Harley Benton SC550 II Revisited
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- Опубліковано 4 тра 2023
- Two years after purchasing the Harley Benton SC-550 II. Does it still hold up?
Tones provided by Neural DSP's Archetype Rabea plugin.
Unboxing and demo video - • Harley Benton SC-550 i...
#harleybenton #sc-550ii #sc550
From Thomann - The Harley Benton SC-550 II is an amazingly versatile guitar that feels at home in almost any genre. It’s packed with features that build on a classic shape introduced in the 1950s, updated to make the SC-550 II superbly playable for players in the 2020s. Check out the weight-relieved mahogany body and sumptuous AAAA flamed maple arched top with its beautiful black cherry flame top, then continue to the C-profile mahogany neck that feels like a million dollars, loaded with a silky pau ferro fretboard and 22 stainless steel frets. Two fantastic-sounding Tesla OPUS-1 AlNiCo-5 pickups have loads of sweet humbucker tones on tap, with a rounded low end, a silky-smooth mid-range and crisp highs. Let’s cut to the chase: this is a beast of a guitar that you’ll find difficult to put down.
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Best budget single cut guitar or buster? The Harley Benton SC-550 ii has me reevaluating my definition of a what makes a "quality" guitar. What are your thoughts?
Thank you so much for this awesome review. All the reviews on this guitar I have watched are saying the same that it’s a quality guitar. I have made my decision 😂
All true words my friend. 😉
This color was on backorder when I looked at these last year and I don’t trust Thomann’s back order eta’s. Ended up with a DLX Gotoh SC instead. Wouldn’t mind having both. The TE-62 is pretty sweet too
Just got thesc560ii gotoh..
Imptoves the tuners and I love it 🎸❤️
550ii gotoh
I have the same and it's beautiful. It plays really well. I own three now and Harley Benton don't disappoint.
Totally agree. I’ve yet to be disappointed in any way by any of mine as well.
I bought 4 HB’s last year (2022). I have the SC-550LH II PAF (lefty). I love the sound these Tesla’s put out.
The only changes I made: swapped out to a TonPros TOM and Grover tuners.
It’s a great instrument!
I had two Gibsons, sold them because i feel more free and play better on a medium budget guitar.
I have owned several HBs and have never been disappointed. Great clip!! Really enjoyed it! Thanks.
Thanks for the positive feedback brother!
I'd recommend a Boss OD-2 (level at max, tone at 4, drive at 0) before getting new pickups. 🤘
Yeah thanks! Your opinion on tone is exactly what I was hoping for
First thing I did was replace the tuners on mine with goto locking tuners..then replaced the bridge pup with a 59/custom hybrid and all the wiring and replaced pots with cts pots...then wanted a locking bridge so got tone pros..got mine about 2 years ago and after around $600 including the $350 price. ..it's beautiful solid plays and sounds amazing and out of all my guitars I play it everyday and rarely play any of my other dozen guitars
I liked your honesty and lay back vibe my dude ^^
Thanks brother.
Great review .
I have one and I never had any tuner problems.
I've been drooling over this red SC for a month now.
It'll probably gonna be a Christmas present to myself.
Just got a CST 24T in the mail last week and its pretty good.
Now I'm hooked...
They make good presents 🎁 lol
I love that red, man. Super nice one. I have the Harley Benton DC-600 VI (sg custom type) and it’s freakin awesome. And it was 250 bucks with shipping. 🤯
Perfect out of the box for beginners but certainly will be an amazing guitar to modify
Birthdays coming up in three months. The SC or a CST are on my list.
Great video! Subbed.
Harley Bentons are a guitar hack. Got the fusion tele and love it. Swapped pickups for SDs though
Thanks for the sub! Yeah Seymour’s might sound good it this too. I need a tele on my life at some point. 👍
@@digital360 yeah man the SDs stay true to the vintage vibe of the guitar. But I grabbed the Harley Tele also because I needed a Tele in my life. No regrets man. HB rocks. And I'm saying that having owned premium guitars worth wayyy more.
I've been a subscriber for about a month. Hope your channel rises up fast, man.😢
I actually sold a Jackson Juggernaut HT-6 Pro so I could get the next greatest piece of gear😂.
It IS nice I ended up with 2 charvels ....a DK24, which I dropped Fishmans in, and a SanDimas Pro mod with a Jb and AlnIco II.
