Juniors are just the coolest guitars out there. Being a massive leslie west fan the epiphone les paul junior is probably my favourite. This video is how comparison videos should be done.
Harley Benton has a gorgeous looking DC junior in faded cherry satin that is called a Fat Jr. It has coil splitting capability and has some really very good reviews.
Pretty good straight ootb. Just two fret ends got catchy after 3 weeks, easily sorted. Nut slots needed a little attention; don't they always ... The single bridge P90 (AlNiCo 5 ?) is Ok. It did however need raising a full 1/8th (3mm). Fun to play and very good value for money.
My Coronet sounds incredible. The pickup and pots work together really well. Creamy low end, a ton of mids, beautiful high end and a ton of dynamics and variation, from heavy overdrive to almost acoustic tones with the volume knob alone. The neck is very comfy with rolled edges. A deal at the price too.
I thought Coronet’s were ugly little things when I first saw them. But they’re definitely growing on me, especially that tuxedo black and white one. Very cool guitar.
Absolutely mate, picked up an SG standard and a Les Paul 50s standard and I'm still in disbelief over just how good they are. Would buy again in a heartbeat.
I bought a Coronet and fell in love with it. Had a 50’s style wiring kit & a bone nut fitted to it. Really transformed the sound of it. A lovely thing.
@@donnyhall2535 920D are scammers. Not only do they sell the scam that paper-in-oil capacitors are, they actually sell a generic capacitor wrapped over to look like a paper-in-oil. Just buy a couple of good pots, a generic film cap and a quality jack and have a tech wire it up. Takes 10 minutes and much much less expensive
Good review bro I bought the Coronet last year and love it. The Coronet was my first guitar when I was 15 years old, I sold it "big mistake" I'm 74 now and had to replace it : ) I bought the Epiphone Coronet Chinese model to replace my memories of my first axe. All in all I like it, Epiphone did a good job with this one. I paid $400 delivered here in Los Angeles
Mr. Guitaristas, The Human body is frequency and vibration. The guitar is frequency and vibration! When ur in a high mood. Frequency wise, go and play ur heart out❤, it always sounds so much better when your body talks to your guitar. There’s definitely a Language getting translated. It truly a beautiful experience. God Bless
Couple of observations about the Vintage electronics. The P100 may be a stacked humbucker. Hence the high resistance reading and 4 wires. They may have put linear pots in the guitar rather than log pots. That could explain the one-off nature of the pots.
Harley Benton has a DC LPJ style knockoff with a stacked P90 that has coil splitting to give you a standard P90 sound. I remember when Billie Joe Armstrong had a DC Junior signature with a stacked P90 in it and people bought it expected a P90 sound and essentially got a humbucker and it turned people off, so the coil splitting feature on the Harley Benton is great. I think it goes for under $300.
The Vintage P100 is a stacked pickup. On their Mick Abrahams SG Special knock off it had two of these soap bar style. Great neck and resonance to that guitar, so I stripped it, plugged the pickup cavities, rerouted the bridge cavity a little further forward like a 61 Junior, replaced the wiring loom with a 50s style, threw in a Brierley (Australian hand wound) dogear low wound P90, painted it Olympic white, made a early 60s style pickguard, replaced the tuners with Kluson style Gotohs. I did keep the wraparound lightning bar bridge it had. Plays like a mofo.😊
@@theguitaristas After a few weeks of playing the Epiphone Les Paul Junior I just took it to my luthier to get a basic setup done and it turned out he had bought one as well and he swapped out the p-90 for a Bare Knuckle Warpig 90. Is this guitar the most underrated and misunderstood guitar because its an Epiphone and has only one pickup?
My son was so crazy for the Harley Benton with that funky bridge, he had to get one. He also bought me the Lp style in silver glitter with a p90 on it. Awesome fun! Rock on! Merry Christmas!
I watched your comparison video of the Gibson and Epiphone Les Paul Junior and it convinced me to by the Epiphone. Such a really nice guitar and fun to play.
I was unable to watch this when it dropped, but I am really glad I did. An outstanding side by side by side by side demonstration of these instruments. Thank you so much for reviewing affordable guitars. It is shocking how well they sound and play these days. Thanks again for another great video. Cheers mate!
I own that same exact Vintage V130 and its amazing. It keeps right up with my Gibson Les Paul Junior and feels nearly identical aside from the Wilkinson pickup which I personally don't like
Awesome comparison , I have an SG - Epiphone LP Junior ( with GIBSON P90 ) too , purchased the Coronet last week & it exceeded my expectations by far ! The Sound -RESONATION of the Coronet is Amazing !
Starting with the Coronet you gave us the full blast Vox overdrive. And your overdrive pedals. By the time you reach the Epiphone Les Paul junior I realized you weren't following the same process added value to the educational video.
Great review, thank you! I own a faded cherry red 1978 El Degas double cutaway Les Paul Junior with two P90 soapbar pickups, which I bought new at the time. I understand it's a Japanese copy of the 1960 Gibson Special Double Cut. I love the guitar and want to keep it because these are light and impossible to find today, but the original P90's are just so poor and hum like crazy, even with proper shielding. So, a long time ago I found a used DiMarzio double row humbucker in a soapbar format, which I installed at the bridge. It does cancel the hum, but I find it kills the personality of the instrument. So, after decades of waiting, I finally found two newly released DiMarzio Fantom P90 soapbars and will install them in the El Degas. I just can't wait for the result because these are newly designed hum-canceling pickups for that format and are rated at 13.77 kOhms. Likely the design somehow hides a second noise cancelling coil within. So I checked and the Wilkinson P90 on the Vintage V130 is also specified as a hum-cancelling pickup, which may explain why it reads around 14kOhms and has four wires, as it's a double coil. I'm a retired engineer with some experience in ferrite transformer design, so I hope one day to get to the bottom of how it's done, without cutting one open! For now though I think this could explain the total resistance of the winding. My 2 cents...
Interesting comparison and totally fair as you found them, but I have to say I bought the Vintage Guitar Company Les Paul Junior Double Cut version about a year & a half ago, and mine is absolutely superb. I’ve been playing for fifty-odd years, so I’ve played a load of guitars in that time, and I always wanted a Junior as a change from my Strat & Tele. I didn’t want to splash a load of cash on a Gibson, and got the chance of a bankrupt stock one £149 (!) At the price, I thought it was worth a punt. I have to say it’s one of my favourite ever guitars. It didn’t smell at all, and after a setup it plays well & sounds gorgeous. I’ve no idea if the pickup is a P90, a P100, or whatever, but I don’t care, I love this guitar! I would hate to think your review, although well meant, puts anyone off trying one of the Vintage Guitar versions, as they’re better than this comes across. Peace & love!
Cheers Adrian, I also hope I don’t put anyone off... I think I did say that it was a great guitar for the money, the pots were an easy fix, and the smell would fade! 😆 I will be bringing it out again soon to look at the electrics and give it some more love!
I just bought the Vintage and likewise no smell( I feel cheated lol) My pots worked fine but I’m going to change them for a better set. They work but not the most responsive.Overall I feel it’s a great guitar and also the P100 designation is they’re take on a hum canceling P90
To Kirk Scobey : glad you got one & love it - I wondered about doing what you’re proposing to do I. e. change the pots, etc .I’d be interested to know how you get on with that, & if it’s worth doing.
Great Video! Love the sound of a P90! I have one of the Gibson 120th anniversary Melody Makers in TV Yellow and I love to play that guitar! A Jr. is definitely on the list, will likely by the Epiphone version. Thanks for sharing and taking time to do these videos! Cheers Bill
You do the most in depth guitar reviews and I love your channel. they are long though but that's OK. I enjoy them when I have time. Thanks for what you do Sir.
