Harley Benton's SC-450plus and the SC-550 paf - Let´s find out the 7 main differences!
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- Опубліковано 10 жов 2017
- Hi!
Let's find out the 7 main differences between these 2 Les Paul type guitars.
Unbiased video, just me and my son having fun and creating a data base of all the guitars that go thru our home :)
No pedals used on this video, just straight to the amp - Yamaha THR 5.
If you have any questions about this guitar or others, feel free to comment on the comments section below.
Hope you enjoy it!
Stay in tune ;)
Specs Harley Benton SC-450plus: www.thomann.de/es/harley_bent...
Specs Harley Benton SC-550 paradise amber flame:
www.thomann.de/gb/harley_bent...
#guitarlover
#harleybentonguitars
#sc550paf
#sc450plus
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You can add coil split to the SC-550. I did it by changing the tone controls to push/pull pots. The wires for the split are in there, they're just taped off and not connected to anything. Put them on the push/pull so that in the up position the unused red/white wires are shorted to ground.
Thanks! That's helpeful. I will pin your comment in case someone needs to do it ;)
10 days ago I bought a SC 450 plus lemon drop (beauty) used for little money but with Wilkinson PU.
I love that sound, stays in tune, playability very good, everything is fine.
Concise and clear. Love it.
Thank you soooo much!
This is a great minimalist review. Thank you
I bought a sc450+ more than 2 years ago.
it came with a bone nut and the tuners are pretty good. upgraded electronics and replaced the wilkinson pups with a dimarzio paf pro on the bridge and a WSC alnico V on the neck.
I still can't believe that I paid so little and I got so much. love it!
yeah, roswell pickups are made by WSC, I've been using them for years and they are awesome.
The wilkinson pickups that came with my sc450 are not bad, but are not that good either. they were labeled as alnico vintage style. but I'm pretty sure they were (alnico flavored) ceramic.
Frank Winterlong Good to know. In case I find any 2nd hand from the original model. Thanks!
you're very welcome.
You are a lucky guy, also have the Wilkinsons and good tuners, but no bone nut...
Straight to the point - i liked it :)
Cool video. These comparisons are important but no one else is making them.
I would make more if I had more similar guitars... but it all cames out of my pocket, so I try to buy as different guitars as posible, to have a wider experience.
I just got the SC550 last week for my birthday and I love it. And yes, it does Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Ace Frehley and Slash ALL NIGHT LONG!
Good review! Concise, no cutesy floor show like other reviews. Of course now, Harley Benton has the Roswell LAL AlNiCo 5 pups, which are actually quite nice and bluesy. Also the shielded pots is a bug plus on the 550, as adding a split coil switch is easy (it's wired for it). I bought the 550, in Tobacco maple burst. Very nice. Not as heavy as my 71' Gibson Les Paul Custom Fretless Wonder. Thank you for the good review. Gave you a thumbs up. Be well!
Thank you, James.
Stay safe.
I almost bought a SC550....glad I didn't! Im getting a SC450 plus. Thanks for this comparison it helped me alot.
very informative video - short and precise! i wanna see more comparisons in that style ! and that dog makes me hungry..... don't know why.... just kiddin....
Thanks! I wish I worked for Thomann to make more videos like this. Unfortunately, I have to buy the guitars myself and can't afford more guitars at the moment. Specially two of the same type :))
Thanks, good informative video!
Thanks for the compliment! :)
Great video. I like the style and content; straight to the point. I bought a 450plus 1.5 year ago and I like it very much. The coil split is great; it can give some kind of Tele sounds. I agree with you, the pickups are a bit dark and more suited to blues than screaming rock. Indeed I would appreciate a better self lubricated nut and shielded cavity. The tuning issues seem to come from strings sticking in the nut slots, more than the tuners... the typical Gibson problem... I will try to cut the slots more precisely and add graphite. But for the rest I will probably keep it as it is. It has its own smooth bluesy character that I like.
Joël Cugnoni Thank you so much, Joël! These kind of comments are what make us going... (there's a lot of work behind each video).
