Harley Benton JA-60CC | Bags of fun, killer looks + Jazzmaster tones galore for €179! Review & Demo
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- čas přidán 28. 07. 2024
- This is the Harley Benton JA-60CC in Seafoam Green - one of a new, vibrant quintet of colorways available for the brand’s super affordable Fender Jazzmaster-esque range of offset guitars!
Get the JA-60CC here: thmn.to/thoprod/514488?offid=...
Coming in at €179, the JA-60CC is about as cheap as it gets if you’re after a gig-ready offset, but this budget guitar boasts some pretty cool specs and features for the money - and it looks a whole lot more expensive than it is.
The body (which is a bit smaller than that of a Fender Jazzmaster) is basswood, while the 25.5” scale length neck is caramelized maple and features a 21-fret bound laurel fingerboard with block inlays. You get two Roswell P90 pickups, a master volume and tone control, and a generic fixed bridge and tuners - so no extra frills here, and no rhythm/treble circuits or vibrato bridges that you tend to see on Fender offsets.
Now, I chose the Seafoam Green finish, which looks lovely with the off-white/mint green pickguard, but you can also get the JA-60CC in Lake Placid Blue, Inca Silver, Dakota Red, and Shell Pink - so there’s something for every taste here.
The real question is, how does it actually sound? And is the JA-60CC a genuine alternative to a Fender or Squier offset? In this video, I put the JA-60CC through its paces in as many different genres and styles as I can: that means everything from country, folk and indie, to pop, rock, punk, metal, and more. Let’s see how it handles it all!
Here are some links to the various playing samples and info bits:
00:00 Hello!
00:16 Introduction to the JA-60CC range
01:29 Specs and info
03:39 Today’s rig and plan
Clean Sounds
04:20 Clean tone reference chords on all pickup settings
04:40 Poppy barre chords
04:56 Ringing open indie pop chords
05:09 Pop rock rhythm tone
05:20 Neo soul barre chords
05:31 Funky rhythm chords
05:45 Blues progression
05:57 Country ballad arpeggios
06:10 Country lead sound
06:16 Country strummed chords
06:35 Tone control test
07:01 Atmospheric droning indie chords
07:20 Folk pop chords
Clean Sounds with extra reverb/tremolo
07:37 Indie pop picked arpeggios
07:59 Surf chords
08:18 Poppy soundscapes
08:39 Atmospheric arpeggios
09:02 Poppy lead melody
Overdriven Sounds
09:20 Indie rock rhythm sound
09:36 Indie rock octave chords
10:01 Descending rocky barre chords
10:07 Garage rock riff
10:23 Upbeat indie rock barre chords
10:46 Volume control test
11:11 Indie octave chords riff
11:27 Southern rock picked arpeggios
11:38 Edgy indie barre chords
11:51 Droning open string riff (all pickup settings)
12:19 Kings Of Leon inspired indie rock riff
12:34 Airbourne inspired rock riff
12:46 AC/DC inspired classic rock riff
13:03 Groovy classic rock riff (all pickup settings)
13:29 Hendrix inspired classic rock riff
13:45 Classic rock riff
Higher gain drive sounds
14:01 Classic hard rock riff
14:18 Hard rock riff
14:34 Glam rock riff
14:49 Hard rock melodic lead
15:01 Alt rock riff
15:15 Chunky alt rock chords
15:28 Foo Fighters inspired modern rock riff
15:46 Pop punk riff
15:59 Pop punk melodic lead riff
16:14 Green Day inspired punk rock riff
16:28 Punk rock power chords
16:54 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning)
17:09 Modern rock palm-muted chords (Drop D)
17:33 Rage Against The Machine inspired groovy riff (Drop D)
Heavy Distortion sounds (all in Drop D)
17:49 Metal chugging riff
18:05 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang
18:17 Classic metal melodic lead sound
18:33 Hardcore punk riff
18:48 Rammstein inspired industrial metal riff
19:00 Classic heavy metal/sludge riff
19:37 My thoughts: first impressions
20:42 Weight
21:00 Build quality and hardware
22:10 Playability and neck
22:52 Sounds discussion
25:30 What other cheap offset guitars should you consider?
26:50 My conclusions on the JA-60CC
27:29 Thanks and goodbye
My setup was as follows: I ran the JA-60CC into my Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 head, also using my Greer Lightspeed for the overdrive and my Revv G3 for the heavy distortion sounds. The amp went from the Red Box DI straight into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, which went into Logic Pro X. That's it. No post-processing on the sounds was done.
Here’s some links to those bits of gear:
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H&K Black Spirit 200 head: thmn.to/thoprod/447827?offid=...
Greer Lightspeed: thmn.to/thoprod/478415?offid=...
Revv G3: thmn.to/thoprod/437353?offid=...
Focusrite 4i4 (the new 2i4!): thmn.to/thoprod/467952?offid=...
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Enjoy!
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Backing music from the CZcams Audio Library: Duck In The Alley - TrackTribe.
#HarleyBenton #Jazzmaster #JA60CC #HarleyBentonGuitar #OffsetGuitars
Note: certain links in the description are affiliate links. If you click said links and purchase anything as a result, I will receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it does help to support the channel. So, if you do that, thank you very much!
@HarleyBentonOfficial - Hudba
And here's your timestamps:
00:00 Hello!
