Cheap vs Expensive Guitar Blind Test: Harley Benton vs Fender
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- Опубликовано: 2 фев 2020
- Check out my guitars in this video:
►Fender Telecaster - imp.i114863.net/50sTele (Sweetwater affiliate link)
►Harley Benton - bit.ly/2vmpJZP (Thomann affiliate link)
In this video, I am putting to test your ears! Can you hear the difference between a $200 Harley Benton vs a $2000 Fender Telecaster? Let's find out!
The answer is at the end of the video!
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►My Socials - linktr.ee/intheblues
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(Links to Sweetwater, Thomann, Amazon, B&H, Artist Guitars, and Walmart are affiliate links.
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#fendertelecaster #telecaster #harleybenton #intheblues
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I hope you'll get a commision, because you just sold a lot of harley bentons
Ela vre! Poly kalo! \m/
@@DMSProduktions ελληνικά παρακαλώ
@@valeriobrass8858 Ela!
Preferred 2 ie Fender cos it was warmer. Be interesting to hear the HB with the tone rolled off a bit
@Reese Tailer Chinese la?
Honestly thought A was the fender in each sound test. That Harley Benton is impressive! I simply preferred its sound from clean to dirt
I also thought A was the fender and I own an HB fusion pro II.
Me too!
Me too!
I was certain A was the Fender on the neck pup... Wrong. Couldn't tell on any of the others... Interesting
I've got 2 harley benton guitars. They are solid dependable guitars. My V recently fell down a set of stairs... Picked it up fearing the worst and it was absolutely fine, no chips or breaks, just out of tune.
Like I said, SOLID.
In Australia, even guitars are upside down 🙃🇦🇺
This is how you would look playing in Australia
australia doesn’t exist
The HB sounds more like a fender Tele than an actual fender tele
yes exactly
Ridiculous statement! How can a Fender Telecaster not sound more like a Fender Telecaster than another brand? LOL My vote goes to the Fender Telecaster. I could tell the difference.
I honestly thought the fender was A because it had that signature low end honky tonk sound. All the more reason to get a Harley
The HB sounds good but lacks the clarity of the Fender. When you crank that HB up and put the dirt to it, it sounds good but a little muddy compared to the Fender. Great guitar for the money for sure. Put some more expensive pickups and a nice aftermarket harness in that HB and it will probably sound just as clear and good as that Fender for a lot less money.
It really doesn’t.
I was *certain* A was the Fender. It sounded so obviously better. Was genuinely startled to discover it was the HB. Amazing!
I Dont belive this guy ..a whos 100% fender
@@Icisex I have the HB TE-52 - it's amazing. The neck feels incredible. Plays great. Pickups sound great. I have a Fender MIM strat that cost 6x more and I prefer everything about the Harley Benton.
@@Icisex LOL trying to justify all the money you wasted eh?
Genuinely surprised. I had A as the better guitar in my head, and B as the cheaper one with slightly muddy, less defined pickups. Wow, Fender needs to step up their game...or drop their price by a factor of ~10.
They don't have to "step up there game"...they have the name
Lesson of the day: Just buy a good amp
@Rocknrolladube That's true, but if you have a budget of let's say 1200€ and you buy a 400€ guitar and a 800€ amp, It's gonna sound better than a 1000€ guitar and a 200€ amp. But honestly, these days you can get a very good guitar for 400€ so...
HB play and feel GREAT!
Every good amp can sound good a crap guitar, It doesn't matter if it's a tube amp or a simamp
Just buy fingers..
The amp is the 70%
I guessed that B was the Fender. I own a Harley Benton and absolutely love it, but A sounded a bit more muddy, and B had more "sparkle". I preferred the Fender, but the HB still rocks
Blown away. I was thinking "A sounds incredible, B sounds like it's trying to be A."
I don't need more guitars but at $200 who's gonna stop me? That HB sounds magnificent.
same thought here. A had a more organic sound and was more pleasing to my ears then B :D
Horrible sound of cheap single coils :D
@@testtube1195 you must be very deaf..
@@skymarbles7953 No, but you must be very stupid.
