I bought a TE-62 DB and modded it completely, I then bought another and have kept it as standard, the standard sounds good but the modded one sounds very good, not as good as my 1984 Squier Telecaster that I bought from new, I would put that guitar up against any Fender guitar, it has seemingly magic qualities. BTW there is a song called The Dog by The Damned and is on the Strawberries album, it is about Claudia, the character in the Anne Rice vampire story, it is an amazing piece of work!
We agree Dan thanks for subbing 🤙🏻 enjoy your TE52 it’s really a top guitar, If I kept it i’d be installing a Bare Knuckle in the neck, your right the bridge does keep up with the Fender
@@TheGuitarBay you're welcome! keep making awesome videos! I also have an HB strat (ST62) that I have upgraded to a Bareknuckle (Mother's Milk)set, although its a solid sound. It's different from the Roswell, and there were certain aspects of the Roswell that I miss. Which shows that changing pickups does not always mean, making the sound better, just different :)
I had a SX Tele Copy and it was extremely fun to play, sold it due to the fret buzzing, unthreaded screws, pickup quality, etc. I've had other guitars since, though that guitar's mojo was beyond great. I then got an Affinity Tele, and was quite happy with it, but somehow didn't play it as much despite being near perfect on paper; it might have been due to the pickups looking back. Fast forward, I ordered the HB TE-52, excited but also dispassionately, and after a few hours of play time, it's a delight to play. Can't compliment it enough. I haven't tried the Classic Vibe, but I have tried the Fender Player Tele, and prefer the TE-52 price being no object. There's many guitar brands now who have become a force to be reckoned with, while I unsure about the rest, this HB has put the end to my search.
Enjoyed the video. I started with a Squire Affinity Tele. I was not happy, just didn't have that Tele twang, so I installed Fender MIM pickups. This was better, but when I got a HB TE-52, I found was I was looking for.
The HB doesn't have the "bite" in the high frequencies like a classic Tele. But a lot of folks think a classic Tele can be annoyingly bright ...so that HB might be a great alternative for those peeps. The cost diff will be a factor for many players as well. I'm about to order a couple of HB Teles this week...a TE-62 in Sea Foam Green and a TE-20 in Lake Blue Metallic...it will be an interesting comparison between the poplar body 62 and the basswood body 20...I may also get a TE-20 in 3 tone Sun Burst because that color comes with an Indian Laurel fretboard...the others are maple... HB is improving the entire industry IMO...
I have been using the TE-52 for a year and a half now. I put a Tex Mex bridge PUP and Tonerider AC-2 humbucker neck pup and put brass saddles. I go between it and my home made jazzmaster when I gig. Harley Benton’s are great guitars.
Hey Nick, certainly worked but I found changing it out with the Wilkinson bridge to be a very worthy easy upgrade for €30 a much heavier sturdier unit that I would recommend over stock 🙏
Takis here, I guess Nick jumped in because it was implied in the video that the guitar had a 6-saddle bridge. I guess it's either that the previous owner had installed such a bridge before Danny bought the guitar or it was just a communication breakdown between us (I talk too much...) :) - In any case, thanks for the heads-up, Nick!
Got 7 Teles...recently got into the mod thing....my stable includes Tele ProII, G&L US(A)SAST, MIM, FGN, CV50 (2), and recently acquired the HB TE52. HB is quite solid...Roswell's are decent...as good as what comes on a Squier CV. HB has a neck as nice as any USA I've owned...amazing QA! Too heavy at just shy of 10 pounds. So far, Fralin Blues Spec, and Lollar Spec T's can transform a $400 guitar into a true gem. Got a set of Bootstraps coming to try those on the HB.
Hey Emilio 😎 we agree, there really is a very noticable difference in the neck pickup. The stock mexican pickups really are leagues above the older models
Would really like to see a comparison between a top of the line Harley Benton vs. Any other comparably priced guitar of the same model. We all pretty much know that the top of the line guitars in general play/sound better.
The Fusion line of Harley Benton is an incredible value for the money. Roasted necks, stainless frets, locking tuners, graphtec nut and so on. For a fraction of the price of the big brands.
