1K Harley Benton Rig vs. 25K Rig | Challenge | Thomann
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2021
- Can money buy tone? And if so, how much better can a 25.000 Dollar rig be than a working man's Harley Benton setup? Guillaume is taking on Kris' winner rig from Part 1 of this challenge.
(Watch here: bit.ly/2MHBiae )
Which one sounded better to you?
Gear used: bit.ly/3a1r6BZ
We use Triad-Orbit stands for our cameras, lights and mics: tho.mn/triad
Recorded and mixed with Universal Audio: tho.mn/uadx1
Monitors optimised through Sonarworks: tho.mn/sonar
Interesting bits and pieces:
0:22 Introduction
1:42 Kris' Harley Benton Rig
2:40 Guillaume's Rig: Guitar Reveal
3:57 Pedalboard Reveal
5:14 Amp Reveal
6:15 Harley Benton Rig | Playing
8:36 Expensive Rig | Playing
11:33 Thoughts on Money vs. Tone
13:23 Clean Comparison
14:40 Gain Comparison
15:55 High Gain Comparison
17:27 Lead Comparison
20:46 Goodbye
22:21 Jam out
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Видеоклипы
Aw man, the way G put the PRS on that stool..!! Sent chills down my spine! haha
Yes! it happened to me too! haaaaaaaaa poor people reaction I guess? LOL
Living on the edge!... of paying off a broken guitar for 5 years 😂 I actually only realised what I did when watching the video... // Guillaume
@@droidfan My dumb ass has dropped one too many guitars like that! ha, Glad your paycheck is intact Guillaume!
I should have seen the comments before. Every gear addict here felt the same :P
Same 😄
the level of the "cheap" stuff nowadays is literally insane! But the expensive one was just incredible...
only difference is the cost of a decent used SUV
Kris and Guillaume both sounded great. And yes Guillaume`s setup was out of this world. You should make Part 3 and use these setups in a band contex.
What an AWESOME idea! We might actually go there. :) Thanks man!
//Kris
The clarity on Guillaume's rig made me expect some Floyd studio session to begin ... kinda insane. Darn close to a cosmic experience.
Well done guys. I've always have found that there is nothing wrong to have something to even aspire to. Kinda like those classic Lamborghini posters of my youth.
We all need dreams, right? Where were we without them? :) I'm with you man, 100%!
//Kris
It would have been awesome if for the second half of this, they exchanged the guitars only... just to see what happened to the tone.
Agree. They should've.
@@musicadikto absolutely!! I have 2 PRS Customs 22&24...plus the Fusion II...the difference would be more subtle with a guitar swap....meaning you'd not hear much differences - the expensive rig would still largely sound the same and be 14k less expensive.
The expensive rig was used based mainly on effects. We can add a second HB Tube 15 and a second HB 2x12 then use stereo effects as well for much cheaper. Then play the same riffs on both.
Or simply plug the HB into the other rig.
Excellent as always. 2 great guitarists with different styles having fun. Very informative too. Top fun.
Thank you so much James!! Glad you enjoyed our little mess around :) // Guillaume
Makes the HB rig even more compelling
Wow, Kris rig sounds A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. If I was listening blind folded I swear I'd believe it would cost 2-3x times expensive than this. It's time to buy more HB products :)
That PRS... holy moly, and the sounds are just magnificent. However the Harley Benton stuff still sounds amazing too. And i kinda fell in love with that sparkly silver top. HB are bullies, they want all my moneys! Got way to many HB guitars on my wishlist.
I'm more interested in purchasing the hands of these guys. That way I could make tin can sound like million bucks. Awesome as always.
Looks like expensive rig sometimes sounds like synths, not a guitar. It's good sound, I like it, but I believe that the cheap rig is more guitar..ish :)
100% the harley benton gear sounds more direct and traditional, I hate over produced tones.
You’re not wrong, however, that expensive rig is just how modern age guitar playing is. A lot of ambient style playing, lots of delay and big reverbs. Less simple crunch tones. I think this is more of a test of different styles rather than a test of cost of gear
I mean, its not that synth like imo.
Well ... its "the openness of the sound" that's so revealing ...
Well done guys!
"yeah, because it is now fare" haha such a fun video, nice job guys!
What a Fantastic video! Enjoyed the heck out of it haha. Thank you for making my day that much better ;))
Affordable gear has come a long way. But man, boutique, top of the line stuff is just something else.
Around 700-1000€/$ you can get such awesome instruments today it‘s mental. But Sure, boutique, custom etc ist just awesome.
