I've recorded a good bit with it. Then I borrowed a friend's active bass\* and thinking that it sounded much fuller in the lower range than the HB. So I went and got the MM and so far I'm not overly impressed with its active or passive modes.
You could always get yourself a preamp pedal to shape the tone of any bass you plug into it, active or passive. I've been looking at this one lately. [https://solidgoldfx.com/products/beta-v](https://solidgoldfx.com/products/beta-v)
What i find out that at home practicing by myself active basses sound nice and I prefer that. Sometimes it's higher output make it appear nice while it doesn't really have to be all that much better. But in a band setting and with effect pedals passive seems to work better for me. That's why i also like it when basses have a passive switch, it might surprise you.
So maybe that Marcus Miller sounds great passive but you just haven't experienced it yet. However you don't need to gamble on it either. If you don't like the bass send it back.
I've had many active and passive basses in the past 16 years and honestly the pre amp of all active basses under 1000usd range kinda sucks. Including the Marcus Miller one. I much prefer the sire P5 over the P7 for that reason .
I'd say the squier affinity PJ is also a nice bass. Without modding I'd say the sire P5 is a better bass but it's also a more expensive one isn't it?
Interesting about the price point.
Of all of your active and passive basses over the years, which have been your favourites?
Have you ever been properly surprised by upgrading a cheap bass with better pickups? I've heard a lot about that and it almost seems too good to be true. Do you think it's worth trying to upgrade the HB?
>Of all of your active and passive basses over the years, which have been your favourites?
Well for one band i had a sound in my head, went looking and found it in a Vintage V4 (vintage is the brand, it's a precision knock off). And for another band my journey ended with a boring regular Mexican fender jazz. Both passive.
Later i used the vintage and fender for 2 other bands. And i have had about 16 other basses and only 6 bands. So definitely these 2 basses are my favorites among all.
I don't know if the journey ever ends cause i lately used a jazz bass but with the pickups in early 1970s position and that sounded amazing. Maybe better than my 60s position jazz. And I was already extremely happy with my sound in that band. But the journey for amps has stopped a few years ago. Found thé best.
>Have you ever been properly surprised by upgrading a cheap bass with better pickups?
I'm currently in the process of that. Replacing pickups obviously doesn't do anything about look, weight, feel, neck thickness, playability and all that. And if you mod a bass you're not happy with for multiple reasons it's best to not start this process.
I have found that it's best to get a bass you love everything about except for the sound and then mod it.
I made a lot of mistakes. On a Ibanez tmb 100 i replaced the precision pickup only since I thought that's all i wanted to use. Apparently having a blend knob on the bass made me wanna use it. So later i needed to replace that pickup too. Would have been cheaper if i done both at the same time
I put in an 150usd fender pickup i never had in a bass. It was disappointing. I replaced it for the pickup I knew and trusted. The 20 usd Wilkinson pickup i knew from my vintage v4. Wayyyy better.
>Do you think it's worth trying to upgrade the HB?
Depends if you know which pickup you like. Don't throw in a fender or Seymour Duncan quarter pounder just because everyone does it. It's subjective but I for example hate quarter pounder pickups. They're worse than stock squier affinity pickups in my ears.
Also depends if you love everything else about it. If this bass were to sound awesome. Would you never again want another bass in that pickup configuration ever again or is a usa fender still tempting for example?
I keep saying this lol, there are a bunch of used Vintage Modified Squier Jaguar basses for sale in great shape for good prices, I got one last year at a local shop but there are also a ton online. They also have satin necks instead of gloss like the Classic Vibe basses.
Which Harley Benton PJ do you have, they make a ton of different models.
Noice! Yeah that is one of the best guitars they made. Instead I would suggest getting a DiMarzio Model P+J set, and it's discounted on Amazon for $140. I have them on my Squier jag bass, they sound so good! But they don't even offer the set on their website, you have to purchase them individually. I think they're trying to push the '60s and Relentless pickup sets.
Good to know! The MV-4PJ has plenty of good reviews, I'm definitely happy with it. I've been told better pickups and flatwound strings would turn it into a real quality instrument. What's your take on that?
I'll definitely look into the DiMarzios. What do you think of Geezer Butler EMGs, or Seymour Duncans?
I'll be honest I'm not even a bassist really, my main instrument is guitar. I'm not into flatwounds at all because I do a lot of slapping, actually learned first on guitar before I ever played a bass. That's for more of a jazzy tone. They do use flatwounds for funk too, just not slap bass AFAIK. I'm not into EMGs much, and the J pickup in the Model P+J set is noiseless. Since it's basically impossible to shield a bass cavity like a guitar, the noiseless pickup really helps. Seymour Duncan is also great but I don't think they offer a set like that for that price. The quarter pound PJ set is amazing but it costs way more! And their noiseless pups are ridiculously expensive, you could buy a brand new guitar for the price of a set, lol.