He bought this one used, and if he had gotten in from Thomann in as bad a condition as he says this one is, he could have gotten a replacement from Thomann. I have one of these and it's amazing.
be interesting with a Vintage V52 with the Wilkinson Hardware , I like the sound more with the player throw in the Vintage v52 that would be an interesting battle, personally I would take the Vintage V52 or any of those Vintage Telecaster's for the money you cannot go wrong with the Benton
I have the Harley Benton TE62 DB for a week , and i love it! The only thing i didn't like was the difference in the brightness between the bridge and the neck pickup. Zo i installed a set of Fender pickups. (Vintera 50). Now the ballance is great, and i love the tone. But the Roswell pickups were not bad. I own a Fender Stratocaster Plus, but i think that the Harley Benton is just as good or even better!
I got the TE-52 with lots of upgrades, incuding a 4 way switch for pu in series. Is beautifull and sounds really goog but it's too heavy.. 4.5Kg.. impossible to play in stand up for more than half hour..
Why is it in these reviews the string gauges never seem to be mentioned? Did the guitars in this review have .009s or .010s? This is a really important measure of both playability and sound? Anyone care to comment?
Hey Ian Thanks for commenting, both guitars were strung with gauge 9 strings the Harley Benton with Ernie Ball Slinkies. Good point we should have mentioned it but in my honest opinion there isn't a massive difference between 9&10s on a telecaster when the strings are fresh like they are here.
Hey Alfredo yes the bridge comes standard as 3 saddles however the wilkinson bridge is of way higher quality! Much more weight to it and the Brass Saddles really help get that Tele Twang! Thanks for watching
Great video guys! Good luck with the channel! Yeia sou Taki, Danny! Greetings from Greece, take care guys! By the way, is the Te52 neck comfortable, despite being a bit chunky as they (and you) say?
Γεια σου Anthony :) Thanks for the support! Not only was the neck comfortable but it was surprisingly good as well. Very smooth surface, much more pleasant than the Affinity series, and a flawless fret job. And it wasn't that chunky (like a proper 50's baseball bat Tele) just noticeably chunkier than my Player Tele. Shockingly good for the money and very pretty too!
@@TheGuitarBay χίλια ευχαριστώ! Many thanks guys! This is my only concern and your feedback is spot on and very illuminating - I already have an Affinity Tele of which I had to sand the neck down a bit to make it more comfortable...! As you may be guessing, I am thinking about getting this te 52...so thank you once again.. I'll be seeing you guys, keep up the good work, you are a great team! Take care!
Hey Gary thanks for watching bud 🙏 if I remember correctly the HB was a bit heavier than the Fender. Can’t exactly say how much but the HB was quite a hefty guitar
Thank you, nice and interesting vid. I'm thinking about selling my Fender Tele Modern Player. I never was really happy with the humbucker in the bridge position, even it's splittable. Then buying a TE-52 and upgrade it with another 150€ in parts. Btw. Were are you located, cause you talking €? Best wishes and happy holidays from Bavaria Germany 🇩🇪
Vielen dank Elrondo! Wir wohnen in Düsseldorf 🇩🇪 ! Ich (Danny) komme aber aus Schottland und Takis aus Griechenland. Hört sich gut an, du wirst eine tolle gitarre haben nach den Upgrades! Viel spaß
The HB had a slightly thicker neck than the Fender but both were equally comfortable and playable. Personal preference really I like the unfinished feel of the Fender but the HB was also very nice.
We are glad to hear this, we loved the HB but felt it lacked ever so slightly on the neck pickup! The HB is sadly sold and I miss it already (Danny) Cheers Mate
HB:s are great value for money, if you can live with the flat neck raduis (14 inches). However, to make it sound and act like a Fender Player, you need to spend money on upgrades. And you may end up paying just as much for the HB as for the Fender.
That is the thing, also we think having the Fender Logo and brand history behind it brings a lot of value. For someone like me (Danny) a Strat player the HB really hits the spot if I ever wanna get that Tele Tone without forking out all the money for a Fender Branded item. Cheers mate and thanks for watching!
Yes Takis is greek however I never notice an accent (Danny). He speaks, writes and understands English better than most native English speakers including myself
@@TheGuitarBay no i am not saying that he is not ok with his english. i am greek my self and it just sounded kind of familiar to my ear. It was not a comment of judgement. Liked your video!
