Guys, Sorry I made a mistake with the Harley Benton. I did this before I did the complete demo as the cort needed to go back. The Harley has two volumes and one tone, although I would prefer it were a single volume.
Subscribed. Are there any passive substitutes for those active EMGs in the Cort? I don't know anything about active pickups and always dismissed them as being for metal players whereas I'm rooted in blues/blues rock and to some extent, jazz. Do all active pickups involve a battery? I like to use Earl Slick's affordable Guitar Fetish Kwikplug pups when I can and when they sound good enough. I love the crunch tones on that Cort and maybe I could install some split coil push/pull options in it. Would you be interested in reviewing the Xaviere LP and AIO (All In One. They also make 'Wolf' Guitars.) LP? AIO makes beautiful stuff. If I wanted to spend a lot of $ on a Gibson or Fender style guitar, I'd buy a Heritage or one of the more expensive G&Ls. Fuck Gibson and Fender.:)
Also, what do you think of Firefly LPs? Thanks. Great content. I was thinking about taking a job in London before all this Covid horseshit. I'm in Chicago.
The Cort CR300 which comes with EMG FAT 55 sounds really articulate and clear, but some people might find them too shrill. But with a little of tone pot tweaking and preamp EQ, you can get a really nice warm tone. I use them on my LP guitar.
With all the great, affordable LP style guitars from reputable companies out there, it always amazes me that someone would waste money on a Chibson. It really does come down to brand snobbery doesn't it?
Great content as always Mike. You make a very good point about the key requirement of an entry level guitar being playability. When I got my first guitar in 1977 it was so badly made that it was really hard to play and I only persevered with it because I was desperate to start a punk band and I didn't know that guitars weren't supposed to have 4mm high actions. What a revelation when I first tried a well set up guitar. When you are starting out you need to have as few hurdles as possible and a playable neck is vital; all the other parts can be changed as money allows. I bought a Harley Benton Tele for my niece and it was perfectly set up out of the box and she loved it. Since then she has upgraded the bridge saddles and pickups and she is planning to paint the body. For less than £220 she has a guitar that plays well, sounds great, she has learnt about how an electric guitar works and she has an instrument that is unique to her. Your honest and detailed reviews give people the confidence to give the HB stuff a punt. Well played!
Thanks so much you made my day to know that my videos are useful. Glad your niece got a great guitar. Let's hope she perseveres to enjoy it for the long haul. I'm sure she will with your encouragement.
I'm a bit biased towards the HB SC II as I own the 24 fret FR version in Black and gold. Absolutely love it. Plays so well and a LP shape with 24 frets is a winner for me. But I must say I'm impressed by the Cort for the active pickups.
I've got a Vintage lemon drop which is a copy of the greeny. It's a great guitar. I would recommend one to a anyone. It's not reliced like the the vitange v100 and has the pickups modded for Peter's tone, although you don't need to employ this tone if you don't want.
That's really cool brother I enjoyed playing the v100 but the only thing I didn't like about the one they sent me was the Relic job I bet it's absolutely amazing as a clean new guitar
@@Chinaguitarsceptic Yes, it looks great. It had a slight flaw in one of the inlays but the guitar needed no setting up and plays beautifully so I just think of the flaw as character. I don't think there's any weight relief. It's pretty heavy. I look forward to watching your next video. Very informative.
I picked up an HM SC-450 P90 last summer. It played OK out of the box, still haven't messed with it. At the time of ordering they had a backorder on both guitars I ordered (got a TE-52 as well), and I think both guitars got rushed through the factory. I'll elaborate on that in coming videos. Both guitars were playable by a 58 year old that started plinking strings 50 years ago. They have been great finger exercise for me until I get around to setting them up with proper string action and pickup height.
You know sometimes I enjoy playing a high action guitar as it really does strengthen the fingers. I really miss giggling and when I play for extended periods now I find that my hand gets cramped
The Cort sounds nice all around. The HB sounds slightly off on clean.. really like the coil split though. Whatever those chibson pickups are are nice enough. Cort wins it though. HB sounds like she has intonation issues. The Roswell sounded a bit thin, which is weird as I reckon those on my 550 sound beefier. You did a good job on the counterfeit. Don't know how hellish she is to play but she sings Ok. Cort wins it Edit:typed as I listened..see you addressed all this already. Great video clip😍😍
I like the look & sound of the Cort best, which is kind of odd because I normally don’t like uncovered pickups. I guess I’m not that surprised since they build a ton of the industry’s guitars--I expect them to make a good guitar. The HB I’m intrigued by because it’s cost is out of this world and I’m contemplating getting one of the SG customs (you know, the cream w/3 PU’s). Even after shipping & what not, as long as it shows up without damages and playable it’d be a steal (plus I refuse to give money to Gibby for new guitars and that version is only available as custom shop or vintage, neither of which I’d pay). Great video per usual, you’re the best.
I’ve never had an luck with chibsons. The local jam we had a few guys had them. To me they always felt off. I would dig in and there wouldn’t be anything else. Have you ever tried by “vintage” guitars? Are they anything like HB?
I own a black Vintage V100 lp and love it!! Paid $275 and was like new 1 year old that lived in a church and only played a couple times a week. Found it on fb marketplace.
@@maxcarr6266 hey thanks man! CGC has some of the best people in the guitar community. I watched the CGC video on them, I’m super impressed by them. How do they feel compared to a Benton? I only ask because I have played and bought a Benton (special les Paul). I’ve seen them around in Boston recently.
@DARTH SENSEI I haven't had the chance to play or even see a HB here in BIG Tulsa, Oklahoma. I'm not sure if they have made it this far inland..lol Honestly Idk. From my research seems like people are leaning towards the Vintage brand. Two boutique stores carry them in their line here if that helps any.
I had a Cort M600 (PRS style) and it played great. The pickups were just too muddy. I should have kept it and just swapped them out, but this was before I got into doing my own maintenance. If it would have had these pickups, I never would have sold it.
Great video Mike... The HB is indeed a very nice looking Les Paul Style guitar... I am often curious about how the factories or run and how the employees are treated where they make produced products for Harley Benton, Fender and Cort, or whoever else. I believe there should be some changes made in the way first World countries take advantage of third world countries super cheap labor and look ack of environmental laws... honestly believe there should be global workplace rules put in place by some governing body of some sort like the WTO, who, and environmental protections as well... the playing field should be leveled out and I think that would make for a better world, but I know this will take quite some time! Kudos to you for being on the forefront this issue and bringing it to us with a sense of responsibility as well as honest, experience information! 😎🎸🤘🐦🎹
Thanks my friend. I agree entirely that we need to think global and act local. Time to stop the environmental damage and worldwide slavery. We can all make a small difference.
I thought Chibson sounded a bit muddy on the crunch setting using the neck pickup, Otherwise it sounded better than all other settings,, to my ears anyway
Another great, very helpful video, Mike! Thank you for taking the time to help people! Also, I love the way you do your demo's. Rapid fire short licks so you can hear the difference between. I don't care for the demo's that involve long solos between comparisons. Well done.
Thanks very much and I'm so glad that you you appreciated the short clips. I watch demo videos myself and it always frustrates me when you can't immediately hear the difference between the guitars. Isn't that the whole point of a comparison? lol
Cool comparison! TBH, I sometimes think the best chibson killer is an actual Gibson! Okay not a new Standard, but a used Studio or Tribute could be had for reasonable money, sure it'll still be in the £600 region, but it'll retain so much resale value that you'll probably get back every penny if you ever sell!
@@Chinaguitarsceptic no complaints from me, I love the feeling of getting a bargain that punches above its weight! TBH my most expensive guitar was only £200!
