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Harley Benton SC DLX Gotoh | A modern-feeling Les Paul with incredible specs for €349? Review & Demo
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- Опубліковано 12 сер 2024
- This is the Harley Benton SC DLX Gotoh in Daphne Blue!
A modern take on the Gibson Les Paul style of singlecut guitar, the SC DLX Gotoh is pretty much top of the range for Harley Benton, and at €349, it looks like pretty incredible value on paper.
Get the SC DLX here: bit.ly/SCDLXGotoh
As the name not so subtly implies, you get Gotoh hardware - in the form of the tuners, bridge and tailpiece - and stainless steel frets, Tesla VR-2 humbuckers (with a coil split option), a Graph Tech TUSQ XL nut, and… a rosewood fingerboard! How nice to see a rosewood board on a more affordable guitar in 2021.
The SC DLX Gotoh’s body - which is slimmer than that of a traditional Les Paul - is nyatoh, and on this guitar it’s finished in a beautiful satin Daphne Blue. The gold and black hardware and 7-ply binding help make the instrument look a lot more expensive that it actually is. The neck is mahogany, and if you know your Les Pauls, you’ll be at home with it: the scale length is 628 mm, and the fingerboard radius 305 mm.
All of this adds up to a guitar that would normally cost way more than €349. So, how do Harley Benton do it? And is the SC DLX Gotoh really all it’s cracked up to be? That’s what we’ finding out today, as I put the guitar through a series of tough tonal tests to see just how many genres and sounds it can handle. We’ll go through all of my favorite styles: indie, country, classic rock, alternative rock, and a bit of heavier stuff too. Everything is played into my Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 head, and I use my Greer Lightspeed and Revv G3 dirt pedals for the drive sounds.
Here are some links to the various playing samples and info bits:
00:00 Hello!
00:39 Introduction and what we’re doing today
01:25 SC DLX Gotoh specs and info specs and info
06:01 Today’s rig
Clean Sounds
07:17 Clean tone reference chords with all pickup options
07:52 Poppy barre chords
08:26 Blues progression
08:54 Strummed country pop chords
09:14 Country ballad arpeggios
09:27 Strummed open chords with tone pot control test
10:14 Indie pop picked chord arpeggios
10:33 Indie droning chord progression
Crunch Sounds
10:53 AC/DC inspired classic rock riff
11:17 Hendrix inspired classic rock riff
11:50 Groovy classic rock riff
12:17 Airbourne inspired classic rock riff
12:29 Classic rock rhythm riff
12:47 Southern rock picked arpeggios
13:10 60s rock rhythm tones
13:31 Indie rhythm sound
14:00 Indie rock barre chords
14:26 Volume control roll-off test
14:51 Indie octave chords riff
15:16 Indie rock edgy chords
15:45 Greta Van Fleet inspired rock riff
Mid/High-gain Overdrive Sounds
15:58 Classic hard rock riff
16:15 Glam rock riff
16:43 Foo Fighters inspired modern rock riff
17:00 Pop punk riff
17:27 Pop punk melodic lead riff
17:43 Punk rock power chords
17:58 Alternative rock riff
18:24 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning)
18:39 Modern rock palm-muted power chords (Drop D tuning)
19:04 Rage Against The Machine inspired groovy riff (Drop D tuning)
Clean Channel w/Revv G3 Distortion Pedal (all in Drop D tuning)
19:36 Hardcore chugging riff
19:52 Thrash metal riff
20:02 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang
20:15 Hardcore punk riff
20:46 Lead sounds
20:58 Classic heavy metal/sludge riff
21:32 My thoughts
22:15 First impressions on unboxing the SC DLX Gotoh - looks
22:57 Weight
23:42 Build quality and the Gotoh hardware
25:27 Playability and the neck
26:04 I love a rosewood fingerboard!
26:37 Sounds and the Tesla pickups
30:31 What other guitars could you get instead for €349?
32:44 Final conclusion
I ran the SC DLX Gotoh into my Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 head, using my Greer Lightspeed for the overdrive and my Revv G3 for the heavy distortion sounds. The amp went from the Red Box DI straight into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, which went into Logic Pro X. That's it. No post-processing on the sounds was done.
Here’s some links to those bits of gear:
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H&K Black Spirit 200 head: bit.ly/HKBS200rwm
Greer Lightspeed: bit.ly/LightspeedRWM
Revv G3: bit.ly/RevvG3RWM
Focusrite 4i4 (this is the newer equivalent of my 2i4, which they don’t make any more!): bit.ly/rwmFR4i4
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Enjoy!
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Backing music from the UA-cam Audio Library: Duck In The Alley - TrackTribe.
#HarleyBenton #HarleyBentonGuitar #SCDLXGotoh #Thomann
Note: certain links in the description are affiliate links. If you click said links and purchase anything as a result, I will receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it does help to support the channel. So, if you do that, thank you very much!
And here are the timestamps for you people on phones:
00:00 Hello!
