Harley Benton MV-4JB Gotoh - The Heavyweight Champion of Budget Jazz Basses - LowEndLobster Review 

That bass has no business sounding that good

My 1979 Peavey T-40 is 11.0 lbs, so this bass is truly a beast!

This is the best demo video I've seen of this bass yet, and perhaps of any electric guitar or bass I've ever watched! One thing that really sets this demo apart is how strong a player you are. It's really difficult to get a good sense of how a bass or guitar might sound through the endless, mindless blues noodles. You did a really great job of showcasing how this instrument would sound in a recording session. Kudos to you, sir!

the review we all have been waiting for

Perfect Timing just ordered mine 4 days ago in the amazing purple finish 😍🎶 Thanks for your work my friend . Greetings from germany

If you are a beginner and you still don’t have to bear this bass on your shoulder for two hours on a stage, it’s a great way to start. I mean, the sound is there, and you won’t get tendinitis! You're a nice guy making nice videos, strumming it like anyone of us would do when trying a new instrument...a lot useful!!! Thank you!! However, i always give you my "like" waaay before you do your "claw ceremony"! Apologies!

Killer shirt Lobster! Your videos are awesome.

Those Wilkinson bridges are incredible. I installed the saddles on my '87 Boxer and improved the tone and sustain.

That bass looks beautiful especially with the matching headstock.

I'm looking for my first bass and have been considering buying a Harley. This just might be the guitar for. Thanks for the excellent review.

Thanks for the review. Cheers

Just ordered mine in shell pink! Super excited 😎 Gonna do some minor modding. A cooper shielding job and replace the pots with tone monster solderless pots 500k on the volume and tone .041 cap. Going to keep the original pickups for now. I actually like the sound of Roswell pickups. Thanks again for the review Lobster 🦞

Never knew you were a Trek fan!!! Excellent shirt.

There are so many Harley Benton videos on all the channels I’ve started to switch off a bit. Having said that I watched this one and although I’d probably squirrel my money away for a G&L JB this Bass actually sounds quite good. Colour scheme and finish seems / looks excellent !

You’re by far the best review guy

Looks incredible!

Interesting review, I ordered one in burgundy mist. I am very excited 😊 let’s see how it compares to the sire v3.

Thanks for the review Man; the weight is definitely a deal killer for me … I already had an inexpensive bass that’s heavy as hell after standing a while, so l don’t wish to go through that again lol

Best bassreviews in the whole wild web ;-) The quality of those low bugdet basses of today is really astonishing! When I started playing a 45 years everything below 500 bucks was totally grab! Why doesn´t this work on cars too ... ha,ha,ha ...

Thanks for the great review. You come across very likeable and competent. Not to mention your skills, funky funky funky. Could you recommend some Pickups to turn it into a vintage sounding budget beast?

Based on your review and the BassTheWorld's review, this seems to be pretty fantastic for under $300 but the weight is a deal-breaker. Heck, anything over the low 9 lb range is getting to be a deal-breaker for me. Love the look and love the color options and sounds pretty great for something in this price range... or even in the $500 price range. Hopefully they will listen to some feedback and work on the weight a bit.

Thank you for the video, I like both the bass and your t-shirt. Both of them are great reasons to checkout your channel. I’d like to checkout that bass, I’m looking for a great budget bass to practice with and this is a great contender.

Wow! For the money it sounds great!!! Can’t deal with the weight tho. I have a SX 6 string jazz bass and that monster weighs almost 11 lbs. and I’m 58 yrs old. So my poor back can’t take it! But if weight isn’t an issue; get it. Just do some shielding and you got a winner. That’s what I would do. I wouldn’t even replace the pickups. They sound pretty good for that vintage sound. If you have to, I’ll go for the Nordstrands big blade (warm & wooly) and leave it passive. Then you “Really” got something! Nice review Lobster!😌🎶👍🏾

It’s crazy that you can get a bass like this when a built your own kit off Amazon costs about the same money!

I'm the second one to see your video ! Thx Omar, your channel is brilliant !

