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If you shop for Harley Benton and you don't like fat necks, you got to avoid anything with the word "Vintage" in it. To HB, "Vintage" is synonymous with "made for neanderthals" PS: Their Teles are amazing, especially the Cabronitalike with the reverse headstock.
Long ago, I purchased my first electric guitar (a Squier Stratocaster) and though, in the present day, unfortunately, it is not a playable instrument anymore, I have in mind to restore it and make it my gig ordinary "weapon"; I mean, if I am able to customize my Squier Strat, and I make it (at least) sound not much worse than an American Fender standard (with reliable hardware, frets, etc.) then, I'll get the perfect tool for playing the gigs... Basically, because I would have the sound I like and the most proper guitar (given that it is not a Fender instrument, it won't draw the attention of thieves [there are lots of musicians that have had their instruments stolen, at least, once in their lives]). On the other hand, I would make the same argument to suggest, for live performances, playing customized Epiphone or Tokay LPs (or other acceptable copies) rather than the original Gibson Les Pauls... But, of course, that's a very personal decision...
I swear to god, this guy composed the best musical piece EVER. No matter what guitar he's reviewing, his playing is literally the definition of displaying emotions and feelings through the speaker. Dave, my guy, I honestly put you up at the top of my list for inspired guitarists. As always, heavenly playing man! Keep it up 🔥
Fyi: you're the same person playing the guitar as the person who isn't. All the talent, creativity, power is in YOU not the guitar. The guitar is a conduit of what's in you. And fyi: you're an amazing guitarist; so that says something about you as a person....
Dave, because of you I decided to dust off my 2012 Bullet (Jimi Hendrix White) and take it to the gig. I had struggled with it for quite a while because I changed the nut to a Graphtech thinking it would make it better. Honestly, there was nothing wrong with the stock nut. But it just didn’t feel right after the nut got swapped. I don’t know why but I changed the strings yesterday and it felt great to play last night. I’m looking at definitely getting one of these hard tails for my birthday this December. You’re being so open and honest with how you feel really helps me and I’m sure it helps a lot of us who follow your videos. I struggle with anxiety daily and can get really depressed really fast when I am in stressful situations. It never works when people tell me to stop feeling this way or stop thinking this way. Thank you for being real with who you are and reminding me that it’s okay to be broken inside. Hell, everyone on this planet is whether they care to admit it or not. Eric
Literally never touched an electric guitar in my life but have always wanted to learn how to play so decided to " bite the bullet" and picked up a Squire Bullet two days ago. A friend shared your unboxing video and I was gob smacked! Unbelievable talent! Certainly made me happy with my purchase. I'll look forward to your future videos. 👍
You have a great vibrato dude...I seriously believe one of the key things that separates the good from great and gives each player their voice on the guitar, is in deed vibrato. Keep it up and well played brother. Andy
I'll agree on the statement that considerate use of vibrato makes the great while constant use just makes the wannabes. The latter fail at being expressive at all. See at 3:35 how the use of long held non vibrating notes generate intensity and allow for vibrato to matter when it comes into use.
@@Leo_ofRedKeep I agree fully. You can tell the real McCoy so to speak right off the bat. As for the fakersTheir vibrato is sloppy and over used to hide out of tune bends , missed notes etc...
Just discovered your channel the other day... blown away by your playing mate! Genuinely, hands down, some of the best playing I've heard for a long time. Very genuine stuff, right from the bone kind of playing :-) As to the guitars - I too would go for the bullet. I've got a bullet tele and it too is effing amazing! Price point seems to make no difference to quality of sound. Squier definitely leads the way in affordable brilliant guitars. Keep up the good stuff 👍
Me too. I saw a few Indonesian Bullets in the store but ordered mine elsewhere just because preferred sunburst. It appears a Chinese one... and it's awesome!
I have a USA Charvel, a USA strat, and a USA Gibson Les Paul, and they will never sound that good unless this guy plays them. You have inspired me more than any of my guitar heros. SUBSCRIBED!!
I love the fact that you don't overcomplicate while playing it's just the right notes in the right time and overall it touches some deep feelings. Thank you, I probably will listen to it many times
The Catweasel of blues guitar! Superb Dave 👍 I prefer the bullet... The Benton sounded a little harsh while the bullet had a more refined clear, maybe a tad thin, but overall more pleasing sound.
Okay I prefer to have the red guitar 🎸 it has more of a higher tone and a nice bright sound... The white guitar has more of a low warm sound... Great video awesome job 👍😊
After three videos about the Squier I just had to get one. Same hard tail but got one with a HSS configuration just for that extra punch of the bridge pickup. Love it!
I have nine guitars and the necks are all different, but as for having one cause fatigue or play better for me because of the thickness/carve, i don't experience that. This is a common thing i hear from many when they demo a guitar or speculate on their liking for a particular guitar. I will be just as happy with a thick neck or a thin, a C or V, or U, D whatever. Having them all different and sounding and playing different is why i have so many. I don't want one that is the same as one i already have. I just mention this because it was about a half hour of speak from you in the last week or so, and i wondered how many folks out there need a specific neck feel. Interesting stuff IMO.
WHAT WAS THAT??? HYBRID of Gary Moore, Jimy Page and John Frusciante was testing to budget guitars. This is the best guitar performance I have seen for the last year! Man You are awesome guitarist!!! Subscribed!
Squire would be my choice. Overall to these ears the Squire sounded bright and had good definition thru all the pickup settings clean and distorted. Love the look of the HB though and it does well but not the sound I would be looking for.
Phenomenal playing! Incredible! I would have to pic the Bullet. Through my headphones, it had a fatter sound on the bottom end and the higher notes still cut through . Good job
I came to this video to hear the Harley Benton comparison. I have a room full of Squires, I Love all of them. I can only dream of making mine sound like you do. My hat is off to you. I've listened to this several times and feel the influence of Gary Moore in your bones yet it's still your style. I would like to think after 50 years that I just need a Marshall stack to sound that good. What I need are hands and feelings like yours. Made my day, Thank You.