Guillaume is having best day of his life
First he was like "holy *goat sound*, his rig sounds great"
And then PRS started blasting
I had great fun watching you guys. It's great to have guitar content made by nerds for nerds. I've had my headphones on and I was laughing too after these amazing sounds
Guil was literally vibrating!! Haha! It was a special moment. That sound in the room... holy moly
//Kris
When Guillaume opened the guitar case and Chris mention "private stock", I thought: Private stock? Since when has Harley Benton a private stock? :D Then I saw the birds on the fretboard.
Nice video guys.
That Strymon Volante and the stereo for me was the most significant difference, the rest is of taste, but that was... I got chills.
Yes of course Guillaume tone is amazing and it have to be sooooo cool playing such rig, but honestly Kris's tone is awesome too no shame to have there ! I'll be curious to hear Kris's gear pluged in Guillaume's amp
I have laughed as I have not laughed for a long time. GREAT VIDEO
Thank you guys, excellent job well done
Kris' first riff was so on point, those chord progressions.. I even forgot to pay attention to his tone. I thought the HB was a little nasal in direct comparison but when they both play together at the end it is magnificent
yeah but the biggest actual difference is the cabinet and amp itself
Forever in love with the sparkly silver HB guitar.
Awesome guitar playing guy's love the video.
Interesting and entertaining. Thumbs up!
Loved the video, you guys got the point right. There's no possible comparison and as you mentioned, a 25k rig won't make you sound 25 times better than a 1k rig.
I would love a PRS private stock, it has been a dream for some time now but that price is just absurd.
I would have loved to hear the HB through that pedal board and amp (also with normal cables, no need for a 250€ cable between 2 pedals).
I still remember the first HB guitars and amps, a friend of mine bought, around 14 years ago, a T-shape guitar bundle that came with a 10 watt amp and that was....interesting. You guys came such a long way since then, really impressive.
I'll stick to my Telecaster Mx and my DSL40 (both bought on your store alongside pretty much all my gear) for now but i'm keeping an eye on those gorgeous HB's with roasted maple. Keep up the amazing work!
Thanks for playing Chris!
In my opinion, choose Harley Benton for the vintage sound, and choose the expensive rig for modern sounds, i prefer the PRS guitar with the Harley Benton Amp and pedals, i am almost 60 years now and still searching for the perfect sound. great video gentlemen
Does the 25k rig sound better? Yes. Does it sound 25 times better? Hell no!!!
Using the 3% analogy, I wouldn’t say the expensive rig was 8 times better!
you're paying not only for sound.
@the3-dkiller1 mostly agree, I was talking about guitars.
Bro the 25k rig is 100 Time more organique ... but HB rig sound realy good for a standard player !
@@malikyacoubi5146 - I appreciate your opinion... however, how many of us are anything more than standard players??
Thats a great vid!
I would ***LOVE*** for you guys to start recording these videos with a Binaural rig!!! BTW, the PRS rig did sound quite a bit better to me, as it should for the cost difference. The HB was really good though, which shows what a great time it is to be a guitarist!
Such a funny and nice video. Kris is very good with his gear!!!
You both played so well! It's more about getting the best out of the given rig! Me playing both rigs, there would be not much difference in sound, I will spend more time in practicing though! ;-)
It's hilarious when you see one of these guys it a note that just kills it...they just start smiling. Great video. For the price, that HB setup sounded great. G got the sounds with that 25K setup though. LOL
My first guitar was a Harley Benton TE 52. And I'm keeping that bad boy! Soon buying the exact thing Kris is wielding in this video. Keep up the good work, that will be my 4th electric HB, not to mention the insane acoustics. I want to see your name up there with Ibanez and Fender some day
My first electric guitar is that exact HB model (different color) and I bought it 3 years ago, before this video. Sounds like I made the right choice. :)
Twenty years of experience and guitar geeking speaking here:
I must say one thing first, If you put the guitars in context of a recording you won't probably be able to tell the difference.
On their own they sound different because everything is sonically different, not only expensive.
But I prefer the harley benton one, maybe the player knows better how to let the sounds really shine, but the expensive rig is not sounding better.
The only things that matter on a guitar are the way it was build, and how comfortable it is to play it, and how in tune and correct sounds. The sonics can be changed afterwards in so many ways.
So don't spend a ton of money, spend money WISELY!
sometimes its not about the gears. I’ve seen some great players making the cheap guitar sounds like boutique.
@@enricodedios3702 Exactly my point.
Not even 2min in and it's already a like. Guillaume's intro was so good.