About the sc450, mine has no tuning issues, neither the sc550 (which I returned), but will upgrade the nut in the future anyway - for less than 10eur you can have a proper nut.
But I still think it has an excellent value for money!
Enjoyed your review...I have a 450sc plus and I love it...the quality is outstanding...
Thanks Tom, I still have mine and it still is the best playing Les Paul I came across.
I had one. Brilliant. Gave it to a friends son just starting college. I want another one. I have an sc1000 in black. Fabulous.
what is the neck like? thick or thin...
@@borger9952 I find it in between just right.
Hello great review, very direct and informative. I'm just starting out and would you advise that either of these guitars would be good to start learning to play? Really like the 550 or what other guitar coukd you suggest, thanks for your time
Thanks! Both guitars, with a proper setup (you can ask thomann to do it before dispatch it) are more than great to start.
Pick the one you like the looks the most.
So basically, the 550 is a great ready to play entry-level guitar and the 450 a mod platform.
Does anyone know if the necks are the same? (Length, material, frets, quality?)
Good video. I just got me a 450plus and I am surprised about the value for the buck (euro!). I replaced the pu with ToneRider Alnico AC2 and am very pleased with them, I like the bluesy vintage sound. And I dismounted the pickguard, too. Tuning stability is ok, I'll add some graphite in the nuts. Great guitar for the money.
Hans Gruber Thanks! I agree with you on everything. And in my opinion, the sc450plus is a more balanced guitar with more possibilities.
And apparently I was just unlucky with the tuners, because no one else is complaining about it on UA-cam :)
I just ordered new ones for about 25eur - let's see how it works out. But still - excellent value for money.
Guitar Lover - I thougt about new tuners also, I am no fan of these vintage ones. Do you know the diameter of the holes? I also changed the knobs, because they were hard to pull for the coil split.
Check it out here:
ua-cam.com/video/dC7vDK9vBWQ/v-deo.html
Hans Gruber I don't know, but will know it soon. I should receive the new tuners this week and when I swap them I'll mesure it and let you know.
Hans Gruber Hi Hans! The diameter of the holes is 8mm. The diameter of the screw holes is 2mm. On the next video I will show it. Will also try harley benton strings on it ;)
@@carlosclaptrix my 450+ has 8mm tuners holes. I changed the plastic nut with a buffalo bone nut (and I've got a brand new brass nut to install, but it needs a little work first). I've seen your knobs and I must say they ruin the vintage style (in my opinion of course). I've changed my knobs with speed knobs of the same original colour. I think they look great. The problem was the same, the original ones were difficult to pull. Look for LP speed knobs on Google. Regards
Ok , great video but it’s now 2021 do we still feel the same way and lean to the $440 fellas ?
Hi! I just came across your video. Very informative and it helped me to decide faster than any printed documents. Since the chance any of them will look exactly as presented on the site I'd go for the 450 [both are veneer tops] and spend the difference on upgrading it. If it came without pickups it have been even better :D. Is there any difference between them related to frets, fretboard, binding, neck joint ?
Thanks! To answer your question, they where about the same (besides the fact that I had a terrible fret work on my sc550)
,but I don't know if it remained the same with the new made in Vietnam models...
I have the sc-550 and indeed a very nice guitar to rock!!!
I think I will purchase the SC-550 I have already bought two Harley Benton Guitars one is the TE-52 TELECASTER and I also bought the Black Stratocaster type Guitar. I am really blown away by the Quality of these guitars for the price. I got lucky with mine I could play both right out of the box. The TE-52 Took a little tweaking but I don't think you can beat them for the price.
One big problem I have with the 550 is the over-stated veneer tops, and the even bigger problem is they don't make one in old fashioned clownburt ("cherry sunburst"); your very helpful video suggests that the 450 is probably fine for my purposes, even if the tuners might need to go. (I want Dimarzio Super Distortions anyway)
Gotoh SD90 tuners fit in both guitars.
