Harley Benton is like the old saying, "It's much more fun to ride a slow motorcycle fast, than a fast motorcycle slow." The satisfaction of paying little money for a guitar that blows your mind and just makes you grin ear to ear. That Les Paul both looks and sounds amazing.
I'm an old retired musician who made a living playing for decades (mostly on Fenders and Gibsons), and although I've never heard of these things until literally yesterday, I have to say that hearing them just through computer speakers (especially that Les Paul-ish copy), they sound amazing. I almost want to buy another guitar, even it's a cheap guitar. Nice video guys. Thanks!
I bought one of these last year. Everything was good except the fret ends. Worst I've ever seen. Needed lots of work. Would have sent it back but it was cost prohibitive.
@@herbinator57 Returns are free, that's why people buy there. I know people who order 10 and keep one. Or none lol... just a whole lot of back and forth. BTW fixing fret ends it a 10 minute job. Grab a soft sanding block maybe some 800 grit or so and go at a 45° angle to the neck, just follow the fret ends and go up and down the neck a couple or minutes each side. Tape of the side of the neck just below the frets. Then take some car polish and a rag, tape the fretboard and put some elbow grease into the fret tops and voila your 99€ guitar feels like a grand... don't you ever maintain your instruments? Fret sprout can happen to a USA Fender.
Yeah a shame that all the reviews are on the side of a pro musician and not the buyer of a harley benton, that is an entry level or a kids first guitar
I bought a Harley Benton Fusion II a few years ago. My bandmates keep asking me to bring it to gigs it sounds so good. I like it as much as some of my guitars that cost ten times as much.
i have a bought new in 2020 fusion II and it is a brill guitar..love it!! yes, i agree, it sounds like a guitar worth way way more than the price 👍 keep on rocking tonepilot 🤘
I have a few. Sent them all to a luthier to set up, he replaces what needs to be replaced and they all sound great. I gig with a $99 tele and people always ask me about it because it's super sharp looking.
One of my Harley's came already set up. I have not needed to do anything. The other one needed the intonation set up. If you are going to own one you should know how to set it up. It is not difficult.
I bought an emerald green HB CST-24 a few years back when everyone was going crazy about them. I've been very impressed on the feel and play-ability. I would use it on a gig if I had to without too much concern. Like you guys, they are way better than my first guitar (Teisco 335 style) where the action was like an inch above the fret board. Great show!
@@TheStudioRats It usually is a real veneer although very thing and a multi piece maple cap underneath. The shine puts me off though...that can be modified of course.
Geez, if I ran across that HB 550 in my local pawn shop for near what you paid it would be in my house already. I own a couple Epi LPs and a few Specials, and a Squier Tele and a couple Mustangs. I think Thomann is doing some great stuff in the 'affordable' class.
Nice! I've had a few harley bentons (including that black CST), and played a few more. I've been really impressed in most ways with most of them. They can definitely be a bit hit or miss, but in my experience, you can buy a $150-$250 guitar, and worst case spend another $100 to get it up to par. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ As far as tuning - most of the problem is probably the nut. The tuners on some of them aren't the best, but it's rare the tuners are the cause of a guitar not staying in tune.
@@travelthebest2676 either a setup or replacing parts - sometimes the pickups aren't the best, though overall HBs tend to have pretty decent pickups. Sometimes you might want t a better bridge, or need a nut replaced, better tuners, etc. It depends a lot on the specific guitar. I do most setup work myself - things like fixing rough fret ends, polishing frets, adjusting the action, intonation, etc. but some things are worth having a pro deal with.
I have an “SC450Gt-P90s Classic Series” which apart from it’s stupidly long model name, works well alongside my Gibson Les Pauls since I polished the frets and fitted a Tusq nut…
Harley Benton is king of affordable imports. Even their guitar kits are amazing. I paid $90 for the trem prs kit. It sees a lot of action and I own 22 nice guitars.
I have a Fusion Pro and the roasted maple neck, locking tuners and lightweight body are all outstanding. The pickups aren’t great but for a couple hundred bucks in that department you could have a very nice super Strat for under $500.
I own and use 4 HB guitars. Two aren't changed one bit, only some minor adjustments. The other two, a LP from 2013 has got other pups from Donlis because I think the Wilkinsons are too hot. The other one is a Tele 52 copy. I put on brass compensated saddles, smoothed the rough fret edges and put in Donlis pups. I have a set tuners still waiting but that's only because I don't like the ratio of the originals. I've gigged with all four of them several times.
I own a lot of expensive guitars, but if there's a guitar you've always wanted, but didn't want to spend a ton on, Harley Bentons are great. I always wanted a Charvel Guthrie Govan, but I bought a Fusion II instead and it satisfied my JONES for one. I hope that makes sense. I have guitars that I only use in the studio and for home practice, but I never play live with them. So my advice is to scratch the itch for something different with HB. PS - I have on of HB's LP Junior models being delivered tomorrow.
Computer-controlled cutting and shaping - - those technologies are giving players for $250-350 US what we used to pay $1500 for 15-20 years ago. Finishing on Asian imports rivals what you find in guitars three or four times the price. If you are able to perform basic setup work, Harley Benton's better guitars are wildly good values. I will say that I've had $2000 Fender Strats that took more time and effort to get into shape than the HB CST and SC guitars. And they did not come with stainless frets - - but the tuners were better.
Anyone who’s actually built a decent guitar from scratch knows that these guitars are exceptional for the money. The amount of work required to machine the wooden components, assemble the parts, finish and test is significant. I defy anyone to acknowledge the monumental achievement in that. Machine heads are commodity items and I doubt that it’s those that are the problem, moreover, the guitar just needs playing in. I’m lucky enough to own several Gibsons, Fenders, PRS, Musicman, Ibanez, Yamaha, Eastman, and some custom made instruments, but I have just purchased a few Harley Benton guitars second hand and I’m totally smitten. As a guitarist community, HB offer fabulous options for that we can chose from, how lucky are we! Thanks to the efforts of the team who’ve achieved this feat for our benefit!
