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Harley Benton HB-35 Plus | The best budget 335 style guitar money can buy in 2021? Review & Demo
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- Опубликовано: 15 авг 2024
- This is the Harley Benton HB-35 Plus in Metallic Green!
The HB-35 Plus is clearly Harley Benton’s take on the legendary Gibson 335 semi-acoustic electric guitar, but of course at the typical Benton budget point - the HB-35 Plus came in at €249 when I filmed this video in August 2021.
Get the HB-35 Plus here: bit.ly/HB-35Pl...
This video came about because I recently did a review/demo of the Harley Benton Aeolus (the link to that video is below), which is sort of a cross between a 335 and a Les Paul. And a bunch of you asked me to shoot the Aeolus out against the HB-35, so here we are!
The HB-35 Plus has some pretty decent specs going on for the €249 price. You get a maple body and neck (with a pau ferro fingerboard), generic but functional hardware, and a pair of Roswell humbuckers which can both be split down to single coils. So, this guitar should be capable of a vast array of sounds. The neck itself is also pretty nice: you get a decent-sized modern C neck profile, 22 medium jumbo frets, a 305 mm/14” radius and Gibson scale length, which is 628 mm - all in all, this makes the guitar very easy to get your hands round.
Now, I generally associate this kind of semi-acoustic guitar with indie and rock players (like Jason Isbell, Mando Diao, Brian Fallon and Dave Grohl), but many people see the 335 as being a more classic instrument, and point to players like Larry Carlton, BB King, and even Chuck Berry. So, with those artists alone, we’re looking at a bunch of different styles to test the HB-35 in!
And that’s exactly what we’re going to do. In this video, I put the HB-35 Plus through its paces playing some pop, indie, folk, rock, and even some Drop D metal riffs, and we’ll see how it handles it!
Here are some links to the various playing samples and info bits:
00:00 Hello!
00:40 Introduction to the Harley Benton HB-35
01:24 A bit about 335 style guitars and who plays them
02:33 HB-35 specs and info
04:57 Today’s rig
Clean Sounds
05:53 Clean tone reference chords with all pickup/coil split options
06:42 Poppy barre chords
07:18 Ringing open pop chords
07:49 Indie pop picked chord arpeggios
08:32 Soul pop chords
09:01 Country ballad arpeggios
09:32 Indie droning chord progression
10:13 Bluesey southern rock riff
10:38 Fake jazz chords with tone control test
Light/Medium Crunch Sounds w/Greer Lightspeed
10:57 AC/DC inspired classic rock riff
11:32 Airbourne inspired classic rock riff
12:08 Hendrix inspired classic rock riff
12:45 Groovy classic rock riff
13:40 Indie rhythm chords
14:09 Indie octave chords riff
14:33 Indie rock barre chords
14:59 HB-35 volume control roll-off test
15:39 Kings Of Leon inspired epic indie rock riff
High-gain overdrive sounds
16:12 Classic hard rock riff
16:49 Glam rock riff
17:20 Foo Fighters inspired modern rock riff
17:56 Chunky alt rock chords
18:23 Modern alt rock riff
18:37 Pop punk riff
19:08 Pop punk melodic lead riff
19:44 Punk rock power chords
20:15 Rage Against The Machine inspired groovy riff (Drop D tuning)
20:52 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning)
21:26 Modern rock palm-muted power chords (Drop D tuning)
Clean Channel w/Revv G3 Distortion Pedal (all in Drop D tuning)
21:50 Hardcore chugging riff
22:05 Thrash metal riff
22:25 Hardcore punk riff
22:55 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang
23:19 Hardcore punk chugging verse riff
23:40 Classic heavy metal/sludge riff
24:13 My thoughts on the HB-35 Plus’s versatility
24:54 First impressions: that Metallic Green finish and looks
26:26 Weight
26:58 Build quality and hardware
28:56 Playability and the neck
31:11 Sounds
35:03 What’s the competition for the HB-35 Plus?
37:50 Final conclusion and goodbye
Here’s my video on the Harley Benton Aeolus: • Harley Benton Aeolus |...
I ran the HB-35 Plus into my Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 head, using my Greer Lightspeed for the overdrive and my Revv G3 for the 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: bit.ly/HKBS200rwm
Greer Lightspeed: bit.ly/Lightsp...
Revv G3: bit.ly/RevvG3RWM
Focusrite 4i4 (this is the newer equivalent of my 2i4, which they don’t make any more!): bit.ly/rwmFR4i4
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Enjoy!
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Backing music from the RUclips Audio Library: Duck In The Alley - TrackTribe.
#HarleyBenton #HB35 #HarleyBentonHB35 #Gibson335
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!
