Affordable Single Cut Shootout | Epiphone Les Paul, LTD, Harley Benton, Sire | Thomann
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- This time Kris is comparing an Epiphone Les Paul with its competitors. 4 beautiful affordable single-cuts in a face-to-face shootout. Let us know what you think in the comments below!
Check out our other guitar shootouts:
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Mid-priced tele shootout: • Mid-priced Telecaster ...
High-end tele shootout: • Custom Shop Tele Shoot...
Affordable strat shootout: • Affordable Strat Shoot...
Mid-priced strat shootout: • Fender American Strat ...
High-end strat shootout: • Custom Shop Stratocast...
Gear used: tho.mn/ptnzh
Recorded in Presonus Studio One: bit.ly/S1Pro6
Recorded and mixed with Universal Audio: tho.mn/uadx1
Monitors optimised through Sonarworks: tho.mn/sonar
Interesting bits and pieces:
0:00 Introduction
0:48 The guitars
1:31 Comparison 1 | Clean neck pickup
2:35 Comparison 1 | Clean both pickups
3:24 Comparison 1 | Clean bridge pickup
4:03 The rig
4:50 Comparison 1 | Dirty neck pickup
5:35 Comparison 1 | Dirty bridge pickup
6:16 My impressions and thoughts
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The LTD has so much a lovely thin neck with extra jumbo frets, it's the modern take on a LP and has a lot of different finishes. Definitively my favorite.
Loved the Sire all the way around!!
And I get it why, haha! Really good guitars, those Sires. 👌 //Kris
I own one of the LTD models for the past year or so, i own several much more expensive guitars but it's the guitar i play every day, it's amazing for the price. In fact, i'ma go play now :D
The Epipy and Sire has that chime, while the HB sounds good, it's the warmth of the LTD for me.
thank you for having featured an LTD guitar in one of your videos. I was also impressed from the Sire, but also from the Harley Benton.
Great little showcase of these guitars. The best thing to come out of this video though, is that the demos show there are affordable options that are quality choices for those wanting to take up the guitar. Of course you will find cheaper options than these out there, but for longevity (or resale value if you decide guitar's not your thing) you are much better off to stretch your budget that little bit more for instruments like these. Trusted names that have been around for ages and have reputations to uphold when it comes to backing up their product. Honestly you can't go wrong with any choice on this list but if you are just starting out, get someone in the store to demo the options for you who CAN play! Don't be embarrassed as any quality music store will be happy to help, and you'll walk out with an instrument you like the sound of - that will help with the inspiration to pick it up each day & practice ✌
Well... I like Les Pauis with Seymour Duncan JB &59's and to my ear the Epiphjone and Sire come closest to that sort of rock standard setup.
Then again, the other pickup combo that is classicly Les Paul is the Gibson PAF's, but both the JB and 59 are based on that.
Having said that, you can put those on every single one of those and if I'm not mistaken let Thomann do that for you!
Very balanced final thoughts. I liked the HB‘s and the LTD‘s clean tones best. If I was in the market for buying a single cut with two humbuckers I would clearly choose the Harley Benton. Best value for money.
Sire l7 is the winner.
I buyed dozen of guitars, even gibson, fender and prs, but all have needed a professional set up. The Sire not.
I played and feel perfect out of the box.
I was very impressed by tha q. c.
Even the strings were perfect.
The ernie ball 10/46 are my favourites for every guitars.
Satin neck, (the feeling is incredible) locking tuners, frets worked in perfect way, triple flame painting, all mahogany, i had the blue ocean color model and is a dream...
My favorite clean was actually the Harley Benton, and unlike you I don't have skin in the game, but the esp blew it out of the water when the gain kicked in. Epiphone was 3rd though I didn't like it's cleans, and the last I didn't like at all for either sound
I was a Fender player for years. Wanted to try a LP style guitar on a budget. In 2015 i bought the LTD 256.
Now i own a ltd ec-1000 and a gibson les paul standard. The ltd ec-256 still has his place in my collection. The thin-u neck profile with a 14 fretboard radius and big frets is absolutly a dream to play.
Would have liked to have a description of the necks
If you can afford it, probably worth stumping for the Sire. Because it's the best to play. And I think the nicest looking, and finished. So, would be a keeper, and something you could grow with. Spend a couple of hundred upgrading the pickups to Lollars, upgrade the wiring/pots etc.. and this would absolutely be able get competitive with entry level Gibsons. I did like the ESP drive tones the most. Personally, I'd be looking for pickups for the Sire that send it further down the route. Not interested in Les Paul's for clean tones. 330s, 335s, or even SGs do those tones better.
I've heard very little differences in the cleans and tbh the most different comes out in the dirty tone on the neck pickup in terms of the Epiphone and the Sire. So I'd go with those two. Doesn't mean that the other two has bad sounds, no, they are both great, just don't have that plus character to me. Guess i'm wrong anyways but who cares.
