http://www.thomann.de/gr/harley_benton_bass_guitar_kit.htm

Anyone tried it? Or any Harley Benton for that matter? Care to comment on build quality and playability?

I play some guitar, but lately I've been looking for an entry level cheap bass guitar for recording and occasional live playing. This is really cheap at 99€ plus 20€ postage (free if I order>299€). I realize that I get what I pay for, my question is, is it usable at all? Or will it gather dust after a week? Or will the neck warp in September?

Any comments please?

Hi cimoc,

I've got a Harley Benton HBT200O tele 'style' guitar, and it is truly superb, but sadly no longer in production, which is a real shame if mine is typical.
The build quality is superb, basswood body with a flame maple top with wax/oil finish, maple thru' neck and rosewood fretboard, with a fantastic buzz free action. It looks stunning, and plays just as well
I replaced the stock pickups with a set of Fender Vintage Noiseless, simply because the stock pickups, while very hot, being single coil they tended to be a bit noisy when used with distortion. All the hardware, while not out of the top drawer, has been fine for the few years I've had this guitar. No discolouration on the chrome and the tuners are as rock solid as the day I got it. It has an unbelievably slim neck that's stayed straight, with not a hint of warping.

I'm not a bass player, but if I was, and based on the build quality of my HBT2000, I'd certainly have a close look at the Harley Benton bass guitars. In particular, the 4 and 5 string thru' necks look fantastic.

Up until getting my latest budget guitar, a RMS JD S890, the HBT2000 was my pride and joy, but somehow, I've been lucky enough to find another budget guitar that was even cheaper, and in many ways, a lot better

You might want to look at the range of RMS bass guitars at the site I got my RMS guitar from. http://www.richmrsax.com/shop/guitars-bass-c-3_4.html They are great to deal with, and again, if my RMS is typical of their entire range, they are a steal at the prices. I got mine from their ebay store auctions, so didn't pay the list price. It may well be worth your while checking this page from time to time for bass bargains if you're not in a desperate rush to get one http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Rich-Mr-Sax-Music_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1Q QfsubZ0QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Thanks a lot for the info and the links!