Tell us your favourite album beginning with the letter "F"!
Far - Regina Spektor
Far beyond Driven - Pantera
Fantastic Magic - TK from ling tosite sigure
Frampton Comes Alive
Godspeed You Black Emperor - F# A# infinity
May 2021. I just got a HB TE 52. I am stunned at how good it is. It came all set up. Relief, intonation. Tuners and nut are fine. No buzzes.
Hey Peter glad your enjoying it 🙌🏻 thanks for watching
what about the weight? is it too heavy?
I bought a TE-62 DB and modded it completely, I then bought another and have kept it as standard, the standard sounds good but the modded one sounds very good, not as good as my 1984 Squier Telecaster that I bought from new, I would put that guitar up against any Fender guitar, it has seemingly magic qualities.
BTW there is a song called The Dog by The Damned and is on the Strawberries album, it is about Claudia, the character in the Anne Rice vampire story, it is an amazing piece of work!
Neck sounded better on the Fender, I preferred the HB on the bridge. I'm also a happy TE-52 owner :)
We agree Dan thanks for subbing 🤙🏻 enjoy your TE52 it’s really a top guitar, If I kept it i’d be installing a Bare Knuckle in the neck, your right the bridge does keep up with the Fender
@@TheGuitarBay you're welcome! keep making awesome videos! I also have an HB strat (ST62) that I have upgraded to a Bareknuckle (Mother's Milk)set, although its a solid sound. It's different from the Roswell, and there were certain aspects of the Roswell that I miss. Which shows that changing pickups does not always mean, making the sound better, just different :)
I had a SX Tele Copy and it was extremely fun to play, sold it due to the fret buzzing, unthreaded screws, pickup quality, etc. I've had other guitars since, though that guitar's mojo was beyond great. I then got an Affinity Tele, and was quite happy with it, but somehow didn't play it as much despite being near perfect on paper; it might have been due to the pickups looking back. Fast forward, I ordered the HB TE-52, excited but also dispassionately, and after a few hours of play time, it's a delight to play. Can't compliment it enough. I haven't tried the Classic Vibe, but I have tried the Fender Player Tele, and prefer the TE-52 price being no object. There's many guitar brands now who have become a force to be reckoned with, while I unsure about the rest, this HB has put the end to my search.
Enjoyed the video. I started with a Squire Affinity Tele. I was not happy, just didn't have that Tele twang, so I installed Fender MIM pickups. This was better, but when I got a HB TE-52, I found was I was looking for.
I own three HB's and I do my own setup and fretwork. If not I would spend the money to have the neck professionally worked. OBTW, all had some buzz.
The HB doesn't have the "bite" in the high frequencies like a classic Tele.
But a lot of folks think a classic Tele can be annoyingly bright ...so that HB
might be a great alternative for those peeps.
The cost diff will be a factor for many players as well.
I'm about to order a couple of HB Teles this week...a TE-62 in Sea Foam Green and a TE-20
in Lake Blue Metallic...it will be an interesting comparison between the poplar body 62
and the basswood body 20...I may also get a TE-20 in 3 tone Sun Burst because that color comes with an Indian Laurel fretboard...the others are maple...
HB is improving the entire industry IMO...
"The HB doesn't have the "bite" in the high frequencies like a classic Tele." - The HB doesn't have ... or a budget pickup in HB?
I have been using the TE-52 for a year and a half now. I put a Tex Mex bridge PUP and Tonerider AC-2 humbucker neck pup and put brass saddles. I go between it and my home made jazzmaster when I gig. Harley Benton’s are great guitars.
Great to hear John glad your enjoying it!
Did you have to make the neck cavity bigger for the humbucker? Doesn't it come routed for single coils? Thanks
@@backandfour some of them came with humbucker routes, but mine was a single coil route
@john weems, how did you manage to get a fitting pickguard. Are these standard fender pickguard dimension. Tks
@@MrAntpre standard pickguard will fit, but not all the screw holes line up.
The TE-52 comes with a 3 saddle bridge and it’s actually really good.
