Thanks for your unboxing and review. I bought one based on your unboxing review and the fact that I wanted a solid body uke bass to take on a 4 week trip. It meets my needs. I used a plug in bass amp so I can practice and even plug it int a blue tooth speaker for terrible but better than nothing sound. I love it!
Very glad to hear you are loving yours and yes, I would have though the sound is not the greatest through a small speaker. I love playing mine, just a few little things I want to sort. 👍
Thank you for the very thorough review. I was eyeing this one but think I'll wait for further info. I know it's "cheap" but as a retired person I need to be careful budget-wise. I do miss the more flexible budget. I always say about retirement, the pay is lousy but the hours are great. I really appreciate the honest reviews and the excellent instruction on this channel.
Very glad to be helping. Yes, it’s worth waiting a while, I was playing it last night and generally it was fine but the E string being quieter then the other got on my nerves in the end so I swapped basses. I will definitely be looking at the pick up on this one to see if I can improve it.
Hi Rachel, have loved checking out your channel over the last 3 years. I have been playing Uke for a good few years but have started playing Bass and just before Christmas bought an Aklot Bamboo Acoustic which I really enjoy playing and works well with the band I play in. However I was quite taken to try out a solid body bass uke and saw your unboxing of the Harley Benton Ukebass OPNT and had been looking into getting one anyway as a cheap entry level solid body ukebass. Mine arrived in the afternoon of you posting your follow up full review. Your review was fair and there are slight issues with the intonation at the 12th fret. I have adjusted the truss rod and it now sounds right played open or at the 12th fret. The wiring is a "hot" signal so the bass knob needs moving only slightly. I was worried that I had bought a bit of a "lemon", but no its rather nice at the £166 price mark even if it need some setting up. I'm wondering if wound round (or flat) nylon core string would be good to try out in the future on this bass. Always enjoy your videos.
Absolutely loved reading this, Thank You 😊 I have been seriously tempted by a Bamboo bass uke, maybe one day. Good to hear you’ve sorted your intonation issues, I will be looking at this and the quieter E string very soon. I had some success with the “hot”, I’d forgotten I had an amp in the house which has an active / passive setting - really hand for hot signals. Put it through this and found it MUCH better. Will mention it in a follow up vid. Let me know if you do try wound or flat wound strings, something I may well consider in the future too. 👍
Neckthrough - You have to be carreful to pick the right strings when replacing. Not all kinds of strings are constructed at the ball-end to allow to bend that way. Some are meant to stay stright. Anyway, gresat review! Thank you, Rachel.
My pleasure and yes, I’d also recommend being careful with any string changes, especially different kinds of strings and also always checking if the bass has a truss rod before changing strings too. 👍
Deee-Liteful review, Rach! Most definitely the groove is in your heart.😊 OPNT: Oh Pish! Not in Tune. Ok, don't hate on me, it's the best I've got at the moment. LOL!
LOL 😂 Had to switch my brain cell on for the OPNY reference, not your definition, just remember where I’d seen OPNT before!!! It’s been a long day “retiring” the studio set-up. Shall try and do a tutorial for the Deee-Lite riff soon, definitely one of my favourite bands EVER!!
Not sure why anyone would want one of these piezo basses with rubber strings? There is finger noise from the pickups, the strings look huge and loose, the sound is not convincing and there is no sustain. I just bought the BlackStar Carry-on for £169 on Amazon. Job done.....its brilliant!
I have to say so still play a lot with my rubber string basses as they have a very different tone and many of them sound great as well as being easy on the fingers.
Hi Rachel, if you have a tuner problems with this particular model, just release a screw from the other side of the tuner, screw holding the gear and that's it) But not much of course.
Great advice Thank You. Yep, I have done this before but in this case, the string is now literally off the tuning post at the bottom. I’m definitely going to have to cut some of the length from the string. 👍
One thing I could not figure it out is the size from the one extreme to other, as I want to buy it and take it inside my bag on flight.....Could you gently tell me from bottom to top the size? Thank you very very much!