(From Belgium) Hello, I just discovered your videos for the first time: great job, hats off! You might also consider comparing the Harley Benton SC 550 II (= 2), which is even more convincing due to...STAINLESS STEEL FRETS and Tesla pickups (no Roswells on that one)!!! A SUPERLATIVE as far as frets are concerned. A dream really. This sells for a ridiculous price: 235£/279€. The web is full of positive appreciations and many testers kept or bought this guitar immediately (John Robson, e.g. ). I ordered one immediately, convinced that it is the bargain of the year. Finally, as a francophone deeply in love with American English, I must say I enjoy your British English A LOT. What a pleasure! If you’re not a teacher, you should consider becoming one ;-) Keep up this brilliant work. By the way, you might think of indicating the radius of the fretboards.
Thanks for the great feedback I'll take your suggestion off the sc550 ii if Thomann will send me one. Actually I think I know someone I can get one from once I'm out of quarantine.
I would like to give you my experience of Chibson guitars , l have found the guitars great. One guitar is a copy of a Martin and the head breakers off just like the USA martins. After repair the chibson martin is my every day guitar to play . I have a les Paul chibson and only intonation on one string was a minor issue. Stays in tune and plays beautifully, for the record l have played guitars for over 50 years and found most USA made guitars inferior to the craftsmanship in China. My USA Fender 1978 is the only exception indeed a great guitar.
A point against the Chibson I didn’t hear you make is regarding expected consistency. The HB, and Cort will have similar tones if a viewer buys one while the Chibson is more likely to have different tone between several guitars.
Loved the HB SC, was very heavy mind lol. Sounded and played great, however I found that the wiring was odd. You couldn't turn the neck volume off and have the bridge on and no sound come from the neck, always had some bleed. Fab video mate.
We used to sell Cort at a music shop i worked at in the mid 2000s. What is the neck thickness on the Corts like? Always thought they were super under rated. Nice video mate! Found out about you through Leigh Fuge's 32 Gear Street videos. Keep up the great work!!
For the money the Harley would be my choice . But I am probably biased as I have a sc450 lemon drop which i love.The Cort was also nice . Are these made in the same factory ?
Another great video Mike. I think that the thing that people will probably be most surprised at is the price of the “Chibson”. I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and to spend their money how they seem fit but come on guys, that guitar is a rip-off in every single way, and it isn’t even able to be tuned properly. As you say the only thing that is a positive is the name on the headstock. Surely though it would be worth either doing without the name or saving up for a used lower end version of the real thing. A friend of mine purchased a Harley Benton “Les Paul” (forgotten which one exactly off the top of my head) based upon your recommendation of the brand and it is amazing value for money. Forgetting the price for a minute - it is just a really good musical instrument. Take care and stay safe.
Watched a bunch of videos and comparisons and was leaning towards ordering a Wolf. At the end, bought a used Gibson Studio in red wine like new condition for $750. You get the real deal, albeit not as pretty as a flamed HB or Wolf. Proper headstock, proper pickups with coil split, weight relief, Gibson HSC, etc. the difference in price is about one Starbucks for three months. And if I wanted I could sell it tomorrow for what I paid for it. I see no reason to buy a copy. As a side note, if first impression is important, the first impression you give showing up with a brown hard case with golden Gibson written on it is of someone who takes his craft seriously. That’s before you played a single note.
@@Chinaguitarsceptic the modern day vintage are not so good anymore , they have shifted there production to another country in asia and since then i here a lot off complaints about the vintage brand guitars , the same goes for the squire ( classic vibe ) guitars , fender has moved the production from china to indonesia and since then the gutiars have more qc issue's and sound also less , the new fender vintage like alnico pick ups sound less then the tonerider pick ups they used to use in the classic vibe range . My guess is there both being made by cor-tek in indonesia now where also the prs- se and G&L and offcourse Cort are made , but i'm not 100 % sure about this . There are so many guitarfactories in asia , it's hard to keep track wich one makes good guitars or not .
Great video. For many of us we just need a good playing guitar for a fair price. Would you consider doing a budget acoustic comparison? Harley Benton has the cold-41, xaivier has some nice ones too, I’m sure there are others, thanks
@@Chinaguitarsceptic Yeah, Epiphone distro wasn't interested in a faulty instrument! But I can't bond with the neck, it's too wide for my hands @ the body end & the shoulders too deep to grip properly! Will get a custom built copy routed from a solid body instead of a laminated top/back!
The chibby is my least favorite distorted. My favorite is by far the Cort. Just give that punch that really hits nicely. Benton is a really close second. The HB II is the nicest finish wise, definitely agree.
The Cort is doing quite well but I prefer the Harley Benton SCII! But for the moment I like my Harley Benton SC I and I don't really like the Gibson brand!
Thank you Mike for your balanced evaluation. I understand that manufacturers want to avoid the threat of a Gibson lawsuit by altering the original specs and features. But I personally still want to keep as close as possible to the original. In these days I have a bit more beefy budget, so I would rather choose a Tokai, Burny or Fernandes over a Gibson. Not cheap, but high quality build. Mind you, both Steve Hackett and Robert Fripp dropped their affection with Gibson for a Fernandes!
@@Chinaguitarsceptic I'm not there yet Mike, I am still in the Harley Benton/Vintage regions. Just today I was pondering over buying a Burny. One shop in my country has a clearance sale of the Burny single cut models for €599,-
I've got a LP style guitar by tradition. Some slight difference as per there agreement with Gibson, but I like it as well as any Epiphone and some gibson
Right, so I bought a Mooer preamp live for 340 quid brand new. After 16 months of light use it stopped working, I contacted the supplier and they said it was out of Warranty. I argued that if you pay more than 200 quid for something it is reasonable to expect that it will last more than a year. No joy..so after contacting their legal department, as their sales team were giving me grief and saying " yeah we don't offer more than a year warranty on Mooer stuff"(even though this item wasn't cheap at all and you can pay upwards of 600 quid for Mooer stuff). They reluctantly accepted it back and sent it back to Mooer. I haven't heard a dickie bird in two months. This is Mooer, a massive chinese company.
Had a good laugh when you stated that Harley Benton was perfectly set up! Maybe they knew it was going to you, but to the general public without a youtube channel HB's are horrible!
That's not my experience either and all of the Harley benton's I've bought before they knew me me were equally good out of the box. What's more the the HB custom 2 came with a scratchy middle pot and and frets that needed a good polish. Not the way that they would send it out to a RUclipsr as a special. My honest opinion is they set them all up the same.
I’ve bought 11 Harley Benton guitars over the years & I have to admit some slight quality control issues but fantastic guitars for the money and never had any major issues with them
It was one of the hardest guitars to send back in recent times but I am seriously running out of space. I may have to start selling off some guitars soon.
@@Chinaguitarsceptic I did a whole live stream about that exact subject, what was the one guitar that got away. I had a 75 ibanez Les Paul custom same color as that Cort, traded for a Kramer Batetta, traded for a Kramer Knightswan which I still have. Would love to have both of those back! On a high note, the Knightswan goes for minimum twice what I paid for it in the 80s maybe more.😁
yep yep! I've seen Chibsons too with the frets in the wrong place compared to the string scale length, impossible to ever make them play right unless you can move the frets lol vug dat noise! :D
Yes it's a very common issue with the chips and that they don't have the correct scale length for the bridge placement. In fact many don't have any scale and Fritz go in and out of tonality as you go up and down the neck. Nightmare even for an amazing luthier like you!
The Cort is simply great with a balanced and nuanced sound ... the H.B. Maybe for my work it is a little more versatile to be able to choose single and humbucking ..... I prefer not to talk about counterfeiting .... excellent video, as always ... greetings
Personally, I liked the Cort the best. The versatility of the HB with the coil splits was nice, but I think the Cort just sounded better and appeared to play in-tune better than the other 2. The Chibson just sounded out of tune any time you were playing more than one string at a time. The pickups were also very muddy sounding. Your playing was good, the Chibson just let you down. Great video as usual. God bless and rock on.
