@@jonathanwong458music La Bella 760FHB2 String Set, neck pickup, direct to the recorder, without amplifier. In the mix a little compression. That's all.
@@elmerseiscientos great simple signal chain. My original question was whether your bass's bass & treble switch controls were backwards like my demo bass (relative to a hofner)?
@@jonathanwong458music Sorry, I didn't understand your question correctly. The control panel on my bass is like the Hofner, which I find quite confusing. On your bass it seems to work as anyone would expect, which is even more confusing 😀
@@elmerseiscientos haha, yeah, my Hofner's controls are super confusing. But as I suspected, the HB in the video is backwards!! In the end, it doesn't really matter, provided you know what the switches do. Backwards wiring won't affect the tone. Was really just my curiosity about other people's basses! Thanks for responding!
I love all these violin basses. I have had a couple of Hofner Ignition Violin basses. One was a limited edition with a gold top which was released about 15 years ago and the other a current 2023 model. The necks are completely different. The current model is much wider and fatter which is more to my liking. So I have just sold the Goldtop. It looked fantastic but the new model is much more playable for me. Now after watching this video I want a Harley Benton too---I can hear a fretless version calling me! Great video by the way.
Jonathan your short scale series is fantastic - well done! I have a Mitchell (guitar center house brand) MB-100 that I'm very happy with. Very light and comfortable but with a slightly wider/chunkier neck. Mine was great off the rack, but I've heard others say QC is hit or miss. They aren't mentioned much so it might not be worth the effort 😊.
About the wiring, altough I can't be sure, it might be a way for harley benton to avoid copyright issues. Noticed on other HB bass(and guitar) models that were dubbed "copy's" of bigger brands, that they always change them, ever so slightly. In this model the neck and string spacing seem to be a bit wider than the original beatles bass, for example. Anyways, great video! And, as it was said before, realy nice how you always give a logical and detailed presentation! 👍
Thanks so much! You’re right about the string spacing and neck width. That part got edited out due to a low flying Hercules airplane that flew over and also to keep the overall length down. 15 mins is already on the long side. Definite possibility re copyright infringement. But then make the labels backwards to go with it!! Haha. I suppose it might only bug ppl who have hofners. Thanks for watching and commenting. Appreciate the support!
@@jonathanwong458music glad to be of help in some way. 😉 And I think most of these small issues ppl have, are related to their own habbits. I haven't played bass that long, a little over a year, but hab to switch to a less neck-heavy option, due to chronic pain in my shoulder(fretting hand), initially for practice only. So I switched from a longsale, with a thick neck and heavy body, to an ibanez mikro. What felt totally alien at first, is now my favorite. But I still play the big one a couple hours every week, to not get too used to the little one.
Just my 2¢, but I think the reversed wiring compared to a Hofner was just to make the controls more intuitive for people who've never played a Hofner. I've always thought the Hofner wiring was really unintuitive, and if I were wiring one from scratch, I would definitely wire it like the Harley Benton rather than like a real Hofner. Just a personal preference thing, though.
Very possible! And yeah, the Hofner wiring really is non-intuitive. On my Club, I leave the switches on Rhythm, bass off, treble off and just use the volume pots. Definitely prefer V-V-T. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Nice commentary and playing! I like the tone of this bass. It seems a little different than others. I have this bass. It happens to be my first. Mine happens to be branded IYV, which is the company/factory that makes this and many other Harley Bentons. I don't think there are any other differences. I've enjoyed my time with this bass and have had a nice experience with it. I'm not at a point to consider upgrading it, although when I do, my first "upgrade" will most likely be switching to flatwound strings. I like the sound of the pickups and have had no issues with the tuners. I like that it has a different look and appreciate the coincidental heritage (which, I know, have nothing to do with the sound). I also appreciate that it's light, a shorter scale and it feels comfortable to hold (standing and sitting) and easy to play (again, I don't have much experience with others at this time). As I don't have much experiences with basses, will I regret this purchase in the future? I ordered mine via Amazon for approximately $165USD delivered. They have a fairly amazing return window at this time. Would I be better off getting another instrument? All this typed, I think I need to print out a chart of the controls (including notes on the backwards wiring). The finish on mine happens to be nice (to my untrained eye). All the best! Also, subscribed. I came here after watching your nice Jackson JS1X review. Edit: Considering what you and others have said, I may go ahead and get the strings - that is, unless I end up getting another bass.