That's one of the best hours I have spent on the internet. Bravo! I'll be checking out the rest of your comparisons and reviews now that I'm subscribed. Thanks!
Very helpful indeed…I’m loving that Coronet and can feel a purchase coming on soonest. I fancy something different lately and am looking forward to working the tone possibilities of a single P90 instead of three pickups and lots of switches. Great comparison Colin thank you.
Picked up a used HB DC-60 for a song and I just love the thing! Sounds and plays great, especially considering what it cost. This is probably the best "cheap" guitar I ever played. Did need a bit of a set up, but nothing major. The Roswell Anlico V P90 it comes with is pretty great. Loves Fuzz and I really like that with a slight turn on the vol. and/or tone controls it starts sounding completly different and cleans up really well. For the $/€/£ these cost, you can't go wrong imho. It reminds me a bit of a good Epi SG 400 I used to own. But I love the fact that due the DC-60 being a single Pu guitar, the set neck resonates more then the 2 pu SG.
The Les Paul Junior double cut is going to be my next purchase. Simplistically beautiful. No nonsense. It has to be TV yellow. I'm a Johnny Thunders obsessive. Love the video.
A lot of budget guitars seem to be improving in the last few years. Full size pots don't add that much cost, but do add value to the player. I've been an Epiphone fan for a long time, but Harley Benton keeps surprising me with how good they are for what they cost. If Thoman will raise their QC level a little they'll really improve. I love the rounded edge and low weight of the Epiphone Coronet. Great video. Well done.
They already have. Of course you can't expect perfection with guitars of such a low price but if you are able to tinker with it they can become a killer guitar for a fraction of the price of the big names. They are incredible. History repeats itself. Everybody made fun of products from Japan. See where they are now. Same goes for China and Indonesia.
I’ve just bought an Epiphone cornet. Such a beautiful and a classic guitar. More character than ancient Rome with sex appeal on par with Vouge’s back catalogue 👌
I just bought the red Epi Coronet. It’s already one of my favorite guitars in my collection. It plays and sounds fantastic. And surprisingly the intonation is almost spot on. My only complaint is the neck dive when used standing with a strap. Sitting with it in your lap it’s perfectly balanced. Might have to move the strap button to the horn. Cheers and thanks for the review!
I found that using "Grippers" strap buttons from Stewmac fixes that flaw instantly... My SG's and my Firebirds no longer have neck dive... Moreover, these strap buttons are a safe option because of their T-shape and they can't rust over time...
That was fun I have a Vintage and you are right about it but mine didn't smell but I got it used One thing I got out of this is, it's the player and you sir made them all sound awesome. Thanks
I really like the sound of that coronet. Maybe someday i'll buy one, but i've already bougth 7 guitars this year so that'l have to wait.. A p100 in gibson terms is a stacked p90, to cancel some of the hum. Might very well be the same type of pickup on the vintage I would also love to see a video about all the SG's you have back there. Maybe a comparisson between them. Keep up the good work
the woods they seem to have chosen for these coronet wilshire and crestwood sound great and from the ones ive seen have great figuring too. They seem to decent wood also looks dunno if this is because of surplus because of the pandemic or maybe the ones i saw were just lucky ? Either way i think we can agree epiphone under new ownership has never been better
@@theguitaristas I started playing on an Epiphone vintage g400 so my love for the SG goes deep. Id love to see all of them eventually. I'll keep an eye out for your future video's. Also, if you'd like to try an SG with a bigger neck you should try the Gibson sg tribute or the ''modern'' Gibson SG standard. They come with a rounded neck profile. My Gibson SG tribute has just about the same neck profile of my Epi LP 1959.
@@SionynJones Certainly, i've been very impressed with the new Epiphones. It's not without reason i bought a les paul standard 60's, les paul 59 and an es339 this year ;) I am especially impressed with the quality of the probucker and alnico classic pro humbuckers. After a good setup and some amp tweaking they come very close in sound and playabilty of my gibsons.
I have to say, the Harley Benton sounds really good. Way better than I expected. I'm just getting caught up on your channel, and I must say, I really enjoy your videos!
Harley Benton pickups are usually pretty average (I've got three of them, and I put Tonerider pickups in two of them), but their P90s are great! I've got their Goldtop 'replica', with the original P90 in the neck, and Tonerider in the bridge, and honestly, there was no noticeable improvement with the Tonerider.
I believe the 4 conductors indicate a a stacked P-90 you could then install a push pull if one so desired. I got one of this Vintage SG’s a few months ago, Very pleased with the build. The pups a ok, that would be a point of upgrade for most I think. But the Bones are quite solid.
I’ve got a load of single P90 guitars but none are current models. I found this review of current models interesting, it’s amazing what you can get for not much money these days, nothing was terrible. I suspect that the Vintage guitar has a stacked humbucker like the Gibson P100 pickup, you could probably fit a pull switch pot and turn into a single coil when needed, (less output, cleaner sound), if did it yourself it would probably cost less than £10! I love your old SG Junior , I borrowed one around 25 years ago whilst my SG Standard was being repaired and wish I’d never returned it, it was an early 60s guitar and was absolutely amazing.
Cheers Henry, yes that P100 definitely needs something! I really should find an excuse to plug the '62 in at some point as it sounds pretty amazing too.
Great work here. I bought the LP Jr from Epi about a year and a half ago. Had to wait but worth it. Happy to see the Coronet ri'd. If only they'd put a black guard on a cherry finish. Sorta like Steve Marriott in Humble Pie's Rockin' The Fillmore. I love SG's, too (G400 and JT55PTR here) and dig the HB SG Jr. man, nearly 20 years ago, TV appearance of Tom Petty. Mike tearing it up on Running Down A Dream, SG Jr was it. Saw them in '97,,,,he changed guitars so many times i can't recall what he used.
Another great review - best channel and best choice of guitars to review, bar none. A couple of years ago I bought a Tokai Junior - Chinese made rather than my other Tokais which are all MIJ - but a great guitar nonetheless - very playable, low action, decent intonation, fit and finish excellent. I had my tech put a Bare Knuckles Nantucket P90 in and it sounds perfect. The only downside is that at 6 and a half pounds I find it too light for live work...I like heavy LPs for on stage that anchor me to the floor....but for playing at home and, particularly recording, it is superb...
Is that the Les Paul DC Junior?... that was an option or this but I went for the cheaper Vintage option. I really wanted the Tokai SG Junior but they are quite rare :(
What a great video!! I've got a line on a Harley Benton DC 60. It appears to look identical to the guitar you reviewed. I don't have a single SG in the collection and this one looks like a great intro for me!! I"m all in on the P-90 sound!! With several P-90 equipped guitars. Santa brought me a 1997 Epiphone double cut Junior with a single P-90. From what I can tell, it's a rare find here in the USA. The Serial number look up says it was made in Japan by Terada!! Not sure I believe that, but the build is real nice...Thanks again & Happy New Year!! Bryan
Because of your Les Paul Special show, I bought the Epiphone in TV Yellow yesterday. I haven't played P-90's since the mid 70's. Great little guitar. Love the P-90's. Thanks for the video. I'm glad your on UA-cam.
@@theguitaristas you could I suppose. Dunno what they'd be like. Maybe try in series? I whipped the P100 out of my SC Junior and put an Alegree pickup in.
@@theguitaristas Aye, the Trees that gave it up for the Víntáge guitars were top quality 😃 I put a used Tone-pros bridge on mine then had to custom cut a nut because the strings were flopping off too easy. I found the Wilko bridge rocks forward in the posts and gives you the "Sitar" effect on the Hi E.
Great stuff! Beautiful vintage SG you’ve got there! I just recently managed to find a Tokai LP Custom here in the States used. I can see the prices on those creeping up. I paid what an Epiphone costs new. Hard to say if it’s worth it at this early stage.
