I bought one about a week ago and so far I'm enjoying it. IMHO, the build quality appears to to really good, no sharp frets ends, polished frets with no drag on them, the zero nut is a new thing for me and I really like it. The finish is consistent , smooth and done well in a matte top coat. The neck is much different than I was expecting. I thought it would be P bass width but feels more jazz width but the shape is a fatter C to me but still very comfortable. Actually measured at the nut to be 1.535 inches or 3.9 mm. The pickup controls have a blend knob with a center detent between the 2 which is nice. To my ears the bass sounds darker and less snappy on the MM side but still good although I feel like the high end is less apparent so there's less zing than I'm used to with that pickup. The P bass side does give you that P bass tone but also lacks any real high end snap. The pickups in passive mode are much lower output than in active mode. I think the electronics could be better and maybe I'll put in new pickups along with a new preamp as well. The neck on mine has a really figured flame to it consistently through the neck and headstock, which is a very nice surprise. The tuners are much better than other models and seem to hold tuning well, and no loose jiggle. The bridge seems to be a decent high mass Hipshot style-esque unit and also seems to be functioning without any issues. It played pretty well right out of the box, a minor truss rod tweak and it was ready to go. Not heavy, no neck dive and balances well. Gig bag is better than I expected as well for this price point. I'm going to try it out at rehearsal this week but I think it will do just fine. If it does, I'll give it a shot at a gig. Overall for the price I am not disappointed at all. FWIW, I thought this Bass Channel review could have gone much further in depth about the bass and its functions than it did. I'm a fan of the channel but I thought this lacked a good amount of useful info and insight. JMHO.
Finally a zero fret making a comeback! Makes *so* much sense, everyone should be doing it. Also the split single coils in the 'reverse' position, which also makes more sense than the 'normal' positions. Sounds and looks great - and the price is right!
@@LCA1985 Oh, like my jackson jpb7, or the old guild pilots...they probably did that to balance out the humbucker being so close to the bridge, though the difference is probably marginal
@@jasondorsey7110 in any case is the oposite of balance out the humbucker. In order to balance out would be better a regular P position as is closer to the neck. In this case is just to get a more modern sound, the same that Warwicks JJ have angled pickups toward the bridge. Sound great anyways :)
Anyone else notice the cuts on the guest player’s knuckles but none on his face? He got in a fight and won. Hopefully against someone trying to steal his equipment.
I’ve had this since it first came out. It holds up and I haven’t had to do any adjustments at all…and I’m picky! Even the P/MM Roswell pickups are fine (I’ve swapped out Roswells on other HB basses). Fretwork is perfect and it has a great tone with all pickups & EQ.
I received mine a week ago but chose to ship it back: The pickups weren't aligned with the bridge, and the chrome on the tuners had rust spots. This bass certainly has a great price but there are no substantial differences with the Enhanced model which costs €170 less in Europe. From a special 25th anniversary edition I would have expected higher level QC.
would have been so awesome if HB had build such basses 25 ears ago. I paid much more money for really bad basses back in the days. but OG Fenders and MMs were just a wet dream when i was 20. lovely colour finish
So true. There were no affordable, playable Basses when I started playing. Although, before the Internet I could find some great deals in pawn shops. 1957 Strat for $99.00! True story.
What is the difference between this and the standard Enhanced model in terms of pickups, electronics, tuners l, bridge etc? I have the regular Harley Benton enhanced ina 5 string and I'm wondering if it is worth the extra?
I just received my Enhanced bass Friday. Overall nice bass for the money. Nice setup from the mfg. Not a fan of the D'Addario strings on the HB, ,so I immeditely changed to my DR Pure Blues Nickel bass strings. Sounds much better to my ears. I do agree with Joe L that the pickups are more darker sounding. I might also put a new preamp in my bass with new pickups. I'm really interested to see how the Markbass MB1 would sound in this bass. Overall I give the HB Firemist Enhanced Firemist a solid 7.5/8 out of 10 scale. If this bass had FENDER on it it would be twice as much money. I do wish Bass The World would have done a more in depth review of the bass. I ordered mine as a B-Stock. Bass looks great, but the treble knob doesn't stay on like it should. Reached out to HB so we'll see what they suggest. That's a minor issue. I did use this bass at my gig Saturday night, and it sounded great played through my Mesa TT800 & Barefaced Super Compact Cab. The bass really shines on rock and roll material. It's a Rocker! Winners: Roasted maple neck / Bridge / Tuners / Zero fret / Firemist color (is amazing) / Bridge / Inlays / Allot of bang for the buck Not so hot: Preamp / Pickups / Weight (this is not a light bass, but it's not 10 lbs either) How does Thomman Music do it Award: I ordered the bass on a Monday night and had it Friday from Germandy. I'm in Cleveland, Ohio USA. Regular shipping charge as well, around $80.