00:16 Introduction to the JA-60CC range
01:29 Specs and info
03:39 Today’s rig and plan
Clean Sounds
04:20 Clean tone reference chords on all pickup settings
04:40 Poppy barre chords
04:56 Ringing open indie pop chords
05:09 Pop rock rhythm tone
05:20 Neo soul barre chords
05:31 Funky rhythm chords
05:45 Blues progression
05:57 Country ballad arpeggios
06:10 Country lead sound
06:16 Country strummed chords
06:35 Tone control test
07:01 Atmospheric droning indie chords
07:20 Folk pop chords
Clean Sounds with extra reverb/tremolo
07:37 Indie pop picked arpeggios
07:59 Surf chords
08:18 Poppy soundscapes
08:39 Atmospheric arpeggios
09:02 Poppy lead melody
Overdriven Sounds
09:20 Indie rock rhythm sound
09:36 Indie rock octave chords
10:01 Descending rocky barre chords
10:07 Garage rock riff
10:23 Upbeat indie rock barre chords
10:46 Volume control test
11:11 Indie octave chords riff
11:27 Southern rock picked arpeggios
11:38 Edgy indie barre chords
11:51 Droning open string riff (all pickup settings)
12:19 Kings Of Leon inspired indie rock riff
12:34 Airbourne inspired rock riff
12:46 AC/DC inspired classic rock riff
13:03 Groovy classic rock riff (all pickup settings)
13:29 Hendrix inspired classic rock riff
13:45 Classic rock riff
Higher gain drive sounds
14:01 Classic hard rock riff
14:18 Hard rock riff
14:34 Glam rock riff
14:49 Hard rock melodic lead
15:01 Alt rock riff
15:15 Chunky alt rock chords
15:28 Foo Fighters inspired modern rock riff
15:46 Pop punk riff
15:59 Pop punk melodic lead riff
16:14 Green Day inspired punk rock riff
16:28 Punk rock power chords
16:54 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning)
17:09 Modern rock palm-muted chords (Drop D)
17:33 Rage Against The Machine inspired groovy riff (Drop D)
Heavy Distortion sounds (all in Drop D)
17:49 Metal chugging riff
18:05 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang
18:17 Classic metal melodic lead sound
18:33 Hardcore punk riff
18:48 Rammstein inspired industrial metal riff
19:00 Classic heavy metal/sludge riff
19:37 My thoughts: first impressions
20:42 Weight
21:00 Build quality and hardware
22:10 Playability and neck
22:52 Sounds discussion
25:30 What other cheap offset guitars should you consider?
26:50 My conclusions on the JA-60CC
27:29 Thanks and goodbye
Bought their Strat clone. ABSOLUTELY the WORST POS that could be. Unplayable out of the box, had to change neck tusk, because the low E, was touching the frets, TOTALLY unshielded, buzzes like hornets nest, whammy too thin, spins like propeller .... DO N O T BUY !!!! This scam has been dormant, if you check for about two years ago, some of the reviewers even apologized. They were sent fine tuned and set up instruments, instead or this wreck of an instrument I got.
You do an excellent job on all this.
I searched for JA-60 videos and accidentally found a chords and styles encyclopedia. As a beginner this is awesome!
Ha ha, thanks a lot! I'm really glad you found my little channel and could get some inspiration from my riffs... I do like to do something for everyone if I can! Enjoy :) (This is a top guitar too, by the way - would be a great first offset for anybody!)
Just wanted to say it's SO nice having all these demos in different styles. It's so hard finding any demos that aren't just metal or blues, and as much as those are great ways to show off a guitar it's definitely not what i am gonna be playing 99% of the time, so this is a huge help!
The JA-60 sounds incredible, very tempted to get the anniversary model. As a lefty HB are an absolute godsend, they have increased the variety and selection in the lower end of the market exponentially for players like me.
Thanks a lot! I was always frustrated by that lack of musical diversity in videos here, and that's why I try and do a riff in as many styles as I can... hopefully everyone will hear something that works for them!
I still love the JA-60 and can't recommend it enough. It sounds so fat and thick for the kind of indie riffs I usually play, and the roasted maple neck feels fantastic. I get quite a few comments about lefties who love HB for that - more brands need to take note! Cheers for watching and happy music making :)
Most impressive part is that you were able to assign a different genre tag to each of the little parts you played :D
Ha ha, I'm an expert at that now but it took a while to come up with proper names for everything!
Awesome demo. I love that you demo through so many different styles. It really shows off the versatility of the guitar and helps people hear how it would suit them specifically. Well done!!!
One of the best sound demos I've ever seen. Not only you go into a wide variety of riffs and distortion nuance but also include a lot of 90s styles I often miss in all guitar gear demos.
I'm seriously considerinh buying this guitar. It seems to have both clarity and cleans or beef and chug, but without the sometimes overkill of humbuckers for some riffs.
Thank you for introduction, lots of information about the guitar, beautiful sounds and providing all timestamps and respecting viewers. much respect to you old boy.
Thanks a lot, really happy you enjoyed the video! And you made my day with the kind comment - cheers again :)
These reviews are exceptional. An etalon of gear reviews. I've already bought a few effects and guitars based on your presentation. Well done indeed!
Thanks very much for the kind words David! I'm really glad you enjoy my videos and find them useful in choosing certain bits of guitar gear... all the best and rock on :)
Incredible how Rich can keep up with so extensive reviews, thank you Rich :) The JA60 are wonderfull guitars, I love the thick distorted sound, but it can do everything from Jazz, Punk, Surf, what a gem! I never liked the Strats from HB too much, but the JA60 makes for that entirely. Has it's own soul. Thank you for wonderfull tone demo and epic review!
My pleasure! These videos are a lot of work, but often (like this time!) they are super fun to do :) And you're totally right - what flexible guitars these are... I was really surprised at just how well they cope with the higher gain stuff! Cheers for watching and rock on!
Very excited to see you review this one Rich! Definitely going to pick up one of these.