I recommend looking at the Burny line. I was fortunate enough to score two 1990 MIJs. A black LPC and a black SG Standard. For some reason in 2021 they were going for cheap. Both together cost me about $900 shipped from Japan. Now they're going for $1K plus each. Still the best Gibsons I've ever had. Lol. They are remarkable in quality. If you can find one in the $1000 range they are still a way better deal than a Gibson at 3X the price. They are making them in China too now. I would imagine they are better than Epiphones and don't have the ugly headstock.
I appreciate your history with the SG style but I wish you had chosen the Harley Benton DC-Junior for this comparison as it’s closer to the other models you looked at (and cuz I want on). Luckily, there are plenty of reviews of it all over UA-cam. Great job on the video.
Thanks again, I've never really known how great p90's sound till this vid, I've got Strat and Les Paul standard so single coils and humbuckers, but those 90's, wow. You've got my credit card flexing again
Cheers Will, they are often overlooked but I think everyone needs a P90 in their life!... just a good job I don't often review expensive guitars eh? :)
I have the HB single cut junior, just replaced the bridge for an epi lighting bolt (quick drop, no big mods to do it) and used a shim to raise 2'5 mm the pickup, and I find it outstanding, I like the voice of the P-90, is not a G, but is a good guitar, and I think that matters, great chanel, great reviews, overall content, keep on!
@@theguitaristas yes absolutely, a no brainer that does the job and well enough to mention, cheers man, thanks for stopping by and commenting ;) wish you the best on that youtube journey, you're doing so well, keep this way up
The P100, like in the Vintage is actually a stacked humbucker. Basically two P90 coils on top of each other wired in parallel. That is why there are 4 conductors on the wire. Cheers and keep up the great content! I love your channel and watch it as often as I can. I also had a Vintage VS6 a few years back in cherry red and it was a killer guitar. I should never have let it go.
Loved the Epiphones. Never messed around with the other brands, but for the money. I mean it can get a person started. I feel it would be a good start.
Great revue I’ve a Harley Benton LPJ double cut “Dirty Mustard” Dog ear P90s very impressive build quality plays well, volume &tone work well. Just great value. Love the simplicity of these type guitars.
I need to get one of these guitars. I really like the Epiphone Coronet. I have a one single pickup guitar and I am building single pickup Firebird KO. I am really getting into these Single Pickup Guitars.
Just thought i'd let you know of my coronet. Picked up the ebony one. It sounds great standard but wanted a project and to make it special. I got some 50s wiring from james' home of tone. I sourced reproduction 59 Coronet carousel tone and volume knobs. Then i wanted it to be be as close to the 59 version with the new yorker pickup which are like rocking horse sh*t. So albeit im in the UK i contacted Curtis Novak in California who is a genius with pickups and is the only person i know of who has made a reproduction of the new yorker pickup. So he made me one to order with a parchment custom scratch plate. Wow. I mean wow. This guitar now looks and sounds on a different level. You can see it on thw website for james' home of tone in the blog section as james wanted to feature it. So thanks col for putting me onto this guitar in the first place. I now have one off unique creation. I ❤it.
@@theguitaristas Thanks a lot - same for you! Started good with your video! Great comparison of this guitars! I really love the P90 - own the Epi LP Special in TV Yellow with 2 P90´s and it would be so great to have an Epi LP Standard Goldtop with P90! But I fear they will not release such a guitar - so I have to go for the big sister from Gibson for this iconic guitar! What do you think about that?
I very much enjoyed watching the P90 Junior Shootout...I have become a big fan of the Harley Benton's this past year...I believe they are the best value out there
@@theguitaristas Thank you for your response...'bang for the buck'? That is not my #1 concern...but when you compare a beautiful Harley Benton...double cutaway...single P90...for under $200 to a new Gibson DC...for over $3,000...it does make you wonder...'where are all those dollars going?'
@@theguitaristas Forget about 'bang for buck'...they are hard to beat period...let's just say...money is no matter...what is better right now...than a Harley Benton DC? I recently bought one ...a 'Fat' HB DC...with their 'Stack' P-90...with the push/pull pod...so it's a P-90 and then a humbucker...beautiful guitar...ebony fretboard...for under $200...
I really love and appreciate your content! I’m hoping one day I can afford a genuine Gibson Les Paul (sg) junior like yours! Such a beautiful instrument!
After watching your video I found it was very interesting and fair. I decided at 73 and a bit of a collector have never played or owned an SG guitar, so I have purchased the Harvey Benton DC-60 and got it through Thomanns from Germany, which took four days to arrive, and un-boxing it today. I shall be plugging it into my Fender Blues Junior Tweed with Celestion Blueback. I hope mine has a voice of an angel or the bark of a Rottweiler at the twist of a knob, so looking forward to the experience. I will give you my thoughts on this guitar,happy days
Hey David, that’s great to hear! I hope you enjoy this one... should sound great through the blues junior just add some fuzz when you back off the the tone for that creamy woman tone and you’re in heaven! Let us know how you get on eh? Cheers, have fun today! 😎👍
@@theguitaristas Hi there, well as promise my thoughts, It was double boxed so no damage in transit. Before even playing had to lower the action and tweak the relief. B string were flat on intonation so dealt with that. When playing found that when the tone control was rolled off, the volume on the top E string was very low, so raised the pole screw and rectified that issue. Found the weight a tad more than my T Guitar but not complainig. Never made any adjustments to my Blues Junior, and normally clean, played my new guitar at full volume and it roars, back off the volume below7 and starts clean up, rolled the tone control off and so sweet, sounding like a neck pick up. My very first P90 double cut in faded cherry, not that faded i might add, for the price, totally blown away. Pots were 1" found the knobs a bit flimsey, but Heyho full marks Harley Benton.
I have a Harley Benton dc junior in Pelham blue, pretty much identical to the vintage. Rewired with a 500k volume and 300k tone cts pots, an old bumblebee capacitor I had knocking about and a Monty’s 54 p90. Fitted a lightening bar wraparound bridge and it growls like a junior should.
My go-to guitar is a BC Rich Mockingbird. Got it on consignment, the owner had installed EMGs. After about a year, I was tired of them, swapped in a set of GFS Mean 90s. And that's all I ever use now. Once you go 90 there aint no comin' back.
P100 is a stacked humbucker. That's why it has 4 wires and a hotter output. I have a Harley Benton double cutaway Les Paul Jr style. The pickup is a bit weak, but I think it's just because it's too far away from the strings. I'm getting shims to get it raised closer to the strings
Hey mate, I did a pickup swap on a Tokai ES 335. Can you imagine my shock when I took out the pickups and found NO ACCESS HOLE! So I had to feed everything through the F hole. Luckily the Tokai's F hole is slightly bigger than Epiphone's so I managed eventually but having seen your video helped a lot.
Another fun, informative, and entertaining video. Thanks! I bought the Epi LP Jr. after seeing your review and I'm teetering on the edge of ordering a Coronet. They're a good bit more money and you probably have to get them from Japan, but Edwards makes brilliant guitars. I'd also enjoy seeing reviews of some more offbeat guitars like the Epiphone Crestwood. A Firebird or Explorer review would be fun, too. How about something from Danelectro or Eastwood if you can get them in the UK? Thanks again, these videos always make Fridays better.
Thanks man that's appreciated! I'd like to get some other Les Paul 'knockoff' brands in too test.... definitely Tokai, Burny, etc, and the Epiphone Crestwood has been winking at me for a while so I think it's only a matter of time.... in fact so has Epi V, Explorer, and Firebird!... hey the great thing about doing this channel is I have a perfect excuse to get all of these guitars!
