Harley Benton B-450 White Progressive Serie

To start my name is Rob aka RT Slinger a bass player of over 50 years.
I was watching a video and someone was reviewing this Harley Benton B-450 Progressive 4 string.
Now I have many brands of bass guitar in my collection of 17, but this one had some about the tone that really grabbed me.
So I contacted Thomann through this website and purchase the bass. Shipping to the US went smoothly no delays and the bass was in great shape when it arrived. I didn't need to do any set up it was great and no dead spots on the neck.
That tone I heard on the video was right there in my hands. I gig with the bass that same weekend and my band mates told me "just leave your other basses home", because of how well in set in the mix. The pros are many but the best is having a active bass that when the battery dies you can still use it in passive mode. Cons I truly haven't found anything that is wrong with this bass and I have held many, many bass in my 50 years of playing. Amazing job and I would and have told everyone what a great bass this is.
Thanks for a top quality bass at a incredibly affordable price point

I have a selection of HB guitars in my collection. I used to covet the Ibanez Musician basses of the 1980's, specifically the white one played by Martin Kemp in Spandau Ballet. However I couldn't afford one then and can't justify the expense of one now. So I liked the aesthetic of the B450 and, at the price, it was an easy choice.
I'm a British expat, living in the mountain area of Transylvania, Romania. As always with Thomann, the delivery and customer service were absolutely world class and without issue (even after somehow I managed to place the order twice, it was instantly resolved with a simple email).

So, down to the bass. It was quickly become one of my favourites (I have numerous premium basses too) and I really like the style and layout of the hardware, the weight of the bass (solid but not hefty) and the neck is perfect for me in terms of width and shape.

However, I do have a couple of niggles which stop me giving 5 stars on it.

Firstly the bridge. I play my bass quite high (in a jazz funk style) and the corners and edges of the bridge are very angular and sharp, to the point of being noticeable when I play for any longer than 30 minutes or so. Also, the (as arrived) set up on mine is at the limits of the adjusters, so it'll be a bit difficult if I need to do any set up in the future.
If the bottom edges of the bridge were rounded and chamfered, this would be sooooooo much more comfortable, and make the overall look more premium.

Secondly, the fretboard. As I said, the neck itself is really nice but, for some reason the fretboard overhangs the end of the neck and almost reaches the neck pickup. I have no idea why this wasn't just cut to be flush with the end of the neck and it really interferes with the ability to play slap as the space for my finger to pull the top strings is very limited and restrictive. I will be taking the neck off and routing this overhang to be flush with the actual neck in the near future.

The fretboard inlays are not to my taste. I would prefer them to be either traditional dots or similar. The 'coffee bean' style, to my mind, makes it look less premium...but that's purely personal feelings.

Overall, even at twice the price, this bass is an excellent choice. My playing style has emphasised the issues I've listed and the sharp bridge and restrictive fretboard gap so I can't criticise too harshly.

In conclusion, I'm very happy with it, I love its nostalgic 80's look. And with a little fettling of the fretboard and bridge, it's going to remain a firm favourite.

Now...maybe I'll have a little look at the MM series???

My first bass, actually. Then i bought a Warwick.

It's extremely good for the price you pay. Never had a problem with tuning, and the fretboard feels very good. Slapped a pack of coated strings on it and been going strong for years. It's beautiful, the inlays are very cool, the sound from its double humbuckers is perfectly fine, and the fact that it's active/passive means i'm never gonna find myself in an awkward situation. Packs a bite

Now concerning the negatives, i only really have one. The neck and the first pickup don't really leave enough space between them for someone to double pluck. You can play slap, yes, but it's just a bit more limiting for my taste.

All in all though, this is probably the best bass a beginner could buy, and a bass that even someone with more experiance could really enjoy