I love this kind of tests on RUclips. The only thing is why starting a test with a thick distortion. It flattens differences between guitars. But yes, it's quite amazing how good cheap guitars these days are.
I have two HB's and I love them. Harley Benton SC-Custom FR (single cut like a LTD) Harley Benton TB-70VS Deluxe (basically a Thunderbird bass) They fit in well with my Gibson guitars.
Adding my experience - I had a Harley Benton Amarok-6, which is more expensive than any of these. It had A BUNCH of quality issues. But specifically on the tuning, the Amarok came with a Graph Tech TUSQ nut and Grover locking tuners. It still had tuning issues. It turns out it was due to the noodle-y neck. I'd basically have to adjust the truss rod about every week or so. If I picked it up and just tuned it it would often get noticeably buzzy. The frets that weren't very level made this very easy to notice.
I have the Vintage V100AFD that I paid $500 for five years ago. I really love it. I installed a Dimarzio Tone Zone and PAF pickup, CTS and Switch Craft electronics and Grover Kluson style tuners. It is my favorite guitar out of the many in my collection. I wonder if it is the same as the Harley Benton SC550 deluxe but better.
I think I watched a video once and the chap phoned Harley Benton to find out if the SC550 has a maple top - they said it was maple AAA. The newer SC550 on Thomann website are all listed as maple top. Not bad. I have loads of Harley Benton guitars and I play them more often than my Fender Performer Strat.
Maple top with maple veneer on that. It's cheaper maple for the top itself and AAA or whatever for the veneer. Not a fan of Thomann selling it like that, when much more expensive guitars do the exact same. But whatever... definetly veneer on a real but cheaper maple top. If the entire top was AAA it would cost as much as the guitar.
I’d love to see you demo the new 25th Anniversary Strat mate. It’s my very first Harley Benton and I’m so impressed with it. Comes with upgraded components and great spec
He could of course sound good but the point was, how much better cheap guitars are today! Those three are great guitars and I have one of them myself the PRs style and I love it. Getting them second hand is even cheaper. I’ve owned nice guitars, Parker USA fly etc. but these are still very good and fun!
I have the SC 550 Deluxe. I changed the pickups "Duncan JB's" but the Roswells were ok. I just wanted something different. I changed the NUT too. Was a hollow piece of plastic. other than that, it's a fantastic guitar.
I recently purchased a HB Baritone-7 SBK for only $229.00 It features a 27" scale, neck through body with locking tuners and has a graph tech nut. Excellent guitar for not much $!
🤣it’s funny, I picked up a Harley Benton TE-30 telecaster here in the States from a buddy for 60 dollars and a case. Did the fret ends and a polish and I think it’s fantastic, sounds like a tele and as crappy as my tuners are, the bugger stays in tune. 🤷♂️. This is a channel I always look forward to watching and you are both great guys.
I've four HBs. The DC Custom has Grovers so no tuning problems and it's Wilkinsons are nice. My HB35+ (335 shaped) also had Wilkinsons but they were a tad dull. I put locking Klusons and a pair of IronGear Blues Engines after four years of happy playing. Happy after a DIY fret levelling, that is. The SC450+ with Roswell pickups (better than Wilkos IMO) is a sweet LP copy. The Big Surprise and the least expensive of the lot is my SC450 P90 at £108 in 2017. She is a killer and her no-name p90s put some SD pickups to shame for their p90’ness.
I bought a second-hand, but unused Harley Benton TE62CC DR for a ridiculously low amount of money recently. It is a fabulous guitar. The guy who owned it bought it to mod, but his guitar tech friend forbade him to change a single thing, it was that good. So he sold it to me.
I recently discovered Harley Benton and will soon be adding one to my collection of other inexpensive guitars. Mostly Epis and Squires. These seem to be awesome bang for the buck.
i own a harley benton sc550 plus. great guitar, stainless steel frets/ chambered body. really nice guitar, came with some fender parts stuck on, which suprised me
Guitar snob. You said it not me. I would love to see you have the honesty to do truly blindfolded tests with these types of guitars. It’s amazing how many reviewers made comments that were overly influenced by the name on the headstock.
For the record, I believe that is based on the Joe Perry model from Gibson. Vintage had a great couple of not so signature model's, probably less expensive twenty years ago...now there classics, lmao!!!
I have wintage guitars worth a new Camaro, but my absolute favorite "on stage" guitars are Harley Benton DC Jr's. 3years in, & I haven't altered a thing.
Got 3, a jazz, a dc junior and a 25th anniversary tele. Great guitars especially the 25th tele which has stainless frets, locking tuners, roasted neck, Wilkinson bridge with compensated brass saddles, double bound body..... Lovely guitar 👌
What auction did he get them so cheaply for? What was the problem identified at 3:02? Interesting channel. First time watching but I'm intrigued to watch in future. But they do tend to skate over some details on the evidence of this video. Of course it may be because they have aimed their channel at guitarists who can read between the lines of what they are saying and doing.
If I won the Loto I would Probably go in an INSANE Guitar buying Spree. and Get about 150 HB.'s to. Surround my Living space. Lots of Plants Bamboo trees Ferns. and. Guitars. and Amps. . 🦍
I have a PRS and the HB copy The PRS hangs on the wall and pretty much stays there. The Harley Benton is actually a better guitar with a little set up work done. It has better sustain, better action and jumbo frets. The graphtek nut will wear in after a while both will hold tune with even heavy trem movement. Oh and the set up work, the PRS I spent 3 days on its set up the Harley Benton I spent 3 hours on.