My issue with the Harley Bentons I have (TE-52, ST-62 and a ST-57DG) is the 14" radius, I just can't gel with it. The Harley Benton you have has a "Modern D" shape profile neck with a 14" radius, while the Squier is a C shape profile neck with a more traditional 9.5" radius. I also struggled to get along with the flat and wide feeling neck on the Harley Bentons I purchased. I don't have the biggest hands though. My favourite neck is on my 1986 '72 reissue MIJ Strat, it's a 7.25" radius slim modern C. It's a joy to play
I can't believe how good that bullet sounds. It really bristles with clarity and articulated punch. The hb sounded like the amp was underwater. I have a hb sc custom with p90s that I love, it's got that flat, slender neck. When looking at the Harleys I avoid the d profile necks and I find their 12" radius modern c very comfy.
(writing before Dave's opinion at the end of the video) In these types of shoot-offs we are comparing what we hear on screen with a reference sound/vibe we have in our heads of the original. To me, a Squier will always win vs. non-Fender 'family' competitor. Not to say the other guitar is 'bad' - it just doesn't sound as close to the historic reference sound we've heard on radio and on our favourite albums. If you want the Fender sound on a budget, get the Squier at the price you can afford. Better still, save another couple of months and get a classic vibe Squier. Most Squires are brilliant out of the box, but setting them up yourself with simple tools and books from the public library (or taking them to a decent guitar tech) takes them up to another level, much cheaper than going Fender American. This channel is brilliant for demonstrating just that. Thanks Dave!
Thank you Dave !!! ,I'm with on the Squire Stratocaster, with all the videos I've watched, I picked up a Squire Bullet for 299,limited edition, I'm upgrading my squire, just to make me happy, and to rub the noses of Squire haters, through my skill set and my Great squire, much fun, thanks your awesome, I only wish I had some one like you as a neighbor to share in the guitar bliss....
I’m glad your feeling better mate. Great playing on both guitars, really enjoyed it. I didn’t need one but after your squier unboxing video, I went out and bought one in arctic white and I love it. Even took the 2nd tree off and it sounds great. Very pleased and cheers for the review
Both sound great in your hands, the HB is a little darker and it seems to me it steers your playing towards more nostalgic sounds, but you definitely look and sound more comfortable with the bullet...
Roswell pickups on Harley Benton is more power and clean than no name pickups on Squier. But Squier have more comfortable neck i think..Nice video, help me a lot
The Benton sounded more definite and clear more strat like than the squire.,The bullet has more bottom end and sounded different on each pickup a lot like my 90s encore ,close but for me it’s the Benton
Great comparison video. If the yellow Strat did not have the neck issues, I would suggest a pickup swap. But, the Bullet is the clear's winner in round one. Who will the next challenger be to knock off the new Strat.
I bought recently a Squier Telecaster Affinity. Same here. Feels and plays very good. I like the Bullet more than the HB. You playing is great (as usual). I also have a "problem" with Harley Benton flooding the UA-cam-Review-Market.
I love the young ones reference 😂 and great demo. I'd take the squier purely as you said for feel as for me I put it in perspective that the sound can be changed relatively easily by swapping pickups and electronics whereas it's so much more difficult to change the feel of a guitar and how it plays
Dave, looks like you put a mint pickguard on the Bullet as well as doing the matching headstock. Here's a head's up in case you're considering putting aged pickup covers on the Bullet, the pickup polepieces are closer on the Bullet pickups and normal aftermarket covers won't fit. I had to end up spray painting the covers on mine. I found something I'd been looking for a couple months ago, a Lake Placid Blue Bullet Strat (only with tremolo) for a whopping $49. I put about another $40 or so in improvement parts.
I think that both sound great. I am a huge Harley Benton fan but I am really glad that Squier improved their game on the bullet series. Great playing as usual
I have recently bought an arctic white hardtail Squier Bullet Stratocaster, like yours based on youtube reviews (Andertons..), so I know how it feels. And it's just as you say, instant usable neck, very "alive" pickups, very good I would imagine for live performance, they do sound rougher but in a good way, to wake you up. Two other things I've noticed (comparing with my previous Ibanez RG) - very long sustain and very vibrant feel in the hands - the guitar feels alive because it transfers vibrations to the hand. I does insipre one to play, I just keep playing it... I think they have really got it right in all the important stuff and saved money on unimportant and the most impressive thing is how good it all plays together as an instrument at that pricepoint or any pricepoint for that matter. I see no point in upgrading and also quite enjoy the thinner and lighter body. It's thick enough in my opinion. Also hardtail changes the sound of the strat slightly - so buyers beware - if you want that springy sound buy one with the tremolo even if you don't use it. That's perhaps one thing I would change on mine even though I really like the idea and the looks (plain back) of the hardtail. I just know that nothing short of a good fender strat can touch this guitar and then there's the advantage of it being cheap - freeing you from worrying about the instrument...
The vid I've been waiting for. Thank you! Trying to select an inexpensive Stratocaster for myself and it looks like it will be Squier (though probably a contemporary hss). Loved the sound. Thanks, again!
Awesome honest review! Thank you. 👍🏼Just bought a used HB s type. I agree 100% about the build quality and the neck. It’s much fatter and flatter than a strat. However, with tone rider city limits pick ups it’s an excellent compliment to my much more obliging pro 2. So much bite it’s almost like a Tele. And it exercises my hands also making me realise how awesome my US strat is when I pick that up. I do love the colour (candy apple red with maple fingerboard)and tone of my Harley though. No fret buz which means a lot. It’s a keeper. ❤
And I have 5 trem springs. Please do a tone comparison - different numbers of springs on a flat to body trem. I am sure it’s be well received. Not sure I have ever seen one. 👍🏼💕🎸
I think you said it all Dave in your sum up. However we are all different as you say. You could have played around with the EQ to brighten up the HB? HB do a few Strat style guitars, it might be worth checking the neck profile on each model and the pickups.. I have a Harley Benton ES35 plus, it’s superb, I’ve not tried any other HB’s, but I’m very tempted. Love your show as always. Thanks.