Not only are these Chibson alternatives - they're also GIBSON alternatives! I've matched my SX, Harley Benton, Epiphone, and even Monoprice/Indio Les Pauls up against Gibsons that are exponentially more expensive - and they held their own perfectly! Once fully set-up, upgraded (if needed), and any issues fixed (if needed), all the 'Chibson Killers' I personally on are as great (in every way) as ANY Gibson I've ever laid my hands on. (And for the people who want to label me a Gibson 'hater', I own a 1967 Gibson LG-0 acoustic which only my demise will part me from!)
@@Chinaguitarsceptic You'd be in the same doghouse with Gibson fanboys as I am! Haha! No matter how many times I tell them I started playing guitar because of Gibson Les Pauls, they're hearing none of it! Ridiculous! 😆😆
Good review!! For the first guitar I would not recomend the Harley Benton due to my experience. For my first guitar I bought a Epiphone Les Paul Custom Plus Top Pro 2019 that came perfect set up. A Mounth later I order a HB SC Custom because of the good reviews. The guitar arrive, looks stunning, most beautifull I see, but and the action was veeery hight. Because of my inexperience I did not return the guitar to Thomann. But after a feew weeks I realice the playabilyty was much worse the the EPI. I have to pay 80 euros to set up. If you are totally inexperience by a Epi, a Cort, ESP in a local store, not a HB if you don't have someone to check the guitar for you. The other thing I don't like if the HB was the Roswell pickups. They sound horrible to me, but thats a personal preference. I change to a Seymour Duncan and now its sounds WoW. The pickups of the EPI are better. I have a vídeo of the SC Custom with the Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded The pros of the HB is the price and the looking, the finish was perfect in the HB and its not heavy and YES its a Chipson killer. Don't by a Chipson.
You really should try and get your hands on an Artist LP59, best Les Paul copy I’ve ever come across and modesty priced at around £200 delivered! Personally I’ve found it comparable to the 2 Gibson Les Pauls I’ve owned! Artist Guitars are an Australian company with guitars available on their UK website! It comes standard with bone nut, locking tuners, fret nibs, roller bridge, lockdown tail piece, maple cap with flamed veneer top and coil splits! The pickups are their own Bullbuckers which are based on the Seymour Duncan Jazz/JB set and sound incredible! A truly amazing guitar at not only the price but at ANY price! The only down side is they get snapped up by those in the know as soon as they come into stock, so you can have a wait trying to get hold of one! Took me about 18 months but boy was it worth it! Check them out! PS The headstock is the “right” shape so if want to file a “V” into it to make it an “open book” style and then touch up with translucent red nail varnish it’s easily done!
@@Chinaguitarsceptic According to their UK website artistguitars.co.uk they have a Gold Top version with P90’s coming out at the end of the year! Another RUclipsr “Intheblues” has reviewed the LP59 and rates it similar to his Japanese Tokai Les Paul! You should check his review out!
The best legal alternative? A S/H Gibson Les Paul Studio or an Epiphone LP if you can't find one, really if you are serious about playing guitar you owe it to yourself to get a decent guitar. Don't just buy something you will regret in the coming months! I got a Chibson seven years ago and it had a load of problems, even with a new bridge, pickups, pots and a pro fret level its not a patch on a Gibson #playauthentic
Dont touch the chibson. I have two Harley Benton a 450 b stock and a active pickup one. Both brilliant. Clean tones i thought chibson wow. Other tones Cort brilliant. HB just as good. Lower tones in barre chords on HB absolutely beautiful. Great video 👍
@@Chinaguitarsceptic Thank you. I have a shecter hellraiser with active pups. Bit of a small neck for me chubby fingers. The hb is just as good. Great work my friend. 👍👍
Just get a LTD EC-256, best budget LP type guitar ever. Damn. Just swap the PuPs if they are too dark for your liking (and they ARE dark) and trash the crappy 3 way switch. Another alternative is the Mitchell MS400 which is one of the best FEELING guitars I have ever touched. It's well built and is even VISUALLY very nice. Doesn't sound bad either, I've not changed a thing on mine. PRS SE Santana Standard is very nice with fantastic PuPs, not as fancy like the rest of the line but GREAT guitars ( I did block the trem on mine). If you can FIND one used, the Korean built Hamer Sunburst Flat Tops are VERY nice guitars. Non Gibson types? Mexican Strats all the way. Period. Don't listen to people putting them down. Great necks and great guitars. Do they need some personal tweaking?, YES, but still damn good shit.
Hello and good afternoon. My name is Humberto, I'm from Brazil, I've been watching your RUclips channel for a long time and I really like it! I am interested in a “CHIBSON”. Is this Chibson from the video yours? Would you like to sell? Where do I get an equal? I want one totally like this! Thanks for listening.
Re the sounds, I thought the HB sounded the nicest, then the Chibson, then the Cort, I thought sounded rather rude! (I could HEAR the hot pick ups!) The higher up in gain you went the lest distinction there was. Crunch was still won by the HB, but when you got to lead levels of distortion, there was but a bees dick between the lot of them!
@@Chinaguitarsceptic They are passives, EMG make both, the EMG HZ are a hot, CERAMIC hum bucker, used in a lot of budget-mid priced guitars. I used to sell guitars with them fitted as stock. (OEM pick up!)
I like the Cort best and feel it is the better built. It should be as they build a lot of guitars for major brands. I want to add one to my collection. I have 5 HB guitars so it is part of my current guitar buying as well as Fender and Epiphone. That said my go to is my Les Paul but it's 40 years old! My rambling is simple. There are so many inexpensive wonderful guitars. I don't understand wanting a name on the headstock so bad you would sell yourself a lie and be content about it. SMDH......
All of them where nice. Gibson and Fender USA are great guitars (top of the line) but the craftsmanship of other guitar manufacturers have done a fabulous job of producing similar guitars. With modern amplification and affects pedals as well as an individual players abilities, it’s really a win win situation all the way around. You know, Jimmy Page had to modify the neck on his Les Paul to fit his comfort and playability and Im sure others have done modifications as well. I presuppose that if you have the money to buy the top if the line guitars then by all means, do so. Meanwhile I’ll just go with the Chevrolets and the Fords if you get my drift. Cheers! Almost forgot to ask; what do you think would happen to the sale volume of Epiphone if they used the same exact headstock as Gibson. Yep, you bet! Cheers!
Soundwise the Cort sounded best but the nicest looking is the HB. But i dont really like that name Harley Benton like a motorcycle brand. I think this is sad when they do make cheaper good guitars end then they put that horrible brand name on it. What kind of brand strategy was that? I think i know/understand that reason of a sale strategy but dont write it here. But everyone can have their own opinion on this but it dont work for me so i would rather go for a better looking Cort but i think i pass on all of these and go for a cheaper ESP Ltd with a nice top and just change pickups in that guitar. Yes sure LTD is not the nicest either on the headstock but still better. But im sad that i just cant handle the HB loga on the headstock maybe if they put it on the back but i dont know.
I think we jokingly said that I should do a video of five reasons why Chibsons are better, but I honestly couldn't take the risk that some people would take it seriously
Its not so much about where they come from its quality control that makes the biggest difference. They are all made in similar places and all do the same thing. Pretty much copy other manufacturers models .
The Chibson had the nice LP tight midrange, unfortunately it was set up by idiots. The HB sunburst would be second but it had the 60 cycle hum(coil split?). The lemon HB would make nice fire wood.
