Harley Benton Bass Guitar Kit J-Style

Given the price it's hard to complain about this kit. I'd also like to note that overall I'm quite happy with the kit and liked the level of freedom that you get from it. That said I have a few comments/issues on which I think things could be improved or at least made more consistent as I don't see some of the other posts with these issues. They are in no particular order.

The nut was cut too deep on the notch for the A string so even while all strings are in tune it buzzes like an angry hornet. So I need to replace it. I didn't notice other review having problems with this so I would expect that it's a matter of inconsistency in the milling equipment.

The instructions (English) where poorly written. I could go nit pick a lot of various wording but the bulk of it is that it's written more as assembly instructions for someone who already knows the basics of what they are doing or at least know how to care for a guitar already.

Customization of product. While I enjoyed carving the headstock into flames I would have liked a little more room on the peg side to shape. As I don't have my own workshop I wasn't in a position to add anything. I'm also sure that there are individuals who for one reason or another can't carve the head stock at all and are left with a heavy and unattractive block at the end. So I think having at least the option of a pre carved basic headstock could be nice for a lot of people. Another customization I personally would have loved was options of scratch plates. I would have loved to get a fully clear scratch plate and I'm sure others would have been happy to get black instead. So I think this is something that could make for a nice improvement to the kits having the option to switch out some parts for a few extra euro at purchase.

Another issue I had with the kit was the fret board extended out beyond the base of the neck. So when it's slotted in place there is a roughly 2mm gap between it and the pick guard. It doesn't seem to effect the playability but I do think that it's something that should have been noted in the instructions if it is a regular outlier in the manufacture(I.E. sand it flush) or it shouldn't have made it past inspection of product.

While I could complain further those are the main points and I don't wouldn't want to dissuade someone from buying this product if it is in fact what they wanted because it is a fun and interesting means to learn more about what goes into a bass as well as a way for someone to get into playing bass without as much of an initial cost.

It's a pity I can't attach photos and can't return the guitar as I started polishing it already. It appeared the holes that are drilled e.g. for the pick-ups or for the tuners are completely off. They don't align at all. Now I need to fill them with toothpicks and drill new ones. It's a nightmare especially if it comes to those under the pick-ups as they're in the routed sockets. Also if you want to buy some other pickguard like I did (I bought Harley Benton's JB-Style Tortoise pickguard, thinking it's standardized) it won't be that easy too, because... surprise! holes don't align here as well. I'm giving 1 star, so this comment could stand out as a warning for others what to prepare for.

I love this guitar since I assembled it. The wood left on the headstock lets you carve it in whatever way you chose. The assembling itself is easy - just like the furtniture from ikea. The neck fits well with the body, no extra space left.
After a setup the bass sounds pretty ok. Of course this is cheap instrument and for example the tuners have backlash, but regard how much money have you spoent and stop complaining :) Surprisingly the strings sound quite good. The neck is nice and the truss rod is easy to operate. I was able to set the strings action extremely low and the frets are perfect - no buzz from uneven frets because there're no uneven fret.

I'd like to hear more harsh sound from the bridge pickup, the current is too soft for me for J pickup.

It's nice the body is prepared for lacquering and the wood pores have been already filled - it makes the painting very easy. The neck is finished with clear gloss so it doesn't need extra work. The only thing I'd complain for, was one small tuner mounting bolt missing - I had to search for similar in my home stock.
I can recommend this one for everybody wanting to customize the bass.

I bought this for my first bass DIY project and it works very well. However there is few things to be considered:
1. Body is primed, which can be advantage if you want to paint it, but can be disadvantage if you want to use natural wood structure- then you must grind it. Also this is not known what prime was used.
2. All parts are well fitted, and the construction is very basic- not like modern guitars.
3. Pickups and electronic is not the best. Sound is not good, but you have freedom to replace it with whatever you like.
It is great base for the project, but requires significant amount of work if you want to make it beautiful and decent sound. But this is all about DIY.