Yeah, I'm excited to have it! Loads of fun, and I think you'll love it :)
I appreciate your very comprehensive videos and marking the different sections of the video for quick review and access. Subscribed.
Thanks a lot - really glad you found the video (and the timestamps) useful! And cheers for the sub as well :) Rock on!
Great guitar playing and review as always..Listening to guitar tones through various genres and styles..love it love it..
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it! Rock on :)
Fantastic demo and amazing playing. Well done 👏🏼
Thanks Karl!
Super cool sound demo! Thanks for taking the time. Damn...
No problem, glad you enjoyed it! These are really great guitars...
Best demo of all time dude! Nice sound 🤘
Thanks so much my friend! This one is loads of fun, and sounds great too. I love a good sparkly P90. Rock on :)
always a pleasure listening and watching at your reviews !
I am really happy to hear that, thanks a lot for watching them :)
I've watched quite a few videos regarding this guitar and one thing is for sure... The clean and edge of break up sound great. I am probably going to get one of these soon. Thanks for the video.
Yes, I was actually surprised at how thick and edgy this guitar sounds for those kinds of sounds. I'm in that zone a lot, and I've been 100% happy ever since buying the guitar. I had thought this might be something to swap out for something more expensive, but it's totally not necessary! Hope you get the chance to try one soon :)
Fantastic demo and amazing playing Well done.
Cheers again!
I have the JA60 in the antique-ey white finish. Love it. You had fantastic sounds out of it with your set up. 🙂🙂🎸🎸
The white one is a really classic look. That's also on my shortlist if I ever end up getting another. Glad you enjoyed the sounds I was getting, and thanks for watching!
Recently got one and it is really good.
I only really got it for the ‘50s vibe, but after putting on new strings and playing it I am really impressed with this guitar.
I really enjoy playing this guitar. Definitely one to keep.😊
Yep, they're genuinely decent! I was also sold on the looks and the colors, I must admit, but this guitar's a keeper for sure! Enjoy yours :)
Great demo! Tones sound fantastic. Seems too good to be true. Thanks man
Thanks Sean! You know, at this price, it almost is too good to be true - but this guitar is for real! I'm constantly surprised at the level of HB guitars compared to the RRPs. How they do it, I have no idea, but it's certainly a great time to be a guitar player who wants affordable gear!
Great! I’m impressed by the sound and the look. Don’t NEED more guitars, but this one I WANT. 🤪
I will move the volume knob backwards (to close to the strumming hand) and the toggle on the upper horn, and probably the output jack to the outer edge.
The old pickguard holes will get a kill switch and a faze switch.
Thank you, definitely convinced me to get this guy
No problem, hope you love yours when you get it!
The hardest working man on CZcams is back with another great review & demo! Thanks, Rich, although this guitar is probably too offset for my taste🙂(love that they put p90s instead of the traditional single coils though).
Ha ha, thanks! I do try my best, although I only do a video a week at most. There are some crazies who manage this every day, or at least 2 or 3 times a week. Now that's work! Although I guess I also have a day job ;) I love this guitar, and about the pickups, I've seen that HB and Thomann have changed their websites to say they are "JM vintage-style" pickups as opposed to P90s... so who knows what they are! They sound great, though :) Rock on!
Great playing on this guitar and I like the sparkly sound from the pickups. I'm, looking right now to see if they have lefty version because of your video.
Thanks Robert! Yep, loads of great sounds fro this one... and they do have lefties! Lake Placid Blue already, and apparently Seafoam Green is on the way. Treat yourself ;)
Wow! I thought i was deadset on either of the Les Paul Junior's that Harley Benton offer but after watching your review , I think I prefer the tone of the JA60! There's definitely something special about it! Thanks for this, it's amazing what you get for so little 🤘😁
Cheers Dave! Yep, these guitars are mind-blowing value for money really... and I'm a fellow pop punk lover, and can confirm that they're great for this sort of stuff! The SC Junior is too actually, but there's a fatness to the sound of these JA-60s which is just lovely! And the colour options are also a bit more adventurous 😉 Have been checking out your videos and we've clearly got a fair few of the same records in our collections 😎 Really enjoyed your My Friends Over You cover! Cheers and rock on!
@@RichWordsMusic yeah, it was the fatness that made me love the tone of the JA-60 just that little bit more so I'll probably grab it before then go for the SC Junior 😁 I could definitely tell you were a pop punk fan from the demos that you do, also it's great to see you cover so much of the tonal spectrum.
Thank you! I really appreciate that, glad you liked the cover!
I think it is killer. I love the changes H.B. has been making by stripping off superfluous nonsense but just keeping the look and vibe of classic shapes. I would put a classic Humbucker in the neck as I play music with a classic Metal vibe with Prog sensibility. Having these old single coils at the neck are perfect for parts in a tune where I do flatpicking things that need definition on every note. I use 10 guitars and my neck pickups are all the classics including even Goldfoils and a real Ric.Thanx for your usual well thought out and explained demo and with a good sample of tones used in your playing. You are one of handful guys that does this exceptionally well and I have subscriptions with at minimum 200 guys that demo guitar gear. There are 5 reviewers I would never miss. Well done, take a bow :-)
Couldn't have put it better myself - I described it as being something like a baby Jazzmaster, or a gateway offset, but actually what HB have done is strip away a few things that purists might want, but that actually will make the guitars more expensive, and harder to play and sound good! HB are really doing good things. Send me a link to the tracks you mention, would like to hear them! And thanks a lot - I put a lot of effort (and time! Mostly time) into these videos, and I am happy they resonate with you. Cutting through a subscription feed with over 200 gear-based channels is a hard job ;) Rock on!