I bought the CST (PRS) and replaced all the hardwear and electrics with quality items just as a modding platform to see how good it could be /I could get it.. It's awesome, better than any of the PRS SE range I've tried.
@@Adventuresingearland, all the parts I bought for it, wiring kit, locking tuners, replacement trem, pickups all came to around £200, so in all the guitar plus parts came to around £500. Which is sort of half the price of the equipment PRS SE custom 24.
I am personally very curious about Harley Bentons guitars, I have done quite a bit of research now over the past maybe two years. And I am Very inclined to purchase one myself. That first one you played, had some serious zztop twangy tone to it that I really liked to play blues rock
I agree with other commenters... These do not feel like the models they represent, but for the money they are passable for sure... I recommend letting the beginner play someone's good guitar so they know what it's like for it to stay in tune then they will not get frustrated as much
I bought a HB SG-style guitar. Came with Gotoh Hardware and a Graphtec nut. Has better tuning stability than my Ibanez Prestige RG with locking tuners and also a graphtec nut. Only the frets needed a lot of polishing. Otherwise great.
How did the Germans at HB get labour cheap enough to get down to this price point? Did they resurrect Organisation Todt, or something? The thing with cheap guitars is the hardware? That's true even on my Mexi Fender Strat. I love the neck profile and the fret work was pretty much perfect. Hardware is a bit meh. Pickups were okay, i.e., bang average. The five-way selector switch recently fell to bits. I had an Ibanez RG 550 Genesis and sold it after a week. I did not like the ultra skinny and flat wizard neck. MIJ did not add up to high quality like I expected. The switch was dodgy on that guitar too. Overall the guitar had a plastic toy feel to it. I was very surprised, because an older MIJ Jackson DK I had was great, apart from the licensed Floyd not being as good as the real thing or something like a Gotoh - I had a 1996T and it was really good. One impressive thing about the RG 550 though was the Edge locking tremolo. Good trem. Very good. Fret work was decent, but not as well levelled and dressed as the Fender. Even my Gibson SG Standard '61 original series does not get a 100% rating. It does not have the G-String tuning issue, but it gave me trouble when I got it new. Two gripes. The faux ABR bridge posts are not a tight fit and have far too much play for my liking. The neck would not set up and stay put. I nearly returned it. I had the truss rod cover off for weeks, adjusting the truss rod most days. In the end, it got used to Auckland humidity and settled down. Now it plays so nice and is my favourite guitar. I am 53 now, so have had a few guitars. I used to buy cheaper ones to take to sea with me -- after damaging a 1990s Gibson custom shop Les Paul Elegant I used to take out there. The thing I have noticed about budget guitars is the frets wear out faster than on more expensive ones. A lot faster. I suspect they use softer metal for the frets. That would speed up fret work in the factory etc. Your daughter who is six will play it? Have you fed her steroids from birth? I got my niece a Squire Hello Kitty mini Strat when she was about eight. Too big for her. Her older brother ended up playing it lots, and now he is 26 he looks after it for her at his place, i.e., he annexed her axe.
Have around ten HBs in my collection, incredible quality at the price. I know some people report getting a dud on occasions but for me all good so far.
The key to HBs is that they always need tweaks. Not recommended for a beginner unless someone can set it up for them. Having said that I have an HB Les Paul Jr. that gets as much play-time as my Strats, after a few hours dialing it in it's a great guitar. BTW my money is on poorly-cut nuts causing the tuning issues.
I also have a HB Jr. doublecut. Was great out-of-the-box. I was taking my Telecaster to the guitar shop for some fret work and took the HB along, to ask the tech if it needed any work. He said nothing needed doing.
I have never had tuning problems with cheap tuners. They do make it harder to tune with the slop going different directions, but they hold tune ok.. Just stretch the strings....lube the nut.
I bought 5 of these, 4 of them CSTs (PRS clones). They used to be much better 2-5 years prior... Thomann silently switched to making literally ALL of their single cut guitars from meranti wood. Which is literally the cheapest wood one can get, as cheap as plywood.... These used to be made from quality mahogany, now Thomann decided to make them from meranti (both neck and body) , t.m. they are heavy as f*ck (there's no chambering done whatsover), sounding worse, resonating less, plus meranti deterorates much sooner. I stopped buying these for this very reason. I keep the old ones, after som HW changes they are gorgeous, quality instruments. The thing that got me totally p*ssed off is that the lasr guitar I ordered was marketed as mahogany - but they sent me a piece from the new lineup made of meranti instead! I immediately noticed a difference in weight, also tonally the guitar sounded duller! In the end , I decided to send it back with spec inconsistency complaint, as just few days after I got the puece, they changed (very quietly) the specs on all single cut models from mahogany to meranti. I am not going back buying these, no more. Everything else is great about them, especially the CST line, they are well made and painted, the neck is more precise and feels better than my original PRS Tremonti USA! But sorry Thomann, you lost me as a customer, as for sure I won't be spending my money on guitars made of plywood 🫥😡🫥
The black Telle with white binding. Where the strings come out of the body and cross the bridge. On mine, The strings actually touch the body of the bridge before they get to the bridge tuners. It doesn't seem to create a problem, is yours the same way?
I own a cst with p90... It was a b stock from Thomann.... i just wanted to try p90 ... i later discovered the neck was warped after a mate of mine pointed it out ... i couldn't be arsed to send it back ... the tuners are disgraceful ahah but every time i pick it up it really inspires me ...even more than a ce24 prs that was worth 10 times more than that HB ... the warped fretboard is jatoba wich is not the smoothest and i always put tons of olive oil ( extra virgin ahaha) n lemon oil too ... eventually i'll put some grover tuners on ... i tightened the tuners so much they barely turn but i love the damn thing .... yes the headstock is a bit poo for sure but heyho is gonna stay with me until i die ... some other guitars won't ... in a way that HB has more personality than me Ce24 .... crazy ahaha Yes it's all in our fingers and it's true a finer instrument will make things easier but won't necessarily inspire u more ....if u drop lucky and are prepared to do some set ups n change parts u are good ... Hb pick ups apart from the Rosewell are usually quite forgettable ...i 'd definitely keep me stock p90 ....
