I have 9 Harley Benton guitars and basses and not one of them had any blemishes at all. Only two of them needed fret polishing and 4 needed minor intonation. I replaced the pickups only two guitars and one of those was only for experimentation. I couldn't be happier with Harley Benton.
Yeah I mean, I skew the other way.. All three of my HB’s had minor finish blemishes… Key word is minor, and I mention it because some people are very picky, and they should know that generally, the expectation with a budget guitar is minor finish blemishes… That said, my Fusion-T is quite honestly one of my favorite guitars that I play most frequently… Absolutely love it and I’ve left it bone stock… My TE20HH is heavily modded and I swapped the pickups on my st20… All three had phenomenal fretwork outside of needing a polishing… I still think HB’s are hard to beat for the money
I got a HB this week. Their SG clone. Fit and finish were excellent. Setup and adjustments were 99.5% spot on. Quite playable right out of the box. I'm relearning how to play after a 35 year hiatus, so I'm not very good anymore. But I can play the HB cleaner than my Gibson Les Paul studio.
I've fallen in love with Harley Benton Guitars! I have 2 SC-550, 2-SC Customs, and the 25th Anniversary SC-25. They are my hands down go to choice for instruments. With such a low cost, you get a really high value guitar. I think they are the best budget guitar on the market.
Completely agree… I play them in a lot of my videos too, because I want beginners to realize that you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get a great guitar/tone… I’m going to end up with an SC sooner or later haha… I’ve been eyeing them for awhile.
@@IndyRockStarI mean I’ve played both a Harley benton strat, a schecter strat which I own, and a genuine fender strat and the schecter is my favorite the Harley Benton was amazing and the fender strat was alright. I mean I don’t really like strats in general but it is a very good alternative for beginners to say that they have a strat, a tele, or a les Paul without needing to be out of money.
@@chetwilson that's the point. They don't have a Strat, Tele, or Les Paul. They have something that looks likes those guitars, but they are not those guitars. It's no different than someone putting a body kit on a Honda and calling it a Ferrari. You may fool some, but it's not the real thing.
I've commented on a few other videos about Harley Benton because people need to know the truth about these guitars. Your video is great!! My first Harley Benton was a B-Stock SC-550 II (les paul copy). I figured the little extra savings being a b-stock would be worth it - and let me tell ya . . . this guitar is totally worth more. The only thing wrong with it was the intonation was bad, but I've been working on guitars for a long time, so that's such an easy fix. Otherwise, this beauty looks just as nice as a Les Paul. It's a chambered body, so it's lighter. I already planned on trying out some different pickups in it, so that was another modification. But, there were no issues with this guitar, at all. And, that started my addiction to Harley Benton. I now have 10 HB guitars and every single one of them was well worth the under $500 price. The Fusions are top of the line, seriously! I'd prefer a bit thinner neck, but everything else about them is truly a beautifully made guitar. I own a few high end guitars from well known companies, and I'd play my Fusion T over those every day of the week. The most work I've had to do on one of these guitars is fret work (smoothing down fret sprout and uneven frets). Just about any guitar I've ever bought online has needed the intonation adjusted and some minor setup. I just got a SC-Junior (les paul jr copy) and it was bit rough, but I worked on the frets and fingerboard and it literally feels like a real Les Paul Jr now. People need to understand that the price difference really means nothing in terms of quality. Because the guitars are coming straight from the Thomann, it leaves out the middle man like Sweetwater, Musicians Friend/Guitar Center, et al. I used to work for one of those bigger companies & a few other local shops, and retail guitar prices are pretty darn close to 100% mark up. Like, I got a Fender American Strat and the retail price was $1400, I got it for $740. I got a PRS that retails for $999, my price was $510 - and guess what - I had to take it back because one of the pots was bad and the neck had a problem. So, these other companies aren't making sure their products are top notch before leaving the manufacturer.
Lots of good enough here, thanks for taking the time to comment… And I completely agree with you about the Fusions, Really a fantastic guitar for the money! Thanks again for the comment 🤘🎸
I have two Harley Benton instruments. One is a guitar - BS-20BK. The other is a bass - PB-20 SBK. I bought the guitar during the pandemic. Nearly three years later, it's still an excellent instrument. It arrived in flawless condition. I only needed to change the strings, because they were horrible, and to lower the string action a bit. And I needed a new cable - but that was it. The guitar played well right out of the box, it just needed a bit of work to fit my style of playing. The bass needed more work. I bought it during the Christmas season in 2021. Maybe it was because of the brutal temperature fluctuations in my country back then, but it developed fret sprout within about two months after I got it. I filed off the protruding fret ends with a nail file. At a certain point I felt the need to raise the strings a bit, but, all things considered, I think I have an excellent bass now. Plus - it is an incredibly beautiful instrument. However - I live in Bulgaria, in the EU. Both instruments were delivered within a week after I ordered them, and the delivery fees were next to nothing. If you don't live in the EU, maybe you should try your luck with something else. I honestly don't see the point of ordering a cheap instrument online, if you're going to have to wait for months to get it or if the delivery fee will eat up all the money you'll save from the lower price.
The trick if you live in the States is to order two guitars at the same time, shipping cost will stay the same, around $80… which when ordering two makes it $40 a guitar, which too bad… Considering inflation and how much guitars have gone up, they’re still a great value. Oddly enough, shipping to the US East Coast was only like 5 business days, not bad at all… Thanks for the comment, lots of good info there 🤘🎸
Couple of things: HB is the "house brand" of Thomann, which is the world´s biggest online store for music gear. They´re literally the "Amazon of music equipment". They´re so cheap, because Thomann goes directly to the factories in Far East, have the instruments build and then import & ship them themselves. There´s no dealer involved, like with import brands of big name companies like Squier, Epiphone etc. Because they´re so big as a company, they can negotiate better prices from the factories and also get the hardware ( bridges/ pickups etc) much cheaper. That´s why you see a 1000 Floyd or EMG pickups on a 450 Euro Guitar. If you´re located in the EU & the UK, their shipping rates are super cheap. Sadly not so much in N. America, but that goes also the other way. Their return policies are usual very generous, usually they will refund or replace faulty instruments without any fuss. Sadly, because they sell so much and have this return policy, they skip on the QC and it´s not unusual to get a lemon. But QC has improved over the years, dramatically, specially the more expensive models are pretty well build. Speaking of, the more expensive series are usually made in Indonesia from what I know.
Excellent evaluation, most likely very useful for potential HB buyers. Since March, 2019, I've purchased altogether 6 HB guitars, of which I've kept 4. Got rid of 2 of them, not because they were bad, it was just that there was something in them I didn't quite like (the current owners are quite happy with them). My first HB was a TE-52 (obviously a tele clone) made of American ash, with Canadian Maple neck. Having played it for about 2 years I decided to make the following modifications: 1) replaced the (not bad at all) Roswell pickups with a pair of affordable, but excellent ToneRiders; 2) mounted Wilkinson compensated brass saddles; 3) replaced the tuning machines with a set of Guyker locking tuners. (No (2) proved the most valuable modification). So, I couldn't agree more with the statement that the HB guitars make an excellent modding platform.
Got a Marquess bass yesterday morning and even my trusty luthier felt amazed by the quality of that instrument: "This bass worths 4 times more than what you paid". That's what he exactly said, and it was a surprise even for me, considering that my 1st experience with the brand was not that good. Plus, the Thomann customer service was exceptional: the packaging was lost in transit for some days, then they finally recovered the packaging and now I'm playing it. Cheers.
I certainly believe it, especially in today’s market, where inflation has been driving up prices… You also pointed out something I forgot to mention and that’s that Thomann has outstanding customer service… I’m going to have to update the description of the video with things I missed haha… Thanks for watching 🤘🎸
I have 3 HB's - 2 electrics and an acoustic - and all three of them came out of the box pretty much perfectly set up. Amazing fit and finish, perfect paint and varnish. Frets and binding are flawless. The only thing that's not perfect is that the tuners on the SC-450Plus (the Les Paul copy) are a little out of line on the headstock due to the holes not being drilled perfectly straight. But it doesn't affect the playing at all, and it's barely noticeable. I would also say that both it and the TE-52 (the Telecaster copy) are quite heavy, heavier than you'd think they would be. The acoustic, the Superior-E VS, is fantastic, a dream to play.
That's good to know, I've been contemplating and HB acoustic for some time. I'm likely gonna grab one early next year... So far I have the TE20HH SBK Standard, the Fusion-T, and the ST20... As mentioned in the vid, they have a few quirks but ultimately they're fantastic for the money. It's hard to ask for or find anything more in that budget range
Aside: The shipping costs to the USA are now off the rails. It's $80-something for 1 item, $134 for 2 items and $180-something for 3 items... no more "saving" on shipping. At least, that's my experience. A few days ago, this wasn't the case. I wrote them about this, but haven't heard back yet.
I've got a Harley Benton MultiScale-8 QBB. Apart from a loose wire from the volume pot, it's a really nice instrument. Out of the box it was well set up with no snags on the fingerboard and no noticable blemishes. Considering the price, I would recommend Harley Benton to anyone who's after a decent plank to start playing or even as an upgrade since they're better than many of the lower priced ranges bigger named brands tend to come up with (including higher priced models too)... The volume pot is getting repaired at the moment, and the customer service from Thomann is very good!!! By the way, postage to The Orkney Islands, in the North East of Scotland cost £0.00!!!
Just got a JA60 and am swapping the pots and shielding the recess and dropping a tremolo bridge and calling it a day. Best guitar I've ever owned honestly. I've never had an American Fender budget and this is way better than the squires I have.
I bought the SC-550 II in Autumn Flame Burst thinking that if I liked it in general, I might shell out the bucks for a Gibson LP Studio. The HB came in with a perfect - - perfect - - finish. Perfect binding, intonation set quite well. The red meranti wood body and neck are flawless. I've been building custom electric guitars for almost twenty years and my best fretwork , while I've never had any complaints about it, is maybe equal to what I found on the 550. It was very good. The Tesla pickups are simply fine. I thought I'd at least change those when the guitar arrived, but I realized quickly that there was no need to do that. None at all. Here's the truth - - after playing the 550 for a month or so, all my GAS for Gibson was gone. The 550 can roar if you want it to, or be sweet and clean. The action is set slightly lower than Gibson factory default, and I don't tolerate any buzz in my guitars. And it is beautiful. Not for the price, mind you, but just beautiful, regardless of what I paid. The one mod I decided to make, and which was worth the price, was putting on some very nice Kluson Revolution tuners. Now, I'm planning to buy another 550 and mod the hell out of it before HB realizes how popular they're getting in the States and start to raise prices.
I’ve actually wanted one of those 550’s for awhile… I’m getting the itch for a single cut so we’ll see but it’s definitely on my list… Definitely be an awesome guitar to mod out 🤘🎸
I got the harley benton progressive series i has a real german flyd rose when i got it it took a while to get it but it is the best guitar i have and you will pay more for the flyd rose than i gave for the guitar, and when i unboxed it the b string was out a little bit set up is perfect and i love it!😅😅😅😅
You got lucky, I really see HB as a mostly-assembled kit. My Les Paul Jr. wasn't buffed (the one on the website was . . . ) and the geometry is wrong, strings are a mile from the pickup. Not an easy fix on a set-neck. However, the guitar itself is good. I put a million hours into it, installed a pickup worth most of the cost of the instrument, and it gets just as much play-time as my Strat and RG550. So not for beginners, not for perfectionists, but for someone with good setup skills they're a steal.
I've only seen one harley benton and I set it up for a guy. Fender better get on the ball with their fret work.Cause this guitar had awesome fret. It cost under two hundred dollars.
My Fusion-T is literally one of my favorite guitars. I play it more than a lot of the more expensive stuff I have just because I love the feel... Judging by Fender's latest Amazon Squier release, I think they realize they have a problem on their hands with Harley Benton
I have a Fusion III HSH, TE-90FLT Blue Blast tele, and an ST-90-SA strat. I can't believe how nice they look, play and sound. And so AFFORDABLE!! You could fill your house with these and still be on track to retire comfortably.
If it wasn’t for shipping, I’d need a warehouse 😂 😂 😂… Seriously though, I have a Fusion III and it’s probably my favorite budget instrument under $500 I own. Legit hard to find a better value
Thanks for what seems to be a fair critique of Harley Benton guitars. I really don't consider them "budget", as I can afford to spend waay more on an instrument. It just that some of these HB's make me question why would I ? After years of guitar collecting, I didn't have a Tele. After watching several YT videos , I copped one, a TE 52 NA and lo & behold, I found it was a lot like "Shane in the Blues " demonstrated This $150 Tele clone sounded as "Tele " was anyone would want. Caramelized (low roasted) neck, great fret work (it did sprout a bit during a cold, dry Mid-Western US winter). But I bought it figuring I would update everything on the guitar ... The surprise ? You really don't have to ! Everything works just fine ! I did buy a 2d one, to put G&L MFD pickups in , because I wanted a platform for G&L MFD. The stock pickups are just fine however. I ran into a guy ... that claimed to not be a "dealer"(posing as a "Tech" ) but who thought the JA Baritone was a piece of junk. I found his "observation" interesting, as I had just bought one , and it was just great. The "Amaranth " fret board ??? Fantastic, all 30" long, fret work as smooth as a baby-booty. This guy accused me of first being a "fanboy", then a troll when I pushed back on what I felt were unwarranted criticisms. Finally he revealed he was not a dealer, had no "agenda" , but that he was a "manufacturer". Therein lies his bias... As these "manufacturers" look at what HB sells & ships and it relative high quality, and wonder "how the heck can they do this ? The materials to start with cost them more than the delivered guitar ! I did have to do a minor fix on my CST 24 P90 (pickup not properly installed) ... and I'm not a tech, and it was still a simple fix. BUT a complete beginner, may want a guitar tech to do a set up (or fix minor goofs) and for well less than the cost of a Squier CV... you have a great guitar...
