EPIC Strat Shootout!
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- čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
- The ULTIMATE "affordable" HSS Strat shootout!
A 4 way Royal Rumble! Harley Benton Vs EART Vs Jet Guitars Vs Fazley
Who Wins? Let's find out! 😀
DING! DING! DING!
FIGHT!!!
Please consider subscribing if you like almost average Guitar Content 🤠👍
Credit: Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio for the Awesome Synthwave tracks 😎👌
Jet JS450 Vs Fazley Shore:
• Best Budget Beach Stra...
EART NK C3 Corsair review:
• EART - Any Good? | NK ...
Fazley Sunrise Shore Review:
• Son of a BEACH! | Fazl...
Jet JS450 Review:
• This One was Surprisin...
Harley Benton Fusion 2 Review:
• Harley Benton fusion i...
00:00 The Contenders
01:12 The Rules
01:36 Tuners
02:03 String Trees
02:20 Nutz!
02:42 Neck Profile
03:11 Neck Material
03:37 The Scores So far...
03:55 Fretboard Radius
04:14 Frets
04:43 Neck Heel Access
05:07 Body Wood
05:49 Tops
06:44 Scores update...
07:04 Why U no play?
07:46 Pickups
08:53 Switching
09:04 Pickguards & Plastics
09:30 Truss Rod Access
10:10 Brand Name
10:46 Final Scores...
11:19 What did we learn?
14 ??? Bonus Tones - Hudba
EART, FAZLEY, HARLEY BENTON, JET - What have you tried? 🫳⌨⬇
Likes and dislikes - any favourites? 😀
Technically, HB Fusion guitars have medium jumbo frets, just like Eart guitars. That’s the amount of material they remove unnecessarily that is the problem. They look like they have been releveled 2-3 times already, when brand new.
Pretty much all chinese guitar frets are Pleked or machine leveled. They don’t level frets manually. That’s probably why they use low grade stainless steel (because hard steel damages the tools). Most Plek machine owners won’t accept steel frets for this particular reason. The original height of the frets is always supposed to be preserved as much as possible (only leveling those that are higher than the others). Rounded ends or not is a matter of preference, but how much material they remove is a matter of build quality/expertise. Other than that, Eart guitars are great!
I have bought TOO MANY guitars this year, but I love 'em. I got two (Count 'em!), two Donner DST-400s, which are very like Squier Affinity Series Stratocasters in an HSS pickup format and improved specifications. Then I bought my first Harley Benton, something I envisioned as a travel guitar. It looks like what we used to call "pickguard" guitars. Lastly, I snagged my first neck-through! NONE of these axes cost me a full $200 to get to my door! I don't think that guitars the quality of these instruments could be had in the Twentieth Century for less than $400-$500, and the consistency was necessarily much less back then. I note that while some guitars rose higher than others in your shootout, there didn't seem to be a single BAD one in the bunch! I really WAS born too soon ... but NO I WASN'T! If I was younger, I would not be able to appreciate this progress as much as I do!
Ha! All great points well made sir 😀👍
I too bought too many new Guitars this year. I'm in the process of thinning the herd now - making space for the 2024 releases 🙈. But you're right all 4 of these guitars are incredible in their own right but also "for the price" - The big name brands can't compete with the specs from the younger brands anymore, and it's getting to the point where the quality and consistency is at least on par with the big "F" brand.
Amazing times indeed! 😀👍
I think what we can take from this is that you aren't really getting a bad guitar at this price point if you're looking for a modern S type. We really are living in a golden age for budget friendly instruments 👍
100% Mate! Alongside these we've got the Sire's, Soloking, Ibanes ES Az, and many more...
£300 can buy a lot of top shelf specs in 2023/2024 😀
Happy Holidays to you and yours mate ⛄
@@stevecassidyguitar we are recording a 2+ hour gear of the year podcast this evening, I'm in for a long night 😂😂😂
@@BudgetPedalChap Nice one!! 😀👍 I'm working on the same vid this week for next friday🙈 When is yours going out? 😀
@@stevecassidyguitar poddy isn't out on the channel, it's an audio only but it is out every Monday. Today's and next week's are the gear of the year 👍
@@BudgetPedalChap Coolz - I'll keep an ear out for it 😃👍
I bought the Harley Benton Tele HH fusion ii for $ 205 on sale earlier this year. Wcs locking tuners(best I've ever felt) dual roller string trees, tusq xl nut, stainless frets(gorgeous after a little polish) fretboard has a beautiful tiger stripe. Roasted mahogany everything, Coil split humbuckers. I switched out the roswells and put in a set of humbuckers from irongear(65 bucks and are perfect). The guitar even unplugged sounds awesome. Can't put it down.
Nice one mate 😎👍
I have the exact same one... I think 🤔 Harley Benton HB Fusion T hard tail in natural.
It's also been upgraded with Iron gear pickups! 😂
Hot slag in the bridge and a rolling mill in the neck - great stuff 😃👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Then you know! Wow!
This was a crackin vid sir, good bit of fun with some good info :)
Have a goodun sir :)
Thank ya kindly mate 😃🙏
Happy holidays to you and yours ⛄
Very Cool Steve. Awesome comparison, That Eart neck/fingerboard and Fretwork looked outstanding. If 'Budget Guitars' are going to offer all these flame finishes I wish they would offer The Mark Knopfler "Pensa-Sure Custom" Used on many of his famous tunes at an affordable Price. Awesome Video, Thankyou. All The Best, Cheers.