JHS Vintage used to make a very good SG Junior copy, part of their Icon range, had a matte finish, it was discontinued back in 2013, it was called the VS6 MRPCR. They occasionally come up on the secondhand market for around £200. Great guitar for the money! Vintage also used to make a double cut single pickup called the VR100 CR, had a gloss finish, they come up 2nd hand for around £150, another great guitar, if you can find one.
I would be interested to hear your opinion of the current Gibson SG Junior compared to the other options shown here. $1399 isn’t crazy money for a US made instrument these days.
Love these budget deep dives. You mentioned Tokai and I’ve been quite curious about that brand. They look quite nice and I have a soft spot for MIJ guitars; my first proper guitar was a candy apple red ‘85 MIJ Strat w/maple fretboard and Floyd Rose. Hoping you’ve covered a few Tokai models. I’ll search the channel…
Yeah I got the Fat 50's red one, it's been a cool guitar. I had set it back and just recently got it out to check out. i noticed the bridge posts were not fully seated, so I took a piece of copper and a wooden dowel and a small tack hammer and re-seated or fully seated the posts. now I have better action, still needs a little set up but plays way better into keeper mode. This made a big difference.
@@catmandoodoo7903 couple of cheap upgrades i did that made a massive difference are I added a 3mm roswell shim to the p90 and added a low profile bridge and its made a massive difference to the action and its given the p90 more punch.
On the vintage, its a fat p90 at 14k or whatever, it’s probably wired for coil tap to reduce its output to more of a traditional p90 range. Thats why it has extra wires from the pickup. When winding the pickup they can add a “tap” somewhere in the middle or so of the winds that can be used to reduce the output.
Hi Colin. It’s probably been stated in the comments here a few times already, but a P100 is, essentially, 2 P90-style bobbin and magnet sets, but stacked to form a true humbucker. Therefore, although fairly similar in tone, it’s not an actual P90 which, of course, has a single broad wound bobbin on top of 2 magnets, which are positioned one each side of the 6 pole pieces. 👍
Cheers Rob, yes I was put straight on that one pretty quick! :) .... if I get around to it I shall look at rewiring this one to see if we can get more of a P90 sound out if it!
Great seeing and hearing all these guitars compared together! The Harley Benton is certainly interesting. Probably pointless, but for grins I just ordered a ‘54 P-90 and ‘50s wiring loom from Monty’s for my Epiphone Junior. I love the feel of that guitar, and want to see if I can make it just that much better!
Cheers Ken but that's way too kind!... thanks for watching all this stuff mate I'm really enjoying making it (and of course buying all the guitars!) and it's making me work harder at the playing so hopefully I am improving... and one day maybe will live up to your outrageous claims! 😆👍
“Budget singles” pretty well describes my dating life.
👍😆
Superb comment 👏✊
We take what we can afford bro!
Better than mine! :o(
Budget reject singles for mine 😂
Juniors are just the coolest guitars out there. Being a massive leslie west fan the epiphone les paul junior is probably my favourite. This video is how comparison videos should be done.
Cheers dude... I sneaked in a tiny bit of a Leslie riff! :)
Mississippi queen , i remember the first time i heard it , i knew it was heavier than anything i was listening to, leslie west was a beast
@@imannonymous7707 yeah it's one of the best songs ever in my opinion.
I just wish they made one in sunburst.
I was a Leslie west fan too . l was lucky enough to see him play . . . So good !
Harley Benton has a gorgeous looking DC junior in faded cherry satin that is called a Fat Jr. It has coil splitting capability and has some really very good reviews.
yeah, I was going to propose this one indeed. I'm really thinking about getting one so it'd be great to know more about it
Either of you guys end up getting one? I'm thinking about getting one and was curious.
I've just pulled the trigger on the TV Yellow DC Junior, not the Fat.
I've been fighting the urge for weeks ...
I lost ... 😜
Pretty good straight ootb.
Just two fret ends got catchy after 3 weeks, easily sorted.
Nut slots needed a little attention; don't they always ...
The single bridge P90 (AlNiCo 5 ?) is Ok.
It did however need raising a full 1/8th (3mm).
Fun to play and very good value for money.
My Coronet sounds incredible. The pickup and pots work together really well. Creamy low end, a ton of mids, beautiful high end and a ton of dynamics and variation, from heavy overdrive to almost acoustic tones with the volume knob alone. The neck is very comfy with rolled edges. A deal at the price too.
I thought Coronet’s were ugly little things when I first saw them. But they’re definitely growing on me, especially that tuxedo black and white one. Very cool guitar.
I feel like Epiphones are the best things coming out of Gibson for the past few years.
Absolutely mate, picked up an SG standard and a Les Paul 50s standard and I'm still in disbelief over just how good they are. Would buy again in a heartbeat.
Yep.
Ditto for Squier & Fender.
"Strange days indeed...."
I bought a Coronet and fell in love with it. Had a 50’s style wiring kit & a bone nut fitted to it. Really transformed the sound of it. A lovely thing.
Which wiring kit did you get? I just bought the Vintage V130 and like it but want a better roll off on the tone.
@@kirkscobey3031 my local luthier made it. Off the shelf James at Home of Tone and Monty’s both seem to get high recommendations.
'50s style wiring is great, but with a junior the '60s wiring to me sounds better. The tone is just a bit more aggressive.
@@kirkscobey3031 Emerson, 920D or Mojotone are all great harnesses. You can't go wrong with either of them.
@@donnyhall2535 920D are scammers. Not only do they sell the scam that paper-in-oil capacitors are, they actually sell a generic capacitor wrapped over to look like a paper-in-oil. Just buy a couple of good pots, a generic film cap and a quality jack and have a tech wire it up. Takes 10 minutes and much much less expensive
Good review bro I bought the Coronet last year and love it. The Coronet was my first guitar when I was 15 years old, I sold it "big mistake" I'm 74 now and had to replace it : ) I bought the Epiphone Coronet Chinese model to replace my memories of my first axe. All in all I like it, Epiphone did a good job with this one. I paid $400 delivered here in Los Angeles
Mr. Guitaristas,
The Human body is frequency and vibration.
The guitar is frequency and vibration!
When ur in a high mood. Frequency wise, go and play ur heart out❤, it always sounds so much better when your body talks to your guitar.
There’s definitely a Language getting translated.
It truly a beautiful experience.
God Bless
Nice words.. music to my ears! 😁
Couple of observations about the Vintage electronics.
The P100 may be a stacked humbucker. Hence the high resistance reading and 4 wires.
They may have put linear pots in the guitar rather than log pots. That could explain the one-off nature of the pots.
Harley Benton has a DC LPJ style knockoff with a stacked P90 that has coil splitting to give you a standard P90 sound. I remember when Billie Joe Armstrong had a DC Junior signature with a stacked P90 in it and people bought it expected a P90 sound and essentially got a humbucker and it turned people off, so the coil splitting feature on the Harley Benton is great. I think it goes for under $300.
The Vintage P100 is a stacked pickup. On their Mick Abrahams SG Special knock off it had two of these soap bar style. Great neck and resonance to that guitar, so I stripped it, plugged the pickup cavities, rerouted the bridge cavity a little further forward like a 61 Junior, replaced the wiring loom with a 50s style, threw in a Brierley (Australian hand wound) dogear low wound P90, painted it Olympic white, made a early 60s style pickguard, replaced the tuners with Kluson style Gotohs. I did keep the wraparound lightning bar bridge it had. Plays like a mofo.😊
After watching your review of the Epiphone Les Paul Junior, I bought one and it’s now my favorite. Such a great guitar out of the box.
Nice one George! 😀
@@theguitaristas After a few weeks of playing the Epiphone Les Paul Junior I just took it to my luthier to get a basic setup done and it turned out he had bought one as well and he swapped out the p-90 for a Bare Knuckle Warpig 90. Is this guitar the most underrated and misunderstood guitar because its an Epiphone and has only one pickup?
