Are Harley Benton Guitars REALLY Worth It? | Harley Benton SC-500 WH Vintage Series
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2020
- Are Harley Benton guitars really worth it? Straight up, they absolutely are, but they aren't all they're cracked up to be!
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this is the most chaotic review I ever seen in my life
Dude is all over the map. 😂
Look Ive been playing for over forty years . Ive had USA Strats and Tele`s and on a whim I sold them and bought Ibanez power strat which I still played in a comercial bands , I bought a 550 and is the best guitar Ive ever had for the limited talent that I possess , dont buy a €1,600 guitar thinking you`ll play better ..you wont, buy a guitar and have fun.....
My brother and I reviewed this guitar last week. My brother is a professional guitarist and has been for over 50 years (nearly 60). He really enjoyed playing the guitar, and he said it had the lowest action without buzzing of any guitar. He has around 40 or so guitars and they are some of them very expensive. You have to play the instrument, it doesn't play you.
Do you work for Harley Benton? Like what are you on? Action isn’t everything, it certainly isn’t the definition of feel in a guitar and doesn’t dictate whether a guitar is hard to play
I just bought this exact guitar today off of craigslist. The guy that sold it to me replaced the humbuckers with some high gain pickups and installed locking tuners. He had is professionally set up and it plays like a dream. action is low, no buzzing frets and it sounds great. Im totally happy. so i disagree with your review. that being said, i didnt play it fresh out of the box unmodded but im blown away by the one that i bought.
Everyone enjoys what they enjoy. This guitar just wasn't it for me. Glad you enjoy it! Rock on.
I got the Harley Benton SC Junior and the neck profile and fret work is the nicest I've experienced so far. I've just put a down payment on a epiphone les paul prophecy and while I love that...the frets are sharper in the epiphone (£799) than the harley benton (£179) 🤷♂️.
I definitely prefer the SC Junior to the new Epiphone junior that's inspired by Gibson.
You make EXCELLENT content about this topic, good job bud!
I couldn't agree enough ! I've got a PRS and an SC 450 plus HB , the HB blows the PRS out of the water for sounds , but like you I've been playing for a looooong time and the HB is indeed harder to play . My fingerboard is a weird ebony burned maple thing ????? But I would be willing to put my HB up against any yes ANY Les Paul and do a blind test and have people guess which is which because it truly sounds that epic !!!
I agree with you in some capacity, but I will say this. In my particular Harley Benton, the pickups sound muddy and the focus is lost. I can't get these pickups to sound "massive" no matter what I do. I either get a muddy tone, or I get a thin tone like in this video. I can't find a happy medium. I'm going to try to lower the pickups a bit and raise the posts, we'll see what happens!
I've got a Gibson Les Paul HP2, a Fender American Ultra Stratocaster and a Duesenberg Starplayer. But my 'daily beater' is a $87 Harley Benton TE-30. What i like aubout the Harley Benton is that i really don't have to care for the guitar. I've bought several Harley Bentons for my kids with mixed results. Some where great (CST-24HB & CST24T) others i returned once (ST-20HSS) and one guitar (RB-600BP) i've returned twice and finally settled with a refund. I now have a Harley Benton SC-Custom II FR on order which comes with grover tuners and a Floyd Rose 1000 for a price less then the components would cost on their own.
Some actual REASONS would be nice, dude!
I got the SG style .I have it about 2 months and it plats great and feels good. Neck is fast.
Cheers man, I'm looking to get back into playing electric and Harley Benton seem like a good choice - I already have an ibanez but limited money and want a new one because I don't play the same style of music as when I got my ibanez. I've got my heart set on a harley benton but the fact is they are budget guitars and there's gonna be drawbacks.
I appreciate you giving a more balanced view - it's great they're good but I need to know the flaws too before I buy one! Thank you :D
I’ve been considering this guitar for a minute, and I’ve been trying to do some research to find the good and the bad, and you’ve by far delivered the best review. I’ve been playing guitar for 3 years on a Jackson Dinky, and I’m wanting to upgrade but don’t want to spend $500+ so this video was a great help in helping me decide. I think I’ll be getting this one soon! Thanks man!
