Harley Benton MV-5JB Daphne Blue

Wow.

I purchased this bass as an impulse buy after watching a product demonstration video. For the very low price I had fairly low expectations and thought that if the bass turned out not to be very good, I wouldn't have lost out too much. As it turned out, I severely underestimated Harley Benton.

This bass is superb, comparable with brands that charge 3-4x the cost of this, and I speak from experience having paid 3-4x and a lot more for other brands in the past!
The feel of the bass is excellent. Good weight - a little heavier that some may prefer maybe, but for me it was just right. Not too much neck-dive - a little but it's not problematic. The neck feels very smooth and easy to play, the roasted maple looks and feels like premium timber and is very comfortable in my hand, the frets are well finished, no sharp edges here.
The bass sounds very nice, has a smooth tone with a little midrange growl like you expect from a Jazz-style bass and the tone is consistent across the strings in all positions.
The tuning is stable and the bass holds pitch very well. The one thing I'm not 100% on are the black plastic machine covers, but honestly they perform well enough that it doesn't affect my experience.
Cosmetically the bass is flawless. I can't see any marks, scuffs or issues with the finish anywhere. The Daphne blue looks gorgeous and the matching headstock is very pretty. The choice of a parchment pickguard gives this a more premium look than a flat white one would have, so great choice HB.

I play this bass more than I play any of my other 5-string basses. For reference, I own premium/high-end and midrange models from the major brands, and this has changed my perspective on affordable bass guitars. I have no idea how Harley Benton can offer a bass of this quality at such a low price. Whatever their secret is, I hope they continue for a long time.