And here's the timestamps, phone people:
00:00 Hello!
00:40 Introduction to the Harley Benton HB-35
01:24 A bit about 335 style guitars and who plays them
02:33 HB-35 specs and info
04:57 Today’s rig
Clean Sounds
05:53 Clean tone reference chords with all pickup/coil split options
06:42 Poppy barre chords
07:18 Ringing open pop chords
07:49 Indie pop picked chord arpeggios
08:32 Soul pop chords
09:01 Country ballad arpeggios
09:32 Indie droning chord progression
10:13 Bluesey southern rock riff
10:38 Fake jazz chords with tone control test
Light/Medium Crunch Sounds w/Greer Lightspeed
10:57 AC/DC inspired classic rock riff
11:32 Airbourne inspired classic rock riff
12:08 Hendrix inspired classic rock riff
12:45 Groovy classic rock riff
13:40 Indie rhythm chords
14:09 Indie octave chords riff
14:33 Indie rock barre chords
14:59 HB-35 volume control roll-off test
15:39 Kings Of Leon inspired epic indie rock riff
High-gain overdrive sounds
16:12 Classic hard rock riff
16:49 Glam rock riff
17:20 Foo Fighters inspired modern rock riff
17:56 Chunky alt rock chords
18:23 Modern alt rock riff
18:37 Pop punk riff
19:08 Pop punk melodic lead riff
19:44 Punk rock power chords
20:15 Rage Against The Machine inspired groovy riff (Drop D tuning)
20:52 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning)
21:26 Modern rock palm-muted power chords (Drop D tuning)
Clean Channel w/Revv G3 Distortion Pedal (all in Drop D tuning)
21:50 Hardcore chugging riff
22:05 Thrash metal riff
22:25 Hardcore punk riff
22:55 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang
23:19 Hardcore punk chugging verse riff
23:40 Classic heavy metal/sludge riff
24:13 My thoughts on the HB-35 Plus’s versatility
24:54 First impressions: that Metallic Green finish and looks
26:26 Weight
26:58 Build quality and hardware
28:56 Playability and the neck
31:11 Sounds
35:03 What’s the competition for the HB-35 Plus?
37:50 Final conclusion and goodbye
Enjoy!
This is hands down the best and most comprehensive HB - 35 Plus review on RUclips ! Guys, let us take a moment to appreciate the abundance of genres covered !
Ha ha, thanks so much! I do try and get a riff in for as many different musical tastes as I can in every video :) Fun for me to play as well, of course. Cheers for watching and for the kind words!
Crear Review honestly wide range of elements explained GREAT !
Thanks a lot, really glad you enjoyed it! This is an amazing guitar, even more so for the money...
@@RichWordsMusic
I think this is one of the best guitar demos I've ever seen. It really demonstrates the variety of sounds available. Why do so many reviews use high gain all the time? It really hides the guitars basic sound. Cheers and thanks! Oh, and I've got one now, as luck would have one came up locally, second hand, left handed. It looks fantastic in cherry red. I've not managed to find a flaw on it and it plays very well. The only mod that i want to do is the Jack socket, they seem to be a weak point on HB guitars.
Thanks, I am very happy to hear that! I totally agree with you about some videos here... and that's one of the reasons why I decided to demo as many different kinds of playing as I could in videos. Blues and high gain shred are already covered ;) And as we know, put enough distortion into the signal and everything sounds the same after a while. That sounds like a great find - happy new guitar day to you! These are excellent instruments indeed, and at second hand prices they're an absolute steal (although I'm guessing left-handers are considerably harder to find). So far I've never had an issue with an HB jack socket, but you are probably right in that they're one of the first tings that will go. But upgrade that, possibly the nut and tuners, maybe the wiring, and you've got a guitar that can handle anything!
This is by far the best review of this guitar, thank you sir, you know how to do a complete review playing a wide range of genres not just blues (for this kind of guitar).
Thanks so much! Yes, I try and play enough riffs and genres that there's something for almost everyone in my videos - I'm glad you appreciated it :)
Thank's a lot for this super detailed video! ❤
I got the HB 35 Plus for about 5 years now and must say it's been an absolute swiss-knife for any recording situation. The problem with the loss of output in coil-splitting mode is imho exaggerated, because it mainly concerns life performance, at which this wouldn't be your only guitar. If you raise the volume and play the single coil mode in e.g. super high gain, you will experience the uniqueness of these well balanced pickups in another, quite magical way: if you are willing to give this guitar your love (...I mean get used to the neck and stuff), it will surely give it back to you.
I must confess, I had her at a luthier, who gave her a great setup and had the bridge and the tuners replaced. And the neck: oh man, the neck......