What is the thickness of the neck on the 1st and 12th frets of both guitars?
stillG Hi! It feels they have exactly the same neck with 2 cm thick on the 1st fret and 2.2 cm on the 12th fret.
nice video, thank you
You just convinced me that maybe I need both 😂
giddyrightonup could do! Hahaha
Really good comparison I knew the pickups were different but the rest was interesting as well. I guess it's about the sound you want. I like the coil split and you can replace the tuners fairly cheap. You would think the more expensive one would have the coil split. Is it just the cover that is shielded? That's easy enough to do.
Thanks! There's another sc550 but with a different finish (tobacco burst) that has coil split.
This one has not because is made thinking about Slash and the appetite for destruction album (Slash's guitar had no coil split).
And yes, every cavity is shielded on the sc550.
And I already replace the nut and tuners on the sc450+ And I prefer the way the neck feels (both are very similar with fat necks, but I feel that the sc450 one is more vintage fat sort of way).
Oh and stays in tune amazingly well, even after a few days in the case or after a few hours of playing
Indeed! Both of them!
Geez, one of the 1st 450 vs 550 reviews that actually is worth a damn! Good work. Lose the dog, though.
Thanks! The dog will no longer appear. She past away last year.
Guitar Lover I’m sorry about your dog. It’s always a hard thing no matter how old they are. I hope you will have another dog to give you love.
@@erictoniaschwab1009 thanks for the kind words. And she was a Love dog... always giving love to everybody, the sweetest dog I ever met.
@@GuitarLover That's a horrible answer! The dog is no longer in the video because she's dead? Ah! I love dogs! Oh, well, thanks for actually paying attention to my acerbic tirade. I'm not a mean person, but I can be a nasty commenter. I don't try to be. I don't want to be. I just sit back in my comfy chair, watch the video, and think "Wow, good review. But what in the heck is that doing in there? I mean, I love dogs too, but I don't want the visual distraction or competition for viewers attention, because viewers just might love dogs and then be distracted & not pay attention to the topic, and then who profits? No-one." I'll think all that, & 10X more, in the span of a single second. I'm calculating combinations of permutations of conjugations without trying. Wait, it's a guitar review, right? WELL, with THAT SAID, I bought neither a 450, nor a 550, despite your excellent review. I bought a "Custom." Should be here any day now. I don't know if the guitar is/will be any good, but if it is, if it lives up to its on-line hype, I so want a 550. EXCEPT, the Custom just fits my needs better. I don't want it to. I want the 550 to fit my needs better. I like the shape, being closer to the The Pauls (is Les French for "the" or short for "Lester" & why don't I know? Didn't that dude just die like, last year or something? Maybe he was French. Whatever.) BUT I don't play with the sound controls a whole lot on the geetar. Some, but not much. Single tone knob is way more my style. Heck, single volume single tone. Plus, I have a bunch of double cutaway guitars, Strats, Super Strats, other domestic & import, and they're all so svelte, so sexy, with their curves & sleek look, & that Les Paul knock-off is SO boxy. Don't get me wrong, I like that boxiness, but what if I'm gigging, and it's I've been playing for a couple of hours, and the club is all hot, & steamy, & the audience is drunk & unruly, & the stage is cramped, is that boxiness going to start getting on my nerves? Maybe. Don't know, but it's possible..... back to the Custom. Pigeon-holed out of a 550 & into a Custom IN SPITE OF your excellent review. I wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors with whatever pet you have. Hopefully another dog. I love dogs. :-) (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I type fast. REAL fast. Top of the food-chain 100WPM fast. Makes long posts take seconds to type. I feel sorry for people that can't touch type fast. Do you know how much of your life you're wasting by typing slowly? I don't. Probably some. Probably some quality dog/master time in there somewhere.)
To be honest sooner or later i'm gonna buy both.
great vid! What about neck thickness? 550 is thinner is it? i only have 550.
Thx! The 450 feels fatter and rounder.
I believe the 550 actually has a real maple cap and veneer. The 450 is mahogany body with a veneer top. The Afd paradise is my favorite
Ive been eyeballing these guitars and finally pulled the trigger. Getting a 550. I dont care about coilsplitting. Ive got a strat for that.