00:39 Introduction and what we’re doing today
01:25 SC DLX Gotoh specs and info specs and info
06:01 Today’s rig
Clean Sounds
07:17 Clean tone reference chords with all pickup options
07:52 Poppy barre chords
08:26 Blues progression
08:54 Strummed country pop chords
09:14 Country ballad arpeggios
09:27 Strummed open chords with tone pot control test
10:14 Indie pop picked chord arpeggios
10:33 Indie droning chord progression
Crunch Sounds
10:53 AC/DC inspired classic rock riff
11:17 Hendrix inspired classic rock riff
11:50 Groovy classic rock riff
12:17 Airbourne inspired classic rock riff
12:29 Classic rock rhythm riff
12:47 Southern rock picked arpeggios
13:10 60s rock rhythm tones
13:31 Indie rhythm sound
14:00 Indie rock barre chords
14:26 Volume control roll-off test
14:51 Indie octave chords riff
15:16 Indie rock edgy chords
15:45 Greta Van Fleet inspired rock riff
Mid/High-gain Overdrive Sounds
15:58 Classic hard rock riff
16:15 Glam rock riff
16:43 Foo Fighters inspired modern rock riff
17:00 Pop punk riff
17:27 Pop punk melodic lead riff
17:43 Punk rock power chords
17:58 Alternative rock riff
18:24 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning)
18:39 Modern rock palm-muted power chords (Drop D tuning)
19:04 Rage Against The Machine inspired groovy riff (Drop D tuning)
Clean Channel w/Revv G3 Distortion Pedal (all in Drop D tuning)
19:36 Hardcore chugging riff
19:52 Thrash metal riff
20:02 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang
20:15 Hardcore punk riff
20:46 Lead sounds
20:58 Classic heavy metal/sludge riff
21:32 My thoughts
22:15 First impressions on unboxing the SC DLX Gotoh - looks
22:57 Weight
23:42 Build quality and the Gotoh hardware
25:27 Playability and the neck
26:04 I love a rosewood fingerboard!
26:37 Sounds and the Tesla pickups
30:31 What other guitars could you get instead for €349?
32:44 Final conclusion
First time I've stumbled on one of your videos and I have to say this is one of the best and most helpful guitar demos I've ever seen. It's cemented in my mind that I want this guitar and answered every question I had about how it could be used. I love how thoroughly you've demonstrated the different styles and genres instead of just playing a load of blues licks and legato. And you comprehensively worked through every pick up configuration. Great job mate, you've earned a sub from me
Thanks Chris, I'm happy you found the video useful, and cheers for subbing! My mindset with these videos is that I like to try and answer every question I myself would have about a piece of gear... which sometimes leads to pretty long videos, but at least they're normally useful! And it's always fun to test the various facets of a guitar. I think if you enjoyed this video you'd love the guitar as well - for me, the looks, feel and sounds are top notch. Especially for this price. Cheers :)
P.S. Couldn't play much in the way of legato even if I tried ;) I'm a meat and potatoes indie/rock rhythm man through and through!
Thanks for the review. I've purchased one quite recently and they were only available as B-stock for a stunning €249.- and it is brand new! I love it. It Sounds very bright and plays very light. It needs a minimal adjustment on the trussrod but that is it. Great guitar for the price.
i got one and love it. I didnt know about the splitting until this video and like full humbucker better. stays in tune. came with a good set up out of the box
Hi Rich, that was a great review, it really showed how much work you put into your videos, I appreciate the effort that it must have taken.
I've been looking for something in my £300 budget and have pulled the trigger and ordered it (the Pelham Blue one though!) can't wait for an Aleous vs SC DLX Gotoh video as well. All the best - Cyril
Thanks a lot Cyril, glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I guess these videos do take time to make, but it's fun. Mostly anyway ;) I reckon for around the 300 GBP mark you'd really be pushed to find anything better than this, even on the used market with other more expensive brands. I hope you really love the Pelham Blue one when you get it (that would actually be my color of choice, I think!) and I think the shootout with the Aeolus is going to create some interesting results :) Rock on and enjoy your SC DLX!
I saw this guitar on the Thomann website and bought it this week. It is an unbelievable great guitar especially for the money. I have got the beautiful black one. I agree every word you said. Thank you!
Yeah, I just saw these by chance too... they were kind of released without much fanfare for some reason! I can't believe how much spec is in them for the price though. I love the black finish too, and the only reason I chose Daphne Blue for the video is because it's satin and therefore much easier to film :) Although I do love a satin neck as well. Enjoy yours and rock on!
Thanks to this review I have just ordered on in Pelham blue.
Thanks Andreas, I'm glad you enjoyed the video and I really hope you love the guitar when you get it!
@@RichWordsMusic Thanks. I found your review in-depth and unbiased. Too many times I have listened to reviews regarding Harley Bentons where the reviewer either raves on that the Harley Bentons are the best guitars ever made or , on the other end of the spectrum, the reviewer is completely biased against the guitar and it's clear from the beginning that the guitar won't stand a chance. Your review is a very fair review of a budget guitar ( unlike one reviewer who, after playing the Harley Benton got out his Gibson Les Paul (!) and compared the feel of the two guitars, calling the Harley Benton a "plastic guitar" compared to the Gibson.
@@andreashale1482 Thanks a lot! Yes, it can be hard with UA-cam sometimes - especially when you don't know the context to a review. Often the guys who've had a bad experience (or simply dislike their guitar) will make a pretty extreme video about it, and it can be the same in the opposite direction too! I guess extreme opinions get more views on UA-cam ;) But my method is simply to try and answer every question I might have about a piece of gear in the video. So that means I talk a lot, I play a lot, and I try and find all the positive and negative things I can mention - without bias! It can make for long videos, but I think it helps people, and I am happy that you agree!