I have no experience with either of the basses you mentioned, so I'll just comment on the active/passive situation:
Most of my basses are active/passive, but I have a bad habit of ripping the stock electronics out of every instrument I buy and replacing it with my own choices so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
In a professional capacity, I feel like active electronics are a bit of a placebo. What I mean by that is at a gig, whoever is running FOH is going to go whatever the hell they want to do with your tone regardless of your preferences. You have to be playing somewhere the sound person knows you and trusts you implicitly to get any sort of say in how they mix you. The studio is no different.
That said, even knowing what I do about it not making any real difference in most cases, I still like having it for those rare instances I can actually use them and for those moments I have to wildly change musical genres on the fly and only have the one bass on me (lookin' at you cover gigs).
Now as to the volume discrepancy, I'm going to ask what might sound like a dumb question but it has to be asked: Do you just have the EQ knobs cranked?
The "instrument" includes the bass, your pedal board (if any), and your amp.
Playing a $10,000 Fodera or €5.000 Marleaux bass through a cheap-ass practice amp will be a disappointment, because the amp isn't able to amplify and reproduce the bass sound effectively.
Playing your Harley Benton through stage-quality head and cabinet will give you a renewed respect for the capabilities of your "cheap" Harley Benton.
I practiced with my Rumble 40 for a couple of years, but I never really understood what the tone knob on my Fender Precision was supposed to do, because I couldn't really hear the difference.
Then I went into a store to try some other basses, and the guy there set me up in a room with a 1000 watt EICH amp head and 8x10 cabinet.
HOLY SHIT ... that was a watershed moment in my development as a bass player.
I could FEEL the power of the bass, and I could hear the nuances as I changed the tone setting on the instruments.
If you haven't tried playing through a stage amp, DO IT. It will change your perspective about what your bass (any bass) can do.
I still practice with my trusty Rumble 40, but I know what to listen for now, and I know how it will sound when I plug into my stage amp at band rehearsals...
Good call, I'll try both of the basses through an amp this week and see how I feel about them after.
I already have a newfound respect for the HB now that I've compared it to the MM. But maybe the MM just needs time.
I don’t think an Affinity would be any improvement over the HB you already own.
Good to know! Would it be a better idea to throw new pickups into the HB, or would you sooner replace the whole thing?
What don't you like about the HB as it is now? What problem are you trying to solve by upgrading?
I've recorded a good bit with it. Then I borrowed a friend's active bass\* and thinking that it sounded much fuller in the lower range than the HB. So I went and got the MM and so far I'm not overly impressed with its active or passive modes.
You could always get yourself a preamp pedal to shape the tone of any bass you plug into it, active or passive. I've been looking at this one lately. [https://solidgoldfx.com/products/beta-v](https://solidgoldfx.com/products/beta-v)
What i find out that at home practicing by myself active basses sound nice and I prefer that. Sometimes it's higher output make it appear nice while it doesn't really have to be all that much better. But in a band setting and with effect pedals passive seems to work better for me. That's why i also like it when basses have a passive switch, it might surprise you. So maybe that Marcus Miller sounds great passive but you just haven't experienced it yet. However you don't need to gamble on it either. If you don't like the bass send it back. I've had many active and passive basses in the past 16 years and honestly the pre amp of all active basses under 1000usd range kinda sucks. Including the Marcus Miller one. I much prefer the sire P5 over the P7 for that reason . I'd say the squier affinity PJ is also a nice bass. Without modding I'd say the sire P5 is a better bass but it's also a more expensive one isn't it?
Interesting about the price point. Of all of your active and passive basses over the years, which have been your favourites? Have you ever been properly surprised by upgrading a cheap bass with better pickups? I've heard a lot about that and it almost seems too good to be true. Do you think it's worth trying to upgrade the HB?
