Beautiful looking and sounding guitar. Great review as well. I just received a Harley Benton SC Custom and it is fantastic!! A few minor flaws but for $235. American dollars it’s a steal. I can’t find a better Epiphone for this price.
Thanks for your comment Kenny and many congrats to your new HB axe 😎🤘! The HBs are fantastic value for money. Btw, from what I have seen the Agufish will be released this year in a new color, I can highly recommend it as mine is the best guitar below 700 EUR I have played so far.
I got mine 4 days ago and I was lucky enough to get number 001/350 😁 It’s a really beaty guitar and every one is unique with it’s woodgrain. Unfortunately mine has some problems to be fixed but they‘re sold out so it makes no sense to return it to get another one... First the setting on mine was poor - with 2,5 mm at the 12th fret the action was too high for my liking and there was too much relief on the neck. No big problem and was easy done. Second problem is a bit tricky. With the lower action now the pickup height was too close to the strings. As I lowered the pickups the one at the neck couldn’t be set low enough (deepest is about 1,8 mm to the bottom of the string) and it sits crooked in it’s lowest position. Seems like the screws of the pole pieces collide with the body inside... Maybe I need to cut out a little bit of wood underneath the pu... The third thing are some sharp fret ends that need to be taken care of. Overall these are no dealbreakers in relation to the price (499 € in Germany). Only the problem with the neck pu is something I didn‘t expect but the guitar is too good to return it. It will be fixed and then it’s perfect. 😉
I have the same problem with the pick up height. After leveling the frets (from 15th to 22th frets bc they were not at the same level) i was able to get a lower action but now i have the problem that i cant get low with the neck pick up but i have found a good position and i can live with that. I got Nr. 62 haha
Armin K: Leveling stainless steel frets sound like a lot of fun 😉 I tried it once on an old guitar with normal frets and couldn’t get it right - everything else on a guitar is doable for me. 😄
@@keinedummenfragen I just checked how much space my neck pickup has to the lowest point and you are right, there is not much room for adjustments. I have set my action quite comfortable and luckily no big problem with that, but I can see that it can become in certain situations a bit tricky Frets on mine were fine but a friend of mine has one as well and his could have need a slightly bit more work. As you said before, still a good deal for a 500 EUR guitar.
@keinedummenfragen Yeah it was very funny, it takes 3 times more time than normal frets but i got it haha. After all i like it how it is. Edit: You can set the Polepieces a lil bit lower if u don’t want a bright sound.
Armin K Thanks for the note to adjust the polepieces - now that I cut out a little wood under the neck pu, I have more room to set it to my liking. 😊 Someone told me to use a cheap nailfile to sand the sharp fret ends down and that was a good idea - was pretty easy and fast. The neck is very smooth now 😁
I am still waiting on mine to arrive but have experience of harley benton and their build quality. They have yet to disappoint and seem to deliver a very competitive products with guitars of a slightly higher price tag. I know that people have had bad experiences with them but after talking to thomann they usually get swapped hastle free. This gives buyers confidence enough to buy HB products over larger brands
Agree, especially here in Germany the Thomann support is always great and easy to deal with. Also I must say that the HB build quality improved allot over the last few years and are now competitive with allot of bigger names
I bought one too, my has a bit of neck dive, is that a problem in all of them or was i just unlucky? Thinking of changing the strap pin position to balance the weight when playing live. Great review man, awesome job and cheers!
Hi Gilberto, thanks for your great feedback. As the body of my Agufish is quite heavy I dont have any problems with neck dive but can imagine very well that if yours is more on the lightweight-side this could become a problem with the longer scale and the relatively thick neck. Hope you still enjoy your Agufish!?
@@MassiveSoundProductions thanks for the feedback. Well, i love the guitar but i think im gonna go for the amarok instead since it already has amazing pickups and should be lighter and balanced, i hope 😁
@@gilbertosantiago2210 The Amarok is also a great choice for the price. Personally I like the AguFish a bit better but you cant go wrong with either of them. If I find some time soon I might also do a review of the Amarok
Great review, thanks a lot! Mix is in the face, too. Did you put new strings on? And last question: Did you use external IRs to match the amps a little more?