@@RichWordsMusic I have had a pedal review Blog since 2015 and have done as of today 2,261 reviews so on any given day 10 out of 200 reviews by Y. tubers may have something that is a need to know. I'm 75 semi retired, with all original music the money is all but not, but I can get a gig a month opening for small time headliners. I have both evenings and morning free to do the Blog. I write, rehearse and hit the theory books in the afternoons.
I have a trio, the Bass player is not a prob and I use 3 different drummers all Neil Pearts that have good gigs with well paying bands but always one is free for the gig. In the 70's I was in the London UK band Prog band Tallis. Met most of the greats including Clapton and Hendrix. Opened for Rush. On call for Peter Gabriel if his guy was down. A lot of etc. etc, lol.
I was a guitar product specialist in the early 80's. It gave me an opportunity to meet and spend time with guys that were in R&D at Fender a Gibson. I even got to read the hand written daily's of the research done by Gibson when they were prototyping the Flying V and the Explorer. I learn't some killer stuff about wood, what kind and why it does and indeed doesn't help the tone. The clue is that wood is a sponge when it comes to electric solid body guitar??? Think that one over. The strings make the sound they get from only the strings. If the wood sucks up a particular frequency the PU can not produce it. We get what is left. All this biz about wood not mattering because the woods resonance is not being added is true. But wood matters because it determines what the strings can deliver to the PU once the wood sucked up what it turns out we don't want added. I got this explanation from the Yamaha piano designers. Guys who design the price of a small house grand pianos. That I got at NAMM in '83 :-) Designers love sharing. Marketing wants trade secrets real or invented. Even myths are good if they sell product, LOL.
DON'T you mean superfluous?
@@DMSProduktions No I meant meant something quite different. 🙄 LOL
@@Paul_Lenard_Ewing Oh, so you MEANT to say 'sulphurous'?
Ok, STINKY!
Great review, man. I just ordered one.
Nice, hope you're enjoying it! I am still loving this guitar.
Nice demo. Loved the cheeky KoL riffs in there. Just got the inca silver one today and I'm really impressed. It's practically flawless and much better setup than my newly acquired Squier 40th anniversary. Guitar sounds great through my Fender TMDR. The finish is more silver than it's inca though hah quite unlike my HB TE60CC but it looks amazing so I don't mind. Oh, and it's nice and light too and btw, I'm happy it didn't come with a trem since I'm not a fan of cheap trem systems. They always fail, lol. Overall super happy to say it's a keeper for me at least.
Ha ha, thanks - I always like to throw the odd famous-ish riff in there for the observant few to recognize! And happy new guitar day to you! The silver ones look great - all five finishes do in the photos. I have to say, based on recent experiences, the HBs I've bought have also beaten the Squiers I've tried on average in terms of out of the box setup. Especially when there's a trem involved! Cheers for watching and enjoy yours :)
Great review !!
Thanks so much, really glad you enjoyed it!
I have the sunburst and I think it's fantastic. It used to be Roswell P90 pickups but now it is Roswell JM style pickups.
Yep, they're great guitars for the money. I think you're right about the pickups - HB and Thomann have now changed their sites to say JM-style pups. Either way, they sound great!
more reviews and demos should be like this one ^^
I agree, thanks for the kind words and for watching!
So glad you did this review..I think she sounded wicked..Well you sounded wicked...On your advice I bought a tele type Harley benton and can't put it down..I also bought a pedal because of one of your reviews ...This guitar will definitely be added to my collection very soon...Thanks for sharing wicked.....
Sorry didn't read this earlier wicked three times...I'm just a bit thick....
No, this guitar is certainly wicked and deserves mention of it three times! I'm super happy with it so far (having only had it a couple of day, mind). My first impressions are that it's easily up there with the Tele-type in the fun stakes. It's a joy to play, and it has a totally different aura to it, not to mention the tones. For this price, I'm blown away so far! Hope you manage to get one soon, and I apologize if I am making you poorer by posting these videos ;) Rock on!
good review thank you
Cheers, thanks for watching and happy you enjoyed it!
Got one of these in leftie OW(cream) and it's f@#king great..... Feels like a dream, sounds fantastic.... Jazz to metal.... Love it👌
Yeah, those look great too. And I love the fact that these guitars are so versatile!
Wow, great sounds for every kind of music indeed.
Some folks did a DIY Kit of the HB JA and had issue withe the fret ends.
In build a JA DIY Kit myself and had no issues with the fret ends. In love the neck. My Kit is modded, and in the end it weights 2,8kg. My HB SC Junior Silver Sparkle weights the same, but it like the JA is far more versatile (like shown in this video), so in the end i let the HB SC Junior go.
Totally, it's a much more versatile guitar than many would expect from an offset. I've heard about the DIY kits, but never got round to trying one myself - maybe I should. Yours has a great light weight. Any pictures of yours I could see?
Super Great Demo. Mine is arriving tomorrow. Great to hear it in action in such a variety of styles. What is that progression at 9:20, sounds like it would be a sweet tune. Keep up the good work!
Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed it, and hope your guitar lives up to expectations when it arrives! I am still loving this guitar... still debating whether to put a vibrato on it.
That riff was one I sort of came up with when trying to figure out The Boy You Love To Hate by the amazing Jetplane Landing, here: czcams.com/video/WoM-vqcPzSQ/video.html
You can kind of hear it's ballpark, but also pretty different... different enough to never have to worry about a copyright strike, that's for sure ;) Great song and band, though! Cheers :)
I wish affordable guitars like this existed before I could afford a fleet of american guitars
Ha ha, I bet there's loads of people out there thinking the same thing! For me, I've always only really owned 'cheap' guitars. My wish would be that guitars like this existed all those years ago when I first began playing... I would've loved to have started out on something like this!
