🟢As a reminder - all trade inquiries (ONLY FOR TRADE TUESDAY ITEMS) can be submitted to tradetrogly@gmail.com 🔴Available Listings here: troglysguitarshow.com/ 📹Trade Tuesday Season 4 Playlist: czcams.com/play/PLeoEqQBb7GoZVb_CfOCDNdvn9esN8_Igt.html
The problematic part of Harley Benton/Thomann is that they make knock-offs and undercut brands they already sell. Which yes, in the case of Gibson you're not likely to have someone looking for a Gibson to choose the HB, but when it's like smaller companies making pedals, recording equipment, synths etc where you don't have the same copy-culture it gets a tad icky.
Yea..HB stuff from Indonesia is pretty good stuff..I agree on the neck pup I kept mine and replaced the bridge one..hell I even replaced all the wiring and bridge it played and sounds amazing..and for the price I beat the crap out of it everyday..yes I play it Everyday it's that good and no worries about price and treating it like a new car
Thanks for the review of the HB guitar. because people are pretty crazy about them. but it's good to know that HB guitars are basically the same as all other cheap guitars.
The neck angle thing is super simple to fix with that style of bridge. Pull the bridge studs out and route them out to be recessed. This will allow the bridge to go down further and your action will be great. This is a trick that they use on guitars that do not have a neck angle or an angled head stock in order to install that style of bridge. Works great and costs virtually nothing.
I have also achieved the same effect by filing material from the underside of the bridge at the point where it sits on the stud thus allowing the bridge to go further down.
I have a SC-450 (Les Paul equivalent) a TE-52 (Telecaster equivalent) and a nice dreadnought acoustic from Harley-Benton, and I love them all. They were all in amazing condition and fully set-up when they arrived, and I love the coil-splitting option on the SC. I think that a lot of pro guitarists would be happy with these as gigging guitars, and even if you replace the nut, pickups and tuners, you still have a very nice guitar for less than an Epiphone.
I will say - I don't think Harley Bentons are necessarily exceptional in quality compared to equivalent contemporaries as much as it's just cheap guitars being a lot better nowadays in general Buuuut then of course HB can be just that bit cheaper thanks to having innate distribution and economy of scale
We need an immediate special episode on JC!!! Also, those HB Explorers used to look just like an Explorer until they were told they were playing too authentic.
I've got a lefty black one in that shape. Even the headstock looks rather OG... Looks great, has new tuners and electronics and is far too heavy for me.
I believe the purpose of this channel is to document collectable instruments. Collectors will be able to view these videos in 10 or 20 years to see what they originally looked like and the features. Imagine if we had this for all guitars dating back to the beginning days of electric guitars?
Actually have a Harley Benton EX 84 with EMGs and it’s surprisingly a really good guitar for the price. Would love to see one of those also reviewed on the show
Looks like you would want some kind of strap retainer on the front strap button. The angle looks like it might want to pull off the button. Good video and a great review.
I have a couple of HB guitars.... The stand out is the HB DC Jr. Unbelievable fit and finish, yes, I would happily say, perfect! Playability is incredible and, as it has the P100, can do hot P90 grunge and humbucker mellow! Absolutely love the guitar!
I congratulate you on your first Harley Benton. I've owned quite a few Bentons. I'm from Germany and it's pretty easy to buy one without shipping costs. You have to be lucky to get a really good guitar. the Explorer models in white in particular are not particularly well made. All in all, all guitars have some problems, but don't forget the cheap price. And the quality has gotten really good over the years at almost the same price.
Yes, no one needs a Harley Benton they really are beginners guitars. Upgrade platform…….. no. 150 pounds to 450 pounds ??? It’s much smarter to spend a little more on a fender player ,Shecter, or even a Ltd brand. You will spend more in the end upgrading a HB and end up having an upgraded guitar that owes you a stack of money worth no more than what you already paid. Been there done that.
I have several Harley Bentons. I love every single one. I recently got the SC-25TH and am having it worked on atm. I just wanted to change the pots and pickups. My favorite HBs so far are my Enhanced MP-4 bass and TE-69.
Definitely a well thought out redesign. If it feels as good as it sounds, it's definitely well worth every penny. The issue with the neck angle was unfortunate, but hopefully it's not an issue with the model itself, but rather a one time occurrence
I love Trade Tuesday! I have several Harley Benton guitars and most are pretty good for the price. I own Gibson’s, Fender’s, Schecters, LTDs, and a few other guitars but my main is a Harley Benton Fusion T with roasted maple neck, staggered locking tuners, stainless steel frets, and a 2 point Wilkinson trem. It’s incredible for the price and the neck is the best I own of anything. I highly recommend you review and document one in the future, Austin! Thanks for the best CZcams channel ever!
Cool I’ll look that one up. You might want to try a Solar guitar too. Different price point but in my 50 years of playing are my fave guitars. Lurve my HB single cut too Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘
The Gibson Explorer is not one of my favorite guitar designs. Having stated that, the Harley Benton design of that instrument, I must say, is something of an improvement. As I watched you play the HB, it occurred to me that it didn't look so bad. I soon realized I felt that way because the instrument had been minimalized. By Harley Benton shaving some inches off of the guitar it appears(and is) smaller and not as clunky in appearance.
Interesting enough I have always liked the Explorer idea. But after finally buying one last year I came to realize you are right it is not for me unless they could shrink them down like this. Mathius Jabs from the Scorpions plays smaller versions of an explorer style guitar and his guitars seem like something I'd enjoy way more. Too bad they cost a small fortune but hey a guy can dream
That is a stunning looking guitar. I like the pick guard shape on it too. Good to see no routes from the switch underneath the pick guard. I’ve added this to my long list !! Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘
Alright a Harley Benton review finally! This is a way cool guitar for the money! I like how it's not an exact copy of a Gibson or a perform Explorer and has a rather unique looking headstock and how the body is slightly more pointy. I was impressed with the sounds of it as well. I own an HB DC-580 which is basically like a classic Gibson SG standard in a Heritage Cherry finish, two humbucking pickups. Great guitar for the money, sounds great and plays great and it was under $200 brand new.