And also, what do you expect when you compare a €200 HB directly to a €2000 Gibson?! That's never going to help!
I can feel your much musical experience. thanks for your nice playing.
And thank you for watching and for your kind comment!
Aside from being a real looker, those pickups are a pleasant surprise. Lots of clarity and string definition even in humbucking mode, and I like how “wiry” it gets with the coils split. Seems like a big improvement over the (I think?) Roswells in other HB models.
I wish these were more accessible in the States!
Yep, the Teslas are certainly more in your face than the Roswells. Personally I still think I prefer the Roswells for the kind of stuff I play, but that's a taste thing and most other people I know prefer the Teslas too. And I'm pretty sure it's only a matter of time before Thomann establishes some kind of concrete presence in the USA and North America to make HB (and all their other brands!) more accessible over there. Hope you get to try one of these in person at some point :)
@@asimhussain8716 I hope so, for all of you guys and girls over there! That's a great price, $150. The HBs don't hold their value too well over here either, so there's plenty of used bargains to be found... I only go for the newer models though. In the last 3 or 4 years the brand has improved massively. Some of the older guitars aren't quite so good.
I have one of these in Pelham Blue, which is also very nice looking. I find the Tesla pups very bright but that can be dialled out via tone controls and amp EQ settings. I have heard a few say they don't really like the Teslas but they are fine if you experiment with settings. The hardware is good quality, as you would expect with Gotoh. Great value guitar in my opinion.
Yep, I think this guitar is amazing value for money too. And I bet the Pelham Blue one looks great as well! You're right about pickups - of course it's possible to dial in and out whatever kinds of sounds you prefer. They're extremely flexible. And yep, Gotoh hardware and stainless steel frets for this price? It's a no-brainer!
Hi Rich, Very interesting and honest review. I never played a SC guitar for I'm a lonely Fender Strat wolf but this HB SC DLX Gotoh got my full attention. I only play clean with very little crunch and this instrument 'delivers' great tones in that register. For the price I can't find anything else coming close. Your video helped me to cut the knot and order one. Thanks very much ! ( By the way the actual price of today is 277€ for the Daphne Blue and 325€ for the Black ! Amazing ! )Cheers, Fil
Thanks Fil, I'm glad you enjoyed it! And yes, what a great price €277 is... there is no one else out there right now offering guitars with those specs and features for this price! I hope Harley Benton is actually forcing other brands to improve their own offerings in future. Happy new guitar day to you, and I hope the SC DLX is really working well for you and your Start is getting a nice rest :) Rock on!
@@RichWordsMusic Hi Rich, I received the SC DLX Gotoh Pelham Blue today. Couldn't stop playing ! This guitar is a real winner for me. It plays like a dream and sounds great. I only lowered the action a bit. Top quality and value for money second to non ! Thanks again for reviewing and helping me with my choice. All the best, Filip
I just bought a black one. Its on its way. I hope its as good as it looks
I hope so too! Let me know once you've got it and had a chance to plug in! Happy new guitar day :)
@@RichWordsMusic Dude, this guitar is amazing. I am more than happy with it. I just had to lower a little the action and it was good to go. Love the pick ups too
You really make this beast sing...I think this guitar has just gone to the top of my want list ...You work very hard many thanks for sharing...😁
Cheers Mark! Yeah, these SC DLXs are pretty amazing for the €349 asking price... I hope you get to try one soon as they're great fun and worthy of that place on your want list ;)
Very nice review 👍🏻 I bought the "SG"....and I prefer the HB over my Gibson... better quality
Thanks! Yeah, I also really like the look of the SG, erm, I mean the DC ;) Amazing to say that it's better quality than your Gibson... but I've played a few Gibson Les Paul Juniors recently that didn't match up to my HB copy! Crazy times we live in - so many great affordable guitars out there.
WOW. Thank you for this video!
No worries, thanks for watching - I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Great demo. Nice to have factual information on the spec, not guesswork like I see in lots of demos and reviews. The guitar seems pretty awesome for the price point.
Thanks Steve! I do always go over the specs before I shoot these things, so hopefully it's all correct here. And yes, for the price this guitar is pretty spectacular. Reading the specs without knowing what it was you'd guess you'd be paying at least double the €349 asking price, I think.
Right of the bat and I'm REALLY liking how this guitar sounds! And it looks really good! GAS is really high for this one.
Yeah, I can imagine this one would be quite up your street :) It definitely has a more modern flavor. Let the GAS run wild ;)
GLAM ROCK RIFF!
Welcome to my world! haha
That guitar sounds great. HB are killing it right now. So many good guitars for so little money!
Ha ha, yeah, although you're also the King Of Indie Rock nowadays, which is amazing. Yeah, HB are really killing it... the Fusion you did the other week looks fantastic too. Some other brands need to up their game to keep up, I feel...
Rich, I enjoy your presentation style and the depth of this review. Wow, you truly understand this medium. So good and very helpful. You hit all the right points about this guitar. Keep them coming!
Thanks so much, I'm really happy you enjoyed it and found it useful! There's plenty more to come for sure :)
Thanks for this demo, Rich. I hadn't even seen this and I consider myself a bit of a Harley Benton fanboy! Just had to rejiggle my wishlist!