I agree! A sounded much more alive and dynamic to me. B has a little more warmth, but in this case it just made it more dull than A. Wow!
Damn, I was convinced benton was B. It seriously rocks. I was thinking bout squire classic vibe, but now i might buy a benton. Cheerio!
so what did you buy
Great that you did such an honest back to back comparison, Shane, including a player's experience! Always appreciate that. I was convinced to hear better dynamics in A, which made me think it's a Fender. So HB for me, incredible value indeed.
I found that B had a more defined tone, while A had more mids. So with these setting I preferred B all along. But I thought that A has nice dynamic, rich tone as well. I only would adjust the middle tone control on the amp a little bit.
So wow, this HB really shines!
You make both sound great, and once again you prove that great tone comes from practice and being a good guitarist.
I'm astounded that I prefered "A", the HB over the tone of the Fender. I thought the Fender was thick sounding. I liked the spank of the HB. Learn something new every day. 😀
I think if a lot of people were honest, they prefer the more expensive name on the headstock! Me, I don't give a rats ass what's on the headstock as long as it plays well and sounds good!👍😎🎸🎶
I don't gig, and I'm too old and lazy to be starting something. I understand that some club owners might not take you seriously because of name brand bias, but that simply does not apply to me. So, I'm totally with you there.
@@grilledspaghetti club owners don't even know what a headstock is 😂
Totally agree!
Ya you do.
Well said
Both companies f'd up ... the cutaway is on the wrong side of the neck
Heyyyoooo
Dude hahaha
U dumb it's because of the video bro
@@estriquininacomdoce Obviously ... how'd I miss it
@@Usul75 ya think?
I did something similar with thr TE52 and my fender noir redline tele. You really cant tell much difference recorded. Playability is obviously a bit different, but the te52 is an awesome instrument. Great video as always!
Outstanding tone from both!! I prefer A but honestly B’s tone is just as superb that I’d say it’s a matter of personal preference. A was a little cleaner but B had a great punching clarity too - your great playing isn’t lost on either.
I didn't guess which was which, just went on A being the better sounding to my ears. Impressed!
To be honest, I could tell that they were two different guitars. But, they were very, very similar. More important, I couldn't say which one was better. So the Fender definitely wasn't 10 times better.
Both sound amazing. To me the HB sounds better on it's own but the fender will do better in a mix as it seems to have more mid range which helps in such situations.
these are so close, I honestly would not care which I had. My guess is A = Fender.
(edit) Just saw the end...gimme the H.B please. 🐰👍
I thought so too! A was a bit clearer! F/A in it!
I actually prefered the Hb soundwise of course i don't know how the neck feels but hey I've got 10 Harley's and they all have great necks so I'll probably get the newHarley Benton Fusion-T HH HT Roasted to add a Tele to my collection🎸😜 -it's just x+1 I guess(still have to talk to the Chef😇)
@@oklive4021 WHAT is he cooking?
I only heard an appreciable difference under drive/delay and actually found the HB cleaner. Really impressed with the true classic Fender Tele tone from both. Thanks for posting!
Thanks Shane. You last comments ring so true (regarding when you add gain to the tone, all guitars start to sound very similar). Too many You Tube videos DO NOT play the guitars on clean. To me that is where you get an idea how the pickups really sound.. Thanks again for what you do. Wishing you continued success. Cheers
I liked both of them .Especially when played by the left handed down under tonemaster guitarist😎
The Benton sounded better. I thought A was the fender as well. The fender sounded a bit thinner and the benton seemed to have a better finger response than guitar B so I assumed it had to be the cheaper neck - you know when the frets arn't quite right and somethings wrong.
Perfect timing for this video for me, just bought and received my TE-52 2 days ago. Normally play my 1993 Gibson Les Paul Standard through my Kemper but a band I'm in required some tele tones in my opinion so decided to go for the HB. Found it lacklustre at first but after a quick set up I took it into band practice last night and the band were genuinely blown away with how good it sounded and cut through the mix (bass player even joked that he was constantly getting distracted with how good it sounded he kept missing his cues!)
Can't believe how good this guitar is, think I'll add a b-bender of some sort which will funnily enough, cost more than the guitar itself!