Rich, as always, your reviews are *the bests*. When i see you have a review of a guitar i instant click, because i know you have a really nice criterion and that makes me happy.
This being said, i've just bought a 25th anniversary HB jazzmaster, but as i see in all the reviews, everybody talks about how versatile this guitars are and from my point of view, this is a negative! I mean, its nice that you can play metal in any guitar, but if every HB guitar were more like the original sound, we would have more tonal shades in our "collection" and buying another Harley Benton would make more sense if those nuances were really apparent.
nice guitar, nice review , cheers from germany. :)
Thanks a lot, and yes, it's a lovely guitar indeed! Cheers and rock on :)
awesome vid - well done. Liked and subbed!
Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed the video and cheers for the sub :)
I have the JA-60 OW and love it, but I have to say that the ultimate cheap offset is the Squier Mustang with two hum buckers.
You may be right - the Bullet Mustang is incredible value for money. I should actually shoot it out against the JA-60 one day!
@@RichWordsMusic that would be a great video.
@@TheCommonSenseProfessor I've added the idea to my wishlist... just need to find a Squier on the cheap somewhere now!
Yes, you post THE MOST thorough, detailed reviews and my wallet thanks you SO much 😊
So, what happened after 7 months ? Still digging the “el cheapo Jazzo” ? Any mods ? Any second thoughts ?
Ha ha, thanks so much! Really glad to have been helpful to you and the wallet ;) After seven months I am still really digging it - it's such a fun guitar and the neck is a joy to play. No regrets yet, and no mods either, because I haven't felt like they were necessary yet! The one thing I'm kind of wondering about is whether to put a trem on... still undecided there ;)
Rich Green! :) Nice video!
Yeah, that should be an official color one day! Thanks for watching and coming back again :)
Harley Benton is doing everything right atm. Though, I would prefer for them to make some guitar necks thinner. I like to be able to play fast with zero issues.
I agree, they're really at the forefront of pushing the affordable end of the guitar market forward. I'm quite surprised they haven't come out with their own take on the Wizard neck yet - maybe one day they will! There's surely many more players like you who want necks like that...
ok, not gonna lie, pretty impressed with the heavy tones myself. I'm noticing I like P90's a lot.
Yeah, this guitar sounds great! HB/Thomann have changed their sites since I did the video to say that these pickups re actually JM-style ones, but the point remains... they do pretty much everything! Would love to hear you try one of these for the sorts of stuff you play!
Thanks for this review. Did you find it needed shielding? Also, have yiu reviewed H.B.'s Junior SC Sunburst? I'm wondering if you can achieve sparkling cleans on that if you wanted.
Thanks for watching! No, I haven't found the need for any shielding at all. I have the HB SC Junior, and yes, I've had it in a few videos, this being the main one: czcams.com/video/HosEmW2Y-GA/video.html
It's an incredible guitar, actually... there seems to be a bit of magic in it! I got it used for basically nothing and I regularly find myself picking it up over far more expensive guitars because it's just such a simple and fun rock and roll machine. It plays beautifully and it has sparkling cleans for days :) Highly recommended from me if you ever get the chance to try one!
Love the guitar, love your channel! I do believe those are jazzmaster pups, not p90s. Used to be shipped with p90, now i think they are called Roswell JM alnico 5.
Keep up the good work sir!
Thanks so much Alex, really happy you're enjoying my stuff! Yep, it's odd with the pickups... I saw today that HB and Thomann have changed their websites to say they are "JM vintage-style" pickups as opposed to P90s (which is what they were listed as before). So they could well be Jazzmaster-type ones. I guess the only way I'll find out is to get the screwdriver out ;)
@@RichWordsMusic They do sound quite beefy. Looking at the Roswell site, the bridge is 11k. While i dont know how much it is supposed to have vintage correct, i think its a lot. Certainly more than a p90.
@@alexcarpen3201 I would have to agree! Colin from CSGuitars has also done a video where he measures the pups, and the bridge is indeed over 11k: czcams.com/video/x8Bgpd4fp54/video.html
@@RichWordsMusic I just saw it today. Cheers man!
Very good review, Rich! I've now subscribed. I'm curious, why have P90 pickups in Jazzmaster format? Do you know if proper Jazzmaster pickups would be a simple drop-in replacement? Gorgeous guitar, so tempted.
Thanks Mike, glad you enjoyed the video, and cheers for the sub :) Well, since I made my video, HB and Thomann have actually changed their websites to say JM-style pickups, as opposed to P90s, and someone else in the comments here said they asked HB about it, and they confirmed the pickups are indeed JM-type ones. (Apparently, in the older JA-60 models, the pickups are P90s in a JM housing.) So you'd be safe in assuming you'd be getting JM pickups here, and either way, another pair of JM pickups should be a direct fit if you ever wanted to change them out. Hope this helps... it may even tempt you further ;)
@@RichWordsMusic Thanks, that is a great help 😀
@@mikehughes2183 No problem, any time!
Really great review! Just went to the website because I was excited to see what it cost now, they want $84 for shipping. So yeah half the price of the guitar in shipping. Don’t think I can stomach that.
Yeah, it's a shame how much the North American shipping is currently. I heard HB now have a USA warehouse, so perhaps they'll start shipping from there soon... or your other bet will be to try and score a used one of these! They really are great little guitars if you can get one at a reasonable cost! (I wouldn't want to pay $84 in shipping either, but that said, if they just priced the guitar at $260 with free shipping - i.e. the shipping costs included in the sale price - for some reason it would sound OK in my head ;) )
Great dem. First time on your channel and it won’t be my last visit. New sub!