Both guitars sound great, but I'm with you on the Bullet. The fit and finish is amazing. The neck fits in that pocket perfectly and the pickups have some voodoo magic in them. I've come to prefer hardtail Strats after having one of these Bullets for about a year now. I've changed the wiring on my Bullet, but I can't leave anything alone. I just used alpha pots (full size, but still pretty cheap). The guitar has only got better. 3-way import switch (bridge, bridge+neck, neck), master vol/tone and a 3-way rotary to add the middle pickup or select middle by itself. First time I've had a Strat with a useable tone control. It stays on '5' most of the time and I have plenty of bite left if I need to cut through more. I highly recommend getting a bridge with 'L' shpaed saddles. I got mine from Warman guitars, but they don't seem to have them anymore. However Thomann sell them (a little bit more at £18 ish), but it is a BIG improvement in tone and tuning stability IMO.
Very interesting comparison. The mods on the bullet fits perfectly! What red/amber spray did you buy? :) A good video idea would maybe be to do this kind of video between the bullet and the '62 vintage strat? Most expensive vs cheapest strat you have. :D
for those 2 guitars i agree with you sound wise, dont no about playability, very personal issue. But i have a HB 62 vintage BK and I have played a lot with bullet just like that at the local music store. Hands up the HB is superior in every way. If i close my eyes the HB is a mexican strat, the bullet is dull and with no natural sustain ( i mean clean guitar into amp) . Anyway i think every guitar is different so whatever makes someone happy playing is the matter. Thanks for the awesome playing!!!
I agree, my friend. I have the Harley Benton ST62 Vintage in white and I love it. I have found all the Squire Affinity's / Bullets to be lacking (especially pick ups). I wish Dave had compared the Bullet against a ST 62, instead of this Frankenstein of a Strat copy!
@@fromthesilence9583 I bought mine second-hand, but only about 6 months ago, so they have Roswells on them. I see your ST57DG has upgraded Roswells - looks like a lovely guitar!
@@jonnietube Interesting....I wish Thomann would be clearer about the Roswell pickups. They have STA and STA Vintage along with SK52 staggered which are in mine.
I have a 2008 fiesta red squier bullet strat. Didn't like it too much before but in recent years it's the sexiest thing to play! Mostly cuz I have better amps now + practice is crucial to make guitars sound good.
Nice licks from 19:20 to 19:30! This little section stands out and gives some life to the jam. Also I personally disagree with about the two guitars...maybe it's the video and me not hearing in person but I think the Benton has a nice solid tone while on this recording the Squire sounds a bit scratchy and harsh in the higher range.
Well, 2-years later and that Harley Benton guitar has been changed. I have the burst paint job version and the neck is not much bigger than my IBANEZ necks, and we all know how thin those are. The HB is a millimeter or two wider though, but not as wide as the neck on my Gibson 335. So…. Also my HB Strat thing sounds way more like this Bullet, so I’d guess they have changed the pickups too. One thing is still the same - the Harley Benton construction is flawless.
"The Squiers like Neil and the Harley like Vivian" Haha! Priceless! You'd not get that analogy in stuffy old Guitarist magazine! Hehehe. Bit of an "in joke" almost exclusively for us Brits born in certain era but for those not aware of The Young Ones Dave's comparison is hilariously funny and funnily accurate. I'm with you on the Squier. It just sounds more vibrant. Ok, I'm sure the HB could be EQ'd into something brighter but the telling point is where you say you feel it is fighting you. This is a syndrome of all "Strats" of all makes and price points I've found many, many times. Often people will criticise the Strat of being a guitar that 'fights back' too much. Only the duff ones do. And the badly set up ones. I've played Squiers that let you do anything and yet Custom Shops that were, to be frank, finger dislocating, arm withering dogs. Of course in fairness to the price point I've found the exact opposite more than not. For sake of clarity and avoiding the wrath of the 'People of the Tube' then, yes, Custom Shops are usually better than humble Squiers. One piece of advice I can offer (if that's ok to do?) is anyone maybe eyeing up say a Squier as a second guitar or a (relatively inexpensive) treat is try before you buy. Sure the highly mechanised Far Eastern production lines of today have helped stable things in the past decade and a half or so BUT you find ok ones, terrible ones and (if you prepared to search a bit) almost Fender US built brilliant ones. Trouble is a lot of the music shop staff get their grubby mits on those rare gems first! But there are some simply jaw droppingly nice guitars out there and yours for sub £200 or whatever. PS - Glad you feel a bit better Dave! God to hear!
To start off with, thank you for the shades of Gary Moore intro 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you could make a bomb as a Gary Moore tribute act. I haven’t seen a decent one yet. Back to the the guitar comparison demo, I watched this twice, mainly for the intro, but the second time I used headphones and the difference was even more pronounced. The Squier was my favourite as it had more clarity and a brighter sound. The Harley was very muddy in comparison and as you said sounded muffled. Also if you watch your video back you can tell that your not comfortable with the Harley while you were playing it and you were not as fluid as you normally are when playing. Thanks again Dave for making these videos. 👍🏻
hey dave i subscibed to your channel a few months ago,,i enjoy your vids and you're a gifted musician,,i've been play'n guitar for 30+yrs and dude you are great,,,now to the guitars the squier sounds better to me,,i have prs,,kramer,,gibson guitars,,and i needed a single coil guitar and bought a squier bullet tele and was so blown away as to how close it sounds to a high dollar fender tele,,what amazed me is the bullet is the lower end of all the squiers and i played the affinity tele which is supposed to be the next step up in the squier range,,,and the bullet to me just played much better,,,the neck felt better and just played better imo,,,,i'm so impressed with my squier bullet tele that i'm going to buy another 1,,,,,to me your squier beat out the HB in sounding more authenic to a good fender strat,,,when i got my bullet tele i did a good setup,,,and cant put it down,,i play it all the time,,,
Those Hardtail Bullets are just magic. They got the formula just right (although the bridge could be better IMO). I have a red one too and I'm going to get a white one very soon. The pickups are this guitar's secret weapon - I don't know how, but over the last year playing this guitar I think they are my favourite Strat pickups I've ever had and I've had them all from Custom Shop to Duncans.