I have a semi hollow body HB bass and I love it. The only changes i made to it were grover tuners because Im a klutz and knocked it off the stand it was on and broke one of the tuning machines so I figured , "Why replace them with cheapo's?". Very well made and one of my favorites to play. These days even cheap instruments are good.
They are Lso made in Korea. BTW, You do have other options to lower the action. The truss rod and you can file down the center of the bridge saddles..!
Very disappointed that the radius is actually 12", not 15". They really should not have got that wrong on the product listing. It's hard to find guitars with flat radiuses at this price.
I bought my first Harley Benton a few years back, a TV Yellow DC-Junior. I had to replace the wraparound bridge as I couldn't lower it far enough (for my liking) to improve the action. Also, the nut was cut slightly too deep on the g string, so I replaced it with a graph tech, and there was also some of that white compound at the neck joint, but that just wiped right off. I later installed a set of cheap locking tuners and with a few adjustments it now plays perfectly, it's actually now one of my fave guitars for rhythm. I was going to replace the pickup, but the Roswell Alnico P90, along with the pots and wiring were surprisingly good. All in all, the total amount I spent along with a very decent HB padded gigbag was only £205!
I have two Harley Benton Kit Guitars. One is a LP guitar model and the other is a P-bass model. Both fairly easy to build and a learning experience. Upgrade the strings after you've got them set-up and they sound pretty decent. The nice thing is you can easily upgrade tuners and pickups if you want to change the sound. And if you want to buy a finished HB they are pretty well built budget instruments.
I have them in my HB 35 and I actually like them. I was going to swap them out immediately, but I pulled it into my Bassman 10 and I don’t see the need.
shielding paint is just paint with graphite in it , if they didnt have a clear surface and put that ontop of a pre existing finish it would rub off , and id say that is the case here
I have a Harley Benton EX76 and I got mine before they made that annoying little cut out by the strap button. Mine also came with locking Grover tuners on it. A great if not amazing guitar. Lots of funs.
Happy for you ! That little Cut Ruins the Look. I mean, the First Version was a Copy right infringement that could be solved by that stupid little Cut ?
I've got a couple Harley Benton PRS clones, and I love them. Bought one straight from Thomann but ended up needing to get some fret work done on it after a couple months. The other one is the guitar that lives at my band's practice spot and I use it every single week. The thing weighs a ton, even compared to my actual PRS SE24 Standard, but I have absolutely no complaints about it whatsoever. Not bad guitars at all.
There's plenty of material in the back of the bridge, you could put it in a vertical milling machine and cut clearance pockets in the back for the thumb wheels and get another 1/8th inch or so. 10 minute job for a machine shop.
Harley Benton is definitely one of the contenders for the Telecaster I've been dreaming about. I either wanna bite the bullet and get the Charvel model I'm obsessed with, or get a cheap one and mod it into what I want.
Don't know if you ever got the Telecaster because this video is a month old. About a month ago I took a chance on Harley Benton TE-62 in surf green. It was $133, I got the gigbag that was pretty good and shipping U.S east coast was $80 all together was about less then $250. Very happy with it. I wanted binding but surf green did not have binding, now for $10 more you can, and I believe it's $139 -for the Telecaster. Will do a few mods when I get a chance, but does not need it, gave it a good set up to get the action down but that's just me. If have not gotten, it's worth it.
If you are the sort of person that can accept dings,scratches and an overall bad finish go for it! But if you are fussy and bothered about the finish, don't bother! I have had bad experiences with Harley B. Ordered a SC guitar from Thomman and 3 times I had to send them back to finally get a refund! Their quality control and checking is terrible, I'd even say non existent for them to have to exchange 3 guitars that were full of finishing flaws that I wouldn't even expect from a second hand guitar. I know alot of people have been lucky,myself not so! Good luck!
I've got 2 HBs and I really like them both. I have the TE90-FLT, which is a Tele style with their in house rendition of filter trons, and an SC-DLX Gotoh. With everything you get on that model, it's hard to beat as far as bang for your buck goes. Highly recommend!
I’m a lefty and I got 20 guitars and 15 on my Harley Benton upgraded the other day I was doing my semi hollow body telecaster just changing the pick up covers and a wire come off. It was glued onto the bridge pick up then I got it back together now it works in the middle position and it works in the neck but in the bridge there’s no volume so I gotta pull it out. Find what wire got unglued And solder it
I have eleven guitars. Four of them are from HB. I like them. Some with minor issues, but i love to tinker so all's good. Their prices give me access to fine guitars I normally wouldn't be able to afford. Although I recently bought a HB Amarok baritone. Stellar guitar! No issues whatsoever. Great player, great sounds. My first baritone. Having a blast! ( Once I figured out tuning...) Yes, I'm a simpleton...
I absolutely love my Harley Benton TE 52 Tele. It’s the same color as this one. I put all fender USA 52 electronics in mine. New pickups, pots, switch etc. it’s truly awesome
I have had epiphones with slightly off neck joints. Thats kinda the way it goes with the low cost stuff none of them were unplayable or that uncomfortable
The EX-76 seemed to have changed quite a bit. I bought mine in 2015 which boasts a complete body (no strap button cutout), Grover locking tuners, and bone nut. The Roswell pickups were great but I am not much of a rhythm player so I did change them to Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz. The pots were Alpha's but replaced them with a smoother SD 500k. I gave it a complete setup and the action is criminally low but the jumbo frets make it a breeze to play. The $200 I paid for this about 8 years ago was money well spent. One of my favorite guitars in my stable.