I can tell you the SC550+ is absolutely incredible. It's as good as my Gibson. I can't recommend that guitar enough. 370€ comes with locking tuners, feels like 2 grand to play and stock EMG Fat 55 pickups, that sound incredible. Dunno about the Strats. I just got a TE62. Let's see what they can do for 160€ because for 370€ they killed it. So if you want something Les Paul shaped I recommend that one very highly. The Strats are supposed to be good but I haven't played them. The 550+ is from the same factory as Ibanez and LTDs up to a grand or above (Cort Indonesia). I have an LTD from there. If I didn't know, I couldn't tell you which cost more. I love that factory. Highest quality/cost ratio.
Roswell aren't Thomann's pickups. You can actually buy Roswell in other shops but not at Thomann apart from inside the Harley Benton guitars. Roswell are a brand of WSC and they're building pickups for other brands as well, such as Spector, LTD (ESP) and Fender (probably to be found in Squier or Mexican made models, maybe other sub brands like Jackson). The second Harley Benton is an old one. They changed from Wilkinson pickups to Roswell and the old logo to the new one around 2017 / 2018 so it was built before that.
They all sound great but I have found the attention to HB detail when it comes to frets, fret buzzing and dead notes is a real constant problem. Sent many back. Even if I have asked then to look at the problems they would rather send another with similar problems. You know that saying, ' If it seems to good to be true...................'
Ok I’m LITERALLY buying a Katana (I know it’s not to do with this video but it’s the most current and maybe you’ll see this comment) to use your tutorials to figure it out. I have 12 tube amps and I’m a snob. I’m gonna trust you and go into a katana deep dive. Because “The Studio Rats” That’s all
Your leapt to assumption that the tuning issue is down to poor machine heads is likely wrong (and prejudiced a la title 🙂) IMO. My Harley Bentons stay in tune well but my Gibson Les Paul Standard doesn't so much. Some other issue such as nut friction or new sttrings maybe.
The CST-24T is heavier than the PRS it copies, but for those of us who can do without those goofy birds on the neck and want to save a few bucks, the HB is a nice option, especially in their black cherry flametop.
I have two Fenders, one Ibanez, and four Harley Bentons. They have three others I want. I haven't had to do anything to them. Maybe one, if I actually have a problem...
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Harley Benton is like the old saying, "It's much more fun to ride a slow motorcycle fast, than a fast motorcycle slow." The satisfaction of paying little money for a guitar that blows your mind and just makes you grin ear to ear. That Les Paul both looks and sounds amazing.
I'm an old retired musician who made a living playing for decades (mostly on Fenders and Gibsons), and although I've never heard of these things until literally yesterday, I have to say that hearing them just through computer speakers (especially that Les Paul-ish copy), they sound amazing. I almost want to buy another guitar, even it's a cheap guitar. Nice video guys. Thanks!
Get the SC550+. Thank me later.
I bought one of these last year. Everything was good except the fret ends. Worst I've ever seen. Needed lots of work. Would have sent it back but it was cost prohibitive.
@@herbinator57 Returns are free with Thomann...
What do you play,?
@@herbinator57 Returns are free, that's why people buy there. I know people who order 10 and keep one. Or none lol... just a whole lot of back and forth. BTW fixing fret ends it a 10 minute job. Grab a soft sanding block maybe some 800 grit or so and go at a 45° angle to the neck, just follow the fret ends and go up and down the neck a couple or minutes each side. Tape of the side of the neck just below the frets.
Then take some car polish and a rag, tape the fretboard and put some elbow grease into the fret tops and voila your 99€ guitar feels like a grand... don't you ever maintain your instruments? Fret sprout can happen to a USA Fender.
Entry level instruments are off the charts now!
I have the SC Special and the DC Fat, gigged them both, happy with both!
Yeah a shame that all the reviews are on the side of a pro musician and not the buyer of a harley benton, that is an entry level or a kids first guitar
I bought a Harley Benton Fusion II a few years ago. My bandmates keep asking me to bring it to gigs it sounds so good. I like it as much as some of my guitars that cost ten times as much.
i have a bought new in 2020 fusion II and it is a brill guitar..love it!! yes, i agree, it sounds like a guitar worth way way more than the price 👍
keep on rocking tonepilot 🤘
Tuning issues are usually because of the string getting stuck in the nut - lubrication or/and filing in correct will fix it.
Someone should tell this to Gibson because after so many years their guitars still have tuning issues
I have a few. Sent them all to a luthier to set up, he replaces what needs to be replaced and they all sound great. I gig with a $99 tele and people always ask me about it because it's super sharp looking.
One of my Harley's came already set up. I have not needed to do anything. The other one needed the intonation set up. If you are going to own one you should know how to set it up. It is not difficult.
@@sun-p6g It is for me so I have someone do it.
I bought an emerald green HB CST-24 a few years back when everyone was going crazy about them. I've been very impressed on the feel and play-ability. I would use it on a gig if I had to without too much concern. Like you guys, they are way better than my first guitar (Teisco 335 style) where the action was like an inch above the fret board. Great show!
@7:38 - the headstock reminds me of the ESP FRX range 🙂
I got a Tele TE-50. Sounds amazing and oh man, the neck is smooth as butter! Great for slides and bendings. I love it.
One huge spec you guys forgot to mention about the SC-550 and the CST24 is that they come with STAINLESS STEEL FRETS!