I agree with you, the pickups sound insane! I'm really a fan of Fender's ceramic single coils and I think they sound just as good if not better than the alnico ones.
To my ears the Squier, especially on the neck pickup, wins this episode. It seems the heavens were aligned just right when that Squier was put together.
The weakness of a lot of HBs is the pups. Most of them have a decent sound but not what’s it’s supposed to be replicating. I know others feel differently but to me that’s definitely something they should upgrade in the future. It’s right across the range.
Maybe is the neck profile, as far as I know, HB uses a flatter fretboard and slim neck profile, like ibanez wizards. If you always play fatty necks like fenders or gibsons, it's normal that you feel uncomfortable in the supertrat type of neck! Cheers mate!
Both sound great but the Squire definitely has more 'kick' so preferable to my ears. What would look really cool though is that gold HB pick guard and bridge on the squire (if you like the Iron Man aesthetic!) Hope you resolve whatever issues you've been having, greetings from Notts - Geoff.
I just bought a HB CST24 P90 version. Very, VERY nice guitar! Well built, set up great, looks stunning BUT - It's going back! The P90's are just not what I expected! To my ear they sound like slightly thin humbuckers and not the screaming P90's that I was expecting! Shame really as I really thought that it would fit into my collection well, it didn't :-(
The bullet has more of a strat sound than the Harley Benton. The Benton's pickups are a bit hotter it seems, but the strat pickups are more stratty if that makes sense
I think there's no problem with your Harley Benton, it's just a D shape, not a C like on the Squier, and it's just not your thing; it don't make a bad axe, just not what appeal to you. And you'd probably have the same problem with a 2k+ vintage MIA Fender, wich have this kind of "fatter" neck... If you want to try another HB, just make sure to have a "modern C" shaped neck, and it should be alright... Nice video BTW, and that starting section was honey for my ears, thanks :) Subbed
I personally like the bullet best. More separation through the pickups, at least with my headphones. Both sound great in your hands though. I love your playing. So passionate. I'm off to play the resident evil 3 demo. See, if I was off to play guitar, maybe I'd sound more like you 🤔
Squier for clean because it gives a wider range of frequencies (bass is there too) and it has clarity per string/note in a chord. For the driven sound the Squier needs the bass reduced. The HB has that reduced bass for driven sound, avoiding the mush, but it doesn´t have the clarity per string/note, so the that "advantage" is to no purpuse. So for me, Squier on all counts.
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D'addario 10 - 46s. : )
Where did you get the minty green Squier pickguard? Looks fab
I need one of those bullets mate. Tuner & nut upgrade? Gold. I hate trems. Hardtail all the way! Cheers!!
If you shop for Harley Benton and you don't like fat necks, you got to avoid anything with the word "Vintage" in it. To HB, "Vintage" is synonymous with "made for neanderthals"
PS: Their Teles are amazing, especially the Cabronitalike with the reverse headstock.
Long ago, I purchased my first electric guitar (a Squier Stratocaster) and though, in the present day, unfortunately, it is not a playable instrument anymore, I have in mind to restore it and make it my gig ordinary "weapon"; I mean, if I am able to customize my Squier Strat, and I make it (at least) sound not much worse than an American Fender standard (with reliable hardware, frets, etc.) then, I'll get the perfect tool for playing the gigs... Basically, because I would have the sound I like and the most proper guitar (given that it is not a Fender instrument, it won't draw the attention of thieves [there are lots of musicians that have had their instruments stolen, at least, once in their lives]).
On the other hand, I would make the same argument to suggest, for live performances, playing customized Epiphone or Tokay LPs (or other acceptable copies) rather than the original Gibson Les Pauls... But, of course, that's a very personal decision...
You can see he’s giving his whole soul while he’s playing...this man is very talented. So enjoyable !⚡️
I swear to god, this guy composed the best musical piece EVER. No matter what guitar he's reviewing, his playing is literally the definition of displaying emotions and feelings through the speaker. Dave, my guy, I honestly put you up at the top of my list for inspired guitarists. As always, heavenly playing man! Keep it up 🔥
That intro jam is so Gary Moore
Sheer perfection
Ziggy Stardust17
Totally agree. So much of Gary in the intro.
It’s Maggot Brain by Funkadelic...
Honestly. Dave does it better.
I don't know "didley" about guitars, just ran across this video by accident, but I thoroughly enjoyed your playing! Awesome
Thank you very much. :)
Livin proof Dave that 13k guitars sound no better in the right hands than any other. Absolute talent. Thank you.
Fyi: you're the same person playing the guitar as the person who isn't. All the talent, creativity, power is in YOU not the guitar. The guitar is a conduit of what's in you. And fyi: you're an amazing guitarist; so that says something about you as a person....
Thank you very much. :)
Can the next PM be decided by a guitar battle?
Come on man, get out that room bro, we need you on stage!
I wish. :)
@@thedavesimpson You've practiced enough. Go for it. 💪
Dave, because of you I decided to dust off my 2012 Bullet (Jimi Hendrix White) and take it to the gig. I had struggled with it for quite a while because I changed the nut to a Graphtech thinking it would make it better. Honestly, there was nothing wrong with the stock nut. But it just didn’t feel right after the nut got swapped. I don’t know why but I changed the strings yesterday and it felt great to play last night. I’m looking at definitely getting one of these hard tails for my birthday this December.