Thank ya mate 🙏 I suppose the Harley Benton Fusions are the closest in the looks dept - possibly a mod project? 😀🤷♂️
Happy Holidays to you and yours mate ⛄
Great video of 4 great guitars. Trying not to be too biased here it's the JET for me as I have recently got a JET JS-450 (at a bargain price on E-Bay) with the only change i'll make for now is a Tusq string tree, happy days.
Thank You mate! 😀👍
It's the Jet for me too 😁👍 Congrats on your new bargain 👌
Happy Holidays to you and yours mate ⛄
Thanks@@stevecassidyguitar Looking forward to the festivities 😀as well.
Hi Steve, nice comparison well done! I to, compare s-type guitars with my Fender strat and the Jet is my favorite too.....although i love the 300 more than the 400....😅 IMO a humbucker in the bridge and a 12" radius fretboard does not qualify for 'superstrat', maybe 'hotrod'? 😃Have a great christmas, seasons greetings from Switzerland🎸🤘🏼🎸
Thank ya mate 😃🙏
I'd agree that "Superstrat" is a subjective term. I still class these as such with the HSS layout, 12" boards (on 3 of em) 22frers and the sculpted heel joints - but hot rod is also appropriate. 😎👌
Some people would only class the shreddy Ibanez types with Floyd Rose trems, sharper contours Superstrats.
Anyway .... Happy holidays to you and yours mate! ⛄
Massively entertaining as usual Steve. You establish clearly how much, above a certain level of all-round quality, is down to personal experience. I found myself thinking, at the end, of that question you see often in Guitarist magazine: expensive guitar and cheap amp or cheap guitar and expensive amp. Because quite a few pros opt for the latter, I’m hoping you might get round to a video on different affordable amps (or modellers). Any chance?
Thank ya very much mate 😃🙏
Re the Guitar/Amp question or the ever popular "gig rig under £1k" vids....
I reckon I could get away with a gig rig under £500 😜.
But since I'm gigging ampless these days I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to the current budget amps on offer.
It's definitely something to consider though - cheers 😃
I do have a very budget pedal/amp vid in the works though 👍
Happy holidays to you and yours mate ⛄
@@stevecassidyguitar Thanks, Steve. I’m on the cusp of trying an ampless rig, given that amp sims are now so good. I’d have thought there was scope for a Nux/Valeton/Sonicake comparison or maybe something on single pedal amp sims (Boss, Blackstar etc). The budget market looks like being the means by which prestige gets the scrutiny that shows whether it’s worth paying for or not. It’d be great to have an SC video on something like that. I was only thinking that the amp is such a crucial part of the sound but of course is less obviously glamorous than the guitar 😊
@@stevelogan1699 I hear ya mate - there's a huge selection of "affordable" options on the market these days 👍
But I don't think I'm the guy to make comparisons on these kind of things 😬
The issue I have with doing that kind of thing is each unit takes quite a bit of time to learn, getting used to each OS/ecosystems and how they respond etc.
I've never been much of a menu diving kind of guy, and I'm pretty much a layman when it comes to these things too. 😂
I spent a bit of time researching which unit would be right for my needs and landed on the HX stomp XL. And I still use that at a very basic level 🙈
Still a great suggestion though mate - it's appreciated . Thank you 😃👍
What a fantastic video have a wonderful weekend Steve also what is your favorite guitar ❤😊
Thank you mate! 😀🙏 My favourite guitar(s) 😜 are... my modded Jet JS400 and a Fender Modern Player Starcaster 😁👌
Hope you have a great weekend too mate! 😀👌
I have only tried the Harley Benton. Have found it excellent. would love to try the others.
The Harley Benton is excellent 😎👌 They pretty much changed the game with their fusion line. In terms of quality/spec/price. All these other brands are on the catch up - and they're getting close too. Great times for us! 😃👍
Nice job, Mr Steve Cassidy Guitar. New viewer here, if sadly 2 weeks late joining the party...
Delighted to note that guitars at this price point today are (mostly) far superior to the (mostly) dubious quality pre-lawsuit era planks available to me when I started playing in the mid 70s, when you had to go to an actual shop or scour the small ads for you first/ next guitar fix. Kinda miss those days😢😢😢
PS: Nice line in headwear too!
Thank ya kindly sir 😃🙏. Totally agree mate - beginners don't know how lucky they are these days. Although there is still some garbage out there too 😜.
and yes, it's almost like magic these days to get an affordable good quality guitar delivered to your door, next day sometimes too 🤯 I'm not complaining tho 🙈
If i take nothing other than "i hope you sit on a wet bus seat" then it is my favourite video this week!!
Ha! Thank ya very much mate - and welcome to the channel 😃🙏
If you remove a pickup on the Fazley, you (likely) can see whether its top is a true maple cap or a simple veneer.
Yup... I should have did this before returning it 🙈
I think ̛ ̛jet guitars have the best necks full stop and would pick one whenever there's a choice .When I put down my Fender which cost 3x new and pick up my. jet,it feels more premium.
This is 100% my experience too mate - it's astonishing.
I don't know if you seen the recent vid where I'm comparing to a Fender player strat:
czcams.com/video/GVidRT0SaLg/video.html
I'm not suggesting you watch it - but just check out the comments section... It's full of people (who have both) saying the exact same thing 🤯
People just need to give em a try - I'm sure they'll be converted. If Jet had better (more) marketing they could steal a massive portion of Squiers potential customers I reckon.