It feels right and plays well, but sometimes after a heavy change of weather I could not explain, why some strings touch the fretboard on some tones..... Is there a rubber core?
With a higher string action the prob was solved. And it still plays smoothly enough. (btw. the HB 35 goes well with different string gauges 😉👍)
Nonetheless I love this guitar not only for her look and playability, but for her excellent and unique sound even accoustically means: unplugged: this is far more than a copy! Plus it's a stage and a sofa guitar at the same time - ... though it's quite heavy for a semi-hollow 😊
Love & peace (And thx again ❤❤❤)
Absolutely fantastic review. The most comprehensive on YT. Thank you!
Thanks a lot, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Great review; been looking at that guitar for a while, now. Love that you took the time to utilize the new feature to time-stamp every part of your video! Also, there are no "epic" Kings Of Leon riffs. Ever. Never will be.
Ha ha, I'll take that one! That's the downside of coming up with so many chapter titles... sometimes you come up with weird things like that ;) I do like a bunch of KoL's stuff, although I tend to prefer the older more rocky ones of their first couple of albums compared to the more 'epic' (or not!) atmospheric stuff they've done. Horses for course though, and I am glad you enjoyed the video. This guitar is a lot of fun, and incredible value for money... and of course the KoL guys often play 335s too! Cheers :)
Thanks so much for this ...I've been thinking of these one for a while now. After your review I'm in! Last winter I bought one of their solid wood acoustics ( couldn't afford the 2100$ for the Martin..retired and on a fixed income ). Blown away...plays like a dream and sounds terrific. 390$ Delivered to Montreal, Canada ( and that included Duty )!. Thx again; great review.
That's great Bob - I hope you love the HB-35 when you get your hands on it! The HB guitars all offer incredible value for money, but some are just incredible instruments full stop. I'm glad you are pleased with your acoustic (I actually need to try some HB acoustics soon!) - for that price, all solid woods is basically unheard of. What a great time to be a guitar player, with so many fantastic instruments around at affordable prices :) Cheers!
Articulate informative review. Reassuring, as I placed an order for HB-35 this afternoon.
Energetic guitar playing...Thank you.
Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope you love the HB-35 when it arrives! They're fantastic guitars.
Man, you have the gift to gab! Great review. Only a woman could keep up with your eloquence! You barely stopped to catch your breath during the entire presentation. You have a gift! You'd be a good teacher in the lecture hall.
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, once you do a bunch of videos like this it becomes very natural, plus my father is a teacher, so maybe it's in my blood ;) Thanks for watching!
Great demo mate
Cheers, thanks for watching!
Took the crappy stock strings off and put on some nice elixirs what a huge difference that made.
I'm sure a lot of guys take off the stocks strings and put on the stuff they like. Used the tune o matic to lower the action.
Yeah, it's a shame how some companies shop their guitars with crappy strings. I actually don't mind the ones HB uses (which are D'Addario apparently!) - some other companies use far worse ones! But if you pick up a guitar with bad strings in a shop I feel you're way less likely to actually buy it! I always recommend a string change on a new guitar, just helps you get even more into your own comfort zone.
man, I bought one of these in this color always wanted to try a 335/339 type guitar. I was blown away at what a "rock machine' this guitar could be. unreal sounding guitar. I love mine and I love this color too.
Ah, you got the same one?! Awesome! Great minds think alike ;) But I agree, this guitar is a total rock and roll machine, and the pickups love a bit of gain. Really, really nice axe :)
@@RichWordsMusic ah yes, great minds are in alignment. lol. I thought when I first saw this color, that it was gonna be a guacamole puke green, but, I was pleasantly surprised. It looks awesome w/the natural back n' sides. Yea, the pickups really surprised me. I was expecting less gaininess(is this a word?) from them and they really sound great w/gain. keep up the great vids Rich and great taste in guitars.
@@23skidoo46 Ha ha, I was also expecting it to be a worse color until I actually saw it. It's quite restrained in the flesh. I swear I've seen a Charvel or two that must've genuinely been Guacamole Puke Green, ha ha! It's weird, the HB-35 does the cleans like I thought it would (i.e. really well) and the more I kept upping the gain, it just handled everything! It's a really good guitar. And yes, gaininess is now a word!
God, that guitar sounds amazing! I love this type of guitars at high gain
I agree, it does high gain so well! You wouldn't expect it of a 335-type.
I feel these days that there are thousands of players that would love a semi but it is such a different thing they are well founded in thinking they might not get along with it. The size and feedback issues are real, but obviously mangeable. The HB-35 is an ideal solution. It's cheap but it does not look it at all. Even if you did not gel with a semi selling it should be easy and with a very small loss in your investment.