You’re being so open and honest with how you feel really helps me and I’m sure it helps a lot of us who follow your videos. I struggle with anxiety daily and can get really depressed really fast when I am in stressful situations. It never works when people tell me to stop feeling this way or stop thinking this way. Thank you for being real with who you are and reminding me that it’s okay to be broken inside. Hell, everyone on this planet is whether they care to admit it or not.
Eric
Thank you very much. :)
Literally never touched an electric guitar in my life but have always wanted to learn how to play so decided to " bite the bullet" and picked up a Squire Bullet two days ago. A friend shared your unboxing video and I was gob smacked! Unbelievable talent! Certainly made me happy with my purchase. I'll look forward to your future videos. 👍
I hope you have as much fun with it as I am!
..."Like a beautiful woman crying in the rain",...that intro was "breaking-my-heart",my Brother!!!!...Thank you,as always...
Every time your intros !!! Man !!! just inspiring, and so enjoyable just to watch someone make such a simple instrument sound like magic... thank you
Thank you very much. :)
You have a great vibrato dude...I seriously believe one of the key things that separates the good from great and gives each player their voice on the guitar, is in deed vibrato. Keep it up and well played brother. Andy
I'll agree on the statement that considerate use of vibrato makes the great while constant use just makes the wannabes. The latter fail at being expressive at all. See at 3:35 how the use of long held non vibrating notes generate intensity and allow for vibrato to matter when it comes into use.
@@Leo_ofRedKeep I agree fully. You can tell the real McCoy so to speak right off the bat. As for the fakersTheir vibrato is sloppy and over used to hide out of tune bends , missed notes etc...
Great playing. It goes to show you don't need a 2000 dollar guitar. A lot of your tone is in the fingers and amp.
This is a man whose talent should not be ignored.
Just discovered your channel the other day... blown away by your playing mate! Genuinely, hands down, some of the best playing I've heard for a long time. Very genuine stuff, right from the bone kind of playing :-) As to the guitars - I too would go for the bullet. I've got a bullet tele and it too is effing amazing! Price point seems to make no difference to quality of sound. Squier definitely leads the way in affordable brilliant guitars. Keep up the good stuff 👍
Thank you very much. :)
Harley Benton looks better and to my ears sounds better, amazing playing as usual dave 🤘
The bullet strat still amazes me. You hit the lottery with that guitar.
What I thought, Bad luck with the Benton followed by good luck with the Bullet :)
Me too. I saw a few Indonesian Bullets in the store but ordered mine elsewhere just because preferred sunburst. It appears a Chinese one... and it's awesome!
I have a USA Charvel, a USA strat, and a USA Gibson Les Paul, and they will never sound that good unless this guy plays them.
You have inspired me more than any of my guitar heros.
SUBSCRIBED!!
Thank you so very much. That means a lot to me. : )
King Dave wielding Axecalibur. Just beautiful playing - thankyou.
I love the fact that you don't overcomplicate while playing it's just the right notes in the right time and overall it touches some deep feelings. Thank you, I probably will listen to it many times
Swap the pickguards. That gold anodized would look fabulous on the red...
The Catweasel of blues guitar! Superb Dave 👍 I prefer the bullet... The Benton sounded a little harsh while the bullet had a more refined clear, maybe a tad thin, but overall more pleasing sound.
The red one is outstanding, there's no story!
That intro jam gives very strong 'Maggot Brian' vibes - excellent
Love how your playing registers as applause in the automatically generated subtitles 😀
This mans passion for playing a guitar is amazing!!
Oh man, that red strat has something special! I think there’s no comparison really...
Okay I prefer to have the red guitar 🎸 it has more of a higher tone and a nice bright sound... The white guitar has more of a low warm sound...
Great video awesome job 👍😊
After three videos about the Squier I just had to get one. Same hard tail but got one with a HSS configuration just for that extra punch of the bridge pickup. Love it!
Nicholas Ampazis Yes I’m looking at one of those HSS hard tails myself. What color did you get? I’m looking at black.
erictoniaschwab1009 I got it in Arctic White and it’s awesome (I have too many black guitars :) )
I have nine guitars and the necks are all different, but as for having one cause fatigue or play better for me because of the thickness/carve, i don't experience that. This is a common thing i hear from many when they demo a guitar or speculate on their liking for a particular guitar. I will be just as happy with a thick neck or a thin, a C or V, or U, D whatever. Having them all different and sounding and playing different is why i have so many. I don't want one that is the same as one i already have. I just mention this because it was about a half hour of speak from you in the last week or so, and i wondered how many folks out there need a specific neck feel. Interesting stuff IMO.
WHAT WAS THAT??? HYBRID of Gary Moore, Jimy Page and John Frusciante was testing to budget guitars. This is the best guitar performance I have seen for the last year! Man You are awesome guitarist!!! Subscribed!
Squire would be my choice. Overall to these ears the Squire sounded bright and had good definition thru all the pickup settings clean and distorted. Love the look of the HB though and it does well but not the sound I would be looking for.
Phenomenal playing! Incredible! I would have to pic the Bullet. Through my headphones, it had a fatter sound on the bottom end and the higher notes still cut through . Good job
i can't think of a creative way to compliment you but I just wanna tell you i appreciated this video a lot. what a fucking star you are
nice honest review that's why I keep coming back. Your true to yourself and with us. Ooh and the Sweet opening jams and possibly a bunny sighting :)
Thank you very much. :)
I came to this video to hear the Harley Benton comparison. I have a room full of Squires, I Love all of them. I can only dream of making mine sound like you do. My hat is off to you. I've listened to this several times and feel the influence of Gary Moore in your bones yet it's still your style. I would like to think after 50 years that I just need a Marshall stack to sound that good. What I need are hands and feelings like yours. Made my day, Thank You.