Watching that PRS spinning on the stool!
“The Guillame Signature Road-Worn Stool-Relic’d Private Stock Scratch n’ Dent”
For some reason G man there sounded very good. But on the other hand for 1K what a great tone.
This is awesome!!
You guys are mad!! Sick!
So is the PRS and Magnatone B stock now? Still have to sell my house to buy it, but Sh** it sounds soooo good. Thanks guys.
Wow that PRS is gorgeous and what a rig. If only is my reply. First rig was good but the second was incredible however it should be for the price. I guess it boils down to what your looking for to gig or just for home use. If your gigging the second makes more sense. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I think Guillaume is just a little happy with his rig. Just a feeling, I guess :p
I was SO happy to get the chance to play that kind of gear haha I doesn't happen that much ^^// Guillaume
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses , Guillaume! Are you saying that Thomann doesn’t pay you enough to have a rig like that? Hahahaha 🤐
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses I almost had an heart attack when you placed the PRS on top of the stool :P
Well... Maybe you'd get a discount as b-stock on it, if it fell... That could be a plan :p
Like a kid at Christmas...with the keys to Thomann's. LOL It did sound great though.
Hey Kris & Guillaume!! That was great!! Why don't you do another video of this kind but this time both of you are blindfolded/don't see the rig? I think that would be great!! 🤘🤘
probably worth watching the movie again - Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence...
Preferred Guillaume’s sound for rhythm (like a nice big bubble of sound) Kris’ sound for lead (focused sound to cut through a mix) but that’s always been my feeling on guitar tone anyway a nice stereo or wet dry wet for rhythm and a single mid focused amp like an ac30 for lead
but hey - it's super adorable how Kris just tries SO DAMN hard with the guitar and his playing to even come just a tiny bit close to Guillaume's rig so tips for that dude !!
Haha! I gave my best. :D The bar was set pretty high by the G man.
//cheers, Kris
Guys that was fun !
Epic sounds from both Rigs
I’d be scared to have a 20 k rig .. I’d love to have Kris’s rig but the guitar in natural
Thanks for letting us hear something we’d but unlikely to hear elsewhere
It would be interesting for you both to have the same rig and the same guitar ( single coil) and see what sounds you came up with on your own
That's such a good idea Paul, thank you for the suggestion! Cheers mate!
//Kris
oh my goodness that prs sounded great
Funn video, completly bonkers. Loved it :-)
I agree with the conclusion about how much more money you need to get a better sound.
Honestly I really like the sound of the HB rig, maybe even more than the expensive rig, way more band-friendly imo.
What makes the expensive rig sound epic like that are the strymon effects and the stereo amp.
I think the biggest improvements you can get are upgrading your amp and your effects, I am convinced a guitar like an Epiphone well set would sound very similar to that on that rig.
Finally I think it all depends on your taste and how well a guitar pairs with an amp + effects, I think you can achieve a better sound just by being good at tweaking what you already have rather than buying expensive stuff and not taking the time to get the best sound you can get out of it.
They both sound good to me. If you have the chops, you can make a $200 rig (Squier Strat - $100, Blackstar IDCore 10 - $100) sound good.
Guil won this one with that rig, but Kris got some incredible tones out of what he had! The explanation of the economics of it all was great! Well done! 😊👍
Right on man, thanks a lot! Guil's sound was insane here.
//cheers, Kris
Hi Kris and Guillaume, enjoyed watching your video. What I think would have been interesting to see in this kind of comparison is to switch only the quitars between the rigs and then the pedal board and finally the amps (maybe just the cables once?). In this way one could have made a better idea where to focus future rig investments for more significant sound improvements. I hope to see that in a future video and I'm sure a lot of people would find it, if not useful - at least interesting.
That is a cool idea and I could see that happening. :) Cheers //Kris
That 25K rig sounded like as if I would have been on the planet of the Ancient Forcebeings! But Kris did too some magic with that HB rig!
The follow up video should be what bits of gear do we need to take from the expensive rig to put on the cheaper rig to get a similar sound to see how much money you do have to spend to get somewhere close
I bought the DL 5. So happy :)
Hey guys! Great video! - Please keep that "Guillaume-Rig" in mind, when Thomas Blug sometimes will arrive with his all-new "Amp-X". I wish to hear that BluGuitar Amp-X in stereo against the Magnatone Panoramic Stereo Head. That should be a real challenge for Thomas, shouldn't it?
