Thinline Telecaster vs Telecaster | Harley Benton TE-69TL vs TE-62CC: which is best value for money?
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- Опубликовано: 3 авг 2024
- Today, we’re comparing two of Harley Benton’s takes on the legendary Fender Telecaster: it’s the traditional TE-62CC versus the TE-69TL Thinline Hot Rod!
Get the TE-69 here: thmn.to/thoprod/517406?offid=...
Get the TE-62 here: thmn.to/thoprod/502822?offid=...
These two guitars are both Telecasters, then, but they’re about as far away as two Teles can get. The traditional TE-62 is what most people would expect a Tele to be with its two single coil pickups and its very standard layout. The TE-69, meanwhile, has a few tricks up its sleeve: it’s a Thinline, so it features a semi-hollow, chambered body, and it also has a humbucking bridge pickup that you can also split down to a single coil.
Both guitars are extremely affordable - the TE-62 will set you back €149, while the TE-69 comes in at €219. Is it worth the extra money, though? And is that stacked bridge humbucker really going to deliver classic Tele tones as well as a true single coil bridge pickup? That’s what we’re about to find out!
In this video, I put the two guitars up against one another and test them out in as many different musical styles as I can, from country, folk and indie, to pop, rock, blues, punk, metal and more. Which one do you think is best?
Here are some links to the various playing samples and info bits:
00:00 Hello!
00:17 Introduction and what we’re doing today
02:00 TE-62CC specs and info
03:33 TE-69TL specs and info
05:26 Today’s rig and plan
Clean Sounds
06:29 Clean tone reference chords
07:10 Poppy barre chords
07:40 Country lead sound
07:53 Country ballad arpeggios
08:06 Ringing open indie pop chords
08:32 Funky rhythm chords
08:46 Blues progression
09:08 Ascending indie chords
Indie Rock Sounds
09:22 Fat indie rhythm chords
09:52 Southern rock arpeggios
10:02 Indie rock barre chords
10:26 Kings Of Leon inspired riff
10:40 Edgy indie rock chords
10:54 Octave chords riff
11:19 Choppy barre chords
Classic Rock Sounds
11:37 Groovy classic rock riff
12:03 Driving classic rock riff
12:18 Airbourne inspired rock riff
12:40 AC/DC inspired classic rock riff
12:57 Hendrix inspired classic rock riff
13:13 Classic rock riff
Heavy Overdrive Sounds
13:29 Classic hard rock riff
13:47 Hard rock riff
14:03 Hard rock melodic lead
14:26 80s rock riff
14:43 Foo Fighters inspired modern rock riff
15:00 Alternative rock riff
15:24 Green Day inspired punk rock riff
15:50 Pop punk melodic lead riff
16:06 Pop punk riff
16:31 Punk rock power chords
16:45 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning)
17:00 Modern rock palm-muted power chords (Drop D)
17:24 Rage Against The Machine inspired groovy riff (Drop D)
Metal sounds (all in Drop D)
17:41 Metal chugging riff
18:14 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang
18:38 Hardcore punk riff
18:53 Heavy metal lead sound
19:09 More hardcore punk
19:33 Classic metal/sludge riff
20:10 My thoughts
21:06 First impressions and looks
21:39 Price
22:50 Build quality and hardware
23:37 Playability and necks
24:59 Weight
26:05 Sounds and pickups
29:11 What competition is out there?
30:41 My conclusions
31:11 Which one should you buy?
My setup was as follows: I ran the guitars into my Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 head, also using my Revv G3 for heavy distortion sounds. The amp went from the Red Box DI straight into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, which went into Logic Pro X. That's it. No post-processing on the sounds was done.
Here’s some links to those bits of gear:
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H&K Black Spirit 200 head: thmn.to/thoprod/447827?offid=...
Revv G3: thmn.to/thoprod/437353?offid=...
Focusrite 4i4 (this is the newer equivalent of my 2i4, which they don’t make any more!): thmn.to/thoprod/467952?offid=...
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Enjoy!
My setup was as follows: I ran the guitars into my Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 head, also using my Revv G3 for heavy distortion sounds. The amp went from the Red Box DI straight into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, which went into Logic Pro X. That's it. No post-processing on the sounds was done.
Here’s some links to those bits of gear:
-----
H&K Black Spirit 200 head: thmn.to/thoprod/447827?offid=...
Revv G3: thmn.to/thoprod/437353?offid=...
