Unboxing, inspecting, trying the New Harley Benton SC-550 ii... stainless steel frets!
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- Опубліковано 7 лип 2021
- Hey guys today we are going to check out the new updated version of the Harley Benton SC550 ii with upgraded pickups and stainless steel frets. It took forever to edit this because we are in the middle of a tropical storm and the power kept going out causing me to lose my progress so I apologize if it isn't up to par in that aspect.
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That is straight out of the jungle looks awesome
6 years ago I bought a lemon drop SC-450+, just because I wanted to play on something while restoring my MIJ squier st-335.
I had no expectation whatsoever, but I was really surprised. no sharp frets, felt and played really good. and with a bone nut. 😁
I took off the wilkinson ceramic pups that came with it, installed a dimarzio paf pro on the bridge, and an old korean alnico 5 on the neck. around 5k ohm.
love this thing!
Oh you had one with the Wikinsons, I actually like those ceramic pups better than the Roswells they switched to... but obviously throwing in some dimarzios is going to bring any guitar to life. It's hard to justify 3k+ on gibsons when you can get right there with the tones for a fraction of the price.
Great Job Jim, that's a beauty
Glad to hear an unbiased review, I was curious about this guitar
It's an extremely good guitar, one that I'd absolutely recommend. The frets are what really separate this from any other guitar in this price range, it feels so good to play.
@@AudiomoMusic I think these are perfect for gigging musicians. Not so valuable to collectors or hobbyist that just like guitar history. These are actual tools that only miss a name brand on the headstock. Yes I am a shallow idiot 😅
I totally get it, I have a lot of higher end guitars that I love... but I love quality budget guitars too. It's all about what you need it for and what you want to do. I'm not taking my $4k gibson out to play under almost any circumstance but I'll gladly take this and have it sounds 9/10's of the way there with the sound haha
@@AudiomoMusic Love the channel, surprised at such low subs, Q. Is this unbiased or did HB send you the guitar?
@@matthewpower3062 Over 90% of the people that watch my videos don't hit the subscribe button, it's normal for most youtubers which means it just will take me a lot of time I guess to develop more of a following I do appreciate it though.
You kind of answered your own question, I don't have nearly enough subs to be getting any sort of free gear from places to demo 😂 I paid for this entirely myself just like all the other gear on this channel
Since Harley Bentons often sell out quickly, I took a chance and ordered this guitar as soon as the story was announced last week. It arrived in less than a week and my reaction to the quality and play-ability was the same as Jim's. I had no idea what a difference stainless steel frets would make. The guitar is so easy to play. And as Jim stated, I also can't stop playing it. Hours go by and my hands don't get tired. I personally don't think you'll find this level of quality in anything even twice the price. The only adjustment I made was slightly lowering the right side of the bridge pickup - the high strings were a little too hot for my liking. I always had reservations about buying a guitar sight unseen, but I would definitely buy more from Harley Benton.
I'm glad you have the same experience Tony, and it just reinforces to me how good of a value this guitar is. I wasn't exaggerating at all when I was talking about how easy it was to play for long periods, which is by far the biggest issue I have with the frets on guitars in this price range. Harley Benton have outdone themselves on this one, and they have put a lot of manufacturers on notice in the process.
Ordered a SC550 II yesterday. I hope they send me the best example of a Harley Benton ever. Thanks for the great review of the HB.
I hope they do too, this guitar was anomaly to me, I've played dozens of Harley Bentons and they were all good in their own right but this one was outrageous.
I just wanted to say I appreciate your channel. It's helped me make some informed decisions to pick this guitar up and one of the hollow bodies. Keep it up.
Oooo which hollow body did you pick??? Im happy i could have helped at all, I just do my best to be as honest as possible about how I feel with these things, at the end of the day everyone’s different but it makes me happy to know people do find some of these helpful
@@AudiomoMusic I picked up the Harley Benton HB-35 BK. Nice guitar. I kind of wish I had got the plus but for what I use it for, the split pickups weren't necessary. Cheers.