Only bummer is the distortion that comes from the pickups. This is normal with their Roswell pickups. All you can do is pull the volume knob back a touch.
Which bass would you say its an opononent to this one? Im looking for a solid good built bass with good frets and that stuff but i dont know if a 500€ Harley benton is enough, if you say me this is good built beter than a Fender MX or AM im going to buy It 100%
I just sold my Enhanced MP, but now I want to buy one again! The roasted maple neck and gold finish looks superb. The only gripe I had with the Enhanced MP is that the pre-amp was crap and the bridge humbucker was thin sounding (maybe they've updated them now?). The neck pickup sounds really fat and warm, but it has almost a bit too much mids and is a bit too hot. Even though I had replaced the bridge pickup with a fairly hot Seymour Duncan MM humbucker, the neck pickup was so much hotter that you got a huge jump in output when going from the neck to bridge pickup. It's otherwise a very good bass, and probably among the best you can get in that price range (especially now with the roasted neck).
I totally agree, the Harley Benton Enhanced MP-4MN pre amp and bridge pup are garbage but the bass is otherwise really nice. I have not modded mine yet because the mod would cost more than the bass.
@@peekaboo4390 I said f it and threw in a Nordstrand Power Blade and Big Blademan with Lusithand Double NFP preamp in my original enhanced. Too solid of a platform to be stuck with electronics you don't like. No regrets. Going to mod the hell out of this one too.
@@kharybaker868 Yeah the bass is very good with really top notch appointments but the electrics are meh. That being said I did take it to rehearsal a few months ago and it did quite well in the mix and I got a few compliments for its appearance and I have to agree that it is a very pretty bass. I have way too many basses in the shop right now that are getting modded before I start on the HB.
@@peekaboo4390 Definitely agree on the electronics. Once you do get around to upgrading yours, you may have a hard time putting it down like I do. Even stock, it's still a sleeper of a bass though.
How much did this one weigh? I have one of the original enhanced PM's and it was right around 9.6 lbs. I modified that one and want to get one of these as well, I just don't want to shell out almost $500 for a boat anchor that I can't readily return.
I actually considered that for mine and bought an Artec mudbucker, but the pickup is huge and I thought better of removing that much wood near the neck joint.
If they put the bridge pickup in the standard MM Ray position and moved the neck pickup accordingly, to be closer to the fingerboard, this would be a banger.
@@SkaHansen sorry I thought all harley benton were made in China, I have 2 basses made in Indonesia and 1 made in Taiwan, they are great craftsman and all 3 are wonderful , other 4 are made in USA . Sorry about that !
I bought one about a week ago and so far I'm enjoying it. IMHO, the build quality appears to to really good, no sharp frets ends, polished frets with no drag on them, the zero nut is a new thing for me and I really like it. The finish is consistent , smooth and done well in a matte top coat. The neck is much different than I was expecting. I thought it would be P bass width but feels more jazz width but the shape is a fatter C to me but still very comfortable. Actually measured at the nut to be 1.535 inches or 3.9 mm. The pickup controls have a blend knob with a center detent between the 2 which is nice. To my ears the bass sounds darker and less snappy on the MM side but still good although I feel like the high end is less apparent so there's less zing than I'm used to with that pickup. The P bass side does give you that P bass tone but also lacks any real high end snap. The pickups in passive mode are much lower output than in active mode. I think the electronics could be better and maybe I'll put in new pickups along with a new preamp as well. The neck on mine has a really figured flame to it consistently through the neck and headstock, which is a very nice surprise. The tuners are much better than other models and seem to hold tuning well, and no loose jiggle. The bridge seems to be a decent high mass Hipshot style-esque unit and also seems to be functioning without any issues. It played pretty well right out of the box, a minor truss rod tweak and it was ready to go. Not heavy, no neck dive and balances well. Gig bag is better than I expected as well for this price point. I'm going to try it out at rehearsal this week but I think it will do just fine. If it does, I'll give it a shot at a gig. Overall for the price I am not disappointed at all. FWIW, I thought this Bass Channel review could have gone much further in depth about the bass and its functions than it did. I'm a fan of the channel but I thought this lacked a good amount of useful info and insight. JMHO.
Finally a zero fret making a comeback! Makes *so* much sense, everyone should be doing it. Also the split single coils in the 'reverse' position, which also makes more sense than the 'normal' positions. Sounds and looks great - and the price is right!
P and MM pickup. The best of two worlds. It's really interesting how they can keep a competitive prices with their quality. 😊
This particular version is a bit pricey as far as Harley Bentons go. Like £450 I think
Is inverted P btw
Indeed, and I would say "Unfortunately..."
