Harley Benton B-30BK Acoustic Bass Series

Toco baixo há mais de 30 anos e comprei este B-30BK sem grandes expectativas, sobretudo pelo preço. Quatro anos depois, tenho de dizer que foi uma das compras mais acertadas que fiz.

Vivo no interior de Portugal, com verões muito quentes e invernos húmidos, e o baixo tem aguentado tudo sem problemas: o braço continua estável e o instrumento está como novo. Para um baixo acústico nesta gama de preço, isso diz muito sobre a construção.

Nunca o liguei a um amplificador: uso-o sempre acústico e com palheta, e está sempre à mão para tocar no sofá ou experimentar umas ideias sem cabos nem montagens. Tem volume suficiente para tocar em casa. O som não é nada de especial, e sentes que estás a tocar num poste com cordas, mas para o preço que custa tem durado de forma surpreendente.

I bought this Bass in 2005 initially so i could reherse material at home easily without upsetting the wife by dragging an amp into the lounge. More recently i've been doing some work with an accoustic guitarist so have played a few shows with this beast and to be honest it's more than up to the challenge. It looks great with a high gloss black finish edged in cream and has the look and feel of a much bigger budget bass. The neck is quite chunky but feels good and the action suprisingly low. The EQ, presence and volume sliders do the job. A 9v battery slides in behind the electrics which has a red battery low LED but to be fair if you use a good quality battery it won't need changing much.
When I work live with the acoustic bass it goes straight into the PA via a Behringer BDI 21 modelling DI box which gives me a bit of extra control over the tone and drive and that set up works really well for the small gigs i use it for. I'm really impressed with the build quality of this Bass for the price. My only gripe was there was only one strap button on the bass meaning that unless you want to play seated you will need to buy another one. I fit all my basses with strap locks so not a big deal for me but something to bear in mind. My verdict overall, for the price faultless!