Ok cgs,,. This is getting crazy, I love your channel and many more, but here you stated that any one telling you that every chi son they buy will be a good player is leading us astray,,. All right then,, you know no one has ever said each and every guitars great,, as a matter of fact I've heard what they all say, and that it's hit and miss, you never know if yours is the good or bad one until you review it,, and from what I have seen is unless you personally try it out, they are all so called hit and miss,, hey I get it, that a child or older person getting their first guitar opens the box on a dud, that's a tragedy, and oh by the way my name is Chuck lee, I'm just on my wife's phone right now,, but I have saved $450,00 US dollars, and I'm looking right now to pull the trigger on a guitar but I certainly want to get as good a deal as I can,, and I figured I would spend around 200 on an amplifier,, but in the used department there's a lot of options, but any suggestions I'll listen,, it's overwhelming at the number of Budget guitars, but I learned a lot about setup, fret leveling, so I have some experience, sorry this is so long but I love, love, love, les paul's, the look, feel, sound, to me perfect tone, and yes if it was a good player and sturdy sound guitar I'd buy a copy with the real logo on it , I see nothing wrong with it, as long as all it is is for you yourself,, I was looking at wolf wlp 750 they look amazing and sound great,, but I'm not sure,,,. HELP,,😵
Hey brother you are absolutely right about hit and miss. The biggest worry is getting one where the frets are all over the place as that would mean a fretboard replacement. Other than that most things, even moving the bridge are able to be fixed. However when you spend that sort of money on a guitar you don't expect to have to fill and drill to move a bridge. For 450 there are some incredible things out there. Personally I would look very closely at the Epiphone range, they are very close to Gibson in terms of spec. In fact I have played a few that blow many Gibson's I've played out of the water. As always buying anything online is a risk and you want a way to exchange or return a guitar if it's not right. Wolf make some lovely looking guitars that sound and play well in told, Sadly in the UK we don't get them. If you can I would go to a store, preferably mom and pop where your business will be valued highly, and try a few guitars out. Sit play and get to know the guitars a bit and how they feel to you too play, it really is the best way. Anyhow I hope this helps you my friend.
@@Chinaguitarsceptic helps a lot thank you, I was already swaying that way, but you know how we are always looking for that diamond, or the pearl amongst all the oysters, but you're right as much as I love les paul's instruments it would be ignorant somewhat not to check out epiphone, I've owned 2 a lp jr. And a sg,. And honestly I loved both guitars, there was nothing I couldnt play and make it sound awesome, each had it's own spot but to me it filled single coil tones, P90 tones, and obviously humbucker, but yes with the new more traditional headstock that's where I'm going, I don't mind used, but I would prefer new, so here I go again,, ok, ok, I'm going heading that way now local guitar shops here I come, keep doing what you do, love it,
@@Chinaguitarsceptic It helped a bit, I heard some difference. Discounting the coil-tapped sounds of the Harley Benton -- I don't hear major differences. The Cort is slightly preferable but if I had the Harley Benton I wouldn't be up at night worried that I didn't get the Cort. Maybe my ears are broke :)
if you want a Gibson its pretty simple. you buy one. you save up like i did and buy one. seeing a fake ass Gibson logo on a headstock infuriates people like me who worked hard and saved their money to afford one.
Guys, Sorry I made a mistake with the Harley Benton. I did this before I did the complete demo as the cort needed to go back. The Harley has two volumes and one tone, although I would prefer it were a single volume.
Subscribed. Are there any passive substitutes for those active EMGs in the Cort? I don't know anything about active pickups and always dismissed them as being for metal players whereas I'm rooted in blues/blues rock and to some extent, jazz. Do all active pickups involve a battery? I like to use Earl Slick's affordable Guitar Fetish Kwikplug pups when I can and when they sound good enough. I love the crunch tones on that Cort and maybe I could install some split coil push/pull options in it. Would you be interested in reviewing the Xaviere LP and AIO (All In One. They also make 'Wolf' Guitars.) LP? AIO makes beautiful stuff. If I wanted to spend a lot of $ on a Gibson or Fender style guitar, I'd buy a Heritage or one of the more expensive G&Ls. Fuck Gibson and Fender.:)
Also, what do you think of Firefly LPs? Thanks. Great content. I was thinking about taking a job in London before all this Covid horseshit. I'm in Chicago.
@@patrickbuster3475 they look great but I haven't had chance to play one. I hope you still cone to London once this pandemic is through.
Cort has been making quality instruments for lots of other brands for a long time. It sounds the best to me.
Cort is the best guitar for projects if you want to change them to even better guitars the come out fantastic
The Cort CR300 which comes with EMG FAT 55 sounds really articulate and clear, but some people might find them too shrill. But with a little of tone pot tweaking and preamp EQ, you can get a really nice warm tone. I use them on my LP guitar.
Great advice my friend 👍
With all the great, affordable LP style guitars from reputable companies out there, it always amazes me that someone would waste money on a Chibson. It really does come down to brand snobbery doesn't it?
I couldn't have said it better mate.
Great content as always Mike. You make a very good point about the key requirement of an entry level guitar being playability. When I got my first guitar in 1977 it was so badly made that it was really hard to play and I only persevered with it because I was desperate to start a punk band and I didn't know that guitars weren't supposed to have 4mm high actions. What a revelation when I first tried a well set up guitar. When you are starting out you need to have as few hurdles as possible and a playable neck is vital; all the other parts can be changed as money allows. I bought a Harley Benton Tele for my niece and it was perfectly set up out of the box and she loved it. Since then she has upgraded the bridge saddles and pickups and she is planning to paint the body. For less than £220 she has a guitar that plays well, sounds great, she has learnt about how an electric guitar works and she has an instrument that is unique to her. Your honest and detailed reviews give people the confidence to give the HB stuff a punt. Well played!
Thanks so much you made my day to know that my videos are useful. Glad your niece got a great guitar. Let's hope she perseveres to enjoy it for the long haul. I'm sure she will with your encouragement.
I'm a bit biased towards the HB SC II as I own the 24 fret FR version in Black and gold. Absolutely love it. Plays so well and a LP shape with 24 frets is a winner for me. But I must say I'm impressed by the Cort for the active pickups.
Both great guitars. Yours sounds awesome
I've got a Vintage lemon drop which is a copy of the greeny. It's a great guitar. I would recommend one to a anyone.
It's not reliced like the the vitange v100 and has the pickups modded for Peter's tone, although you don't need to employ this tone if you don't want.
That's really cool brother I enjoyed playing the v100 but the only thing I didn't like about the one they sent me was the Relic job I bet it's absolutely amazing as a clean new guitar
@@Chinaguitarsceptic Yes, it looks great. It had a slight flaw in one of the inlays but the guitar needed no setting up and plays beautifully so I just think of the flaw as character. I don't think there's any weight relief. It's pretty heavy.
I look forward to watching your next video. Very informative.
I picked up an HM SC-450 P90 last summer. It played OK out of the box, still haven't messed with it. At the time of ordering they had a backorder on both guitars I ordered (got a TE-52 as well), and I think both guitars got rushed through the factory. I'll elaborate on that in coming videos. Both guitars were playable by a 58 year old that started plinking strings 50 years ago. They have been great finger exercise for me until I get around to setting them up with proper string action and pickup height.