Yep, I agree with all of that. And I used to be in the same boat... I'd tried semi-acoustics quite a few times until I found my Ibanez AS73FM, and that one just clicked. It just had that easiness of playing that others didn't. But I do think the size alone puts people off, and that's why I often recommend 339s too. All that said though, the HB-35 Plus represents a real easy (and cheap!) first step into that nice, and as you mention, if you don't get on with it you can basically make your money back by selling it on.
As far as the competition goes, Squier Starcaster would also be within the ballpark of this one.
Yep, that would certainly be an interesting one to compare! I'm a big Squier fan but have never tried a Starcaster...
Lovely guitar
Just one remark I would have liked more solo or single notes to hear the sound of the pickups
I agree, and noted - will try and add more single note stuff to future videos. Thanks for watching!
RIPPIN' guitar Rich! The old 335 style CAN do anything pretty much!
Yeah man, this one's an absolute beast! Every time I kept upping the gain I was expecting it to reach its limit, but it didn't! It's an awesome guitar, particularly when you consider how cheap it is...
@@RichWordsMusic Indeed!
Thanks for the thorough job as always
I am not a 335 person, but I am a 339 person. I have a gibson (with classic 57's) and an Epiphone. As for sounds, the Epiphone is every bit and every pitch a contender. I personally would look for a used Epiphone before considering a Harley
Glad you enjoyed it! Interesting, I've never owned a 339 myself but would love to one day - and it'd be an Epiphone one for me. Especially now I hear you say it competes with the Gibson and is about 20% of the price! I'd also consider a used Epi over a Harley in many cases, although it'd take a special Epi 335/339 to beat this HB-35 Plus. I do love the Epiphone brand, though, and it totally wins for me on that front...
I have an Epiphone DOT as well as the recently acquired HB35+. The aim is that the HB is the one that leaves the house (lefty DOTs not being available anymore). Both are great guitars, the DOT feels a little more premium. If HB bring out a 339 in L/H I'll be first on the list, I do find the 335 shape a little on the large side.
well done rich and allso helped me decide on all my hughes and kettner amps through viewing your videos, paul
Thanks Paul, I'm happy to hear that! Hope you're enjoying your H&Ks too, I still use my Black Spirit 200 for pretty much everything I do.
Just catching up with some of your videos. Now this guitar sounded very, very good indeed. An absolute bargain in my opinion.
I have a couple of semi hollow guitars made by Aria in the 80's.
They are absolutely magic to play!
I really would like to try one of these Harley Bentons.
Cheers. 😊😎🎸
Thanks Steve! Yep, this guitar really surprised me... and it's the third semi-hollow to do that in the past couple of years (after my Ibanez and the Harley Benton Aeolus I tried recently). They're super versatile and so much easier to play than the semi-hollows I remember trying at music shops when I was a kid. I hope you get the chance to try one of these soon, as they're really fun, and you get so much bang for your buck!
As versatile you say the guitar is, I feel like you as a player are just as (if not, more) versatile lol you kinda brought out the full potential of this thing
Never seen this many genres and demos in one review lol great work
Aw, thanks! Yeah, I do try to play as many different styles as I can think of in these videos... and the guitar did handle everything too! Cheers :)
Two complaints about this guitar (which I love, btw) that I didn't find mentioned:
1) The frets are scratchy, which gets in the way when bending clean tones. Easy enough to fix with 600+ grid sandpaper.
2) When you want to mix the two PUs, *either* of the volume controls will "switch off" the total volume when set to zero. Hard to fix (and I havn't) because you can only get at the electonics through the rather narrow f-holes. At home or in studio that is only rather fickle to set up, but for stage work? Big no.
Yes, it's a real shame you got one with scratchy frets. I was lucky straight out of the box, but as you say, a little setup and that's sorted anyway.
When it comes to the middle pickup selector switch thing - that's something which is relatively normal for Les Paul/335-type guitars. My Epiphone Les Paul and Ibanez AS73FM do it too, and I think most similar instruments will. It took me aback at first, as I come from Telecasters originally! I'm used to it now, but I'm sure that could be wired differently too, if you need it.
Edit: although, yes, getting at the electronics to mod them is a nightmare with guitars like this! I much prefer the way it's done on the Harley Benton Aeolus, which has a backplate!
That's pretty much standard for any two pickup guitar with two volume knobs. Why would you ever be in the middle position if one pickup is rolled all the way off?
@@Anjohl You're right in that if you only want one pickup, the switch is the way to go. The problem arises when you want just a little from one PU for sound's sake. The (let's call it the crossover point) from full to very little is so near to nothing, that it's just impractical for stage use. I should have been more precise in my comment.
