Another great no-nonsense review John. Just when we thought it must be impossible to improve on the HB TE52, they add a few features here that raise the bar even more for an entry level guitar. Even though you are a professional guitarist with some top end guitars, I like how you will quite happily own and play budget guitars that most of us can afford.
Brilliant little Tele! Sounds great to my ears with cans on. Very versatile tones. You did it justice too in that demo John. 👍 Another winner from Harley Benton in my humble opinion.
Bloody incredible that you can get such a capable 'starter' guitar nowadays. Back in 1972 when I got my first electric it came from Woolworths. Nowhere near this quality.
I enjoyed that video, it's good to see and hear you getting a great sound out of that Harley B TE62. I have one in grey, it's a nice guitar and as you say it's not too heavy, unlike my Squier Classic vibe 50 Tele which is a lump, but it plays well and sounds good. I also have a Harley TE30 which is a cheaper guitar, but even that isn't bad for the price, a bit heavy though, I might upgrade the pups on that one. Thanks for posting the video.👍
Great video on the Tube. Guy took a stock Affininity and confused the "expert" that it was a custom shop. Proper professional complete setup, proper tuners, and a blind fold is amazing.
Looks and sounds great John. I did actually return a TE-52 'boat anchor' because of the weight, the only HB I've returned out of a few. I agree with you about preferring 22 frets, I like to be a full tone bend from the second octave. Still sounds tempting though.
I've just received mine (Feb 2024). Initially, I wasn't particularly impressed - just felt like a budget guitar that cost £129. The fret-work was terrible and the neck felt rough to the touch. Sorted both issues with 1200 sandpaper and a file. Having said that, I actually think that the tuners are fine and the pickups bright and punchy. However, the £134 SX that I bought has more of a premium feel to it. Even my £64 sunburst Fazley FTL218 (after extensive neck sanding) is a nicer guitar to look at and almost as good to play (although I had to fork out £15 on some Vanson tuners as the stock ones were terrible). (see Edit below) Edit: I've since added brass saddles to the TE-62 and finished off the fret work. Getting the action and intonation sorted has improved things. It's actually started to grow on me and I really do think that it's value for money.
Hey John I purchased one of the HB TE70 Black Paisley models in B-stock, ordered the Kluson deluxe tuners, and graph tech string trees. I did have to do some fret work on sharp fret sprouts and polished the frets, but it’s a nice budget friendly t-style guitar. I did install some after market pickups from Tone Hatch here in the states, and had them underwound; sounds great! I would highly recommend the Tone Hatch pickups and only $80 shipped 👍
I got this same guitar this week and agree with about everything you say. If I was to be really picky I would comment that three of the frets are very slightly high but not enough to affect play. I might get the new saddles. I see them for £8.95 on Ebay. A really good guitar
Really interesting listening on headphones and not looking at video. Sounded like a tele. Nice to hear volume control test. I'm still in headstock brand panic but getting there. HB 35 plus changed my views of headstock shape and name but still have the odd ,if only thought. All the best and keep up good work. Must admit that little Marshall is sounding nice.
You're right about the penny pinching. It's kind of baffling. It really wouldn't cost them much to install it with a graphtek nut, stainless steel frets, 22 frets, brass saddles, or even a bridge from a decent brand. Many people would gladly pay an extra £75 or so for a "plus" version. At the same time, you could probably say this about guitars that cost 4X the price. Some brands only seem to offer stainless steel frets when you start nearing £1000!
Hello Mr. Robson! I've been shopping for a little workhorse Telecaster. At the price, I can afford some small upgrades. Like it! Have you had a chance to go see the Dave Simpson trio? He has a RUclips channel, and has been gigging lately. I believe he is from the Grimsby area.
We are in a golden age of inexpensive guitars. I have run out of space at home but if HB made a lefty of this I would be sorely tempted to buy one (or their black paisley). The JET JT-300 (I have a butterscotch one) is in the same ball park as the HB though it seems this HB is better whilst coming in cheaper. The Roswell pickups in the TE62 sound superior to the ones in the JT-300.
Hi John. Have you ever looked at a Donner DT-100 tele? Donner have offers on ebay for a starter pack at around £70. It could serve as a great guitar to upgrade? Cheers.