PS. The controls are backwards relative to a Hofner. However, as long as you know what the switches do in a given position, in the end, the position itself is less important. Coming from a Hofner layout, I just found it disorienting as I had gotten used to my Hofner. Flats will give you a more Hofner-esque thumpy sound (as we haven been accustomed to hearing) but not everybody likes the feel or the perceived stiffness of them. Furthermore, every brand of flats sound and feel remarkably different to each other.
Thanks for the concise explanation of the confusing control panel. Wiring issue noted. I took a screenshot of the diagram you showed. I've had the Club for awhile and still don't have a firm grasp of how to use the control panel. Do you have any favorite "default" settings? Thanks, Dan
Nice review! I like the sound! Could you recommend a small budget amp to pair with... for someone buying this as a beginner (who's also a guitar player- for bonus points haha)? Thanks!
Thanks for watching! How tight of a budget? For the money, I think the Fender v3 Rumbles are a good value. You could play small gigs with the 12” combo! They’re light and pretty loud. Depending on where you live, they are relatively available and pretty easy to sell if you end up wanting something different. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, the Boss Katanas are hard to beat, tone-wise, for the price!
Great channel. I watched your Epiphone viola vs Hofner bass comparison video and was wondering out of the violin basses that you’ve played which one would you recommend? Thank you.
Thanks for watching! For best bang for your buck, I’d get the Epiphone viola and put flatwounds on it. Lightly slot the bridge saddles and you’ll good to go! I do enjoy my contemporary series Hofner Club now that I’m more used to it. I didn’t really get on with the Beat bass. But so much is subjective!
Hi! Good question. Between the Hofner Icon/ignition, Epi Viola and the HB Beat, I'd take the Viola bass! 3 main (and major!) reasons: (1) its construction feels more robust than the others. I have kids, and I travel to rehearsals/gigs in a van with 3 car seats in it. So space is a premium and awkward case placement in the van is the norm. Always stuff on top of other stuff. So instruments need to feel solid and robust. The Icon felt fragile and the HB even more so. (2) Tuners. I HATE the Hofner tuners. The holes are too small to put other flatwounds through it without significant manipulation. And the plastic keys feel like I'm going to snap them off. (I haven't...., yet...). I ended up putting Labella Beatle bass flats on my Hofner Club because nothing else would fit properly. The tuners on the Viola are modern designs. Doesn't capture the esthetic, but you could put whatever strings you wanted through them. (3) Master tone control. I've gotten used to my Hofner's weird controls but I miss the master tone. All that being said, because I almost never play/perform standing up anymore, I find all the Beatle style basses to be uncomfortable on my thigh....too many sharp corners! That is why I went with the Club bass (contemporary series). Hope this answers your question! Thanks for asking and for watching! jw
Oh man, I wish I could for you….but the HB beat bass got sold off to fund the next video. The only bass of that style I kept was my Hofner Club contemporary series. Sorry. Of the 3 you mentioned, I will say that the Epi viola bass is probably the best value (performance:price).
The string spacing is in between that of a Hofner (~16mm) and a Fender (19mm). Unfortunately, I do not have the Beat Bass anymore to give you a more accurate measurement. The saddles, similar to the Hofner it is copying, is similar to a fret. If you are really careful, you can lift it off the bridge slot and adjust the string spacing to a certain extent. Thanks for watching!
I just got a BeatBass - I like it a lot. It will replace my Jack Casady bass, which is too big and long-necked for me. The pickup switches are definitely backwards to their labels. I suppose one could take the plate off and turn it around, but that would make something else backwards, wouldn't it? Anyway, I just iignore the labels, and run the thing flat out at all times. It's not a hot signal, so little danger of it going out of control.