The black paint is probably shielding paint, but they didn't tape off the pickup cavity or even scuff up the clear gloss underneath, so it didn't stick very well.
I bought a les Paul style harley benton sc450 plus back in 2020 when they were made out of sapele for the neck and body. It was 200$ shipped. I love the thing and i have no problem buying all new electronics for. Looking into buying cloth wired internals with cts pots and still deciding on pickups but these guitars are a great already built builder imo.
I bought a Harley Benton SC 450 Goldtop w P90s. Out of the box, the fret wire was lifting off fretboard, and the fret ends were razor sharp. HB asked me to get a quote to repair. It was more than the price of the guitar. They gave me credit so I ordered an SC 450 Plus Lemon Drop. it was in better shape but one of the tone knobs was smashed in. These weren't B stock. All said though, the P90s in the Goldtop actually sounded pretty good.
Those finish lifts at the edge of the fretboard are from the factory. The run and the lifts are easily addressed and should have been caught by QC but they probably let them slide at this price point.
My son bought a HB and he loves it! I’ve played it and feels great for the money. I’ve played some really crappy gibsons in my day so I say it’s unfortunate that people judge you because you’re not playing a Gibson or fender. Play whatever if it feels good to you
The output jack location is meant for you to put the cable between the bottom strap button and the body, that way playing it standing you can walk around on stage and have your cable follow you without feeling like you're dragging it.
I appreciate seeing a realistic and honest review concerning this brand for once! There’s FAR to many Harley Benton fanboys and paid reviews floating around making these guitars to be better than the gutairs they’re copying! These are good for a kid or someone starting but nothing for Harley Benton makes will ever close to a real Gipson! The fact is these guitars are cheap slave labor knock-offs and no matter what you put on them or think they’re “just as good” fact is the moment you buy one is worthless.
Hate to say it, but it sounds better than most your other guitars you play. It sounds really good. Has a good look to. You might just have a good one tho
I have one of the Harley Benton Pre Lawsuit Flying Vs, i purchased it almost 10 years ago and its still one of my most played guitars just because of the neck carve. I paid $90 plus shipping, gave it a level and polish, set up, and replaced the pick ups and pots for under $300 and the guitar gets way more playtime than my actual Gibson V.
I have a Harley Benton Dc junior in Pelham blue. Has a Monty’s 54 p90, cts pots and a genuine sprague bumblebee cap and a lightening bar wrap tail and it sounds immense! One of my favourites
Allright Trogs, you've convinced me. I picked up the explorer design, the thinline p90 tele, and some strap locks to compare the quality with other brands.
I got their tele copy just for the look and I was pleasantly surprised. No fret bleed, smooth neck and fretboard, decent electronics, and a great neck pickup. The neck is a little fat for my taste, but whatever. Not sure whether I like the bridge pickup or the tuners yet, but they're easily replaceable. For the price, the thing kicks ass!
Hey man, obviously out of your regular comfort zone, but I do on one or two of these particular brand of guitars, and I find them quite appealing, considering what they are. Glad you actually demoed one.
I have one of these. My nut had the same issue needed to be filed and lubed. The neck profile feels like the based it off a piece of PVC pipe that was cut in half. It's way too thick and way too round for me. Eventually I'll sell mine. Plays and sounds fine and the fret work was surprisingly good. But that neck.
I own 2 Harley Benton Guitars (PRS style in their CST series) that I really love. Each one was purchased as "B" Stock. One may have been a Demo & is flawless. The other was probably a "Return", and was missing the whammy bar (which Thomann sent right out to me at no charge). I also purchased a 12 string Rickenbacker style to compare to a different 12 string to see which I preferred.....and ended up keeping the other, but the H.B. was definitely a contender....but it was easier to sell being virtually new and with a full set up to make it play beautifully. I like the H.B. guitars that I've tried. The play great, and the pickups have all been wonderful!
I'm quite happy with my Harley Bentons, got two e-Basses, one fretted and one fretless, one semi accoustic resonator bass, one semi accoustic (normal) bass and a telecaster copy. I only have two guitars that are not Harley Benton, one's a Cort Bass guitar and one's a classic guitar from Germany.
The thing people need to understand with budget guitars is there going to come with rough pickguards,fret sprout and the odd paint drop on ding in the finish. All these things are easy to fix it just takes time and time is money they simply can't produce perfect guitars and make a profit. For example a couple of years ago Anderson's music in the UK did a deal with fender to made 500 FSR danish Pete inspired squier bullet teles (purple sparkle with maple neck) they sold out in a couple of days. Mine came and you could definitely tell it was a £150 guitar but after some minor fret end dressing new pups and hardware about another £150 I have a great decked out custom tele in a really unusual color.
Never played one, but I kinda love what Harley Benton are doing. What a great 1st guitar to start with. It looks like a solid foundation to replace hardware and experiment with new pickups/wire harness/switches/knobs/tusq nut and machine heads. You could turn this into a decent machine for sure. Anyone here own one who can tell me if that’s true?
I have the original design one before they did the redesign. It came with one of the best fret jobs I have ever seen on a guitar. Couldn't believe it when I saw/played it. Have a few HB guitars now, but the explorer one is on a different level to the others. It also has a very chunky neck profile that will not suit everyone.
Dude. I bought the cheapest hb strat and put a humbucker in the bridge, 500k pots, a treble bleed, and a blade switch and it's one of my favorite guitars.