BUT...I really do miss that Jackson. Sooo thanks, and that would be my choice for sure!
Thanks for this! I am addicted to Harley Benton guitars. I have eight of them!!!!!!!! I love Tesla pickups. They manufacture for several other top name guitars.
Sick man! I had three, two Amaroks - sold one. Yeah they haven’t let me down yet. Thanks for checking out the vid!!
Recently got the SC-25th, their 25th anniversary goldtop. I was eyeing the 450 and 550 series SC models, but decided may as well go for their 25th special edition. Same steel frets, but has locking tuners and Rosewell pickups. I am really liking it, the neck finish feels great, and the overall quality has been outstanding for the price (or 2x-3x the price even). I put it over the Epiphone LPs I have played and owned in the past that cost more than this (I think I paid $269 + shipping for this). The body is thinner, closer to a Gibson double-cut. The neck is also a bit more narrow than I am used to, so slowly acclimating to that but I don't mind since I don't have the largest of hands anyway (not a fan of the wider PRS style necks). I have 3 Harley Benton's now, first was a bass I got used on Reverb (learning to play because I may replace a bassist at the end of the year in a friend's bar band), and then ordered this SC-25th and a TE-52 at the same time to justify the international shipping cost from Thomann (you can get 2-3 guitars for the same shipping rate as 1). It's the guitar I have picked up the most since I got it a few weeks ago, even though getting the TE-52 was my primary reason for the order after being on a tele kick.
My only real complaint is that the Rosewell pickups lack a little bite. I've raised them a bit and that helps, I'll probably end up doing it again to see if I can get a little extra out of them. I'm really trying to resist putting new pups in it. It may become my default "all-around" guitar for standard tuning, so want it to be able to handle anything from nice cleans to hard rock and some metal, nothing too crazy since I have a LTD MH1000ET for that. But I'd want to be able to play some thrash, or Crazy Train, then hit a clean channel and roll back the volume or tone a bit to get a decent enough jazzy sound when I don't feel like swapping to my 339. Its been close to a decade since I last swapped pickups in a guitar, so need to see what is out there that I'd want if I do on this, especially when it comes to coil splitting.
Similarly, the Rosewell pickups in their bass are fine, I may upgrade them eventually, I just don't know enough to make a decision yet when it comes to bass. Biggest thing is I need to shield the cavity and behind the pick guard and maybe check the grounding. The Rosewell pickups in the telecaster are actually pretty decent for now, I know some complain about the neck being a little muddy in it but I like it so far, I'm sure I may upgrade them down the line as well but less inclined compared to the SC-25th. Overall, I am happy with Harley Benton quality-wise. Rosewell pickups are ok, not great, probably about what you'd expect in the mid tier Squier or Epiphone guitars.
I’m a bit jealous about the 25th anniversary model you have! I’d like to get my hands on one of those. As for the Roswell’s, I wasn’t too impressed after watching Agufish’s vids with them. It might serve the guitar well to swap out for some new ones. I mean I have Dimarzio’s, Seymour’s, Bate Knuckles and even a set of EMGs. There are a lot of better options out there if you want to spend the money. I love my sc550 and won’t be getting rid of it ever. I hope you keep enjoying yours! Thanks for watching man!
@@digital360 Ya, most of my pickup swaps have been going hotter for metal, like Duncan Distortions or this hybrid Custom/Distortion I have in my Gibson LP now that I keep in drop-c (a friend swapped magnets around between a distortion and Custom). Have mostly just had whatever came stock otherwise: EMGs, 59/JB combo, Jazz/59 combo, 490R/498T, custom Alnico 2's, etc. Never really went with a Dimarzio or other brands like Fralin or Bareknuckle, so may look into those. Just hard to stomach putting $250+ pickups in a $270 guitar, though paying $500ish for this guitar with nice pickups is still great value.
Anyways, sorry for being wordy. Will be sure to check out other videos, thanks!
I take the alnico five magnets out and put it in alnico twos. Some reason it sounds better and I have the telecaster with the hump backing. Roswell didn’t like the five.
Hump backing lollll@@stewarttomkinson3356
Yes I've got one. Difficult to beat at this price
I unfortonately wasn't that lucky with mine (the PAF version).