Wow, as they are second hand we didn’t realise that. Cheers
While the SC-550 with the EMGs doesn‘t have stainless steel frets. I think that is the only exception from the various 550 iterations.
@@TheStudioRats It usually is a real veneer although very thing and a multi piece maple cap underneath. The shine puts me off though...that can be modified of course.
Only the new ones. Sc 550 II
Thanks for doing this video, I’ve been interested in these guitars. I’m definitely ripping off a few riffs that Paul laid down today. Nice work.
Cheers D
Geez, if I ran across that HB 550 in my local pawn shop for near what you paid it would be in my house already. I own a couple Epi LPs and a few Specials, and a Squier Tele and a couple Mustangs. I think Thomann is doing some great stuff in the 'affordable' class.
I have 3 harley benton guitars! And all i can say is that it is best bang for the buck! A little bit of set-up and you can already sound great!
Agreed
I love the fact that paul mentioned that the noise issue is a common problem and also the tuning stability problems.
you guys need to try the CST24 hard tail, their really great.. Also try the Fusion Pro line with the roasted maple neck, you wont be dissapointed.
Nice!
I've had a few harley bentons (including that black CST), and played a few more. I've been really impressed in most ways with most of them.
They can definitely be a bit hit or miss, but in my experience, you can buy a $150-$250 guitar, and worst case spend another $100 to get it up to par.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As far as tuning - most of the problem is probably the nut. The tuners on some of them aren't the best, but it's rare the tuners are the cause of a guitar not staying in tune.
When you say up to par do you mean a pro set up?
@@travelthebest2676 either a setup or replacing parts - sometimes the pickups aren't the best, though overall HBs tend to have pretty decent pickups. Sometimes you might want t a better bridge, or need a nut replaced, better tuners, etc. It depends a lot on the specific guitar.
I do most setup work myself - things like fixing rough fret ends, polishing frets, adjusting the action, intonation, etc. but some things are worth having a pro deal with.
I have an “SC450Gt-P90s Classic Series” which apart from it’s stupidly long model name, works well alongside my Gibson Les Pauls since I polished the frets and fitted a Tusq nut…
Great review.
Also it shows how a great amp is more important than a top end guitar sometimes.
Harley Benton is king of affordable imports. Even their guitar kits are amazing. I paid $90 for the trem prs kit. It sees a lot of action and I own 22 nice guitars.
holy shit dude 22??
I have a Fusion Pro and the roasted maple neck, locking tuners and lightweight body are all outstanding. The pickups aren’t great but for a couple hundred bucks in that department you could have a very nice super Strat for under $500.
Agreed!
I own and use 4 HB guitars. Two aren't changed one bit, only some minor adjustments. The other two, a LP from 2013 has got other pups from Donlis because I think the Wilkinsons are too hot. The other one is a Tele 52 copy. I put on brass compensated saddles, smoothed the rough fret edges and put in Donlis pups. I have a set tuners still waiting but that's only because I don't like the ratio of the originals. I've gigged with all four of them several times.
Paul you make playing effortless. Enjoying your vids plus I learn something. Huge thnx as always.
I appreciate that
The Harley Benton SC-550 II PAF you are playing is the older version. The newest version uses TESLA pickups and is made in Indonesia.
And they are as great.
I own a lot of expensive guitars, but if there's a guitar you've always wanted, but didn't want to spend a ton on, Harley Bentons are great. I always wanted a Charvel Guthrie Govan, but I bought a Fusion II instead and it satisfied my JONES for one. I hope that makes sense. I have guitars that I only use in the studio and for home practice, but I never play live with them. So my advice is to scratch the itch for something different with HB. PS - I have on of HB's LP Junior models being delivered tomorrow.
fusion II for the win , fantastic guitar! 👍
Got this SC 550 and clean it is even better, the incredible sustain is stunning and it just sings . Strictly recomanded.
Wow, thanks for the cool and honest video!
Cheers HB.
Computer-controlled cutting and shaping - - those technologies are giving players for $250-350 US what we used to pay $1500 for 15-20 years ago. Finishing on Asian imports rivals what you find in guitars three or four times the price. If you are able to perform basic setup work, Harley Benton's better guitars are wildly good values. I will say that I've had $2000 Fender Strats that took more time and effort to get into shape than the HB CST and SC guitars. And they did not come with stainless frets - - but the tuners were better.
Anyone who’s actually built a decent guitar from scratch knows that these guitars are exceptional for the money. The amount of work required to machine the wooden components, assemble the parts, finish and test is significant. I defy anyone to acknowledge the monumental achievement in that. Machine heads are commodity items and I doubt that it’s those that are the problem, moreover, the guitar just needs playing in. I’m lucky enough to own several Gibsons, Fenders, PRS, Musicman, Ibanez, Yamaha, Eastman, and some custom made instruments, but I have just purchased a few Harley Benton guitars second hand and I’m totally smitten. As a guitarist community, HB offer fabulous options for that we can chose from, how lucky are we! Thanks to the efforts of the team who’ve achieved this feat for our benefit!
I love this kind of tests on RUclips. The only thing is why starting a test with a thick distortion. It flattens differences between guitars. But yes, it's quite amazing how good cheap guitars these days are.
Got the 550 with Tesla pickups and clean sounds are unbelievable good.
I have two HB's and I love them.
Harley Benton SC-Custom FR (single cut like a LTD)
Harley Benton TB-70VS Deluxe (basically a Thunderbird bass)
They fit in well with my Gibson guitars.
These are perfect modding platforms, first & foremost.
Paul could make a shovel sound great ! Love his style and effortless playing
I’m not sure about that, but thanks.
I agree with the comment on Paul’s ability, but this is rapidly becoming one of my favorite guitar-related channels on RUclips. Period.