You know sometimes I enjoy playing a high action guitar as it really does strengthen the fingers. I really miss giggling and when I play for extended periods now I find that my hand gets cramped
The Cort sounds nice all around. The HB sounds slightly off on clean.. really like the coil split though. Whatever those chibson pickups are are nice enough. Cort wins it though. HB sounds like she has intonation issues. The Roswell sounded a bit thin, which is weird as I reckon those on my 550 sound beefier. You did a good job on the counterfeit. Don't know how hellish she is to play but she sings Ok. Cort wins it
Edit:typed as I listened..see you addressed all this already. Great video clip😍😍
Thanks buddy yeah I started with the leading crunch tones and by the time I got around to the clean I put the Harley out of tune
Cort for sound, Harley for looks. 💚👌💨
I like the look & sound of the Cort best, which is kind of odd because I normally don’t like uncovered pickups. I guess I’m not that surprised since they build a ton of the industry’s guitars--I expect them to make a good guitar. The HB I’m intrigued by because it’s cost is out of this world and I’m contemplating getting one of the SG customs (you know, the cream w/3 PU’s). Even after shipping & what not, as long as it shows up without damages and playable it’d be a steal (plus I refuse to give money to Gibby for new guitars and that version is only available as custom shop or vintage, neither of which I’d pay). Great video per usual, you’re the best.
No, you're the best.
Love the access on SG's! My Benton doesn't have neck dive either. Great choice bro.
That Cort sounds incredible, IMHO
GOT 3 H/B WITH HUMBUCKERS AND SINGLE COIL/P90 AND JUST LOVE THE A5 ROSWELL'S
I'm a big fan of the Roswell laf but not so keen on the HAF
I’ve never had an luck with chibsons. The local jam we had a few guys had them. To me they always felt off. I would dig in and there wouldn’t be anything else. Have you ever tried by “vintage” guitars? Are they anything like HB?
Yes I did a demo of the v100 I think it was. A lp style greeny style. Check it out if you can mate
Sounds like you've got yourself some incredible deals there brother
I own a black Vintage V100 lp and love it!! Paid $275 and was like new 1 year old that lived in a church and only played a couple times a week. Found it on fb marketplace.
@@maxcarr6266 hey thanks man! CGC has some of the best people in the guitar community. I watched the CGC video on them, I’m super impressed by them. How do they feel compared to a Benton? I only ask because I have played and bought a Benton (special les Paul). I’ve seen them around in Boston recently.
@DARTH SENSEI
I haven't had the chance to play or even see a HB here in BIG Tulsa, Oklahoma. I'm not sure if they have made it this far inland..lol
Honestly Idk. From my research seems like people are leaning towards the Vintage brand. Two boutique stores carry them in their line here if that helps any.
I had a Cort M600 (PRS style) and it played great. The pickups were just too muddy. I should have kept it and just swapped them out, but this was before I got into doing my own maintenance. If it would have had these pickups, I never would have sold it.
Ah man that's frustrating. Worth changing out pups if a guitar plays great
Great video Mike... The HB is indeed a very nice looking Les Paul Style guitar... I am often curious about how the factories or run and how the employees are treated where they make produced products for Harley Benton, Fender and Cort, or whoever else. I believe there should be some changes made in the way first World countries take advantage of third world countries super cheap labor and look ack of environmental laws... honestly believe there should be global workplace rules put in place by some governing body of some sort like the WTO, who, and environmental protections as well... the playing field should be leveled out and I think that would make for a better world, but I know this will take quite some time! Kudos to you for being on the forefront this issue and bringing it to us with a sense of responsibility as well as honest, experience information! 😎🎸🤘🐦🎹
Thanks my friend. I agree entirely that we need to think global and act local. Time to stop the environmental damage and worldwide slavery. We can all make a small difference.
I thought Chibson sounded a bit muddy on the crunch setting using the neck pickup, Otherwise it sounded better than all other settings,, to my ears anyway
Cool, it shows how subjective this all is
Clean yer ears out 😂😂
@@andywrollo2915 So I take it your tone deaf 😂
Another great, very helpful video, Mike! Thank you for taking the time to help people! Also, I love the way you do your demo's. Rapid fire short licks so you can hear the difference between. I don't care for the demo's that involve long solos between comparisons. Well done.
Thanks very much and I'm so glad that you you appreciated the short clips. I watch demo videos myself and it always frustrates me when you can't immediately hear the difference between the guitars. Isn't that the whole point of a comparison? lol
Cool comparison! TBH, I sometimes think the best chibson killer is an actual Gibson! Okay not a new Standard, but a used Studio or Tribute could be had for reasonable money, sure it'll still be in the £600 region, but it'll retain so much resale value that you'll probably get back every penny if you ever sell!
Totally agree. I just compare guitars similar in price and appointments
@@Chinaguitarsceptic no complaints from me, I love the feeling of getting a bargain that punches above its weight! TBH my most expensive guitar was only £200!
Good for you mate. These days you can have great quality at that price! Astounding!
Sweet! I'm getting the cort cr300 since its around 426usd here in Malaysia. Thanks for the review!
You will definitely not be disappointed my friend
When will you think the shipping cost will go back to normal from Thomann?
I can't be sure mate it may never go back. I have mentioned it to them
@@Chinaguitarsceptic I should have pulled the trigger pre pamdam lol
Cheers
I just bought the Harley Benton SC Custom ll and I'm very happy with it. It is very well set up and plays great.
Great news brother enjoy!
shall i get cr300 or cr 250 ..am looking for a good sound quality and one time investment
I tried the 300 and loved it
@@Chinaguitarsceptic alright thank you
(From Belgium) Hello, I just discovered your videos for the first time: great job, hats off! You might also consider comparing the Harley Benton SC 550 II (= 2), which is even more convincing due to...STAINLESS STEEL FRETS and Tesla pickups (no Roswells on that one)!!! A SUPERLATIVE as far as frets are concerned. A dream really. This sells for a ridiculous price: 235£/279€. The web is full of positive appreciations and many testers kept or bought this guitar immediately (John Robson, e.g. ). I ordered one immediately, convinced that it is the bargain of the year. Finally, as a francophone deeply in love with American English, I must say I enjoy your British English A LOT. What a pleasure! If you’re not a teacher, you should consider becoming one ;-) Keep up this brilliant work. By the way, you might think of indicating the radius of the fretboards.
Thanks for the great feedback I'll take your suggestion off the sc550 ii if Thomann will send me one. Actually I think I know someone I can get one from once I'm out of quarantine.
I would like to give you my experience of Chibson guitars , l have found the guitars great. One guitar is a copy of a Martin and the head breakers off just like the USA martins. After repair the chibson martin is my every day guitar to play . I have a les Paul chibson and only intonation on one string was a minor issue. Stays in tune and plays beautifully, for the record l have played guitars for over 50 years and found most USA made guitars inferior to the craftsmanship in China. My USA Fender 1978 is the only exception indeed a great guitar.
A point against the Chibson I didn’t hear you make is regarding expected consistency. The HB, and Cort will have similar tones if a viewer buys one while the Chibson is more likely to have different tone between several guitars.
Chibsons are wildly different you are spot on mate!
Loved the HB SC, was very heavy mind lol. Sounded and played great, however I found that the wiring was odd. You couldn't turn the neck volume off and have the bridge on and no sound come from the neck, always had some bleed. Fab video mate.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Wiring is odd.
Great review mate, excellent 👌
Thanks so much
We used to sell Cort at a music shop i worked at in the mid 2000s. What is the neck thickness on the Corts like? Always thought they were super under rated. Nice video mate! Found out about you through Leigh Fuge's 32 Gear Street videos. Keep up the great work!!
It's a good thickness. They say modern c but it's closer to a 50s. Glad you like the channel mate.
Thanks, Mike. These topics are my favorite videos that you do. I love the comparison’s and your opinions.
Thanks brother I really appreciate that and we'll see if I can do more
For the money the Harley would be my choice . But I am probably biased as I have a sc450 lemon drop which i love.The Cort was also nice . Are these made in the same factory ?
I don't think so. I love my 450 Lemon drop too.