Awesome upload Kris, I’ve been impressed with the Sire stuff too, the 335 Type Guitar does seem pretty sweet if you’re able to get your hands on it.
Thanks so much man! I still haven't tried their semi-hollows but I bet they feel just as awesome as all other Larry Carlton models. //Kris
I too loved the clean tones of the Harley Benton, it had crispness and yet warmth also which is a trait I usualy only find with guitars around the $1000 mark, HB are getting better all the time, I also liked the SIre Larry Carlton just for its aesthetics, if I could have those clean tones of the HB on the Sire I would be very happy!
One day the P90 Goldtop version of the Lary Carlton will be mine 🤩😍🎸
Does the chambering of the SC-550 affect the sound?
I bought one from Thomann last summer and it's fantastic for the price I paid. Indeed fretboard was dry and tunning pegs are not a good looker in this shade of green, but neck and frets are more than fine. I kind of dislike the pickups, not that something is particularly wrong with them and they are good for the cost of the instruments. I am considering buying a pair of burstbuckers since I bought this as a modding platform and they will let me see how close or far this can get from the real deal.
Epiphone sounds and looks the best to me. Glad I bought one.
I’m very surprised by my own opinion on these. I own a guitar from each of these brands and was subconsciously “rooting” for the sire because I live my U5 bass. The rolled fretboard is amazing. I expected the Epiphone to sound better because my SG400 is pretty impressive at the price point. The esp is exactly as I expected. No disappointment there. But, to my ears, price not withstanding, the HB sounded the best overall. I don’t mind doing deep setups so the tone is what sells me, with looks being a close second. I love the ESP sound but the two I own(ed) are pretty narrow in their versatility. Great at what they do though. I might see another HB in my future! Any idea about what the sc weighs?
What no Gretsch? I own a Nick 13 Tiger Jet and it has become my #1, I love it!! 😊👍
My pick is the Sire!!
Hey Kris! In your hands all guitars sound awesome. On clean the guitars are kind even but with the overdrive the difference is obvious. Thanks for the video. Cheers mate!
Hey buddy, thanks a lot, you're too kind! :) I find it very interesting, how sometimes clean and sometimes overdriven sounds reveal more of the differences. Cheers //Kris
All really nice, and the differences are subtle. I liked the sound of the Sire neck pickup and LTD bridge pickup best! Having said that, I own a couple Epiphones and have always been happy with them 🤘 And I do like the visual aesthetic of the Harley Benton as well. Is that an actual veneer top or just paint? It’s nice that they can make them look so good at such a low price point.
It's not a veneer, it's an actual 6mm maple top. It's crazy how they can do it for the price....but don't take my word for it....check out John Robson Guitarist and his review of this guitar here on YT.
The Epiphone has a bridge pickup that stands out from the others in that it has far fewer mids.
I think there's gonna be a considerable group of people that aren't so much worried about how the factory pickups sound. They can be swapped.
Hey Kris. Yea bang for the buck the HB but just because is is the least expensive isn't saying it doesn't sound good either and I own several. Epiphones are in most cases damn good as well . That said, I really want to get my hands on an L7. I've heard many good things about it as well as the T7 and H7. Probably my next try. Cheers!
For the record I love my L7.
H.B aaaaaalll the way 🔥🚀👌
Wow im shocked! i only need to hear a clean comparison when choosing a guitar and for me the Epiphone and the Harley Benton sound great, the ESP is a huge no go and the Sire sounded ok. I was expecting the Sire to crush!
I have to discount the Sire firstly - on looks mostly. That bottom horn and the headstock just ain’t pleasing on the eye. I’d like the Ltd in another colour perhaps. The Epiphone looks good and sounds good too. I’m not crazy about the overall shape of the HB but it offers so much for so little 🤷♂️
Hi Chris, good review 👍, can you do the same for semi hollow body.
Thanks! I absolutely can, yes! Which guitars would you wanna see? And which price point would be the most interesting? //Kris
Liked the sire the most
Ok ok ... nice axes ... worth buying
BUT
... why should you when you can have a Tele with a split-able Zebra HH at the bridge
Epi kind of seems to be lacking a little bit of mids.
Tried out an Epiphone LP (slightly higher price point as it was a Koa top Custom) and it was surprisingly unimpressive. Just felt and sounded like a generic guitar that weighed too much. Full disclosure, I’m more of an SG fan, but every now and then I’ll give a Les Paul a try to see if it will change my mind. (Thus far the only single cuts that have is an Epiphone Nighthawk Reissue (I’ve been playing long enough to remember the Gibson ones) and a Reverend Roundhouse RA.)
Sire L7 🔥
ALL guitars sound and look amazing. For the price and well built (also good looking), I will buy me a Harley Benton !
For the price of some other "top brand names", I can buy me 2 Harley Benton guitars, sometimes even 3 guitars !