Hey anybody with a last name of Guitar has got to know his stuff!! Wonderful video Steve. It's obvious you put a lot of work into producing this content. Well done Mr. Steve Cassidy Guitar!!!! Keep it going and I'm sure your sub count will raise. I mean you should have davie504 numbers
Ha! 😂👍 Thank you mate! 😁🙏 It appears I have A LOT of siblings on YT! 😜
Re Davie504... I was over the moon when I hit 504 subs! 🥳👌
Hi Steve, this video is very cool. Beginners have excellent guitars available to them, with no need to ever change throughout their journey.
I recently got a JS 400, and I'm currently carrying out upgrades more or less as you've suggested.
I've gigged for over 30 years and along the way I've owned really decent strats/teles and with that in mind I think the Jet is mega!
Keep them coming buddy, your sense of humour makes me chuckle out loud - brilliant.
Btw, I think the best truss rod nut placement should be on a 'damp bus seat' 😅
Cheers dude.......
Ha! 😂Thank ya very much mate - You've made my day! 😀🙏
I don't know if you've already seen it - but I did A LOT of modes to my JS400 😁 czcams.com/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/video.html
Of course you wouldn't make the exact same choices - mod away to your tastes 👍
And yes indeed... it's a fantastic time right now to be a guitarist - for both beginners and us "more experienced" players 😁👍
I have seen it Steve, I love those kind of videos. I'm currently working my way through all your content and thoroughly enjoy them along with a vodka or three!
How's the weather up there matey?😊
@@richculham9399 Aww nice one mate -cheers! I've only been at it "almost" 1 year. The earlier vids aren't great - I've learned a lot 🙈
The weather up here in Dundee today is actually quite mild for this time of year - where are you at? 😀
I'm in Gillingham Kent, luckily I'm in the posh part....only one burnt out car in my street😊
Windy as f¢©k today, see you in the next video.
Ooh btw, Coconut Grove are ace, great musicianship👍🏻
@@richculham9399 😂👌 That sounds very upmarket sir 😁
Thank you Re Coconut Groove - much appreciated mate 😀🙏
Great video, but as you say, each of the guitars has one or two features that give it an edge over the others. One of the manufacturers needs to incorporate all the best bits into a single model, and then we will definitely have a winner. I am looking forward to what Jet can offer with their new models in 2024. Hopefully, they have been watching your videos and taking notes.
Thank you Richard! 🙏 If Jet are watching - great! I doubt they'd act on one opinion though 😜
But - yeah I'm also looking forward to the 2024 releases 😀
Happy Holidays to you and yours mate ⛄
No, they would not act on a single opinion, but they should look at other guitars around the same price bracket to see what features they have that are not currently incorporated in their models. Have a great Christmas, and hope your channel continues to grow well in 2024.
@@RichardLewis-em2ud Thank you Richard 😀👍 You're totally right given the specs all these brands can offer at these prices - I can't see any reason why we can't have it all for less that £400 these days 🤷♂
But of course... I'd still manage to find something to moan about 🙈
Truthfully I thought you were too nice in your ratings, very few 1's but still good content
Ah Thank you mate! 😀🙏 The points system wasn't perfect - but 1 point would only be awarded if there was a clear 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place in a certain category - but most were too close 😁
Interesting Steve. I'm still an HB fan boy overall for logo looks, headstocks, excellent customer services and I just like them. I think the strength of HB brand has better resale too. Great video as always.
Thank ya Rich! 😀👍
I've got zero complaints with Thomann too - They do it all right in my book.
Happy Holidays to you and yours mate ⛄
@@stevecassidyguitar Thats not the experience i had. Then again im a nobody with no social medial following, Seems this counts a lot for the quality ( or lack of ) of guitars that are sent out.
@@ThunderingCreation Please do share your experience! 😀
Just as a side note - Thomann don't know I exist as a guitar channel (as far as I know) and I've bought all of my Harley Benton's (except for the SC 25th) Before I had a channel. They've never sent me anything - But I wish they would! 😜
@@stevecassidyguitar I'd rather not tbh, there were multiple points i took issue with. It seems im not alone in the gamble of buying budget guitars from this company, So rather than it seeming like im some sort of negative complainer who expects too much all i can say is buyer beware. Suffice to say I wont be purchasing from Thomann again. Thanks for the Vid though very interesting!!.
@@ThunderingCreation No worries mate 👍 I've heard it's not all sunshine and rainbows from Thomann. My experience and research seems to show that the sub £250 HB's are more of a Gamble. Once you go beyond that, the quality improves significantly - but I've also heard a couple of stories of Fusions not being as good as expected
Glad I saw this vid as was gonna order a Jet but now know its heavy, has a bone nut and no SS frets like my HB fusion 3. It's still tempting for the price but it's not gonna get played as much as the HB so will prob give the Jet a miss for now unless they change the specs in future. Cool vids mate fan here!
Thank ya mate 😀🙏 This particular Jet was heavy unfortunately but I've had a couple and the weights vary. Also seen other reviews where there not as heavy. Personally I think the much cheaper Jet JS400 is a much better buy. It doesn't have the fancy top, but the stock trem is surprisingly good 👍 Check on a Graphtech string tree and a set of Vanson locking tuners all in for about £40 and you've got yourself a Fender Killer imo 😁👍
Can the Graphtech nut be a straight swap out with the bone one? if thats the case win win!
@@markdoolan3424 I'm not very skilled at these things so had my tech do it - He didn't mention any problems though 😀👍
I went to town with the mods on my Jet in this vid:
czcams.com/video/ihd-k_8NLX0/video.html
Some say overkill - For me it was worth it and my USA Fender strat has been gathering dust for months 😐
Nice will check that out!