Another great video Mike. I think that the thing that people will probably be most surprised at is the price of the “Chibson”. I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and to spend their money how they seem fit but come on guys, that guitar is a rip-off in every single way, and it isn’t even able to be tuned properly. As you say the only thing that is a positive is the name on the headstock. Surely though it would be worth either doing without the name or saving up for a used lower end version of the real thing. A friend of mine purchased a Harley Benton “Les Paul” (forgotten which one exactly off the top of my head) based upon your recommendation of the brand and it is amazing value for money. Forgetting the price for a minute - it is just a really good musical instrument. Take care and stay safe.
Yes I think that's the key that they are actually just really good guitars and the value is just an added bonus
Watched a bunch of videos and comparisons and was leaning towards ordering a Wolf. At the end, bought a used Gibson Studio in red wine like new condition for $750. You get the real deal, albeit not as pretty as a flamed HB or Wolf. Proper headstock, proper pickups with coil split, weight relief, Gibson HSC, etc. the difference in price is about one Starbucks for three months. And if I wanted I could sell it tomorrow for what I paid for it. I see no reason to buy a copy. As a side note, if first impression is important, the first impression you give showing up with a brown hard case with golden Gibson written on it is of someone who takes his craft seriously. That’s before you played a single note.
Respect to that buddy. Sounds like you got a bargain too! Nice.
There is hunners of budget priced Les pauls but am surprised you never included any of the Vintage brand
I did last time mate. I wish i had all three together the cort the vintage and the Benton
@@Chinaguitarsceptic the modern day vintage are not so good anymore , they have shifted there production to another country in asia and since then i here a lot off complaints about the vintage brand guitars , the same goes for the squire ( classic vibe ) guitars , fender has moved the production from china to indonesia and since then the gutiars have more qc issue's and sound also less , the new fender vintage like alnico pick ups sound less then the tonerider pick ups they used to use in the classic vibe range . My guess is there both being made by cor-tek in indonesia now where also the prs- se and G&L and offcourse Cort are made , but i'm not 100 % sure about this . There are so many guitarfactories in asia , it's hard to keep track wich one makes good guitars or not .
It's getting hard
Great video. For many of us we just need a good playing guitar for a fair price. Would you consider doing a budget acoustic comparison? Harley Benton has the cold-41, xaivier has some nice ones too, I’m sure there are others, thanks
Yes for sure I'm always up for doing a comparison
I got an Epiphone Casino Coupe with dodgy frets, was hard to intonate. A better bridge and a good bone nut got it to about 98%!
Well done! Nice one
@@Chinaguitarsceptic Yeah, Epiphone distro wasn't interested in a faulty instrument!
But I can't bond with the neck, it's too wide for my hands @ the body end & the shoulders too deep to grip properly! Will get a custom built copy routed from a solid body instead of a laminated top/back!
The Cort sounds amazing and i love the slightly worn look of it. is it a satin finish?
Ive watched too the end and now know!
Thank you 😊
Man that Cort sounds good, that be my choice bro 🎸🎸
It's really full and meaty isn't it
The chibby is my least favorite distorted. My favorite is by far the Cort. Just give that punch that really hits nicely. Benton is a really close second.
The HB II is the nicest finish wise, definitely agree.
I'm with you totally
The Cort is doing quite well but I prefer the Harley Benton SCII! But for the moment I like my Harley Benton SC I and I don't really like the Gibson brand!
I'm with you mate, although the cort is proving popular.
Mike , I would put the cort first , chibson second , and the Harley Benton third . Good day my friend .
Is that based on tone I'm guessing? Cheers mate
Thank you Mike for your balanced evaluation.
I understand that manufacturers want to avoid the threat of a Gibson lawsuit by altering the original specs and features.
But I personally still want to keep as close as possible to the original.
In these days I have a bit more beefy budget, so I would rather choose a Tokai, Burny or Fernandes over a Gibson.
Not cheap, but high quality build.
Mind you, both Steve Hackett and Robert Fripp dropped their affection with Gibson for a Fernandes!
Not surprising given the inconsistencies in performance over the years. Glad you have guitars you enjoy lots mate.
@@Chinaguitarsceptic I'm not there yet Mike, I am still in the Harley Benton/Vintage regions. Just today I was pondering over buying a Burny. One shop in my country has a clearance sale of the Burny single cut models for €599,-
Best way to buy a more expensive guitar is second hand, played in and cheaper. That's just my opinion mate.
I like the Harley Benton price tone looks it has it all
I'm very glad my friend
I've got a LP style guitar by tradition. Some slight difference as per there agreement with Gibson, but I like it as well as any Epiphone and some gibson
Great stuff mate glad you are happy with your guitar that's the only thing that counts
Right, so I bought a Mooer preamp live for 340 quid brand new. After 16 months of light use it stopped working, I contacted the supplier and they said it was out of Warranty. I argued that if you pay more than 200 quid for something it is reasonable to expect that it will last more than a year. No joy..so after contacting their legal department, as their sales team were giving me grief and saying " yeah we don't offer more than a year warranty on Mooer stuff"(even though this item wasn't cheap at all and you can pay upwards of 600 quid for Mooer stuff). They reluctantly accepted it back and sent it back to Mooer.
I haven't heard a dickie bird in two months.
This is Mooer, a massive chinese company.
Goes to show even the big companies can have questionable ethics! I hope you get satisfaction.
Had a good laugh when you stated that Harley Benton was perfectly set up! Maybe they knew it was going to you, but to the general public without a youtube channel HB's are horrible!
That's not my experience either and all of the Harley benton's I've bought before they knew me me were equally good out of the box. What's more the the HB custom 2 came with a scratchy middle pot and and frets that needed a good polish. Not the way that they would send it out to a RUclipsr as a special. My honest opinion is they set them all up the same.
I’ve bought 11 Harley Benton guitars over the years & I have to admit some slight quality control issues but fantastic guitars for the money and never had any major issues with them
I’ve got 2, had 3, no problems with any of them!
Mike, i really like that Cort, so sad you had to send it back. The clarity of the pickups is amazing.
It was one of the hardest guitars to send back in recent times but I am seriously running out of space. I may have to start selling off some guitars soon.
@@Chinaguitarsceptic I have determined getting rid of guitars is a big no. Sometime latter it always seems to haunt you. 😁
Tell me about it I've only ever lost one guitar and I still wish I could find it
@@Chinaguitarsceptic I did a whole live stream about that exact subject, what was the one guitar that got away. I had a 75 ibanez Les Paul custom same color as that Cort, traded for a Kramer Batetta, traded for a Kramer Knightswan which I still have. Would love to have both of those back! On a high note, the Knightswan goes for minimum twice what I paid for it in the 80s maybe more.😁
yep yep! I've seen Chibsons too with the frets in the wrong place compared to the string scale length, impossible to ever make them play right unless you can move the frets lol vug dat noise! :D
Yes it's a very common issue with the chips and that they don't have the correct scale length for the bridge placement. In fact many don't have any scale and Fritz go in and out of tonality as you go up and down the neck. Nightmare even for an amazing luthier like you!
The Cort is simply great with a balanced and nuanced sound ... the H.B. Maybe for my work it is a little more versatile to be able to choose single and humbucking ..... I prefer not to talk about counterfeiting .... excellent video, as always ... greetings
Thank you buddy. The cort is popular and the Benton definitely the most versatile
Great review as ALWAYS as a left hand player we don’t have a lot of choice but your opinion is well respected D.C.
Thanks so much brother I really appreciate that. Yeah I'm really sorry that lefties don't get as much choice
Artist guitars do their LP59 in left handed, unbelievable Les Paul style guitar!
Personally, I liked the Cort the best. The versatility of the HB with the coil splits was nice, but I think the Cort just sounded better and appeared to play in-tune better than the other 2. The Chibson just sounded out of tune any time you were playing more than one string at a time. The pickups were also very muddy sounding. Your playing was good, the Chibson just let you down. Great video as usual. God bless and rock on.