Thanks a lot! Really glad you enjoyed the video, and cheers for subbing too :) There's plenty more similar gear videos on my channel, with lots more to come as well!
Have you considered replacing the stock 250k tone pot and/or volume pot for the 1M pots used in the Fender Jazzmaster and the Squiers Classic Vibe models? Or maybe 500k pots? I miss the sparkle in my JA-60 SB so I'm thinking of doing that.
I have thought about it, yes. There's a pretty cool video by Ryan on the 60m Cycle Hum channel where he does that, and adds a vibrato unit, and it really does seem to improve the guitar. A nice little project for this spring, I think :) Let me know if you do it how it affects the tones!
Would fender Jazzmaster pickups fit in this one ? Thanks awesome review
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I would assume Jazzmaster pickups would fit, yes, but to be 100% sure it might be worth double checking with Harley Benton themselves.
To be perfectly Frank - any guitar even a barely playable Jedson would sound good through your Hughes and Ketner or your Engl amp with the right settings. Jedson guitars were sold by Woolworths back in early 1970s .
I once tried one in a different shop through a Gibson amp - and the amp was the sound ! but the Jedson was really hard work. I used to advise customers to buy the Jedson and a cheap amp if they wanted to put someone OFF the guitar idea but a nice reward for a good child was usually . Yamaha Acoustic or Shaftesbury
That's actually a really good point. Amps and speakers are responsible for so much of the tone you hear at the end of the signal chain. Maybe I should get a more 'affordable' amp for testing cheaper guitars like this. I've never tried a Jedson but as a kid in the 90s there were still plenty of not-so-great choices out there. The Encore starter pack in the Kay's catalogue was the one I always wanted, but luckily I ended up with a used Samick Strat and then an Epiphone Bully SG, so I was lucky!
(In fact, maybe I should try and track down a Jedson or similar and run it up against the Harley Benton, see how they compare!)
@@RichWordsMusic Well yes. However hearing a higher end guitar in a poor amp would indeed make a point. My emphasis was on your collection of Amps that will produce usable tone even with a Jedson with its straight bar bridge. Watch Guitar Max - every cheap guitar he buys sounds not only good but The Same ! It's his amps which he seldom mentions.
@@tamsinmccormick I see what you mean! I have the same experience watching Fluff/Ryan Bruce... his amp rig and productions mean that every guitar he tries will sound fantastic (and very, very similar!). It's something that I think can catch a lot of newer players out, because they'd rather spend big on the guitar, not the amp. In reality, it should probably be the other way round :)
Any upgrade suggestions? I want to add a trem and upgrade the bridge.
Hmm, in terms of trem/bridge, Ryan at 60 Cycle Hum just did a video where he's upgraded those... it seems pretty neat! Have a look at this if you haven't seen it already: czcams.com/video/CFfanbLGEME/video.html
Ryan also upgrades the pots, and you can hear that that makes a significant difference to the tone.
I was also thinking about the Duesenberg Les Trem as an option, but need to check if it will fit first (assuming it will!): thmn.to/thoprod/319560?offid=1&affid=1250
I bet this vid has sold shit loads of these guitars for thomann. This is how you do a review, great work
Thanks so much! Really glad you enjoyed it. I hope it's sold a few... they're great little guitars and the more players get to own one, the better. Cheers for watching :)
Fantastic demo! Thanks. Just one thing: pickups are not P90s, just JMs!
Cheers Emmanuel, glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for the feedback. It's a bit strange about the pickups. When I got the guitar and made the video, they were listed as P90s on the Thomann/HB sites... but they've now changed the sites to say they're "JM vintage-style", so you may well be right! I guess the only way I'll find out for sure now is to get my screwdriver out ;)
@@RichWordsMusic I have emailed support at Thomann and was told the pickups are definitely Jazzmaster types and that Thomann is trying to correct the listings. You will see that has happened on some of the guitar listings ... but not on the others, such as the bundled packages, and the older sunburst and OW (Olympic White) guitars where they are, or were, listed as having both JMs and P-90s.
@@louisfryzel4618 Great info Louis, thanks for letting us know! I am quite surprised this was wrong in the online listings for over a week, and now I look slightly silly in my video... but I guess I do anyway. Cheers!
I have 14 guitars but i might just buy one of them.
There's always room for one more! I also probably own too many, but couldn't resist this one :)
Anyone know what the official fretboard radius is on these? Don't see it published anywhere.
I've not seen it published anywhere, either, but from playing the guitar a lot more and comparing it to my other guitars, I reckon it's maybe 9.5/10". It certainly doesn't feel as round as a 7.25", and it's not quite as flat as my Les Paul's board (which has a 12" radius).
Did you adjust the pickup height at all? How far from the strings are they?
No, I haven't made any adjustments - the guitar is just as it came out of the box (tuning aside!). The bridge pickup is 4 mm away from the strings on the bass side, and 3 mm on the treble side. The neck pickup is 5 mm away on the bass side, and 3.5 mm on the treble side. Hope that helps :)
I purchased this guitar immediately after watching this video. Thank you man
Oh wow, I am glad the video inspired you, and I hope you love the guitar when you get it! I am having so much fun with mine :)
Hi Rich, how much flat is the neck in this Guitar? I saw is 12"radius on the fretboard but I can't get if it is flat like a Jackson guitar under the palm of the left hand 😔
Hey there! So, I just did some comparing against my other guitars (using my eyes only, no tools!) and I am pretty sure the JA-60CC will be a 9.5" radius. It looks identical to my MiM Fender Tele, which is 9.5" for sure. So, it's not 12" - and don't worry, it doesn't feel like a Jackson or an Ibanez Wizard neck at all. It's really comfortable! Hope this helps :)
Mmm I’m not an offset guy but the baritone version of this does intrigue me to try.