Yeah, I pointed out some of the finishing issues in the video. But for the asking price, one’s expectations cannot be too high I guess. Thanks for watching!
What are you listening through? Due to the nature of these types of basses (not a lot of high frequencies), it won’t translate over laptop speakers, phone speakers etc. as well. Headphones are recommended.
Rubber? Are you referring to the nylon glove on my left hand? If so, I have an autoimmune disease that has affected my finger joints, skin and muscles so the glove keeps the pain manageable. If that’s what you are referring to, or something else?
How can you spend so much time on producing a video, and then release it with so miserable sound? It is almost impossible to hear the instrument.😱 And I can see, Im not the only one complaining.....
Are you using headphones? I check all my audio on multiple sources. But it won’t sound right through small laptop speakers etc due to the nature of the instrument and frequencies.
I just recorded a whole R&B album with this bass and flatwounds. And it sounds fantastic.
That’s so awesome to hear that you got a good example! How’s your control panel wired?
@@jonathanwong458music La Bella 760FHB2 String Set, neck pickup, direct to the recorder, without amplifier. In the mix a little compression. That's all.
@@elmerseiscientos great simple signal chain.
My original question was whether your bass's bass & treble switch controls were backwards like my demo bass (relative to a hofner)?
@@jonathanwong458music Sorry, I didn't understand your question correctly. The control panel on my bass is like the Hofner, which I find quite confusing. On your bass it seems to work as anyone would expect, which is even more confusing 😀
@@elmerseiscientos haha, yeah, my Hofner's controls are super confusing. But as I suspected, the HB in the video is backwards!!
In the end, it doesn't really matter, provided you know what the switches do. Backwards wiring won't affect the tone. Was really just my curiosity about other people's basses! Thanks for responding!
I ordered the fretless version yesterday and the amount of recent Beatbass videos being uploaded now is scaring me 😅
I hope you enjoy it when it arrives! Thanks for watching!
I'll be curious about it when it arrives. A short-scale fretless. Hmm..
@@MrDanalaimo Don't forget hollow-body too!
@@Tonceitoys Harley Benton has a number of unique guitars/basses
I always enjoy your Logically Presented videos. ❤👍
Thanks so much!! Appreciate your support!
I love all these violin basses. I have had a couple of Hofner Ignition Violin basses. One was a limited edition with a gold top which was released about 15 years ago and the other a current 2023 model. The necks are completely different. The current model is much wider and fatter which is more to my liking. So I have just sold the Goldtop. It looked fantastic but the new model is much more playable for me. Now after watching this video I want a Harley Benton too---I can hear a fretless version calling me! Great video by the way.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your experiences!
It's a great bass!! Incredible for its price, it puts a big smile on my face every time I play it :)
Right on! Glad you found an instrument you love! Thanks for watching!
Jonathan your short scale series is fantastic - well done! I have a Mitchell (guitar center house brand) MB-100 that I'm very happy with. Very light and comfortable but with a slightly wider/chunkier neck. Mine was great off the rack, but I've heard others say QC is hit or miss. They aren't mentioned much so it might not be worth the effort 😊.
Thanks so much for watching my videos! I appreciate the encouragement! I’ve never seen a Mitchell up here in Canada.
About the wiring, altough I can't be sure, it might be a way for harley benton to avoid copyright issues. Noticed on other HB bass(and guitar) models that were dubbed "copy's" of bigger brands, that they always change them, ever so slightly. In this model the neck and string spacing seem to be a bit wider than the original beatles bass, for example.
Anyways, great video! And, as it was said before, realy nice how you always give a logical and detailed presentation! 👍
Thanks so much! You’re right about the string spacing and neck width. That part got edited out due to a low flying Hercules airplane that flew over and also to keep the overall length down. 15 mins is already on the long side.
Definite possibility re copyright infringement. But then make the labels backwards to go with it!! Haha. I suppose it might only bug ppl who have hofners.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Appreciate the support!