Cheers mate. Actually I think the Harley was a little out of tune on the clean as well. That Chibson has never been in tune.
Not only are these Chibson alternatives - they're also GIBSON alternatives! I've matched my SX, Harley Benton, Epiphone, and even Monoprice/Indio Les Pauls up against Gibsons that are exponentially more expensive - and they held their own perfectly! Once fully set-up, upgraded (if needed), and any issues fixed (if needed), all the 'Chibson Killers' I personally on are as great (in every way) as ANY Gibson I've ever laid my hands on. (And for the people who want to label me a Gibson 'hater', I own a 1967 Gibson LG-0 acoustic which only my demise will part me from!)
Great point. Perhaps I should rename the video Gibson killers
@@Chinaguitarsceptic Oh, good lord, the hate you'd get for that! Haha! 😱😲😂
Haha! Tell me!
@@Chinaguitarsceptic You'd be in the same doghouse with Gibson fanboys as I am! Haha! No matter how many times I tell them I started playing guitar because of Gibson Les Pauls, they're hearing none of it! Ridiculous! 😆😆
😆😆😆
Good review!!
For the first guitar I would not recomend the Harley Benton due to my experience. For my first guitar I bought a Epiphone Les Paul Custom Plus Top Pro 2019 that came perfect set up. A Mounth later I order a HB SC Custom because of the good reviews. The guitar arrive, looks stunning, most beautifull I see, but and the action was veeery hight. Because of my inexperience I did not return the guitar to Thomann. But after a feew weeks I realice the playabilyty was much worse the the EPI. I have to pay 80 euros to set up. If you are totally inexperience by a Epi, a Cort, ESP in a local store, not a HB if you don't have someone to check the guitar for you.
The other thing I don't like if the HB was the Roswell pickups. They sound horrible to me, but thats a personal preference. I change to a Seymour Duncan and now its sounds WoW. The pickups of the EPI are better. I have a vídeo of the SC Custom with the Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded
The pros of the HB is the price and the looking, the finish was perfect in the HB and its not heavy and YES its a Chipson killer. Don't by a Chipson.
That Cort sounds really, really lovely!
I think its going to be popular
Thanks for doing this Mike. Have you ever played the PRS SE Bernie Marsden? That’s a cracking alternative Les Paul style guitar.
My pleasure, you're most welcome. I would love to try the bm se, but haven't had the pleasure yet.
You really should try and get your hands on an Artist LP59, best Les Paul copy I’ve ever come across and modesty priced at around £200 delivered!
Personally I’ve found it comparable to the 2 Gibson Les Pauls I’ve owned!
Artist Guitars are an Australian company with guitars available on their UK website!
It comes standard with bone nut, locking tuners, fret nibs, roller bridge, lockdown tail piece, maple cap with flamed veneer top and coil splits!
The pickups are their own Bullbuckers which are based on the Seymour Duncan Jazz/JB set and sound incredible!
A truly amazing guitar at not only the price but at ANY price!
The only down side is they get snapped up by those in the know as soon as they come into stock, so you can have a wait trying to get hold of one!
Took me about 18 months but boy was it worth it!
Check them out!
PS The headstock is the “right” shape so if want to file a “V” into it to make it an “open book” style and then touch up with translucent red nail varnish it’s easily done!
Wow thank you I have not heard of those but you certainly switch me on and I will go and have a look
@@Chinaguitarsceptic According to their UK website artistguitars.co.uk they have a Gold Top version with P90’s coming out at the end of the year!
Another RUclipsr “Intheblues” has reviewed the LP59 and rates it similar to his Japanese Tokai Les Paul!
You should check his review out!
buddy had a cort les paul in the 90's that was a POS, they have really come a long way, but I really dig the coil split with the benton
Cort have really hope their game, but I like the bentons too.
The best legal alternative? A S/H Gibson Les Paul Studio or an Epiphone LP if you can't find one, really if you are serious about playing guitar you owe it to yourself to get a decent guitar. Don't just buy something you will regret in the coming months! I got a Chibson seven years ago and it had a load of problems, even with a new bridge, pickups, pots and a pro fret level its not a patch on a Gibson #playauthentic
'I recognize that smell...' Les Claypool!
Dont touch the chibson. I have two Harley Benton a 450 b stock and a active pickup one. Both brilliant. Clean tones i thought chibson wow. Other tones Cort brilliant. HB just as good. Lower tones in barre chords on HB absolutely beautiful. Great video 👍
I agree. Very astute observations my friend.
@@Chinaguitarsceptic Thank you. I have a shecter hellraiser with active pups. Bit of a small neck for me chubby fingers. The hb is just as good. Great work my friend. 👍👍
Just get a LTD EC-256, best budget LP type guitar ever. Damn. Just swap the PuPs if they are too dark for your liking (and they ARE dark) and trash the crappy 3 way switch. Another alternative is the Mitchell MS400 which is one of the best FEELING guitars I have ever touched. It's well built and is even VISUALLY very nice. Doesn't sound bad either, I've not changed a thing on mine. PRS SE Santana Standard is very nice with fantastic PuPs, not as fancy like the rest of the line but GREAT guitars ( I did block the trem on mine).
If you can FIND one used, the Korean built Hamer Sunburst Flat Tops are VERY nice guitars. Non Gibson types? Mexican Strats all the way. Period. Don't listen to people putting them down. Great necks and great guitars. Do they need some personal tweaking?, YES, but still damn good shit.
Hello and good afternoon. My name is Humberto, I'm from Brazil, I've been watching your RUclips channel for a long time and I really like it! I am interested in a “CHIBSON”. Is this Chibson from the video yours? Would you like to sell? Where do I get an equal? I want one totally like this! Thanks for listening.
You know more than anyone about Chibsons. Got more experience than most.
I don't know about that but my channel was dedicated to just exposing the fakes for the first couple of years. You learn a bit in that time 😊👍
@@Chinaguitarsceptic I think we all did, thanks to U
Thanks man 🙏🤘
@@Chinaguitarsceptic My pleasure
Never was a big fan of sc ie Leses. But jr. Dc yes. Anything like that? I know of harley with ferris blue. Nice. But I like 2 pups. Anything?
Yes I love my sc junior with single p90
I just ordered today a cr300 :)
Nice choice mate
Great job on this follow up video sir.
Thanks Terry 😊👍
Re the sounds, I thought the HB sounded the nicest, then the Chibson, then the Cort, I thought sounded rather rude! (I could HEAR the hot pick ups!) The higher up in gain you went the lest distinction there was. Crunch was still won by the HB, but when you got to lead levels of distortion, there was but a bees dick between the lot of them!
Wow, most people live the cort
@@Chinaguitarsceptic Maybe, however, it sounded rough around the edges, almost like it had too MUCH mid hump!
(EMGS, kinda explains things!)
I get that mate and it's a good point. They certainly did feel very active.
@@Chinaguitarsceptic They are passives, EMG make both, the EMG HZ are a hot, CERAMIC hum bucker, used in a lot of budget-mid priced guitars.
I used to sell guitars with them fitted as stock. (OEM pick up!)
@@DMSProduktions OK that's cool. They still require a battery though which is why made the mistake of thinking they might be active.
I like the Cort best and feel it is the better built. It should be as they build a lot of guitars for major brands. I want to add one to my collection. I have 5 HB guitars so it is part of my current guitar buying as well as Fender and Epiphone. That said my go to is my Les Paul but it's 40 years old! My rambling is simple. There are so many inexpensive wonderful guitars. I don't understand wanting a name on the headstock so bad you would sell yourself a lie and be content about it. SMDH......