What’s funny about these guitars is that I just find them fun… Fun to play, fun to work on, and for the price, fun to buy 😂… And in this day and age, even a beginner can learn how to fix most of the setup issues on these guitars by watching some UA-cam videos. It’s too bad these guitars weren’t around when I started learning, woulda been amazing and might have even started me on my guitar journey sooner. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching 🤘🎸
I bought three guitars from Thomann and a piano during lockdown on acoustic Koa and a Telecaster style both by Harley Benton and a Recording King resonator zero issues with any of them plus the piano is doing just fine. I also bought picks and cables and again no problems. Thomann were good to deal with and that was shipping to Scotland.
I don’t even want to think about what it would cost to ship a Piano to me 😂 😂 😂… Guitars cost $90, I’d need to finance the shipping 😂 🤦♂️ Seriously though, I’ve too have had very positive experiences with Thomann… Thanks for watching 🤘🎸
I took a chance because of the 25th anniversary sale. I’ve been playing guitar for a long time, and it’s very clear that people buy guitars with their eyes and not their ears and their hands. It is ridiculous. How good these two Fusion guitars are for have a little I paid. One was beef stock, and the other one was a regular new model, both on sale. Shipping from Europe to the states was about $82 and overall, I paid a little less than $500 for everything. That’s just simply mind blowing. The necks alone feel amazing. That’s worth more than the price I paid for each guitar. The pick ups really aren’t bad at all. Not high output, but definitely nothing different than what is on the Player Plus series by Fender. And, these feel much nicer than my Fenders. That’s crazy. The only thing I had to do is polish the frets. There were 2-3 very minor blemishes. But, that’s the least of my concern.
I have left my Fusion-T bone stock… I realize the Roswells aren’t for everyone, but they fill a void in my collection as far as tone, really kind of mid-level output classic rock distortion tone… That said, if someone were looking for a guitar that needed ZERO modifications out of the box, and was looking to maximize the features that came with the guitar, the Fusion-T is without a doubt one of the Best Buys out there… 🤘🎸
6. Excellent Modding Platform 👍👍 I bought a Harley Benton LP style single pickup instrument for $182 + shipping. At the end of the day, with shipping and mods, I ended up with a very Special (actually LP Junior :o) guitar for $400. That's after replacing ALL the electronics, starting with the pickup and right down to wiring, and replacing the stock tuners with Gotoh locking tuners. I had planned to replace the bridge, too, but I *like* the Harley Benton bridge on that model.
I’ve seen some LP style bridges on Amazon that have a piezo pickup on them… I’m tempted to get an HB LP just for that 😂 … But yeah, they’re great modding platforms for sure 🤘🎸
No shipping or tax costs charged for uk orders from Germany I’ve bought 3 and no added costs all my recieved guitars came immaculate all played out the box, although I did my own personal set ups.I also purchased the tube 15 amp superb amp well recommended.
Ahhh I’ve been meaning to check out their amps for awhile… I’d be in so much trouble if shipping were free to the states, 😂 😂… That said, I too do all my own set ups, pretty simple to do, but all three guitars I received were set up really well out of the box. This shouldn’t be the expectation at this price point, but it’s nice when it happens… 🤘🎸
I have seven HBs. I believe the low end models are from China, e.g. ST-20/TE-20/DC-20. The midrange from Vietnam and Indonesia. The high end from Indonesia. But quality is excellent across the line. All hit like 2x the price point. They are comparable with the big brands from the same locations.
I've never bought a Harley Benton guitar but I've bought parts for my Ovation acoustic and a few other things from Thomann and I have been completely satisfied with their service and products.
Had a Harley Benton guitar which had problems with the frets lifting up from the fret board. I sold it and bought a Jet JS400 and it's the best guitar I've played. The neck is amazing. Frets are spot on. The pickups are good and the Action is just right.
I got the SC 550 about 4 years ago the frets need levelling and a polish and the pots need sorting and maybe a new nut at the top then I think she be a Beauty🎸👍
To me setting them up and working on them is part of the fun… It’s cathartic… Great for beginners to learn on too. I’ve been debating an SC for some time, but I’m in the middle of a move right now, so gotta hold off for a bit… After that though, definitely grabbing one 🤘🎸
I bought the TV Yellow Les Paul Jr copy a few months back, one of the most enjoyable guitars I have in my collection. So, last night, I treated myself to the Les Paul Silver Burst they do, and I can't wait for it, such a beauty. I'm looking to change pickups/pickup switch(maybe)and tuners(again, maybe), but I'm sure I'm going to love it pretty much out of the box.
You never know, I bought the Fusion-T with the plan of upgrading the pickups and it turned out that I really like them, so I’ve kept it stock… I’ve swapped the ST-20 and TE-20HH though, they weren’t bad, but I’m kinda picky 😂… Congrats on the new edition 🤘🎸
I saw your comment on my other video, I’m curious if it was the TE-20HH??? Although mine was really good, I heard some horror stories with QC on that particular model… I’ve even seen some come out that weren’t neck through, which was bizarre, and had a different bridge. It’s those that I’ve heard a lot of complaints on
I have a matte black Fusion 3 with roasted maple and the EMG retro 70s and it's phenomenal for the price. One of the best necks I've owned on that thing, and I own and have owned several nice ESPs, Kramers and Charvels that cost 3 to 4 times the price. Best money I ever spent on guitar gear, for sure.
Love that Matte Black! If I hadn’t already had an SBK Standand Tele in Matte I probably would have went for that… Really a killer looking/sounding guitar
@@FretboardDiaries Yes. I am still really enamored with it. And it really is my favorite guitar these days. And it holds its tune really well. And, I really like the EMGs. I have used 81s for years mostly for down-tuned stuff and I was shocked at how dynamic they are. More like a passive. But yeah...I like Charvels and it's rather Charvel-esque, of course.
The one thing to know is that it will most likely need major setup work. Mine needed a new nut, complete fret job, and the neck shimmed. It also suffers from crappy electronics with no shielding. Oh, and there are holes drilled in places that aren't necessary and a giant crack between the pickup and tremolo cavities. HB sucks!
I bought Harley Benton LP Jr. Tobacco Sunburst model for $139.00and a hard shell case for $110.00 shipping was $40.00. That was before Thomann switched from DHL to UPS to ship their gear. DHL kept losing or damaging the packages. Due to inflation the shipping charges have gone up considerably.
I ordered 2 guitars directly from Gibson , L5 & Les Paul a 1957 RI. both sent back with more than little finish problems.. Disappointed ! I now fully support and only support "Budget Friendly" Guitars.. And offing my high dollar guitars one by one. PS. If you play or learning to play guitar? And not knowing/learning the basics of setting up your guitar? Is like driving a car without knowing how check the oil & coolant, or change a flat tire,,
Man I hear you... I spent $800 on a Schecter that arrived looking like the tech that should have set it up took the day off... I'm being perfectly honest when I tell you that the guitar arrived practically UNPLAYABLE... Action was a disaster, pot was no good, fret buzz, numerous dead frets... The guitar itself was beautiful, but everything else was a disaster... Really embarrassing, and to think I could have had an HB Amarok that likely would have been pretty well good to go, at half the price... Well.... Lesson learned....
I've got two HBs. First I got the EX-76 GHWAN model and it's fantastic. Especially for $300. I also picke up an SC-Custom something or other from the Reverb shop. It's a great guitar, but the neck is too thick for me past the 13th fret. So eventually I'm going to pop those Teslas into the EX, where the only complaint I have it the pickups are...off somehow and then I guess sell that SC. And again, it's a stellar guitar, just not for me. I'd highly recommend HB to anyone, especially if you're looking at or above the $250ish starting point. Edit/Addendum I forgot to mention that as far as I can tell, both guitars are FLAWLESS from and aesthic/finish standpoint. In fact, they are, quite honestly, stunning pieces to look at. The SC was meant to be a second guitar to have in another tuning, and I went through several other brands as well, and was having a load of trouble finding anything that was anywhere near as good as that EX. I even ended up going with the "high end" Epiphone Prophecy Exturas. Two of them. And they were BOTH disasters. Absolute garbage. One had like 5 cracks in the neck and the replacement seemed like it was built by a mentally handicapped monkey. And these are +/-$1200. "Settled" on a Schecter E1 SLS Elite "Evil Twin...." Now THAT guitar is an absolute beast. Is it better than the HB EX? Oh yeah. but that HB is still better, by miles, than guitars that were 4x what it cost.
Im really tempted to pull the trigger on an SC… I’m probably gonna check out some competing brands for channel content but I’m sure I’ll eventually end up with one… Flawless finished on these guitars are not unheard of, it just shouldn’t be the expectation for a budget instrument. None of the imperfections on my HB’s bothered me in the least but I always mention it in vids so people know what to expect… Like you said, definitely recommend to anyone on a budget or anyone looking for a value buy 🤘🎸
@@FretboardDiaries I was honestly surprised at the finishes because I'd watched MANY videos before jumping in. I'm still considering giving an SC-550II a shot, I think the necks are a little different, but that custom is just too chunky up high. Almost certainly going to grab an Amarok baritone though. I need something for low tuning and that neck-thru just really does it for me... Besides the fact they're sexy af.
I agree with many things on what you've said about The guitars from Thomann. I have bought 3 myself, and just 4 days ago purchase another... The 3 guitars that came to me had zero blemishes and the fret work was excellent too! I might add that the set up (string height) was just a hair high for me so I lowered a tad and intonated and just bliss!! My last guitar 🎸 was the 25th. Gold Anniversary limited fusion T-model... comes with all the goodies. And the toasted Canadian flame maple neck with stainless steel frets, and locking tuners looks AND sounds amazing! The humbucker (Tesla pickups) are actually pretty nice And last but not least one of the most important things (for me at least) is that they are lefties!!👍 Being a Lefty and going to the well-known shops that I've been to in Los Angeles, and Madrid would be depressing for me!!😢 you'd see thousands vod beautiful guitars on the walls, and in the corner you were lucky to find 3-4 left-handed guitars!! So at Thomann they have hundreds of left-handed guitars!! They have budget, middle down the road, and expensive models, not just Harley Benton!! But I've used in the studio and on stage "budge guitars" that Have performed perfectly well!! This might sound crazy but ... Out of 3 guitars that are identical one will sound better than the rest! Don't ask me why but it's 💯% true lol
You know, it’s funny because I’m actually left handed… When I was young, I couldn’t afford a guitar so a buddy of mine lent me his old Memphis that was right handed, I practiced a few months, started taking lessons and my instructor was like, “No point in switching now…” Ultimately I’m glad I didn’t because I see how hard it is for lefties to find guitars. Also, I have a Fusion-T and that guitar is just AWESOME bone stock… I haven’t changed a thing and likely won’t… Killer guitar for the money 🤘🎸 Thanks for watching and the comment
No, Thomans ship to the UK just like anywhere in the EU and the costs are free over a certain price they also have UK desk as they store goods in the UK I think you will find
Using my candy apple red HB st-20 as a platform I've made a Strat Ultra equivalent. Lace sensor Rainbow set pickups. The absolutely awesome Vega Trem. Tusq Nut and string trees. Last of all a set of Graphtech Ratio locking tuners. The guitar plays and sounds like an amazing strat ultra. Tuning is stable and the trem is soooo smoth. Next I will probably change the pots and internal wiring.
I have the exact same guitar in the exact Same color… I put GFS LiL’ Killers in it, they’re a mini humbucker and absolute killer pickup… I was blown away by the fretwork on this guitar for $79, absolutely ridiculous for the price 😂… I added some locking tuners and now it’s an absolute Monsta! GREAT guitar for the money
Thanks for the in-depth look at HB. I visited Thomann and played several model… even a black strat Gilmore knock off. Great tone, frets great very play able for 149 euros. The case would cost more. I going back today… looking at their Ricky 12 sting may get the 2,
I would be in big trouble if I didn’t have to deal with shipping 😂 😂… I’d have to rent a truck, to get my guitars home… If I’m ever in Germany though, it’s going to be a must see for sure 🤘🎸
I have four HB guitars. I'm not the best player in the world, but with a little bit of minor set up once they've arrived, they play and sound fine to my ears, and I mostly can't HEAR the difference between them and many of the big names. I have one of their little mahogany electro-acoustic clones of the Taylor GS Mini, which came with a clone of the Taylor GS Mini carry bag. I bought it for £109 (UK Sterling) and I use it every day. I've played the real thing and I personally can tell little difference. Dave
If I’m being perfectly honest, I can usually tell the difference between an HB and a high end instrument, but HB has really narrowed that gap, particularly with their Fusion line… Add a fret polish and a proper setup, and you narrow that gap even more. I put a set of GFS Power Rail pickups in my HB TE-20 Sbk standard and it has given that guitar such an insane tone, that it’s become one of my favorite guitars to record with. I like high gain pickups with good bottom end and a lot of sustain and those pickups knock it out of the park. Truly an awesome guitar 🤘🎸
Hi I've bought 8 harley benton guitars and 3 kits from thomann and I don't think you're going to get a better deal anywhere I have been able to practice modding and fret levelling have learnt so much working on these guitars and the kits are perfect for practicing your paint spraying and the playability is amazing for the price so if you fancy yourself as a luthier start with these guitars to practice on or just tune up and play out of the box you won't be disappointed and the customer service is excellent 😀
I’m waiting a few more months, then I’m going to try my hand at a kit… It’s too humid where I live to be painting now, so once the humidity dies down in the Fall, I’m gonna give it a shot… Plus, should make for good UA-cam content haha, Good or bad outcome 😂
I would be in so much trouble if shipping were Free to the states… haha… I didn’t realize they offered so many Leftie models, I’m actually a leftie that plays right handed, but I would have mentioned that in the vid had I known… I’m going to update the description soon and I’ll add that… Thanks for the Info 🤘🎸
Yeah I’ve heard their quality has improved since the early years… Some of the guys in the Facebook groups have talked about some of the early models lacking in overall quality. Twisted neck would definitely be unacceptable
I’ve been meaning to try one of those kits for awhile… Probably gonna give one a shot later in the year, I’ve heard great things and seems like a lot of fun to build one. Gonna have to dust off my airbrush 😂
I’m working on Number 4… haha… Although I may branch off to a few other budget brands just for some content and comparison for the channel. We’ll see but thanks for watching and taking the time to comment 🤘🎸
Yeah, I ordered one . The SC 450 , when it arrived , it looked like it had been on tour . Sent it back . Then I ordered an epiphone muse sg it also looked like it been on tour also. I'm curious about thomanns quality control . I sent it back also . So I figure two guitars both has QC issues . Then I get shit about sending it back. It only took 2 weeks to get my refund after they received there guitar back . So I'm totally done with thomanns .