Hello Rachel. I love seeing and hearing what you have to say about baas ukuleles you demo. There is a newish U it bass on the market. It would be great to hear your opinion of the B;lack Star Carry carry on bass.
I'll watch the review later. I'd rather watch you do an uninterrupted Bass Cover. I was digging your opening. You got some Good Stuff in those fingers!😎♥️✌️ ~ Mary 🦋
They have made the problems better. But not totally fixed them. Intonation is still a problem but better. There is still a little buzz but not as much as with the black strings . It's a relatively cheep bass and I don't use it to perform. So I can live with it
Hi Rachel if your neck is straight ( with some relief ) then the truss rod is ok intonation issues usually mean bridge adjustment ( the different gauges of string subtly change the scale length so in effect the bridge is slightly wrong ( different strings may be better ?) Also the finger pressure used can make a string go sharp but not flat good luck but ill stick with my fretless ( though my fingers do need tuning !) 🤘🤣👍
@@UkuleleWales Hi Rachel Great review - and great channel. Now the Summer is almost over. What did you do to try to fix the problems and was it a succes? I have been very tempted to get this solid body HB, but it has been out of stock and still is. I have been playing on a HB Kahuna a couple of years. It have intonation issues and I would hesitate buying another also with issues. A local shop has Kala SUBS in stock and I am trying one out. Intonation is spot on but the preamp is a bit "cold" compared to the Kahuna - at least on my AER amp.
Yes i would love to hear your opinion of the cheaper sunburst version. I agree that the wood and neck through and everything looks fine but if the other one is the same function wise i would choose that. Probably i just order it. I am a guitar player who just wants to do some bass riffs sometimes, maybe also play it through my modular synth.
Hello Rachel. I bought this very instrument and overall I am very impressed with it. I too, am having issues with the tuners though. E & A string tuners came with no room for additional take up on the strings. When you change out the tuners or just shorten the strings a bit, would you consider a video doing just that? Thanks for all. Bette Lou New York.
Hi Bette Lou, glad to hear you have one of these too. I have restrung it properly by tying it so there is less string on the tuner now. Sorry, I didn’t make a video this time but I have covered changing the tuners in this video: th-cam.com/video/CWltYBY9lf0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=7k9n71t7MH_dX3iM And I covered how to change strings in this one: th-cam.com/video/eB5e6VuBjjY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=mKMKLImyCPCna8p2 Hope these help. 👍
Hi any followup video on this. Did you know that setup can change with dufferent temperatures, when traveling, etc. It the You ideally need to give a new stringed instrument a setup and time to settle into your local weather etc, can take between 3-6months
Hi Music Mike, yes, I am hoping to return to this one very soon. I’ve done a bit of fiddling with the strings so far but it’s still running a very hot signal. I’ve heard a few people say theirs is the same so I may have to look at the electrics at some point. Still a nice bass to play though. 👍
Hi, The DC uke is okay for the price. It’s actually quite nice to play but very quiet go through an amp so has to be cranked up a bit and not so great for going through effect pedals as better electro acoustics and the solid body steel string ukes.
I'm learning to play a cigar box guitar using a spark go amp and headphones but it is too loud, I worry about my neighbours. So I'm thinking about playing bass instead. How loud is this bass when not plugged in?
These basses are very quite when not plugged into an amp, really you do need an amp to use them properly but using headphones, your neighbours would not hear the bass. Let me know if you decide to go for it. 👍
Hello there ! May i ask a stupid question ? How does this sound unplugged ? With little kids at home I often play my electric guitars unplugged for quick quiet practice. I would need to do the same if I buy a u-bass
Not a silly quesyion at all, in fact I've been asked the same thing about another bass recently. It is very quiet but I'm going to make a video demonstrating them very soon.
I put Aquila Thunder Blacks on my Denver acoustic/electric fretless and the A string stretched a lot more than the others. I had to trim it twice because there was too much string wrapped on the tuner. May be a characteristic of these A strings? The other strings have been fine.
Hi Alan, yes I totally agree. I find the A strings always tend to have more “spare” string and this often causes issues with the tuners if all the spare string is wound around the tuner. I am definitely doing to remove and restring to sit off the excess.