Making shovels sound great is Justin Johnson's job.
Someone call Rob Scallon and make this happen!
i eagerly await the paul drew limited edition custom shop shovel guitar
Hi Guys for some reason comments have been restricted for this video. this is not our doing and im currently working on it.
Adding my experience - I had a Harley Benton Amarok-6, which is more expensive than any of these. It had A BUNCH of quality issues. But specifically on the tuning, the Amarok came with a Graph Tech TUSQ nut and Grover locking tuners. It still had tuning issues. It turns out it was due to the noodle-y neck. I'd basically have to adjust the truss rod about every week or so. If I picked it up and just tuned it it would often get noticeably buzzy. The frets that weren't very level made this very easy to notice.
Thanks guys. Which auctions do you frequent?
It’s true, the snobbiest in those parts. It’s like he’s royalty…..hee hee..
?
Thomas, James goes to Gardner Holgate
I have the Vintage V100AFD that I paid $500 for five years ago. I really love it. I installed a Dimarzio Tone Zone and PAF pickup, CTS and Switch Craft electronics and Grover Kluson style tuners. It is my favorite guitar out of the many in my collection. I wonder if it is the same as the Harley Benton SC550 deluxe but better.
Looks like a decent platform for modding.
The HB guitars are truly impressive but for me this video shows that the player and the amp/effects are more important in creating the sound.
I think I watched a video once and the chap phoned Harley Benton to find out if the SC550 has a maple top - they said it was maple AAA.
The newer SC550 on Thomann website are all listed as maple top. Not bad.
I have loads of Harley Benton guitars and I play them more often than my Fender Performer Strat.
Maple top with maple veneer on that. It's cheaper maple for the top itself and AAA or whatever for the veneer. Not a fan of Thomann selling it like that, when much more expensive guitars do the exact same. But whatever... definetly veneer on a real but cheaper maple top. If the entire top was AAA it would cost as much as the guitar.
I’d love to see you demo the new 25th Anniversary Strat mate. It’s my very first Harley Benton and I’m so impressed with it. Comes with upgraded components and great spec
He could of course sound good but the point was, how much better cheap guitars are today! Those three are great guitars and I have one of them myself the PRs style and I love it. Getting them second hand is even cheaper. I’ve owned nice guitars, Parker USA fly etc. but these are still very good and fun!
That SC looks Fabulous!
I have the SC 550 Deluxe. I changed the pickups "Duncan JB's" but the Roswells were ok. I just wanted something different. I changed the NUT too. Was a hollow piece of plastic. other than that, it's a fantastic guitar.
The 550+ is an amazing deal, it's 100€ more but has 170€ pickups. I have never gotten this much guitar for my money.
I recently purchased a HB Baritone-7 SBK for only $229.00 It features a 27" scale, neck through body with locking tuners and has a graph tech nut. Excellent guitar for not much $!
🤣it’s funny, I picked up a Harley Benton TE-30 telecaster here in the States from a buddy for 60 dollars and a case. Did the fret ends and a polish and I think it’s fantastic, sounds like a tele and as crappy as my tuners are, the bugger stays in tune. 🤷♂️. This is a channel I always look forward to watching and you are both great guys.
Cheers Tim.
what are you pluggin into?? sweet tone!!!!
I've four HBs.
The DC Custom has Grovers so no tuning problems and it's Wilkinsons are nice.
My HB35+ (335 shaped) also had Wilkinsons but they were a tad dull.
I put locking Klusons and a pair of IronGear Blues Engines after four years of happy playing. Happy after a DIY fret levelling, that is.
The SC450+ with Roswell pickups (better than Wilkos IMO) is a sweet LP copy.
The Big Surprise and the least expensive of the lot is my SC450 P90 at £108 in 2017.
She is a killer and her no-name p90s put some SD pickups to shame for their p90’ness.
Thanks guys
I bought a second-hand, but unused Harley Benton TE62CC DR for a ridiculously low amount of money recently. It is a fabulous guitar. The guy who owned it bought it to mod, but his guitar tech friend forbade him to change a single thing, it was that good. So he sold it to me.
I recently discovered Harley Benton and will soon be adding one to my collection of other inexpensive guitars. Mostly Epis and Squires. These seem to be awesome bang for the buck.
i own a harley benton sc550 plus. great guitar, stainless steel frets/ chambered body. really nice guitar, came with some fender parts stuck on, which suprised me
Guitar snob. You said it not me. I would love to see you have the honesty to do truly blindfolded tests with these types of guitars. It’s amazing how many reviewers made comments that were overly influenced by the name on the headstock.
For the record, I believe that is based on the Joe Perry model from Gibson. Vintage had a great couple of not so signature model's, probably less expensive twenty years ago...now there classics, lmao!!!
The nut can be a big cause of tuning isssues, easy to replace with a graphtech or something.
I have wintage guitars worth a new Camaro, but my absolute favorite "on stage" guitars are Harley Benton DC Jr's. 3years in, & I haven't altered a thing.
Got 3, a jazz, a dc junior and a 25th anniversary tele. Great guitars especially the 25th tele which has stainless frets, locking tuners, roasted neck, Wilkinson bridge with compensated brass saddles, double bound body..... Lovely guitar 👌
All for £245 including a nice gigbag
They are excellent and well made punch well above there weight for price
What auction did he get them so cheaply for?
What was the problem identified at 3:02?
Interesting channel. First time watching but I'm intrigued to watch in future.
But they do tend to skate over some details on the evidence of this video. Of course it may be because they have aimed their channel at guitarists who can read between the lines of what they are saying and doing.
3:30 this is not a Photo flame Top.
Been gigging an SC450+ for 5 years now. Did need some initial work. Think i was supplied with B stock.