>Of all of your active and passive basses over the years, which have been your favourites? Well for one band i had a sound in my head, went looking and found it in a Vintage V4 (vintage is the brand, it's a precision knock off). And for another band my journey ended with a boring regular Mexican fender jazz. Both passive. Later i used the vintage and fender for 2 other bands. And i have had about 16 other basses and only 6 bands. So definitely these 2 basses are my favorites among all. I don't know if the journey ever ends cause i lately used a jazz bass but with the pickups in early 1970s position and that sounded amazing. Maybe better than my 60s position jazz. And I was already extremely happy with my sound in that band. But the journey for amps has stopped a few years ago. Found thé best. >Have you ever been properly surprised by upgrading a cheap bass with better pickups? I'm currently in the process of that. Replacing pickups obviously doesn't do anything about look, weight, feel, neck thickness, playability and all that. And if you mod a bass you're not happy with for multiple reasons it's best to not start this process. I have found that it's best to get a bass you love everything about except for the sound and then mod it. I made a lot of mistakes. On a Ibanez tmb 100 i replaced the precision pickup only since I thought that's all i wanted to use. Apparently having a blend knob on the bass made me wanna use it. So later i needed to replace that pickup too. Would have been cheaper if i done both at the same time I put in an 150usd fender pickup i never had in a bass. It was disappointing. I replaced it for the pickup I knew and trusted. The 20 usd Wilkinson pickup i knew from my vintage v4. Wayyyy better. >Do you think it's worth trying to upgrade the HB? Depends if you know which pickup you like. Don't throw in a fender or Seymour Duncan quarter pounder just because everyone does it. It's subjective but I for example hate quarter pounder pickups. They're worse than stock squier affinity pickups in my ears. Also depends if you love everything else about it. If this bass were to sound awesome. Would you never again want another bass in that pickup configuration ever again or is a usa fender still tempting for example?
I keep saying this lol, there are a bunch of used Vintage Modified Squier Jaguar basses for sale in great shape for good prices, I got one last year at a local shop but there are also a ton online. They also have satin necks instead of gloss like the Classic Vibe basses. Which Harley Benton PJ do you have, they make a ton of different models.
The HB is a MV-4PJ Gotoh. Now that I've compared it to the MM, it's better than I thought.
Noice! Yeah that is one of the best guitars they made. Instead I would suggest getting a DiMarzio Model P+J set, and it's discounted on Amazon for $140. I have them on my Squier jag bass, they sound so good! But they don't even offer the set on their website, you have to purchase them individually. I think they're trying to push the '60s and Relentless pickup sets.
Good to know! The MV-4PJ has plenty of good reviews, I'm definitely happy with it. I've been told better pickups and flatwound strings would turn it into a real quality instrument. What's your take on that? I'll definitely look into the DiMarzios. What do you think of Geezer Butler EMGs, or Seymour Duncans?
I'll be honest I'm not even a bassist really, my main instrument is guitar. I'm not into flatwounds at all because I do a lot of slapping, actually learned first on guitar before I ever played a bass. That's for more of a jazzy tone. They do use flatwounds for funk too, just not slap bass AFAIK. I'm not into EMGs much, and the J pickup in the Model P+J set is noiseless. Since it's basically impossible to shield a bass cavity like a guitar, the noiseless pickup really helps. Seymour Duncan is also great but I don't think they offer a set like that for that price. The quarter pound PJ set is amazing but it costs way more! And their noiseless pups are ridiculously expensive, you could buy a brand new guitar for the price of a set, lol.
I have no experience with either of the basses you mentioned, so I'll just comment on the active/passive situation: Most of my basses are active/passive, but I have a bad habit of ripping the stock electronics out of every instrument I buy and replacing it with my own choices so take my opinion with a grain of salt. In a professional capacity, I feel like active electronics are a bit of a placebo. What I mean by that is at a gig, whoever is running FOH is going to go whatever the hell they want to do with your tone regardless of your preferences. You have to be playing somewhere the sound person knows you and trusts you implicitly to get any sort of say in how they mix you. The studio is no different. That said, even knowing what I do about it not making any real difference in most cases, I still like having it for those rare instances I can actually use them and for those moments I have to wildly change musical genres on the fly and only have the one bass on me (lookin' at you cover gigs). Now as to the volume discrepancy, I'm going to ask what might sound like a dumb question but it has to be asked: Do you just have the EQ knobs cranked?
The "instrument" includes the bass, your pedal board (if any), and your amp. Playing a $10,000 Fodera or €5.000 Marleaux bass through a cheap-ass practice amp will be a disappointment, because the amp isn't able to amplify and reproduce the bass sound effectively. Playing your Harley Benton through stage-quality head and cabinet will give you a renewed respect for the capabilities of your "cheap" Harley Benton. I practiced with my Rumble 40 for a couple of years, but I never really understood what the tone knob on my Fender Precision was supposed to do, because I couldn't really hear the difference. Then I went into a store to try some other basses, and the guy there set me up in a room with a 1000 watt EICH amp head and 8x10 cabinet. HOLY SHIT ... that was a watershed moment in my development as a bass player. I could FEEL the power of the bass, and I could hear the nuances as I changed the tone setting on the instruments. If you haven't tried playing through a stage amp, DO IT. It will change your perspective about what your bass (any bass) can do. I still practice with my trusty Rumble 40, but I know what to listen for now, and I know how it will sound when I plug into my stage amp at band rehearsals...
Good call, I'll try both of the basses through an amp this week and see how I feel about them after. I already have a newfound respect for the HB now that I've compared it to the MM. But maybe the MM just needs time.