I've since heard that this is a rather common effect, so I won't hold it against the HB-35+ :)
Such a great review!
I’m thinking of buying one myself. In lemon color.
Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed it! I think the Lemon one looks great, and I hope you get a chance to try it for yourself soon :)
I've been eyeing up this guitar for a week or so now and have always loved the semiacoustic design guitars but have also been irring towards a les paul copy and HB have so many guitars it can feel a bit confusing for more of a guitar novice like myself. But your video has totally convinced me now that this is the one I want! Just got to decide on the colour now ... Thanks!
Spectacular. I always wanted a semi hollow-body guitar to play some 1950s rock n roll/rockabilly music & the design & finishing has a nice retro look. This will be on my wishlist 😎🎸😎🎸😎
Yes, this guitar ticks all the right boxes for you I think! It has lovely classic clean tones, stick on a little drive and a slapback delay and you'll be in rockabilly central! Hope you get to try one soon :)
Sounds pretty good. There's something about the fretboards and finishes on Harley Bentons that just don't jive with me. I've got an epiphone 335 from the inspired by gibson line. Amazing guitar for the money. Also just got the Emily Wolfe Sheraton. Expensive for an epiphone but quite frankly it's amazing and underpriced. Quality review. Thanks man!
Thanks, glad you liked the video! I'd love to try one of those Emily Wolfe Sheratons, they look fantastic but no dealers anywhere near here carry them. Epiphone are really making some great stuff these days though. I've tried a few of the Inspired By Gibson ones (not sure if my 2020 SG is one of those?) and they've all been great. I love the traditional looks of them, and yes, they all seem to have darker boards than a lot of the HB models! They might cost a bit for an Epiphone, but they're still way more affordable than a Gibson model would be.
I'd take a dark rosewood or ebony board over this guitar's board any day, for sure. The finish I actually like, but it's definitely polarizing. They do make more traditional ones, though. The best thing about it is the sounds, though - I think it really performs above the €249 price point!
I was able to play the Emily Wolf and I really enjoyed it, absolutely love the looks and it sounded good. It was surprisingly heavy, which seemed strange for a semi hollow. It’s arguable Harley Benton is making the best cheap guitars right now. We need some punk bands playing Harley Bentons
@@jeffs6114 It seems to be that affordable guitars are getting heavier and heavier in general (as brands choose the lighter woods for their more expensive guitars). I've noticed it with Squier guitars these past few years, and even lower priced Mexican Fenders. But yes, I was also surprised at the solid feeling of this one when I picked it up (and the HB Aeolus, which is also semi-hollow!). A wiser person than me told me that it's probably because the mahogany center blocks on these cheaper ones aren't left as long to dry out before being used, so there's still some moisture left in them - which adds to the weight.
I'd love to try the Emily Wolfe at some point too. It looks like a lot of fun, and quite different from your standard semi-hollow. We do need more punk bands playing HB, yes, and I agree - I don't think there's many companies out there who can compete on the value for money front.
I really like the way you go about reviews. I have the black HB 35 no pot splitting and pick it out of all nine of my electrics more often than not on gig nights. If possible review the Ampman by Hughes&Kettner . Thanks I enjoyed this. Watching from Butte MT in the States .
Thanks John, really happy to hear that! You know, no gigs for me at the moment, but I also find myself reaching for my HB guitars most days over the more expensive offerings for practice, videos, etc. They certainly know how to make a great guitar for the money! And funnily enough, I did get my hands on an AmpMan Classic recently. I may be able to do a video on that one too :) Greetings from Europe!
Sounds great...Fantastic value for money and as ever wicked playing...
Cheers Mark, and I have to agree... no idea how they make these so good for €249!
Actually think the combination of colours on that one is pretty darn *nice!* Use a green screen next time you review it, that could be kinda fun :D Thanx for the review. Quality content as always
Ha ha, I do have a green screen... maybe I should! It would certainly make for a unique vibe ;) I like these colors too, but understand why some might not. Thanks so much, I am very happy you are still enjoying my videos!
Green and gold were my old school colours so looks great to me and sounds really good! But the best part for me about this guitar is it's a half decent 335 clone with no 'Mickey Mouse Ear' horns. Gibson and Epiphone current semi hollow model horns are so massive, I can't bring myself to consider them. I like the Ibanez horns too but those models can get pricey. Looking forward to more shootouts, especially the Aeolus vs this one.