Only question I would ask would be were these guitars B-Stock? Not saying that would be fair either but I’ve heard of a few instances of this with B-Stock guitars… Obviously a new guitar shouldn’t come in anything less than New condition… You’re not the only one to complain about Thomann’s customer service/return policy. There’s been a few comments on this vid and I’ve seen people in Facebook groups both praise and complain about them. I don’t have any personal experience outside of my orders which were in great shape. Sucks that you had a bad experience
Update on purchasing online with Thomann . I finally purchased a Harley Benton DC-600. It took me twice to get a good purchase, and there was a 10-watt amplifier with accessories, a stand, gigbag extra cables, and a set of ernie ball super slinky 9-42 . It's nice to go visit there store . Vacation planned .the people in the store are much nicer in person . With being American living in Deutschland, it's best to go into the stores . Kiel doesn't have, but maybe 3 music stores, maybe. Gibson epiphone , aria, and a couple of other brands .the gibson I personally wanted was 9000 dollars, in euros it would have been over 12,000 with shipping and customs . Harley Benton is 190 euros unless you got it during the 40th anniversary sale . I saved 50 euros ,and the wife got a mini tour of her homeland. 5 times a charm . So maybe I'll give it some upgrades ? Sorry for the long letter . Just a happy retired American in Deutschland. 😎👍🏽
Been buying Harleys for years now. Started out to build my collection without breaking the bank. My earlier ones were sometimes poor and needed setting up and tweeking here and there, but I enjoyed the luthier learning. In more recent times they have become better and better. Saw a youtube video about the cheapest Harley acoustic that the reviewer said needed lots of work so I thought that's a good learning project for me. When it arrived it was perfect out the box, action, intonation, level frets, perfect cut nut. I was almost dissapointed, The only downside was the young wood used gave too bright a tone for me but given time it will mellow with age.
Yeah they’ve definitely gotten better through the years… I thought for sure my ST-20 would need fret work and all it needed was a fret polish. Hard to believe the quality for the price, it’s a shame shipping rates keep going up
Just checked out Reverb and Thomman. Reverb is about the same price with free shipping, but the 30 day return window is nice. Also, I checked the 2 guitar shipping... It's not the same shipping cost, but it certainly isn't as expensive if the guitars were split up.
Yeah I mean, I found the reverb price including shipping for one guitar to be about $10 cheaper than Thomann’s price + shipping… They don’t combine shipping on Reverb, and at the time I ordered my 2 guitars from Thomann, the shipping was the same price for 2 as it was for 1, so doing that made more sense… Seeing as how Thomann just raised the shipping cost to over $90 for 1 guitar, it’s soon going to reach a point where it’s no longer worth it in the states… 😟
I have several HB guitars. On all the decent ones I've replaced the tuners with either Grover on the 3+3, or Fender lockers on the 6 in line. Some needed far more setup than others. Best one is a PRS thinline knock off with an amazing fret board inlay. I can recommend the Martin D-45 knock off, sounds amazing and looks the dogs do-dahs. I have a couple or three bought as 'B stock' which have no defects or blemishes that I can see. Just returns I guess, as in Europe and the UK returns are free. You email and they send you a return label. Ta.
Yup, I have a $700 Schecter that left the factory like it was setup by a Kindergartener… Really embarrassing to be honest. All three Harley’s I bought needed very little if anything in terms of setup. As mentioned in the vid, all I had to do was fret polish… Oh and thanks for the kind words Paul
I have the Vintage/Classic Strat and a SG Custom Cherry finish by HB. The neck on the Strat is a little to big for me; however, that’s subjective and true to the classic strata. The neck is very smooth; body looks good. A few of the frets need to be polished. I think it sounds great for the price. The SG style Harley Benton feels great, looks great and sounds great. I liked it more than the Squire SG, which was double the price. Both of them stay in tune nicely!
I learned on a strat with a wider and to this day it just feels like home 😂 but I certainly understand why people aren’t as fond of them. I’m tempted to get the HB SG, it’s one of the body styles I don’t own yet… it’s gonna be either that, or the SC, both seem like great instruments 🤘🎸
I've noticed the Harley Bentons have increased in price, but some don't have locking tuners and such anymore, or they use their own brand. The soldering work/wrong pots on the EMG pickups are a mess, and I don't get why - as EMG offers fully solderless wiring.
Yeah I mean, given the way inflation has been going, it kinda makes sense that instead of raising prices, certain features would just be dropped or parts would be substituted in an effort to not raise prices… I haven’t bought one of their instruments with EMG’s yet, I’ve stayed on the real budget side of things, so I can’t speak for that. I can only guess that the solderless stuff would add to the cost, but the soldering on the two guitars that I swapped pickups on wasn’t bad (neither had EMG’s though)…
Yeah, My Fusion T HH/ HT are so cool, they are the best argument against me adding another PRS SE , like a DGT, which I'm sure is a fine guitar (and I have 4 PRS SE + a US made S2 ) ... But for the $900 the DGT commands, I'm not sure its worth twice my HB Fusion T ...@@olebrumme6356
Welp... As a young and broke musician, im thoroughly convinced. One question though, ive been playing for a long time but never learned about intonation. What is intonation?
@@Lusciousriffs Intonation is making sure the guitar is in tuner with both open strings and fretting notes/chords at both ends of the fretboard. It’s not hard to do, although last time I did it in a video, I screwed it up 😂 🤦♂️… If you go to Philip McKnight’s channel, he’s got a great video on how to do it… It’s really not hard to do. How can you tell if your guitar needs it? Well, if the guitar sounds in tune when you play open strings, but is then out of tune when fretting notes/chords, then your intonation is off. Hope this helps
Im from EU, thomann doesnt charge shipping i think if you buy somwthing above 50 or 100 euro i cant remember. So you can buy 1 guitar over €100 i think and its free of shipping, at leadt for me, bought harley benton victory bk and got 0 shipping + guitar is super awesome it sells out instantly every damn time
As a bassist,.....I wished Harley Benton was around when I started out 40 years ago. I can't believe the money I wasted on Fender basses over the years and never being totally happy with them. I purchased my first Harley Benton JB-75 jazz bass in Natural Ash just a year ago. When I got this bass in my hands after unboxing it, I was simply floored at the quality of parts, the fit and finish, and playability. It did require some minor set up, however, It plays like a dream with the Roswell alnico 5 pickups, Wilkinson jazz bridge with the brass saddles, D-profile maple neck, 'decent' tuners and controls. I got it as a b-stock item because one of the plastic volume knobs was cracked (easily replaceable). And I only paid $123 USD for this bass, plus around $80 shipping from Germany. Needless to say that I will never buy another Fender again. Harley Benton is impossible to beat on price and quality.
Honestly I’ve been tempted to grab a bass just for some studio work and to let the kids play around on… I feel the same way about the Fusion-T… The Roswells, Wilkinson Trem, Stainless Steel Frets, and locking tuners make it hard to be for the money… and it’s becoming one of my favorite guitars
I bought my first Harley Benton guitar during the height of the pandemic and i was surprised i received it exactly 7 days from the time of purchase. I have the TV yellow Les Paul Jr single cut and the SC400 LP type gold top. Love em both! BTW, the guitars were in tune when i received them!
Yeah I think my last guitars made it in like 5 days from Germany… Crazy fast shipping… I’m looking at an SC for my next guitar… Great looking guitars 🤘
I have the exact same ST style in your video and I have a SC-450Plus VB Vintage and I can not say enough how great these guitars are. My only problem is do I buy the Goldtop with P-90's or the T style one next! Great video, thanks for sharing!
The quality of the fretwork on the ST20 is astounding for the money. Really an awesome time we live in to be able to get a guitar like that so cheap… The question of which one to get next is always a tough one 😂 , for me it’s likely gonna be an SC of some sort. P-90’s does sound tempting… Appreciate the comment and thanks for watching 🤘🎸
@@FretboardDiaries About a year after I got the ST, I started getting fret sprout. I would say that pretty norma. Took me a liitle more than an hour to dress them.
First time watching your videos. Nicely done, mate.. I also have a positive opinion of HB guitars. I own several, and bought gig bags and speaker cabs Great quality on their other gear Thomann Rocks .. they have a USA site also
I have 7 or 8 Harley Benton now and in general they are pretty decent out of the box. They all need a set up though, but what guitar doesn't? The only bigger issue I had was with my ST-20 which had a REALLY poorly cut nut, but even that was fixed in no time.
I had that same nut issue on a guitar by Hadean. It was simple enough to fix, it was just muting the high E a bit… I’m currently at 3 HB’s, will likely add at least a 4th, given how inflation has effected the guitar industry, the HB is a better value now more than ever…
@@FretboardDiaries I must admit I am at a "home team" advantage being Dutch, as a neighboring country shipping anything over 50 euro is free. Which is GREAT but it is REALLY BAD for my GAS.
The stuff on Reverb shipping includes I'm sure is ridiculously marked up. Shipping for me, USA. Is 88 bucks. Four of my eleven guitars are HBs. None have finish issues one needed frets cleaned up. HB is making it difficult for me to buy another brand.🇺🇸⚔️🍕🍺👍👍
Yeah it’s funny, the stuff on reverb is marked up to be the same price as buying from Thomann with shipping, at least it was like that at the time of this video… I love my HB’s, the Fusion-T is the clear absolute winner… With a loaded Spec sheet and sub $300 price it’s hard to beat
@@FretboardDiaries I ordered just within the last two weeks, a JA-25TH anaversary firemist from Thomann delivered just under $400. I think. Reverb wanted a bit over $600 before shipping and tax. I got my first baritone from HB. An Amarok. Really nice. I just now figured out how to tune it!🥴 I'm saving for my birthday. If I don't get a Fusion III, probably an SC500 of some configuration.
@@charlesharper7292 SC500 and Amarok are both on my wish list haha… Probably do the Amarok because it fits my playing style more, heard good things about both though… If you enjoy the Tele-body style, Fusion III is almost a must 🤘
@@FretboardDiaries donner is hit and miss (apparently their some of their 200$ -400$models are great .?)..I was just wondering if both Harley/Donner necks are made on the same cc machine ?
@ probably a good chance they’re made in the same place in China or Vietnam… Many times those plants make guitars for a bunch of different suppliers. I have an HB strat so I’ll take a closer look when the Donner arrives
Thomann now include free shipping on most models and include VAT if you ate ordering in from the UK, they've made it much simpler after initial brexit complications
But even with the say $80 bucks US shipping, it not bad at all. Usually takes less than 4 days (assuming the guitar is in stock . DO NOT ORDER if the puppy in not on hand ) I have even taken to buying the Thomann hard shell case for an additional $68. Adds about $20 to shipping so for $88 , you get a case (better than a gig bag) that if you are your own roadie, and are careful with it, is pretty cool @@FretboardDiaries
@@WilliamJOHNSONJR I’ve been playing so long I have a closet full of cases… 🤦♂️ 😂 😂 but I see your point… l’ve reached a point where I’d rather save up a bit more, and order 2 guitars to save on the shipping… I just couldn’t imagine if shipping was free… 😂 😂 😂 I’d need a warehouse
It’s been awhile since I ordered one, but last time I did I think it was $78 for a guitar, with the caveat being, if you ordered a second guitar, the shipping was the same price. That was a East Coast US price
Very true… They’re also a great platform for people who want to learn how to set up guitars, without the risk of doing any damage to an expensive guitar.
I’m going to buy a kit when the weather cools in the fall and humidity drops so I can paint. I’ve been wanting to do this for some time, I think it’d be great content for the channel.. I’ve heard great things about their kits… looking forward to building one 🤘
I've bought 5 HBs, resold 3 of them, simply because they weren't my style. I still have a "Jazzmaster' and an 'ES335' style, which I'll keep. It's a good way to find out if you really like a certain style, before investing big bucks. I decided I'm actually a Gretsch fan, but I dwell in the mid-level Electromatic series, so still Oriental manufacture. Anybody who worries about minor finish flaws on the backside of a guitar is not holding the guitar right. The backside is supposed to be against your belly, so the dancing girls see only the front side.
The Jazzmasters look enticing for sure. I’ve never been much of a Gretch guy, just not my style but they’re beautiful guitars… As far as the minor finish flaws, there’s no wrong answer and everyone has their own opinion on it, but my take is that it’s to be expected on a budget instrument. I have some higher end guitars that have some minor finish blemishes too, just adds a little character 🤘🎸
Very true, but if you buy two from Thomann the shipping price is the same, whereas there’s no way to do that on Reverb. That’s why I’ve continued to buy from Thomann, but if you’re only buying one, Reverb isn’t a bad option
I have the st20 SSS… Really a great guitar for the price, I think it’s only like $81 which is insane… The highlight of the guitar is definitely the fretwork, pickups were a little weak, usable, but weak. I ended up swapping them out for GFS Lil’ Killers, I’m not sure how good the humbucker is in the HSS, could be really good/bad, I haven’t tested one. Considering the price point, it’s hard to ask for more 🤘🎸
Spend time in setup, ha! I've spent a helluva lot more time with my epiphones and carvins! My jb75 was perfect right outta the box and have played the hell out of it (geddy who?) Solid as a rock.
While I can tell you I certainly have spent more time setting up more expensive guitars that were sent to me in absolutely embarrassing shape by the manufacturer, I still think most folks should anticipate a guitar needing a setup. Particularly if you live in a really dry or humid area, that alone, through no fault of HB or any manufacturer, can throw off the setup. That said, the three I’ve ordered to this point needed very minimal, if any, tweaking..,
I'm very interested in buying a Harley Benton guitars actually there's like three of them that I like. But on all the videos I've watched no one ever talks about the price of shipping. I mean I know shipping costs different in the US but a ballpark figure would have been nice to hear.
Welp I can tell you the last time I ordered, it was $81 for one guitar... or $81 for two guitars... LoL... Shipping cost is the same whether you buy one or two guitars, so might as well buy two LoL... Also To give you an idea, I am on the East coast of the US, so Central or West coast may be more/less... Hope this helps!