Focusrite 4i4 (this is the newer equivalent of my 2i4, which they don’t make any more!): thmn.to/thoprod/467952?offid=...
-----
Enjoy!
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Backing music from the RUclips Audio Library: Duck In The Alley - TrackTribe.
#HarleyBenton #HarleyBentonGuitar #Telecaster #ThinlineTelecaster #TelecasterThinline
Note: certain links in the description are affiliate links. If you click said links and purchase anything as a result, I will receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it does help to support the channel. So, if you do that, thank you very much!
@HarleyBentonOfficial
@ThomannsGuitarsBasses
@ThomannMusic 
Видеоклипы
And here's your timestamps! I'm on a plane over the Atlantic when this video comes out, so don't be expecting any replies to comments for a while:
00:00 Hello!
00:17 Introduction and what we’re doing today
02:00 TE-62CC specs and info
03:33 TE-69TL specs and info
05:26 Today’s rig and plan
Clean Sounds
06:29 Clean tone reference chords
07:10 Poppy barre chords
07:40 Country lead sound
07:53 Country ballad arpeggios
08:06 Ringing open indie pop chords
08:32 Funky rhythm chords
08:46 Blues progression
09:08 Ascending indie chords
Indie Rock Sounds
09:22 Fat indie rhythm chords
09:52 Southern rock arpeggios
10:02 Indie rock barre chords
10:26 Kings Of Leon inspired riff
10:40 Edgy indie rock chords
10:54 Octave chords riff
11:19 Choppy barre chords
Classic Rock Sounds
11:37 Groovy classic rock riff
12:03 Driving classic rock riff
12:18 Airbourne inspired rock riff
12:40 AC/DC inspired classic rock riff
12:57 Hendrix inspired classic rock riff
13:13 Classic rock riff
Heavy Overdrive Sounds
13:29 Classic hard rock riff
13:47 Hard rock riff
14:03 Hard rock melodic lead
14:26 80s rock riff
14:43 Foo Fighters inspired modern rock riff
15:00 Alternative rock riff
15:24 Green Day inspired punk rock riff
15:50 Pop punk melodic lead riff
16:06 Pop punk riff
16:31 Punk rock power chords
16:45 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning)
17:00 Modern rock palm-muted power chords (Drop D)
17:24 Rage Against The Machine inspired groovy riff (Drop D)
Metal sounds (all in Drop D)
17:41 Metal chugging riff
18:14 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang
18:38 Hardcore punk riff
18:53 Heavy metal lead sound
19:09 More hardcore punk
19:33 Classic metal/sludge riff
20:10 My thoughts
21:06 First impressions and looks
21:39 Price
22:50 Build quality and hardware
23:37 Playability and necks
24:59 Weight
26:05 Sounds and pickups
29:11 What competition is out there?
30:41 My conclusions
31:11 Which one should you buy?
DID you LICK the neck? ;oP
Dude you are a really good player GREAT PLAYING
Man this guy knows how to make a comparison
Cheers Kyle, thanks for watching and for the kind words :)
Great matchup and you played such a great variety of rhythms and riffs to really demonstrate their individual sounds! I'm really lovin' these new HB tele's!
Thanks a lot, really glad you liked the format and the riffs! The TE-62s are such great value... I'm still over the moon with mine! Cheers for watching :)
Man, that's an ashtray bridge on a sub-£100 guitar. I still cant believe that HB exists!
Yeah, the specs they fit into these super affordable guitars is crazy... I don't know how they do it sometimes! Great for us players out there though ;)
Another superb stream of informations and very interesting comparison indeed. I am with you on the color and classic tones of the TE62. On the other hand, the TE69 is probably one of the few guitars, where I really like the split coil and like it better than in humbucking mode. Thank you for your dedication!
Great review....and very helpful. The TE 69 is almost in the bag. Thanks 👍
Thanks a lot - glad you enjoyed it! The TE-69 is a great guitar, and if the one HB sent me had been just a little lighter I would've kept it. The next time I visit Thomann I might ask fir them to take out 3/4 of these guitars and see if I can find a lighter one, because apart from that it is seriously excellent - I would thoroughly recommend it if you're thinking about it!
Fantastic review and comparison! I personally prefer the sound of TE62CC, especially with your amazing, varying style playing riffs and bits. Waiting for the next payday!
Thanks a lot Markus, really glad you enjoyed the riffs too! And I hope you manage to get your hands on a TE-62 soon :) They are wonderful guitars... real authentic Teles at an amazing price! I love mine. Cheers!