@@georgecaplan11 Yes I think they are underrated for both those reasons!
My son was so crazy for the Harley Benton with that funky bridge, he had to get one. He also bought me the Lp style in silver glitter with a p90 on it. Awesome fun! Rock on! Merry Christmas!
Nice one!.. your neighbours are going to love you this Christmas! :)
I watched your comparison video of the Gibson and Epiphone Les Paul Junior and it convinced me to by the Epiphone. Such a really nice guitar and fun to play.
Cheers Paul, it's a smart choice!
I was unable to watch this when it dropped, but I am really glad I did. An outstanding side by side by side by side demonstration of these instruments. Thank you so much for reviewing affordable guitars. It is shocking how well they sound and play these days. Thanks again for another great video. Cheers mate!
Thanks Sqid that's appreciated!
I own that same exact Vintage V130 and its amazing. It keeps right up with my Gibson Les Paul Junior and feels nearly identical aside from the Wilkinson pickup which I personally don't like
Awesome comparison , I have an SG - Epiphone LP Junior ( with GIBSON P90 ) too , purchased the Coronet last week & it exceeded my expectations by far ! The Sound -RESONATION of the Coronet is Amazing !
Starting with the Coronet you gave us the full blast Vox overdrive. And your overdrive pedals. By the time you reach the Epiphone Les Paul junior I realized you weren't following the same process added value to the educational video.
Great review, thank you! I own a faded cherry red 1978 El Degas double cutaway Les Paul Junior with two P90 soapbar pickups, which I bought new at the time. I understand it's a Japanese copy of the 1960 Gibson Special Double Cut. I love the guitar and want to keep it because these are light and impossible to find today, but the original P90's are just so poor and hum like crazy, even with proper shielding. So, a long time ago I found a used DiMarzio double row humbucker in a soapbar format, which I installed at the bridge. It does cancel the hum, but I find it kills the personality of the instrument. So, after decades of waiting, I finally found two newly released DiMarzio Fantom P90 soapbars and will install them in the El Degas. I just can't wait for the result because these are newly designed hum-canceling pickups for that format and are rated at 13.77 kOhms. Likely the design somehow hides a second noise cancelling coil within. So I checked and the Wilkinson P90 on the Vintage V130 is also specified as a hum-cancelling pickup, which may explain why it reads around 14kOhms and has four wires, as it's a double coil. I'm a retired engineer with some experience in ferrite transformer design, so I hope one day to get to the bottom of how it's done, without cutting one open! For now though I think this could explain the total resistance of the winding. My 2 cents...
Interesting comparison and totally fair as you found them, but I have to say I bought the Vintage Guitar Company Les Paul Junior Double Cut version about a year & a half ago, and mine is absolutely superb. I’ve been playing for fifty-odd years, so I’ve played a load of guitars in that time, and I always wanted a Junior as a change from my Strat & Tele. I didn’t want to splash a load of cash on a Gibson, and got the chance of a bankrupt stock one £149 (!)
At the price, I thought it was worth a punt. I have to say it’s one of my favourite ever guitars. It didn’t smell at all, and after a setup it plays well & sounds gorgeous. I’ve no idea if the pickup is a P90, a P100, or whatever, but I don’t care, I love this guitar! I would hate to think your review, although well meant, puts anyone off trying one of the Vintage Guitar versions, as they’re better than this comes across. Peace & love!
Cheers Adrian, I also hope I don’t put anyone off... I think I did say that it was a great guitar for the money, the pots were an easy fix, and the smell would fade! 😆 I will be bringing it out again soon to look at the electrics and give it some more love!
I just bought the Vintage and likewise no smell( I feel cheated lol) My pots worked fine but I’m going to change them for a better set. They work but not the most responsive.Overall I feel it’s a great guitar and also the P100 designation is they’re take on a hum canceling P90
To Kirk Scobey : glad you got one & love it - I wondered about doing what you’re proposing to do I. e. change the pots, etc .I’d be interested to know how you get on with that, & if it’s worth doing.
Great Video! Love the sound of a P90! I have one of the Gibson 120th anniversary Melody Makers in TV Yellow and I love to play that guitar! A Jr. is definitely on the list, will likely by the Epiphone version. Thanks for sharing and taking time to do these videos! Cheers Bill
Cheers Bill, thanks for comment always appreciated! :)
You do the most in depth guitar reviews and I love your channel. they are long though but that's OK. I enjoy them when I have time. Thanks for what you do Sir.
Thanks that’s appreciated! 😎👍
That's one of the best hours I have spent on the internet. Bravo! I'll be checking out the rest of your comparisons and reviews now that I'm subscribed. Thanks!
Thanks man that's nice to hear!....so glad you found us and thanks for the support! 😎👍
Thank you for comparing the weights!
Very helpful indeed…I’m loving that Coronet and can feel a purchase coming on soonest. I fancy something different lately and am looking forward to working the tone possibilities of a single P90 instead of three pickups and lots of switches. Great comparison Colin thank you.
Picked up a used HB DC-60 for a song and I just love the thing! Sounds and plays great, especially considering what it cost. This is probably the best "cheap" guitar I ever played. Did need a bit of a set up, but nothing major. The Roswell Anlico V P90 it comes with is pretty great. Loves Fuzz and I really like that with a slight turn on the vol. and/or tone controls it starts sounding completly different and cleans up really well. For the $/€/£ these cost, you can't go wrong imho. It reminds me a bit of a good Epi SG 400 I used to own. But I love the fact that due the DC-60 being a single Pu guitar, the set neck resonates more then the 2 pu SG.
Great playing in this video. Especially with the Epi Les Paul Jr. I think you've bonded with that guitar.
Cheers Stevo, yes it seems to do something good...
The Les Paul Junior double cut is going to be my next purchase. Simplistically beautiful. No nonsense. It has to be TV yellow. I'm a Johnny Thunders obsessive. Love the video.
Revalation Blues line double cut, very nice junior.
Don’t see them around so much… shall look out for one! 😎👍
A lot of budget guitars seem to be improving in the last few years. Full size pots don't add that much cost, but do add value to the player. I've been an Epiphone fan for a long time, but Harley Benton keeps surprising me with how good they are for what they cost. If Thoman will raise their QC level a little they'll really improve. I love the rounded edge and low weight of the Epiphone Coronet. Great video. Well done.
Cheers man thanks for supporting! 😎👍
They already have. Of course you can't expect perfection with guitars of such a low price but if you are able to tinker with it they can become a killer guitar for a fraction of the price of the big names. They are incredible. History repeats itself. Everybody made fun of products from Japan. See where they are now. Same goes for China and Indonesia.
I love your sound sir . It always reminds me of some unrecorded Fleetwood Mac tapes that were recently uncovered . Rock on good sir .
Thanks man that's a fabulous compliment! 😁👍
I also find even with it on the boost channel or with everything on ten if i just change the picking dynamics it can clean up
I’ve just bought an Epiphone cornet. Such a beautiful and a classic guitar. More character than ancient Rome with sex appeal on par with Vouge’s back catalogue 👌
I just bought the red Epi Coronet. It’s already one of my favorite guitars in my collection. It plays and sounds fantastic. And surprisingly the intonation is almost spot on. My only complaint is the neck dive when used standing with a strap. Sitting with it in your lap it’s perfectly balanced. Might have to move the strap button to the horn. Cheers and thanks for the review!
Hello
did you move the button ? any improvement ?
thanks :)
I found that using "Grippers" strap buttons from Stewmac fixes that flaw instantly...
My SG's and my Firebirds no longer have neck dive...
Moreover, these strap buttons are a safe option because of their T-shape and they can't rust over time...