Interesting, I hadn't thought about the horns too much, but I guess that's because they're so subtle on the HB! I actually prefer that massively too. And now I've seen it, I can't unsee it on the others! So that's a great point. You definitely need one of these if it matches your old school colours! If you still had them you could channel your inner Angus Young but in green and gold. I think the HB-35 vs the Aeolus is going to be a really fun one! Should be coming in the next few weeks...
Ya man! Soo I’ve been waiting for this exact spec’d guitar in black/gold to be crafted by HB for quite some time now. So naturally ordered it idunno several months ago. Here’s the real talk.
Same same first impressions. Love everything I mean everything about it. Except the Fckin light ass fretboard.
It’s been quite the love hate relationship over past year. But long of it short has lately became my go to fave daily workhorse thst I will not go without.
Some words of advice tho. Just learn to love the fretboard. You’ll eventually get over it. Beware on ebonizing it. I tried every trick in the book to get this damn thing ebonized. The pau Ferr.. is very very hard/solid wood thst does not take well to stains/dyes/etc. I’ve ultimately sanded it all off and back to factory settings (well on the fretboard at least). And am just fine with it now. I mean the takeaway with my ebonizattack on this is this is a damn solid straight not warping ever changing neck! Soo anyway. FWIW.
I personally dig the blk/gold over metallics on this generation of hb35s!
Just keeping an eye out for some gold G buckers to add to it now!!
Thanks for the advice! It is hard for me to see past that board sometimes though ;) I have other guitars where I have learned to love them, but when I see them next to rosewood or ebony, it still gets to me a bit. But yep, pau ferro doesn't really like to be treated much anyway. But I am super happy you are enjoying yours now after you got to know it a bit better. I actually hope HB does some more finishes and colors this year too, as I think the current offers are perhaps a bit niche for some tastes! And yeah, some Gibson (or other decent) buckers in there and you've got one amazing workhorse! Rock on!
Excellent insight, helped me to decide on getting the Blue HB-35 Plus (on it's way)
The Pau Ferro fingerboard is not inferior btw ... it's harder than Rosewood but not as hard as Ebony (in between the two) and is sourced from South America ... Fender have also switched from Rosewood to Pau Ferro for sustainability reasons ... Pau Ferro is also know as Bolivian Rosewood
This HB looks and sounds ridiculous for the price, and as someone who owns 43 guitars from £500 to £5000 I can testify to the fact that a lot of brand snobbery can get in the way of a proper bargain ... will look to give my own thoughts on this HB-35 Plus once I've had a chance to play it
Thanks for the excellent review and information, much appreciated
Thanks a lot, I'm glad you enjoyed the video and I'm happy I was able to help you make your choice... I hope you're enjoying your new guitar?
You're totally right about the wood. Technically, of course, it's just a different kind of wood. I think a lot of my love of the traditional rosewood is down to experience - that's basically all I played for years and years, and it just looks and feels 'right'. Put me in a blind test with two well set up guitars, though - one rosewood and one pau ferro - and I might be in trouble ;)
Would love to know how the HB-35 Plus slots into your collection, and if it measures up to your expectations. Let me know if you do a video about it, or just write me your thoughts here. Cheers, and enjoy! (Oh, and glad you enjoyed my video too!)
I have a couple of these and love'em both. the tone kills me especially w/some gain. I bought a couple of 339 epi's and they're not the same in tone. Is it maybe the mass of body? both are semi-hollow.
Awesome, they sound so thick and punchy with a bit of overdrive, don't they! Interesting about the 339... I really want to try one of them soon because I like the idea of the slightly smaller body. But you're right that they might affect the tone... shame if that's the case with all of them!
@@RichWordsMusic I thought the same, a smaller 335 sounded perfect for me. I bought the Ultra 339 and 339 pro and they both sound good, just not quite the same as the HB's. They still have their place, but, to me they just don't have that punch. Maybe, it's the pups? IDK, I do love the HB's tone. ridiculous w/drive. try out the 339 and let me know what you think.
@@23skidoo46 Weird, and potentially disappointing... and from what I know about your guitars and taste, I'll find them to be exactly the same! It could well be the pickups, though. There are some Epi 339s I'Ve seen out there with P90s - they might be the ones to go for! I will try one if I see one and let you know :)
Thx for posting. Sounds excellent considering the pricetag, but I knew that already after 677 HB35 demo's on YT. The green finish made me click. Green guitars just sound better ))
Ha ha, yep - there's just something about that metallic green paint ;) My green Epiphone SG also sounds fantastic. I have to say though that I think maybe blue is the ultimate tonal color ;) On a serious note though, the HB-35 is a wonderful and very fun guitar, and even more so for the money!