I purchased a 52 HB and can not be happier with my purchase, this thing rocks and beats my MIM fender tele all to pieces!!! Great Video! keep them coming.
I actually guessed it correctly from the first lick. Guitar B always sounded slightly warmer and less shrill with more complex overtones. Having said that, that cheap guitar sounded amazingly good for the money. Very interesting.
stop calling inexpensive guitars "cheap"!!!
A sounded cleaner, a more pure tone for manipulating with effects (as is standard in today's world) as well as amp sims. I would take A any day of the week, every week of the year. B sounds like a cheaper product that tried to compensate with a tarnished name brand that no longer maintains the innovative spirit or quality control it once had
My TE-52 weighs 10 pounds! I love playing it but, damn, it's heavy. I had to shield its innards because it was unuseably noisy and I put in a Fender switch and CTS pots while I was in there.
I knew A was the Harley Benton because on the riff where you added the delay you had a bit of a smirk/smile on your face that looked surprised some. It was a dead give away that you were pleased that the cheap guitar sounded so nice.
Great vid-again. You just sold me on the HB. Your abilities has a lot to do with it as well. I've heard great players make anything sing. But that Harley sounds wonderful.
I picked "B" but they are very close in tone. Great playing Shane. Blues On.... 💙
I liked tone of B more. It was more tele. A sounded way more modern and more rock. It was a tone machine. But B was what I want my tele to sound like. It was thinner and shiny and twangy.
Great video man. I have a LP style Harley Benton and the thing is incredible to play and sounds so good!
HOLY COW, completely floored that A was the Harley. Sounds so clear and defined!
They both sounded really similar. But I liked how A sounded just a little bit better. I was ready for A to be the Fender and was ready to be shocked at how close the Harley Benton was. Well I’m even more shocked that the Harley Benton sounded slightly better to me.
Quick early comment... this is going to be very interesting! Back to the show -
Back from the show - got it right, but there's obviously a larger point here. Either guitar is clearly gig-able, which makes the HB an incredible value.
I really liked the HB! Thanks Shane. Great playing! 🎶🎸👍🎶
I'm glad to see Harley Benton getting some love. I have a TE30 and it's fantastic. I put Alnico pickups in it (you should check out Fleor pickups- seriously), new tuners, and an orange drop capacitor, and damn it's just phenomenal. The stock pickups sound great on their own, but these are tremendous value and great modding platforms. Indio has some good guitars for modding, but HB overall is top of the charts for me.
Listening through headphones on my iPhone, guitar B sounds like it has a little more articulation. If I listen back using the iPhone speaker they both sound similar.
I need to hurry up ordering a HB before they raise the price like JOYO did when everyone will realize that HB is better than a lot of brand... I really thought A was the Fender.
Good vid. Just got my HB 52 from Thomann. Apart from a very small adjustment of the truss rod it plays fantastic out of the box. Really outstanding for the money!!!!
Most of the time I preferred A, but there was one time (the last riff) I liked B more. I've got a Harley Benton Tele-style guitar (different model) and love it.
When it comes to Blues I enjoy the Harley Benton much more, a bit of natural dirt to the signal. Although I’d want to play twangy country music on the Fender. The lead tone comparison really shows how clean of a sound signal the Fender puts out. crisp clean highs with the Fender as where the HB treads into muddy. The Harley Benton really has a lovely tone to it though, like an old recording.
Have the HB52 cant get the tele twang on it. Otherwise tone ok.
This proves that while teles, strats, les pauls ect, have a distinctive sound, there is no such thing as the distinctive sound of an expensive guitar.
Nice reviewe, like always. And yes, they sound almost on par. I got it wrong!! :)
One question: what about playability, tuners and overall quality control of the HB? Good fretwork etc? And will every HB TE52 the same quality?
BTW, one can ask the same questions about the Fender of course... ;)
I liked both of them and didn't know which was which. Good test and good video.
I honestly thought “A” was the Fender...wow. Would love, though, if HB would copy the butterscotch color of the Fender. I’m kind of originally a Fender guy and I really did prefer the HB.