Thanks for your great feedback! I put Elixir strings on all my guitars. The factory strings on the HB was ok but to do a fair comparison I had to swap them. Didnt used my amps on this recording but Neural DSP Fortin nameless plugin for the left guitar and my Line6 Helix for the right track. One of my next videos will compare the amp modelers with some of my amps.
Good point Add Rien. I forgot to mention that the body thickness of the HB is a bit thinner (similar to en ESP eclipse) and therefor the 3.9kg is a bit on the heavy side. As a comparison, a friend of mine has one as well and his is only 3.4kg. Congrats on the R8 :D!!
Bought a TE 50 FLT Needed a fret level, the bridge plate was at an angle so I had to plug the holes and recentre it .This is NOT what a beginner could do and should not have left the factory like it , too much hassle to send it back so I sorted it ."jack" in QC was having a slack "chuck it out the door" day -Slack Jack ! Oddly the volume pot is also notched - why ??? ) So and it was "Good parts thrown together " basically. Finish was fine , tuners average , trust rod worked .
Sad to hear you were not lucky with yours. The TE 50 FLT is an even cheaper Harley Benton model, so to compare it with e.g. the Agufish I have wouldnt be fair. There is imo a significant difference between the chinese (cheaper) and the indonesian (more expensive) models, latter has much better materials and craftmanship. Still, you need to have a bit of luck to get a good one, in these price range they unfortunately have to make some compromise on the final quality control :(
I own a harley benton strat, the DG57 one. Sounds totally like a strat, no complains there, allthough it does feel cheaper than my expensive guitars, but, I paid 200 euro, and I don't think I can get anything as good, for that price, that is new.
Thanks for your comment Sebastian. I have played some older Harley Benton guitars which were also good for their price but not yet there and must say they made a great development. The highest end models now come really close to the overall build quality of some of the more expensive competitors.
Thanks for your comment Nonrev. The Agufish was a limited edition with only 350 pieces and all as a right handed version but HB has a couple of left handed guitars in stock as well.
I normally have a cheat sheet with some key words and a screen where I can see myself during my video session, which is a bit to obvious in this video ;)
lost me with kse. took my son to a gig, He Is Legend, Chimera, DragonForce and Killswitch, Warfield, SF, '07. I've see all I wanted to see (LZ, UFO, Ozzy, Maiden, etc). Chimera was my fave that night. I think all these bands are mia these days but hope i'm wrong.
@@gabrieleporto7705 It's quite hard to see due to the painting done by HB, but from what I could see looking at the toggle switch and when removing the neck pickup it should be a veneer.
Massive Sound Productions I hear that...lol. I would love to see a build quality comparison between between the ltd eclipse and HB SC1000. I will tell you why. Yesterday I went to absolute music to demo an eclipse priced at 949 pound sterling. I was shocked, the binding was uneven, the paint on the neck overlapped close to the fret board in this wavy shape, it was super light and it just felt...a bit cheap. The hardware was nice but there is no way I would pay 1000 for that guitar. Can you tell me how an HB sc1000 feels in the hand? Because I want that style of a guitar and I am thinking of ordering the a HB custom SC1000
@@diegofiorillo6412 Hi Diego, I cant tell you anything how the SC1000 feels, as I didnt had the chance yet to get one in my hands. Based from the experience I had with the Indonesian Harley Bentons they are all great value for the money. Only thing I would complain about the HB guitars is the build quality, if you are lucky you can get a really decent one, if not they can have similar to what you described on this LTD. In general I would rank the LTD Deluxe (e.g. 1000) series above the HBs, not in features but in avarage build quality. On the other side you pay only half the price or even less and the Thomann support one of the best. For the small things I found on my two Amaroks I got a fair price reduction. Personally I would save the money and go with the HB.
Beautiful looking and sounding guitar. Great review as well. I just received a Harley Benton SC Custom and it is fantastic!! A few minor flaws but for $235. American dollars it’s a steal. I can’t find a better Epiphone for this price.
Thanks for your comment Kenny and many congrats to your new HB axe 😎🤘! The HBs are fantastic value for money. Btw, from what I have seen the Agufish will be released this year in a new color, I can highly recommend it as mine is the best guitar below 700 EUR I have played so far.
Thx for the review. Liked it very much!
I got mine 4 days ago and I was lucky enough to get number 001/350 😁
It’s a really beaty guitar and every one is unique with it’s woodgrain.