Thanks for your honesty but do you think it'd sound good with a high end amp cause I think a great amp is a little more important than pickups I've heard squiers sound amazing on a great amp but pickups are important too don't get me wrong but yeah honest question also can you do a review of the sc 450 cb vintage series
Set it up ! I have a strat and I had to set it before I could even play it properly so I guess you need to spend some time setting up.
I came for the Harley Benton review...I stayed for the, "I Am the Militia" shirt.
Nerd
Im in doubt. Can you help me.
Which guitar is better?
Squier CV 50 or HB SC 500? Im in doubt buying one of those.
Good review, Steven 👍. Thanks.
Always check the Fingerboard Radius on Harley Benton Guitars the best are 305mm or 12" radius, 350mm are flatter like 13.76" a Tele style should have a 9.5" radius or 10" tops!
Watched lots of videos on Harley Benton recently. Was thinking "should I spend $500 getting work done on my Vintage Strat, and Vintage Ibanez, or just buy a 'top of the range' HB?" Thanks. No-one else has talked about this. My luthier will be pleased.
Hello! I am 2 years owner HB SC450 plus , the same cpec as Gib standard. I only adjusted octaves and all is right with my guitar. Yesterday I was by my friend , wich have Jackson USA SL2H-MAHQ Burnt Cherry Sun Burst Soloist, all mahogany 2HB guitar...Very nice guitar , in my country 1000 dollars costing instrument. I played this guitar and here is my conclusion: I discovered not any better "towsend dollars feel". Jacksons D-profilre neck was not very comfortable to me and sound wise too not better as my guitar costing 250 dollars. My 2 cents. A few days ago I ordered my next Harley guitar, SC500 Vintage black , basswood body and I am expecting similar good quality as have my SC450 plus.
Sounds like a put down and your playing seem like a perfect fit!
How does it compare to Gibson Les Paul TRIBUTE in quality (except pickups)?
Is the tribute more playable than this?
I appreciate the nuance you bring to the whole "Is Harley Benton actually crap" discussion, I feel like people are losing it in the dichotomy of 'bad or gud', when really spending $149 on a guitar plus shipping and handling does have some drawbacks, and those drawbacks don't drown out the qualities the instrument has.
Dude, great review! I was thinking about picking one of their rickenbecker bass knock offs up but in the back of my mind I was thinking exactly what you said about it not meeting the hype. How long did it take to ship to you? I have students who ask me for guitar recommendations all the time
I mean, I wouldn’t discredit the brand though. They aren’t terrible, just not top tier like people say. But then again, this is one of their lower models. Maybe their higher models are much better. I’ll have to get my hands on one. As for shipping times, I ordered on a Wednesday and it was at my door on Monday. Less than a week from Germany to my house here on the east coast of the US. That’s impressive!
Steven Johnson that’s good to know! I’ve noticed the quality of the lower end epiphones going down as the years go on. So I’ll keep this brand in mind when parents ask me for recommendations. Thanks!
My son started on these guitars,and is ready to move on to more expensive ones, the funny part is that HB guitars play better than most guitars at twice the price, the big negative is that used Hbs go for about half price of new ones, and very difficult to trade in for a more expensive one.
Well thats really any brand out there probably... so youre telling me you can buy a gibson and sell it back to guitar center for 70-80% of how much you put in? I doubt that, if im wrong thats interesting... a used Harley Benton will sell for almost how much you pay for them... from GER > FL its like $215 for the sc-450PLUS
@@NawImNate I've bought 3 used HBs over the last couple of years all for under 100 bucks ,including a TE30 for 60 bucks with an extra set of strings an an a soft case., they just don't sell well used, again they play great, but you'll have a better chance trading up with say an eppi to gibson than a HB to gibson.
So is it good or not
this is a very fair review. thanks
Appreciate it!
I 've had lots of Gibson's, Epiphones and currently own a HB 550 emg. IMO, after 45 years of playing, you can make any guitar sound good, its all in the fingers. Any top player could make this guitar sound like a million bucks in any state. Get practicing people, (me included)
how thick is the neck on this model ?
My $500 music Man JRichards sterling looks and plays flawlessly, is rock solid and makes me sound better than I am. My new $350 HB looks beautiful but is not easy to play well and reveals all my weaknesses.
