Harley Benton has just upped the ante in the affordable bass guitar market with the launch of the MV-4JB Gotoh – a budget instrument dressed up to the nines.
Straight out of the Deluxe Series, the MV-4JB Gotoh is available in four exquisite finishes –Burgundy Mist, Daphne Blue, Shell Pink and Black – which, happily, have been reprised on the headstock facing, giving these J-style basses a real upscale vibe.
Indeed, besides the Gotoh GB-7 tuners that give it its name, there are a host of appointments that make a mockery of its £199 street price.
The MV-4JB Gotoh has a solid alder body, slightly offset as per the style, with player-flattering contours on the body to make it sit comfortably whether seated or on a strap.
The bolt-on neck is carved into an accessible D profile shape from caramelised Canadian hard rock maple, and it has a distinctly vintage hue, complte with a skunk strip of rosacre. That it is topped with a bound, 12” radius laurel fingerboard, inlaid with ABS blocks that once more invites a second look at the asking price.
Complementing the tuners, Harley Benton has opted for a quality chrome Wilkinson WBBC CR bridge with bronze saddles – the chrome matching the control plate that abuts the tortoiseshell pickguard that pairs very nicely with these finishes.
Two Roswell JBA-B alnico 5 single-coils occupy the bridge and middle positions and are controlled via individual volume controls and a master tone.
Simply dial in how much you need of each pickup via those volume pots and there is plenty of tonal range to explore, making the MV-4JB Gotoh a hugely versatile instrument, at home laying it down in the pocket for a rock bassline, walking all over a jazz piece or for funk, motown, indie, whatever takes your fancy.
Other features include a graphite nut, and Harley Benton has been kind enough to ship these with D’Addario bass strings.
The MV-4JB Gotoh is available now via Thomann, priced £199, and for more details on these or the other models in the Deluxe series, head over to Harley Benton.