That was fun I have a Vintage and you are right about it but mine didn't smell but I got it used One thing I got out of this is, it's the player and you sir made them all sound awesome. Thanks
I really like the sound of that coronet. Maybe someday i'll buy one, but i've already bougth 7 guitars this year so that'l have to wait..
A p100 in gibson terms is a stacked p90, to cancel some of the hum. Might very well be the same type of pickup on the vintage
I would also love to see a video about all the SG's you have back there. Maybe a comparisson between them.
Keep up the good work
Cheers man, I think we'll dig all those SG's out eventually.... I managed to slip one in for the past two weeks!
the woods they seem to have chosen for these coronet wilshire and crestwood sound great and from the ones ive seen have great figuring too. They seem to decent wood also looks dunno if this is because of surplus because of the pandemic or maybe the ones i saw were just lucky ?
Either way i think we can agree epiphone under new ownership has never been better
@@theguitaristas I started playing on an Epiphone vintage g400 so my love for the SG goes deep. Id love to see all of them eventually. I'll keep an eye out for your future video's.
Also, if you'd like to try an SG with a bigger neck you should try the Gibson sg tribute or the ''modern'' Gibson SG standard. They come with a rounded neck profile. My Gibson SG tribute has just about the same neck profile of my Epi LP 1959.
@@SionynJones Certainly, i've been very impressed with the new Epiphones. It's not without reason i bought a les paul standard 60's, les paul 59 and an es339 this year ;)
I am especially impressed with the quality of the probucker and alnico classic pro humbuckers. After a good setup and some amp tweaking they come very close in sound and playabilty of my gibsons.
I have to say, the Harley Benton sounds really good. Way better than I expected. I'm just getting caught up on your channel, and I must say, I really enjoy your videos!
Harley Benton pickups are usually pretty average (I've got three of them, and I put Tonerider pickups in two of them), but their P90s are great!
I've got their Goldtop 'replica', with the original P90 in the neck, and Tonerider in the bridge, and honestly, there was no noticeable improvement with the Tonerider.
I believe the 4 conductors indicate a a stacked P-90 you could then install a push pull if one so desired. I got one of this Vintage SG’s a few months ago,
Very pleased with the build.
The pups a ok, that would be a point of upgrade for most I think.
But the Bones are quite solid.
I’ve got a load of single P90 guitars but none are current models. I found this review of current models interesting, it’s amazing what you can get for not much money these days, nothing was terrible. I suspect that the Vintage guitar has a stacked humbucker like the Gibson P100 pickup, you could probably fit a pull switch pot and turn into a single coil when needed, (less output, cleaner sound), if did it yourself it would probably cost less than £10! I love your old SG Junior , I borrowed one around 25 years ago whilst my SG Standard was being repaired and wish I’d never returned it, it was an early 60s guitar and was absolutely amazing.
Cheers Henry, yes that P100 definitely needs something! I really should find an excuse to plug the '62 in at some point as it sounds pretty amazing too.
It is indeed a humbucker and not a P90 style pu apart from the optics.
Great work here.
I bought the LP Jr from Epi about a year and a half ago. Had to wait but worth it.
Happy to see the Coronet ri'd. If only they'd put a black guard on a cherry finish. Sorta like Steve Marriott in Humble Pie's Rockin' The Fillmore.
I love SG's, too (G400 and JT55PTR here) and dig the HB SG Jr. man, nearly 20 years ago, TV appearance of Tom Petty.
Mike tearing it up on Running Down A Dream, SG Jr was it. Saw them in '97,,,,he changed guitars so many times i can't recall what he used.
Cheers Glen, nice one man... juniors are so light to rock around the stage with, but have such a massive sound!! 😎✌️
Another great review - best channel and best choice of guitars to review, bar none. A couple of years ago I bought a Tokai Junior - Chinese made rather than my other Tokais which are all MIJ - but a great guitar nonetheless - very playable, low action, decent intonation, fit and finish excellent. I had my tech put a Bare Knuckles Nantucket P90 in and it sounds perfect. The only downside is that at 6 and a half pounds I find it too light for live work...I like heavy LPs for on stage that anchor me to the floor....but for playing at home and, particularly recording, it is superb...
Is that the Les Paul DC Junior?... that was an option or this but I went for the cheaper Vintage option. I really wanted the Tokai SG Junior but they are quite rare :(
What a great video!! I've got a line on a Harley Benton DC 60. It appears to look identical to the guitar you reviewed. I don't have a single SG in the collection and this one looks like a great intro for me!! I"m all in on the P-90 sound!! With several P-90 equipped guitars. Santa brought me a 1997 Epiphone double cut Junior with a single P-90. From what I can tell, it's a rare find here in the USA. The Serial number look up says it was made in Japan by Terada!! Not sure I believe that, but the build is real nice...Thanks again & Happy New Year!! Bryan
I have a white WestCreek double cut Junior with a P90 . It looks good and plays great .
Because of your Les Paul Special show, I bought the Epiphone in TV Yellow yesterday. I haven't played P-90's since the mid 70's. Great little guitar. Love the P-90's. Thanks for the video. I'm glad your on UA-cam.
Thanks Mike, really glad you like it man and I’m glad you watch my stuff!! 😎👍🎸
Great comparison, and the playing is awesome. This channel is inspirational, I keep coming back to see what’s next!
Cheers David, thanks for the kind words it's very much appreciated! :)
Greetings from the middle of the U.S.. this has become one of my top five channels. Thanks
Cheers Robert thanks for the support that’s good to hear! 😆👍
The pickup on the Víntáge is a stacked P90, so a humbucker in effect.
Cheers man I did wonder if it was something like that... so can the coils be split for some purpose?
@@theguitaristas you could I suppose.
Dunno what they'd be like. Maybe try in series?
I whipped the P100 out of my SC Junior and put an Alegree pickup in.
I think different pickup and pots this could be great.
@@theguitaristas Aye, the Trees that gave it up for the Víntáge guitars were top quality 😃
I put a used Tone-pros bridge on mine then had to custom cut a nut because the strings were flopping off too easy.
I found the Wilko bridge rocks forward in the posts and gives you the "Sitar" effect on the Hi E.
My exact thought. Harley benton uses those p100s in FAT series. Perhaps one of the pots is push/pull?
Ive got a Firefly FFDCS (Double Cut Single P90) in metallic gold and it rocks!! I got it about a year ago for $125.
Great stuff! Beautiful vintage SG you’ve got there! I just recently managed to find a Tokai LP Custom here in the States used. I can see the prices on those creeping up. I paid what an Epiphone costs new. Hard to say if it’s worth it at this early stage.
Cheers Anthony, still trying to work out if the current Tokai range is as good as old bunch... need to get one in to review!
I recommend looking at the Burny line. I was fortunate enough to score two 1990 MIJs. A black LPC and a black SG Standard. For some reason in 2021 they were going for cheap. Both together cost me about $900 shipped from Japan. Now they're going for $1K plus each. Still the best Gibsons I've ever had. Lol. They are remarkable in quality. If you can find one in the $1000 range they are still a way better deal than a Gibson at 3X the price. They are making them in China too now. I would imagine they are better than Epiphones and don't have the ugly headstock.
I got my HB jr DC LP today and the build quality was unreal for the price ..love it!!! I'm gonna look at buying an HB SG jr just for the sg sound...
😎👍👍
Amaranth is Purple Heart wood. Good choice for a fingerboard on the SG (DC-60).
😎👍👍
I appreciate your history with the SG style but I wish you had chosen the Harley Benton DC-Junior for this comparison as it’s closer to the other models you looked at (and cuz I want on). Luckily, there are plenty of reviews of it all over UA-cam. Great job on the video.