Not that it matters I picked them in the identical order as you did Steve. If you remember I tried ordering 4 Fazleys but customer experience with Bax Music was poor. I got the JS400 which I sent back as there was a blemish on the big horn so it stood out like a sore thumb & the pickguard was warped, disappointing so I'm looking at a Prs SE Silver Sky or McCarty 594 or both lol, ow I'm getting off topic, sorry. Fazely one of the best affordable guitars, get one if you can. Thanks again Steve! Merry Christmas!
Thank ya mate! 😃🙏
And yes.. your opinion and experience totally matters!! 😃
That's a shame about the JS400 - was an exchange an option? Did you get a chance to play it much?
I didn't enjoy the Silver Sky SE at all. But loads of people love em, hope it works for you 😃👍
I do love the look of the newer maple ones I think it was nylon blue of the purple one - look great 😎👌
Thanks again mate - happy holidays to you & yours ⛄
ur best review... congratulations 🎉
Wow! Thank ya very much mate! 😀🙏
@@stevecassidyguitar do u heart abt Haze guitars ? or maybe u play on their scalloped stratocaster? grassroots sell a scalloped too...no experience??
@@colhad9505 I'm not familiar with either of these - Will have to check em out - Cheers 😀👍
My ‘requirements’ for an HSS strat are for it to have a two-point tremolo- the vintage 6-screw are horrible. And a nice neck
Other than that- bonus features are locking tuners, stainless steel frets, roller string trees, LSR roller nut (almost unheard of these days), no gloss finish on the neck, flatter than 9.5 radius or even compound radius, rolled fingerboard edges, fret edges rolled, Charvel style heel joint.
🇨🇦 Maple necks are the only maple they should use!!!!!!
That all sounds very do-able if you have the cash! 😜
Our dream specs list are actually quite close 😁👍
Happy Holidays to you and yours mate ⛄
I’ve not had any experience personally with any of these guitars , but looks wise etc , I like the Harley Benton best , even with the missing flameage, just prefer the look of it,, great video 👍👍🤠🎸
Thank ya Marsha 😃🙏
I can't deny the Fusion does look great most of the time 😁 Personally I think I improved the looks a bit too with the zebra style Humbuckers instead of the all black 😁👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Marsha 😂😂😂
@@c.h.fieldsports9876 Ha! Apologies for that! I think YT sometimes shows me the wrong username for comments - It's nothing to do with the mild hangover I have today - Honest! 🙈
Soz mate 😬 My mistake, but I'll leave it up as/is coz it's funny 😜
@@stevecassidyguitar I thought I’d got another new nickname 😂😂😂😂👍👍🤠🎸
@@c.h.fieldsports9876 We can make it stick if you want it to Marsha? 😜🤣
Love your video's can you take a look at some frazly basses thanks for the great content👍👍👍👍
Thank you mate! 😀🙏 I have been tempted by the new Fazley Sunrise basses 😁 But the thing is... I'm not super clued up on basses in general, so my opinion holds less weight and is less worthwhile. Actually... that's possibly a great channel idea 🤔 Does a Budget Bass channel exist? 🤷♂️
@@stevecassidyguitar i dont think so not whon that dus frazly
@@nielsjansen150 Reminds me of the Frazzles bacon fries 😋👌
Well I think the most important thing is the fret level (and the fret ends, if it's a lot).
According to Scar my guitar who's done a couple of Fazleys, the fret level was excellent. In fact I've never seen a reviewer who's tested the fret level and the fret ends say there were any problems with the Fazley.
Philip McKnight did the Eart and said there was slightly a few unlevel threats but nothing to worry about.
I've seen a lot of reviews that the jet has sharp fret ends and unlevel frets.
Harley Benton also has issues with fret ends and fret level. And the only way you know this is because a couple of people actually test it and most reviewers do not.
The problem with all the brands are the neck depth. They all appear to be thicker than a Fender for some reason. At least from the few reviews I have seen that mention it. I think the Earth telecasters are fender thickness which is .80 on the first fret end 0.8 5 maybe .9 on the 12th.
Good points well made sir 😎👍
It's "Fesley" guitars that Scar My Guitar has reviewed. The ones were looking at here are "Fazley" (Bax music in house brand) I know the names are annoyingly similar 🙈.
For me... The Jet neck profile is almost identical to a Fender player or the old Fender USA standard. I did a comparison between a Jet and Fender player using a feeler gauge and they're too close! 😃
Watching this now and taking notes 😅
😂 I don't follow all of my own advice - as you can see 🙈 Started filming this one about a month ago 😬
Decent locking tuners: 80 Euros, a decent roller string tree: 2-5 Euros
I've been using Vanson locking Tuners recently - £33 (around 40Euro ) - good quality Korean made Jin-Ho gear. (Same as Wilkinson 👍) Tried the £25 MusicLily ones - not so good
@@stevecassidyguitar Thank You for that recommendation, but I think Vanson does not deliver to the EU. I wanted to point out that You give 4 points for something that is very cheap and easy to exchange. And You give the same amount of points e.g. for the perfect fret ends at the Eart or a better wood quality of the neck.
You should reconsider the weighting of the individual criteria. The base of the guitar (body and neck) is the most important thing. A severely twisted neck makes the otherwise best guitar unplayable. Then electronics including pickups and hardware as a whole. Don't forget playability/factory setup.
@@hueffel987 I hear ya mate 👍 That's a shame you can't get Vanson - Wilkinson is similarly priced and pretty much the same product if it's available near you.