Yes, it's weird, but I only saw these by chance too! It's almost as if HB sneaked them out on the down-low ;) But they really are rather good value for money, and I can imagine that this one's now up there on your list! Glad you enjoyed the video, and maybe you'll get one one day :)
Nice demo, Rich, as usual! 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks, glad you enjoyed yet another!
Hb making their instruments better and better!
Oh yeah, they've really stepped up their game in the past couple of years!
Love that colour!
Yeah, it's proper nice. I think being satin it makes it extra classy too...
@@RichWordsMusic Oh for sure! Nice demo bud! :-)
@@eXpdjmnm Thanks man, always great to see you on here! Looking forward to catching up in Bamberg sometime :)
Oh.. And always thanks to You.. This morning i ordered this guitar to thomann.. Can't wait.. P. S. Better if i stop watching your videos for a while.. 😂🤣
Oops, I'm sorry ;) Yes, better unsubscribe for a bit or something! I don't want to be so expensive for you... the problem is we live in a world with so many great and affordable guitars! The newest one I've tried is the Harley Benton MR-Classic... and that is so much fun for €249!
That bridge p/up split is seriously TINNY! Neck sounds great split, but bridge, way too thin & shrill! MAYBE if you rewired the split to the SLUG coil instead of the screw coil, (which it sounds like) it might be a bit fuller sounding as the slug coil is further from the bridge, & also the magnetic field is a bit stronger on the slug side!
Otherwise, it's a good axe! You did a good demo on it! (As you usually do! )
Yeah, particularly on the strummed cowboy chords clip where I go between the two you can really hear that shrillness. Rewiring would possibly help, yes, as would just sticking some other pickups in there ;) Gotohs, as mentioned elsewhere, perhaps! But yeah, we're splitting hairs as well as pickups here I think... overall it's a top guitar for the price! Seriously tempted to ask them to let me keep this one.
@@RichWordsMusic Cool!
Sounds immense!
Wish i could get a hold on one of those Harley Bentons!
Great video as always Richard!
Yeah man, these are great - get on the phone to HB and get one in for a video! You'd make it sound wicked I think and it'd also be interesting to hear it up against your Epi :)
Hey great review. I really like the tones for each genre you did there. About the guitar now i recently purchase the sc 550ii and to whoever have concerns about the brand (i know i shouldnt be judging before trying but.... i had) dont hestitate. Go for it youll never gonna believe what a piece you have there for that money
Cheers, glad you enjoyed the video and the tones! I agree with you - I've tried an SC 550ii as well and they are also simply excellent guitars for the money. Harley Benton is really doing an amazing job right now, and I think a few other guitar companies need to up their game to compete! It's a great time for us guitar players, that's for sure :)
Absolutely great review!
Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the review. Very well made and very informative. Good work! Nice and tight playing also. Looking forward to the SC DLX Gotoh VS Aleous video. I will probably decide which one to buy after that.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Yep, I'm actually really looking forward to shooting that comparison video too. I still have no idea which one I'll prefer on the day! They are both excellent guitars in their own right, though, I can tell you that now. Hopefully I'll get to shoot the vid this weekend :)
Wonderfully thorough review, man!
Thanks so much, glad you found it useful :)
Awesome work again Rich! This model you playing sounds and looks great, you make it difficult for me to not keep buying more guitars, especially Harley Bentons! For now, my Aeolus will keep me busy for this type of sound but I will keep this in mind in the near future. Thanks again for your much appreciated insight and God Bless you!
Thanks so much! I'm sorry I'm tempting you with these guitars ;) But you're right, your Aeolus (which has exactly the same pickups as well as many similar specs) will get you very close to the SC DLX too! Make music and stay healthy :)
@@RichWordsMusic No worries Rick, I can see how this lifestyle can easily be addicting! Quick question Rich, I been eyeing that HB 600 and HB 612 the Rickenbacker version of Harley Benton, do you think there is major difference in 6 versus 12 strings? Is a 12 string Electric Guitar good to have in a collection or would a 6 string version suffice? Reason I ask is because the 6 string is available immediately, and the 12 string is not available for another 5-7 weeks. I appreciate your input on this Rich very much! Update on Aeolus, yes the switch will have to be replaced but Thomann will credit me the repair costs, so far so good with Thomann, they are an exceptional company!
Nice review, I just got this same guitar delivered here in the states. Honestly, it doesn't feel that heavy at all. Certainly not as heavy as LP I've played. Confused by that.
Glad you enjoyed it, and happy new guitar day! Yeah, I'm not saying this is a really overly heavy guitar - just that I had expected it to be a little lighter than it is. If that makes any sense! It's actually a good solid weight, the one I have, but I had imagined the thinner body would've made it lighter still. Rock on!
That was very informative,thank you.Subscribed.