Thank you very much. : )
My issue with the Harley Bentons I have (TE-52, ST-62 and a ST-57DG) is the 14" radius, I just can't gel with it. The Harley Benton you have has a "Modern D" shape profile neck with a 14" radius, while the Squier is a C shape profile neck with a more traditional 9.5" radius. I also struggled to get along with the flat and wide feeling neck on the Harley Bentons I purchased. I don't have the biggest hands though. My favourite neck is on my 1986 '72 reissue MIJ Strat, it's a 7.25" radius slim modern C. It's a joy to play
I can't believe how good that bullet sounds. It really bristles with clarity and articulated punch. The hb sounded like the amp was underwater. I have a hb sc custom with p90s that I love, it's got that flat, slender neck. When looking at the Harleys I avoid the d profile necks and I find their 12" radius modern c very comfy.
(writing before Dave's opinion at the end of the video) In these types of shoot-offs we are comparing what we hear on screen with a reference sound/vibe we have in our heads of the original. To me, a Squier will always win vs. non-Fender 'family' competitor. Not to say the other guitar is 'bad' - it just doesn't sound as close to the historic reference sound we've heard on radio and on our favourite albums. If you want the Fender sound on a budget, get the Squier at the price you can afford. Better still, save another couple of months and get a classic vibe Squier. Most Squires are brilliant out of the box, but setting them up yourself with simple tools and books from the public library (or taking them to a decent guitar tech) takes them up to another level, much cheaper than going Fender American. This channel is brilliant for demonstrating just that. Thanks Dave!
firstly, very glad to hear that you're feeling better than before! now, to watch and enjoy this video B)
Thank you Dave !!! ,I'm with on the Squire Stratocaster, with all the videos I've watched, I picked up a Squire Bullet for 299,limited edition, I'm upgrading my squire, just to make me happy, and to rub the noses of Squire haters, through my skill set and my Great squire, much fun, thanks your awesome, I only wish I had some one like you as a neighbor to share in the guitar bliss....
the squier neck sound is the strat sound perfect
I’m glad your feeling better mate. Great playing on both guitars, really enjoyed it. I didn’t need one but after your squier unboxing video, I went out and bought one in arctic white and I love it. Even took the 2nd tree off and it sounds great. Very pleased and cheers for the review
strings dont fly off with heavy bending??
SUGAR LIFE not yet bud
Both sound great in your hands, the HB is a little darker and it seems to me it steers your playing towards more nostalgic sounds, but you definitely look and sound more comfortable with the bullet...
with your skills, it doesn't matter what guitar you play
Roswell pickups on Harley Benton is more power and clean than no name pickups on Squier. But Squier have more comfortable neck i think..Nice video, help me a lot
The Benton sounded more definite and clear more strat like than the squire.,The bullet has more bottom end and sounded different on each pickup a lot like my 90s encore ,close but for me it’s the Benton
Great comparison video. If the yellow Strat did not have the neck issues, I would suggest a pickup swap. But, the Bullet is the clear's winner in round one. Who will the next challenger be to knock off the new Strat.
I bought recently a Squier Telecaster Affinity. Same here. Feels and plays very good. I like the Bullet more than the HB. You playing is great (as usual). I also have a "problem" with Harley Benton flooding the UA-cam-Review-Market.
I love the young ones reference 😂 and great demo. I'd take the squier purely as you said for feel as for me I put it in perspective that the sound can be changed relatively easily by swapping pickups and electronics whereas it's so much more difficult to change the feel of a guitar and how it plays
Dave, looks like you put a mint pickguard on the Bullet as well as doing the matching headstock. Here's a head's up in case you're considering putting aged pickup covers on the Bullet, the pickup polepieces are closer on the Bullet pickups and normal aftermarket covers won't fit. I had to end up spray painting the covers on mine. I found something I'd been looking for a couple months ago, a Lake Placid Blue Bullet Strat (only with tremolo) for a whopping $49. I put about another $40 or so in improvement parts.
I think that both sound great. I am a huge Harley Benton fan but I am really glad that Squier improved their game on the bullet series. Great playing as usual
Thank you very much. : )
I have recently bought an arctic white hardtail Squier Bullet Stratocaster, like yours based on youtube reviews (Andertons..), so I know how it feels. And it's just as you say, instant usable neck, very "alive" pickups, very good I would imagine for live performance, they do sound rougher but in a good way, to wake you up. Two other things I've noticed (comparing with my previous Ibanez RG) - very long sustain and very vibrant feel in the hands - the guitar feels alive because it transfers vibrations to the hand.
I does insipre one to play, I just keep playing it... I think they have really got it right in all the important stuff and saved money on unimportant and the most impressive thing is how good it all plays together as an instrument at that pricepoint or any pricepoint for that matter.
I see no point in upgrading and also quite enjoy the thinner and lighter body. It's thick enough in my opinion. Also hardtail changes the sound of the strat slightly - so buyers beware - if you want that springy sound buy one with the tremolo even if you don't use it. That's perhaps one thing I would change on mine even though I really like the idea and the looks (plain back) of the hardtail. I just know that nothing short of a good fender strat can touch this guitar and then there's the advantage of it being cheap - freeing you from worrying about the instrument...
the person stroking the Fretboard is what makes a piece work.
100% the squier, way better strat sound especially the neck pickup :)
The vid I've been waiting for. Thank you! Trying to select an inexpensive Stratocaster for myself and it looks like it will be Squier (though probably a contemporary hss). Loved the sound. Thanks, again!
First Like! well made me happy lol! Killer tone from that red Squier Dave!!!
That red color on the Squier is so awesome
Awesome honest review! Thank you. 👍🏼Just bought a used HB s type. I agree 100% about the build quality and the neck. It’s much fatter and flatter than a strat. However, with tone rider city limits pick ups it’s an excellent compliment to my much more obliging pro 2. So much bite it’s almost like a Tele. And it exercises my hands also making me realise how awesome my US strat is when I pick that up. I do love the colour (candy apple red with maple fingerboard)and tone of my Harley though. No fret buz which means a lot. It’s a keeper. ❤
And I have 5 trem springs. Please do a tone comparison - different numbers of springs on a flat to body trem. I am sure it’s be well received. Not sure I have ever seen one. 👍🏼💕🎸
cant tell the difference. both sound great
Holy God ! String attack, beautiful just fantastic, wish I could play 1/100 as good as you !