Re your point about the imperfect scoring system - I'm very aware of this and addressed this @11:20.
In my opinion - Factory set up is only relevant for beginners. And "playability" is subjective and can be tweaked to taste.
The specs to points ratio is impossible to quantify as people give different values to different specs - for example... I don't bother too much about tonewood for the body or... the pickups - because I'd more than likely change em anyway.
You still raise valid points though.
Happy holidays to you & yours ⛄👍
Great review and I've been looking at all of these recently. Actually bought an EART and objectively good spec but I just didn't like it at all for whatever reason.
Thanks mate - I had the exact same experience with Eart (I had 3 of them 🙈 too). I'm finding it's like that with a lot of these younger brands "affordable" high spec guitars. It's like the spec sheet wars 😆 But the execution doesn't always hit the mark. With the exception of Jet guitars (imo)
@@stevecassidyguitar They're trying to one up each other it seems haha, Jet or Soloking are the front runners for me trying next, which plays the best to you? I like to shred sometimes so need those bigger frets.
@@resington I had a couple of Solokings recently (2 MS 1 Classics) - Definitely has a feel closer to Eart. and for S types they're too heavy for me (can't get one under 8lbs - I had 6 of them weighed 🙈). The 2nd one had quite sharp fret ends on the underside (not ideal for Stainless Steel frets).
The Jet is my preference but probably not as Shreddy. Frets are "medium Jumbo", but they're not like Ibanez Jumbo.
Have you tried a Harley Benton Fusion? I'm looking forward to trying out the new ST modern -once it's released
@@stevecassidyguitar I do have a HB fusion T all stock and it's amazing and was tempted to get the strat style but it's 24 frets, not good like u say for neck tones. Might go for the jet then, currently on a SX vtg with some nice Alnico singles thrown in, great for 120 quid but just wanta change.
Cheers for replying, currently burning through ur vids, all quality!
@@resington No worries mate - thanks for watching the vids! 😀👍
Expect closer to a Fender experience with the Jet necks (I'd argue it's a better neck than a Fender player. Jet should totally pay me - but they don't 😆)
Fazley shore red now 205 pounds.I picked up a cort g290 fat 2 from thomann for 299 .Blows all these guitar out the window
Always liked the look of that G290Fat in Blue 😎👌
Wouldn't call it a strat though with it being HH. Would love to try one out though 😀 Nice score sir!
I know you've already tested Soloking. What can you say about Soloking in comparison to these four? Especially build quality wise and attention to detail, especially the neck? Thank you
Good question! I wish the Soloking would have came to Andertons a month earlier then I could have included it in the Shootout.
Anyway .. I've had 2 now. Fret ends on the 2nd one were quite sharp - not great. Neck felt very premium overall, closer to Eart in feel. It was heavy. And the pickups are the worst out of all of these guitars.
But ... It's a super high specced guitar on paper and would win the body wood category for sporting Alder imo
Fusion ii was better than Fusion iii, especially fret polishing.
I've never tried the Fusion iii - But It's not the first time I've heard this 👍 I believe ya! 😀
I prefer the switch over the push/pull pot - But I'd probably prefer the HSS layout on a Fusion 3
@@stevecassidyguitar I have Fusion 3 and it have beautiful neck, but sharp and poorly polished frets and poorly paintinted and dented body. I tried Fusion 2 a year ago and it was flawless. Roswell Pickups are ok though.
@@elmarg7966 So you base your Fusion II was better than Fusion III an exactly 2 instruments? I can tell you I've owned several of both and the majority did not have any issues like that. If yours does just contact Thomann and get a discount or the guitar replaced.
@@elmarg7966 That's it mate - in this price bracket there's bound to be some duds unfortunately. I mean... there's probably even more duds from Fender at £700-1k! 🙈. Thomann have one of the best returns policies though - When I'm buying in future, I'm happy to send any defective ones back until I get a good un😜
@@stevecassidyguitar I am considering to buy either Fender Player HSS or little more expensive Charvel with HSS pickups configuration, but feedback about their QC issue stops me from this purchase. I recently purchased Cort G300 and Cort KX300, both guitars are flawless, although Cort is not as popular brand as Fender.
Aye yer bands cool! I was waiting for the beat it solo evh av got no chance wi shredding i was a bass player but i have started buying guitars and setting them up for some reason.is that GAS? 😅
Ha! Actually the band used to do Beat It before I joined. The previous Guitarist is awesome and used to play the EVH solo on a 335 🤯 Impressive stuff 👌
and yes... that does sound like the classic symptoms of GAS 😆👍
My cousin's a wedding player but hes a big John macglaughlin fan aldemeola etc love all types but my god there's just not enough time in the world to be that fast.Alrounders for me. Like I say see that epiphone you showed was nice.but I prefer slim necks too 42 mm nut for me. I purchased the black buety style LP guitar from ANDERTONS.quick service always come perfect.well that LP style is stunning! And the neck is bound slim c shape neck.and inlays are nice 42 mm nut.i just changed the tuners incase I gig but really absolute steal.i bought a jazzmaster fi Kenny's set it up and it's nice but it's noisy round the trem system and I had to shim the neck 5 mill.and I had one low fret?? Never seen that in my life so I was going to send it back but I changed it myself.by the way the squire sonic Mustang single coil guitar is a great wee player too. It's actually my fave axe in the hoose.all the best I think your bang on mate !