⚠ The follow up and and full review for the Harley Benton Uke Bass OPNT Solid Body Ukulele. I talk about the positive and negative points to this cheap Thomann Bass Ukulele. ➡ The unboxing and first look at the Harley Benton BassUke OPNT bass uke. 🚀 If you'd like to join my Patreon Page for exclusive goodies such as PDF downloads and behind the scenes footage - www.patreon.com/UkuleleWales
Great review Rach. Very thorough and comprehensive. It's a stunning Bass, but as you say! Thoman is a "box shifter" at the end of the day and it always comes down to the luck of the draw when it comes to setup and playability. You might be lucky and get one that plays straight out of the box, but as you mentioned. Be prepared to do a bit of work. Did you manage to sort out the issues in the end? 🙏
Thanks Al and yes, totally agree, it really is luck of the draw! I’ve put new strings on it and think the pickup volume is more consistent but it still has a very hot signal. It’s okay if I’m careful with the EQ. 😊
Thanks for your unboxing and review. I bought one based on your unboxing review and the fact that I wanted a solid body uke bass to take on a 4 week trip. It meets my needs. I used a plug in bass amp so I can practice and even plug it int a blue tooth speaker for terrible but better than nothing sound. I love it!
Very glad to hear you are loving yours and yes, I would have though the sound is not the greatest through a small speaker. I love playing mine, just a few little things I want to sort. 👍
Thank you for the very thorough review. I was eyeing this one but think I'll wait for further info. I know it's "cheap" but as a retired person I need to be careful budget-wise. I do miss the more flexible budget. I always say about retirement, the pay is lousy but the hours are great. I really appreciate the honest reviews and the excellent instruction on this channel.
Very glad to be helping. Yes, it’s worth waiting a while, I was playing it last night and generally it was fine but the E string being quieter then the other got on my nerves in the end so I swapped basses. I will definitely be looking at the pick up on this one to see if I can improve it.
Great review ✌️🏴
Thanks 😊
Hi Rachel, have loved checking out your channel over the last 3 years. I have been playing Uke for a good few years but have started playing Bass and just before Christmas bought an Aklot Bamboo Acoustic which I really enjoy playing and works well with the band I play in. However I was quite taken to try out a solid body bass uke and saw your unboxing of the Harley Benton Ukebass OPNT and had been looking into getting one anyway as a cheap entry level solid body ukebass. Mine arrived in the afternoon of you posting your follow up full review. Your review was fair and there are slight issues with the intonation at the 12th fret. I have adjusted the truss rod and it now sounds right played open or at the 12th fret. The wiring is a "hot" signal so the bass knob needs moving only slightly. I was worried that I had bought a bit of a "lemon", but no its rather nice at the £166 price mark even if it need some setting up. I'm wondering if wound round (or flat) nylon core string would be good to try out in the future on this bass. Always enjoy your videos.
Absolutely loved reading this, Thank You 😊
I have been seriously tempted by a Bamboo bass uke, maybe one day. Good to hear you’ve sorted your intonation issues, I will be looking at this and the quieter E string very soon. I had some success with the “hot”, I’d forgotten I had an amp in the house which has an active / passive setting - really hand for hot signals. Put it through this and found it MUCH better. Will mention it in a follow up vid. Let me know if you do try wound or flat wound strings, something I may well consider in the future too. 👍
Neckthrough - You have to be carreful to pick the right strings when replacing. Not all kinds of strings are constructed at the ball-end to allow to bend that way. Some are meant to stay stright.
Anyway, gresat review! Thank you, Rachel.
My pleasure and yes, I’d also recommend being careful with any string changes, especially different kinds of strings and also always checking if the bass has a truss rod before changing strings too. 👍
Hello Rachel really enjoyed the review although as you know I am not bass player but I do like watching all your videos, please keep them coming ❤
Thank You Peter, you really love such comments and it’s nice to know you enjoy the bass ones too, even though you don’t play it. 😊
Deee-Liteful review, Rach! Most definitely the groove is in your heart.😊 OPNT: Oh Pish! Not in Tune. Ok, don't hate on me, it's the best I've got at the moment. LOL!