Thinline DEFINITELY seems to have a darker and obviously more woody sound. I prefer the look AND sound of the 62
It does for sure! It's a much fuller sounding guitar for me, which works for certain things, but if you want that Tele sound, it's got to be the TE-62!
Fantastic review. I bought the 69TL after watching this.
Thanks a lot Terry! And happy new guitar day for your TE-69 :) It’s a wonderful guitar and I really hope you bond with yours straight away!
Wonderful guitar stuff as usual. What's also rather wonderful is the music of Rosalie Cunningham. My gift to you, if you haven't heard her. She's a great singer and plays a mean guitar too. It's rather odd that someone so charismatic and talented isn't a huge star! Something, well, a lot really, is very wrong with the music industry.
Great review. The TE 69 Hot Rod is an amazing guitar, it's easy to play and I've only made a few minor improvements. It has definitely become my favorite Telecaster. My particular one weighs only 3kg. When you consider what Fender has delivered and continues to deliver, it's hard to believe. Especially when you compare it to the prices.
What improvements did you make?
I have the very same TE62 in Lake Placid Blue...amazing guitar for the money but just out of interest I decided to upgrade a few bits on it so I fitted a Mojo tone wiring harness, brass compensated saddles and some Fender Yosomite pickups and it is now my 'go to' Tele.
Thanks for the review. Really enjoyed your playing. You cover so many styles, not only the Blues/Metal stuff that most of the other RUclipsrs come up with. Which guitar would you recommend for smaller hands? You said the C Shape neck of the TE-69TL is thicker, but I have read that because it's more rounded it might be more suitable for smaller hands than a D shape neck.
that kings of leon riff always gets me
They have some killer songs and riffs scattered throughout their catalogue for sure!
I liked T62 more. It looks and sounds as standard tele, and it is 3 times cheaper than Fender performer. I have a very goot partscaster tele, made from fine components, but I would like to have another one, and that is T62. Great playing and very informative review.
Wieder sehr gut !! Ich fand auch Clean unterscheiden sich die Sounds der Thin Line split/no split sehr, im heavy Modus sind die Unterschiede viel geringer. Die Thin Line ist sehr flexibel für fast alles geeignet und deshalb meine Wahl...
Nice.. good info too.
Tell the people that the serial number to these guitars is on the tag that is attached to one of the tuners, not printed on the rear of the head stock. So save the tag. Plus the new 62s now come with the HB logo etched on the 4 bolt metal back plate. Exciting stuff!!
If that thinline comes in black, I’m in! 😮
Black with white/cream binding... count me in too!
Well the TE62CC costs 170 USD and the TE69TL costs 250 so it's way more expensive, not really a good comparison.
Anyway, cool video!
TBH for me the TE62CC took the prize. I was genuinely surprised that the 69 was seemingly lower volume and with or without the humbucker it underperformed even in the high gain area.
Yes, I know what you mean, but at the same time I think all HB guitars fall into the 'almost impulse buy' category... and also lots of people want to know the differences between a standard Tele and a Thinline, hence the idea for the video! They're cousins as opposed to brothers though, that's for sure ;)
It's a really hard choice for me with these two guitars - I love a lot of the TE-69's features and in theory (and on paper) I'd say it would appeal more to me... but I've been a simple Tele guy for years and the TE-62CC is simply a great example of the model at a wonderful price. Cheers for watching :)
HB Thinline is my pick,i may be spoiled i play Kramer, 56' gold top P-90 picks,washburn les paul style,its close thing to the fender thinline with out the price tag$$$ the HB thinline good buy as long as the quality control is good?
Hi again. Do you think that the thinline is a darker guitar in tone even if both had the same pickups
Hmm, good question. I think they'll be very similar with the same pickups. I'd expect the Thinline to have a slightly 'bigger' sound, but not necessarily darker! (And you could EQ any perceived darkness out if it was a problem for you.)
The TL was def darker sounding, even with the p/up split! \m/
Totally agree... it's definitely built to rock! If it wasn't so heavy I'd probably have bought it off HB. I might have to go to Thomann and ask if I can try going through a box to find one under 3.5 kg!
@@RichWordsMusic COULD be a plan!
🤔hmmm, ... have to say ... Hot Rods are Go! 👍😏
Yep, there's something special about a Hot Rod!
is there a chamber in the te 69 blah blah blah under the pickguard??? or is it possible to add a more traditional scratch plate and control layout???