Does it have high action? Does it have sharp fret ends? Does it have rough frets that make bends difficult? If you’ve been playing guitar for 20 years you should know whats wrong with it
It’s like a epiphone with the spikey Ltd/esp les Paul thing instead of rounded off. Hahaha 🤣
Order one today before I watched your video. Got a bit worried but felt alright in the end of the video. :P
Overall, I think you'll be happy. I'm happy with mine, just wanted to make sure people doesn't get marketed into thinking this deal is too good to be true.
Did you ever find out what it was that made the playability off? I'm a bassist that plays a 5 string LTD and I'm looking for a guitar that I can learn and write riffs on, but ease of playability is something that's important for me. I don't want a fat neck or high frets to get in the way of learning technique, but I'm also broke as a joke and can't afford more than about $250 after shipping.
Saw a video comparing affordable basses.. Ibanes, Squier, Shecter, Epiphone and the Harley Benton PJ-4 HTR. Said the Ibanez gsr200 and the Harley was his favs. Thing goes for 108,40 Euros on Thomann. It looks pretty good, has pbass and jass pickups and looks like a JB. Kinda cool if it's straight and sounds good. Personally, I too liked the sound of these two over the others but the Harley was my fav. Think it's cuz i like the pickup types. I'm a guitar player and I just ordered two HBs to try them out (broke too). I almost bought that bass.
strange thing i am, i have gibson les pauls. but i always play the harley benton, its like my cheap old bike, i use it everyda, the gibsons re on the wall to look at but i'm in love with my Harley Benton Les Paul junior. better than the gibson , tokai and epiphone les paul juniors. this is my experience. since Harley benton came to my house. the expensive guitars are not touched. the benton is full with scratches. cause my son makes silly things but i dont care... its a guitar to live not to place in your vitrine.. but its always in tune.. sound is cheaky..
From what I've heard they're similar to an epiphone
The guitar you are playing is an old model and HB are continually upping their game. They are rapidly becoming a brand in their own right and are constantly improving quality without excessively increasing price. The latest LP style guitar, the ZSC-550 II is now a real contender against the Epiphone LP at around half the price!! Try one of these and then make a video comparing it with the Epi!
Mate I agree. I bought a 2021 epi LP custom and I sent it back. The binding was stained. The tuners were rusty. The finish was awful. And it cost £600. HB are awrsome. My £83 HB jazz bass is better than my fender
Actually HB is constantly restocking this model so they see it as quality
Dude, you came right out of the gate trying to debunk it being a good guitar. Everyone else has said this is a phenomenal guitar. I plan on picking one up in about 6 months to a year.
agree , thx ^^
Get it in black and add some emgs
What about say Harley Benton's more expensive models , say one their models in the $300-400. Range. How much better than this under $200 model are they in your opinion? I have heard the generally play about $200 above their price. So that would make them maybe equal to a good Epiphone. What is your opinion on that. Thanks!
Honestly, I've never gotten my hands on a higher end Harley Benton. Hopefully in the future I'll have a video on them. I'm looking at a Fusion II or the Amarok (I believe that's what they are called).
I feel your complaints about the playability is more of a YOU problem than the guitar, I have yet to see anyone else complain about it, but everyone has their own taste
So your basically summed it up, HB are copying others companys exact models LP, Tele 52, and the PSR, but why dont HB make their own designs. I think the HB Fusion might be there own design but im not sure!! Ive just ordered the HB Junior DC FAT and am preying it is good/great!! Still we'll see!! Hope HB send you one to revive as well as the Fusion!! Keep up the good work!!🎸🎸😎😎
I wouldn't say copying, because if that's the case, then other companies copy. I would HEAVILY inspired by other companies. :P
Regardless, I do want to get my hands on a Fusion. From my research, that's one of their better playing guitars. I just can't get myself to pull the trigger on one knowing I can get a quality guitar from a "more reputable" brand for another $100-$200 more. I'm sure the Fusion is great, I'm just nervous!
So like what's your opinion with the neck shape?
Not too shabby.
Well, I came for some hardcore truth and you pretty much said that it's as good as other pieces twice the price. And that's what I heard form other YTbers aswell.