I was patiently waiting for your review of this one before I pull the trigger and thank goodness I did. I think this is a great bass all around but the weight... definitely too heavy for me. Sounds good though, good platform but as you pointed out too heavy. Thanks Lobster!!!

Very nice video as always! Thanks for sharing. I have ordered this bass on Friday in Shell Pink, and I should be getting it this coming Wednesday or Thursday. I’ve been a professional guitar and bass pickup builder for the last 35 years, so I have no problem swapping or hand-rewinding those Roswell pickups. I actually did just that yesterday on the brand new Harley Benton PJ-74 I received last week, along with replacing the pots and jack with some old vintage pots and a new Switchcraft jack I had laying around. That bass is also killer!! I hope mine won’t weigh as much though. The PJ-74 is quite light actually. I’m surprised this one is so much heavier.

Great video as always! Which do you prefer between this and the squier paranormal?

10.8 Lbs!! That's crazy.

Great timing. I was just looking at this model and here is your review video. I was thinking this might be a good candidate for a pickup swap. As you pointed out the weight will be a consideration for this one. 🤔 Good review this is helpful.

I ended up getting the p bass version and I was pleasantly surprised. Quality is on par with my Mexican made fender p bass. Only one big difference is the weight. The harley benton bass is significantly heavier. But bang for you buck, you can't beat it. I would gladly get another one.

A very good Review , thanks. Sounds very good, price okay , it's only the weight ?

Thanks for the review Lobster. I was considering this bass but I won’t because of the weight. In Europe we don’t have shipping costs but the price is 228€ which ends the same as your price + shipping. One thing to notice is that it comes with Daddario strings, which is not common in those budget basses.

Lobster, it would be so cool if you could review an SX jazz bass as well!

My current bass is a 2010/2011 Squier Vintage Modified 70s Jazz Bass that’s all maple, so the weight of this bass actually sounds like a walk in the park haha what a steal though.

I have the sunburst one, I love it.

great vid. I have an HB fretless B450 prog, amazing for the £147 including shipping to the uk. Nicer to play than my £620 Ibanez. I am waiting for their £199 Rickenbacker copy to arrive. I wanted to treat myself to the real deal for my 60th, something that Glen Matlock or Lemmy would play, but for £2700 I think not!

This reminds me of the Fender jazz basses I had many years ago. Love the look of the neck... No 5 string😭

My first 5 string bass was a late 80s, early 90s Squier that got the nickname Boat anchor because it weighed at least as much as this. Was a good bass but eventually I just wanted something that didn't weigh so much

Holy cow HB is really knocking out some nice gear. The weight is just to much however. The skunk stripe is what I call double roasted maple and that is exactly what it is , I have a bunch of it here in the shop. All that said .. I might just get this bass, bang in some Dimarzio ultra jazz pups and shield it correctly. Bob's your uncle.

Thanks, now I have a pull a jazz bass out and play it.

Hi, thank you for this review Lobster. Just a point about the neck, this is a 'caramelised' neck, not a roasted one. They just add some color to the neck to make it look older. I've a HB guitar like that and it's definitely not roasted. Nonetheless this video is very helpful and thanks to you I can't miss a new bargain!

Thanks for the review, lobster 🦞! The bass sounds very good for the money and I am having a bit of trouble whether I choose this or JB-75 for my xmas little treat 🤣

For $191 plus shipping? That is awesome. I couldn't help but think of the recent G&L Placentia bass you reviewed a day ago for around $500. For $300 less, and you have a better bass in the Harley Benton. Go figure. It surely makes me wonder what is going on out there in the guitar industry. I would love that you compare this with the Ibanez TMB30. Both similarly priced. Cheers.

Just bought one of these, got curious after viewing all the good reviews here on RU-vid. I Sold a US Jazzbass last summer, I'm mainly a P-bass guy but I found I missed having access to the classic JB sound sometimes, so I was looking for a replacement but not prepared to spend too much money. This is not a Fender killer, the feel of that kind of quality is not there but it certainly is not that far away from it. Concidering you could buy 5 of these for the money you pay for a MIM Fender with blocks and binding , it's just ridiculous how much bass you get for the money. About weight, my bass weighs in at 4,4 kg (9,7 lbs) which is just slightly more (200 grams) than the 90ies US jazz bass I had. It's well balanced so I really don't notice much difference from my other basses. I really can't find much to complain about, pickups are actually very good, frets are well dressed and the hardware is flawless. The "laurel" fretboard wood has a lighter colour and does not look as good as traditional rosewood but that's about all I can remark upon. Well done Harley Benton!