It had a horribly cut nut (both its height and the g saddle was barely cut making the string pop up on extreme bends) which i ended up replacing myself, and the frets are not levelled very well (i had to put the action to 2mm/0.8" on the low e and 1.8mm/0.7" on the high e otherwise a single tone bend on the 18th fret of the high e would choke out) making it very uncomfortable to play anything but blues/jazz (palm muting with the bridge so high up put my picking hard into a very uncofmy position), and the tuners as you said are very sub par. Oh i also had a bad selector switch which i had to fix myself bringing the contacts closer (the bridge pos wasn't making full contact making lose a lot of signal to the bridge pup) and with a generous amount of deoxit d5 (a very good contact cleaner).
What i really liked were the stainless steel frets (i agree that once you try them you hardly ever enjoy playing nickel frets guitars unless they've been just polished) even tho they aren't perfectly levelled (especially as i said in the higher part of the neck unfortunately since most bends happen there) and the finish. It is a gorgeous looking guitar. The pickups are meh, the neck one is way too dark and unrefined in my opinion.
All in all for the price (i paid 269 eu for it, so roughly 285 bucks) it's still a good deal, i just wish i was just as lucky as you and many other people i've heard raving about these guitars (which is why i bought one in the first place lol). It's a great guitar if you don't mind putting some work on it yourself. I don't mind doing minor fixes (like i did for the pup selector, the nut and putting locking tuners in it). But yeah, as i said, i wish i was just as lucky as some of you guys that got this axe haha. Great video btw. And playing too!
Nice rev.
I bought that one on FTF, Bstock and i was amazed (i've had many Les Pauls, studios, classic, traditional, standard, a R8...) It's not a Gibson but hey...1/10 the cost and 100% fun to play......it's a no brainer.
I'll recommend the sc custom if you like thiner necks (more ESP shape).
Cheers
Yeah can’t beat the bang for buck with these! Thanks for checking out the vid my guy.
As someone else below has said, HB have changed the mahogany to meranti which is a completely different wood. The photos of it don't look great to be honest although I haven't played it. I have the one this guy has and its amazing for £240 (bought 2 years ago) except for fret sprout which is difficult to file as stainless steel is so hard.
I'm glad I got this when I did. It is unfortunate that HB has since switched to a "cheaper" wood. Can't speak to its tonal qualities. Meranti is a slightly less dense wood, and its not endangered apparently. Still this is a really well guitar. 🤘🎸
To buy this guitar and start modding by changing tuners and pups etc is a waste of money as a used Gibson studio here is $800-$1000 Canadian, from a monotary poimt if vue and value. Nice guitar this Hb! Thanks for sharing!
A quick look on their sites taught me the replacement pickups and tuners cost about 500 bucks together, which brings the price of the upgraded guitar to almost 900 dollars. How would it compare to competitors in that price range?
No they wouldn’t . Buy used pickups , Dimarzio’s or Duncan used sets you can find them as cheap as $120 a set on reverb . The tuners will be anywhere from $50-80 so at most you’ll spend is around $200 give or take as long as you install them yourself
got the black benton v and the yellow/black tiger stripped les paul with the teslas....... both amazing.Same with my west creek V and explorer..... just fuckin' killer guitars
I'm just sorry that I can't post the photos otherwise I would give you the proof!!!
I hear the coqui in the back😂
First one I bought from them was the 400 change the magnets from ceramic to alnico twos put covers on it sounds great did the same thing to an SG it sounded horrible
i hope they make upgraded version of these with the gotoh hardware like the others in the line, id pull the trigger then.
Surprised you say that. I have several firefly LP style guitars. I don't know but I were told they have goto tuners. The ones I have on my guitars are really good. I've never had any issue with them
They do it , sc 550 II with gotoh tuners.
@@Newprodintown yes but not with this finish
@@estwrios3983 They offer the "Custom" which is more of the ESP style single cut guitar in this Flamed maple red with EMG's and locking tuners..
@@ryant3600 no stainless steel frets tho
bought a second hand one that had a full set up from richtone music - £180 - can't put it down
Those replacement tuners you mentioned... Are they an easy drop-in replacement or do you have to do any drilling?
Drop in perfect fit. Zero drilling involved. I have an old video on the replacement process too.