Hey Nick, certainly worked but I found changing it out with the Wilkinson bridge to be a very worthy easy upgrade for €30 a much heavier sturdier unit that I would recommend over stock 🙏
Takis here, I guess Nick jumped in because it was implied in the video that the guitar had a 6-saddle bridge. I guess it's either that the previous owner had installed such a bridge before Danny bought the guitar or it was just a communication breakdown between us (I talk too much...) :) - In any case, thanks for the heads-up, Nick!
Got 7 Teles...recently got into the mod thing....my stable includes Tele ProII, G&L US(A)SAST, MIM, FGN, CV50 (2), and recently acquired the HB TE52. HB is quite solid...Roswell's are decent...as good as what comes on a Squier CV. HB has a neck as nice as any USA I've owned...amazing QA! Too heavy at just shy of 10 pounds. So far, Fralin Blues Spec, and Lollar Spec T's can transform a $400 guitar into a true gem. Got a set of Bootstraps coming to try those on the HB.
The ash bodied “thinline” is the king of Harley’s Benton Teles.
@@frankzappa951 have to check one out, this one was heavy so a lightweight version would be nice 👍
Wow, the Mexican Fender pickups (especially the neck) sound soooo good!!! 😳
Hey Emilio 😎 we agree, there really is a very noticable difference in the neck pickup. The stock mexican pickups really are leagues above the older models
Would really like to see a comparison between a top of the line Harley Benton vs. Any other comparably priced guitar of the same model. We all pretty much know that the top of the line guitars in general play/sound better.
The Fusion line of Harley Benton is an incredible value for the money.
Roasted necks, stainless frets, locking tuners, graphtec nut and so on. For a fraction of the price of the big brands.
He bought this one used, and if he had gotten in from Thomann in as bad a condition as he says this one is, he could have gotten a replacement from Thomann. I have one of these and it's amazing.
be interesting with a Vintage V52 with the Wilkinson Hardware , I like the sound more with the player throw in the Vintage v52 that would be an interesting battle, personally I would take the Vintage V52 or any of those Vintage Telecaster's for the money you cannot go wrong with the Benton
We’d love to test out the Vintage V52 relic, we will keep our eyes peeled 👀
Oh man, I cannot believe I like the HB more! Thanks for the comparison :)
The neck pick-up on the HB does not sound good at all, it's too dark relatively to the bridge pick-up. What about weights between the 2 guitars?
I have the Harley Benton TE62 DB for a week , and i love it! The only thing i didn't like was the difference in the brightness between the bridge and the neck pickup.
Zo i installed a set of Fender pickups. (Vintera 50).
Now the ballance is great, and i love the tone.
But the Roswell pickups were not bad.
I own a Fender Stratocaster Plus, but i think that the Harley Benton is just as good or even better!
Glad your enjoying it Sly, post a video show us your mods/guitar collection 🙏
fender crisp , harley smooth
I got the TE-52 with lots of upgrades, incuding a 4 way switch for pu in series. Is beautifull and sounds really goog but it's too heavy.. 4.5Kg.. impossible to play in stand up for more than half hour..
In this case I go for Fender 🎉
Fender pickups wins)
Hb with fender pickups wins)
Why is it in these reviews the string gauges never seem to be mentioned? Did the guitars in this review have .009s or .010s? This is a really important measure of both playability and sound? Anyone care to comment?
Hey Ian Thanks for commenting, both guitars were strung with gauge 9 strings the Harley Benton with Ernie Ball Slinkies. Good point we should have mentioned it but in my honest opinion there isn't a massive difference between 9&10s on a telecaster when the strings are fresh like they are here.
Another delight from Colombia... But wait man, originally the TE-52 comes with 3 saddles bridge, mines at least:-7
Hey Alfredo yes the bridge comes standard as 3 saddles however the wilkinson bridge is of way higher quality! Much more weight to it and the Brass Saddles really help get that Tele Twang! Thanks for watching
Great video guys! Good luck with the channel! Yeia sou Taki, Danny! Greetings from Greece, take care guys! By the way, is the Te52 neck comfortable, despite being a bit chunky as they (and you) say?