@@FretboardDiaries thank you so much for the info funny thing I'm on the East Coast too. I think I'm better off buying the two and saving money. Thank you so much for the info I really appreciate it.
Excessive shipping to the US is actually kinda a good thing… 😂 😂 😂… Otherwise I’d need a warehouse for all my HB’s…. But yeah, when I made the video, I was going on what a buddy of mine told me who lived there at one point, that shipping plus VAT was expensive. Obviously I live in the states so it’s hard to gauge the cost in the UK.., Glad to hear it’s cheap for ya’ll, I’d love for it to get down to those prices here…
Gotta be honest that one was tempting, but I had just gotten the Fusion-T a few weeks before they came out… I’ve heard good things about them though, and I love the gold 🤘🎸
I haven’t ordered one in a year, but when I did, there weren’t any extra charges other than shipping. I’ve bought three HB’s from Thomann and only had to pay shipping. I’m East coast USA
# 8, very expensive to return one if you are not happy with it. I have bought five Harley Benton guitars and had a problem with only one, an SC Custom (that’s too many) the nut was cut wrong and I replaced it plus there were flaws in the finish. QC must have been on lunch break. Disappointing.
That’s interesting because I hear a lot of people who say that Thomann’s customer service is top notch. I don’t really have any personal experience with them, so I can’t speak on it. I’ve heard in some cases they give price breaks on guitars that have issues, as an option opposed to returning it, but again, I’ve never dealt with them like that.
This company is in Germany and there are no repair people in the States. If you have a problem, the cost to correct it would exceed the value of the instrument.
So I’ve never had an issue, but I’ve been told they are very good about issuing credit for damage or other issues. I’ve also never had to return anything, so I can’t speak for that either. Again, I’ve been told their policy is pretty good, but I’ve also seen a few complaints too, so there is kind of a “taking your chances” element I suppose.
@@FretboardDiaries The return also requires registering it with customs. Besides being an additional pain in the ass, it's an additional cost. And they don't cover shipping. I think they have the right idea in regard to making a good instrument (about on par with a high end Squier) for a fantastic price. But if they want to succeed in the States they're going to have to up their customer service policies.
Not sure about modding. While you can put a Fender or Watmoth neck in a Squire, not so here. Also, pick guards, bridges etc... all different. Replacing pickups, no problem.
I’ve seen a lot of guys modifying necks to fit on these, check out some of the Harley Benton modding groups on Facebook, all sorts of good info. Pickguards are usually pretty simple to modify to fit these too, and Tuners are also an easy switch. That said, I haven’t tried a bridge swap yet, but that’s coming 😈… I get what you’re saying about direct bolt on parts, but These guitars have good bones… And given how cheap they are, it’s a good platform for people who have never attempted a pickup swap, tuner change, or even modifying parts to fit. Come to think of it, I think I need a kill switch next 🤔🧐😂
Here's another point you should consider when buying a Harley Benton. The only way to make them so affordable is mass production. That's fine. So let's say for every 100 guitars there will be 10 to knock it out of the park, of which maybe 1-3 are so incredibly good the might go for 10 times the price. Then there will be 70-80 guitars in several grades of "this is mindblowing for the money" so on any other brand you'd expect to pay from 9 to 2 times the price. And then there are 10 guitars somewhere between "that's what you expect for the price" and "crap". In the last 15 years I ordered over 100 Harley Bentons, constantly on the hunt for the "top 10". I even had 2 from the 10 times the money categorie. What I want to say it can be kind of a lottery to get a great guitar, also you will almost always get a good guitar but you also might happen to get a bad guitar. When living in Europe this is not a concern at all, just send it back. Living in the US this might be an issue... Thomanns' costumer service is great, they will almost certanly find a solution in this case.
Lots of good info there, so thanks for the comment… I should’ve mentioned Thomann’s customer service because I consistently hear how good it is… Thankfully the three guitars I’ve bought have fallen into the “Good” range, so I’ve been quite happy… Thanks again for taking the time to comment 🤘🎸
Point of interest. All orders over £149 are free posting in UK. Only £10 otherwise. I buy quite a bit from Thomann. I would also check their B stock guitars, some bargains to be found. £60 off their HB PRS copy and it's pristine.
Hey thanks for the comment, lots of good info there… I might have to make another video from all these comments, 7 MORE things to know about Harley Benton 😂 🤘🎸
I don't live in Germany, so I'm bound to ordering online, but I still live within the European Union, so all I need to do to avoid the €5,90 shpping costs is getting above a total price of €69 which is easy when you're buying a new guitar or bass
We need companies like HB, even with the few issues that come with budget guitars. Guitar brands think they sell cars, seeing how they artificially inflate prices. Want to buy a car, or a guitar for the same price. At least my Solar and HB's are better than the 2 Esp 2s I had, which shouldn't be when you pay over 2k just for a name on the headstock
It’s going to be interesting because the guitar market is soft right now… People are holding on to their disposable income because of inflation and economic uncertainty, and more and more people are looking to Harley Benton to stretch the value of their dollar… Fender cut production by 600,000 units, and I’m sure other major companies are feeling it too. I think Harley Benton will continue to grow, just wish they could get the cost of shipping down, but hey, it’s an excuse to order 2 haha 🍻 🤘🎸
Thanks for the comment, I did mention this somewhere in the vid, but it doesn’t really appear to be that much cheaper (prices include shipping on Reverb)… And honestly, I’m not sure it’s much faster, my last Thomann order got here wicked quick from Germany… The other issue is that since prices include shipping, you can’t save on shipping by buying two guitars… But I suppose if you’re only buying one guitar and can save between $5-$10 on shipping then perhaps it’s worth it. Thanks for watching and the comment 🤘
Yeah ... The only US domestic problem is that you get charged your state sales tax. The price already has from Germany shipping built in (but ship free from Connecticut) .. I do think that the US store, does a little Sweetwater like QC check prior to shipping, as the 2 I ordered US came perfect
💯 but you’d be surprised how many people I see complaining that their HB needed a setup. I make a point to mention it so that needing a setup is the expectation
It really is a great brand, and the sheer variety of guitars they have is mind blowing. Yep, occasionally you’ll get a lemon, but the great thing is Thomann will either knock some of the price off the instrument or have it returned and ship you a new one at no extra cost to the customer. If you’re a mod platform person, there’s no reason not to love this brand. I have three to date…that won’t be the end of it!
I wished Harley Benton listed the weights of their guitars because I would never have purchased my TE-53KR Keith Richards "Micawber" tribute model because it weighs 10lbs. Ridiculously heavy which stands to reason why shipping was $80+ to the US ...although the finish was really nice, it arrived with extremely sharp frets. Look...you get what you pay for, IF you're lucky. Live and learn.
I completely agree and the weight of that Keith Richards is something I’ve heard others complain about… It’s been my experience with HB that the fretwork is usually pretty good, but as with any budget instrument, that can be an issue. I had a very good file on hand just in case… Oh and shipping is $80+ to the states regardless of weight… In fact, you can order 2 guitars and the shipping price stays the same. So I either order 2 or buddy up with a friend to cut down on the cost per instrument
@@FretboardDiaries I have a fret dressing file from StewMac NOW but not when I received my HB . You're right in that budget instruments more often than not, come with some form of issue. Between a luthiers full set up, all frets filed and leveled, shipping and better strings, I could have purchased a better instrument from a retailer here in the US ! I think Sire , or Squire's upper end Classic Vibe guitars or Ibanez, G&L. Yamaha, or Music Man all offer a better, affordable product.
@@judeworth938 You bring up a great point that when everything is added up, there may be better options for the new price point… For me, I enjoy working on them, always have, so I don’t have the cost of a Luthier, but for others, definitely something to consider. I will say that of the 3 HB’s I got, the fretwork was the highlight of the guitar, but that’s definitely not the case for all their models. Ultimately the question of whether to spend a little more for a better option is up to the consumer. Personally, I enjoy both options 😂 😂 🤘🎸
I can vouch for the 10 Lbs... I have 2 TE 52 NA, and weighed one at 10 Lbs ! BUT I sit... Don't jump around, Don't play with it behind my head, or with my teeth (like Jimi !) ... Put a 3" cotton web strap on it (Levys) , Swapped out the strap pins for Shaller locking (so the Two Ton Tele would not rip out the short stock screws) And for less that $200, I have Teles that sound as Tele as they wanna ! BTW, My frets were well finished, no sharp edges BUT even with "caramellizing" the neck, Did experience minor fret sprout in a harsh cold /dry Mid Western US winter. (But not nearly as bad as my $800 Fender Player Mustang !)
Yeah, the pisser is when you pay $1.500 for the guitar (Fender American Professional Jaguar) ... and have to resort to the Stew Mac file ! This guitar introduced me to fret sprout... Her 25 year old sister (Fender Am Std Strat Plus never did sprout)@@judeworth938
Unfortunately they’re only available new through ThomannMusic and ThomannMusic.com I’m not sure if they ship to the Philippines or not, I’d be willing to bet that they do, but I’m sure that shipping would be really pricey…
4:25, nah nah nah, what 2 are u talking about? it's not 2 but 3, wait 4, 5, 6, better check it out anyways but its not as little as two. I tried 4 it's same shipping so you could make the already cheap even cheaper
I’ll have to check that out now… Back when I did this video, it was 2 guitars, then the shipping price went up… Could be Dangerous to my bank account if true 😂
@FretboardDiaries 😀 btw man, how is the stock setup after you set it up by yourself, how's the tuning stability of the cst24t using the trem, no added parts just stock parts with but setup by the end user?
@ Honestly man, I’m not sure on the CST… I currently own 3 HB’s… A Fusion T, and ST20, and a TE20HH sbk… All three had surprisingly good setups. I have full reviews on the channel, but all three performed really well out of the box
True, but the sale price is the same as if you bought it from Thomann and added the shipping cost. So I generally tend to buy from Thomann, because I can add a second guitar, and shipping stays the same price, whereas on Reverb I’d be paying the full price(which is more money to compensate for shipping) for both guitars Excellent point on the financing though!
@@gypsytears22352 I got that in high school as a birthday gift some 30 years ago… I lost it shortly there after… Fast forward to 2018, when my Mom passed away, my Dad found it in her jewelry box. I’ve worn it ever since… I have no idea where she got it, it was before the internet was even a thing 😂… Maybe I need to figure out how to have some molded from gold and sell them, but as of now, I don’t know where it came from unfortunately 🤘🎸
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❤ the Channel Ashley great videos
@GuitarsandDrones Thanks Paul, appreciate the support!
I have 9 Harley Benton guitars and basses and not one of them had any blemishes at all. Only two of them needed fret polishing and 4 needed minor intonation.
I replaced the pickups only two guitars and one of those was only for experimentation.
I couldn't be happier with Harley Benton.
Yeah I mean, I skew the other way.. All three of my HB’s had minor finish blemishes… Key word is minor, and I mention it because some people are very picky, and they should know that generally, the expectation with a budget guitar is minor finish blemishes…
That said, my Fusion-T is quite honestly one of my favorite guitars that I play most frequently… Absolutely love it and I’ve left it bone stock… My TE20HH is heavily modded and I swapped the pickups on my st20… All three had phenomenal fretwork outside of needing a polishing… I still think HB’s are hard to beat for the money
Now all you need is some therapy to get a grip on your compulsive guitar purchasing disorder.
Do you recommend ST-70 Black Paisly? For all around balanced use?
@@FretboardDiaries WHERE are these things made ? Thomann are in Germany but these are not made in Europe
I got a HB this week. Their SG clone.
Fit and finish were excellent. Setup and adjustments were 99.5% spot on. Quite playable right out of the box.
I'm relearning how to play after a 35 year hiatus, so I'm not very good anymore. But I can play the HB cleaner than my Gibson Les Paul studio.
I've fallen in love with Harley Benton Guitars! I have 2 SC-550, 2-SC Customs, and the 25th Anniversary SC-25. They are my hands down go to choice for instruments. With such a low cost, you get a really high value guitar. I think they are the best budget guitar on the market.
Completely agree… I play them in a lot of my videos too, because I want beginners to realize that you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get a great guitar/tone…
I’m going to end up with an SC sooner or later haha… I’ve been eyeing them for awhile.
All I can say, is one day when you get an actual Gibson Les Paul then come back here tell us what you think of the HB guitars again.
@@IndyRockStarI mean I’ve played both a Harley benton strat, a schecter strat which I own, and a genuine fender strat and the schecter is my favorite the Harley Benton was amazing and the fender strat was alright. I mean I don’t really like strats in general but it is a very good alternative for beginners to say that they have a strat, a tele, or a les Paul without needing to be out of money.
I have a fusion-iii with the Floyd 1000. Such a great axe. Stays in tune thru all the abuse.
@@chetwilson that's the point. They don't have a Strat, Tele, or Les Paul. They have something that looks likes those guitars, but they are not those guitars. It's no different than someone putting a body kit on a Honda and calling it a Ferrari. You may fool some, but it's not the real thing.
My shipping cost to Pennsylvania was only around $35 US and it took less than a week
I've commented on a few other videos about Harley Benton because people need to know the truth about these guitars. Your video is great!! My first Harley Benton was a B-Stock SC-550 II (les paul copy). I figured the little extra savings being a b-stock would be worth it - and let me tell ya . . . this guitar is totally worth more. The only thing wrong with it was the intonation was bad, but I've been working on guitars for a long time, so that's such an easy fix. Otherwise, this beauty looks just as nice as a Les Paul. It's a chambered body, so it's lighter. I already planned on trying out some different pickups in it, so that was another modification. But, there were no issues with this guitar, at all. And, that started my addiction to Harley Benton. I now have 10 HB guitars and every single one of them was well worth the under $500 price. The Fusions are top of the line, seriously! I'd prefer a bit thinner neck, but everything else about them is truly a beautifully made guitar. I own a few high end guitars from well known companies, and I'd play my Fusion T over those every day of the week. The most work I've had to do on one of these guitars is fret work (smoothing down fret sprout and uneven frets). Just about any guitar I've ever bought online has needed the intonation adjusted and some minor setup. I just got a SC-Junior (les paul jr copy) and it was bit rough, but I worked on the frets and fingerboard and it literally feels like a real Les Paul Jr now. People need to understand that the price difference really means nothing in terms of quality. Because the guitars are coming straight from the Thomann, it leaves out the middle man like Sweetwater, Musicians Friend/Guitar Center, et al. I used to work for one of those bigger companies & a few other local shops, and retail guitar prices are pretty darn close to 100% mark up. Like, I got a Fender American Strat and the retail price was $1400, I got it for $740. I got a PRS that retails for $999, my price was $510 - and guess what - I had to take it back because one of the pots was bad and the neck had a problem. So, these other companies aren't making sure their products are top notch before leaving the manufacturer.