Hi that guitar looks and sounds great, I have the greeny/ Moore version of this guitar I cannot fault it, I’ve owned 2 Gibson Lps they are both gone now the only thing that’s better on a Gibson imho is the logo on the headstock but like for like no difference apart from the astronomical price difference and the resale value of the Gibson.
Truth.
Why different pickups ? Its what you process the signal with after it leaves that creates the final sound. As long as the pickups work, the rest is in the players abilities and how the signals processed.
New one have goto tuners but I like ninja locking tunes
Hi. Thanks for the great review. I have one question, how's the neck profile of those Hartley Benton. I saw that you mentioned that this are not that skinny necks. are they stil fast filing necks comparable to something like Ibanez RG-s or Jackson-s? Do you find it speedy, quick playable neck? Would this be comparable with something like Jackson JS22 or JS32 series of guitars, or somthing like Ibanez GRGR 131EX-BKF which is cheaper for 100euros, or some other RG or RGA around 300 euro price tag. I am in search for affordable every day guitar, that I'm not going to baby that much, but that is still nice instrument, and most importantly with fast playable neck. Here in Europe, Jackson JS32 around same price as this HB (Kelly, or Rhodes, or Worior). Would you rather go Jackson or Ibanez route, or this Benton would be sufficient. Have you ever had a chance to play this series of Jacksons or Ibanez? I am in search for speedy rhythm metal guitar, not necessary solo shredding.
Sorry on my bad English.
Thanks so much for watching! So the neck on this HB is a 60’s LP profile which is 20mm at the nut and 22mm at the 12th fret. That is slightly thicker than the Ibanez GRGR which is 19.5mm and 21.5mm respectively. I own 3 Ibanez RG’s and I love them but the necks are quite thin in my opinion.
I would also note that the SC550ii neck has lacquered finish so it won’t be quite as fast to move on as a dry unfinished neck, but I personally don’t find it getting “sticky”.
Both guitars I would recommend replacing the tuners for a higher quality locking tuner. Otherwise both good options. Good luck with your decision!
@@digital360 Even if I decide to go HB way, I would probably send down the neck on the Hartley Benton. Not all the way to the bare wood, just slightly to satin it. I have never try it myself, but should be vary quick and easy procedure. First with 400, than second pass with 1500 grade sandpaper for the super smooth playing surface. Thanks you so much for the great informative reply bro, you've been super helpful!
I was on the fence between this and the SC-DLX, but after watching your video, I'm sure about this one. Definitely changing the tuners to locking ones, and possibly the pickups to Toneriders.
They are quite similar. I have no personal experience with the DLX but it does come with push pull split coil and gotoh bridge which mine did not. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Good luck with your purchase and thank you for watching!
I have the same model. It was my 2nd Harley Benton. I already planned to switch out the pickups for something hotter and black out the hardware. And, I've owned a Gibson Les Paul that I HATED because it was so heavy. But, with the new pickups (DiMarzios) . . oh, yeah!! This guitar absolutely rivals a real Les Paul. I agree about the tuners. I haven't replaced them yet, but I have a set to put on them. The neck & fingerboard has no issues. I had no fret sprout or uneven frets. I loved it so much that I got the blue SC-Custom II, and that one is outstanding. For these prices, there really is no reason not to try out Harley Benton. I've seen videos of people trashing this brand, but I honestly think they have an ulterior motive to talk shit about these guitars. Some of their lower models definitely need a little work. But, cheaper models of some of the most popular guitar brands are junk, too. You just have to be smart. The Deluxe, Custom or Pro Line models from Harley Benton are very nice.
I have a few genuine Fenders, and have no major complaints. I like Gibson's LP design. I have friends who have these Gibsons and all have serious complaints. I'm not tying up close to or better than 2K in a guitar I bitch about.
Harley Benton is making it difficult to shop another brand.
Try bootstraps,handwound.
My response to seeing you: "we are all Negan"
Some finishes are about a 100 bucks off for another two weeks.
Unfortunately, the sc-550 ii has recently replaced the mahogany wood in the body and neck with meranti wood in the last few days, a pity, it seems like a terrible change and it has completely thrown me back, since I was thinking of acquiring one. Does anyone know something? about this change and how it affects the sound?
Apparently meranti is a type of mahogany. Philippine mahogany.
HB or not, if a guitar of mine gets knocked over or something on stage, ( unless I did it 🥴) puts me in predator mode...
lol good point.