More clarity on the clean tones and more of the Fender twang on the Tele, but man that TE52 sounds pretty damn good. If you put the Tele pups in the TE52 it would sound the same almost I suppose. Great comparison Shane!
So Ishould put the Fender pups into the HB? No Thanks!
I recently bought on a whim an HB "similar to" a Gibby LPjunior. It is great and came out of the box (in the UK from Germany) tuned and nicely set up. Only negative is that the tuning sometimes drifts after heavy playing, seems like the tuning pegs are not great because the strings are fine.
I agree that the name on the headstock does matter to a lot of people (who seem to have lots of money!) but for £177 including shipping why would anyone pay around £700 more for the name at the top!
I was completely wrong. Wow the low mids in HB fooled me big time. The clarity was there for both so... yep! THNX for this beautiful video
Yip, you had me. The HB had an overall warmer tone that I would associate with a played in, high end guitar. Plus, single notes seemed to have more definition/clarity with the HB. Surprising outcome and a winner for guys on a tight budget (like myself). Thank you.
1:05 A clean neck PU
1:24 B clean neck PU
1:48 A dirty neck PU
2:02 B dirty neck PU
2:21 A clean bridge PU
2:32 B clean bridge PU
2:52 A dirty bridge PU
3:24 B dirty bridge PU
0:00 The beginning 🤪
6:35 The end 😈
Hey man. I recognise your name, partly as I saw your latest video on Reddit's "Guitarpedalsjerk". They have thing about butterscotch teles there. 😉
Hadn't subbed to your channel yet, but I have now. Cheers.
@@fishypaw Guitarpedalsjerk? sounds mean. 😁 thanks for the sub! 👍🎸
@@landonbailey Guitarpedalsjerk is a response to some of the silliness that happens on the Guitarpedals sub. I'm not sure why they slag off butterscotch teles so much. I think it's maybe that they are associated with "dad rock" or something. They can be a little mean at times but it's done in a fairly light hearted and tongue in cheek way. Personally, I do love teles, but I prefer mine in black or red. Saying that, I am currently contemplating sanding down my red relic-ed US standard tele, mainly so I can carve comfort curves on it. Not sure how I will refinish it. If the wood looks nice, I might just seal it with some Tru Oil, to let all the beautiful "toanz" seep through. ;)
@@fishypaw ah k got ya. I find reddit pretty negative in general. I stay away now
Holy Cow! I really was drawn to the 'A' guitar during the demo. Freaking amazing TONE!!!! Love low cost guitars of today. Your playing was mad crazy good!!
Shane, thanks for a great comparison. Honestly since I possess older ears perhaps I don't hear all the subtle differences, but I have to say at first listen both guitars sounded wonderful. For me the clean tone is the real test and worth of an instrument. I have never been a snob about guitars if I like the feel and tone I don't look at the name on the headstock or price.This was a real eye opener. Harley Benton is producing some serious guitars. I bought one of their little acoustics last year and I am really enjoying playing it.
Interesting, I found B to be my favorite, and that never changed. But then, with the price difference, it would be down to how the guitars feel when you play them. Great vid!
I really liked B better. Just a better warmth and detail in the single pu's.
Watched so many of these blind shootout videos. Watching this and expecting little difference, I was first surprised at how much difference in sound there was and how much better I thought A was. Shocked to find out the Harley Benton sounds this damn good
Fantastic post. I just bought an HB guitar not a Tele type, I went for a Gold Top LP type with P90s. I honestly couldn't really tell either guitar apart, makes me glad I got a Harley. The guys at Thomann should buy you a beer or two after this .
Both sound good not over $1800 in difference. HB is now $162 shipped to the US.
GRAB it Duke!
@@DMSProduktions plan on it!!
@@deke441 Mosy on then thar pardner!
A : Fender
B : HB
EDIT : WHAAAAAAAT!!! Wow, I'm blown away... I'm totally pulling the trigger on the HB!
Also I expected A was the BETTER Fender
I have a Harley Benton Tele. First tele I have owned in 40 years of owning electric guitars and I really like it; great guitar. I have swapped out the Roswell humbuckers on two LP type Harley Bentons with good improvement but I have no intention of swapping the pups on the tele as they sound great already. Get a HB tele and you will be all smiles like me.