Γεια σου Anthony :) Thanks for the support! Not only was the neck comfortable but it was surprisingly good as well. Very smooth surface, much more pleasant than the Affinity series, and a flawless fret job. And it wasn't that chunky (like a proper 50's baseball bat Tele) just noticeably chunkier than my Player Tele. Shockingly good for the money and very pretty too!
@@TheGuitarBay χίλια ευχαριστώ! Many thanks guys! This is my only concern and your feedback is spot on and very illuminating - I already have an Affinity Tele of which I had to sand the neck down a bit to make it more comfortable...! As you may be guessing, I am thinking about getting this te 52...so thank you once again.. I'll be seeing you guys, keep up the good work, you are a great team! Take care!
You guys had the same strings on both of them during the test?
Got a harley ,cant Reach maybach but good enough for Garage rock and zum üben.
well, fender tone is much better, specially in the clean tone
Great video - out of curiosity are the two guitars similar in weight?
Hey Gary thanks for watching bud 🙏 if I remember correctly the HB was a bit heavier than the Fender. Can’t exactly say how much but the HB was quite a hefty guitar
I have one and it’s the heaviest guitar i own
Good video. Looking for a t style to play "sometimes".
Go for it! This has all the qualities of a traditional Tele
Thank you, nice and interesting vid.
I'm thinking about selling my Fender Tele Modern Player. I never was really happy with the humbucker in the bridge position, even it's splittable. Then buying a TE-52 and upgrade it with another 150€ in parts.
Btw. Were are you located, cause you talking €?
Best wishes and happy holidays from Bavaria Germany 🇩🇪
Vielen dank Elrondo! Wir wohnen in Düsseldorf 🇩🇪 ! Ich (Danny) komme aber aus Schottland und Takis aus Griechenland. Hört sich gut an, du wirst eine tolle gitarre haben nach den Upgrades! Viel spaß
Great Job! How about the neck? Which is the more comfortable/faster?
The HB had a slightly thicker neck than the Fender but both were equally comfortable and playable. Personal preference really I like the unfinished feel of the Fender but the HB was also very nice.
Damg it sounds like he was using a 2x4 as a guitar pick
τακη? αξιζει τον κοπο η harley benton?
Για τα λεφτά της, απολύτως! Δύσκολα θα βρεις κάτι ανάλογο.
Back to the Roots -> The Roots of Coffee
Fender sounded a lot better to be honest.
We‘d hope so 😅
You butchered those tuning peg holes. Ouch!
The previous owner drilled new holes as mentioned around 4:03 I tried my best and the guitar was fully functional 🥃
Are they the same thickness?
Hey Vic thanks for watching, if I remember correctly the HB was slightly thicker/heavier overall
Nice to Meet jou
Alphaville-Forever Young
Freak Out - Mothers of Invention
The Harley Benton sounds better
We are glad to hear this, we loved the HB but felt it lacked ever so slightly on the neck pickup! The HB is sadly sold and I miss it already (Danny) Cheers Mate
HB:s are great value for money, if you can live with the flat neck raduis (14 inches). However, to make it sound and act like a Fender Player, you need to spend money on upgrades. And you may end up paying just as much for the HB as for the Fender.
That is the thing, also we think having the Fender Logo and brand history behind it brings a lot of value. For someone like me (Danny) a Strat player the HB really hits the spot if I ever wanna get that Tele Tone without forking out all the money for a Fender Branded item. Cheers mate and thanks for watching!
FQuadrophenia 😁
Greek accent?
Yes Takis is greek however I never notice an accent (Danny). He speaks, writes and understands English better than most native English speakers including myself
@@TheGuitarBay no i am not saying that he is not ok with his english. i am greek my self and it just sounded kind of familiar to my ear. It was not a comment of judgement. Liked your video!
As long as you don't tell me the weight, I'm not here....
4.8kg heavy for a tele
Вы когда обзор делаете, хотя бы гитары настраивайте. Ни одна не строит.
Not sure what the point of this video was👎
Thanks for watching 👍
By the end of the song they are both out of tune. Savevyoursrlf and the world much grief, buy a fucking charvel and move on.
Sorry for the pain and grief you‘ve suffered Mike. Thanks for the tip! Have a great day
Charvel lol