Hello! It's probably a strange question, but if you buy the only guitar for practicing at home, what would you prefer - HB-35 Plus, TE-69 or JA-60? I want something versatile and I really like all these guitars, the tone of them, the look (especially of HB-35) but I can't choose one because I've only had LP- and Stratocaster-type guitars. Is this guitar from the video not too bulky?
Hmm, good question! Well if it's just for home I would assume you'll be sat down, right? In which case the bulkiness won't be an issue. (It isn't for me standing up with the guitar either, by the way, but I know the 335 shape is a bit large for some people's tastes.) The HB-35 is super versatile too, because it has some cool coil splits for single coil tones. It probably covers the most tonal ground of the three, but actually I prefer the satin neck finishes of the other two, and if I was going on versatility, I'd pick the TE-69... although again, only for sitting down, as that was a super heavy guitar.
Here's a curveball, though - if I can, I have another HB to recommend - the Aeolus: thmn.to/thoprod/521088?offid=1&affid=1250
The Aeolus is probably the best all-round HB I've played (I've got a vid of it elsewhere on my channel, and an A/B comparison with the HB-35 here: ruclips.net/video/yZub3r2ASA8/видео.html). It's not in stock at the moment but I would pick it over all the others for a do-it-all option.
Sorry for the rambling, and hope this helps!
@@RichWordsMusic Wow, thank you very much for such a detailed answer, Rich! I will check the Aeolus model and take it into consideration for sure!
Wonder if the set up was given more time and care because HB knew you were doing a review? Hope the quality is standard.
My cynical nature lol. Great colour very gretsch type colours, sounds great too. For 250 euros it's one to try and have fun with. Enjoyed this review ty.
Ha ha, I do wonder about that, but with me I'm pretty certain they don't. Firstly, my channel is so small it wouldn't be worth it ;) That might change at some point though, who knows? I know some other RUclipsrs who do stuff with HB too and they get a notification when a guitar is getting a special setup before it ships, and that's never happened with me. Also, I did the HB Aeolus too, and that had the pickup selector switch the wrong way round - they'd surely never have let that through to me if it had been checked.
But yeah, everything else aside these are great guitars for the money - no one else is putting as much great specs into €250 guitars at the moment, that's for sure. Glad you enjoyed the video!
@@RichWordsMusic I'm sure your channel will grow and good luck to you.
@@jamescoughlan8193 Thanks a lot, me too! Cheers :)
Looks like s guitar for St Patrick's Day 😀
Ha ha, it is rather green, isn't it!
Thanks for that very good review. I'm french and my english is not really perfect 😁 . Could you just tell us which cords do you used on it? ( Perhaps you told it faster for me, and then, sorry for that question)
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video! I actually left the factory strings on - they are listed on the Thomann website as being these D'Addario ones: thmn.to/thoprod/104555?offid=1&affid=1250
Hope that helps! (P.S. I didn't say it in the video, and I apologize if I spoke too fast ;) ).
Any neck dive issues with these??
None whatsoever with this one :)
Just unpacked this very guitar today. Was a little confused with the single coil mode so I looked for a review. Thank you for your help and your diligent testing. Now I am even happier with the guitar. And would you believe - Thomann has sold the green version for 199 Euros. Just can't believe how much value I got for this price. I have a question: Which strings would you recommend after the original ones will be worn down? Thanks and best wishes from Berlin!
Happy new guitar day! I'm glad my video was able to help you out, and I agree... €199 for this guitar is a steal! What incredible value. When it comes to strings, go for whatever normal gauge you prefer and that'll be fine - I generally use Ernie Ball Regular Slinky sets (which are 10-46) for this type of guitar. (I put 9s on my Tele though!) Cheers from the sunny Saarland :)
what is that stereo effect I hear through my headset?
Oh, I'm not sure... whereabouts are you hearing it in the video? Whatever it is, it shouldn't be there!
@@RichWordsMusic my bad my earbuds turned out to be broken
@@jellyfishinterrupted8085 Oh, OK! Well I guess I'm happy my video isn't broken then 😉 Cheers for letting me know!
Chuck Berry and BB King didn't play a 335. They're guitars were Gibson 355. Of course very similar to a 335.
You're right, and I stand corrected. I did some Googling and found that BB King did play a 335 too on occasion, but it seems like Chuck Berry pretty much exclusively played his 355. They are fairly similar, yes, but not the same. So I learned something today as well - thanks for the info!
Oh, and of course this got me thinking that it'd be great if HB were to make a 355-type guitar too! They don't seem very common.
@@RichWordsMusic I'm not sure the differences but a lot of artists from the 60s and 70s seem to prefer the 355
@@frankhughes5702 Me neither but I'm going to learn more about it now... I'm a big Chuck Berry fan.