Hi john. Love the videos, a question re the brass bridge saddles. Is there anything special about them and what should I ask for when at my local guitar shop. TIA Ian
I think the reason HB makes decisions like including the cheaper saddles is because otherwise they wouldnt have much room for higher end models. In the 50-300 bracket HB realistically only competes with themselves (and I supposed jet nowadays), so they cant make their lower end guitars too good or noone would go for stuff like the fusions.
@@JRobsonGuitar Cheers John Aa a bedroom guitarist with no plans to gig would you suggest something like the TE62 or spend a bit more on a Squire classic vibe or low-end Fender which I surmise would have a resale value
@@jimbouk8288 The Classic Vibe,mine at least, is nearly as heavy as the te52.In hindsight the te62 would have been a better bet for me but I was obsessed with butterscotch..Love the skinny CV neck though.
@@jimbouk8288 I'd buy this and with the change you could get three pedals or a vox VT30 combo to go with it. Trust me you'll be happy with that set up for a bedroom gig and you'll never get bored with all the fun in that particular combo I've had numerous amp's over the last 10 years and the vox is the keeper, has the same circuit John uses in the vox tonelab.
@@JRobsonGuitar I was gonna buy the one with black fretboard. My first tele. I play hardcore traditional Country and old school Rock n Roll. Why do you think the blond fretboard is better than the black one?
Great review of the TE62 John but I still think the TE52 is the best tele from HB even with the weight. TE52 is a match for the most expensive telecaster.s. What do you think?
I have the Sea Foam Green version, very nice indeed, just a tad too light for me, the polar opposite of the TE52... i have to say that my favorate HB tele however is the TE30, solid Ash body, lovely neck, lacks strings through body but then Fender did produce some tele's like this - I think Jimmy Page's first tele had bridge-anchored strings. Its only downside for me was the Pearloid scratchplate when a plain black one would have looked so much better, but a slid guitar and excellent for adding better parts if you so wish... But in general, you just cannot beat HB for value.
Anybody remember those Satellite, Hondo and Columbus guitars and JHS amplifiers from Grattans catalogue in the late 70's? How things have come a long way since then.
@@JRobsonGuitar Brother got one of those Satellite's with 2 single coil guitars, that I used to play upside down as I'm a lefty. Got my first proper left hand guitar in 1993 a Yamaha Pacifica 112L for £219 then modded the hell out of it.
Don't understand the cup of cold sick comment. Why anti HB? Is it because they copy Fender and Gibson styles? Good on them I say. They're cheap but serious instruments. My theory is the antipathy towards them comes from the USA where if competition comes from another country they jump on it. Fender have been caught manipulating the price of their guitars telling shops not to discount prices, keeping prices high. So more power to Thomann's elbow I say.
This is a fair enough Tele, cheaper than a Squier CV and maybe better. The overhanging fretboard of a 22 fret Fender can be annoying when pulling the pickguard, let alone the joys of adjusting a truss rod at the heel with 21 or 22 frets, but I think the fretboard just looks more balanced with 22 frets and their markers. Gibson or Fender, I rarely play up at 21 or 22 frets so the tone gained is moot to me. Maybe if I ever get an SG that will change.
Why is it so important to have 22 frets?!? After all, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Steve Cropper all played Fenders that had only 21 frets! Did their playing somehow suffer from not having 22 frets? 😮
@@JRobsonGuitar My sincere apologies-I did not mean to imply that you were making a derogatory comment about those artists! I was only trying to point out, perhaps somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that the 21/22 fret debate is somewhat overblown, and that these artists, all widely hailed as guitar virtuosos, all managed perfectly well with only 21 frets. Heck, some HIGHLY regarded and extremely expensive jazz guitars like the Gibson ES-175 and the Gibson L-5, played by jazz guitarists like Wes Montgomery (among others), had only 20 frets.
Maybe find a 22 fret neck and replace, because the financial headroom is there, and then the headstock name won't be seen. This way the brand nerds won't know it is the "dreaded" HB, and will probably think it is a fantastic guitar. If they ask you where you bought it then a problem may crop up 🙄🤣
I bought one of these. Tuners are garbage. G tuning peg has broken when i was doing first string change. Pickups are bad. Neck is really nice but need some fretworks. I don’t recommend for beginners but nice platform for upgrades
Showed my son the Mr Creosote scene from the Meaning of life - my wife and me thinking he would piss himself at it (just like I did when I was 11) but the little git was stone-faced. Didn't even laugh when Creosote puked on the cleaning ladies back. Kids these days.