Just got a Harley Benton offset V - Jackson clone. Really like it. Took it out of the box, tuned it and it plays great. It was WELL worth the $ for sure. Will def consider buying another HB in the future. Great to see a budget guitar reviewed on this channel. I know he's reviewed Glarrys but I hope to see more low cost stuff on Trogly's channel in the future.
I own 2 HB as part of my collection and honestly, there's parts you can tell they're made in a factory with some sloppy jobs on the finish but all in all, they're great guitars for the money and considering I mostly play bass and not *too* eager for a HB basses yet, the guitars are smashing! Anyone on a budget, I highly recommend trying this brand and Thomann are a great store to buy from.
I bit the bullet and bought an Amarok baritone and it’s a stunning instrument for the money. Doesn’t hold up against most of my other guitars but it’s still pretty solid.
I've got the older version of this before the little strap button dimple thing was added. I really love it and it feels great. Obviously the pickups could be better and I will upgrade them eventually. Mine even came with locking grover tuners.
I second that. Mine came with Grovers too and pre dimple. I mostly play teles although my main guitar is now an Atkin Mindhorn but I have always wanted an Explorer just never pulled the plug on a Gibson. These are fun but they have made me want the Gibson even more now.
I would have replaced the stock nut with a black TUSQ nut--tje tone of vintage bone and its self lubricating. I really like the Roswell pickups as well as the belly contour
had this one in my cave last week. one b-stock, one new. both had terrible fretboard issues like white colour in the woodpores, chipped Paint on the Neck (upside) - dirt in the paint on the Headstock and really ugly Scratches all over the Fretboardsides...the PUs were...meh...loves the exact same PUs on the SC450 with PushPull - the EX76 lackes Bass and Meat for me. The Body looks also darker on Pictures...got myself a Epiphone Prophecy Extura - couldn't be happier after 2weeks of waiting, writing, backshipping and waiting 😅
As a guy that owned an actual explorer I can tell you the neck dive is an issue with that style of guitar in general, not just the Harley Benton. The Gibson and Epiphone explorers do the same thing.
I bought a gold top Harley Benton (SC450, LP style with P90's) almost two years ago and other than replacing the crappy switch with a switchcraft as it wouldn't stay in whatever position you wanted; the guitar has been great. For the money I don't think you can find better.
Interesting....amaranth (fretboard) is another name for purpleheart. Actually a really good wood for fretboards. It looks purple when first cut but slowly changes in color to brown over time.
Mysteriously, I had those Roswell LAF pickups in a couple of my Harley Bentons and I found them to be awful. Well made enough but put together by someone who doesn't understand what they should _sound_ like sort of thing. I changed them out on mine with great improvement albeit that the instruments lack natural resonance.
I think I know what guitar you’ve got your eye on. I remember you said you were looking for one about a month ago. I see one listed and it’s really clean in that price range. Don’t worry. I won’t tell what I think it is. I’m looking for the same model and selling a couple of mine to buy it (maybe we can trade). If I buy it before you do I’ll definitely have you document it.
Interesting. I have a couple of HBs, and the one I have with Rosewell pickups has coil split. Couldn't tell by the vid if yours are 4-wire or not. My HB 35C (335 copy) is a great guitar, though I've swapped pickups and tuners out.
Please do a review on a AIO (All in One) Wolf guitar. they come with abalone inlays and a hard shell case. for around $500.00. I have seen really good feedback from people that have purchased them. and another CZcamsr Guitar Max speaks pretty highly of them.
🟢As a reminder - all trade inquiries (ONLY FOR TRADE TUESDAY ITEMS) can be submitted to tradetrogly@gmail.com
🔴Available Listings here: troglysguitarshow.com/
📹Trade Tuesday Season 4 Playlist: czcams.com/play/PLeoEqQBb7GoZVb_CfOCDNdvn9esN8_Igt.html
I've seen a few budget brands that have the Roswell pickups and have heard some good things on them sold as replacement pickups.
The problematic part of Harley Benton/Thomann is that they make knock-offs and undercut brands they already sell. Which yes, in the case of Gibson you're not likely to have someone looking for a Gibson to choose the HB, but when it's like smaller companies making pedals, recording equipment, synths etc where you don't have the same copy-culture it gets a tad icky.
Amaranth is purpleheart, no way that is purpleheart.
@@blodpuddingI agree - it’s more than icky!
Yea..HB stuff from Indonesia is pretty good stuff..I agree on the neck pup I kept mine and replaced the bridge one..hell I even replaced all the wiring and bridge it played and sounds amazing..and for the price I beat the crap out of it everyday..yes I play it Everyday it's that good and no worries about price and treating it like a new car
Thanks for the review of the HB guitar. because people are pretty crazy about them. but it's good to know that HB guitars are basically the same as all other cheap guitars.
The neck angle thing is super simple to fix with that style of bridge. Pull the bridge studs out and route them out to be recessed. This will allow the bridge to go down further and your action will be great. This is a trick that they use on guitars that do not have a neck angle or an angled head stock in order to install that style of bridge. Works great and costs virtually nothing.
I have also achieved the same effect by filing material from the underside of the bridge at the point where it sits on the stud thus allowing the bridge to go further down.
I've not had this issue, but both great ideas. Thanks!
Middle position 420 BLAZE IT
Sexy little number
I have a SC-450 (Les Paul equivalent) a TE-52 (Telecaster equivalent) and a nice dreadnought acoustic from Harley-Benton, and I love them all. They were all in amazing condition and fully set-up when they arrived, and I love the coil-splitting option on the SC. I think that a lot of pro guitarists would be happy with these as gigging guitars, and even if you replace the nut, pickups and tuners, you still have a very nice guitar for less than an Epiphone.
Agreed.
Almost exclusively use bentons for all of my anime & gaming covers.