I think you said it all Dave in your sum up. However we are all different as you say. You could have played around with the EQ to brighten up the HB? HB do a few Strat style guitars, it might be worth checking the neck profile on each model and the pickups.. I have a Harley Benton ES35 plus, it’s superb, I’ve not tried any other HB’s, but I’m very tempted. Love your show as always. Thanks.
Thank you very much. : )
The most exquisite, deeply felt playing. Thank you so much!
Thank you very much indeed. : )
Both guitars sound great, but I'm with you on the Bullet. The fit and finish is amazing. The neck fits in that pocket perfectly and the pickups have some voodoo magic in them.
I've come to prefer hardtail Strats after having one of these Bullets for about a year now.
I've changed the wiring on my Bullet, but I can't leave anything alone. I just used alpha pots (full size, but still pretty cheap). The guitar has only got better. 3-way import switch (bridge, bridge+neck, neck), master vol/tone and a 3-way rotary to add the middle pickup or select middle by itself.
First time I've had a Strat with a useable tone control. It stays on '5' most of the time and I have plenty of bite left if I need to cut through more.
I highly recommend getting a bridge with 'L' shpaed saddles. I got mine from Warman guitars, but they don't seem to have them anymore. However Thomann sell them (a little bit more at £18 ish), but it is a BIG improvement in tone and tuning stability IMO.
Liked them both but the bullet has a better sound in my opinion. Thanks for another great video.
Thank you. : )
I like the Bullet sound better. It’s clearer and less muffled to me.
Very interesting comparison. The mods on the bullet fits perfectly! What red/amber spray did you buy? :)
A good video idea would maybe be to do this kind of video between the bullet and the '62 vintage strat? Most expensive vs cheapest strat you have. :D
It was just some cheap spray on varnish i used. That video would be fun. : )
Dave Simpson Ok, thank you very much for the response! :-)
THAT..... OPENING..... JAM......... WAS...... KILLER!!!!
Thank you. : )
Hey Dave, you matched the Headstock of the Squier, looks great!!!
Thank you very much. :)
i like both, so i have to buy bouth. the HB wow . great sound. also the Bullet .hard to deside.
for those 2 guitars i agree with you sound wise, dont no about playability, very personal issue. But i have a HB 62 vintage BK and I have played a lot with bullet just like that at the local music store. Hands up the HB is superior in every way. If i close my eyes the HB is a mexican strat, the bullet is dull and with no natural sustain ( i mean clean guitar into amp) . Anyway i think every guitar is different so whatever makes someone happy playing is the matter. Thanks for the awesome playing!!!
I agree, my friend. I have the Harley Benton ST62 Vintage in white and I love it. I have found all the Squire Affinity's / Bullets to be lacking (especially pick ups). I wish Dave had compared the Bullet against a ST 62, instead of this Frankenstein of a Strat copy!
I see they have C shape necks like my ST57DG. How long ago did you buy them? Wilkinson or Roswell pickups?
@@fromthesilence9583 I bought mine second-hand, but only about 6 months ago, so they have Roswells on them. I see your ST57DG has upgraded Roswells - looks like a lovely guitar!
@@jonnietube Interesting....I wish Thomann would be clearer about the Roswell pickups. They have STA and STA Vintage along with SK52 staggered which are in mine.
@@fromthesilence9583 Yeah, they're a bit like women: a bit of a mystery!
I have a 2008 fiesta red squier bullet strat. Didn't like it too much before but in recent years it's the sexiest thing to play! Mostly cuz I have better amps now + practice is crucial to make guitars sound good.
Nice licks from 19:20 to 19:30! This little section stands out and gives some life to the jam. Also I personally disagree with about the two guitars...maybe it's the video and me not hearing in person but I think the Benton has a nice solid tone while on this recording the Squire sounds a bit scratchy and harsh in the higher range.
I' ve only played a Harley Benton SG....the fret finishing on it was very good and it sounded fine but it did weigh a ton.
Well, 2-years later and that Harley Benton guitar has been changed.
I have the burst paint job version and the neck is not much bigger than my IBANEZ necks, and we all know how thin those are.
The HB is a millimeter or two wider though, but not as wide as the neck on my Gibson 335.
So….
Also my HB Strat thing sounds way more like this Bullet, so I’d guess they have changed the pickups too.
One thing is still the same - the Harley Benton construction is flawless.
"The Squiers like Neil and the Harley like Vivian" Haha! Priceless! You'd not get that analogy in stuffy old Guitarist magazine! Hehehe. Bit of an "in joke" almost exclusively for us Brits born in certain era but for those not aware of The Young Ones Dave's comparison is hilariously funny and funnily accurate.
I'm with you on the Squier. It just sounds more vibrant. Ok, I'm sure the HB could be EQ'd into something brighter but the telling point is where you say you feel it is fighting you. This is a syndrome of all "Strats" of all makes and price points I've found many, many times. Often people will criticise the Strat of being a guitar that 'fights back' too much. Only the duff ones do. And the badly set up ones. I've played Squiers that let you do anything and yet Custom Shops that were, to be frank, finger dislocating, arm withering dogs. Of course in fairness to the price point I've found the exact opposite more than not. For sake of clarity and avoiding the wrath of the 'People of the Tube' then, yes, Custom Shops are usually better than humble Squiers.
One piece of advice I can offer (if that's ok to do?) is anyone maybe eyeing up say a Squier as a second guitar or a (relatively inexpensive) treat is try before you buy. Sure the highly mechanised Far Eastern production lines of today have helped stable things in the past decade and a half or so BUT you find ok ones, terrible ones and (if you prepared to search a bit) almost Fender US built brilliant ones. Trouble is a lot of the music shop staff get their grubby mits on those rare gems first! But there are some simply jaw droppingly nice guitars out there and yours for sub £200 or whatever.