When the number one "pro" aspect of an item is the price, then the sound, build quality, etc... suffers because they are all based on the price. Price is certainly a consideration when making a purchase of anything,, but the item has got to stand on it's own and the price should not top the list of reasons to buy. You can't read a single review of a Harley Benton anything without "the price" being the main selling point. C'mon, if you hear a great guitar piece on stage do you really say, "yeah, and he only paid 125 quid for it?" Don't place the main focus on the price. I for one don't buy a guitar because the price is right.
Hello, I was wondering if a standard fender tele neck would fit this body. I tried looking for neck pocket dimensions, but I couldn’t find measurements anywhere. Could you please help me answer this question by sending neck pocket measurements for this guitar? Thank you
Let them drink cold sick - I'm on my 3rd Harley Benton and they are all great value and 100% playable
I have this guitar in blue. I really like it. It cost me less than a squire and is a great first time Tele. You make the guitar rock John!
Another great no-nonsense review John. Just when we thought it must be impossible to improve on the HB TE52, they add a few features here that raise the bar even more for an entry level guitar. Even though you are a professional guitarist with some top end guitars, I like how you will quite happily own and play budget guitars that most of us can afford.
Brilliant little Tele! Sounds great to my ears with cans on. Very versatile tones. You did it justice too in that demo John. 👍 Another winner from Harley Benton in my humble opinion.
Professional quality sound, well played I must add! I like that red.
You're playing is to notch as always. Great guitar. The color reminds me of Knoffler!. Thanks for the vid.👏👏👏🎸
Got my te-62 6 days ago... an amazing guitar...hard to put down and very pretty. I love the neck
Bloody incredible that you can get such a capable 'starter' guitar nowadays. Back in 1972 when I got my first electric it came from Woolworths. Nowhere near this quality.
Me too! It was an Audition sunburst strat clone, it was £15, and it was bloody awful.
Mine was a sears, particle board and a 2x4 neck. Sad thing some hipster would real money for that piece of 💩.
I enjoyed that video, it's good to see and hear you getting a great sound out of that Harley B TE62. I have one in grey, it's a nice guitar and as you say it's not too heavy, unlike my Squier Classic vibe 50 Tele which is a lump, but it plays well and sounds good. I also have a Harley TE30 which is a cheaper guitar, but even that isn't bad for the price, a bit heavy though, I might upgrade the pups on that one. Thanks for posting the video.👍
Great video on the Tube. Guy took a stock Affininity and confused the "expert" that it was a custom shop. Proper professional complete setup, proper tuners, and a blind fold is amazing.
I can confirm that the frets on my Affinity were flawless. The action was so low I had to raise it. Fret edges were smooth. No buzzing.
Looks and sounds great John. I did actually return a TE-52 'boat anchor' because of the weight, the only HB I've returned out of a few. I agree with you about preferring 22 frets, I like to be a full tone bend from the second octave. Still sounds tempting though.
I've just received mine (Feb 2024). Initially, I wasn't particularly impressed - just felt like a budget guitar that cost £129. The fret-work was terrible and the neck felt rough to the touch. Sorted both issues with 1200 sandpaper and a file. Having said that, I actually think that the tuners are fine and the pickups bright and punchy. However, the £134 SX that I bought has more of a premium feel to it. Even my £64 sunburst Fazley FTL218 (after extensive neck sanding) is a nicer guitar to look at and almost as good to play (although I had to fork out £15 on some Vanson tuners as the stock ones were terrible). (see Edit below)
Edit: I've since added brass saddles to the TE-62 and finished off the fret work. Getting the action and intonation sorted has improved things. It's actually started to grow on me and I really do think that it's value for money.
Hey John I purchased one of the HB TE70 Black Paisley models in B-stock, ordered the Kluson deluxe tuners, and graph tech string trees. I did have to do some fret work on sharp fret sprouts and polished the frets, but it’s a nice budget friendly t-style guitar. I did install some after market pickups from Tone Hatch here in the states, and had them underwound; sounds great!