@@jonathanwong458music glad to be of help in some way. 😉 And I think most of these small issues ppl have, are related to their own habbits. I haven't played bass that long, a little over a year, but hab to switch to a less neck-heavy option, due to chronic pain in my shoulder(fretting hand), initially for practice only. So I switched from a longsale, with a thick neck and heavy body, to an ibanez mikro. What felt totally alien at first, is now my favorite. But I still play the big one a couple hours every week, to not get too used to the little one.
Short scales are awesome! Right on! Glad you’re playing bass!
Just my 2¢, but I think the reversed wiring compared to a Hofner was just to make the controls more intuitive for people who've never played a Hofner. I've always thought the Hofner wiring was really unintuitive, and if I were wiring one from scratch, I would definitely wire it like the Harley Benton rather than like a real Hofner. Just a personal preference thing, though.
Very possible! And yeah, the Hofner wiring really is non-intuitive. On my Club, I leave the switches on Rhythm, bass off, treble off and just use the volume pots. Definitely prefer V-V-T.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Nice commentary and playing! I like the tone of this bass. It seems a little different than others.
I have this bass. It happens to be my first. Mine happens to be branded IYV, which is the company/factory that makes this and many other Harley Bentons. I don't think there are any other differences.
I've enjoyed my time with this bass and have had a nice experience with it. I'm not at a point to consider upgrading it, although when I do, my first "upgrade" will most likely be switching to flatwound strings. I like the sound of the pickups and have had no issues with the tuners. I like that it has a different look and appreciate the coincidental heritage (which, I know, have nothing to do with the sound). I also appreciate that it's light, a shorter scale and it feels comfortable to hold (standing and sitting) and easy to play (again, I don't have much experience with others at this time).
As I don't have much experiences with basses, will I regret this purchase in the future? I ordered mine via Amazon for approximately $165USD delivered. They have a fairly amazing return window at this time. Would I be better off getting another instrument?
All this typed, I think I need to print out a chart of the controls (including notes on the backwards wiring). The finish on mine happens to be nice (to my untrained eye).
All the best! Also, subscribed. I came here after watching your nice Jackson JS1X review.
Edit: Considering what you and others have said, I may go ahead and get the strings - that is, unless I end up getting another bass.
Thanks for commenting and watching! Welcome! Check out the Epiphone viola if you’re looking to upgrade a beatle-style bass!
PS. The controls are backwards relative to a Hofner. However, as long as you know what the switches do in a given position, in the end, the position itself is less important. Coming from a Hofner layout, I just found it disorienting as I had gotten used to my Hofner.
Flats will give you a more Hofner-esque thumpy sound (as we haven been accustomed to hearing) but not everybody likes the feel or the perceived stiffness of them. Furthermore, every brand of flats sound and feel remarkably different to each other.
Thanks for the concise explanation of the confusing control panel. Wiring issue noted. I took a screenshot of the diagram you showed. I've had the Club for awhile and still don't have a firm grasp of how to use the control panel. Do you have any favorite "default" settings? Thanks, Dan
On my club, I typically only use the neck pickup (vol up), rhythm, bass off, treble off.
Thx for watching!
Nice review! I like the sound!
Could you recommend a small budget amp to pair with... for someone buying this as a beginner
(who's also a guitar player- for bonus points haha)? Thanks!
Thanks for watching! How tight of a budget? For the money, I think the Fender v3 Rumbles are a good value. You could play small gigs with the 12” combo! They’re light and pretty loud. Depending on where you live, they are relatively available and pretty easy to sell if you end up wanting something different. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, the Boss Katanas are hard to beat, tone-wise, for the price!
Great channel. I watched your Epiphone viola vs Hofner bass comparison video and was wondering out of the violin basses that you’ve played which one would you recommend? Thank you.
Thanks for watching! For best bang for your buck, I’d get the Epiphone viola and put flatwounds on it. Lightly slot the bridge saddles and you’ll good to go! I do enjoy my contemporary series Hofner Club now that I’m more used to it. I didn’t really get on with the Beat bass. But so much is subjective!