Both very nice guitars, the additional $100 or so is worth it since you get quite an upgrade however the sc450 is still a good guitar.
Are these single cut LP style guitars as thick as a Gibson or are they thinner?
Both this ones in particular have a very similar neck profile and are very like a Gibson 50's style chunky neck. (Although, I heard people that have them with thinner necks).
Good information to know; thanks Mario lol.
You are very welcome!
Thanks, Borat!
is there a diference in neck tyhickness as the 550 is listed with a 60s profile neck
Actually, not much. They are both beefy. I have the feeling that the sc550 is a bit slimmer, but it's hard to tell.
@@GuitarLover ok thanks for the reply
Dammit, I got the SC-Custom. Now I don't know what to think :-(
After reading and watching various reviews, the main reason I did was… the thinner body with rib-cut (don't like to feel that angle trying to break in) and the nicer Honey Flame.
i bought the custom in lemon drop..by mistake thinking it was the 450....thomann told me to refuse the delivery and they will resend the 450..
I have decided to buy the SC 450 Plus and replace the stock PU by Tonerider AC 2
Herbert Gabel haven't tried does pickups.... let me know how it sounds on the sc450.
Well how do they sound , is still your go to guitar ?
@@benallmark9671 they sound very good - to me. Very good creamy Sounds. In this pricerange great!
The very cheap SC 450 Plus is still my go to LP-style guitar. The base is in my case very good and the's no need to look for other brands and more expensive LP. G&L ASAT Special S3, HB SC450Plus, Line 6 Helix, Brunetti Singleman and my Vox AC - that's my simple mean setup. Fingers and felling is the most important thing!
I personally like the lemon drop
This was excactly what I wanted to know, I almost bought 550 Deluxe but this video told me NO, go and buy the 450 Plus.
Thank you
You are welcome!
hi
is the neck thinner on the 550 tyhan the 450 or are they the same only the 550 spec says 60s profile ?
cheers
kevin perry they have exactly the same neck. Mesured 2 cm thick on the 1st fret and 2.2 cm on the 12th fret. Was this you wanted to know?
yes thanks i wonder why they spec 60s neck on the 550 and c shape on the 450
kevin perry because they are messy :) or don't have enough staff to control/upload/check all the specs from all products.
For example, they often don't tell what kind of nut is coming with the guitar... and all sort of stuff like that.
Anyway, both necks feel the same and I like them. They feel big on my hand. It's not a shredders neck.
ok thanks i do have the sc450 plus but i had to cut the neck down as i like the 60s profile and would like to have got the 550 especialy if it had a 60s profile sdo thanks for the reply and the great vid
kevin perry no worries :)
And thanks for the complement :)
how about neck profile?
Both C, although I would say that the the sc550 is more on the modern side. But still C.
I have both as well, but the SC450+ with the Wilkinson PUs they put in before and I like earlier. The tuners in my SC450 are also fine... pu the pots in my SC550 are better.
I think the SC550 is worth the upgrade. And it is worth further upgrades: better strings, alu stoptail, better pickups...
I still think the Harley Benton SC-450& the SC-550 are much better than the Epiphone Les Paul Pro Top for about 1/3rd cheaper. IMO
@@randallbarger5319 I am not at all happy with the epiphones and the cheap gibsons. If you need that gibson on your headstock, you need to spend much more than 1000$, than you get a good instrument as well. I see no reason for an epiphone at all.
Actually for my SC550 I spend lots of work on nut and frets, changed the really weird wiring to a clean 50s also changing from 47nf to 22nf for 5$, exchanged the stoptail to aluminium for 50$ (gotoh 103) and added some boutique humbuckers for 350$ (weird but was worth it) with those changes the instrument is getting close to the really high end gibsons... for less than 750$. Also exchanged bridge and tuners, but that is not really required. Bridge of the SC550 is better than on SC450.
Nevertheless, the headstock format is not ideal, really prefer the PRS style. I would also prefer stainless steel frets.
If Thomann would offer a 100$ servicing on the guitars, before sending them out, this would be good at least for beginners.