Also, my two cents. I've been playing for a decade now and just bought their cheapest Tele they have, 89€. And it's the most fun to play guitar I've ever had. It's nothing special, true, but it keeps me want to play. That's enough to love it for.
I also found every LP I had in my hands hard to play. Might be just a preference.
If is as good as others 2X the price now, add some REAL nice PU's.. and it'll be better still.. that's my way of thinking here.. is it a Classic Gibby? NOPE.. but heck today's REAL Gibson's aren't even like the "classic" Gibson's anymore!! LOL!!
I'm not trying to big up harley benton or anything, and I'm not saying my sc500 is the best guitar ever. The tuners suck, the frets needed a polish. Needed a setup too.
Saying that, I own a sc500 and a sc550. My 550 feels wonderful, sounds great and plays great, after a setup. But my 550... I don't know if I was lucky or what but the tone from the wood and the sustain is fantastic. It sounds better than my 550, no joke. I seriously think I was the lucky guy who got a 1 in 1000 with my guitar.
I plan to upgrade it to better pickups soon.
Glad this review isn't confusing..or else I'd be really confused about this confusing review...for the money....run on complete
Brother they are well made BUUUUUUT you must change all hardware and a lot of frets work ...
I think Epiphone special II is a lot better for that money ...
In general good guitars are starting from 500€
I have the same mindset, not worth all the bullshit modifying and the resell value becomes a joke hahaha.
@@melodicshredder5834 so f true 👍...
“Prs makes a single cut” picks up a double cut lol
Try the Harley Benton CST 24! thats easy to play.
I already own the PRS Custom 24 SE. lol
@Gérard Mentor The first thing I did was change the strings. Machine heads aren't fantastic, but they work and the guitar stays in tune relatively well. The finish wasn't too bad, but the edging is dodgy. Listen, we all have to remember the price of these and stop expecting so much. For the money spent, I'm thrilled.
haley benton les pau l junior with groover mechanics . ohh dear
I got one in Emerald flame. It was supposed to be b stock, but there were no flaws. Plays & sounds excellent!!!
GOD Bless You 🎸🎸🎸
I respect your opinion saying HB is harder to play. But I have to say its just that... YOUR opinion... I've been playing since I was 9 and I'm 30 now. I'm a guitar tech, not a pro. But with a really good set-up on all HB I've done on, have ended up playing just as easy as a strat and les paul guitars. I've gotten to play and set-up about 12 to 15 of them so far. So I have to say that I disagree with your opinion about HB guitar's being harder to play. Of course thats just my opinion about your opinion. 😆 LOL! We've all got one.
That's fine. I've been playing roughly the same length you have, so opinions are opinions. :) I'm not discrediting the guitar. I'd still love to try more to be proven wrong. I think for the price you pay, these things are still amazing. Just trying to make people understand you're not buying the top-of-the-line guitar at this price.
@@TechJohnson I understand your point of view and where your coming from. If only Democrats and Republicans could simply agree to disagree like this simple exchange of comments.
@@mrfender5001 Right?! But let's leave politics out of this. LOL
@@TechJohnson Agreed! Lol.
Man, tune it right, make a good set up and play relaxed. But tanks anyway 👍
Man, you talk plenty trash. I heard you squeeze the baby and she sounds marvelous. I have one too and l'm keeping it in my collection for life. Thanks Harley Benton.👍♥️👏
Did you or someone else give this guitar a good setup? If its hard to play my initial thought would be it needs adjustment.
Of course. I'm not a novice.
Steven Johnson some folks like to review stuff "out of the box" i wasn't sure.
My bass broke and I have fuck all money to replace it, so I'm just gonna buy one and redo the frets
I don’t mean to be rude but what exactly feels cheap about it? If it’s the fretwork, setup, hardware, etc, then whatever, if it’s the finish or the thickness of the neck then there’s an actual problem
Hardware definitely is on the cheaper side, but that's easily fixable. For me, I think it was the thickness of the neck with the flat radius. Just didn't feel right. The angle of the neck felt off too. I couldn't spit my thoughts out in this video, but oh well LOL
Oh.. I get it now.... Harley Benton, if you want to send me a better guitar than this to change my mind.. go ahead. I heard the Fusion guitars are baller! Yeah I see what you're doing now. lol
you really didnt debunk anything, but ok.