@@jonathanwong458music Thank you for the reply. Do you have any experience with the Rogue VB 100?
Unfortunately I don’t, sorry (re rogue)
Jonathan, love your viseos but I have to ask; what's your favorite of all the "beatle" basses you've owned and /or demoed? and why?
Hi! Good question. Between the Hofner Icon/ignition, Epi Viola and the HB Beat, I'd take the Viola bass! 3 main (and major!) reasons: (1) its construction feels more robust than the others. I have kids, and I travel to rehearsals/gigs in a van with 3 car seats in it. So space is a premium and awkward case placement in the van is the norm. Always stuff on top of other stuff. So instruments need to feel solid and robust. The Icon felt fragile and the HB even more so. (2) Tuners. I HATE the Hofner tuners. The holes are too small to put other flatwounds through it without significant manipulation. And the plastic keys feel like I'm going to snap them off. (I haven't...., yet...). I ended up putting Labella Beatle bass flats on my Hofner Club because nothing else would fit properly. The tuners on the Viola are modern designs. Doesn't capture the esthetic, but you could put whatever strings you wanted through them. (3) Master tone control. I've gotten used to my Hofner's weird controls but I miss the master tone.
All that being said, because I almost never play/perform standing up anymore, I find all the Beatle style basses to be uncomfortable on my thigh....too many sharp corners! That is why I went with the Club bass (contemporary series).
Hope this answers your question! Thanks for asking and for watching!
jw
Could you please make a comparison between the beatbass / viola Epiphone / Hoffner 500-1 ??
Oh man, I wish I could for you….but the HB beat bass got sold off to fund the next video. The only bass of that style I kept was my Hofner Club contemporary series. Sorry.
Of the 3 you mentioned, I will say that the Epi viola bass is probably the best value (performance:price).
@@jonathanwong458music oh i see. Thanks for the advice anyways 👍
Thanks for understanding!
Could you please let me know what the string spacing at the bridge is? Is it similar to that of a typical 4-string bass, around 19mm?
The string spacing is in between that of a Hofner (~16mm) and a Fender (19mm). Unfortunately, I do not have the Beat Bass anymore to give you a more accurate measurement. The saddles, similar to the Hofner it is copying, is similar to a fret. If you are really careful, you can lift it off the bridge slot and adjust the string spacing to a certain extent.
Thanks for watching!
@@jonathanwong458music Thank you for your sincere answer. I appreciate it.
Thanks!
I like the tone of this bass more than the hofner icon; it has a nice deep smooth tone.
Right on! Thanks for watching and commenting!
I just got a BeatBass - I like it a lot. It will replace my Jack Casady bass, which is too big and long-necked for me. The pickup switches are definitely backwards to their labels. I suppose one could take the plate off and turn it around, but that would make something else backwards, wouldn't it? Anyway, I just iignore the labels, and run the thing flat out at all times. It's not a hot signal, so little danger of it going out of control.
Right on! So glad you are liking your beat bass. Yeah, control layout one can get used to. Thanks for watching and commenting!
This bass sounds pretty good for a Harley Benton but I have doubts about the finish in this brand.
It also seems versatile but for the vintage 60
Yeah, I pointed out some of the finishing issues in the video. But for the asking price, one’s expectations cannot be too high I guess. Thanks for watching!
Can barely hear the guitar
What are you listening through? Due to the nature of these types of basses (not a lot of high frequencies), it won’t translate over laptop speakers, phone speakers etc. as well. Headphones are recommended.
Your hands look rubber......
Rubber? Are you referring to the nylon glove on my left hand? If so, I have an autoimmune disease that has affected my finger joints, skin and muscles so the glove keeps the pain manageable. If that’s what you are referring to, or something else?
How can you spend so much time on producing a video, and then release it with so miserable sound? It is almost impossible to hear the instrument.😱
And I can see, Im not the only one complaining.....
Are you using headphones? I check all my audio on multiple sources. But it won’t sound right through small laptop speakers etc due to the nature of the instrument and frequencies.