Thanks for the sub, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Another great review! I bought this one, interestingly my experience with the weight (as it is to be expected specially at this price point) is different. Mine is lighter, around 3.4 kg but it has neck dive. Fixed it putting extra weight in the control cavity, ending up in 3.7 kg to be balanced with almost no neck dive, so same weight in the end. About the Teslas, to be honest I do like Roswells, specially p90s, but I have to say this Teslas are much more clear, the coil split is amazing, so I do feel that at least in this guitar they are a improvement. This is an awesome guitar all around, and not just for the price, a great guitar, period. It is noticeable where they cut corners, like the cheap cavity cover and the cheap screws among others, but still plays amazingly good, sounds very nice and looks cool. like it better than my Gibson Studio believe it or not. Cheers
Thanks man! That's really interesting, but you're right - at this price point, they're using whatever woods they get in a batch. Good idea on fixing that neck dive! You could also try a thicker strap, or even moving the strap button, to combat that. I do like the Teslas as well, and I agree that this is a great guitar without even thinking about the price. It says a lot that you prefer it to your Gibson! Harley Benton really are making some great stuff. What color did you get, by the way?
@@RichWordsMusic Moving the strap button seems like a good idea also, as guitar would keep being light, never thought of that. For the weight I added those cheap small weights they sell in Amazon I think for fixing bike wheels or so, I saw that one somewhere on youtube. I got the blue one, same as you have in the video, lovely finish, since it doesn't feel plasticky as sometimes the poly does, I think it ads up to not feeling cheap combined with the gotoh stuff. I also got the headless (dullahan) white one (supposedly pink), same thing, the finish does help for it to feel more expensive. And you see, for example that one would benefit a lot from the Teslas, although I am quite happy with the sound, balance and weight. Also the Teslas and some bling bling being silver that doesn't feel cheap hehe. This headless being SO comfortable and well balances even if looking weird is getting more love than the other guitars. I don't get why they are not more popular.
Seven ply binding!
It's quite snazzy, isn't it! I love the aesthetics of this guitar - it's been really well thought through in every respect.
Thank u so Much!
And thank you for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed my video :)
I have the epiphone 59 ltd and love it, and debating saving up and getting a Gibson studio wine red, but this is a sweet guitar for the price
I've heard so much good stuff about the Epi 59... would really like to try one! I do wonder if a Gibson Studio would be that much better! Let me know if you do try it, as I'm definitely interested in both of those. And yes, this is a pretty sweet guitar too, especially for the price!
@@RichWordsMusic I'm very impressed with the 59 and the fact you get a hard case too ( never got that with my two schecters and they cost well more) if you get to have ago of the epi I would it's a beaut, don't know how long it will be to getting my Gibson as my penny jar hasn't been started yet, but as as soon as I can buy one I'll let you know how it plays 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
@@davidmurray9193 Oh yes, I had forgotten that - makes it even better value for money. My 2014 Epi Les Paul Traditional Pro came with a case and that has been a great investment (€330 brand new with the hard case back in the day, can you believe it?!). Start your penny jar now and one day you can write me again to let me know ;) Rock on!
@@RichWordsMusic I will do if everything goes well should have a Gibson in about 3 to 4 months 😁😁😁😁😁🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘.
@@davidmurray9193 Oh wow, you're a lot more successful with your penny jars than I am clearly! Would take me years ;)
Nice review dude, thanks for sharing. I would only suggest to keep the videos shorter maybe 10-12 mins long
Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, I'd love to do a few shorter videos too, but sometimes there is just too much to say ;) At least you have chapters to navigate.
Good vid again, my mates got one of those and loves it. I wonder if you've seen the gear4music Hartwood 15 valve amp? Looks like an upgrade on the harley b 15w amp, but not seen any reviews.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed! Yeah, these are great guitars. I've not seen the Hartwood amps, no! They look kind of cool. I like the British Racing Green finishes. Must be a gear4music brand, I guess. I've never had any contact with them but it might be worth asking if they'd send one just to take a look at.
This guitar sounds great. You did a great job here. Thanks.
It looks like something costing much more. It really does make you wonder how the 'big boys' get away with charging what amounts to some ridiculous prices.
Keep up the great work.
Cheers. 😊😎🎸
Thanks Steve, glad you enjoyed this one! That's actually something I think about quite a bit these days... at what point will some other, more established names have to start putting better specs and features into guitars to keep them competitive with brands like HB? It's certainly going to be an issue at some point. You can't live off brand name nostalgia forever. And this guitar is absolutely chock full of amazing features for the price. If you read the spec sheet without knowing what it was, you'd think you'd be paying at least double the price of this one, I think.
Also, hope you liked the blues riff ;) I did that after you asking for some blues in a previous video. It's not much, but it's a start!
What a beautiful blue, mix that with the G3 and hold on 🤘🏽
Is that Light Ferris blue or…🤣
Ha ha, I believe Daphne may be Mr Ferris's middle name! This guitar is definitely as beautiful as him ;) And it does sound awesome!
@@RichWordsMusic Well Andy IS a bit girly! ;oP
@@DMSProduktions He's certainly comfortable in his own skin, that's for sure!
@@RichWordsMusic Heheh! Andy's a legend!
Hi Rich, first of all, all the best in 2022 😀. Second of all, compliments for professional review. And third of all, is it noticable a neck dive effect while playing?