PS. Mine is the TE70 Paisley.
Yay, I got it right! Honestly though, the Benton sounds amazing, just a little more brittle, but that's it and pickups can be changed. I definitely want a TE-52. Nice one Shane. I love you to review the sparkly silver Fusion Pro they do.
I knew A was the HB as soon as he strummed the strings and I heard mud from the pickup.
B was cleaner. No doubt.
Got it wrong :( Thought A had the bite of a tele and B was a bit too warm for a tele.
Very impressed by the Harley Benton and had been toying with the idea of getting one last year. Ended up getting a Redwood RT2 from Dawson's music, and was absolutely blown away with it's playability. I own a Gibson les Paul standard, a Gibson Les Paul studio, and an EKO NXT parlour. I figured I had all I needed and was just missing a tele sound, and by God it's all tele. The neck is as smooth as silken skin and feels great in the hand. The frets were great with no sprouting at all, and the pickups are excellent too. I bought it for £78 and they sent me one with a scratch so I contacted Dawson's, so they sent me a replacement. They also advised me to dispose of the scratched one for them. It really was a smashing deal all round and to be fair, as a Gibson owner I know expensive, but can truly say it's a far better axe than my standard on ratio. These companies that turn out these quality guitars make it possible for everyone to own a fabulous instrument for little money. To say if you love your guitar you will be inspired to pick it up and play, so they are in a sense creating players, and that's pretty awesome.
I’m scraping dosh together in the hope of getting a MIM Player, to give me a base to judge others. I’d have gone for A, if anything, but they both sounded pretty good (edit - got it, in Capri Orange, MN, and it’s a treat! Now I’ll be able to tell if the HB is any good)
Im saying A is fender and B is HB (at 2:36) (and A was the better sound to me. Damn!! won't ruin it for others)
Lando, go back and listen for the clarity in the pickups. The Fender is just a little cleaner. Same difference in your test, only a little closer.
@@dafud77 I completely disregarded my own blind tone challenge rules. 1) never listen on a smartphone. 2) never listen on a smartphone. 🤪🎸👍
Lol, love it!
B was so obviously the Fender. Can't deny that bright tele twang, even in the neck position. is it true that a poly finish leads to a more muted tone compared to nitro?
Chaz the material of an electric guitar makes such a little impact on the sound that it would be inaudible
Josh Battershell true
Josh battershell I've been playing 22 years and I can hear differences in every guitar.
Daniel Francis and you do! Because the vast majority of the sound comes from the electronics. A lot of which has a very bad tolerance for the accuracy in the ratings of the components. You could buy two of the same set of pickups, potentiometers, and capacitors, and put them in the same body with the same strings and they will sound like completely different guitars. The only time you’re going to hear differences in wood or any material is acoustically. If you actually think your ears are sensitive enough to hear the difference electrically, then you’re fooling yourself.
@@JoshBattershell u need to watch the tele video with Ash, alder, and mahogany body. Same electronics yet each body sounds different. Just get some acoustic guitars to see the difference. Can get a maple vs mahogany body and tell a drastic difference. You are mistaken about tonal qualities of wood. Even in electric guitars.
Fooled me, until you looked up on the overdrive sample and said "That's a good tone". I've seen that waaay too often on cheap gear reviews from you. Seriously impressed.
Just finished HB tele kit, very enjoyable and I am amazed how easy to set up and sounds so twangy tele. So impressed. As good as my mex which cost 5 times as much.
I kept sitting there going "B has this weird overtone I don't like..."
WELP.
Submitting this before hearing the verdict
A: Fender
B: Harley Benton.
Wow! I thought A was Fender because I liked it better in all comparisons, ooops!
Me too.
yep!!
C:FAIL!
@@DMSProduktions Failure is not an option!
I am into the tele but actually preferred the HB.I am now confused and need some time to figure things out.Awese video and thanks so much.