I will say - I don't think Harley Bentons are necessarily exceptional in quality compared to equivalent contemporaries as much as it's just cheap guitars being a lot better nowadays in general
Buuuut then of course HB can be just that bit cheaper thanks to having innate distribution and economy of scale
I have a SC450 also, love it.
@@metallsnubben yep. Thomann are huge.
We need an immediate special episode on JC!!! Also, those HB Explorers used to look just like an Explorer until they were told they were playing too authentic.
Playing too authentic LMAO love that!
I've got a lefty black one in that shape. Even the headstock looks rather OG...
Looks great, has new tuners and electronics and is far too heavy for me.
Ironically they now look even more like the ESP Snakebyte now.
I'd love to see more budget and mid priced guitars featured. Great video as always
This.
Agree. A $200 guitar can sound like an $800 guitar. And you only gotta spend 100-200 bucks on better pickups.
I believe the purpose of this channel is to document collectable instruments. Collectors will be able to view these videos in 10 or 20 years to see what they originally looked like and the features. Imagine if we had this for all guitars dating back to the beginning days of electric guitars?
Actually have a Harley Benton EX 84 with EMGs and it’s surprisingly a really good guitar for the price. Would love to see one of those also reviewed on the show
I have a EX-84 Modern EMG and a EX-76. My EX-76 is the superior guitar. The 84 has better specs, but feels cheap. The 76 feels better.
What is suprising In that?
Looks like you would want some kind of strap retainer on the front strap button. The angle looks like it might want to pull off the button. Good video and a great review.
yes, that happened at least once during my recording haha
I don't see why the strap peg should be there. It really should be at the neck joint like on an SG
I have a couple of HB guitars.... The stand out is the HB DC Jr. Unbelievable fit and finish, yes, I would happily say, perfect! Playability is incredible and, as it has the P100, can do hot P90 grunge and humbucker mellow! Absolutely love the guitar!
I congratulate you on your first Harley Benton. I've owned quite a few Bentons. I'm from Germany and it's pretty easy to buy one without shipping costs. You have to be lucky to get a really good guitar. the Explorer models in white in particular are not particularly well made. All in all, all guitars have some problems, but don't forget the cheap price. And the quality has gotten really good over the years at almost the same price.
Yes, no one needs a Harley Benton they really are beginners guitars. Upgrade platform…….. no. 150 pounds to 450 pounds ??? It’s much smarter to spend a little more on a fender player ,Shecter, or even a Ltd brand. You will spend more in the end upgrading a HB and end up having an upgraded guitar that owes you a stack of money worth no more than what you already paid. Been there done that.
All my Amarok 7s have been great, other than pups in one being wired badly
@@aliengrey6052lmao, nope. I got high end Schecter's and was going to get a high end ltd but went Amarok 7 and am happy as hell
I have several Harley Bentons. I love every single one. I recently got the SC-25TH and am having it worked on atm. I just wanted to change the pots and pickups. My favorite HBs so far are my Enhanced MP-4 bass and TE-69.
Definitely a well thought out redesign. If it feels as good as it sounds, it's definitely well worth every penny. The issue with the neck angle was unfortunate, but hopefully it's not an issue with the model itself, but rather a one time occurrence
I love Trade Tuesday!
I have several Harley Benton guitars and most are pretty good for the price. I own Gibson’s, Fender’s, Schecters, LTDs, and a few other guitars but my main is a Harley Benton Fusion T with roasted maple neck, staggered locking tuners, stainless steel frets, and a 2 point Wilkinson trem. It’s incredible for the price and the neck is the best I own of anything. I highly recommend you review and document one in the future, Austin! Thanks for the best CZcams channel ever!
Cool I’ll look that one up.
You might want to try a Solar guitar too. Different price point but in my 50 years of playing are my fave guitars. Lurve my HB single cut too
Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘
The Gibson Explorer is not one of my favorite guitar designs. Having stated that, the Harley Benton design of that instrument, I must say, is something of an improvement. As I watched you play the HB, it occurred to me that it didn't look so bad. I soon realized I felt that way because the instrument had been minimalized. By Harley Benton shaving some inches off of the guitar it appears(and is) smaller and not as clunky in appearance.
I have a Solar E1.6 FBB. (Explorer shape) It has an Evertune and is a joy to play.
In fact i have 5 Solars now and want more!!
Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘
Completely agree, to me much more stylish
Interesting enough I have always liked the Explorer idea. But after finally buying one last year I came to realize you are right it is not for me unless they could shrink them down like this. Mathius Jabs from the Scorpions plays smaller versions of an explorer style guitar and his guitars seem like something I'd enjoy way more. Too bad they cost a small fortune but hey a guy can dream
You can check if it's shielding paint by checking for continuity with your voltmeter (before you wipe it off).
That is a stunning looking guitar. I like the pick guard shape on it too. Good to see no routes from the switch underneath the pick guard.
I’ve added this to my long list !!
Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘
Alright a Harley Benton review finally! This is a way cool guitar for the money! I like how it's not an exact copy of a Gibson or a perform Explorer and has a rather unique looking headstock and how the body is slightly more pointy. I was impressed with the sounds of it as well. I own an HB DC-580 which is basically like a classic Gibson SG standard in a Heritage Cherry finish, two humbucking pickups. Great guitar for the money, sounds great and plays great and it was under $200 brand new.
I have a semi hollow body HB bass and I love it. The only changes i made to it were grover tuners because Im a klutz and knocked it off the stand it was on and broke one of the tuning machines so I figured , "Why replace them with cheapo's?". Very well made and one of my favorites to play. These days even cheap instruments are good.
They are Lso made in Korea. BTW, You do have other options to lower the action. The truss rod and you can file down the center of the bridge saddles..!