Lots of good enough here, thanks for taking the time to comment… And I completely agree with you about the Fusions, Really a fantastic guitar for the money! Thanks again for the comment 🤘🎸
I have an SC Jr. It needs nothing but a rest! I play it a lot! 🇺🇸⚔️🍺🍕❤️👍 ( And it's blue!)
WHERE are they made ? , the mark up / profit margin on these must be very small ....
I have two Harley Benton instruments. One is a guitar - BS-20BK. The other is a bass - PB-20 SBK.
I bought the guitar during the pandemic. Nearly three years later, it's still an excellent instrument. It arrived in flawless condition. I only needed to change the strings, because they were horrible, and to lower the string action a bit. And I needed a new cable - but that was it. The guitar played well right out of the box, it just needed a bit of work to fit my style of playing.
The bass needed more work. I bought it during the Christmas season in 2021. Maybe it was because of the brutal temperature fluctuations in my country back then, but it developed fret sprout within about two months after I got it. I filed off the protruding fret ends with a nail file. At a certain point I felt the need to raise the strings a bit, but, all things considered, I think I have an excellent bass now. Plus - it is an incredibly beautiful instrument.
However - I live in Bulgaria, in the EU. Both instruments were delivered within a week after I ordered them, and the delivery fees were next to nothing. If you don't live in the EU, maybe you should try your luck with something else. I honestly don't see the point of ordering a cheap instrument online, if you're going to have to wait for months to get it or if the delivery fee will eat up all the money you'll save from the lower price.
The trick if you live in the States is to order two guitars at the same time, shipping cost will stay the same, around $80… which when ordering two makes it $40 a guitar, which too bad… Considering inflation and how much guitars have gone up, they’re still a great value. Oddly enough, shipping to the US East Coast was only like 5 business days, not bad at all…
Thanks for the comment, lots of good info there 🤘🎸
@@FretboardDiariesI’m glad you pointed out these points. Even with the shipping costs, I agree that HB is a fantastic choice!
Couple of things:
HB is the "house brand" of Thomann, which is the world´s biggest online store for music gear. They´re literally the "Amazon of music equipment". They´re so cheap, because Thomann goes directly to the factories in Far East, have the instruments build and then import & ship them themselves.
There´s no dealer involved, like with import brands of big name companies like Squier, Epiphone etc. Because they´re so big as a company, they can negotiate better prices from the factories and also get the hardware ( bridges/ pickups etc) much cheaper. That´s why you see a 1000 Floyd or EMG pickups on a 450 Euro Guitar.
If you´re located in the EU & the UK, their shipping rates are super cheap. Sadly not so much in N. America, but that goes also the other way. Their return policies are usual very generous, usually they will refund or replace faulty instruments without any fuss.
Sadly, because they sell so much and have this return policy, they skip on the QC and it´s not unusual to get a lemon.
But QC has improved over the years, dramatically, specially the more expensive models are pretty well build.
Speaking of, the more expensive series are usually made in Indonesia from what I know.
Excellent evaluation, most likely very useful for potential HB buyers.
Since March, 2019, I've purchased altogether 6 HB guitars, of which I've kept 4. Got rid of 2 of them, not because they were bad, it was just that there was something in them I didn't quite like (the current owners are quite happy with them).
My first HB was a TE-52 (obviously a tele clone) made of American ash, with Canadian Maple neck. Having played it for about 2 years I decided to make the following modifications: 1) replaced the (not bad at all) Roswell pickups with a pair of affordable, but excellent ToneRiders; 2) mounted Wilkinson compensated brass saddles; 3) replaced the tuning machines with a set of Guyker locking tuners. (No (2) proved the most valuable modification). So, I couldn't agree more with the statement that the HB guitars make an excellent modding platform.
Got a Marquess bass yesterday morning and even my trusty luthier felt amazed by the quality of that instrument: "This bass worths 4 times more than what you paid".
That's what he exactly said, and it was a surprise even for me, considering that my 1st experience with the brand was not that good. Plus, the Thomann customer service was exceptional: the packaging was lost in transit for some days, then they finally recovered the packaging and now I'm playing it.
Cheers.
I certainly believe it, especially in today’s market, where inflation has been driving up prices…
You also pointed out something I forgot to mention and that’s that Thomann has outstanding customer service… I’m going to have to update the description of the video with things I missed haha… Thanks for watching 🤘🎸
I have 3 HB's - 2 electrics and an acoustic - and all three of them came out of the box pretty much perfectly set up. Amazing fit and finish, perfect paint and varnish. Frets and binding are flawless. The only thing that's not perfect is that the tuners on the SC-450Plus (the Les Paul copy) are a little out of line on the headstock due to the holes not being drilled perfectly straight. But it doesn't affect the playing at all, and it's barely noticeable. I would also say that both it and the TE-52 (the Telecaster copy) are quite heavy, heavier than you'd think they would be. The acoustic, the Superior-E VS, is fantastic, a dream to play.
That's good to know, I've been contemplating and HB acoustic for some time. I'm likely gonna grab one early next year... So far I have the TE20HH SBK Standard, the Fusion-T, and the ST20... As mentioned in the vid, they have a few quirks but ultimately they're fantastic for the money. It's hard to ask for or find anything more in that budget range
Aside: The shipping costs to the USA are now off the rails. It's $80-something for 1 item, $134 for 2 items and $180-something for 3 items... no more "saving" on shipping. At least, that's my experience. A few days ago, this wasn't the case. I wrote them about this, but haven't heard back yet.
Got one shipped to Cambodia! 2 weeks to start jamming!! Amazing product and SO HEAVY! Feels like solid wood to me!
I've got a Harley Benton MultiScale-8 QBB. Apart from a loose wire from the volume pot, it's a really nice instrument. Out of the box it was well set up with no snags on the fingerboard and no noticable blemishes. Considering the price, I would recommend Harley Benton to anyone who's after a decent plank to start playing or even as an upgrade since they're better than many of the lower priced ranges bigger named brands tend to come up with (including higher priced models too)...
The volume pot is getting repaired at the moment, and the customer service from Thomann is very good!!!
By the way, postage to The Orkney Islands, in the North East of Scotland cost £0.00!!!
Just got a JA60 and am swapping the pots and shielding the recess and dropping a tremolo bridge and calling it a day. Best guitar I've ever owned honestly. I've never had an American Fender budget and this is way better than the squires I have.
I bought the SC-550 II in Autumn Flame Burst thinking that if I liked it in general, I might shell out the bucks for a Gibson LP Studio. The HB came in with a perfect - - perfect - - finish. Perfect binding, intonation set quite well. The red meranti wood body and neck are flawless. I've been building custom electric guitars for almost twenty years and my best fretwork , while I've never had any complaints about it, is maybe equal to what I found on the 550. It was very good. The Tesla pickups are simply fine. I thought I'd at least change those when the guitar arrived, but I realized quickly that there was no need to do that. None at all.
Here's the truth - - after playing the 550 for a month or so, all my GAS for Gibson was gone. The 550 can roar if you want it to, or be sweet and clean. The action is set slightly lower than Gibson factory default, and I don't tolerate any buzz in my guitars. And it is beautiful. Not for the price, mind you, but just beautiful, regardless of what I paid. The one mod I decided to make, and which was worth the price, was putting on some very nice Kluson Revolution tuners. Now, I'm planning to buy another 550 and mod the hell out of it before HB realizes how popular they're getting in the States and start to raise prices.
I’ve actually wanted one of those 550’s for awhile… I’m getting the itch for a single cut so we’ll see but it’s definitely on my list… Definitely be an awesome guitar to mod out 🤘🎸
I got the harley benton progressive series i has a real german flyd rose when i got it it took a while to get it but it is the best guitar i have and you will pay more for the flyd rose than i gave for the guitar, and when i unboxed it the b string was out a little bit set up is perfect and i love it!😅😅😅😅
You got lucky, I really see HB as a mostly-assembled kit. My Les Paul Jr. wasn't buffed (the one on the website was . . . ) and the geometry is wrong, strings are a mile from the pickup. Not an easy fix on a set-neck. However, the guitar itself is good. I put a million hours into it, installed a pickup worth most of the cost of the instrument, and it gets just as much play-time as my Strat and RG550. So not for beginners, not for perfectionists, but for someone with good setup skills they're a steal.
I've only seen one harley benton and I set it up for a guy. Fender better get on the ball with their fret work.Cause this guitar had awesome fret. It cost under two hundred dollars.
My Fusion-T is literally one of my favorite guitars. I play it more than a lot of the more expensive stuff I have just because I love the feel... Judging by Fender's latest Amazon Squier release, I think they realize they have a problem on their hands with Harley Benton
I have a Fusion III HSH, TE-90FLT Blue Blast tele, and an ST-90-SA strat. I can't believe how nice they look, play and sound. And so AFFORDABLE!! You could fill your house with these and still be on track to retire comfortably.
If it wasn’t for shipping, I’d need a warehouse 😂 😂 😂… Seriously though, I have a Fusion III and it’s probably my favorite budget instrument under $500 I own. Legit hard to find a better value
Thanks for what seems to be a fair critique of Harley Benton guitars. I really don't consider them "budget", as I can afford to spend waay more on an instrument. It just that some of these HB's make me question why would I ?
After years of guitar collecting, I didn't have a Tele. After watching several YT videos , I copped one, a TE 52 NA and lo & behold, I found it was a lot like "Shane in the Blues " demonstrated This $150 Tele clone sounded as "Tele " was anyone would want. Caramelized (low roasted) neck, great fret work (it did sprout a bit during a cold, dry Mid-Western US winter). But I bought it figuring I would update everything on the guitar ...
The surprise ? You really don't have to ! Everything works just fine ! I did buy a 2d one, to put G&L MFD pickups in , because I wanted a platform for G&L MFD. The stock pickups are just fine however.
I ran into a guy ... that claimed to not be a "dealer"(posing as a "Tech" ) but who thought the JA Baritone was a piece of junk. I found his "observation" interesting, as I had just bought one , and it was just great. The "Amaranth " fret board ??? Fantastic, all 30" long, fret work as smooth as a baby-booty. This guy accused me of first being a "fanboy", then a troll when I pushed back on what I felt were unwarranted criticisms.
Finally he revealed he was not a dealer, had no "agenda" , but that he was a "manufacturer". Therein lies his bias... As these "manufacturers" look at what HB sells & ships and it relative high quality, and wonder "how the heck can they do this ? The materials to start with cost them more than the delivered guitar ! I did have to do a minor fix on my CST 24 P90 (pickup not properly installed) ... and I'm not a tech, and it was still a simple fix.
BUT a complete beginner, may want a guitar tech to do a set up (or fix minor goofs) and for well less than the cost of a Squier CV... you have a great guitar...
What’s funny about these guitars is that I just find them fun… Fun to play, fun to work on, and for the price, fun to buy 😂…
And in this day and age, even a beginner can learn how to fix most of the setup issues on these guitars by watching some UA-cam videos.
It’s too bad these guitars weren’t around when I started learning, woulda been amazing and might have even started me on my guitar journey sooner.
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching 🤘🎸
I bought three guitars from Thomann and a piano during lockdown on acoustic Koa and a Telecaster style both by Harley Benton and a Recording King resonator zero issues with any of them plus the piano is doing just fine. I also bought picks and cables and again no problems. Thomann were good to deal with and that was shipping to Scotland.
I don’t even want to think about what it would cost to ship a Piano to me 😂 😂 😂… Guitars cost $90, I’d need to finance the shipping 😂 🤦♂️
Seriously though, I’ve too have had very positive experiences with Thomann… Thanks for watching 🤘🎸
I took a chance because of the 25th anniversary sale. I’ve been playing guitar for a long time, and it’s very clear that people buy guitars with their eyes and not their ears and their hands. It is ridiculous. How good these two Fusion guitars are for have a little I paid. One was beef stock, and the other one was a regular new model, both on sale. Shipping from Europe to the states was about $82 and overall, I paid a little less than $500 for everything. That’s just simply mind blowing. The necks alone feel amazing. That’s worth more than the price I paid for each guitar. The pick ups really aren’t bad at all. Not high output, but definitely nothing different than what is on the Player Plus series by Fender. And, these feel much nicer than my Fenders. That’s crazy. The only thing I had to do is polish the frets. There were 2-3 very minor blemishes. But, that’s the least of my concern.
I have left my Fusion-T bone stock… I realize the Roswells aren’t for everyone, but they fill a void in my collection as far as tone, really kind of mid-level output classic rock distortion tone…
That said, if someone were looking for a guitar that needed ZERO modifications out of the box, and was looking to maximize the features that came with the guitar, the Fusion-T is without a doubt one of the Best Buys out there… 🤘🎸
@@FretboardDiaries I one hundred percent agree with you.
6. Excellent Modding Platform 👍👍 I bought a Harley Benton LP style single pickup instrument for $182 + shipping. At the end of the day, with shipping and mods, I ended up with a very Special (actually LP Junior :o) guitar for $400. That's after replacing ALL the electronics, starting with the pickup and right down to wiring, and replacing the stock tuners with Gotoh locking tuners. I had planned to replace the bridge, too, but I *like* the Harley Benton bridge on that model.
I’ve seen some LP style bridges on Amazon that have a piezo pickup on them… I’m tempted to get an HB LP just for that 😂 … But yeah, they’re great modding platforms for sure 🤘🎸
No shipping or tax costs charged for uk orders from Germany I’ve bought 3 and no added costs all my recieved guitars came immaculate all played out the box, although I did my own personal set ups.I also purchased the tube 15 amp superb amp well recommended.