I bought mine as soon as they was announced expecting to do some work on it like changing the pots and pickups etc.
I’ve been playing 40 years and mainly play teles and strats but I wanted this sound so I went for it.
Apart from the fret ends needing a light dressing it’s superb.
Opened up the electronics expecting the usual crap they put in them and found full size pots and a proper switch.
Pickups are also much better and will not need
Changing.
This guitar is a win win.
It’s not a Gibson as all the Gibson’s I’ve owned and played never stayed in tune and didn’t have a cut away to access the upper register so although the HB is based on a LP it has some better specs IMO.
You’d have to spend 2k plus to get close.
It's really hard to argue any guitar against this one unless you're looking at long term resale value or just a case of brand loyalty/snobbery.. I do feel there is a significant difference between someone who has a connection with a brand from their whole life and will never stray vs someone who just shits on all guitars that aren't 2k+ new.
I love this thing man, and I'd also agree with you for a Fender player this is a perfect LP style guitar to get into. Again, almost impossible to beat, they nailed this instrument.
Great vid. Great review, and great playing Bro! Bonus points for sneaking a little bit of "Panama" in there, if I heard it correctly. You rocked this thing, and I am going to be giving this guitar a hard look. I LOVE the Harley Benton line. I just subbed you. Great vid. Thanks for the real review.
You have a good ear! The way youtube and copyright works I have to find ways to "sneak" songs in to avoid getting flagged. Appreciate the kind words and yes I do try my best to show what I really think. I liked this guitar WAY more than the HB SG junior I had in shortly afterwards. It's a monster!
I don't know if it's my imagination or not, but my impression is that HB is actively trying to improve their product. Some guitars may get a little more expensive, but hopefully the quality will be there. I don't need a guitar that is a work of art, although of course everyone admires those. What I need is a guitar that is great to play - a working guitar - and something that looks good enough to be onstage.
That is exactly why I love this guitar so much. This guitar is actually pushing limits and there is no company that competes at this price point or even a few hundred more, period. I admire their desire to keep improving.
I agree I’m in the market for a semi-hollow beater. I travel a lot for session work. And I’d be dipped in 💩 before I take my good tele on the plane.
The killer with HB/Thomans is the shipping it’s almost a $100 to north east US.
@@thomaslthomas1506 Yeah, shipping from Thomann is high. You can usually get 2 guitars shipped for the price of one, though. Unfortunately, my experience has been that if they ship two cheap guitars, they don't care about packing them well enough to survive the trip. UPS guidelines are to pack so it will survive a 6' drop to concrete, and these things are packed to survive a drop of maybe 1'. If you've ever worked in a shipping department, you know Thomann's efforts are pathetic.
Firefly has more reasonable shipping rates, better packing, and the quality of their guitars is improving. Check out Guitars Garden for their new models. The looks are generally better than those of Thomann, and that's a consideration for any guitar you'd take onstage.
@@pejoarda772 Yeah, Firefly is stepping up, and IYV looks great too.
@@SG-js2qn well hey that's good too hear because the one I had was trash honestly but I found a fool to buy it so no biggie but I've heard others say that the new ones are nice? Trust me I got 2 Harley Benton s and they are a smokin good deal once set up
You are a great youtube personality! Keep it going..and don't change!
Thanks so much for the kind words, I'm just being myself for better or worse it's too kind of you to go out of your way to make that comment
Just a quick mention…I own 11 HB guitars and basses. Every single exterior box was mangled, the interior….fine. It’s unfortunately Customs that rips the exterior boxes open. I’ve spoken with others on this issue and same situations. Keep up the great reviews.
Great tones on each genre
Thanks man I really appreciate it!
Hey man, thanks very much for this video...!
First one of the new updated Harley Benton SC-550 II series - congratulations!!!