My EX-76 is made in Indonesia, and the EX-76 in this video was made in Indonesia.
I was incredibly excited when I saw the title for this pop up! I'm watching and looking forward to how the video goes! Keep up the great content!
How serendipitous. I was just looking at a HB 1000 custom p90 black. Looks great sounds good. 250 bucks.
cool to see amaranth wood used here.
Very disappointed that the radius is actually 12", not 15". They really should not have got that wrong on the product listing. It's hard to find guitars with flat radiuses at this price.
Meh
I bought my first Harley Benton a few years back, a TV Yellow DC-Junior. I had to replace the wraparound bridge as I couldn't lower it far enough (for my liking) to improve the action. Also, the nut was cut slightly too deep on the g string, so I replaced it with a graph tech, and there was also some of that white compound at the neck joint, but that just wiped right off. I later installed a set of cheap locking tuners and with a few adjustments it now plays perfectly, it's actually now one of my fave guitars for rhythm. I was going to replace the pickup, but the Roswell Alnico P90, along with the pots and wiring were surprisingly good. All in all, the total amount I spent along with a very decent HB padded gigbag was only £205!
I have two Harley Benton Kit Guitars. One is a LP guitar model and the other is a P-bass model. Both fairly easy to build and a learning experience. Upgrade the strings after you've got them set-up and they sound pretty decent. The nice thing is you can easily upgrade tuners and pickups if you want to change the sound. And if you want to buy a finished HB they are pretty well built budget instruments.
Looks like you could tighten the truss to get action lower. Appeared like it had some relief in the middle, or at least flat.
Ahh my favorite guitar colour, ikea furniture
Those Roswell’s really are good. I have a set in my kit V build and they are awesome.
I have them in my HB 35 and I actually like them. I was going to swap them out immediately, but I pulled it into my Bassman 10 and I don’t see the need.
shielding paint is just paint with graphite in it , if they didnt have a clear surface and put that ontop of a pre existing finish it would rub off , and id say that is the case here
I have a Harley Benton EX76 and I got mine before they made that annoying little cut out by the strap button. Mine also came with locking Grover tuners on it. A great if not amazing guitar. Lots of funs.
Happy for you ! That little Cut Ruins the Look. I mean, the First Version was a Copy right infringement that could be solved by that stupid little Cut ?
I've got a couple Harley Benton PRS clones, and I love them. Bought one straight from Thomann but ended up needing to get some fret work done on it after a couple months. The other one is the guitar that lives at my band's practice spot and I use it every single week. The thing weighs a ton, even compared to my actual PRS SE24 Standard, but I have absolutely no complaints about it whatsoever. Not bad guitars at all.
There's plenty of material in the back of the bridge, you could put it in a vertical milling machine and cut clearance pockets in the back for the thumb wheels and get another 1/8th inch or so. 10 minute job for a machine shop.
I've heard good things about H.B. but I think the IYV is the best kept budget guitar secret. I love mine.
Harley Benton is definitely one of the contenders for the Telecaster I've been dreaming about. I either wanna bite the bullet and get the Charvel model I'm obsessed with, or get a cheap one and mod it into what I want.
Don't know if you ever got the Telecaster because this video is a month old. About a month ago I took a chance on Harley Benton TE-62 in surf green. It was $133, I got the gigbag that was pretty good and shipping U.S east coast was $80 all together was about less then $250. Very happy with it. I wanted binding but surf green did not have binding, now for $10 more you can, and I believe it's $139 -for the Telecaster. Will do a few mods when I get a chance, but does not need it, gave it a good set up to get the action down but that's just me. If have not gotten, it's worth it.
If you are the sort of person that can accept dings,scratches and an overall bad finish go for it! But if you are fussy and bothered about the finish, don't bother! I have had bad experiences with Harley B. Ordered a SC guitar from Thomman and 3 times I had to send them back to finally get a refund! Their quality control and checking is terrible, I'd even say non existent for them to have to exchange 3 guitars that were full of finishing flaws that I wouldn't even expect from a second hand guitar. I know alot of people have been lucky,myself not so! Good luck!
I am the guy who was selling the Cort Effector! So cool to see my listing on this famous show!
I've got 2 HBs and I really like them both. I have the TE90-FLT, which is a Tele style with their in house rendition of filter trons, and an SC-DLX Gotoh. With everything you get on that model, it's hard to beat as far as bang for your buck goes. Highly recommend!
Got the ja60ow, dc junior dirty mustard, 25th anniversary tele and a sc 550ii gotoh.... All lefties... Range from good to great... Love em. 🎸❤️
I’m a lefty and I got 20 guitars and 15 on my Harley Benton upgraded the other day I was doing my semi hollow body telecaster just changing the pick up covers and a wire come off. It was glued onto the bridge pick up then I got it back together now it works in the middle position and it works in the neck but in the bridge there’s no volume so I gotta pull it out. Find what wire got unglued And solder it
Don't know if anyone said yet but the shielding paint looks like its been painted on over the gloss so its just not sticking properly to the paint.
I have eleven guitars. Four of them are from HB. I like them. Some with minor issues, but i love to tinker so all's good. Their prices give me access to fine guitars I normally wouldn't be able to afford. Although I recently bought a HB Amarok baritone. Stellar guitar! No issues whatsoever. Great player, great sounds. My first baritone. Having a blast! ( Once I figured out tuning...)
Yes, I'm a simpleton...
Instead of a guitar lets trade our way up to a Harley Davidson.
You can lower the existing bridge by routing out a recess to the right depth.
Oh, cool. Tell that to Harley Benton.