I would highly recommend the Tone Hatch pickups and only $80 shipped 👍
I got this same guitar this week and agree with about everything you say. If I was to be really picky I would comment that three of the frets are very slightly high but not enough to affect play. I might get the new saddles. I see them for £8.95 on Ebay. A really good guitar
Thank you - great straight review.
That’s awesome. I have this guitar
Really interesting listening on headphones and not looking at video. Sounded like a tele. Nice to hear volume control test. I'm still in headstock brand panic but getting there. HB 35 plus changed my views of headstock shape and name but still have the odd ,if only thought. All the best and keep up good work. Must admit that little Marshall is sounding nice.
You're right about the penny pinching. It's kind of baffling. It really wouldn't cost them much to install it with a graphtek nut, stainless steel frets, 22 frets, brass saddles, or even a bridge from a decent brand. Many people would gladly pay an extra £75 or so for a "plus" version. At the same time, you could probably say this about guitars that cost 4X the price. Some brands only seem to offer stainless steel frets when you start nearing £1000!
All of those features are literally on the Harley Benton TE-25TH
I think I like my 3 lefty Harley Benton teles. And my DC580 and HB35plus.
Hello Mr. Robson! I've been shopping for a little workhorse Telecaster. At the price, I can afford some small upgrades. Like it! Have you had a chance to go see the Dave Simpson trio? He has a RUclips channel, and has been gigging lately. I believe he is from the Grimsby area.
We are in a golden age of inexpensive guitars. I have run out of space at home but if HB made a lefty of this I would be sorely tempted to buy one (or their black paisley).
The JET JT-300 (I have a butterscotch one) is in the same ball park as the HB though it seems this HB is better whilst coming in cheaper.
The Roswell pickups in the TE62 sound superior to the ones in the JT-300.
Coming in lefty versions in September apparently when I asked a few months back.
@@Karl_Gartland oh no! 😊
Hi John. Have you ever looked at a Donner DT-100 tele? Donner have offers on ebay for a starter pack at around £70. It could serve as a great guitar to upgrade? Cheers.
Buying roasted maple in bulk is cheaper than normal maple that they lacqeur.
Great guitar I agree bridge brass
Hi john. Love the videos, a question re the brass bridge saddles. Is there anything special about them and what should I ask for when at my local guitar shop. TIA Ian
I just usually get the Wilkinson pre-intonated one from Axesrus 👍
Nice review and demo. If you buy direct from Thomann they ship it at no cost to the buyer.
Really.
Like the colour
I think the reason HB makes decisions like including the cheaper saddles is because otherwise they wouldnt have much room for higher end models. In the 50-300 bracket HB realistically only competes with themselves (and I supposed jet nowadays), so they cant make their lower end guitars too good or noone would go for stuff like the fusions.
That's a very bright neck pickup at 5.76 - especially if it is 43 guage. Could be 42 guage like a strat.
Great review John as always
So in your opinion which would you recommend the TE-62 or the TE-70 you reviewed previously ??
This one - the roasted maple is the clincher 👍
@@JRobsonGuitar Cheers John
Aa a bedroom guitarist with no plans to gig would you suggest something like the TE62 or spend a bit more on a Squire classic vibe or low-end Fender which I surmise would have a resale value
@@jimbouk8288 The Classic Vibe,mine at least, is nearly as heavy as the te52.In hindsight the te62 would have been a better bet for me but I was obsessed with butterscotch..Love the skinny CV neck though.
@@jimbouk8288 I'd buy this and with the change you could get three pedals or a vox VT30 combo to go with it. Trust me you'll be happy with that set up for a bedroom gig and you'll never get bored with all the fun in that particular combo I've had numerous amp's over the last 10 years and the vox is the keeper, has the same circuit John uses in the vox tonelab.
@@JRobsonGuitar I was gonna buy the one with black fretboard. My first tele. I play hardcore traditional Country and old school Rock n Roll. Why do you think the blond fretboard is better than the black one?
Have a te 52 heaviest guitar I've played
Great review of the TE62 John but I still think the TE52 is the best tele from HB even with the weight. TE52 is a match for the most expensive telecaster.s. What do you think?
Yeah, the TE52 is a great guitar 👍
I have the Sea Foam Green version, very nice indeed, just a tad too light for me, the polar opposite of the TE52... i have to say that my favorate HB tele however is the TE30, solid Ash body, lovely neck, lacks strings through body but then Fender did produce some tele's like this - I think Jimmy Page's first tele had bridge-anchored strings. Its only downside for me was the Pearloid scratchplate when a plain black one would have looked so much better, but a slid guitar and excellent for adding better parts if you so wish... But in general, you just cannot beat HB for value.