Ahhh I’ve been meaning to check out their amps for awhile… I’d be in so much trouble if shipping were free to the states, 😂 😂…
That said, I too do all my own set ups, pretty simple to do, but all three guitars I received were set up really well out of the box. This shouldn’t be the expectation at this price point, but it’s nice when it happens… 🤘🎸
UK shipping is free if the order is £149+.
It's £10 below that, which isn't bad for big items, but frustrating for a packet of strings etc.
I live in Scotland which obviously is in the uk and my delivery was free just ordered the sc 450ld vintage cannot wait
So lucky… 😂 I’d be in so much trouble if it weren’t for shipping… 🤘🎸
I have seven HBs. I believe the low end models are from China, e.g. ST-20/TE-20/DC-20. The midrange from Vietnam and Indonesia. The high end from Indonesia. But quality is excellent across the line. All hit like 2x the price point. They are comparable with the big brands from the same locations.
Completely agree… It’s crazy in this day and age you can get such a good guitar for the money….. Where was this when I was in High School?…
Or you could have gotten two real guitars that will actually be worth something in ten years, suit yourself.
I've never bought a Harley Benton guitar but I've bought parts for my Ovation acoustic and a few other things from Thomann and I have been completely satisfied with their service and products.
Yeah I’ve bought 3 HB’s from them and service has always been good… Shipping is Lightning fast to the states too, albeit pricey….
Had a Harley Benton guitar which had problems with the frets lifting up from the fret board. I sold it and bought a Jet JS400 and it's the best guitar I've played. The neck is amazing. Frets are spot on. The pickups are good and the Action is just right.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Jett guitars… Might have to grab one soon and give them a look
@@FretboardDiaries Hi mate. Honestly you will be very Surprised at how good they are. check out the UA-cam reviews on them.
I got the SC 550 about 4 years ago the frets need levelling and a polish and the pots need sorting and maybe a new nut at the top
then I think she be a Beauty🎸👍
To me setting them up and working on them is part of the fun… It’s cathartic… Great for beginners to learn on too.
I’ve been debating an SC for some time, but I’m in the middle of a move right now, so gotta hold off for a bit… After that though, definitely grabbing one 🤘🎸
I bought the TV Yellow Les Paul Jr copy a few months back, one of the most enjoyable guitars I have in my collection. So, last night, I treated myself to the Les Paul Silver Burst they do, and I can't wait for it, such a beauty. I'm looking to change pickups/pickup switch(maybe)and tuners(again, maybe), but I'm sure I'm going to love it pretty much out of the box.
You never know, I bought the Fusion-T with the plan of upgrading the pickups and it turned out that I really like them, so I’ve kept it stock… I’ve swapped the ST-20 and TE-20HH though, they weren’t bad, but I’m kinda picky 😂… Congrats on the new edition 🤘🎸
my frets were terrible. 28 sharp fret ends and the leveling looks like a the read out on an oscilloscope.
I saw your comment on my other video, I’m curious if it was the TE-20HH??? Although mine was really good, I heard some horror stories with QC on that particular model… I’ve even seen some come out that weren’t neck through, which was bizarre, and had a different bridge. It’s those that I’ve heard a lot of complaints on
I have Harley benton st 20 hh active and its nice and now im planning to get ex 84 diy kit to do some paint work and stuff
I have a matte black Fusion 3 with roasted maple and the EMG retro 70s and it's phenomenal for the price. One of the best necks I've owned on that thing, and I own and have owned several nice ESPs, Kramers and Charvels that cost 3 to 4 times the price. Best money I ever spent on guitar gear, for sure.
Love that Matte Black! If I hadn’t already had an SBK Standand Tele in Matte I probably would have went for that… Really a killer looking/sounding guitar
@@FretboardDiaries Yes. I am still really enamored with it. And it really is my favorite guitar these days. And it holds its tune really well. And, I really like the EMGs. I have used 81s for years mostly for down-tuned stuff and I was shocked at how dynamic they are. More like a passive. But yeah...I like Charvels and it's rather Charvel-esque, of course.
I live in the UK. I was charged £8 shipping on my TE60 LPB and my HBO 850 electro acoustic bass so not nearly as expensive as US shipping.
Man if shipping were that cheap here I’d be in real trouble… 😂 😈
The one thing to know is that it will most likely need major setup work. Mine needed a new nut, complete fret job, and the neck shimmed. It also suffers from crappy electronics with no shielding. Oh, and there are holes drilled in places that aren't necessary and a giant crack between the pickup and tremolo cavities. HB sucks!
I bought Harley Benton LP Jr. Tobacco Sunburst model for $139.00and a hard shell case for $110.00 shipping was $40.00. That was before Thomann switched from DHL to UPS to ship their gear. DHL kept losing or damaging the packages. Due to inflation the shipping charges have gone up considerably.
Yeah it’s $82 to ship a guitar to my door… Good news is it’s $82 to ship two guitars to my home 😂… As if I need an excuse to buy two at once…
I ordered 2 guitars directly from Gibson , L5 & Les Paul a 1957 RI. both sent back with more than little finish problems.. Disappointed !
I now fully support and only support "Budget Friendly" Guitars..
And offing my high dollar guitars one by one.
PS. If you play or learning to play guitar?
And not knowing/learning the basics of setting up your guitar?
Is like driving a car without knowing how check the oil & coolant, or change a flat tire,,
Man I hear you... I spent $800 on a Schecter that arrived looking like the tech that should have set it up took the day off... I'm being perfectly honest when I tell you that the guitar arrived practically UNPLAYABLE... Action was a disaster, pot was no good, fret buzz, numerous dead frets... The guitar itself was beautiful, but everything else was a disaster... Really embarrassing, and to think I could have had an HB Amarok that likely would have been pretty well good to go, at half the price... Well.... Lesson learned....
I've got two HBs. First I got the EX-76 GHWAN model and it's fantastic. Especially for $300. I also picke up an SC-Custom something or other from the Reverb shop. It's a great guitar, but the neck is too thick for me past the 13th fret. So eventually I'm going to pop those Teslas into the EX, where the only complaint I have it the pickups are...off somehow and then I guess sell that SC. And again, it's a stellar guitar, just not for me. I'd highly recommend HB to anyone, especially if you're looking at or above the $250ish starting point.
Edit/Addendum
I forgot to mention that as far as I can tell, both guitars are FLAWLESS from and aesthic/finish standpoint. In fact, they are, quite honestly, stunning pieces to look at. The SC was meant to be a second guitar to have in another tuning, and I went through several other brands as well, and was having a load of trouble finding anything that was anywhere near as good as that EX. I even ended up going with the "high end" Epiphone Prophecy Exturas. Two of them. And they were BOTH disasters. Absolute garbage. One had like 5 cracks in the neck and the replacement seemed like it was built by a mentally handicapped monkey. And these are +/-$1200. "Settled" on a Schecter E1 SLS Elite "Evil Twin...." Now THAT guitar is an absolute beast. Is it better than the HB EX? Oh yeah. but that HB is still better, by miles, than guitars that were 4x what it cost.
Im really tempted to pull the trigger on an SC… I’m probably gonna check out some competing brands for channel content but I’m sure I’ll eventually end up with one…
Flawless finished on these guitars are not unheard of, it just shouldn’t be the expectation for a budget instrument. None of the imperfections on my HB’s bothered me in the least but I always mention it in vids so people know what to expect…
Like you said, definitely recommend to anyone on a budget or anyone looking for a value buy 🤘🎸
@@FretboardDiaries I was honestly surprised at the finishes because I'd watched MANY videos before jumping in.
I'm still considering giving an SC-550II a shot, I think the necks are a little different, but that custom is just too chunky up high. Almost certainly going to grab an Amarok baritone though. I need something for low tuning and that neck-thru just really does it for me... Besides the fact they're sexy af.
I agree with many things on what you've said about The guitars from Thomann. I have bought 3 myself, and just 4 days ago purchase another...
The 3 guitars that came to me had zero blemishes and the fret work was excellent too! I might add that the set up (string height) was just a hair high for me so I lowered a tad and intonated and just bliss!!
My last guitar 🎸 was the 25th. Gold Anniversary limited fusion T-model... comes with all the goodies. And the toasted Canadian flame maple neck with stainless steel frets, and locking tuners looks AND sounds amazing! The humbucker (Tesla pickups) are actually pretty nice
And last but not least one of the most important things (for me at least) is that they are lefties!!👍
Being a Lefty and going to the well-known shops that I've been to in Los Angeles, and Madrid would be depressing for me!!😢 you'd see thousands vod beautiful guitars on the walls, and in the corner you were lucky to find 3-4 left-handed guitars!! So at Thomann they have hundreds of left-handed guitars!! They have budget, middle down the road, and expensive models, not just Harley Benton!!
But I've used in the studio and on stage "budge guitars" that
Have performed perfectly well!!
This might sound crazy but ...
Out of 3 guitars that are identical one will sound better than the rest! Don't ask me why but it's 💯% true lol
You know, it’s funny because I’m actually left handed… When I was young, I couldn’t afford a guitar so a buddy of mine lent me his old Memphis that was right handed, I practiced a few months, started taking lessons and my instructor was like, “No point in switching now…” Ultimately I’m glad I didn’t because I see how hard it is for lefties to find guitars.
Also, I have a Fusion-T and that guitar is just AWESOME bone stock… I haven’t changed a thing and likely won’t… Killer guitar for the money 🤘🎸 Thanks for watching and the comment
No, Thomans ship to the UK just like anywhere in the EU and the costs are free over a certain price they also have UK desk as they store goods in the UK I think you will find
Using my candy apple red HB st-20 as a platform I've made a Strat Ultra equivalent. Lace sensor Rainbow set pickups. The absolutely awesome Vega Trem. Tusq Nut and string trees. Last of all a set of Graphtech Ratio locking tuners.
The guitar plays and sounds like an amazing strat ultra. Tuning is stable and the trem is soooo smoth.
Next I will probably change the pots and internal wiring.
I have the exact same guitar in the exact Same color… I put GFS LiL’ Killers in it, they’re a mini humbucker and absolute killer pickup… I was blown away by the fretwork on this guitar for $79, absolutely ridiculous for the price 😂… I added some locking tuners and now it’s an absolute Monsta! GREAT guitar for the money
Thanks for the in-depth look at HB. I visited Thomann and played several model… even a black strat Gilmore knock off. Great tone, frets great very play able for 149 euros. The case would cost more. I going back today… looking at their Ricky 12 sting may get the 2,
I would be in big trouble if I didn’t have to deal with shipping 😂 😂… I’d have to rent a truck, to get my guitars home… If I’m ever in Germany though, it’s going to be a must see for sure 🤘🎸
I have four HB guitars. I'm not the best player in the world, but with a little bit of minor set up once they've arrived, they play and sound fine to my ears, and I mostly can't HEAR the difference between them and many of the big names. I have one of their little mahogany electro-acoustic clones of the Taylor GS Mini, which came with a clone of the Taylor GS Mini carry bag. I bought it for £109 (UK Sterling) and I use it every day. I've played the real thing and I personally can tell little difference. Dave
If I’m being perfectly honest, I can usually tell the difference between an HB and a high end instrument, but HB has really narrowed that gap, particularly with their Fusion line… Add a fret polish and a proper setup, and you narrow that gap even more.
I put a set of GFS Power Rail pickups in my HB TE-20 Sbk standard and it has given that guitar such an insane tone, that it’s become one of my favorite guitars to record with. I like high gain pickups with good bottom end and a lot of sustain and those pickups knock it out of the park. Truly an awesome guitar 🤘🎸
Hi I've bought 8 harley benton guitars and 3 kits from thomann and I don't think you're going to get a better deal anywhere I have been able to practice modding and fret levelling have learnt so much working on these guitars and the kits are perfect for practicing your paint spraying and the playability is amazing for the price so if you fancy yourself as a luthier start with these guitars to practice on or just tune up and play out of the box you won't be disappointed and the customer service is excellent 😀
I’m waiting a few more months, then I’m going to try my hand at a kit… It’s too humid where I live to be painting now, so once the humidity dies down in the Fall, I’m gonna give it a shot… Plus, should make for good UA-cam content haha, Good or bad outcome 😂
They ship free in the uk, and they offer over a hundred lefty models , i have seven of them they are all keepers, no brainer 🤗
I would be in so much trouble if shipping were Free to the states… haha… I didn’t realize they offered so many Leftie models, I’m actually a leftie that plays right handed, but I would have mentioned that in the vid had I known… I’m going to update the description soon and I’ll add that… Thanks for the Info 🤘🎸
I got 2 Harleybenton 10+yrs ago. The prs style 1 was good 1 twisted neck! Thanks
Yeah I’ve heard their quality has improved since the early years… Some of the guys in the Facebook groups have talked about some of the early models lacking in overall quality. Twisted neck would definitely be unacceptable
In the UK if you spend over £149, the shipping is free. And most guitars cost more than that.
FYI even the HB kits they do are amazing. Had to polish the frets but thats about it! Modded it up to be perfect!
I’ve been meaning to try one of those kits for awhile… Probably gonna give one a shot later in the year, I’ve heard great things and seems like a lot of fun to build one. Gonna have to dust off my airbrush 😂
@@FretboardDiaries can’t go wrong when it’s £70 delivered! Just got expect the cheap electronics and some hardware!
@@ScottPC yeah that come with the territory… I wish they’d just sell the bodies and necks 😂 😂 😂 They can keep the p/u’s and hardware…
Agree with all you say, I have around 9/10 in my collection and they're superb for the price, looking at a BM-75 next.
I’m working on Number 4… haha… Although I may branch off to a few other budget brands just for some content and comparison for the channel. We’ll see but thanks for watching and taking the time to comment 🤘🎸
Yeah, I ordered one . The SC 450 , when it arrived , it looked like it had been on tour . Sent it back . Then I ordered an epiphone muse sg it also looked like it been on tour also. I'm curious about thomanns quality control . I sent it back also . So I figure two guitars both has QC issues . Then I get shit about sending it back. It only took 2 weeks to get my refund after they received there guitar back . So I'm totally done with thomanns .
Only question I would ask would be were these guitars B-Stock? Not saying that would be fair either but I’ve heard of a few instances of this with B-Stock guitars… Obviously a new guitar shouldn’t come in anything less than New condition…
You’re not the only one to complain about Thomann’s customer service/return policy. There’s been a few comments on this vid and I’ve seen people in Facebook groups both praise and complain about them. I don’t have any personal experience outside of my orders which were in great shape. Sucks that you had a bad experience
@FretboardDiaries I ordered new, but one would say B-stock when they arrived .