I absolutely love my Harley Benton TE 52 Tele. It’s the same color as this one. I put all fender USA 52 electronics in mine. New pickups, pots, switch etc. it’s truly awesome
I have had epiphones with slightly off neck joints. Thats kinda the way it goes with the low cost stuff none of them were unplayable or that uncomfortable
The EX-76 seemed to have changed quite a bit. I bought mine in 2015 which boasts a complete body (no strap button cutout), Grover locking tuners, and bone nut. The Roswell pickups were great but I am not much of a rhythm player so I did change them to Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz. The pots were Alpha's but replaced them with a smoother SD 500k. I gave it a complete setup and the action is criminally low but the jumbo frets make it a breeze to play. The $200 I paid for this about 8 years ago was money well spent. One of my favorite guitars in my stable.
The black paint is probably shielding paint, but they didn't tape off the pickup cavity or even scuff up the clear gloss underneath, so it didn't stick very well.
I bought a les Paul style harley benton sc450 plus back in 2020 when they were made out of sapele for the neck and body. It was 200$ shipped. I love the thing and i have no problem buying all new electronics for. Looking into buying cloth wired internals with cts pots and still deciding on pickups but these guitars are a great already built builder imo.
I bought a brand new hb ex84 modern and it had a perfectly sculpted authentic graphtech nut
I bought a Harley Benton SC 450 Goldtop w P90s. Out of the box, the fret wire was lifting off fretboard, and the fret ends were razor sharp.
HB asked me to get a quote to repair. It was more than the price of the guitar.
They gave me credit so I ordered an SC 450 Plus Lemon Drop. it was in better shape but one of the tone knobs was smashed in. These weren't B stock. All said though, the P90s in the Goldtop actually sounded pretty good.
Those finish lifts at the edge of the fretboard are from the factory. The run and the lifts are easily addressed and should have been caught by QC but they probably let them slide at this price point.
My son bought a HB and he loves it! I’ve played it and feels great for the money. I’ve played some really crappy gibsons in my day so I say it’s unfortunate that people judge you because you’re not playing a Gibson or fender. Play whatever if it feels good to you
I've had one of the '84 Epiphone Explorers and that thing could also not get low enough for my liking, bottomed out the bridge..
Put a harmonica bridge on it ,that's why Gibson used them in the 70's = less neck angle
The output jack location is meant for you to put the cable between the bottom strap button and the body, that way playing it standing you can walk around on stage and have your cable follow you without feeling like you're dragging it.
I appreciate seeing a realistic and honest review concerning this brand for once! There’s FAR to many Harley Benton fanboys and paid reviews floating around making these guitars to be better than the gutairs they’re copying! These are good for a kid or someone starting but nothing for Harley Benton makes will ever close to a real Gipson! The fact is these guitars are cheap slave labor knock-offs and no matter what you put on them or think they’re “just as good” fact is the moment you buy one is worthless.
Those Roswell pups sounded surprisingly good. Glad to see trade Tuesday back.
Hate to say it, but it sounds better than most your other guitars you play. It sounds really good. Has a good look to. You might just have a good one tho
that is shielding paint. The one I use is from StewMac and it's exactly the same thing. Maybe it's not meant to be rubbed...
I have one of the Harley Benton Pre Lawsuit Flying Vs, i purchased it almost 10 years ago and its still one of my most played guitars just because of the neck carve. I paid $90 plus shipping, gave it a level and polish, set up, and replaced the pick ups and pots for under $300 and the guitar gets way more playtime than my actual Gibson V.
I have a Harley Benton Dc junior in Pelham blue. Has a Monty’s 54 p90, cts pots and a genuine sprague bumblebee cap and a lightening bar wrap tail and it sounds immense! One of my favourites
To be honest the defects on this guitar is something you would find on a Chibson, the neck angle is a huge red flag, disappointing
One of my straps has a suede back. Works great for neck heavy guitars.
Allright Trogs, you've convinced me. I picked up the explorer design, the thinline p90 tele, and some strap locks to compare the quality with other brands.
I am pleasantly surprised. That seems like a great entry level guitar.
I got their tele copy just for the look and I was pleasantly surprised. No fret bleed, smooth neck and fretboard, decent electronics, and a great neck pickup. The neck is a little fat for my taste, but whatever. Not sure whether I like the bridge pickup or the tuners yet, but they're easily replaceable. For the price, the thing kicks ass!
Hey man, obviously out of your regular comfort zone, but I do on one or two of these particular brand of guitars, and I find them quite appealing, considering what they are. Glad you actually demoed one.
I have one of these. My nut had the same issue needed to be filed and lubed. The neck profile feels like the based it off a piece of PVC pipe that was cut in half. It's way too thick and way too round for me. Eventually I'll sell mine. Plays and sounds fine and the fret work was surprisingly good. But that neck.
Love the trade Tuesday series!! Thanks for doing this!!
Much better-sounding than I expected.
The fret wood has been used by luthier’s for a long time because it is so close to rosewood and it’s a lot easier to get
I've ground down the underside of the bridge to get it even lower. It works if it's a guitar you don't want to lose.
I have the HB Marquess 5 String Bass and it’s been great. Hard to beat for an active 5-String bass under $500.
I own 2 Harley Benton Guitars (PRS style in their CST series) that I really love. Each one was purchased as "B" Stock. One may have been a Demo & is flawless. The other was probably a "Return", and was missing the whammy bar (which Thomann sent right out to me at no charge). I also purchased a 12 string Rickenbacker style to compare to a different 12 string to see which I preferred.....and ended up keeping the other, but the H.B. was definitely a contender....but it was easier to sell being virtually new and with a full set up to make it play beautifully. I like the H.B. guitars that I've tried. The play great, and the pickups have all been wonderful!