I love to see Harley Benton beating Squier at its own game!

4 claws ...sounds meaty 🦞

With that price and quality of construction, it begs to be modded! I'd put some Lindy Fralins 60's on it, and shield the cavity and perhaps the pickup pocket as well with copper foil (I bet that if you open it you'll find that "shielding paint" that has lower conductivity than copper).

Dig the blue. It sounds great. The weight would be the deal breaker.

Looks like a great bass...but, the weight is a big minus...JJ 45OP don't look so nice, but for me a better mod platform, special the white one...with the EMG JVX picks up ( including electronic)..and for 100 euros Gotoh Gold hardware make this budget bass a great sounding, good looking funky bass...for 450 euros all together!!!!! Good construction, quiet pickups, great weight and balanced. Your review are the best... congratulations again for your great Jobs...🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

Looks like a good bass to modify

Would Like them to do a Stingray at this price point, the one at the hundred dollars/euro/pounds mark is actually not too bad so a comparable version to this would be great

I wish they would use some lesser quality woods for a lighter bass eventually. I love the jb75fl, but it’s a boat anchor!

My HB JB 75 is great has no loud p/up noise It is heavy but sounds great

As I said on Talkbass, that 10.8 lbs isn't a deal breaker for me. Man I hope they make lefties. I'd change the tuning machines purely for aesthetic reasons only (I'd put some Hipshot lollipops to complete that '66 look) and keep the Gotohs to gussy up my nephew's Ibanez. Maybe the pups could use a swap, or maybe they just need some shielding. I agree they sound otherwise pretty wild.

Wish HB would offer these basses in a 5 string models.

Man, this color combination reminds me of a 70s button-up longsleeve I used to wear. I wanted to buy it just for that. No longer available. Such a shame.

I believe that's still lighter than the jb-40fl sb which is an absolute tree trunk! But l love that thing and still can't believe I paid what I did for it. If this is in that same quality, I could live with the heftiness

There is also a PJ version now the Harley Benton MV-4PJ Gotoh

I bought a black one recently and the weight was totally normal. I guess Thomann must have had some problem with the woods and no longer offer colors other than black and sunburst. It's a lovely, well crafted bass with a little bit of electronic noise, but a great sound.

I've had a couple of their guitars/basses arrive with the ground connection either broken or missing resulting in that hum. A quick fix, though I usually tear any instrument down and shield them and reassemble.

Everyone says my ‘82 Rickenbacker 4003 must weigh a ton. They have a bad rep, I guess? But it’s only 8.75 lbs!

Weight seems to be an issue with the HB jazz basses. My Jb-75 is close to 12 pounds and honestly I can't grasp what's the cause here since I've tried different basses of the same materials and shapes and have been much lighter. All around I think it's a good trade off and if you play when seated is not that bad. This bass is essentially an upgrade of the JB-75 with better tuners and a better neck (I really prefer "D" necks over "C" necks so "C" fans may not see it as an upgrade) and the base JB sounds awesome on its own. Heck, I may buy this one just for the neck. I'm sure the body is the same and with some work you can fit a MV neck into a JB body.

Nice Tshirt...LLAP...

I need some help Thinking about buying the Harley Benton JB-75MN upgrading to the EMG J pickup and doing some frets work on the bass. or would you buy a Fender American Professional II jazz bass?

The only thing you can't modify... body weight.

I play in 2 bands one is a metal band and a rock and roll band I've got 2 of them now I got one to try out and loved it so much I got one as a back up they are fucking dope so good it does everything you need with ease weight meh it's not an issue unless you're a little girl you can still slam this thing around the stage your whole set no problem get a good strap and some locks and have some fun

A tough fight between this bass and the Squier. The sound is good and practically needs no upgrading 🙃

Great review, as always! Have you tried the Harley Benton JB-62CC? I'm buying a bass and between that one and the JJ-45OP.