@@harbonip Damn man, that's too bad... New should definitely be new...
@FretboardDiaries exactly, I learned my lesson when shopping online . Only buy what I can touch .
Update on purchasing online with Thomann . I finally purchased a Harley Benton DC-600. It took me twice to get a good purchase, and there was a 10-watt amplifier with accessories, a stand, gigbag extra cables, and a set of ernie ball super slinky 9-42 . It's nice to go visit there store . Vacation planned .the people in the store are much nicer in person . With being American living in Deutschland, it's best to go into the stores . Kiel doesn't have, but maybe 3 music stores, maybe. Gibson epiphone , aria, and a couple of other brands .the gibson I personally wanted was 9000 dollars, in euros it would have been over 12,000 with shipping and customs . Harley Benton is 190 euros unless you got it during the 40th anniversary sale . I saved 50 euros ,and the wife got a mini tour of her homeland. 5 times a charm . So maybe I'll give it some upgrades ? Sorry for the long letter . Just a happy retired American in Deutschland. 😎👍🏽
Been buying Harleys for years now. Started out to build my collection without breaking the bank. My earlier ones were sometimes poor and needed setting up and tweeking here and there, but I enjoyed the luthier learning. In more recent times they have become better and better.
Saw a youtube video about the cheapest Harley acoustic that the reviewer said needed lots of work so I thought that's a good learning project for me.
When it arrived it was perfect out the box, action, intonation, level frets, perfect cut nut. I was almost dissapointed, The only downside was the young wood used gave too bright a tone for me but given time it will mellow with age.
Yeah they’ve definitely gotten better through the years… I thought for sure my ST-20 would need fret work and all it needed was a fret polish. Hard to believe the quality for the price, it’s a shame shipping rates keep going up
A collection of generic guitars isn't something to brag about.
I’d really like the Olive Drab HB-35plus.
Just checked out Reverb and Thomman. Reverb is about the same price with free shipping, but the 30 day return window is nice. Also, I checked the 2 guitar shipping... It's not the same shipping cost, but it certainly isn't as expensive if the guitars were split up.
Yeah I mean, I found the reverb price including shipping for one guitar to be about $10 cheaper than Thomann’s price + shipping… They don’t combine shipping on Reverb, and at the time I ordered my 2 guitars from Thomann, the shipping was the same price for 2 as it was for 1, so doing that made more sense…
Seeing as how Thomann just raised the shipping cost to over $90 for 1 guitar, it’s soon going to reach a point where it’s no longer worth it in the states… 😟
I have several HB guitars. On all the decent ones I've replaced the tuners with either Grover on the 3+3, or Fender lockers on the 6 in line. Some needed far more setup than others. Best one is a PRS thinline knock off with an amazing fret board inlay. I can recommend the Martin D-45 knock off, sounds amazing and looks the dogs do-dahs. I have a couple or three bought as 'B stock' which have no defects or blemishes that I can see. Just returns I guess, as in Europe and the UK returns are free. You email and they send you a return label.
Ta.
Good info here… I’ve been contemplating an acoustic so I may pull the trigger on one eventually… Thanks for the comment 🎸🤘
I had fenders that needed much work these guitars are excellent for the $$$$ great video Ashley
Yup, I have a $700 Schecter that left the factory like it was setup by a Kindergartener… Really embarrassing to be honest. All three Harley’s I bought needed very little if anything in terms of setup. As mentioned in the vid, all I had to do was fret polish…
Oh and thanks for the kind words Paul
@@FretboardDiaries yeah, my squire had fret sprout where they didn’t do it at all
I have the Vintage/Classic Strat and a SG Custom Cherry finish by HB.
The neck on the Strat is a little to big for me; however, that’s subjective and true to the classic strata. The neck is very smooth; body looks good. A few of the frets need to be polished. I think it sounds great for the price.
The SG style Harley Benton feels great, looks great and sounds great. I liked it more than the Squire SG, which was double the price.
Both of them stay in tune nicely!
I learned on a strat with a wider and to this day it just feels like home 😂 but I certainly understand why people aren’t as fond of them.
I’m tempted to get the HB SG, it’s one of the body styles I don’t own yet… it’s gonna be either that, or the SC, both seem like great instruments 🤘🎸
I've noticed the Harley Bentons have increased in price, but some don't have locking tuners and such anymore, or they use their own brand. The soldering work/wrong pots on the EMG pickups are a mess, and I don't get why - as EMG offers fully solderless wiring.
Yeah I mean, given the way inflation has been going, it kinda makes sense that instead of raising prices, certain features would just be dropped or parts would be substituted in an effort to not raise prices…
I haven’t bought one of their instruments with EMG’s yet, I’ve stayed on the real budget side of things, so I can’t speak for that. I can only guess that the solderless stuff would add to the cost, but the soldering on the two guitars that I swapped pickups on wasn’t bad (neither had EMG’s though)…
@@FretboardDiaries If anything, the premium guitars have good bones. I'm sure a $500 HB with $300 in upgrades, could compete with $1500 guitars.
Yeah, My Fusion T HH/ HT are so cool, they are the best argument against me adding another PRS SE , like a DGT, which I'm sure is a fine guitar (and I have 4 PRS SE + a US made S2 ) ... But for the $900 the DGT commands, I'm not sure its worth twice my HB Fusion T ...@@olebrumme6356
Welp... As a young and broke musician, im thoroughly convinced. One question though, ive been playing for a long time but never learned about intonation. What is intonation?
@@Lusciousriffs Intonation is making sure the guitar is in tuner with both open strings and fretting notes/chords at both ends of the fretboard. It’s not hard to do, although last time I did it in a video, I screwed it up 😂 🤦♂️…
If you go to Philip McKnight’s channel, he’s got a great video on how to do it… It’s really not hard to do.
How can you tell if your guitar needs it? Well, if the guitar sounds in tune when you play open strings, but is then out of tune when fretting notes/chords, then your intonation is off. Hope this helps
@@FretboardDiaries yo, I actually just watched that video an hour ago. It does look pretty easy. Whenever I get the new axe I'll try it out. Thanks 🤙
Im from EU, thomann doesnt charge shipping i think if you buy somwthing above 50 or 100 euro i cant remember.
So you can buy 1 guitar over €100 i think and its free of shipping, at leadt for me, bought harley benton victory bk and got 0 shipping + guitar is super awesome it sells out instantly every damn time
As a bassist,.....I wished Harley Benton was around when I started out 40 years ago. I can't believe the money I wasted on Fender basses over the years and never being totally happy with them. I purchased my first Harley Benton JB-75 jazz bass in Natural Ash just a year ago. When I got this bass in my hands after unboxing it, I was simply floored at the quality of parts, the fit and finish, and playability. It did require some minor set up, however, It plays like a dream with the Roswell alnico 5 pickups, Wilkinson jazz bridge with the brass saddles, D-profile maple neck, 'decent' tuners and controls. I got it as a b-stock item because one of the plastic volume knobs was cracked (easily replaceable). And I only paid $123 USD for this bass, plus around $80 shipping from Germany. Needless to say that I will never buy another Fender again. Harley Benton is impossible to beat on price and quality.
Honestly I’ve been tempted to grab a bass just for some studio work and to let the kids play around on…
I feel the same way about the Fusion-T… The Roswells, Wilkinson Trem, Stainless Steel Frets, and locking tuners make it hard to be for the money… and it’s becoming one of my favorite guitars
I have the Rick style base and it plays amazing!!!
I bought my first Harley Benton guitar during the height of the pandemic and i was surprised i received it exactly 7 days from the time of purchase. I have the TV yellow Les Paul Jr single cut and the SC400 LP type gold top. Love em both! BTW, the guitars were in tune when i received them!
Yeah I think my last guitars made it in like 5 days from Germany… Crazy fast shipping…
I’m looking at an SC for my next guitar… Great looking guitars 🤘
In tune is not an item, intonation is. My 24 fret SG was perfectly intonated!
Mine had several damaged frets.
I have the exact same ST style in your video and I have a SC-450Plus VB Vintage and I can not say enough how great these guitars are. My only problem is do I buy the Goldtop with P-90's or the T style one next! Great video, thanks for sharing!
The quality of the fretwork on the ST20 is astounding for the money. Really an awesome time we live in to be able to get a guitar like that so cheap… The question of which one to get next is always a tough one 😂 , for me it’s likely gonna be an SC of some sort. P-90’s does sound tempting… Appreciate the comment and thanks for watching 🤘🎸
@@FretboardDiaries About a year after I got the ST, I started getting fret sprout. I would say that pretty norma. Took me a liitle more than an hour to dress them.
Good to know, I’ll keep an eye out as mine ages and see if that problem pops up
First time watching your videos. Nicely done, mate.. I also have a positive opinion of HB guitars. I own several, and bought gig bags and speaker cabs
Great quality on their other gear
Thomann Rocks .. they have a USA site also
Hey thanks for the kind words… Appreciate the comment!
I have 7 or 8 Harley Benton now and in general they are pretty decent out of the box. They all need a set up though, but what guitar doesn't? The only bigger issue I had was with my ST-20 which had a REALLY poorly cut nut, but even that was fixed in no time.
I had that same nut issue on a guitar by Hadean. It was simple enough to fix, it was just muting the high E a bit…
I’m currently at 3 HB’s, will likely add at least a 4th, given how inflation has effected the guitar industry, the HB is a better value now more than ever…
@@FretboardDiaries I must admit I am at a "home team" advantage being Dutch, as a neighboring country shipping anything over 50 euro is free. Which is GREAT but it is REALLY BAD for my GAS.
What doesn't need an immediate set up? PRS or Gibson Custom Shop, or pretty much any Gibson, or American made Fender.
@@IndyRockStar Right, so those all know your SPECIFIC personal PREFERENCES for string height?
Sure.
The stuff on Reverb shipping includes I'm sure is ridiculously marked up. Shipping for me, USA. Is 88 bucks. Four of my eleven guitars are HBs. None have finish issues one needed frets cleaned up. HB is making it difficult for me to buy another brand.🇺🇸⚔️🍕🍺👍👍
Yeah it’s funny, the stuff on reverb is marked up to be the same price as buying from Thomann with shipping, at least it was like that at the time of this video…
I love my HB’s, the Fusion-T is the clear absolute winner… With a loaded Spec sheet and sub $300 price it’s hard to beat
@@FretboardDiaries I ordered just within the last two weeks, a JA-25TH anaversary firemist from Thomann delivered just under $400. I think. Reverb wanted a bit over $600 before shipping and tax. I got my first baritone from HB. An Amarok. Really nice.
I just now figured out how to tune it!🥴 I'm saving for my birthday. If I don't get a Fusion III, probably an SC500 of some configuration.
@@charlesharper7292 SC500 and Amarok are both on my wish list haha… Probably do the Amarok because it fits my playing style more, heard good things about both though… If you enjoy the Tele-body style, Fusion III is almost a must 🤘
Fusion III is definitely on a very short list.@@FretboardDiaries
I just relised Harley benton strats and donners have the same headstok shape?
That’s interesting… I just ordered a $65 Donner so we’ll see. I don’t expect much but who knows these days.
@@FretboardDiaries donner is hit and miss (apparently their some of their 200$ -400$models are great .?)..I was just wondering if both Harley/Donner necks are made on the same cc machine ?
@ probably a good chance they’re made in the same place in China or Vietnam… Many times those plants make guitars for a bunch of different suppliers. I have an HB strat so I’ll take a closer look when the Donner arrives
Thomann now include free shipping on most models and include VAT if you ate ordering in from the UK, they've made it much simpler after initial brexit complications
Oh man… If they ever have free shipping to the states I’m going to be in deep deep trouble… 😈 🎸
But even with the say $80 bucks US shipping, it not bad at all. Usually takes less than 4 days (assuming the guitar is in stock . DO NOT ORDER if the puppy in not on hand ) I have even taken to buying the Thomann hard shell case for an additional $68. Adds about $20 to shipping so for $88 , you get a case (better than a gig bag) that if you are your own roadie, and are careful with it, is pretty cool @@FretboardDiaries
@@WilliamJOHNSONJR I’ve been playing so long I have a closet full of cases… 🤦♂️ 😂 😂 but I see your point… l’ve reached a point where I’d rather save up a bit more, and order 2 guitars to save on the shipping…
I just couldn’t imagine if shipping was free… 😂 😂 😂 I’d need a warehouse
what is the standard cost of shipping from Thomans to U.S.?
It’s been awhile since I ordered one, but last time I did I think it was $78 for a guitar, with the caveat being, if you ordered a second guitar, the shipping was the same price. That was a East Coast US price
I have 4 HBs. They are great value for money, if you are not afraid of doing some setup
Very true… They’re also a great platform for people who want to learn how to set up guitars, without the risk of doing any damage to an expensive guitar.
I’ve bought several kits. Love them.
I’m going to buy a kit when the weather cools in the fall and humidity drops so I can paint. I’ve been wanting to do this for some time, I think it’d be great content for the channel..
I’ve heard great things about their kits… looking forward to building one 🤘
I've bought 5 HBs, resold 3 of them, simply because they weren't my style. I still have a "Jazzmaster' and an 'ES335' style, which I'll keep. It's a good way to find out if you really like a certain style, before investing big bucks. I decided I'm actually a Gretsch fan, but I dwell in the mid-level Electromatic series, so still Oriental manufacture. Anybody who worries about minor finish flaws on the backside of a guitar is not holding the guitar right. The backside is supposed to be against your belly, so the dancing girls see only the front side.
The Jazzmasters look enticing for sure. I’ve never been much of a Gretch guy, just not my style but they’re beautiful guitars…
As far as the minor finish flaws, there’s no wrong answer and everyone has their own opinion on it, but my take is that it’s to be expected on a budget instrument. I have some higher end guitars that have some minor finish blemishes too, just adds a little character 🤘🎸
The Reverb prices are the same as the price + shipping when you get them from Thomann. I bought 5 from Thomann anyway.