Play some Frank Zappa, you look like him! Thanks for the video, I'm buying the 450plusVB.
K31Scout OK. Will learn some frank zappa riff and will play it on the next video.
My sc450+ is one of the best Les Pauls I came across (Gibson included), playability wise.
How about weight difference 550& 450?
My SC550 is heavier, but you can never tell... even guitars made with the same wood can weight different.
In my case the SC550 is also a little heavier.
Sorry, now in 2020, it is still so? Or SC-450plus is better than 2017? Thanks a lot
I don't know... haven't tried the 2020 one. But still love my sc450plus.
Guitar Lover thank a lot! I buied sc-450plus this night!
@@manliotonfoni3971 great! Let me know how it is when you receive it!
Guitar Lover but I don’t know to play😅 before I must to learn💪🏻💪🏻
Can you tell me your opinion on Harley Benton SC-500 BK
NixiPunk Hi! I have never tried one... as far as I know it has a nobrand pickups. And the gold hardware will soon start to fade... (it happens in all cheap gold hardware - like on the Epiphones for example).
Good Luck
Is the replacement of the hardware too expensive? I mean i wouldn't change it immediatly only if it starts to fade.Also how long did it took for your Harley Benton to arrive? Btw i ordered That Harley Benton SC-500 BK last monday and i'am from Serbia. Thanks
NixiPunk to Spain takes usually 5 days... so I would expect to be at your doorstep one of these days :)
The hardware can be affordable , I changed the tuners on my sc450plus ( there's a video of it), and they coste 23eur if I'm not mistaken.
But maybe you won't mind the fading gold... so no need to replace it.
Thank you soo much i'll check that out right now!
NixiPunk you're welcome! And Thomann has all sorts of hardware replacements. And on ebay, you can find everything. Search for Vanson on stores (I think it's called Vanson)
coil split - win ...maybe add some $15 tuners.... sorted.
Sure ! I liked it ! In fact, I loved it ! But now I need to by both of them !!!!!!! Thanks ! Lol, 😁🖒✌
What about SC500? White one?
Haven't tried one... but as far as I know it has more modern style features, thinner neck, pickups more suitable to higher gain settings, etc.
@@GuitarLover okay, thanks!
Hey it's the Portuguese guitar dude. How's it hangin' bro?
All good, but my son is now a teenager and he couldn't care less for guitars or doing videos with his old man :(
But that's been a teenager, so all good. Just no videos.
They must have changed the strap locks on the sc-550. I bought a tobacco sunburst 550 in Dec 2017 and it has the same conventional strap locks as the sc-450plus.
cdt996 all I know is that on mine the locking pin was missing :)
I returned it anyway and got a refund. No complaints. Love my sc450 - plays amazing.
👍
Cool beard
Did you remove the pickguard on sc 450 ld plus?
Yes
He look like Gary moore les paul 🥰
i'd take the 550 if it came in the same color as the 450......i ordered the 450
johncartelli can understand that. And the 450 is excellent (at least mine is).
Which do you think is better?
I kept the 450plus... I just couldn't justify the extra money.
I would pay more for the 450 actually.
That's a very good point!
I'd rather buy the cheaper one and swap out all of it to achieve Les Paul standards.
the 550 isnt there. if I wanted a strat single coil sound why would I get a LP?
Why do you say that about this ? It’s got dual humbuckers
All the hardware, pick ups and electronics need to be replaced in both these guitars. With that being said you can get push/pull electronics and put them on either block of wood.
The electronics on the SC550, the bridge and the tuners are not so bad!
I exchanged with Gotoh SD90, GE103B-T and GE101A and only the lighter stoptail was really noticable.
Also the bridge PU is not so bad... but the neck PU is quite bad.
For the electronics, exchanging the 47nf with 22nf (should cost a dollar) and changing to 50s wiring is good options.
Shielded yes, but nicely - - - nah!
You sound portuguese 😏
Ricardo Henriques Ricardo Henriques sounds definitely Portuguese! :)
Mas, sim, já me apanhaste!
Guitar Lover takes one to know one 😏