Unfortunately mine has some problems to be fixed but they‘re sold out so it makes no sense to return it to get another one...
First the setting on mine was poor - with 2,5 mm at the 12th fret the action was too high for my liking and there was too much relief on the neck. No big problem and was easy done.
Second problem is a bit tricky. With the lower action now the pickup height was too close to the strings. As I lowered the pickups the one at the neck couldn’t be set low enough (deepest is about 1,8 mm to the bottom of the string) and it sits crooked in it’s lowest position. Seems like the screws of the pole pieces collide with the body inside... Maybe I need to cut out a little bit of wood underneath the pu...
The third thing are some sharp fret ends that need to be taken care of.
Overall these are no dealbreakers in relation to the price (499 € in Germany). Only the problem with the neck pu is something I didn‘t expect but the guitar is too good to return it. It will be fixed and then it’s perfect. 😉
I have the same problem with the pick up height. After leveling the frets (from 15th to 22th frets bc they were not at the same level) i was able to get a lower action but now i have the problem that i cant get low with the neck pick up but i have found a good position and i can live with that. I got Nr. 62 haha
Armin K: Leveling stainless steel frets sound like a lot of fun 😉 I tried it once on an old guitar with normal frets and couldn’t get it right - everything else on a guitar is doable for me. 😄
@@keinedummenfragen I just checked how much space my neck pickup has to the lowest point and you are right, there is not much room for adjustments. I have set my action quite comfortable and luckily no big problem with that, but I can see that it can become in certain situations a bit tricky
Frets on mine were fine but a friend of mine has one as well and his could have need a slightly bit more work. As you said before, still a good deal for a 500 EUR guitar.
@keinedummenfragen Yeah it was very funny, it takes 3 times more time than normal frets but i got it haha. After all i like it how it is. Edit: You can set the Polepieces a lil bit lower if u don’t want a bright sound.
Armin K Thanks for the note to adjust the polepieces - now that I cut out a little wood under the neck pu, I have more room to set it to my liking. 😊
Someone told me to use a cheap nailfile to sand the sharp fret ends down and that was a good idea - was pretty easy and fast. The neck is very smooth now 😁
I am still waiting on mine to arrive but have experience of harley benton and their build quality. They have yet to disappoint and seem to deliver a very competitive products with guitars of a slightly higher price tag. I know that people have had bad experiences with them but after talking to thomann they usually get swapped hastle free. This gives buyers confidence enough to buy HB products over larger brands
Agree, especially here in Germany the Thomann support is always great and easy to deal with. Also I must say that the HB build quality improved allot over the last few years and are now competitive with allot of bigger names
I bought one too, my has a bit of neck dive, is that a problem in all of them or was i just unlucky? Thinking of changing the strap pin position to balance the weight when playing live.
Great review man, awesome job and cheers!
Hi Gilberto, thanks for your great feedback. As the body of my Agufish is quite heavy I dont have any problems with neck dive but can imagine very well that if yours is more on the lightweight-side this could become a problem with the longer scale and the relatively thick neck. Hope you still enjoy your Agufish!?
@@MassiveSoundProductions thanks for the feedback. Well, i love the guitar but i think im gonna go for the amarok instead since it already has amazing pickups and should be lighter and balanced, i hope 😁
@@gilbertosantiago2210 The Amarok is also a great choice for the price. Personally I like the AguFish a bit better but you cant go wrong with either of them. If I find some time soon I might also do a review of the Amarok
Great review, thanks a lot! Mix is in the face, too. Did you put new strings on?
And last question: Did you use external IRs to match the amps a little more?
Thanks for your great feedback! I put Elixir strings on all my guitars. The factory strings on the HB was ok but to do a fair comparison I had to swap them.
Didnt used my amps on this recording but Neural DSP Fortin nameless plugin for the left guitar and my Line6 Helix for the right track. One of my next videos will compare the amp modelers with some of my amps.
I, too, like my guiter to look georgeous with its my agony body.
👍
great review! :)
My Gibson CS R8 is 3.9kg. Compared to my ex custom which was 4.85kg, I find this weight medium-lite for a les paul.
Good point Add Rien. I forgot to mention that the body thickness of the HB is a bit thinner (similar to en ESP eclipse) and therefor the 3.9kg is a bit on the heavy side. As a comparison, a friend of mine has one as well and his is only 3.4kg. Congrats on the R8 :D!!