@@LCA1985 Oh, like my jackson jpb7, or the old guild pilots...they probably did that to balance out the humbucker being so close to the bridge, though the difference is probably marginal
@@jasondorsey7110 in any case is the oposite of balance out the humbucker. In order to balance out would be better a regular P position as is closer to the neck. In this case is just to get a more modern sound, the same that Warwicks JJ have angled pickups toward the bridge. Sound great anyways :)
It also has a zero fret, which is absolutely fantastic.
Anyone else notice the cuts on the guest player’s knuckles but none on his face? He got in a fight and won. Hopefully against someone trying to steal his equipment.
They hit him in the fist with their face 😂
As a bass player, I think it's more likely that he ended up punching the wall after dealing with his band's guitarist...
His other bass is a MMAsic Man
Or maybe he was working on a motor vehicle, motorcycle and while trying to tighten a bolt the wrench slipped and smashed his knuckles, ouch🤬
The Soundman told him to play through the house instead of using his amp.
Best sounding Harley Benton so far 🤘🎸🤘
4 Sure!
At last sound samples without any modification, this is how it should always be, good job Gregor
Harley Benton should make a Bass The World signature bass, that would be great! 😃
there is a bass the world signature but made by a high end builder, not budget like the Benton
@@swiftymcgarnagle4567 but a benton would be cool, a Budget signiture bass!
And the subscribers should get to vote on the specs
@@Maker1998 Absolutely!
I’ve had this since it first came out. It holds up and I haven’t had to do any adjustments at all…and I’m picky! Even the P/MM Roswell pickups are fine (I’ve swapped out Roswells on other HB basses). Fretwork is perfect and it has a great tone with all pickups & EQ.
I received mine a week ago but chose to ship it back: The pickups weren't aligned with the bridge, and the chrome on the tuners had rust spots. This bass certainly has a great price but there are no substantial differences with the Enhanced model which costs €170 less in Europe. From a special 25th anniversary edition I would have expected higher level QC.
The roasted maple neck is a decent upgrade
I like it but wish it had a fretless option.
Just saw this bass, yesterday, online and...MAN! Exactly what I'm looking for--glad you guys did a review on it! Thank you!
Very much worth mentioning: they even released a lefty version!! We‘re usually excluded from the enhanced line so this is Special
I ordered my left handed a week ago, really nice of them to make a lefty!
would have been so awesome if HB had build such basses 25 ears ago. I paid much more money for really bad basses back in the days. but OG Fenders and MMs were just a wet dream when i was 20. lovely colour finish
So true. There were no affordable, playable Basses when I started playing. Although, before the Internet I could find some great deals in pawn shops. 1957 Strat for $99.00! True story.
What is the difference between this and the standard Enhanced model in terms of pickups, electronics, tuners l, bridge etc? I have the regular Harley Benton enhanced ina 5 string and I'm wondering if it is worth the extra?
There's a roasted maple neck on the anniversary edition
I just received my Enhanced bass Friday. Overall nice bass for the money. Nice setup from the mfg. Not a fan of the D'Addario strings on the HB, ,so I immeditely changed to my DR Pure Blues Nickel bass strings. Sounds much better to my ears.
I do agree with Joe L that the pickups are more darker sounding. I might also put a new preamp in my bass with new pickups. I'm really interested to see how the Markbass MB1 would sound in this bass. Overall I give the HB Firemist Enhanced Firemist a solid 7.5/8 out of 10 scale. If this bass had FENDER on it it would be twice as much money. I do wish Bass The World would have done a more in depth review of the bass.
I ordered mine as a B-Stock. Bass looks great, but the treble knob doesn't stay on like it should. Reached out to HB so we'll see what they suggest. That's a minor issue.
I did use this bass at my gig Saturday night, and it sounded great played through my Mesa TT800 & Barefaced Super Compact Cab. The bass really shines on rock and roll material. It's a Rocker!
Winners: Roasted maple neck / Bridge / Tuners / Zero fret / Firemist color (is amazing) / Bridge / Inlays / Allot of bang for the buck
Not so hot: Preamp / Pickups / Weight (this is not a light bass, but it's not 10 lbs either)
How does Thomman Music do it Award: I ordered the bass on a Monday night and had it Friday from Germandy. I'm in Cleveland, Ohio USA. Regular shipping charge as well, around $80.
NOW I WANT ONE
Only bummer is the distortion that comes from the pickups. This is normal with their Roswell pickups. All you can do is pull the volume knob back a touch.
I'm glad someone mentioned it - I reckon with a pickup swap it would sound pretty great
Which bass would you say its an opononent to this one? Im looking for a solid good built bass with good frets and that stuff but i dont know if a 500€ Harley benton is enough, if you say me this is good built beter than a Fender MX or AM im going to buy It 100%
Both basses are different but both are really great sounding but different i like them both!!!!