The black one is like a MIJ Boxer also. I guess maybe the Boxers don't have binding.
Roswell is not a Thomann inhouse brand. You can purchase them from competitors like Musicstore/ Cologne for example.
If I won the Loto I would Probably go in an INSANE Guitar buying Spree. and Get about 150 HB.'s to. Surround my Living space. Lots of Plants Bamboo trees Ferns. and. Guitars. and Amps. . 🦍
I have a PRS and the HB copy The PRS hangs on the wall and pretty much stays there. The Harley Benton is actually a better guitar with a little set up work done. It has better sustain, better action and jumbo frets. The graphtek nut will wear in after a while both will hold tune with even heavy trem movement. Oh and the set up work, the PRS I spent 3 days on its set up the Harley Benton I spent 3 hours on.
I bought the CST (PRS) and replaced all the hardwear and electrics with quality items just as a modding platform to see how good it could be /I could get it.. It's awesome, better than any of the PRS SE range I've tried.
Did exactly the same. Lovely guitar now. Only minus is that the neck is a bit too thin and not rigid enough. You quite easily bend it out of tune.
Interesting stuff - did the final cost stay under SE budget, Steve? Be good to hear it in action.
@@Adventuresingearland, all the parts I bought for it, wiring kit, locking tuners, replacement trem, pickups all came to around £200, so in all the guitar plus parts came to around £500. Which is sort of half the price of the equipment PRS SE custom 24.
The SC is a veneer not a photo.
Should have tried the DLX SC it’s got nicer hardware and pickups for not much more. Just fewer “cool” finishes:
I am personally very curious about Harley Bentons guitars, I have done quite a bit of research now over the past maybe two years. And I am Very inclined to purchase one myself. That first one you played, had some serious zztop twangy tone to it that I really liked to play blues rock
The tops are 1mm veneer. I ckecked. Maple veneer comes in .6 to 1.5 thickness.
yo that intro tone is banging
I agree with other commenters... These do not feel like the models they represent, but for the money they are passable for sure... I recommend letting the beginner play someone's good guitar so they know what it's like for it to stay in tune then they will not get frustrated as much
Would love to see you get your hands on a schecter Nick Johnston PT and put it through its paces!
Great suggestion
@@TheStudioRats or the route 66 schecter like marco fanton uses, those are only available in the UK.
I wonder if you could tell me how to find 2nd-hand auctions in the UK, you mentioned. Much obliged.
I have owned 4 HB guitars so far and not a single one was a disappointment - taking into account the price.
Paul. Oils make a tennis racket sound good . But these guitars at this price level are fantastic.
I bought a HB SG-style guitar. Came with Gotoh Hardware and a Graphtec nut. Has better tuning stability than my Ibanez Prestige RG with locking tuners and also a graphtec nut.
Only the frets needed a lot of polishing. Otherwise great.
Hey Snobs, I mean Rats lol great video you definetly opened my eyes and ears to HB guitars. Thanks!
Lucky enough to have some very nice guitars, but the ones I play most are 3 HB DC juniors… fantastic guitars for about 150€ each!
How did the Germans at HB get labour cheap enough to get down to this price point? Did they resurrect Organisation Todt, or something?
The thing with cheap guitars is the hardware? That's true even on my Mexi Fender Strat. I love the neck profile and the fret work was pretty much perfect. Hardware is a bit meh. Pickups were okay, i.e., bang average. The five-way selector switch recently fell to bits.
I had an Ibanez RG 550 Genesis and sold it after a week. I did not like the ultra skinny and flat wizard neck. MIJ did not add up to high quality like I expected. The switch was dodgy on that guitar too. Overall the guitar had a plastic toy feel to it. I was very surprised, because an older MIJ Jackson DK I had was great, apart from the licensed Floyd not being as good as the real thing or something like a Gotoh - I had a 1996T and it was really good. One impressive thing about the RG 550 though was the Edge locking tremolo. Good trem. Very good. Fret work was decent, but not as well levelled and dressed as the Fender.
Even my Gibson SG Standard '61 original series does not get a 100% rating. It does not have the G-String tuning issue, but it gave me trouble when I got it new. Two gripes. The faux ABR bridge posts are not a tight fit and have far too much play for my liking. The neck would not set up and stay put. I nearly returned it. I had the truss rod cover off for weeks, adjusting the truss rod most days. In the end, it got used to Auckland humidity and settled down. Now it plays so nice and is my favourite guitar.
I am 53 now, so have had a few guitars. I used to buy cheaper ones to take to sea with me -- after damaging a 1990s Gibson custom shop Les Paul Elegant I used to take out there. The thing I have noticed about budget guitars is the frets wear out faster than on more expensive ones. A lot faster. I suspect they use softer metal for the frets. That would speed up fret work in the factory etc.
Your daughter who is six will play it? Have you fed her steroids from birth? I got my niece a Squire Hello Kitty mini Strat when she was about eight. Too big for her. Her older brother ended up playing it lots, and now he is 26 he looks after it for her at his place, i.e., he annexed her axe.
Have 5 HB's..335 copy is very good as well as LP kit(modded wutg Fishman fluence & Piezo, great guitars for modding at such a cheap price.
They look good and sound good -- as long as you don't expect them to hold up very long before there are problems. Believe me, I know.
Have around ten HBs in my collection, incredible quality at the price. I know some people report getting a dud on occasions but for me all good so far.
The key to HBs is that they always need tweaks. Not recommended for a beginner unless someone can set it up for them. Having said that I have an HB Les Paul Jr. that gets as much play-time as my Strats, after a few hours dialing it in it's a great guitar. BTW my money is on poorly-cut nuts causing the tuning issues.
I also have a HB Jr. doublecut. Was great out-of-the-box.
I was taking my Telecaster to the guitar shop for some fret work and took the HB along, to ask the tech if it needed any work. He said nothing needed doing.