If I'm in a basement with all the lights turned off, then the expensive rig wins. Anywhere else, the HB mess is for me. Oh, on top of the 25-G's for the guitar stuff, I gotta buy a new house with a basement.
The HB looks great
I'm lost for words
(how good the 25k kit sounds)
But I would have to loose my wallet
And find somebody else's wallet to afford it! GREAT VIDEO GUYS
So… a stereo rig is always going to have more Nuance and ambient color than a mono rig. I would say your almost playing two different “types” of set ups at that point. It’s a little difficult to truly evaluate even the taste differences in these two set ups, because the stereo nature introduces such a wide gulf of variance. Ultimately, either set up can work for a player if they FEEL the sound. To that point, When you are in the room, my experience has been that high dollar gear FEELS better and drives my creativity more. But in the recording, there is a lot of that nuance that is lost in translation, and from simply listening and consuming, it’s easy to be equally wowed by cheap gear as expensive gear. That feeling when playing in the room however is really where the differences begin to present themselves. Good show though. It’s always fun to hear a fantasy rig!! Cheers
I‘m in love with both rigs just because the sound is 90% in the fingers and both sounded just fine. Where can i get the decibel meter behind Kriss‘s back? Would appreciate any hint. Thanks.
Thanks a lot! :)
Here's the dB meter in the video: www.thomann.de/gb/dateq_spl_d2_mkii.htm
And here's a more affordable one: www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_dms_v1.htm
cheers! //Kris
I'm kinda biased nowadays because of my HBs but That being said, I still believe that the HB rig had no reason to hang it's head down. It took an awful lot of money to slightly out tone the HB rig.
What's interesting is the expensive rig is much fuller across the EQ whereas the lesser expensive is more in the midrange. It's very possible that much of the frequency outside the mids would be lost in the mix of a band. Those old Ozzy recording, Randy's guitar didn't sound great without the band, but with the band there it was great. A lot of players get their sound all dialed in alone, but with a band it's a different animal.
The Harley Benton rig sounds muddy compared to the crazy expensive one, but it still does the job. I couldn't afford the expensive rig, and even if I could, I'm not sure I would go so far. But it does sound amazing!
The pickups are a more dark tone on the silver sparkle one. He should of had a EQ pedal to help combat against it and add some high end to his rig.
It’s a great idea for a video. Maybe you could do it again, while you spend some time trying to dial in sounds derived from one rig on the other and vice versa?
1. I love HB. I own 3 already with plans to get maybe 20 more. But when I hear people say "tone is in the hands or fingers" I feel like punching them in the nose.
2. Instruments, equipment, I think they are very very overpriced. This video shows that clearly. Better sound? Yes. $24,000 better sound? Definitely not.
Absolutely loved the video! Keep them coming!
I dunno man! I believe in finger tone quite a lot! I think it’s only worth spending the extra money for a guitar you can play as best as possible. You could plug a 100 quid guitar into a Kemper these days and nobody would tell the difference
It'd be great if you did a video specifically for PSUs. Their construction methods, pros and cons and do a shootout between a PSU like the ISO-2 PRO and a one-spot.
Guillaume's nervous laugh killed me! 🤣👍
You could do a "where to put the money"-vid. My guess would be: work at the pedals first ...
So you could put up each OD, REV, MOD against each other ...
That is sooooo subjective but also such a good idea. Why not doing it. :)
//Kris
I WISH you have switched pedalboards between amps! Wondering what difference it would be.
wow that Harley Benton is the best I just order one can't wait to have it in my hands
😭 both sound so good
I'm really impressed! For starters with the HB Im a sucker for a roasted maple neck, looks stunning! But when you went from clean to the first Overdrive it sounded so creamy... I'm so tempted to get some HB gear after seeing these incredible demos, but being in the UK, Damn Brexit has ruined postage for us, and I hear horror stories of massive charges you're not expecting when ordering from the EU. Maybe a link to a calculator so we can work out what we're paying here... as there is a bass you have with my name on it! :)
Both sound good, really demonstrates the power of diminishing returns. Of course the 25K is going to sound better, but its not 25K better, a PRS of a lower model with the same pickups would have sounded exactly the same, cheaper cables wouldnt have had an effect and can guarantee a cheaper amp of the same style would be near imperceivable in a blind shootout for "which is best." What they need to do now is the 25K rig vs 10 or under...
Obviously the expensive rig sounds awesome but....I still can't believe the Harley Benton rig it's under a 1000 !!!! And sounds great 🥰
Ps
That PRS ............... jaw dropping
honestly one of the first of these where I've heard a difference really. the exp rig was better in most cases, but not one i'd ever pay for.