Mine is just perfect
Good review bro. You can't roll it in Glitter but it's a good purchase. I think for someone who would love a mid range alternative to the big names this is the way to go. Coming from an Ibanez fan 🤘
I'm a big fan of Ibanez. :)
Is your tone usually that awful or did you make it that way just for this video?
Here's what I'm not understanding. This is the first video of yours I'm watching so I don't really know, but I must assume you're a better and more experienced player than I am ( I've pretty much been stuck at beginner level forever), so I don't understand why you can't quantify what you mean by "hard to play" when I certainly can when I encounter that? If I was to tell you a guitar was hard to play, I'd be able to say its because there was too much tension, the frets were rough, the neck slowed me down, the radius is too flat, the action is too high etc etc. I don't understand why you can't quantify it...
Many factors are at play in this particular guitar. Usually I can pinpoint the fault line, but in this situation, I just couldn't. Maybe it's the finish used on the neck, the thickness of the neck in combination with the flat fretboard, maybe the strings, or maybe it was a combination of all three. I truly can't figure out which one of those factors it is. Having "too much tension" or "scratchy" frets has never stopped playability for me. So, I stand by what I said, it's a bit harder to play than people are stating, but I can't quiet pinpoint why.
@@TechJohnson Oh, I see. Thanks for clarifying - I appreciate it. BTW - I just pulled the trigger on an inexpensive HB for my kid, so maybe I'll be back here in a week saying the same things you are!
@@andrewawakened628 so?! How'd the Harley Benton for your kid turn out?! I've been thinking about buying one myself!
@@timnimigean8971 Pretty good!
Pros: It looks beautiful, sounds good, is very playable, the action is fine - could be lowered a bit, and maybe I will do that one day, but its really fine as is. Maybe if my daughter makes her daddy proud by becoming an insane shredder I'll have to do that.
Cons: Some of the fret ends are slightly sharp and need to be filed down. Not sharp enough to cut, but sharper that they should be.
Also the tops of the frets are a bit rough - you feel it when you bend the strings (or it could just be really sucky strings - I guess I'll find out for sure when I change them). Even if its the frets though thats something you can fix in a few minutes with a sanding sponge.
The pickup selector switch feels ridiculously cheap - the stalk wobbles loosely from side to side when you use it. It works perfectly though - the actual switch that it is attached to is and feels solid when you switch between pickups.
The volume and tone knobs are not seated perfectly straight - not bad enough that you notice when just looking at them, but you notice if you look at them while you rotate them.
I've heard people say the model of Floyd Rose tremolo used on these is not the best for staying in tune, but neither her nor I are going to be doing crazy dive-bombs any time soon so that's a moot point.
My last con may just be a personal preference - the fretboard has a cream colored (plastic I assume) binding on its sides. I'd rather just have the wood. Not sure if maybe the binding is necessary because its a composite wood (Roseacre) instead of actual Rosewood or if its just a stylistic choice they made there.
All in all I'm satisfied and think my money was well spent - these are all things that either don't matter or can be rectified with a small amount of effort on my part. At less than $150 (plus the $68 shipping it plus some accessories to the USA) that's an insane deal for a first guitar that'll serve her very well for a couple years until she's ready for something better. And that'll probably be another HB, because the quality increases as the price increases.
@@andrewawakened628 thanks for the thorough review!! What model guitar did you get her? I had to sell my MIM Strat HSS I've had for 10 years recently due to being unemployed during covid, need to get an electric soon but funds are still tight and I don't want something that will be a huge downgrade from the Strat I'm used to. It was a Mexican standard so nothing too fancy but still I don't want something I won't want to pick up and play.
I have one and I’m not at all satisfied with it! It just feels cheap and plastic like! To anyone who’s comparing it to a real Les Paul is either insane or just lying because it’s no where near the quality! I also find it rather hard to play I’m already looking for solutions to try and fix some of the many issues I have.
You just sold me
Is this John Goodman's son?
I’m confused 🤷♂️ good/not good? Get one/don’t get one?