I’m leaning towards the holla body but it’s a tough choice?
YOO DOWN'T KNOW THA POWAH...
It's a tough one for sure! I think if the Thinline was around the 3 kgs mark it'd have won me over for sure :)
@@RichWordsMusic You'd THINK being 1/2 hollowed out it WOULD be fairly light!
Then I've got an old Kit Tele I made about 15 years ago now with an ash body that's easily 10lb!
Greetings from Ukraine! Nice job 😊
💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛
Thanks so much, and I hope you are staying strong and doing well!
I think those caramelized maple neck are just tinted neck.
Otherwise, why would they use roasted maple neck on their fusion models ?
It's an interesting one - and the other thing is, the HB/Thomann websites change occasionally and they alter the name. I think maybe their web guys also don't know the differences 100% ;) This TE-69TL is definitely roasted though... I am looking at it as I type this and I am sure.
Soundwise the cheaper one wins...lookwise the other one...i guess i would also choose by which neck feels better...are they similar?
Yeah, they're quite different - I prefer the chunkier one on the TE-69TL. I talk about the differences a bit at 23:53.
@@RichWordsMusic cool ..I have a Harley Benton Fusion 3 b-stock.. the first one I orderd had a looot of problems..also had dead spots, sounded lifeless and some other issues..went back and they send me a replacement..
And that one..Hollyyyy...It's such an unbelievable great guitar..so amazing...also the roasted neck and fretboard is strong flamed ..it plays like butter and the specs are like on a high end guitar
I felt like I stole the guitar..I paid 210euro and this guitar easy competes with my other one at a 1500 - 2000€ price range! Easy!
The weight is a deal breaker for me. I really like the look of the thinline and the thicker neck but almost 9 pounds?! That’s a bit ridiculous for a semi hollow guitar.
Me too - that's the one thing that stopped my from actually buying this guitar. Apart from that, I basically love everything about it, but it's a deal breaker for me as well. Shame really! Next time I'm at Thomann I'm tempted to ask them to get 2 or 3 out and see if there's a lighter one among them...
Which is the best for a clean, acoustic, use for a songwtiter playing alone?
Hmm, you mean playing totally acoustically, without an amp? In this case I'd definitely say the TE-69TL wins - it's semi-acoustic, so quite a bit louder and fuller to play unplugged.
@@RichWordsMusic thanx
@@l.g.5899 No worries!
Do these Harley Benton guitars stack up in terms of sound and quality against Squier? Or would you say Squier is more superior?
I've had mixed experiences with both HB and Squier over the years, but these days I do think HB stacks up really well. Price-wise they're unbeatable, and in terms of quality in the last 2-3 years all the new HB guitars I've tried have been the equivalent of Squier, no problem. But, if it makes sense, I do feel more excited when I pick up a Squier... that's the rock and roll brand nostalgia, I guess!
Does the 69 bother your leg or arms in anyway because of the weight
Yes, the weight bothered me. I wouldn't have wanted to have that guitar on for a whole gig - it was just a bit too much for me!
YES. The answer is always Yes. N+1 😅
Ha ha, I totally agree!
Harley Benton is notorious for heavy guitars. My TE53-KR Keith Richards Tribute which has Tesla PUs..one Humbucker and one single coil. Beautiful finish BUT it weighs 10lbs ! 🤬
Yeah, the weight issue is a real shame... the scourge of the affordable guitar. I'd have kept the TE-69 if it'd been a reasonable weight. It wasn't anywhere near 10 lbs. either. That's frankly ridiculous! And how sad that this makes an otherwise excellent guitar not an option 😕
Cual es mejor la TE 69 ,,,o la TE 62 cc
I love Teles, and I own the TE-62 - so for me this is a great choice! But if you want some slightly thicker sounds, the TE-69 is the way to go!
My friend ...how is better TE 69 or TE 52 ??
Caramelised isnt toasted
Yeah, it's weird, but HB seem to use the terms interchangeably across their sites...
Thinline has much more versatile tone than the te62
Yep, it's got some added versatility, and the coil split on the bridge pickup gives you even more options...
The TE-62CC wins imho. Always clear and edgy.
It simply nails the authentic Tele sound, that's for sure! Such a fantastic guitar for the money.
The thinline sounds more American. Not as bright as the British sound!!!
Yeah, that’s actually a really good way to look at it. The Thinline is much thicker sounding too… I would be happy to have both guitars in my collection. The Tele, the Thinline and a Les Paul and I would be set!