Thanks again, I've never really known how great p90's sound till this vid, I've got Strat and Les Paul standard so single coils and humbuckers, but those 90's, wow. You've got my credit card flexing again
Cheers Will, they are often overlooked but I think everyone needs a P90 in their life!... just a good job I don't often review expensive guitars eh? :)
Sit back and watch this man’s channel explode with subs. Great content sir. Well done.
Thanks man that kind and very much appreciated! 😎👍
I got a coronet on the way, this channel causes GAS, Gear Acquisition Syndrome.
I love the Vintage Head Stock
It reminds me of Bart Simpson
Nice one, coronet is brilliant I’ve got mine at home right now to play! 😁👍
I remember as a kid late 60's in Brooklyn my old man picking up a Gibson Melody Maker..look just like an SG..I remember the neck being super thick..
Cheers man, yes that's true, they made some SG shaped 'Melody Makers' at some point... and now I want one!!
@@theguitaristas Yes I just got a 65 for a steal Two single coils tho Great rythmm sound Not such a great lead tone but not bad
Looking at the BJA. Its like $549.00 with case. Thank you, brother for being so generous with your time and knowledge.
I have the HB single cut junior, just replaced the bridge for an epi lighting bolt (quick drop, no big mods to do it) and used a shim to raise 2'5 mm the pickup, and I find it outstanding, I like the voice of the P-90, is not a G, but is a good guitar, and I think that matters, great chanel, great reviews, overall content, keep on!
Cheers George, thanks for the support man it’s appreciated! No doubt HB does the job eh? 👍😎🎸
@@theguitaristas yes absolutely, a no brainer that does the job and well enough to mention, cheers man, thanks for stopping by and commenting ;) wish you the best on that youtube journey, you're doing so well, keep this way up
Amazing- the HB outshined them all. Surprising- $169 and handwired.
Colin, thank you so much for this! Just what I've been waiting to hear!
My pleasure!
Love the channel. And a lot of good information. Pulled the trigger on a Gibson SG special today when it came in stock.
Cheers Dale, nice one man! that's a beauty you are going to love it!! :)
@@theguitaristas you sold me on that Pelham blue color.
@@daleturner3507 Ah brilliant... its such a nice colour! 👍
The P100, like in the Vintage is actually a stacked humbucker. Basically two P90 coils on top of each other wired in parallel. That is why there are 4 conductors on the wire. Cheers and keep up the great content! I love your channel and watch it as often as I can. I also had a Vintage VS6 a few years back in cherry red and it was a killer guitar. I should never have let it go.
Cheers Jeff! 😎👍
Loved the Epiphones. Never messed around with the other brands, but for the money. I mean it can get a person started. I feel it would be a good start.
Cheers man... yes indeed any of these is a great start!
Epiphones are a great finish as well. Ive been playing 45 years and own Gibsons, but now Im buying up all the Epiphones because they are great!
@@Mountainrock70 Me too! 😆👍
Great revue I’ve a Harley Benton LPJ double cut “Dirty Mustard” Dog ear P90s very impressive build quality plays well, volume &tone work well. Just great value. Love the simplicity of these type guitars.
Cheers Wayne 😎👍
I need to get one of these guitars. I really like the Epiphone Coronet. I have a one single pickup guitar and I am building single pickup Firebird KO. I am really getting into these Single Pickup Guitars.
I try to make sure I like and comment everyone of your videos, very well done, enjoyable to listen to, keep the great videos coming.
Thanks Chris that’s appreciated! 😎👍
Just thought i'd let you know of my coronet. Picked up the ebony one. It sounds great standard but wanted a project and to make it special. I got some 50s wiring from james' home of tone. I sourced reproduction 59 Coronet carousel tone and volume knobs. Then i wanted it to be be as close to the 59 version with the new yorker pickup which are like rocking horse sh*t. So albeit im in the UK i contacted Curtis Novak in California who is a genius with pickups and is the only person i know of who has made a reproduction of the new yorker pickup. So he made me one to order with a parchment custom scratch plate. Wow. I mean wow. This guitar now looks and sounds on a different level. You can see it on thw website for james' home of tone in the blog section as james wanted to feature it. So thanks col for putting me onto this guitar in the first place. I now have one off unique creation. I ❤it.
Nice one David! 😎👍... I will check that out man bet it sounds amazing 🔥
It´s Friday and another cool video on this channel!
Thanks a lot and greetings from Germany!
Thanks Chris, good to hear from you have a great weekend man! 😎👍
@@theguitaristas Thanks a lot - same for you!
Started good with your video! Great comparison of this guitars!
I really love the P90 - own the Epi LP Special in TV Yellow with 2 P90´s and it would be so great to have an Epi LP Standard Goldtop with P90!
But I fear they will not release such a guitar - so I have to go for the big sister from Gibson for this iconic guitar!
What do you think about that?
@@chrisforever1255 I would love Epiphone to release P90 version next year!
I very much enjoyed watching the P90 Junior Shootout...I have become a big fan of the Harley Benton's this past year...I believe they are the best value out there
Yes they are great.. and hard to beat bang for buck!
@@theguitaristas Thank you for your response...'bang for the buck'? That is not my #1 concern...but when you compare a beautiful Harley Benton...double cutaway...single P90...for under $200 to a new Gibson DC...for over $3,000...it does make you wonder...'where are all those dollars going?'
@@theguitaristas Forget about 'bang for buck'...they are hard to beat period...let's just say...money is no matter...what is better right now...than a Harley Benton DC? I recently bought one ...a 'Fat' HB DC...with their 'Stack' P-90...with the push/pull pod...so it's a P-90 and then a humbucker...beautiful guitar...ebony fretboard...for under $200...
I purchased a shim from Mojotone...that's the next job...bring that P-90 closer to the strings...I want more bark and more bite
I absolutely love my less Paul hr dc, I never play anything but my bridge anyways and its light and fast, beauty
I need that Epiphone Coronet reissue...Why ? Just because...😁😁😁
Excellent video as ever...
Yes you definitely need one! 😉😆👍
I really love and appreciate your content! I’m hoping one day I can afford a genuine Gibson Les Paul (sg) junior like yours! Such a beautiful instrument!
I'm with you on Epi making the models you mentioned, which are my favorites also.
The Vintage has a stacked P-90, also known as a P-100.
Hence the 4 wire, and I think, the higher output
It's also slightly hum canceling
I have a single pup LP DC Jr Historic
It's my best guitar out of 40
After watching your video I found it was very interesting and fair. I decided at 73 and a bit of a collector have never played or owned an SG guitar, so I have purchased the Harvey Benton DC-60 and got it through Thomanns from Germany, which took four days to arrive, and un-boxing it today. I shall be plugging it into my Fender Blues Junior Tweed with Celestion Blueback. I hope mine has a voice of an angel or the bark of a Rottweiler at the twist of a knob, so looking forward to the experience. I will give you my thoughts on this guitar,happy days
Hey David, that’s great to hear! I hope you enjoy this one... should sound great through the blues junior just add some fuzz when you back off the the tone for that creamy woman tone and you’re in heaven! Let us know how you get on eh? Cheers, have fun today! 😎👍
@@theguitaristas Hi there, well as promise my thoughts, It was double boxed so no damage in transit. Before even playing had to lower the action and tweak the relief. B string were flat on intonation so dealt with that. When playing found that when the tone control was rolled off, the volume on the top E string was very low, so raised the pole screw and rectified that issue. Found the weight a tad more than my T Guitar but not complainig. Never made any adjustments to my Blues Junior, and normally clean, played my new guitar at full volume and it roars, back off the volume below7 and starts clean up, rolled the tone control off and so sweet, sounding like a neck pick up. My very first P90 double cut in faded cherry, not that faded i might add, for the price, totally blown away. Pots were 1" found the knobs a bit flimsey, but Heyho full marks Harley Benton.