I’m a new amateur and guessed right on first play but I am always surprised how good some of these lost priced guitars sound 👍 ROCK ON 🤘
I could hear it, mostly on the bassy notes, the cheap one sounds like broken wood
I thought A sounded much cleaner and less muddy, great video, might just have to pick meself up one of those Harley Bentons. Cheers.
🎉 I guess right. What gave it away for me was the bridge pick up clean.... I am thrilled to hear this comparison because I recently purchased a Harley Benton. T. E 52... Personally I love it. I was planning on modding it and I might... But there is certainly no need to. It's fine just like it is.😊
After this I think I may finally pull the trigger on one of these te-52s. Been debating since they came out. I am in Canada so they aren't quite as cheap as if I was in the states, probably be just under 300 shipped.
Great video as always🤘
I’ll admit to being a brand snob when I first started playing. These days tone is all that matters. This HB was the winner.
*Me:* B sounds better!
*My wallet:* You're wrong mate!
Harley Benton are great
Got it right! I liked the fullness of the Fender but, the spank and sparkle of the HB was smokin' too. I would gladly play both.
I have a Harley Benton TE-70 and it's amazing.. details weren't perfect on the guitar when received but once I fixed a few things.. that instrument is surprising!! Great tone, amazing feel! I have small hands and usually don't like fat necks but this one feels just perfect!
Easily heard the difference and was team B the whole way. That said, the A is still a good sounding guitar, but didn’t have quite the same tonal richness as B.
Same. thought A sounded like a Mexican fender
Absolutely. Both sound good but the fender sounds streaks ahead.
For me A sounded better the whole time...
HB wasn't holding tuning very well either. The Fender just sounded like a classic Tele and you can tell there's more oomph to it.
@@jackspicer8796 Depends on your needs. The Fender is 4 times the price.
I guessed right, and absolutely prefer the Fender. What everyone is calling clarity in the Harley Benton sounds like thin, no bass, screechy to me. The Fender was smoother, had better bottom end, the high end was rounder and fatter. The HB is everything I Hate about cheap teles. MHO.
I ask myself what's wrong with all the people here, liking the hb sound. You are totally right, it sounds like what it is, a cheap tele.
Totally agreed, the Benton is midless and empty sounding. No richness or fullness of tone.
Exactly. I'm impressed people like the benton that much, I would 100% save up
This is why I ordered the HB and it arrived yesterday when this video was posted! I also like the looks of the HB over the Fender, more grains en not yellowish. It is a bargain indeed.
I sold my Japanese Fender TL-62 last year and I often wish I hadn't but the HB TL-52 I got for Christmas fills the void quite nicely and at a 10th of the price it's crazy good!
I guessed right! To me the Fender had a lot more definition in it's sound. That being said, the Harley Benton still sounded gig worthy. What I want to know is how does one feel compared to the other.
Wow, that Harley Benton is impressive for the $. Especially liked the driven tones!
Wow! I was so sure the nicer sounding PUs just had to be the Fender but I was wrong. Astounding. How does Harley Benton do it? What you didn’t tell us, however, was how they felt to play.
Nice review! Liked guitar B in all comparisons although in the last one I found them very close. That being said, being a proud of a squier Tele custom and being very surprised how these Harley Bentons sound, I would definitely buy the Harley Benton as I am not a professional although if I had ridiculous money to spend I might consider the Fender. I am not obsessed by name on the headstock anyway... Thanks for the review
Guitar A sounded better in every example to my ears. wow
Well, I am officially shocked, I was certain 'A' was the Fender. The HB was tonally superior to my ears, by a significant margin.
Our boy intheblues can play! Nicely done! ;)
Love your playing. Nice video.. I own the harley benton but I've thrown a dimarzio and a bareknuckle in it.. Stock pick ups are really good though. I'd rather change the bridge if I had to do it again..
I've actually got the Harley Benton and even I got it wrong. Brilliant demo, it's a great guitar
B was much clearer and defined, a more hi-fi sound. So get a Harley Benton and drop in some nice pickups and brass saddles.
The bridge PU makes the difference but it' s really tight .
Good test thanx.
I think A is the HB - it just sounds a little too bright to be a "real" Fender tone. B's tone is a little more refined, though I really didn't like it as much on the high gain bridge pickup test.