LOL 😂 Had to switch my brain cell on for the OPNY reference, not your definition, just remember where I’d seen OPNT before!!! It’s been a long day “retiring” the studio set-up. Shall try and do a tutorial for the Deee-Lite riff soon, definitely one of my favourite bands EVER!!
Not sure why anyone would want one of these piezo basses with rubber strings? There is finger noise from the pickups, the strings look huge and loose, the sound is not convincing and there is no sustain. I just bought the BlackStar Carry-on for £169 on Amazon. Job done.....its brilliant!
I have to say so still play a lot with my rubber string basses as they have a very different tone and many of them sound great as well as being easy on the fingers.
Hi Rachel, if you have a tuner problems with this particular model, just release a screw from the other side of the tuner, screw holding the gear and that's it) But not much of course.
Great advice Thank You. Yep, I have done this before but in this case, the string is now literally off the tuning post at the bottom. I’m definitely going to have to cut some of the length from the string. 👍
I changed out the strings to Thunder Browns and took some length off. Addressed the intonation problem.
One thing I could not figure it out is the size from the one extreme to other, as I want to buy it and take it inside my bag on flight.....Could you gently tell me from bottom to top the size?
Thank you very very much!
I guess for the money you would expect the issues you’ve uncovered and to have some workbench time spent on it. It is a good looking instrument. 😊
Totally agree with you, and yes, I’ll definitely be doing a bit of work to it as with those looks it will be worth it. 👍
До чего милая обзорщица) удачи и процветания канала!
Thank You very much for your lovely comment. 😊
Hello Rachel. I love seeing and hearing what you have to say about baas ukuleles you demo. There is a newish U it bass on the market. It would be great to hear your opinion of the B;lack Star Carry carry on bass.
Hi Gary, lovely to hear from you.
I know of the Black Star but haven’t tried one yet. Hopefully I will one day. 👍
Need a six string version of this. Allow more overall octave range over the smaller number of frets.
I'm not sure about 6 string but I know there are 5 string bass ukes out there.
With 24 frets where is the range that you need aside from other strings . It’s all there
@@ethixhiggins5059 because intonation on bass uke is a problem the farther away from the nut.
I'll watch the review later. I'd rather watch you do an uninterrupted Bass Cover. I was digging your opening. You got some Good Stuff in those fingers!😎♥️✌️
~ Mary 🦋
Thanks Mary for your lovely comment. 😊
@@UkuleleWales I hope you put on a show! I'd love to watch! Keep happy!
~ Mary 🦋
Hi. I have just fitted a set of thunder brown strings to my this Bass. Which seems to have elevated most of the problems mentioned in this review.
Can I just check, do you mean made the problems worse? Thanks
They have made the problems better. But not totally fixed them. Intonation is still a problem but better.
There is still a little buzz but not as much as with the black strings .
It's a relatively cheep bass and I don't use it to perform. So I can live with it
Hi Rachel if your neck is straight ( with some relief ) then the truss rod is ok intonation issues usually mean bridge adjustment ( the different gauges of string subtly change the scale length so in effect the bridge is slightly wrong ( different strings may be better ?) Also the finger pressure used can make a string go sharp but not flat good luck but ill stick with my fretless ( though my fingers do need tuning !) 🤘🤣👍
Hi Bill, all good advice there Thanks. I'm going to be looking more into it over the Summer, hopefully I can make it all just that little bit better.
@@UkuleleWales
Hi Rachel
Great review - and great channel.
Now the Summer is almost over. What did you do to try to fix the problems and was it a succes?
I have been very tempted to get this solid body HB, but it has been out of stock and still is.
I have been playing on a HB Kahuna a couple of years. It have intonation issues and I would hesitate buying another also with issues.
A local shop has Kala SUBS in stock and I am trying one out. Intonation is spot on but the preamp is a bit "cold" compared to the Kahuna - at least on my AER amp.