Bought a TE 50 FLT Needed a fret level, the bridge plate was at an angle so I had to plug the holes and recentre it .This is NOT what a beginner could do and should not have left the factory like it , too much hassle to send it back so I sorted it ."jack" in QC was having a slack "chuck it out the door" day -Slack Jack ! Oddly the volume pot is also notched - why ??? ) So and it was "Good parts thrown together " basically. Finish was fine , tuners average , trust rod worked .
Sad to hear you were not lucky with yours. The TE 50 FLT is an even cheaper Harley Benton model, so to compare it with e.g. the Agufish I have wouldnt be fair. There is imo a significant difference between the chinese (cheaper) and the indonesian (more expensive) models, latter has much better materials and craftmanship. Still, you need to have a bit of luck to get a good one, in these price range they unfortunately have to make some compromise on the final quality control :(
sehr schöne Review!!
Danke mein Lieber, freut mich sehr dass es gefällt :D
I own a harley benton strat, the DG57 one. Sounds totally like a strat, no complains there, allthough it does feel cheaper than my expensive guitars, but, I paid 200 euro, and I don't think I can get anything as good, for that price, that is new.
Thanks for your comment Sebastian. I have played some older Harley Benton guitars which were also good for their price but not yet there and must say they made a great development. The highest end models now come really close to the overall build quality of some of the more expensive competitors.
Nice review. Subbed =)
Thanks forkless for your great feedback and your support :)
Looks great does it come in left handed version
Thanks for your comment Nonrev. The Agufish was a limited edition with only 350 pieces and all as a right handed version but HB has a couple of left handed guitars in stock as well.
Mine is fantastic. Worth double the price.
Great to hear you like yours! And fully agree, it's feels much more high end than you would expect with this low price
Are you reading what you say on cam?
I normally have a cheat sheet with some key words and a screen where I can see myself during my video session, which is a bit to obvious in this video ;)
lost me with kse. took my son to a gig, He Is Legend, Chimera, DragonForce and Killswitch, Warfield, SF, '07.
I've see all I wanted to see (LZ, UFO, Ozzy, Maiden, etc). Chimera was my fave that night.
I think all these bands are mia these days but hope i'm wrong.
It's not a veneer, it's actual ash top, according to Hunter.
From what I could see it's a AAA veneer on top of an ash top.
@@MassiveSoundProductions Hmm, I see.
@@MassiveSoundProductions how did you see that?
@@gabrieleporto7705 It's quite hard to see due to the painting done by HB, but from what I could see looking at the toggle switch and when removing the neck pickup it should be a veneer.
@@MassiveSoundProductions thanks!
Messi?
Not gitter but guitar :D
Gibson, Fender, PRS...shame on you.
Working on my reputation by buying more Harley Bentons 😜
Massive Sound Productions I hear that...lol. I would love to see a build quality comparison between between the ltd eclipse and HB SC1000. I will tell you why. Yesterday I went to absolute music to demo an eclipse priced at 949 pound sterling. I was shocked, the binding was uneven, the paint on the neck overlapped close to the fret board in this wavy shape, it was super light and it just felt...a bit cheap. The hardware was nice but there is no way I would pay 1000 for that guitar. Can you tell me how an HB sc1000 feels in the hand? Because I want that style of a guitar and I am thinking of ordering the a HB custom SC1000
@@diegofiorillo6412 Hi Diego, I cant tell you anything how the SC1000 feels, as I didnt had the chance yet to get one in my hands. Based from the experience I had with the Indonesian Harley Bentons they are all great value for the money. Only thing I would complain about the HB guitars is the build quality, if you are lucky you can get a really decent one, if not they can have similar to what you described on this LTD. In general I would rank the LTD Deluxe (e.g. 1000) series above the HBs, not in features but in avarage build quality. On the other side you pay only half the price or even less and the Thomann support one of the best. For the small things I found on my two Amaroks I got a fair price reduction. Personally I would save the money and go with the HB.
Massive Sound Productions thanks for the reply, I will go with the HB. Just cannot justify the difference in cost after what I saw. Tks again.
@@diegofiorillo6412 You wont be disappointed, keep me updated how you like your HB :)