t afford a backup six string but I don?t think I need one anyway.

It comes with a 2 year guarantee, bought it from a guy on ebayuk, he was very helpful gave me lots of advice and set the bass up for me.

I?ve been playin for years and I have a nice warwick corvette and a 5 string musicman but wanted a 6 string, this one was pretty cheap so I thought I?d give it a go, I asked loads of question before I bought the bass as I hate being a bass unplayed, if this one got lost of stolen, I?d probably buy another one but I?d like to check out the Yamaha version even though it cost around 10 times as much.

The best thing out the six string is that you can play really fast runs without having to fly all over the neck, the extra strings mean you can play a lot of extra chords and stuff, playing a 6 string takes some adjustment but it looks really cool and I?m a convert.

I?m not sure of the year, but it was bought brand new, so I suspect 2003/2004, it?s a 6 string active model bass with: 2 Soapbar Pickups, Solid Ash-body, Maple Neck/Rosewood Fingerboard (24 jumbo frets), Die-Cast Machine Heads (3 per side)
Chrome Hardware, and a Transparent Black Finish. Controls are Master volume, Rotary Pan, Active Bass & Treble controls.

The sound from the pick-ups couple with the active EQ is excellent, there is a really range of sounds to be had with a bit of tweaking, I can?t think of a sound this bass can?t get, it?s possibly the most versatile bass I?ve every played! The pick-ups are single coils and if you whack everything up to 10 you will get a little hiss but that?s to be expected and it?s much quieter than my Fender Jazz bass.

OK this isn?t a hugely expensive bass and I did expect to have to adjust the truss rod and do some tweaking with the action etc, but it came really well set up, in fact I couldn?t better the factory set up, I just took the bass out of the box and tuned it up.. brilliant

The finish is transparent so you can see the grain of the wood beneath, and I?m impressed, it looks like a good solid piece of ash with really nice grain, and the quality of all the parts thought out seem very high, much better than I had any right to expect at this price. Everything worked as it should and I couldn?t find any faults at all, and I am quite particular.this is the first 10 I?ve ever given in a review!

as I?ve already said it?s incredibly solid and well made, the only back up you would need is a spare set of strings and a battery..

They answered my emails etc, but I won?t really know unless something goes wrong

I?ve been playing bass for around 15 years and have a stack of others instruments, I did have a Peavey six string bass but didn?t like the feel of the thing, but this one is great? it is big but not that heavy, the string spacing is wider than the peavey and OK for slap styles, I love the look the feel and the sounds from this bass, it?s become my main instrument and I get lots of people asking me about it, and not just bass players, my first concern about a six string bass is that I?m not a huge guy and have quite small fingers, but I found this bass to be really easy to play, If it were stolen I would certainly buy another, there may be better models out there but I?ve never found one, and I sincerely believe nothing can touch it at twice the price.