I'm quite happy with my Harley Bentons, got two e-Basses, one fretted and one fretless, one semi accoustic resonator bass, one semi accoustic (normal) bass and a telecaster copy. I only have two guitars that are not Harley Benton, one's a Cort Bass guitar and one's a classic guitar from Germany.
1:46 We gotta lil "doopy swoopy" down here.😂
You should do comparison of one of their mid/high single cuts against epiphone/gibson
The thing people need to understand with budget guitars is there going to come with rough pickguards,fret sprout and the odd paint drop on ding in the finish. All these things are easy to fix it just takes time and time is money they simply can't produce perfect guitars and make a profit.
For example a couple of years ago Anderson's music in the UK did a deal with fender to made 500 FSR danish Pete inspired squier bullet teles (purple sparkle with maple neck) they sold out in a couple of days.
Mine came and you could definitely tell it was a £150 guitar but after some minor fret end dressing new pups and hardware about another £150 I have a great decked out custom tele in a really unusual color.
you can deepen the posts, it seems...
or file the parts of the bridge that rest on the posts.
Do a review on firefly guitars please!!!
Never played one, but I kinda love what Harley Benton are doing. What a great 1st guitar to start with. It looks like a solid foundation to replace hardware and experiment with new pickups/wire harness/switches/knobs/tusq nut and machine heads. You could turn this into a decent machine for sure.
Anyone here own one who can tell me if that’s true?
One caveat… cheap guitars always come with garbage strings. Changing these alone would make a big difference.
This Spring 2023 Trade Tuesday Project is shaping up to be a gear and history nerd's paradise!
I have the original design one before they did the redesign. It came with one of the best fret jobs I have ever seen on a guitar. Couldn't believe it when I saw/played it. Have a few HB guitars now, but the explorer one is on a different level to the others. It also has a very chunky neck profile that will not suit everyone.
Dude. I bought the cheapest hb strat and put a humbucker in the bridge, 500k pots, a treble bleed, and a blade switch and it's one of my favorite guitars.
Just got a Harley Benton offset V - Jackson clone. Really like it. Took it out of the box, tuned it and it plays great. It was WELL worth the $ for sure. Will def consider buying another HB in the future. Great to see a budget guitar reviewed on this channel. I know he's reviewed Glarrys but I hope to see more low cost stuff on Trogly's channel in the future.
I own 2 HB as part of my collection and honestly, there's parts you can tell they're made in a factory with some sloppy jobs on the finish but all in all, they're great guitars for the money and considering I mostly play bass and not *too* eager for a HB basses yet, the guitars are smashing! Anyone on a budget, I highly recommend trying this brand and Thomann are a great store to buy from.
Great guitars. The only issue I ever had was with the materials. The frets on the round back I had wore out quickly.
I bit the bullet and bought an Amarok baritone and it’s a stunning instrument for the money. Doesn’t hold up against most of my other guitars but it’s still pretty solid.
I've got the older version of this before the little strap button dimple thing was added. I really love it and it feels great. Obviously the pickups could be better and I will upgrade them eventually. Mine even came with locking grover tuners.
I second that. Mine came with Grovers too and pre dimple. I mostly play teles although my main guitar is now an Atkin Mindhorn but I have always wanted an Explorer just never pulled the plug on a Gibson. These are fun but they have made me want the Gibson even more now.
How is the wiring run from the pickup selector switch without the rout under the pick guard?
@3:13 LAF pickups? Prolly means _Lawsuit Applied For._
I would have replaced the stock nut with a black TUSQ nut--tje tone of vintage bone and its self lubricating. I really like the Roswell pickups as well as the belly contour
had this one in my cave last week. one b-stock, one new. both had terrible fretboard issues like white colour in the woodpores, chipped Paint on the Neck (upside) - dirt in the paint on the Headstock and really ugly Scratches all over the Fretboardsides...the PUs were...meh...loves the exact same PUs on the SC450 with PushPull - the EX76 lackes Bass and Meat for me. The Body looks also darker on Pictures...got myself a Epiphone Prophecy Extura - couldn't be happier after 2weeks of waiting, writing, backshipping and waiting 😅
As a guy that owned an actual explorer I can tell you the neck dive is an issue with that style of guitar in general, not just the Harley Benton. The Gibson and Epiphone explorers do the same thing.
I bought a gold top Harley Benton (SC450, LP style with P90's) almost two years ago and other than replacing the crappy switch with a switchcraft as it wouldn't stay in whatever position you wanted; the guitar has been great. For the money I don't think you can find better.
Interesting....amaranth (fretboard) is another name for purpleheart. Actually a really good wood for fretboards. It looks purple when first cut but slowly changes in color to brown over time.
Mysteriously, I had those Roswell LAF pickups in a couple of my Harley Bentons and I found them to be awful. Well made enough but put together by someone who doesn't understand what they should _sound_ like sort of thing. I changed them out on mine with great improvement albeit that the instruments lack natural resonance.
I think I know what guitar you’ve got your eye on. I remember you said you were looking for one about a month ago. I see one listed and it’s really clean in that price range. Don’t worry. I won’t tell what I think it is. I’m looking for the same model and selling a couple of mine to buy it (maybe we can trade). If I buy it before you do I’ll definitely have you document it.
Nothing wrong with the tone on that one!
I got it!......it’s that new disappearing shielding paint 🎨!🤔
Interesting. I have a couple of HBs, and the one I have with Rosewell pickups has coil split. Couldn't tell by the vid if yours are 4-wire or not. My HB 35C (335 copy) is a great guitar, though I've swapped pickups and tuners out.
Please do a review on a AIO (All in One) Wolf guitar. they come with abalone inlays and a hard shell case. for around $500.00. I have seen really good feedback from people that have purchased them. and another CZcamsr Guitar Max speaks pretty highly of them.