PS - Glad you feel a bit better Dave! God to hear!
Thank you very much. :)
The Harley Benton sounded all nice and pretty but the nasty fuller sound of the Bullet just kicked its butt.
The tremolo on the HB makes it less clear than the Bullet. Lock the tremolo and compare. Just an amateurs' thought. Another great video Dave.
Thank you very much. : )
You don’t need a $3000 guitar to play like $3000.
A fine point, well made!
But having a $3000 amp to play your $80 guitar though doesn't hurt any.
HE does not... but we mortal beings maybe do :')
To start off with, thank you for the shades of Gary Moore intro 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you could make a bomb as a Gary Moore tribute act. I haven’t seen a decent one yet.
Back to the the guitar comparison demo, I watched this twice, mainly for the intro, but the second time I used headphones and the difference was even more pronounced. The Squier was my favourite as it had more clarity and a brighter sound. The Harley was very muddy in comparison and as you said sounded muffled. Also if you watch your video back you can tell that your not comfortable with the Harley while you were playing it and you were not as fluid as you normally are when playing.
Thanks again Dave for making these videos. 👍🏻
hey dave i subscibed to your channel a few months ago,,i enjoy your vids and you're a gifted musician,,i've been play'n guitar for 30+yrs and dude you are great,,,now to the guitars the squier sounds better to me,,i have prs,,kramer,,gibson guitars,,and i needed a single coil guitar and bought a squier bullet tele and was so blown away as to how close it sounds to a high dollar fender tele,,what amazed me is the bullet is the lower end of all the squiers and i played the affinity tele which is supposed to be the next step up in the squier range,,,and the bullet to me just played much better,,,the neck felt better and just played better imo,,,,i'm so impressed with my squier bullet tele that i'm going to buy another 1,,,,,to me your squier beat out the HB in sounding more authenic to a good fender strat,,,when i got my bullet tele i did a good setup,,,and cant put it down,,i play it all the time,,,
Thank you very much indeed for subscribing and watching. : )
I like the sound of the HB much more but it’s clear in the video that you enjoy the Squire much more. Still, for the price it looks hard to beat.
I'd totally agree with you. The Squier sounded way more alive and dynamic where the HB was muffled and sterile sounding.
Those Hardtail Bullets are just magic. They got the formula just right (although the bridge could be better IMO). I have a red one too and I'm going to get a white one very soon. The pickups are this guitar's secret weapon - I don't know how, but over the last year playing this guitar I think they are my favourite Strat pickups I've ever had and I've had them all from Custom Shop to Duncans.
I agree with you, the pickups sound insane! I'm really a fan of Fender's ceramic single coils and I think they sound just as good if not better than the alnico ones.
To my ears the Squier, especially on the neck pickup, wins this episode. It seems the heavens were aligned just right when that Squier was put together.
The weakness of a lot of HBs is the pups. Most of them have a decent sound but not what’s it’s supposed to be replicating. I know others feel differently but to me that’s definitely something they should upgrade in the future. It’s right across the range.
I think they sounded better when they were fitted with Wilkinson pickups!
Maybe is the neck profile, as far as I know, HB uses a flatter fretboard and slim neck profile, like ibanez wizards. If you always play fatty necks like fenders or gibsons, it's normal that you feel uncomfortable in the supertrat type of neck! Cheers mate!
Both sound great but the Squire definitely has more 'kick' so preferable to my ears. What would look really cool though is that gold HB pick guard and bridge on the squire (if you like the Iron Man aesthetic!) Hope you resolve whatever issues you've been having, greetings from Notts - Geoff.
Nice And sensitiv playing Mike usual. Very inspiring for me and my playing. Tanks from France
I just bought a HB CST24 P90 version. Very, VERY nice guitar! Well built, set up great, looks stunning BUT - It's going back! The P90's are just not what I expected! To my ear they sound like slightly thin humbuckers and not the screaming P90's that I was expecting! Shame really as I really thought that it would fit into my collection well, it didn't :-(
1:43 that tone right there! Killer!
Great comparison Dave. Fully agree with the Bullet being the superior strat. Wonderful playing as well!!
Dave, your playing is simply awesome! Thank you
The bullet has more of a strat sound than the Harley Benton. The Benton's pickups are a bit hotter it seems, but the strat pickups are more stratty if that makes sense
I closed my eyes for a moment and I saw Frusciante playing guitars.
I think he's a fair bit better than Frusciante.
@@adamski101 no.
Think that's his guitar god .
This guy undoubtedly plays much better
Never heard a strat style guitar sound so good....awesome tone 👍
i have same both of his guitar..bullet strat squire and harley benton strat.same color also.and super nice to play of both this guitar.
I think there's no problem with your Harley Benton, it's just a D shape, not a C like on the Squier, and it's just not your thing; it don't make a bad axe, just not what appeal to you. And you'd probably have the same problem with a 2k+ vintage MIA Fender, wich have this kind of "fatter" neck... If you want to try another HB, just make sure to have a "modern C" shaped neck, and it should be alright...
Nice video BTW, and that starting section was honey for my ears, thanks :) Subbed
Thank you very much. : )
I personally like the bullet best. More separation through the pickups, at least with my headphones. Both sound great in your hands though. I love your playing. So passionate. I'm off to play the resident evil 3 demo. See, if I was off to play guitar, maybe I'd sound more like you 🤔
Squier for clean because it gives a wider range of frequencies (bass is there too) and it has clarity per string/note in a chord. For the driven sound the Squier needs the bass reduced. The HB has that reduced bass for driven sound, avoiding the mush, but it doesn´t have the clarity per string/note, so the that "advantage" is to no purpuse. So for me, Squier on all counts.