The Harley Benton and the LTD sound great to me. It's so subjective. But I guess that's what's expected from the comment section. Also they both have the best look
To me the Sire sounded the best by a significant margin, the LTD was dissapointingly a little dark for anything I would use it for
does less wood gives produce less tone ?🤔
Well.... It seems like Epiphone is very Gibsony sounded. I like it very much
EC-256 meine Gitarre
The build quality and playability, along with the looks obviously, would be my focus. Pickups can be changed.
Playability? The Sire wins hands down! Not even close.
Unless you’ve played a Sire, which i have, it isnt even close! The hype is real with these guitars. Throw in some different pickups if you want and you feel like youre playing a $3,000 guitar.
My list:
1. - Ltd
2. - Harley Benton
3. - Larry Carlton
4. - Epiphone
❤ ESP, ❤ LH150 pickups
Harley Benton vs Epiphone vs Sire:
- neck - 1:31 vs 2:03 vs 2:19
- middle - 2:36 vs 2:59 vs 3:09
I would go with HB, I like brightnes and clarity. LTD is to dark for my taste... and Sire and Epi are kinda sterile sounding ... Tesla made killer pups :)
Wow Epiphone prices inflated a lot from what they were 20+ years ago. (Saying this also makes me feel old haha.)
I remember you could get a Epi lp standard for the same price as a nowadays lp studio. (And even a Gibson lp studio faded was around that price).
It’s not that I don’t believe that Harley Bentons can be good; it’s that I know a couple of brands which seem to be “hit or miss”: You might get lucky and get a well set-up instrument, or you may get a “Monday model”, as all the Germans here would call them.
Of course, that’s not only true for Harley Benton, but also for more expensive brands, like Agile or Solar. Epiphone used to fall into that category in former times, but it seems like they’ve upped their game (and by game, I mean their quality control standards). I’ve only had consistently positive experiences with Schecter, and I assume ESP / LTD falls into the same bracket. Ibanez is usually set up well, too, but I often find myself underwhelmed by their stock pickups.
Why an epiphone Studio and not the Standard ??
Hi, because I didn't want to go even further up with the price. The Standard is already something that I consider a mid-priced guitar, that wouldn't fit in an affordable shootout at all. Cheers //Kris
I liked the ltd more. Sounds like a lo guitar.
Am I reading something like affordable here? I've never read that here before, what does that mean? haha 😂🤡
Harley Benton
Epiphone and ltd
Dieser Bre ... ich hatte Durst, er hat mir Brunnern gebaut!
harley benton
Yes, buying a more expensive instrument doesn't guarantee a better instrument.
Price has little to do with quality and never has.. It's simply what the manufacturer believes the market will pay .
If i double the price of my pickups i build, they will be perceived as 'better' by the cork sniffers but in reality they no different than when they were cheaper.
Looks wise the Sire all the way. It embarrasses the looks and specs of the Epiphone for around the same price. But sounds wise they were all meh. None really had what I’d want in a LP style guitar.
The most impressive is hb? Who would expect such an unbiased opinion from Thomanns CZcams channel.
Listen back with your eyes closed and tell me honestly you can spot which one is half the price of the others. That's why it's impressive.
Hey Jan, I was waiting for reactions like yours. :) You see, whatever we do it's gonna be "wrong". A lot of people ask us to show and use more Harleys but when we do and like the guitar we get the "yeah you're obviously biased because it's the Thomann channel".
Well, you've seen and heard the guitar, best is to make up your mind and ignore what I say if you don't trust me telling you my unfiltered opinion. Thanks for watching the video, cheers! //Kris
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses sure they might look and sound good but when I bought one I was disappointed and sent it back.
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Hi Kris, please continue introducing Harley Benton guitars in comparison. Please make a video with SG models 👍Thx
@@jankowalski6338at this price point, the QC is not that thorough and the products are inconsistent. You may end up with a great item or some junk. The most trashy guitars I ever owned were Epi SG, Harley Benton TE-52 and Squier CV Tele Deluxe. On the other hand, the guitar I ended up keeping, over more expensive models like Schecter PT and Fender Player Jazzmaster was a... Harley Benton SC-450Plus! Yes, I had to work a bit on it and change its tuners, but then I ended up with a baby!
By the way, the new tuners are Harley Benton vintage keystone, almost identical to the stock ones, but these are a different league. On the other hand, I have bought other type of Harley Benton tuners and they were junk. 😂 So yeah, one can't generalize about these budget models. There are many independent reviewers on the Internet who confirm that, nowdays, one may end up with a great and affordable guitar.
For me soundvise the HB beats them all. Least favourite is the Ltd and then Sire. Dont like the harley benton name so i would buy the Sire and put if possible Tesla pickups in there or other brands. Dont really like the stock pickups in the Sire. But Sire is beautiful, comfortable to play and very nice headstock, shape as brandname 😉
ANY guitar is better than GIBSON. With the crap that company sends out, I'm amazed they're in business...
Epi sounds cheap
Harley is a bargain
Harley Benton