@@cameronmeikle6766 Cheers mate! I recently tried out Soloking Guitars from Andertons and had quite a poor customer service experience - So i'm gonna be dodging them for a wee while until they have something in that I just absolutely can't resist! 🙈
Good on you for fixing the low fret yourself! 😎👌 I definitely need to upgrade my mod skillz (or lack of) 😜
Small nitpick - as far as I am aware, the Fusion tuners are WSC Partsland staggered locking, no Jin Ho
Good point mate - On the Fusion ii - the one I have in the vid, it definitely is the WSC tuners. But for the comparison I was using the spec sheet for the current HSS Fusion 3 variant. On that spec list - the tuners are listed as "HB JN 07" I blindly assumed the "JN" was for Jin-Ho, as Vanson use the same letters in there item numbers and are made by Jin-Ho. It also doesn't say WSC on the Fusion spec lists anymore - but it did previously for the Fusion 2's. I suppose it could be the exact same units re-branded though 🤷♂️
Would be good to get to the bottom of this - Cheers 😀👍
I like the the Harley Benton best as it matches your beard whereas the others only match your hat ... and I think it's Ear-Tea not EART. Looking forward to seeing you as "The Hand" to King John in "Game of Tones". Thanks for your vids, have a great Christmas.
Ha! Thanks mate! 😂👍 There has been various studies and debates - it is E-ART (which doesn't make sense according to the logo) But it stands for Electronicacoustic ARTS's - apparently 😬
Love the GoT references - not wasted here - cheers mate! All the best to you and yours ⛄
@@stevecassidyguitar could have bee worse - Electro-Fret Arts = EFARTS
🤣👌@@RGBloke
I have stock staggered tuners on a couple of my guitars but they still need string trees which makes the staggered tuners pretty useless IMO, I think a redesign of headstocks and break angles needs to happen to get the most out of staggered tuners.
I hear ya mate 👍 - I should have elaborated ... I would still use a string tree on the 1st and 2nd strings. I'm only really interested in the lower posts for the 3rd string, not too bothered about the 4th.
Happy Holidays to you and yours 😀⛄
The music shop in the next town over from me has a Squire "Strat" in the window for £65 with a gig bag and cynical me wondered what was wrong with it - looking through the window on Christmas morning I noticed that the paint was a bit rough and chipped around the neck joint
Hard to say if I'd touch that one without seeing 🤔
I probably wouldn't - but I'm good for Strats atm 🙈
£65 is hard to turn down too tho 😂
The Harley Benton I bought had that same horrible patch and sent it back [AAA my arse]and it took 3 weeks to get my refund .Funny ,they're fast enough to take your money lol
I actually bought mines used off Facebook - might have been your old B-Stock 🤷♂️😜
When the UK did that Brexit thing, there was a brief period where there were customs and taxes added to the Thomann stuff to the UK. So I of course panicked and paid almost full price for this used (potentially B-stock) one 🙈. Although to be fair it is a great guitar in spite of the above (once I changed the pickups 😁)
Ah, interesting - that’s definitely the Jin ho model number. Kind of a shame, the WSC ones are really good.
Agreed! I was hoping to find the WSC ones for other Guitars but not seen them for sale anywhere in the uk
Not very surprising I've owned all of those. What might be surprising is that I kept none. Once again I hated the EART neck. I also don't like the JET neck very much, which is a bit strange because it should be the exact same as on the Tele and on that I like it. Well human fingers are able to feel the tiniest differences, who knows... The Fazley's and HB's necks come closer to what I like.
If I had to pick one it would be the Harley Benton, it just feels a bit more premium over all and has the best specs.
Regarding the pickups... There's this company with an S and a D. If I'm informed correctly (and I usually am) Roswell is or at least was at some point in time the producer of the 'not mad in USA' pickups of that SD company. So it's also not to hard to guess where the designs for a lot of Roswell pups come from. But I have to say the best sounding Roswells are their P90s.
I think I mentioned it before and will probably do so again: As long as the pickups aren't microphonic or very noisy for whatever reason I almost don't care as ther are EQ pedals.
Great to hear this form someone who has tried em all 😀👍
I'd agree the HB neck feels most premium, with the EART a close 2nd - but my Hand prefers the Jet Neck and radius.
Didn't know that about Roswell - great info cheers 👍 and based on your assessment I'll keep an eye/ear out for the Roswell p90's 😀👍
Happy Holidays to you and yours mate ⛄
Obviously the best place for truss rod adjustment is at the side of the neck heel like the Squier rock band 3 guitar :p
I'm not really sure how or if that works but it's real.
As for dream specs on a budget S type -
basically a classic vibe with a more modern bridge and a chunkier neck. I'd love something with a v shape neck but I know I'm in the minority there.
Ha! I was not familiar with this model 🤣 there could be a video on that 🤔
For your dream specs - it sound like you could achieve this potentially without breaking the bank via the mod route.
Question though, If you changed the bridge and neck what features of the classic vibe would be left that you find most redeeming?
Happy Holidays to you and yours mate ⛄
@@stevecassidyguitar The biggest thing is a touch of vanity. I'm a lover of the 70's style headstock an none of the budget brands to my knowledge do anything close to as loud as that. I don't need it to be a fender headstock but I'd love something a little more inspired than 50's strat with a hook on the end
Besides that - vintage tuners, glossy non-roasted maple fingerboards, depending on the year - a decent amount of solid color options, perfectly cromulent pickups.
If I was planning out a build or was designing my own signature there'd be a bunch of silly add-ons that I don't think anyone is doing probably for good reasons. Like individual on/off switches instead of a 5 way.
Happy holidays to you too!