Thanks so much, and a happy new year to you too! No, for me, there is no noticeable neck dive at all :) The guitar is very well balanced! Hope that helps :)
Very intense review, thank you for sharing with us. It seems amazing how much they put into this product. Seems very versatile, I was just lately considering and Epi MUSE series, with split possibility, this seems a good option too - can you suggest the HB vs Epi MUSE? The HB Double Cut DC seems even nicer, but not much reviews there sofar...thank you again for your awesome job. Hard times for our wallets :D
Thanks a lot, I'm happy you enjoyed it! Yes, it is sometimes hard to really imagine how it's possible for them to put so much stuff into these guitars at such not expensive prices. It's really impressive, and hard for our wallets for sure ;) I am also a massive Epiphone fan. I have played an Epi Muse LP at a store once and it was great, but I haven't spent lots of time with one. I think they will offer you similar performance to the HB, with the bonus of the nice Epiphone headstock of course. And my personal opinion is I prefer the Epiphone pickups to the Tesla ones in the HB. I would love to find an Epi close to me to compare this HB guitar to as well - maybe one day I can...
Amazing video
I just bought one
And I was wondering which strings do you use ?
Cheers, glad you enjoyed the video and I hope you're loving the guitar! I actually left the factory strings on the guitar for the video - they're .10s-.46s, but HB doesn't tell us what brand. At the moment, I'm generally using GHS Boomers (.10s) which are decent, but I might swap back to Ernie Ball again at some point, just to try them!
Hello again, Rich! Nice to see another interesting review from you. The SC dlx Gotoh caught my eye as I've been planning to upgrade my trusty Epi SG with Gotoh hardware for some time. And also thought it would be cool if HB released a guitar with higher-end hardware. I'd personally prefer a thicker neck, independent tone controls and nickel or chrome hardware. But the stainles steel frets and rosewood fingerboard are just wow and for this price it's a no-brainer as you say!
Hi there, welcome back! Aha, so this guitar could be right up your street, as could the sister DC DLX. That's even more SG-like. Playing the SC DLX has actually made me want to put better hardware on a couple of my other guitars, actually, including my Epi SG. It's simply an improvement over the Epiphone stuff. Hmm, I would also recommend the Aeolus as well, especially if you like thicker necks, although that's a different style of axe. The neck on the SC DLX isn't super slim, although I have played many other larger necks, including on other HB guitars (like the Aeolus!). But as we've said, for this price, it's a pure win for us players. I have no idea how HB manages to squeeze so many great specs into a €349 guitar!
@@RichWordsMusic thanks for your elaborate answer as always, Rich 😉 What improvements did you find compared to your Epi's hardware? I wonder if there's a difference sound-wise especially... But that may be hard to say without actually changing the hardware on the same axe. That'd be a killer video 😁 Also what do you know about the Tesla pickups, what kind of brand is it now? Used to be a Czech brand of electronics till the 90s, they also made the predecessors of the tubes JJ makes nowadays, some of them were a copy of German Telefunken. Will have look at the Aeolus, but it's not a solidbody...
@@alanst.4417 Sometimes my answers are nearly as long as my videos ;) The tuners, nut and wiring are all better straight out of the box on the HB. The Epi tuners are fine, but not as good as the Gotohs. In combination with the nut, the HB is more stable in terms of staying in tune. The HB nut was cut perfectly, and the Epi'S was fine too, but my tech put a bone nut on the Epi for me and that improved the situation significantly. And OK, I've only had the SC DLX a week, but the electrics are all spot on - no crackles and smooth pots. With my SG, which I did buy used but I think was basically unplayed, the selector switch can be crackly and the wiring between the neck pickup cut out a couple of times - so that needed a re-soldering.
I have no idea about Tesla, actually. I have a friend from Finalnd who tells me they were kind of a cult brand about 10 years ago, and players like Ola Englund tested their pickups back then and thought they were decent. I have no info on this, but it would not surprise me if they are now owned by Thomann/Harley Benton. Otherwise I see no reason for them to be put on these guitars over anything else. I will ask my HB contacts about that, actually! Also, if you look at my video where I compare the HB Aeolus and the HB-35 Plus, you'll see that the Aeolus has the Teslas in, and the HB-35 has Roswells... but they sound next to identical to me. So they could just be rebadged pickups made at the same place. All this is pure guesswork though, so don't quote me on any of it ;)
I would love to do a few 'modding' videos soon... so maybe watch this space in 2022! And yes, this was another bumper answer, sorry ;) Maybe I should start doing the odd Q&A video where I actually discuss interesting comments like this, possibly even live.
Oh, and P.S. very interesting on the JJ tubes connection - that's something I intend to look into as well!
@@RichWordsMusic don't quote me on this either 😉 That's just an association. I had a look at their website and there doesn't seem to be any connection whatsoever... Probably a rebranding thing as you say or something like that. The brand probably just refers to a famous name in electronics with no connections to Elon Musk either 😄
Great video review Rich. I’ve just ordered the black one 😊. Do you think the 3+3 tuning keys setup will hold the tuning? This is my first single cut and I remember people complaining about 3+3 tuning stability. These are no locking tuners. Maybe investing in String Butler?
Also, I think the gold color will fade. Black or chrome hardware is much more future proof.
Thanks again and keep up the great work!
Thanks Robin, I'm happy you enjoyed my video! And congrats on ordering your own - I hope you love it. For me, I have had the guitar about three weeks now and the guitar basically never needs to be tuned! It's very stable. I think with these decent Gotoh tuners and the Graph Tech nut (which is very well cut on mine) you won't need anything else to stay in tune. I would say give it a try as it comes, and if you run into any issues, firstly do a setup, and secondly you could consider something like a String Butler.