All of them where nice. Gibson and Fender USA are great guitars (top of the line) but the craftsmanship of other guitar manufacturers have done a fabulous job of producing similar guitars. With modern amplification and affects pedals as well as an individual players abilities, it’s really a win win situation all the way around. You know, Jimmy Page had to modify the neck on his Les Paul to fit his comfort and playability and Im sure others have done modifications as well. I presuppose that if you have the money to buy the top if the line guitars then by all means, do so. Meanwhile I’ll just go with the Chevrolets and the Fords if you get my drift. Cheers! Almost forgot to ask; what do you think would happen to the sale volume of Epiphone if they used the same exact headstock as Gibson. Yep, you bet! Cheers!
I bet they would take over the Gibson mantle
Great video bud as. Always
Cheers bud
@@Chinaguitarsceptic anytime buddy
Pretty sure that Bryan Cote and Guitar Hack own Chibsons.
Quentin! 😆
I just got the Gretsch Junior Jet G2210. Fantastic guitar!!!
Sweet buddy! 😊👍
Far better than any Chibson.
Soundwise the Cort sounded best but the nicest looking is the HB. But i dont really like that name Harley Benton like a motorcycle brand. I think this is sad when they do make cheaper good guitars end then they put that horrible brand name on it. What kind of brand strategy was that? I think i know/understand that reason of a sale strategy but dont write it here. But everyone can have their own opinion on this but it dont work for me so i would rather go for a better looking Cort but i think i pass on all of these and go for a cheaper ESP Ltd with a nice top and just change pickups in that guitar. Yes sure LTD is not the nicest either on the headstock but still better. But im sad that i just cant handle the HB loga on the headstock maybe if they put it on the back but i dont know.
Those cort pickups are really hot and ad something to the tone for sure.
I preferred the Harley Benton myself for tone.
I love those LAF pickups. You really can't beat the value point either mate.
I'm still getting the 335 Harley Benton. Price is reasonable for the quality. Lets hope it stays in tune than my Gibson 335 firewood.
Weren't you supposed to do a video about how Chibsons are better than HB?
I think we jokingly said that I should do a video of five reasons why Chibsons are better, but I honestly couldn't take the risk that some people would take it seriously
Luckily I'm Indonesian, the CR300 here is around $330 max from authorized Cort dealers.
Wow
Very good video.
Harley Benton is one of the best values going and a great guitar for beginner and experienced players.
Totally agree. In my experience they come very well set up and so ideal for beginners and players alike
Harley benton is my choose, I love your videos!
😊🙏👍
10s guitars mate best price best guitars
I'd love to see this with an Epiphone in the mix as well.
That can be done mate
I think that Cort sounds mint! Much much better than the chibbo bag of crap. HB sounded nice too...........
Yup both great guitars
Mike Also have to say that I went by sounds alone .
Thought so. 😊👍
Its not so much about where they come from its quality control that makes the biggest difference.
They are all made in similar places and all do the same thing.
Pretty much copy other manufacturers models .
Yes totally. That's the point, two of them do it within the rules legally.
That CORT is hideous..whats with that extended out of place horn?
Do the chibson come with a touch of carona
😆😆😆
I actually think the Chibson sounded the best overall allthough the Cort is very close second. The Harley Benton sounds to thin and edgy for my taste.
There’s no time stamps for this video?
Oops sorry
I don't know if it was my phone but they all sounded the same
😆😆😆
The Chibson had the nice LP tight midrange, unfortunately it was set up by idiots. The HB sunburst would be second but it had the 60 cycle hum(coil split?). The lemon HB would make nice fire wood.
I'd like to think you meant the Chibson wad built by idiots. It was set up by me! 😆
@@Chinaguitarsceptic You wouldn't have had to set it up if they did it right the first time.
Yes
Greg Bennett guitars are awesome.. they don't make it anymore ((
Wow I'll look out for one thanks mate
Ok cgs,,. This is getting crazy, I love your channel and many more, but here you stated that any one telling you that every chi son they buy will be a good player is leading us astray,,. All right then,, you know no one has ever said each and every guitars great,, as a matter of fact I've heard what they all say, and that it's hit and miss, you never know if yours is the good or bad one until you review it,, and from what I have seen is unless you personally try it out, they are all so called hit and miss,, hey I get it, that a child or older person getting their first guitar opens the box on a dud, that's a tragedy, and oh by the way my name is Chuck lee, I'm just on my wife's phone right now,, but I have saved $450,00 US dollars, and I'm looking right now to pull the trigger on a guitar but I certainly want to get as good a deal as I can,, and I figured I would spend around 200 on an amplifier,, but in the used department there's a lot of options, but any suggestions I'll listen,, it's overwhelming at the number of Budget guitars, but I learned a lot about setup, fret leveling, so I have some experience, sorry this is so long but I love, love, love, les paul's, the look, feel, sound, to me perfect tone, and yes if it was a good player and sturdy sound guitar I'd buy a copy with the real logo on it , I see nothing wrong with it, as long as all it is is for you yourself,, I was looking at wolf wlp 750 they look amazing and sound great,, but I'm not sure,,,. HELP,,😵
Hey brother you are absolutely right about hit and miss. The biggest worry is getting one where the frets are all over the place as that would mean a fretboard replacement. Other than that most things, even moving the bridge are able to be fixed. However when you spend that sort of money on a guitar you don't expect to have to fill and drill to move a bridge. For 450 there are some incredible things out there.
Personally I would look very closely at the Epiphone range, they are very close to Gibson in terms of spec. In fact I have played a few that blow many Gibson's I've played out of the water.
As always buying anything online is a risk and you want a way to exchange or return a guitar if it's not right. Wolf make some lovely looking guitars that sound and play well in told, Sadly in the UK we don't get them.
If you can I would go to a store, preferably mom and pop where your business will be valued highly, and try a few guitars out. Sit play and get to know the guitars a bit and how they feel to you too play, it really is the best way.
Anyhow I hope this helps you my friend.
@@Chinaguitarsceptic helps a lot thank you, I was already swaying that way, but you know how we are always looking for that diamond, or the pearl amongst all the oysters, but you're right as much as I love les paul's instruments it would be ignorant somewhat not to check out epiphone, I've owned 2 a lp jr. And a sg,. And honestly I loved both guitars, there was nothing I couldnt play and make it sound awesome, each had it's own spot but to me it filled single coil tones, P90 tones, and obviously humbucker, but yes with the new more traditional headstock that's where I'm going, I don't mind used, but I would prefer new, so here I go again,, ok, ok, I'm going heading that way now local guitar shops here I come, keep doing what you do, love it,
Cort
Chibson
Harley
Based on tone?
@@Chinaguitarsceptic , yes.
Cool
RIP Mike sadly missed🥲
My eyes would take the Harley Benton, my ears the Cort.
I think I'm the same
they basically sound the same to me
Maybe try listening through headphones or a HiFi system as I promise you there is a significant difference
@@Chinaguitarsceptic It helped a bit, I heard some difference. Discounting the coil-tapped sounds of the Harley Benton -- I don't hear major differences. The Cort is slightly preferable but if I had the Harley Benton I wouldn't be up at night worried that I didn't get the Cort. Maybe my ears are broke :)
No it's pretty subtle for the vast majority of people mate
Damn, dude, how can I wean you from constantly turning on reverb on pure sound during reviews?!((
Nice
Cheers
1 cort
2 chibson
3 benton
if you want a Gibson its pretty simple. you buy one. you save up like i did and buy one. seeing a fake ass Gibson logo on a headstock infuriates people like me who worked hard and saved their money to afford one.
I bet
Epiphone les paul standard 60s = chibson killer.
What's the price on that?
@@Chinaguitarsceptic 500-600 US
Ok so still in the ball park then.
few years ago you like them. then you do not like them make your mind up
Never liked them bro, but when I got something decent I didn't lie about it, I was honest.
Crack neck? Isn't that an Authentic Gibson? 👀
Ha ha it must be