@@MisterBrain Is that the Les Paul Jr. copy? What's the distance from the strings to the pickups?
@@MrZardoz777 I swapped the pickup eventually for a Seymour Duncan Antiquity P90, although the original Roswell pickup was fine.
I have never had tuning problems with cheap tuners. They do make it harder to tune with the slop going different directions, but they hold tune ok.. Just stretch the strings....lube the nut.
I bought 5 of these, 4 of them CSTs (PRS clones). They used to be much better 2-5 years prior... Thomann silently switched to making literally ALL of their single cut guitars from meranti wood. Which is literally the cheapest wood one can get, as cheap as plywood.... These used to be made from quality mahogany, now Thomann decided to make them from meranti (both neck and body) , t.m. they are heavy as f*ck (there's no chambering done whatsover), sounding worse, resonating less, plus meranti deterorates much sooner.
I stopped buying these for this very reason. I keep the old ones, after som HW changes they are gorgeous, quality instruments.
The thing that got me totally p*ssed off is that the lasr guitar I ordered was marketed as mahogany - but they sent me a piece from the new lineup made of meranti instead! I immediately noticed a difference in weight, also tonally the guitar sounded duller! In the end , I decided to send it back with spec inconsistency complaint, as just few days after I got the puece, they changed (very quietly) the specs on all single cut models from mahogany to meranti.
I am not going back buying these, no more. Everything else is great about them, especially the CST line, they are well made and painted, the neck is more precise and feels better than my original PRS Tremonti USA!
But sorry Thomann, you lost me as a customer, as for sure I won't be spending my money on guitars made of plywood 🫥😡🫥
So minor upgrades and it’s a killer
The black Telle with white binding. Where the strings come out of the body and cross the bridge. On mine, The strings actually touch the body of the bridge before they get to the bridge tuners. It doesn't seem to create a problem, is yours the same way?
That first thump before the actual sound is that because of reverb, delay, lots of bass or because you are using a 4x12?
I own a cst with p90...
It was a b stock from Thomann.... i just wanted to try p90 ... i later discovered the neck was warped after a mate of mine pointed it out ... i couldn't be arsed to send it back ... the tuners are disgraceful ahah but every time i pick it up it really inspires me ...even more than a ce24 prs that was worth 10 times more than that HB ... the warped fretboard is jatoba wich is not the smoothest and i always put tons of olive oil ( extra virgin ahaha) n lemon oil too ... eventually i'll put some grover tuners on ... i tightened the tuners so much they barely turn but i love the damn thing .... yes the headstock is a bit poo for sure but heyho is gonna stay with me until i die ... some other guitars won't ... in a way that HB has more personality than me Ce24 .... crazy ahaha
Yes it's all in our fingers and it's true a finer instrument will make things easier but won't necessarily inspire u more ....if u drop lucky and are prepared to do some set ups n change parts u are good ... Hb pick ups apart from the Rosewell are usually quite forgettable ...i 'd definitely keep me stock p90 ....
At least the cavities on these guitars have conductive paint on it. That is more attention to detail compared to some higher brand guitars out there.
Curious what you guys would say about the top of line HBs. Not sure which is which but the super strat looks awesome
I can tell you the SC550+ is absolutely incredible. It's as good as my Gibson. I can't recommend that guitar enough. 370€ comes with locking tuners, feels like 2 grand to play and stock EMG Fat 55 pickups, that sound incredible.
Dunno about the Strats. I just got a TE62. Let's see what they can do for 160€ because for 370€ they killed it.
So if you want something Les Paul shaped I recommend that one very highly. The Strats are supposed to be good but I haven't played them.
The 550+ is from the same factory as Ibanez and LTDs up to a grand or above (Cort Indonesia). I have an LTD from there. If I didn't know, I couldn't tell you which cost more. I love that factory. Highest quality/cost ratio.
Be good to hear the clean tones.
Roswell aren't Thomann's pickups. You can actually buy Roswell in other shops but not at Thomann apart from inside the Harley Benton guitars. Roswell are a brand of WSC and they're building pickups for other brands as well, such as Spector, LTD (ESP) and Fender (probably to be found in Squier or Mexican made models, maybe other sub brands like Jackson).
The second Harley Benton is an old one. They changed from Wilkinson pickups to Roswell and the old logo to the new one around 2017 / 2018 so it was built before that.
I know tele's tend to be a little bright, and PRS darker. Where would these sit for you?
They all sound great but I have found the attention to HB detail when it comes to frets, fret buzzing and dead notes is a real constant problem. Sent many back. Even if I have asked then to look at the problems they would rather send another with similar problems. You know that saying, ' If it seems to good to be true...................'
Did you do any upgrades action fret work tunners
No no work has been done.
Ok I’m LITERALLY buying a Katana (I know it’s not to do with this video but it’s the most current and maybe you’ll see this comment) to use your tutorials to figure it out. I have 12 tube amps and I’m a snob. I’m gonna trust you and go into a katana deep dive. Because “The Studio Rats”
That’s all
Your leapt to assumption that the tuning issue is down to poor machine heads is likely wrong (and prejudiced a la title 🙂) IMO. My Harley Bentons stay in tune well but my Gibson Les Paul Standard doesn't so much. Some other issue such as nut friction or new sttrings maybe.
The CST-24T is heavier than the PRS it copies, but for those of us who can do without those goofy birds on the neck and want to save a few bucks, the HB is a nice option, especially in their black cherry flametop.
The dude liked it so much he didnt want stop playing
I have two Fenders, one Ibanez, and four Harley Bentons. They have three others I want. I haven't had to do anything to them. Maybe one, if I actually have a problem...
We aren’t all twitchy rockers out to destroy a machine head. That was quite savage.