How much does it weigh?
Just shy of 9lbs.
Haha, nice joke :D although I'm not from USA, when I first saw "roswell pickups" on Thomann - I thought exactly "aliens and UFO tech, bro"!
But seriously, being a modern superstrat person, what do you think about tune-o-matic bridge?
I've been using FRs and Hipshots, few weeks ago got LTD H3-1000 with TOM and returned this beautiful guitar, could not play on that bridge :( It felt too high up, bridge side and saddles did not feel comfortable enough, arm and hand had to be in different position, picking also got f'd up.. I can get used to it, but why if all my other guitars have low bridges :)
Absolutely love the way singlecuts look, this HB is gorgeous, but I will never buy something with TOM bridge, I guess xD
Yes I also cant play normally with the high bridge. This guitar lends itself more to the old stool rock styles where speed isn't the main factor. Not as comfortable as a modern super Strat.
Yeah 2 years, and still not a lefty version 😭😭😭
You’re not wrong my guy. They should offer a lefty in this one. I’m a lefty as well but fortunately I just learned to play right handed.
Holy shit Batman. Thoueth haseth six hundredeth and three scoreth subscribers. Eth
Thoueth needetheth to changethest iteth.
I know I don’t like it! Help! Lol
What are you playing? Sounds like Kerry King bs
but only I was unlucky enough to buy 5 Harley Bentons and there isn't one that doesn't have structural construction problems.... the 24 fret one had to have the handle mounted higher up because it CANNOT BE USED UP TO THE TWENTY-FOURTH FRET PRECISELY BECAUSE THE HANDLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MOUNTED HIGHER UP... THE SC-CUSTOM VINTAGE HAS THE HANDLE GLUED IN A WRONG WAY... WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THE CAPS A BICYCLE MECHANIC WOULD FIT IT BETTER!!! I DON'T UNDERSTAND NOW YOU WHO MAKE THE REVIEWS WHAT GUITARS THEY GIVE!!! EVERYTHING MAKES ME THINK YOU ARE COMPLACENT OR THAT THOMMAN IS PAYING YOU SOMEHOW!!! OTHERWISE IT WOULDN'T BE EXPLAINED WHY THEY THEN ARRIVE AND SELL GUITARS WITH CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS WITH THE TAKE OF TELLING YOU THAT THE GUITAR IS QUALITY CONTROL!!! NOTHING COULD BE FALSE OTHERWISE A SERIOUS COMPANY WOULD REMOVE THEM FROM THE MARKET NOT THAT THEY WOULD SELL IT AND EVEN B/STOCK!!! WHICH MEANS THAT THE QUALITY CONTROL WAS DONE SEVERAL TIMES, BUT A GUITAR ARRIVED WITH THE NECK GLUED ON IN A WRONG WAY!! AND I HAVE PROOF SINCE I STILL HAVE ALL THE GUITARS!!! I WILL KEEP THEM OWN TO TRY TO NEVER MAKE THEM SELL THIS CRAP AGAIN AND TO NEVER SCAM PEOPLE ANYMORE!!!
You know guitars don’t have handles right? You keep talking about handles being wrong on yours.
GD has the trademark on Nature. So woods do not carry a "brand" name. Sorry Gibson! no need for real craftsmanship! With today's technology we will all also have a personal robot luthier at hand! the end of ALL BRANDS! Amen.
fait la sonner cette guitare, au lieu de parler !
It's not true that Harley Bentons only need to be configured well by a luthier as they imply...the guitars have structural construction problems...the 450 model can tend to lean towards the headstock because it was poorly built ...out of 5 harleys one that works well as you and thammon say I haven't bought it yet!!! I'm unlucky!!! out of 5 fucking guitars I'll go to Luords then..in the meantime here are the truths about Harley Benton!!! and their fraudulent policies!! I ADD I ALSO BOUGHT AN IBANEZ.. THERE TOO IS THE SCAM IN SINCE THE GUITAR SOLD DID NOT CORRESPOND TO THE ONE IN THE ADVERTISEMENT.. IN THE SENSE THAT THE IKL BRIDGE WAS NOT BRANDED IBANEZ!!!!! IN FACT, A SLAUGHTER HAPPENED!!! THIS IS THOMMAN!!!
it sounds awful... and they are definitely cheap.