And yes, gold hardware will certainly fade/tarnish fast than the other ones. The Black is the other classy color I would choose - I love the look of a Black Les Paul Custom as well! Rock on and let me know how your guitar is after you have unboxed it and played it a bit :)
IF they wanted to play UP the Gotoh angle, they SHOULD have used Gotoh pick ups in the guitars as well!
I do wonder about the pickups. For me, the Teslas are really good... but I prefer the Roswells on other HBs :) And yes, why not go the whole hog and stick some Gotohs in there?! Really this guitar should be the SC DLX Gotoh Tesla ;)
@@RichWordsMusic Yeah!
Nice1 Rich! I watched the full review as I am waiting for the DC DLX Gotoh (SG style) in Pelham Blue to arrrive at my doorstep and it seems that except for the body shape and finish, all the appointments and electronics are pretty much the same as the SC. Sad to hear that the Tesla V2 pickups aren't a step above the Roswells as I was hoping they would be; not that I dislike them, but I was hoping it would be an improvement, but then again, I still have yet to compare them for myself. There was also some confusion as to the fretboard material, as on the website it used to say it was rosewood in one place, and then ebony in another place on the same page, tho it seems they have corrected that issue and now it says it is rosewood; yet the darkness of the color made me believe it was actually ebony, which I was looking forward to as well. But nothing wrong with real rosewood, as long as the tree and the planet survive, hopefully!
Cool, hope your DC DLX arrives safe and well soon! Yeah, I think these guitars are brothers and overall very similar. You will have an extra cutaway and one less volume knob, that's all ;) Hey, I actually believe I'm in the minority in preferring the Roswell pickups, so wait til you try yours! You might just think the Teslas are better - most other people do. I beleive the board is rosewood, and I actually think it maybe has been dyed to be extra dark. So that would explain the confusion ;) Either way, as long as it's sustainable, this is a brilliant guitar, and I think you will be very happy with yours. I'd love to try the DC DLX model too, one day :) Let me know your thoughts again once yours has arrived and you've had the chance to play it!
@@RichWordsMusic I most definitely will let you know what it's like Rich, thanks for your reply! As soon as I get it I will record a short unboxing and once I've played it for a while, I'll probably record a video showing how it sounds, as I usually do with my guitars. I'll just have to beg your pardon for my playing if you ever see it! Cheers!
@@RichWordsMusic My Pelham Blue DC-DLX just came in yesterday! Here's a short unboxing of it: ua-cam.com/video/Bwp1Vy-SmWg/v-deo.html I've tried it out and it's just awesome, altho I will be tweaking the setup a bit to try to get something a little bit lower in terms of action. Cheers Rich!
@@jeronimomartinezfabregas I just watched it! That color is the best... I'm very jealous! Lovely :) Happy new guitar day and I am looking forward to seeing your video with some playing and sound clips. I don't think that neck dive is too bad, by the way - with a decent strap the guitar will stay put. After you've fettled it a bit I think you'll have a brilliant guitar that'll stay good for years to come! Awesome!
@@RichWordsMusic Thanks Rich! Well, it was mandatory to do the neck dive test for whoever may be interested in the guitar, I for one don't mind since the guitar weighs next to nothing and I mostly play sitting down, and it does rest perfectly on my leg.I don't need to make any extra effort to play it at all. Cheers!
I have the sc custom fr and it has the Roswell's pickups I have bought a pair of metal hammer iron gear pick ups and some 5ook pots and a push pull but the wiring looks a bit eeerrrgh to do, any diagrams or vids kicking about on doing a change out on this harley benton???? I also have some iron gear hot slags and pots for my Harley Benton ct24s with trem but the wiring is the same as the sc
Hmm, I've not seen any vids out there, but if anyone watching this knows of one, please share! Let me know how it goes if you do do the switch, would be interesting to hear how the new pickups compare... the stock pickups in the HB are decent but could be improved for sure...
@@RichWordsMusic Totally agree and any one who has changed out would help me too on the rewiring with better pots 😁😁😁
@@davidmurray9193 There must be someone out there reading this who has done it... anyone?
For something like The Smiths and Johnny Marr in particular, would you recommend this guitar or the Fusion? I don't know if you've tried the Fusion but you probably have played a guitar with Roswell HAF pickups in it.
Good question! I haven't tried the newest Fusion models, no, but if it's between them or the SC DLX, I'd say the SC DLX. It wouldn't just be about pickups, either. I feel the Fusion is built to be a guitar for more modern, heavier styles - you've got the 24 frets, the HSS pickup configuration, the sleek roasted maple neck, and the whammy bar. And I'm not sure any of those things are particularly aimed at players going for Marr-esque tones. That said, they won't hinder you either. But I feel the SC DLX is more naturally suited to someone who digs The Smiths.
When it comes to the pickups, I have played plenty of guitars with both Roswells and Teslas. They're both really good, and while I personally prefer the Roswells on the guitars I've played (I play a lot of light crunch indie and classic rock, and they somehow sound a bit 'bigger' to me), the Teslas also do great classic tones and have decent coil splits. The pickups wouldn't be a make or break for me.