Love the tones, they just don’t feel right on me?
Yeah, these semi-acoustics sound great for loads of different things. You could try a 339... but smaller, less cumbersome? I was quite surprised at how well this one handled the G3, actually.
i like this channel and content...well done all your reviews..only one comment...which is kind of obvious and they talked about it on the anderton's channel a lot..but 249euro guitar through that amplifier is a bit more than misleading...what do you think?..thank you.
Thanks Juro, glad you liked the video, and the channel! I understand the point about putting a guitar through a cheaper amp, but the Black Spirit 200 only costs about €500 used here, so it's actually a pretty cheap amp. And I need an amp that I can use at home, where it's not too loud ;) There aren't any other amps out there for around €250 that I can make a decent video with, going direct into my computer interface.
Also, I agree with Henning Pauly when he says it's good make the piece of gear you are making a video on the cheapest... so, if I put the HB-35 Plus through a €199 amp it'll be limited. But if I put the guitar through a decent amp, like the Black Spirit 200, if it sounds bad we know it's the guitar ;)
I guess finally, I have used the Black Spirit 200 on the same settings for almost all my videos this year, and that means the sounds are consistent and comparable between videos.
It's a really interesting point though, and I would like to address it more in future. Do you have any recommendations for amps that could fall into the Harley Benton price bracket?
@@RichWordsMusic thanks for your reply..appreciated!..no, I have no suggestions..i like the sound of your videos and straightforwardness and simplicity, well done!..That head costs a bit more down here in Europe as far as i have seen than upthere in the UK i guess.. but i imagine a person who aspires to buy this kind of a guitar for 250quid probably has a 50watt digital fender or marshall in the best case...and I think you'd agree it would sound quite differently..but I am not here to criticize..only to 'comment bellow'..something that comes to your mind when you're watching youtube videos..I have several amps from small digital thr10 or katana 50 to valve fender amps or my favourite Blackstars and from more expensive usa made fender or gibson or prs guitarsto my latest acquisition (and currently really favourite) of squier classic vibe esquier (when i saw your first video..) and so I am aware of these differences. Neverhteless..just a thought.. but again, thanks for the good work..enjoying your channel content. Sorry for this long answer.. ;)
@@kolombijec Very good points! And don't apologize for a long answer, I love to hear intelligent comments on my videos. And also feedback that could help me improve. I'm based in Europe, by the way (Germany). So I guess there's more used H&Ks on eBay here ;) But yes, I take your point. I will probably buy a 'cheap' amp at some point to aid in some videos. But the other case is: if I use a Marshall CODE (just as an example) to demo a guitar, we know that the guitar can only sound as good as the amp. If I use a more expensive amp, we know it could sound better. If it sounds great, that great... if it sounds bad (when other guitars sound great with this amp), we know it's the guitar and not the amp. Does that make sense? I hope so ;) It does in my head as I type, I hope to you as well ;)
It sounds like you have a pretty sweet gear collection! I actually do own a Yamaha THR10 as well, and I tried it with the HB-35 today. It sounds really good, but you get more and more fizziness as you increase the gain, which is something I experience with this amp no matter what guitar I use. But for cleans and light crunch sounds, it's lovely. Funny though, the THR10 didn't like my Esquire so much - it was very thin sounding. It's a shame, because the Esquire is so much fun with my other amps.
Again, thanks for watching and commenting, I really appreciate it!
@@RichWordsMusic dont harley benton do a 250euro tube amp at 15 watts?
@@musikmark1 They've done a few over the years in that ballpark, yes. If any of them had a DI/silent recording option I'd be all over them!
👍🏻👍🏻
My thanks as ever, good sir!
But why 42 mm
That's pretty much Harley Benton's standard nut width I think...
I like the control layout. Trad Gibson layout is, frankly, stupid. I have to reach that far for the volume control? Yeah nah thanks
Yeah. For me generally I think I could do with just the one volume and tone knob, and that's it. And knobs miles away from where you're actually playing? Nope! There's no point keeping certain things just for tradition!
305mm is 12 inch radius..
Sure is! I guess I'm no mathematician ;)
@@RichWordsMusic On their site Thomann they says it's 305mm but others have measured it saying it is just under 14" radius so I'm confused myself as to which is really is and 14" or 13.76" is too flat for my liking!
@@tjcolatrella943 Hmm, well sadly I had to give the guitar back, but I am pretty sure it wasn't a 14" radius - that's mega flat shredder neck territory! The neck on the HB-35 Plus felt nice and normal to me, and very easy to play. Perhaps you could drop Thomann/HB a message for official clarification?
Finally first again! Yeah! 😂😂😂
Props to you and your dedication my friend ;)