Woot mod time! Let's DIY weight relieve it lol

Hey question here, i am on the fence between this and Sire V5 or V5r. One is more than x2 the price (Sire). What would you recommend as a first J style bass? Thanks guys in advance.

So, what passive Jazz Bass pickups would you put in this bass? Best value ratio pickups that would take this bass to the next level - though I agree, I do like the picked sound and in my application, that'd be the majority of use. Pot replacement seems like a negligible price, I'm my pricing is stuck in the 90's and certainly before the dollar halved in value.... But like $15 a pot for quality linear pots? Or am I tripping?

I just bought one of these in seafoam green for $425 from Reverb this week. Comes with an Audere preamp and Aguilar pickups upgrades installed.

What is Amazing about this bass is the price. How in the world could they be making any money at this price? Seems like an incredible bass for that price.🤔

There might be some substantial variation in weight with these. I bought one of the black ones, and it weighs in at just under 9.5 lbs. The fit and finish, even the fretwork is flawless on mine. although, I might have gotten one of first ones, if not the first. It included a little card with a photo of the bass taped in it. The Card says that my bass was one of the models they used in their photo studio to take the stock photos that they used for it on the website. Don't know if that's why it's so flawless or a bit lighter? IDK.

I wonder why it’s so heavy with an alder body. The JB-75 I had (and loved, but had to sell due to financial constraints) was around the 11lb mark - but that had an ash body.

My 2008 Stingray 5 HH weighs in at 11 pounds! And it is has 2 huge alnico humbuckers, bigger/more hardware, an extra string on a larger neck and active electronics with a battery. Are they embedding lead weights into the body before finishing or is alder really that much more heavy than swamp ash?

Maybe he mentioned it in the video and I missed it, but is the pickup spacing 60s or 70s spacing?

That actually sounds great. I don't get why it's so heavy, without active electronics, or a high mass bridge!

Maybe Harley Benton will take their weight criticisms into consideration and lighten their basses a pound or two. Other than that, they are great everywhere else.

I got the suspect that this can beat the Squier Paranormal '54 Jazz Bass in a hard & strong way...ugh! Despite the weight, it's really hard to do better at these prices.

Any recommendations for pickup upgrade ? Thanks

I was really set on getting this, but the weight could be a killer for me as I have fibromyalgia. May look at the J & D Jazz Bass instead

I thought I'd take it! I wanted to know: is it heavy? balanced? thanks for the video

Price performance ratio seems to be very good.

I see you're well again and the cats let you back into the house. Glad you're back in action.

Not to be negative, but $60 in shipping, $200 in pickups and electronics, and $20 in a decent set of strings is closer to a $500 bass that weighs 11 pounds and doesn't have stainless frets. Maybe I need more coffee.

What kind of alder body is this, steel? With those tuners it should be quite light in theory

I was really wanting this bass in the burgundy mist color, however, it is no longer available.

I wonder if they are gonna make a 5 string version of the gotoh model

@LowEndLobster why don't you review the HB JB62? Should be pretty much identical to this one except for the Gotoh tuners and a poplar body, which should make it lighter. If it is not a massive neck diver it could be the go-to J for the low price range

I almost pulled the trigger on a shell pink one of these, but was concerned about the weight.... I'm glad I didn't buy it. I will save a bit longer probably look at Classic Vibe or Sire V5

11lbs? What's it made of? Particle board?

I’m just looking for a bass to play around the house and to upgrade

What about the new HB MV-4JB without gotoh?

How's the weight? I'm really considering one of these for a Sadowskification project, but the last benton bass I bought weighed near 12 lbs and I sold it almost as soon as I bought it. It played and sounded great, but the weight was a deal breaker. I'm just trying to see if maybe they've remedied that before ordering. Thanks.

Yo bro. Most of EU get free shipping from Thomann when spending more than 99 euro. I reckon europe is their biggest market.

Lobster:. I bet there is no neck dive!!

Also remove the Gotohs replace with Hipshot lollipops....replace the pickups with some fralins and shield switch pots and cap and probably a monster....

The PJ version is available now