My HP42sig feels a bit offset but not? And it’s a fabulous playing guitar.
Ooh, the baritone does look cool... sadly they don't have any in stock for months. The HP sig is kind of offset. I played the one I found in Henning's toilet - washed my hands four times afterwards too ;)
@@RichWordsMusic I’d have washed before too 😂
@@PooNinja Ha ha!
@@RichWordsMusic You didn't FLUSH it??
@@DMSProduktions Wouldn't fit down the loo ;)
Take note, this is how you review a guitar. 👌
Surf ON! \m/
Oh yeah!
Another outstanding gear review. So much quality analysis and relevant information and insights. This is how to do it! This isn't a criticism, as such, but I wonder, does the team at Harley Benton do a setup on the guitars sent out to reviewers, or do they simply grab an guitar from the warehouse and send it on its merry way... 'naked'? Obviously HB wants positive reviews, there's nothing odious in that. One needs to know what the instrument is capable of, if one optimizes it to get the best out of it; that's legitimate. How much, if any, tinkering do they employ? I think it's a relevant question, because your obvious enthusiasm about this particular guitar, which I'm thinking of buying, perhaps needs tempering by a touch of... 'realism.'
Thanks a lot Michael, glad you enjoyed it! Your question about HB prepping guitars for review is a good one - but in this case, not relevant, as I bought this guitar with my own money. And it was sent the day I ordered it, so I'm sure no-one looked at it before it went out.
When it comes to other reviews, though (especially on bigger channels than this one!) I know HB does set up some guitars. It never has for me, as far as I know! And I think if this does happen, the person making the video in question should mention it, in my opinion. Some do, some don't. I also agree that overall, it's totally fine for companies to give instruments a setup before they send them for testing and reviews - indeed, it is the industry standard practice to do this - but in today's age of social media, this should be communicated with the viewer too.
You know, maybe I should get a chat started on this topic next time my colleague Vlad and I do our podcast :)
@@RichWordsMusic Thanks for the thourough and quick reply! That you answer so many questions is commendable. Clearly HB cannot setup all the cheaper guitars they sell, this would be too expensive for a German company. It would probably cost around half the price of the HB guitar! I wonder if they check the expensive ones? I'm considering buying PRS Hollowbody Piezo for Christmas. Gdt one now before the economic sanctions are introduced!
@@michaelk5507 No problem! I do try and answer as many comments and questions on here as I can. I still get a number that is manageable :) Maybe one day it'll be too much, but for now I still really enjoy it!
You're right - if every HB guitar got a setup, the prices would go up significantly. Even giving each guitar a five-minute check would be costly. And overall, based on the guitars I've bought and the feedback I have from friends and people who write me here, the percentage of good guitars to bad ones is very high. It makes the risk of ordering online acceptable to me (and it's always a risk, even if the guitar is €1000 or more and made in the USA or wherever). With HB, my guess is they don't check the more expensive models either. Maybe they check smaller runs, like some recent signature models for Henning Pauly, but even then I guess it simply makes more sense for them if the odd customer makes a return.
Funny, if you're talking about the SE Hollowbody Piezo model - I recently tried that at a store, and was blown away by how good it was! Lovely feel and so much tonal variety. And of course, they look fantastic. The only thing I think I would change would be to have a sating feel to the neck... but I could live with it the way it is :)
@@RichWordsMusic Yes, that's a coincidence. I've got an Empiphone 'Beatles' Casino. It's a lightweight jolly good guitar. This sparked my interest in full hollowbodies. The PRS SE Piezo is really pleasing on the eye as well as being close to having three guitars, or sounds, in one body; humbucker, piezo and the option of blending both of them for a third sound. I wonder if HB is already working on their own... 'tribute' version?
@@michaelk5507 Hmm, it would totally not surprise me to see HB come out with a similar model, although the piezo would surely take it to the higher level of their current price range. They already have the Aeolus (which is excellent!) and the Hybrid Steel... combine those two with one of their PRS-type body shapes and you're very close! I would actually really be interested if they did make one of these :)
Liked and subscribed
Thanks a lot for the sub, and welcome to my channel! Plenty more vids like this on the way in 2023 :)
Mmm I found the B and E strings to have annoying jangle especially clean. Did you find that in the room? (I'm listening through studio monitors)
Interesting point. No, I didn't hear that at all in the room, but there are indeed a couple of riffs/samples where I also hear a slightly piercing top end. Mostly on clean sounds, bridge pickup. That could simply be a JM pickup thing, I'm guessing? I've listened on my Mac's speakers and my headphones, and the results are similar. (I am someone who likes a lot of top end in my tone, by the way, so that's always there to an extent!)
It’s def bright as hell through my iPhone 13 Pro’s built-in speakers
@@MasterKydis Hopefully in a good way?
@@RichWordsMusic not really. kinda harshly bright
@@MasterKydis OK, for me they're only too harsh in a couple of the clips. I do like a lot of top end though!
What do you think of Harley Benton’s 25th anniversary series guitars. Would you say they are the Harley Benton’s on steroids?
I haven't played one in person yet but they do look to be like HBs on steroids, exactly! I kind of wish they'd gone in even harder on some of the models, but there we go - for the money, they're all incredible on paper. I'll be speaking to the HB guys again soon and will ask if I can borrow a 25th anniversary for some videos :) Any particular model you'd like to see?