Sc 500 vintage model, it’s not Harley Bentons best LP guitar, the sc 550 and sc custom are far better than the 500 vintage for very little more money.
Yeah im still confused though! 😉 🎸
Get one, if you're on a budget. Don't expect the world's best guitar. That is all I was trying to make out of this video. Yes, the SC-550 is probably better, you're right. But with shipping, it was nearly $100-$125 more. Big deal when someone is on a tight, small budget. :P
So you have a toxic relation with your HB guitar 😸🎸
It's a love hate relationship. lol
I have 2 Harley Benton’s and both feel cheap. Nice looking guitar but cheap honestly.
The fretboard is flatter radiused most likely than you're used to.....and it's "just not you".. everyone is different. Mine play great.. but i LIKE less "R" in my fretboards... My Strat copies are flatter to, and like like those BETTER then the much more radiused Fenders.. it's personal taste... Guitars are like shoes.. if they don't fit you the way you like. they suck.
It’s a £150 guitar what do you expect?
With $80’shipping
All that glitters is not gold.
But, all that glitters is glitter. :P
I didn't dislike but I also either like this video. Why? Bc you didn't explain why you don't like it. What's actually wrong about this guitar? The shape of the neck is weird? Or is the fretboard radius bad? You need explain it
Simply they made money enough to build the Items in Indonesia instead China.
A better title might be, "is this particular Harley Benton really worth it". I will give you that it sounds bad on this end...very thin and pingy ping plunky. I have six of these beauties...two of the SC-550's, SC-Custom I, CST-24T, TE90-FLT, TE-70 Paisley and they are quality playing guitars. I love them and will not sell them. You should get a good model or at least try a few... Get one of those models and get back. Trash that SC-500 and step into the better models. The 500 is ancient with respect to their line-up. I have payed for 35 years and my first guitar is a 1978 Ovation Preacher Deluxe 24 fret ebony fingerboard, one piece Honduran Mahogany body and Schaller deluxe tuner active PUP monster. Is it as good as this, or my 1985 Fender Stratocaster? No, but these Harley Benton's are better than sliced bread Hoss.
AMEN.. same here.. Don't know his amp settings, but ,my SC500 Classic black doesn't sound like that one.
I can’t tolerate the ‘well it just doesn’t play like other guitars…it’s hard to play.’ A Ferrari doesn’t perform like a Dodge. Learn the pros and cons of the instrument and adjust your playing accordingly.
I'm not sure he knows what he wants to say, he says it great but its hard to play?.... maybe the set up on his isn't set up correctly. The nut with, neck profile and fretboard radius is similar to the other two popular brands so I'm not sure what he is feeling off on it? He doesn't give any technical facts as to why its hard to play. I have the model lower than the 500 and it plays amazing. Out of my 5 high end guitars it is just as good..... I upgraded a few small things on it and it plays like a high end guitar but didn't change anything to the playable set up of it. Watch other videos on RUclips everyone else likes them
Since I can't articulate why I'm not a huge fan, and "everyone other RUclipsr" likes them, that means my opinion is invalid? Fuck off.
@@TechJohnson wow cool man
Put some strides on and I might be able to take you seriously.
Of course For the money... not everyone wants to pay thousands of Dollars or Euros as a Hobby Musican.
Guitar fettish sc are better
Dude, I can make a Harley Benton sound like a thousand dollar guitar. Your mind is concentrated on Gibsons, Fenders, & Paul Reed Smith's not PRS SE made from (Cort).Gibsons has had quality control problems and still do, it's not the in Tenn. vs MI., their instruments, should have stayed in Kalamazoo MI. which made 1mil times prestined better. Dude I can make your SC sound like a dream, (Modify it). Economy is too strict to spend all of your 401k life savings, not me and I had all the highest end guitars you can name from A to Z. I own a HB Cst-24t black cherry color. Just put Gibsons or Paul Reed Smith's Humbucker pickups, not Epi's and not PRS SE's picks, tweak it and you will see and hear the difference. Don't let those over ass brand highend price guitars fool you, it's the person behind the instrument.
You are really good at guitar!
Worst colour ever. Great on a strat though
Wanna guitar that plays like a cheapo $200 guitar? Get an Epiphone LP - they cost a lot more and aren't any better.