@@clairbeeguitar Clair! You need to build/assemble this! 😀
2024 is the year of your dream strat! I can fell it! 😀
and please do make some vids to document the process 😁
@@stevecassidyguitar I'm thinking about it. I definitely want to start making videos and I've got an aria strat in natural that's not half bad. but it desperately needs some upgrades
@@clairbeeguitar That's awesome! 😀 I'm gonna be making a vid in the new year about my journey starting a channel. But don't wait for that - Just do it - get started! That's the main takeaway 😀
Probably all made in the same factory?
🤔😁
I know that that The Jets, (Current) Fazley's and Harley Bentons are not made in the same factories -But I can't find the info on what factory the Eart's are made in.
The Harley Benton Fusion guitars have far superior frets than Eart guitars. Rounded frets look cool, but those found on Eart guitars are Pleked and they remove WAY too much material. They become super low profile, resulting in WAY too much finger friction on the board, which affects playability A LOT. We need low "action", not low profile frets.. which doesn’t help in any way. Plus, they are very low grade Stainless Steel. I own an Eart GW2, which I bought new and barely used, and the 0 fret is already marked/almost slotted by the strings.
On the other end, my Harley Benton Fusion-III HSS (the same showed on the picture in the video) has Blacksmith Stainless Steel frets, with PLENTY of meat, and they look/feel just like those on my Ibanez MM1 (AZ Prestige), and even though they aren’t rounded, they’re super well finished with absolutely no sharp edges. In my opinion, there’s no comparison.
I hear ya mate - Personally, I'm not a big fan of the Jumbo frets, But I totally get why people do like/prefer them 👍Didn't know Earts were pleked - that's very interesting 🤔
Thanks for sharing👍
I have to say that I'm largely agnostic when it comes to fretboard radii, but I do have my limits. I probably could handle it okay, but I think that Fender's vintage radius of 7.25 inches is just too round for a bluesy player like me. I had been concerned that the 9.5 Fender modern radius on my Donners would prove too round, but they're okay. I do like the Gibson-like 12 inch radius of my Peavey Raptor Plus EXP, and I was surprised by the two guitars that I own that have TOM-style bridges. The reason why is because both of them have 14 inch radius fretboards, but TOM-style bridges only come in 12 inch radii. My guess is that the difference is real but not great; both of those axes play great. I have a few more guitars, but the one that has the most interesting neck is my Jackson, which sports the Jackson Speed neck profile and a 12 inch to 16 inch "compound" radius fretboard with jumbo frets! Cheap axe ($200), but still a cool shredder -- unlike myself!😜
I hear ya mate - I do have other guitars with different radii - my Charvel is the same as your Jackson.
But on F-type guitars I have a heavy preference for 9.5. I didn't even know this myself until doing a lot of experiments during COVID/lockdown. So played for the best part of 25 years without knowing 🙈
@@stevecassidyguitar It's all a learning experience. I REALLY wish I could time-deliver some of my current gear to my 21 or 25 year old self. Of course, it wouldn't be THAT simple; I just wish this stuff had been available back then! I would have made the same mistakes and would have made the same money (none!), but I would have sounded GREAT! Also, back then I didn't know anything about say, pickups. The info wasn't available. Now I know I have a weakness for Alnico magnet neck humbuckers. I didn't know this when I was a kid. Live and learn. Ain't it the truth!
@@edwinstovall3334 I think this is something you could do with Amazon's new service - "Amazon Prime Time" where you can send things to any point. past. present and future - powered by Alexa - of course. 😜
@@stevecassidyguitar Services provided by Doc Brown and Marty McFly, of course!😆
@@edwinstovall3334 🤣👌
now we have budget friendly new brand soloking what point will you give ;)
I know! 🙈 Unfortunately the Solokings were announced at Andertons about 2 weeks after I completed this video 😂.
I did do a full review of the Soloking on Friday:
czcams.com/video/URLmINgd_6c/video.html
But how would it compare to these other ones... Good question 🤔
Tuners : Joint last place
String Trees : Joint 1st place
Nuts : 3rd place
Neck profile : Tie
Neck material : Last place (If it's not roasted)
Fretboard Radius : Tie
Frets : Joint First place
Neck heel access : Joint last place
Body Wood : First Place
Tops : N/A
Pickups : Last place
Switching : Joint 1st place
Pickguards and plastics : Joint bottom place
Truss Rod Access : Joint First place
Brand Name : 2nd place
Bearing in mind adding this guitar would have to change the entire points system to 5 pts max - so I have no idea 🙈
Sorry Steve but any guitar with less than a 12" radius fretboard is not for me.
Hence why i would have picked the Harley Benton.
The higher end models from Eart are excellent but sadly are now way overpriced,
they must have been looking at Fenders prices and though hey we can start asking crazy prices.
I find it hard to believe that the E-3S now costs almost £800, i paid under £300 for one two years ago.
Jet and Fazley will get better with time, but for now they require too many upgrades.
Hopefully things will improve in 2024, as for the prices we will have to wait and see.
No apologies necessary! You're allowed to have tastes and opinions 😜👍
To be fair - Even though I don't love the EART I could see the logic for the price increase compared to Fender in terms of spec - but I don't agree with it 🙈
I'm excited for the 2024 releases too! 😀
Happy Holidays to you and yours mate ⛄
I think i was very lucky to have bought my Eart at the righ time.
When i opened it's very thick polystyrene case i was surprised at the quality of the finish
and the fretwork was among the best i have ever known.
They must have been making these guitars at a loss to start with.