Very true, but if you buy two from Thomann the shipping price is the same, whereas there’s no way to do that on Reverb. That’s why I’ve continued to buy from Thomann, but if you’re only buying one, Reverb isn’t a bad option
I’m thinking of getting the st20 hss do you think that’s good?
I have the st20 SSS… Really a great guitar for the price, I think it’s only like $81 which is insane… The highlight of the guitar is definitely the fretwork, pickups were a little weak, usable, but weak. I ended up swapping them out for GFS Lil’ Killers, I’m not sure how good the humbucker is in the HSS, could be really good/bad, I haven’t tested one. Considering the price point, it’s hard to ask for more 🤘🎸
I have Martin's copy from HB which is CLD-41S.
Amazing value.
Good to know, I’ve been contemplating an acoustic… 🤘🎸
Spend time in setup, ha! I've spent a helluva lot more time with my epiphones and carvins! My jb75 was perfect right outta the box and have played the hell out of it (geddy who?) Solid as a rock.
While I can tell you I certainly have spent more time setting up more expensive guitars that were sent to me in absolutely embarrassing shape by the manufacturer, I still think most folks should anticipate a guitar needing a setup. Particularly if you live in a really dry or humid area, that alone, through no fault of HB or any manufacturer, can throw off the setup.
That said, the three I’ve ordered to this point needed very minimal, if any, tweaking..,
I'm very interested in buying a Harley Benton guitars actually there's like three of them that I like. But on all the videos I've watched no one ever talks about the price of shipping. I mean I know shipping costs different in the US but a ballpark figure would have been nice to hear.
Welp I can tell you the last time I ordered, it was $81 for one guitar... or $81 for two guitars... LoL... Shipping cost is the same whether you buy one or two guitars, so might as well buy two LoL... Also To give you an idea, I am on the East coast of the US, so Central or West coast may be more/less... Hope this helps!
@@FretboardDiaries thank you so much for the info funny thing I'm on the East Coast too. I think I'm better off buying the two and saving money. Thank you so much for the info I really appreciate it.
@@michaelp8529 Anytime man! Thanks for watching 🤘🎸
Harley Benton Shipping cost is not excessive to the UK. It's very reasonable.
Excessive shipping to the US is actually kinda a good thing… 😂 😂 😂… Otherwise I’d need a warehouse for all my HB’s….
But yeah, when I made the video, I was going on what a buddy of mine told me who lived there at one point, that shipping plus VAT was expensive. Obviously I live in the states so it’s hard to gauge the cost in the UK.., Glad to hear it’s cheap for ya’ll, I’d love for it to get down to those prices here…
I’m getting the HB 25thTE. What you think of the 25th anniversary editions ??
Gotta be honest that one was tempting, but I had just gotten the Fusion-T a few weeks before they came out… I’ve heard good things about them though, and I love the gold 🤘🎸
Great video! Do you get charged any other fees besides shipping if it is shipped to the USA
I haven’t ordered one in a year, but when I did, there weren’t any extra charges other than shipping. I’ve bought three HB’s from Thomann and only had to pay shipping. I’m East coast USA
@@FretboardDiaries That’s good to know! Thank you Sir 👍🏼
# 8, very expensive to return one if you are not happy with it. I have bought five Harley Benton guitars and had a problem with only one, an SC Custom (that’s too many) the nut was cut wrong and I replaced it plus there were flaws in the finish. QC must have been on lunch break. Disappointing.
That’s interesting because I hear a lot of people who say that Thomann’s customer service is top notch. I don’t really have any personal experience with them, so I can’t speak on it. I’ve heard in some cases they give price breaks on guitars that have issues, as an option opposed to returning it, but again, I’ve never dealt with them like that.
This company is in Germany and there are no repair people in the States. If you have a problem, the cost to correct it would exceed the value of the instrument.
So I’ve never had an issue, but I’ve been told they are very good about issuing credit for damage or other issues. I’ve also never had to return anything, so I can’t speak for that either. Again, I’ve been told their policy is pretty good, but I’ve also seen a few complaints too, so there is kind of a “taking your chances” element I suppose.
@@FretboardDiaries The return also requires registering it with customs. Besides being an additional pain in the ass, it's an additional cost. And they don't cover shipping. I think they have the right idea in regard to making a good instrument (about on par with a high end Squier) for a fantastic price. But if they want to succeed in the States they're going to have to up their customer service policies.
@@NelsonMontana1234 I wonder if it’s the same for their Reverb store? Or since those ship from the states, they go back within the states?
@@FretboardDiaries That, I'm not sure of.
Not sure about modding. While you can put a Fender or Watmoth neck in a Squire, not so here. Also, pick guards, bridges etc... all different. Replacing pickups, no problem.
I’ve seen a lot of guys modifying necks to fit on these, check out some of the Harley Benton modding groups on Facebook, all sorts of good info. Pickguards are usually pretty simple to modify to fit these too, and Tuners are also an easy switch. That said, I haven’t tried a bridge swap yet, but that’s coming 😈…
I get what you’re saying about direct bolt on parts, but These guitars have good bones… And given how cheap they are, it’s a good platform for people who have never attempted a pickup swap, tuner change, or even modifying parts to fit. Come to think of it, I think I need a kill switch next 🤔🧐😂
Here's another point you should consider when buying a Harley Benton. The only way to make them so affordable is mass production. That's fine. So let's say for every 100 guitars there will be 10 to knock it out of the park, of which maybe 1-3 are so incredibly good the might go for 10 times the price. Then there will be 70-80 guitars in several grades of "this is mindblowing for the money" so on any other brand you'd expect to pay from 9 to 2 times the price. And then there are 10 guitars somewhere between "that's what you expect for the price" and "crap".
In the last 15 years I ordered over 100 Harley Bentons, constantly on the hunt for the "top 10". I even had 2 from the 10 times the money categorie. What I want to say it can be kind of a lottery to get a great guitar, also you will almost always get a good guitar but you also might happen to get a bad guitar. When living in Europe this is not a concern at all, just send it back. Living in the US this might be an issue... Thomanns' costumer service is great, they will almost certanly find a solution in this case.
Lots of good info there, so thanks for the comment… I should’ve mentioned Thomann’s customer service because I consistently hear how good it is… Thankfully the three guitars I’ve bought have fallen into the “Good” range, so I’ve been quite happy… Thanks again for taking the time to comment 🤘🎸
Point of interest. All orders over £149 are free posting in UK. Only £10 otherwise. I buy quite a bit from Thomann. I would also check their B stock guitars, some bargains to be found. £60 off their HB PRS copy and it's pristine.
Hey thanks for the comment, lots of good info there… I might have to make another video from all these comments, 7 MORE things to know about Harley Benton 😂 🤘🎸
I don't live in Germany, so I'm bound to ordering online, but I still live within the European Union, so all I need to do to avoid the €5,90 shpping costs is getting above a total price of €69 which is easy when you're buying a new guitar or bass
If I didn’t have to pay for shipping to the states, I’d likely need a warehouse for all the Harley Benton’s I’d own… 😂 😂 🤦♂️
@@FretboardDiaries lmao nice
I wish they would also offer vintage neck radius, such as 7,25 inches
I’m surprised they don’t… I’ve never looked for one because it’s not my preference but good to know.
We need companies like HB, even with the few issues that come with budget guitars. Guitar brands think they sell cars, seeing how they artificially inflate prices. Want to buy a car, or a guitar for the same price. At least my Solar and HB's are better than the 2 Esp 2s I had, which shouldn't be when you pay over 2k just for a name on the headstock
It’s going to be interesting because the guitar market is soft right now… People are holding on to their disposable income because of inflation and economic uncertainty, and more and more people are looking to Harley Benton to stretch the value of their dollar… Fender cut production by 600,000 units, and I’m sure other major companies are feeling it too. I think Harley Benton will continue to grow, just wish they could get the cost of shipping down, but hey, it’s an excuse to order 2 haha 🍻 🤘🎸
Thomann is testing distribution in the US through an Official Reverb store just FYI.
Thanks for the comment, I did mention this somewhere in the vid, but it doesn’t really appear to be that much cheaper (prices include shipping on Reverb)… And honestly, I’m not sure it’s much faster, my last Thomann order got here wicked quick from Germany…
The other issue is that since prices include shipping, you can’t save on shipping by buying two guitars… But I suppose if you’re only buying one guitar and can save between $5-$10 on shipping then perhaps it’s worth it. Thanks for watching and the comment 🤘
@@FretboardDiaries My Apologies lol I skipped over that part. Thank you for the video and taking the time to reply.
@@christopherfidler3019 haha no worries man, thanks for watching 🤘
Yeah ... The only US domestic problem is that you get charged your state sales tax. The price already has from Germany shipping built in (but ship free from Connecticut) .. I do think that the US store, does a little Sweetwater like QC check prior to shipping, as the 2 I ordered US came perfect
Shipping Coast to the UK is £10.
What guitar for sure doesnt need a setup?
💯 but you’d be surprised how many people I see complaining that their HB needed a setup. I make a point to mention it so that needing a setup is the expectation
It really is a great brand, and the sheer variety of guitars they have is mind blowing. Yep, occasionally you’ll get a lemon, but the great thing is Thomann will either knock some of the price off the instrument or have it returned and ship you a new one at no extra cost to the customer. If you’re a mod platform person, there’s no reason not to love this brand. I have three to date…that won’t be the end of it!
The problem for me is deciding on which one I want next… 😂 😂 😂… Although the ST Acoustic currently has my eye so we’ll see
I wished Harley Benton listed the weights of their guitars because I would never have purchased my TE-53KR Keith Richards "Micawber" tribute model because it weighs 10lbs. Ridiculously heavy which stands to reason why shipping was $80+ to the US ...although the finish was really nice, it arrived with extremely sharp frets. Look...you get what you pay for, IF you're lucky. Live and learn.
I completely agree and the weight of that Keith Richards is something I’ve heard others complain about…
It’s been my experience with HB that the fretwork is usually pretty good, but as with any budget instrument, that can be an issue. I had a very good file on hand just in case…
Oh and shipping is $80+ to the states regardless of weight… In fact, you can order 2 guitars and the shipping price stays the same. So I either order 2 or buddy up with a friend to cut down on the cost per instrument
@@FretboardDiaries I have a fret dressing file from StewMac NOW but not when I received my HB . You're right in that budget instruments more often than not, come with some form of issue. Between a luthiers full set up, all frets filed and leveled, shipping and better strings, I could have purchased a better instrument from a retailer here in the US ! I think Sire , or Squire's upper end Classic Vibe guitars or Ibanez, G&L. Yamaha, or Music Man all offer a better, affordable product.
@@judeworth938 You bring up a great point that when everything is added up, there may be better options for the new price point… For me, I enjoy working on them, always have, so I don’t have the cost of a Luthier, but for others, definitely something to consider. I will say that of the 3 HB’s I got, the fretwork was the highlight of the guitar, but that’s definitely not the case for all their models.
Ultimately the question of whether to spend a little more for a better option is up to the consumer. Personally, I enjoy both options 😂 😂 🤘🎸
I can vouch for the 10 Lbs... I have 2 TE 52 NA, and weighed one at 10 Lbs ! BUT I sit... Don't jump around, Don't play with it behind my head, or with my teeth (like Jimi !) ... Put a 3" cotton web strap on it (Levys) , Swapped out the strap pins for Shaller locking (so the Two Ton Tele would not rip out the short stock screws) And for less that $200, I have Teles that sound as Tele as they wanna ! BTW, My frets were well finished, no sharp edges BUT even with "caramellizing" the neck, Did experience minor fret sprout in a harsh cold /dry Mid Western US winter. (But not nearly as bad as my $800 Fender Player Mustang !)
Yeah, the pisser is when you pay $1.500 for the guitar (Fender American Professional Jaguar) ... and have to resort to the Stew Mac file ! This guitar introduced me to fret sprout... Her 25 year old sister (Fender Am Std Strat Plus never did sprout)@@judeworth938
Iv just bought a carbon fibre harley benton acoustic does anyone else on here recommend them?
@@ashleywebster1207 I didn’t even know HB made a Carbon Fiber acoustic 🤩
@@FretboardDiaries yes they do it's stunning it's black but they come in different colours too including pink and purple lol I went for the black
@@ashleywebster1207 I’m definitely gonna have to check that out, thanks for the heads up 🤘🎸
@@FretboardDiaries no worries it's a beauty 😍
who is distributor on that guitar in the philippines?
Unfortunately they’re only available new through ThomannMusic and ThomannMusic.com I’m not sure if they ship to the Philippines or not, I’d be willing to bet that they do, but I’m sure that shipping would be really pricey…
@@FretboardDiaries
They ship anywhere but North Korea, but that is not Thomann's fault :)
4:25, nah nah nah, what 2 are u talking about? it's not 2 but 3, wait 4, 5, 6, better check it out anyways but its not as little as two. I tried 4 it's same shipping so you could make the already cheap even cheaper
I’ll have to check that out now… Back when I did this video, it was 2 guitars, then the shipping price went up…
Could be Dangerous to my bank account if true 😂
@FretboardDiaries 😀 btw man, how is the stock setup after you set it up by yourself, how's the tuning stability of the cst24t using the trem, no added parts just stock parts with but setup by the end user?
@ Honestly man, I’m not sure on the CST… I currently own 3 HB’s… A Fusion T, and ST20, and a TE20HH sbk… All three had surprisingly good setups. I have full reviews on the channel, but all three performed really well out of the box
Very good video. Thanks.
Appreciate the comment 🤘 Thanks for watching
The reverb shop has free shipping just pay tax. They also offer financing with Affirm.
True, but the sale price is the same as if you bought it from Thomann and added the shipping cost. So I generally tend to buy from Thomann, because I can add a second guitar, and shipping stays the same price, whereas on Reverb I’d be paying the full price(which is more money to compensate for shipping) for both guitars
Excellent point on the financing though!
I’d like to know where you got that chain lol
@@gypsytears22352 I got that in high school as a birthday gift some 30 years ago… I lost it shortly there after…
Fast forward to 2018, when my Mom passed away, my Dad found it in her jewelry box. I’ve worn it ever since…
I have no idea where she got it, it was before the internet was even a thing 😂… Maybe I need to figure out how to have some molded from gold and sell them, but as of now, I don’t know where it came from unfortunately 🤘🎸