@@davidpask4232 Nice one!... sounds like with a little bit of tweaking you've landed a whole lot of fun at a bargainous price. Cheers man enjoy! :)
I have a Harley Benton dc junior in Pelham blue, pretty much identical to the vintage.
Rewired with a 500k volume and 300k tone cts pots, an old bumblebee capacitor I had knocking about and a Monty’s 54 p90. Fitted a lightening bar wraparound bridge and it growls like a junior should.
Nice! 😎👍
My go-to guitar is a BC Rich Mockingbird. Got it on consignment, the owner had installed EMGs. After about a year, I was tired of them, swapped in a set of GFS Mean 90s. And that's all I ever use now. Once you go 90 there aint no comin' back.
Cheers Nick!
I really enjoyed your show. Your playing style reminds me of the 60s and 70s !
Cheers man... I guess those sounds are my influences! 😁👍
P100 is a stacked humbucker. That's why it has 4 wires and a hotter output. I have a Harley Benton double cutaway Les Paul Jr style. The pickup is a bit weak, but I think it's just because it's too far away from the strings. I'm getting shims to get it raised closer to the strings
I have a 3mm shim on order. Did a test with some 3mm foam. Amazing difference.
Hey mate, I did a pickup swap on a Tokai ES 335. Can you imagine my shock when I took out the pickups and found NO ACCESS HOLE! So I had to feed everything through the F hole. Luckily the Tokai's F hole is slightly bigger than Epiphone's so I managed eventually but having seen your video helped a lot.
Excellent!... glad my efforts were not in vain 😁👍
I knew what not to do, I bought myself some giant tweezers too
@@murrayguitarpickups9545 🤣👍
Amaranth is Indian laurel,or purple heartwood i prefer over thr rosewood used today, My Jackson monarkha has, my Takamine 12 Acoustic has.
Another fun, informative, and entertaining video. Thanks! I bought the Epi LP Jr. after seeing your review and I'm teetering on the edge of ordering a Coronet. They're a good bit more money and you probably have to get them from Japan, but Edwards makes brilliant guitars. I'd also enjoy seeing reviews of some more offbeat guitars like the Epiphone Crestwood. A Firebird or Explorer review would be fun, too. How about something from Danelectro or Eastwood if you can get them in the UK? Thanks again, these videos always make Fridays better.
Thanks man that's appreciated! I'd like to get some other Les Paul 'knockoff' brands in too test.... definitely Tokai, Burny, etc, and the Epiphone Crestwood has been winking at me for a while so I think it's only a matter of time.... in fact so has Epi V, Explorer, and Firebird!... hey the great thing about doing this channel is I have a perfect excuse to get all of these guitars!
JHS Vintage used to make a very good SG Junior copy, part of their Icon range, had a matte finish, it was discontinued back in 2013, it was called the VS6 MRPCR. They occasionally come up on the secondhand market for around £200. Great guitar for the money! Vintage also used to make a double cut single pickup called the VR100 CR, had a gloss finish, they come up 2nd hand for around £150, another great guitar, if you can find one.
I should own up... I have a VS6 but it’s heavily modified so wouldn’t have been fair to include it. I can confirm it’s a pretty good guitar 👍
I would be interested to hear your opinion of the current Gibson SG Junior compared to the other options shown here. $1399 isn’t crazy money for a US made instrument these days.
Love these budget deep dives. You mentioned Tokai and I’ve been quite curious about that brand. They look quite nice and I have a soft spot for MIJ guitars; my first proper guitar was a candy apple red ‘85 MIJ Strat w/maple fretboard and Floyd Rose. Hoping you’ve covered a few Tokai models. I’ll search the channel…
No Tokai’s yet but as it happens one of their Love Rocks being delivered today so that will be reviewed next week I expect! 😎👍
Yeah, ... good, uhm, ... year on, middle of the night, ... 🤗 But always a pleasure seeing you, doing you and your thing ... for us like minded 👌💖👍
4 wire single coil could be use all windings or part of the windings but 3 would make more sense in that option
I've got the HB dc 60 junior and its a absolute rock and roll machine! For the money you can't go wrong.
Just received mine today and couldn’t agree more. Night have to relocate the strap button though.
Yeah I got the Fat 50's red one, it's been a cool guitar. I had set it back and just recently got it out to check out. i noticed the bridge posts were not fully seated, so I took a piece of copper and a wooden dowel and a small tack hammer and re-seated or fully seated the posts. now I have better action, still needs a little set up but plays way better into keeper mode. This made a big difference.
@@catmandoodoo7903 couple of cheap upgrades i did that made a massive difference are I added a 3mm roswell shim to the p90 and added a low profile bridge and its made a massive difference to the action and its given the p90 more punch.
@@edgeofeternity101 I added a low profile bridge and thats made a huge difference to the action.
On the vintage, its a fat p90 at 14k or whatever, it’s probably wired for coil tap to reduce its output to more of a traditional p90 range. Thats why it has extra wires from the pickup. When winding the pickup they can add a “tap” somewhere in the middle or so of the winds that can be used to reduce the output.
I've got a POS Hondo Explorer on the bench that gets a new neck, nut, bridge, tuners, and a tasty P90 of some kind.
Hi Colin.
It’s probably been stated in the comments here a few times already, but a P100 is, essentially, 2 P90-style bobbin and magnet sets, but stacked to form a true humbucker. Therefore, although fairly similar in tone, it’s not an actual P90 which, of course, has a single broad wound bobbin on top of 2 magnets, which are positioned one each side of the 6 pole pieces. 👍
Cheers Rob, yes I was put straight on that one pretty quick! :) .... if I get around to it I shall look at rewiring this one to see if we can get more of a P90 sound out if it!
A french company called Custom 77 made both, the SG Jr and the les paul doble cut and they are very good, I own one!
Thanks man... I have never seen these will keep a lookout! :)
The Vintage has a stacked P90, basicaly a humbucker, thats why the 4 conductor wire and high output
Cheers Chris, I understand that now... so basically this guitar has a half arsed wiring job that doesn’t work? 😆
@@theguitaristas Haha yes, you basicaly only get 1 sound out of it 😄
Great reviews mate🇦🇺👍👍. Sunday Arvo in Australia,stinking hot having a cold one watch this!.. After a surf!🍻
Nice one mate! 😎👍
Excellent video as always. Have been considering that HB as a knockabout/couch guitar
I think that would be an excellent choice! 👍
This is one of my favourite videos! Many thanks for uploading. Cheers! (I'd spray the wood of the Vintage with Windex Blueberry Scent Cleaner...:)
Cheers Adrian! 😆👍
Great seeing and hearing all these guitars compared together! The Harley Benton is certainly interesting. Probably pointless, but for grins I just ordered a ‘54 P-90 and ‘50s wiring loom from Monty’s for my Epiphone Junior. I love the feel of that guitar, and want to see if I can make it just that much better!
Hey Fred.... that’s brilliant and it’s got to sound good man, please let us know! 😎👍
DAMN COLIN, that is some hot playing! You have a sound all your own, I've watched all your vids at least twice. Nice work!
Cheers Ken but that's way too kind!... thanks for watching all this stuff mate I'm really enjoying making it (and of course buying all the guitars!) and it's making me work harder at the playing so hopefully I am improving... and one day maybe will live up to your outrageous claims! 😆👍
@@theguitaristas Your playing is great and your videos are inspiring! You sound damn good and I look forward to more vids!!
Love these comp vids I actually found it 65 Melody Maker at a pawn shop for 600 I couldn't believe the unmolested condition
The HB SG Jr was my favourite this time. Cheers!
Cheers mando!!
Maestro by Gibson, I have a few but my Epiphone SG Jr. at 5lbs. is by far the favorite.