@@RichWordsMusic I’m
Kind of leaning towards the TE 25th
I’d say it chuggs. Nice demo
It does well enough, at least for my purposes! Cheers and thanks for watching :)
Close your eyes and it's like Woody's Piano shack now has a guitar channel 😂
Ha ha, I had to search that one out, but I'll take it! Woody seems like a great guy (I subbed!)... I also might get a headset like his too - very practical ;)
i just ordered this.... didnt know they were p90s in them?
EDIT: it doesn't say so on their website... it would be pretty cool if they were though
Yep, this was a bit confusing. When I bought the guitar and made the video, the HB and Thomann sites said the pickups were P90s. They've since changed their sites to say they're JM-style pickups, and someone else here mentioned they'd written to HB to confirm this. So, we can assume they're JM pickups. At the end of the day, I just think they sound great whatever they might be! Hope you enjoy the guitar when it arrives with you :)
@@RichWordsMusic I can't wait! 😂
Are you really sure they are p90s? Or is it a mistake on the specs sheet. I don't think Jazzmaster pickups are harder to manufacture than p90s. You could maybe have removed them and check.
No, I'm actually not sure! It's been quite a journey with these pickups. When I made this video, they were still listed as being P90s on the Thomann/HB websites, but later on they changed the sites to say they are JM-style pickups. More recently, though, HB did a CZcams video where they're referred to as P90s in the description... so I really don't know! The one thing I can say for sure is that I think they sound really good, but you're right - the only way to be 100% sure would be to open them up and check them out! Maybe I will ask my tech friend to give that a go soon.
Nice Guitar. Sounds good but the neck at 42mm is to narrow for me.
Yeah, it's really nice, and great fun. It's a shame the 42mm is too narrow for you. I guess I'm lucky in that 42 and 43mm don't really feel different to me - but I know it does for some people. Same with scale length differences, I suppose.
Actually Scale length does not matter. I also own a J Mascus and find that neck very comfortable at a bit over 42mm. So Gibson and fender scale lengths are no problem.
@@garyp5522 The J Mascis has a lovely neck, I agree! It's funny how some things catch some people out - I know a few players who can't easily and quickly move between Fenders and Gibsons because of the scale length issues. I guess we're all different. Maybe give one of these a try, just in case? You never know, it might be OK!
Settled. I'm buying one.
Yeah, go for it! I'm having so much fun with mine :)
Ordering it tomorrow when the paycheck comes in. Thanks for the excellent review! 👍😁👍😁
@@troynunley8161 No worries, these are great guitars and I hope you love yours when you get it. What color are you going for? That's the key decision here ;)
@@RichWordsMusic Was going to go for the seafoam green, unless you recommend otherwise. Suggestions?
@@troynunley8161 Great minds and all that... I went for Seafoam Green for a reason! It looks even better in person than online too. My second and third choices were Shell Pink and Lake Placid Blue.
What's gone wrong is that those pickups are not akin to Jazzmaster ones, neither in tone, nor in construction. JM's do not use P90s. I've seen them taken apart. Of coarse, one can drop another $160 USD and buy Fender JM p'ups. Best to buy a used Squier CV Jazzmaster.
It's interesting how mixed the messages have been from Harley Benton/Thomann themselves about what these pickups actually are! First it was P90s, then it was JM-style, now it's sort of both... strange.
But you're also right, because they're also neither, in a way! They're not really as honky as the P90-equipped guitars I own, and other JM experts have said they're not quite right either. They do sound great, of course, whatever they are! And yes, if you spend another $150 for new pickups you are in Classic Vibe territory. Decisions decisions!
So these are P90s in disguise?! Or are they proper JazzMaster Pickups? P90s and JM are two completely different pickups, apart from their aspect
The Iceman has some magic about it for sure!
Pick ups are Jazzmaster not p90... At least on mine....
It's a weird one, this. On the Thomann site it said P90s until today, when they changed it to "Roswell JM Alnico-5 vintage style", and on the HB site it says both - P90s in one text, "JM vintage style" in the other! So I guess not even they know for sure ;) There's a lot of debate on the forums/other videos about what they really are, too. I guess someone with more knowledge than me would have to open these ones up to find out for sure, but at the end of the day - they rock, whatever they are!
@@RichWordsMusic All I can say is they don't look like p90s.. No bar magnets on mine.... Individual pole pieces plus pancake flat winding.... Not like my p90s at all.... Regardless its a fine guitar, a fine guitar and it's my current favourite.
Y'all take care now
@@teterouge1472 Hmm, maybe I should have a go at taking these ones out and see what I find! Ah well, they sound great as you say - happy playing!
@@RichWordsMusic Whatever.
Enjoy the guitar. Love mine
@@teterouge1472 Cheers, you too!
👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for watching as ever!
Those are NOT P90s. I own a pink one btw.
Nope, you're absolutely right. They are JM pickups... when I made this video, though, the guitar had only been out a few days and the Harley Benton and Thomann websites both claimed the pickups in the JM-60s were P90s. Hence the confusion! It took them a while to get it right, and they actually changed a few of the specs. Now they've settled on JMs, though ;)
Oh and P.S. I almost ended up with the Pink one... I still may get one and mod it with a Duesenberg Les Trem, change the pots, etc. They're such great guitars!
I really don't see the point to a hartail jazzmaster? .......tremolo is what makes it
Yes, I know what you mean... but on the other hand I see this guitar as being a great sort of gateway to the real world of Jazzmasters with their extra quirks. You start with the body shape and similar pickups here, then graduate to the full thing later (and of course, the trems can make them hard to keep in tune of they're not really wet set up, which also might put offset beginners off).