I do have a well played but still stunning example of a Fender Gold on Gold Strat from the CBS era
that Fender claimed they lost a $1000 on each one just to prove that they could get the quality right.
I inherited it from a friend that gigged with it for many years who sadly had a stroke and lost the ability to play.
So quality doesn't come cheap, the Gold hardware is 24ct and still looks good.
Have a Great Christmas and New Year Steve, 2024 should be an interesting one. 🎅🙂👍💖@@stevecassidyguitar
There's soo many affordable S type guitars available now, you'd need weeks to sort them out. The only one I've got any experience with isn't in your shootout. Sterling makes some more affordable versions of the Cutlass CT50 HSS I've got in Firemist Silver. The Sub series I believe they're called. That's where I'd steer a potential buyer. Your getting the same basic package, just not top of the line wood selection or finishes. Throw some better parts on one, and rock out.
I'd be very keen to try one of those out - Had my eye on that very one for a while! The CT50HSS in Firemist 😎👌- Do you have one? 😀
That one is slightly over budget compared to the others here, once we start to creep up I'd have to look at the Sire V7 too.
I also think the 4 I picked are a bit dated already 🙈 (But it's what I had) You can barely get those EART's anymore, I was using the older model of the Fusion too. I just missed including the Soloking by about 2 weeks too! 🙈
I'm gonna try an updated shootout later this year, But the only one out of the 4 of these and the Soloking I have left is the HB Fusion - and I'm thinking about selling that too 😬
But could hopefully include the new HB ST modern, New Jet releases and the Soloking 🤔
@@stevecassidyguitar Oh yeah, I've got a heavily modified CT50 HSS in firemist silver. It's an outstanding guitar. Granted I've changed everything but the output jack and tuners. It's got a Seymour Duncan TB-14 in the bridge and two SSL-6's. Position 2 is wired for bridge and neck together. With the humbucker coilsplit, I'm get'n some really killer Tele tones with the treble bleed curcuit when I back the volume down. There's nothing this beast won't do. And the crazy part is, it does it ALL so well. Wouldn't sell it for less than $1000 now with the Gator hardcase and Schaller straplocks. It hangs with guitars in my collection costing 2-3 times as much. I highly recommend it.
@@andrewbecker3700 Ahhh!!! Stop it! I'm trying so hard to fight Gas right now 🙈
Sounds awesome mate - nice job 😎👌
I wish all Guitar manufacturers would take notice of the Ernie Ball Jack sockets - they should all be that high quality
@@stevecassidyguitar I've been on an affordable guitar modding kick as of late. That Cutlass is my crown jewel. It's been in my collection for over 2 years already. The more recent forays have been a PRS SE McCarty .594 singlecut standard in vintage cherry, and just this month already, I've turned a Yamaha Revstar Element in black, into what I've dubbed the DEATHSTAR! Its been completely gutted from top to bottom. The only factory parts are the bridge and tailpiece. Gotoh Magnum keystone locking tuners and the pickups out of my Epiphone AJ sig. are the main components of the build. With the SD Distortion in the neck position it can be coilsplit and works great with a treble bleed curcuit when the volume is dialed back. Really made the guitar way more versatile.
@@andrewbecker3700 A lot of interesting stuff you've got going on here mate - You're starting from a higher price point than I would then modding. I've not seen much content like this - You could start a channel and document all these projects 😃👍
I think the Harley Benton pickups did not sound as good as the other three. Of course, the most significant thing is the sound of the instrument. Playabity is second and looks are not so important, IMHO.
To be fair the the sound demo's at the end were not ideal and I could only demo the middle pick up on the Harley Benton as it was the only one I didn't upgrade 🙈
But I agree withyou in terms of looks - that's why the Jet JS400 (£180) is my number 1 - just a solid colour
Aria?
Great shout mate - The Aria Pro ii 714 would fit in perfectly here 😎👍
I'm yet to try one. Don't really see them around much though, used or in stores.
I'm not a Strat guy- don't go for trems. The customer service at Thomann's should be tons better. Their lack of aid when it comes to duties is pretty shameful as they ship internationally. Fun video and Merry Christmas to you and yours!
That's right mate - I forgot you've had issues with Thomann 😬 I hope you're still enjoying your new Gretsch 🤩
Happy Holidays to you and yours mate ⛄
I've had loads of dealings with Thomann after buying Harley Bentons, and they've been really good with ME!
They even GAVE ME...A FREE BASS! 😊
@@christoguichard4311 That's my favourite Bass Price!
Was it just me or was it a 'bridge' too far? Must have been because you never mentioned it. You can change those string trees for pennies but changing a bridge is a bit more expensive. You never mentioned the set-up out of the box either. Still you did get an honarary mention by Phil McKnight so I'd better be careful about criticism.
Ah! You mean the trem/bridge!? 😱
I can't believe I never mentioned it 🙈
Many apologies 😔
Ok... Quickly. Just for you ..
Eart = +3pts
Harley Benton/Fazley/Jet = +4pts
Eart trem not great, the other 3 are Wilkinson branded. The HB probably has the better unit the WVS50iik - but functionally they're almost the same 😃👍
@@stevecassidyguitar Just checking your Weejdramjam counter ahead of frstive season.😇
If you remove a pickup on the Fazley, you (likely) can see whether its top is a true maple cap or a simple veneer.
I had the Fazley on loan from Bax. It was the first time a company has sent me anything - so I didn't want to risk any ""accidents" 🪛
I should also mention this vid was not sponsored - I had to send the Fazley back and didn't receive any payment from them 👍