Yes i would love to hear your opinion of the cheaper sunburst version. I agree that the wood and neck through and everything looks fine but if the other one is the same function wise i would choose that. Probably i just order it. I am a guitar player who just wants to do some bass riffs sometimes, maybe also play it through my modular synth.
I’m hoping to borrow one soon as I think it would be very interesting to compare them 👍
Hello Rachel. I bought this very instrument and overall I am very impressed with it. I too, am having issues with the tuners though. E & A string tuners came with no room for additional take up on the strings. When you change out the tuners or just shorten the strings a bit, would you consider a video doing just that? Thanks for all. Bette Lou New York.
Hi Bette Lou, glad to hear you have one of these too. I have restrung it properly by tying it so there is less string on the tuner now.
Sorry, I didn’t make a video this time but I have covered changing the tuners in this video: th-cam.com/video/CWltYBY9lf0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=7k9n71t7MH_dX3iM
And I covered how to change strings in this one: th-cam.com/video/eB5e6VuBjjY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=mKMKLImyCPCna8p2
Hope these help. 👍
Hi any followup video on this.
Did you know that setup can change with dufferent temperatures, when traveling, etc. It the You ideally need to give a new stringed instrument a setup and time to settle into your local weather etc, can take between 3-6months
Hi Music Mike, yes, I am hoping to return to this one very soon. I’ve done a bit of fiddling with the strings so far but it’s still running a very hot signal. I’ve heard a few people say theirs is the same so I may have to look at the electrics at some point. Still a nice bass to play though. 👍
Nice video. Would you recommend that Harley Benton DC ukulele? Think you said it was your husbands. Thanks a lot
Hi, The DC uke is okay for the price. It’s actually quite nice to play but very quiet go through an amp so has to be cranked up a bit and not so great for going through effect pedals as better electro acoustics and the solid body steel string ukes.
@@UkuleleWales Thanks a lot 😄❤️
OPNT
One piece neck through 😊
THANK YOU, it was bugging me and of course very obvious! 😎
I'm learning to play a cigar box guitar using a spark go amp and headphones but it is too loud, I worry about my neighbours. So I'm thinking about playing bass instead. How loud is this bass when not plugged in?
These basses are very quite when not plugged into an amp, really you do need an amp to use them properly but using headphones, your neighbours would not hear the bass. Let me know if you decide to go for it. 👍
Hello there ! May i ask a stupid question ? How does this sound unplugged ? With little kids at home I often play my electric guitars unplugged for quick quiet practice. I would need to do the same if I buy a u-bass
Not a silly quesyion at all, in fact I've been asked the same thing about another bass recently. It is very quiet but I'm going to make a video demonstrating them very soon.
Thanks !!!!
I put Aquila Thunder Blacks on my Denver acoustic/electric fretless and the A string stretched a lot more than the others. I had to trim it twice because there was too much string wrapped on the tuner. May be a characteristic of these A strings? The other strings have been fine.
Hi Alan, yes I totally agree. I find the A strings always tend to have more “spare” string and this often causes issues with the tuners if all the spare string is wound around the tuner. I am definitely doing to remove and restring to sit off the excess.
⚠ The follow up and and full review for the Harley Benton Uke Bass OPNT Solid Body Ukulele. I talk about the positive and negative points to this cheap Thomann Bass Ukulele.
➡ The unboxing and first look at the Harley Benton BassUke OPNT bass uke.
🚀 If you'd like to join my Patreon Page for exclusive goodies such as PDF downloads and behind the scenes footage - www.patreon.com/UkuleleWales
gwych, dw i eisiau un
Let me know if you get one or decide on something else. Is it particularly the rubber strings?
Great review Rach. Very thorough and comprehensive. It's a stunning Bass, but as you say! Thoman is a "box shifter" at the end of the day and it always comes down to the luck of the draw when it comes to setup and playability. You might be lucky and get one that plays straight out of the box, but as you mentioned. Be prepared to do a bit of work. Did you manage to sort out the issues in the end? 🙏
Thanks Al and yes, totally agree, it really is luck of the draw! I’ve put new strings on it and think the pickup volume is more consistent but it still has a very hot signal. It’s okay if I’m careful with the EQ. 😊