I have another guitar to add to your thoughts, though, which I actually feel might be ideal for what you're looking for: the HB Aeolus! I've done a video on that one too: ua-cam.com/video/3QW6xASHxsI/v-deo.html
It's a physically bigger guitar, of course, and semi-hollow, but I believe it's the most versatile of the three and covers all the bases I could ever need. I've already shot it out against my Epiphone Les Paul and my Ibanez 335 type, and I'm shooting a video with it and the SC DLX soon too. Just another one to think about maybe :)
Sorry this turned into an overly long reply!
@@RichWordsMusic Oh wow man, thanks for the long reply, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. I'll check the said video as well. You are the first person I know who recommends Roswell over Tesla to be fair. I do have a Harley Benton Te-90 with Roswell filtertrons which I enjoy very much.
@@Chris-Ian No worries, I'm a passionate nerd when it comes to this stuff ;) Yeah, I know I'm in the minority when it comes to preferring the Roswells too, but that's OK! They are actually very similar overall. The TE-90 is also on my list to try one day. Cheers!
@@RichWordsMusic The TE-90flt is amazing. Yeah sure I changed the saddles, the tuners and the pickguard (the cheap plastic one was rattling). But it has a really nice resonance. The neck is comfortable albeit fat. Not as fat as some other Bentons tho.
Unfortunately since I had the frets changed the 6 string strated to buzz and 2 professional luthiers cannot figure out the problem... And the frets are leveled and crowned. Go figure. That's why I'm in search of another Harley Benton. Can't really beat them for the price now, can you?
What string gauge do you prefer on this guitar?
I like 10s, personally - which is what the guitar ships with. They just work fine for me :)
13:33 Song Name pls? 😍
That's a riff I adapted from The Boy You Love To Hate by Jetplane Landing - great song (and riff!): ua-cam.com/video/WoM-vqcPzSQ/v-deo.html
Thanks for your amazing review. The Aeolus is not in stock now but this one has the same pickup. Do you think that they sound similar? Is the Aeolus warmer?
Glad you enjoyed the video! Actually I have recorded a video comparing the SC DLX and the Aeolus directly, which I will release in January. It showcases the sound differences pretty well - you'd be surprised at how similar they sound overall. But yes, I do agree that the Aeolus is warmer, as you would maybe expect.
@@RichWordsMusic many Thanks Rich
Hello. Do you think I will feel the increase? If I change my Jackson js22 to HB SC DLX Gotoh?
Hi Sergey! You mean in terms of quality? I think so, 100%! I've played a JS22 and they are lots of fun, but the SC DLX Gotoh is a better guitar (at least for me) in terms of feel, quality, playability and sound. The only thing is this: if you only play metal, maybe the pickups in the HB are not the best... they are great pickups, but not super high output.
Another reviewed stated this guitar get “like a toy. A plastic toy” Can any actual owners of this guitar comment on the feel of this guitar? To add, that reviewer compared this HB, straight out of the box, to a $1000 guitar he already owned and had set up and had been played in by him.
Question, due to the difference in body and neck woods, do you find it neck heavy?
No, it's not neck heavy at all! My one is very well balanced.
man, I heard a lot of interesting riffs here. Did you make them yourself, or is it someone else's?
Thanks man! They're all my own riffs I wrote myself, but if you see a name in the Chapters like "Rage Against The Machine inspired" you can see (and hopefully hear!) with those ones that I am doing my own take on something by that band...
@@RichWordsMusic 👍
I'd love to get this guitar, but I assume that these guitars are not stocked in the UK and so are subject to the expensive import tax rules of the UK ? Is it available from any UK dealers or only from Thomann in Germany ? Thank You. Thomann do free delivery at least, but I imagine that the guitar will actually cost UK buyers £289 + around another £80+ to get it released from UK customs, or around that, so will really end up being around £369-ish ? (Eur439.33)
Hey there! Well, Thomann and all its stock is in Germany, yes. However, they have organized some kind of deal with customs so people in the UK don't pay customs charges... or those charges are factored in to the prices on the website already. So I don't believe you pay any extra costs compared to what you see on the website!
Here is the blog where they explain this: www.thomann.de/blog/en/an-update-for-our-valued-uk-customers/
So there you go... I think this means you would be able to buy the guitar for £289 all in! Hope that helps :)
P.S. I don't work for Thomann or anything, so you might want to ask them to double check, but I think I'm right on this :)
Control layout is horrendous!
Ha ha, it took me a few minutes to realize what was going on with the controls for sure! I'd have preferred either one volume/one tone or two volumes/two tones... But I guess they're going after the ESP/LTD looks with this to some extent.
the new colors suck,
I think they're pretty cool! What colors would you have gone for?
I kind of like the Pelham Blue, and I don't like blue guitars in general. I'd love a nice gold top with natural or amber back.
@@joetowers4804 Blue guitars are my favorite, so I agree with you there... but a vintage looking gold top would be amazing too! Nice choice. Hopefully this model does well and HB will make more colors next year...
@@RichWordsMusic Glad you liked yours. It seems a very interesting take on a modernized single cut at a bargain price.
@@joetowers4804 Thanks, and yep, I'd have to agree. Would love to see a few more affordable companies try something like this...
Oh cool, another guitar that will never be in stock. Thanks for bragging Dbag.
That's Mr Dbag to you, sonny! And the guitar is in stock right now at the link I gave, go buy or it continue your trolling elsewhere ;)
@@detroitfunk313 My thoughts exactly ;)
@@detroitfunk313 you with the pizza grease on your shirt.