And anyway, all of will be cheap one day as the tech moves forward. glad to be a player today and not 20/30 years ago.
We would enjoy listening to the Harley through the expensive pedalboard + amp + cables expensive rig ...
Bottom line, both rigs sounded different as expected, neither sounded bad, add in a parametric EQ and add a mid boost or mid cut too adapt to what you're going for, and you can get close to whichever one you want, of course pedal functionality can change depending on pricing. But the gist of the sound comes mostly from the cab and the pups, the pups defining the gain and gain structure that hits the amp, and the speakers reproducing what the guitar does at said frequencies. The pedals are your filters (removing or adding frequencies), your gain and your modulations between the guitar and amp and the amp adding another layer of gain and gain structure (but that can be replaced by pedals depending on what you're going for)
the rest is comfort and the feel that helps you play better and that can be very much independant on pricing and differs from person to person
No sound is bad, just we all have different tastes
As far as I can tell, it's Not what you have, but how you use it!!!
It's a cool comparison video indeed. The stereo component made it kinda unfair though. You could have put another 25k rig against that - if it comes in mono it will still lose because it will always sound a little flat in comparison to the stereo signal. Again, fun video, though!
9:00 with the first note...its done!! game over
In der Gear Liste fehlt die prs... Hatte sie gerne Mal genauer gesehen. Oder gibt's die nicht beim Thomann?
So jetzt schau ich den Rest...
Bis hierher top 👍
It's in the cables, I told ya!
100% //Guillaume
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses And that's why Kris won this challenge too. 😉
Benton > Everything 🤙
It’s not only looks and tone that is part of the decision between inexpensive and more pro gear. One of my thoughts when getting gear is it’s resale value, because musicians trade a lot. Also is the gear for home or gigs? Both rigs sounded really good anyways?!?!? A used Gibson LP Studio Pro is my idea of expensive gear? Ahahaha
Ez a PRS mutatvány nagyon durva volt 🤑 The PRS show was just brutal.
I actually preferred Kris lead sound. But I really think it's the player
I also prefer the player!^^// Guillaume
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Meant no shade Guillaume. Only that riff felt like a Kris riff
@@guitourney Haha man absolutely no offence! I legit love Kris' playing more than mine, no shame in that when you know the player! // G
Great info it funnny
I wish you had plugged in the HB in Guillaume's pedal board and amp and the other way around.
Definitely Man😜
If you told me to go shopping and these were my choices, I'd go with the Harley Benton rig. I'd have a great sounding rig and still have money left over to either buy more effects, or add to my drum kit.
Sick...sick...sick guitar
The sound was awesome, and both videos were fun, but what I keep tripping on is that decibel meter in the background. What is that, and where can I get one??? 😏😏😏
Hurraaaaaaa Kettensägenlärm 👏👏👏👏❤
Lololoooooool 😅🌊🌊🌊 da hat wohl einer zurück geschlagen 😄
Aber ganz ehrlich, die fusion 2 wäre mir deutlich lieber. Ein Rig-tausch wäre schön gewesen, da bläst die fusion 2 die prs locker ins nirvana. Ich hatte in den frühen 80ern mal so einen riesigen tower der so hoch war wie ein stockwerk, da konnte man einen alten besenstiel einstöpseln und es klang wie totale vollbombe. 🥳🤪😄
V.G.
🐈
Honestly, I feel like Kris won. just preffered his sound.
Also,
If I had Kris his rig, I'd play it all day
If I had Guillaume's rig,
I'd sell it and buy a house/
I was about to comment: "haha, you don't know the prices of houses, and then I realised it's you, Nathan lol 🤣
Wish I could buy Kris’ fingers. Great player
Ahh man, thank you! Thank you so much! Don't worry about my fingers though, just embrace your inner music. That's what I'm trying to do and man, it makes playing the guitar so much more fun!
//Kris
“ … I would be happy with that … “
Will you ?
You are playing with evil forces my friends.
When I first tasted my first really fine (and expensive) bottle of wine, I couldn’t go back to the 3 euro cardboards anymore.
When I first heard my really expensive hifi set, I didn’t buy the one I could afford…
So I worked my ass off, saved a lot of money and after 20 years I have a wine cellar and a hifi setup of dreams.
Although … I could have used that time at work to learn how to really play the guitar very well….
Ah… Demons 😈
Excellent videos guys.
Keep ‘m coming
Regards from the Netherlands 🇳🇱
Please make another part of this video, where you exchange guitars only. It would be very interesting...