John...those original saddles AREN'T "pot metal" mate...they are chromed BRASS!
Take a file to it and you'll see.
Cc? Isnt this a BD?
Anybody remember those Satellite, Hondo and Columbus guitars and JHS amplifiers from Grattans catalogue in the late 70's? How things have come a long way since then.
My Satellite Les Paul copy was my pride & joy 👍
@@JRobsonGuitar Brother got one of those Satellite's with 2 single coil guitars, that I used to play upside down as I'm a lefty. Got my first proper left hand guitar in 1993 a Yamaha Pacifica 112L for £219 then modded the hell out of it.
Don't understand the cup of cold sick comment. Why anti HB? Is it because they copy Fender and Gibson styles? Good on them I say. They're cheap but serious instruments. My theory is the antipathy towards them comes from the USA where if competition comes from another country they jump on it. Fender have been caught manipulating the price of their guitars telling shops not to discount prices, keeping prices high. So more power to Thomann's elbow I say.
This is a fair enough Tele, cheaper than a Squier CV and maybe better. The overhanging fretboard of a 22 fret Fender can be annoying when pulling the pickguard, let alone the joys of adjusting a truss rod at the heel with 21 or 22 frets, but I think the fretboard just looks more balanced with 22 frets and their markers. Gibson or Fender, I rarely play up at 21 or 22 frets so the tone gained is moot to me. Maybe if I ever get an SG that will change.
I heard the Neck Pickup is kind of dull and the Brigde Pickup is very "Twangy" (which is good)
Rock on man cheers 🍺🍺🍺
42.8 mm Nut width on harley benton...i wiil have one....
👍🏻👍🏻
Why is it so important to have 22 frets?!? After all, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Steve Cropper all played Fenders that had only 21 frets! Did their playing somehow suffer from not having 22 frets? 😮
I prefer having 22 frets. How you managed to see some kind of derogatory intent, on my part, towards the players you mention is a mystery to me.
@@JRobsonGuitar My sincere apologies-I did not mean to imply that you were making a derogatory comment about those artists! I was only trying to point out, perhaps somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that the 21/22 fret debate is somewhat overblown, and that these artists, all widely hailed as guitar virtuosos, all managed perfectly well with only 21 frets. Heck, some HIGHLY regarded and extremely expensive jazz guitars like the Gibson ES-175 and the Gibson L-5, played by jazz guitarists like Wes Montgomery (among others), had only 20 frets.
Roswell pick up s😮
Maybe find a 22 fret neck and replace, because the financial headroom is there, and then the headstock name won't be seen. This way the brand nerds won't know it is the "dreaded" HB, and will probably think it is a fantastic guitar. If they ask you where you bought it then a problem may crop up 🙄🤣
I bought one of these. Tuners are garbage. G tuning peg has broken when i was doing first string change. Pickups are bad. Neck is really nice but need some fretworks. I don’t recommend for beginners but nice platform for upgrades
Fair comment
Showed my son the Mr Creosote scene from the Meaning of life - my wife and me thinking he would piss himself at it (just like I did when I was 11) but the little git was stone-faced. Didn't even laugh when Creosote puked on the cleaning ladies back. Kids these days.
Young 'uns, eh? 🤣
When the number one "pro" aspect of an item is the price, then the sound, build quality, etc... suffers because they are all based on the price. Price is certainly a consideration when making a purchase of anything,, but the item has got to stand on it's own and the price should not top the list of reasons to buy. You can't read a single review of a Harley Benton anything without "the price" being the main selling point. C'mon, if you hear a great guitar piece on stage do you really say, "yeah, and he only paid 125 quid for it?" Don't place the main focus on the price. I for one don't buy a guitar because the price is right.
Hello, I was wondering if a standard fender tele neck would fit this body. I tried looking for neck pocket dimensions, but I couldn’t find measurements anywhere. Could you please help me answer this question by sending neck pocket measurements for this guitar? Thank you
Oh, I'm sorry. I don't have those details. I did a quick review of the guitar which didn't involve taking those kind of measurements.