I just sold my Enhanced MP, but now I want to buy one again! The roasted maple neck and gold finish looks superb. The only gripe I had with the Enhanced MP is that the pre-amp was crap and the bridge humbucker was thin sounding (maybe they've updated them now?). The neck pickup sounds really fat and warm, but it has almost a bit too much mids and is a bit too hot. Even though I had replaced the bridge pickup with a fairly hot Seymour Duncan MM humbucker, the neck pickup was so much hotter that you got a huge jump in output when going from the neck to bridge pickup. It's otherwise a very good bass, and probably among the best you can get in that price range (especially now with the roasted neck).
I totally agree, the Harley Benton Enhanced MP-4MN pre amp and bridge pup are garbage but the bass is otherwise really nice. I have not modded mine yet because the mod would cost more than the bass.
@@peekaboo4390 I said f it and threw in a Nordstrand Power Blade and Big Blademan with Lusithand Double NFP preamp in my original enhanced. Too solid of a platform to be stuck with electronics you don't like. No regrets. Going to mod the hell out of this one too.
@@kharybaker868 Yeah the bass is very good with really top notch appointments but the electrics are meh. That being said I did take it to rehearsal a few months ago and it did quite well in the mix and I got a few compliments for its appearance and I have to agree that it is a very pretty bass. I have way too many basses in the shop right now that are getting modded before I start on the HB.
@@peekaboo4390 Definitely agree on the electronics. Once you do get around to upgrading yours, you may have a hard time putting it down like I do. Even stock, it's still a sleeper of a bass though.
How is the Balance? The Headstock looks pretty heavy.
I do remember getting a much better sound in active mode by rolling off the voume a bit. The preamp is too hot when the volume is full up.
How much did this one weigh? I have one of the original enhanced PM's and it was right around 9.6 lbs. I modified that one and want to get one of these as well, I just don't want to shell out almost $500 for a boat anchor that I can't readily return.
I own the 'regular' enhanced edition in lake blue and it's awesome.
Mine should be with me early next week :)
I'd like a far more detailed review of this bass.
Very nice, want one.
I've been resisting the Harley Benton bandwagon, but this thing has officially pulled me on.
I've owned 5 harley bentons and the only one I regret selling was the MPB 4 Enhanced. Literally an 800 dollar bass bought for 250 at the time
wondering th same all i could find is different neck, luminescent side dots and a gigbag
Wow! Sounds great.
Looks VERY nice. Sadly as an extreme metal guy I am legally required to only get black five strings, but maybe we'll get there.
Weight?
What's the difference between the Harley Benton Enhanced MP-4MN Natural and this bass? Your review of the latter was not so good.
Vídeo incrível 💥👏🏻👏🏻💥
Uma abraço do Marcos aqui do Rio de Janeiro Brasil 🇧🇷
25th anniversary of what? I've never heard about HB before like 5 years ago
I'll take it!
I have it natural already, but I want this for the roasted neck.
I have the 5-string Lake Blue, but the roasted maple neck makes a huge difference.
@@GianmarioScotti couldn't resist, just ordered one.
@@kharybaker868 the natural has an ash body this one alder fretboard is prolly differnt too
@@cheveyo2403 we'll see soon... should be here on Monday.
@@kharybaker868 same here. if they don't mess up
I like the way it looks and I like the specs but, the sound is a little muzzled
"Hallo everyone, welcome to Bass World, my name is Krrrgfrrzr..." 😅
so glad this isn’t disrespectful at all
Phil Rehm is an exceptional player, and a martial artist?
Anyone got one of these to sell?
5 string!!
the normal no 25th versions exist in 5 string
No five string version?? ☹️
the normal enhanced version does
Mmmmmmm come to papa😂😂😂❤❤❤❤
A 1000 € Bass for 500. Seems so. What about the weight. Is it above 4 KG?
Mine comes in just around 8.4 lbs.
@@joelosacco Thanks man. So it is round about 3,8 KG.
Boy that bass is exactly what I want but I f-ing hate the color. Its so ugly. I really hope they release literally anything else
the non anniversary models are in different colors and cheaper.
If the pups and preamp are the same as the Harley Benton Enhanced MP-4MN then I would have to pass on this one.
I just wish they threw a mudbucker in the neck as well.
I actually considered that for mine and bought an Artec mudbucker, but the pickup is huge and I thought better of removing that much wood near the neck joint.
If they put the bridge pickup in the standard MM Ray position and moved the neck pickup accordingly, to be closer to the fingerboard, this would be a banger.
👍👍👌
it seems to be a really well built instrument but it sounds too much hot for my taste
You guys still peddling those garbage basses? Don't buy them, they're not worth it.👎
Still Chinese
made in Indonesia
@@SkaHansen sorry I thought all harley benton were made in China, I have 2 basses made in Indonesia and 1 made in Taiwan, they are great craftsman and all 3 are wonderful , other 4 are made in USA . Sorry about that !
Where is Frank IT?
Weight?