I just ordered one to these guitars in desert flame burst finish...
Cheers.
I couldn't decide between the desert flame burst and this, part of me wishes I got the desert burst because it's a bit more traditional looking but I am also really happy with this paradise flame.
Has it arrived? What did you think of it?
@@TripleMoxy9 Yes, it has arrived...It's a really good guitar, sounds and plays great! For that price, it's a really good deal!
Just bought this exact guitar, and a fusion III hh fr with the roasted maple neck! Can't wait man thanks for the video!
Congrats Frank I hope you love it, it's an absolute steal
I got the cheapest HB Strat off ebay which had been heavily modified, refretted with jumbo stainless steel frets, better bridge and sustain block, vintage hot pickups, new pots, wiring and tuners. Plays and sounds beautifully. I couldn't be happier with a guitar that cost £80.
Damn !!! Thanks dude great Demo , I'm a new subscriber !!!!
Happy you got some value out of it! Thanks for the support!
I like your review young man.....keep up the good work
Thank you Eldon, I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a positive comment
My girlfriend orderd me this one for my birthday, coming within days.
Thank you dear!
You're lucky! I've been married five years and my wife has never bought me a guitar 😂
Enjoy it, I have no doubt you'll love it.
I just got and it is a great, great guitar!
Worth much more then 300 euros!
She’s a keeper!
@@padywac1970 Yes, I am quite sure I will keep the guitar :)
@@padywac1970 you mean girlfriend? :)
Liked! Very sincere review, good demo, good video, great work! I love Harley Benton, but I like even more good videos that demonstrate this, we can have good instruments for a fair price.
Thank you Gustavo, and you are right. We CAN get good instruments at a good price, we just have to ignore what the headstock says!
I own one of these guitars,absolutely love it.I did some upgrades like put Fishman Fluence pups and locking tuners on it,wouldnt trade it for a Gibson.
Looks Great..Sounds Great...GREAT REVIEW
Thank you! and yes, this guitar did sound absolutely great. It still kind of baffles me.
Confinced me to get one, thanks for the great review!
Thanks for the kind words and I have no doubts you'll love it.
@@AudiomoMusic Hey man I just got it. It plays very nice and sounds great. But I barely get any sound when I switch to the bridge pick up? Is this normal? Not really knowledgeable of electric guitars. The middle and neck position have no problems.
@@TheSwampyy you get SOME sound though? shoot me an e-mail info@audiomomusic.com
Thanks again!
Loving mine. Decided to keep the pots and install a JB in the bridge and a 59 in the neck. That’s honestly the only things I might modify. I was expecting to change the harness and pots but they are full size alpha pots with caps which was a huge surprise. I would love to put locking tuners on here but I read the holes are a bigger diameter than most normal tuners. 9.8m I believe. So I’m now reluctant to change them.
I don't think the tuners would really need replacing, if anything maybe the nut and a set of tonepros bridge + stopbar and the thing is quite literally done. They're great and you simply can't beat them for anything near what they sell for.
Hi from Spain. I had the nut fixed by a local Luther but then both the bridge and neck volume and tone controls stopped working so on the 11th.July I had to send it back for repair. I just hope they can fix it because I really like the guitar. Thanks again for your review, it convinced to buy one. I will let you know the outcome of the repair. Kind regards, John.
Oh wow! It looks amazing!!
It is surprisingly great, Jon should be checking this company out it's infinitely less expensive than buying some of the other ones he's been looking around for and quite frankly... better.
@@AudiomoMusic did they know that you had a you tube channel when you purchased it? Asking because they are known to have zero QC , even though they mark the inspected by sticker on it. Some people get great instruments and others get one's with a lot of issues
@@allboutthemojo Absolutely not. I am literally so small on the "youtube guitarist" list 99.9% have no idea who I am and I have never presented myself as a youtuber or asked for a piece of gear to demo. I went right to Thomann's website, hit order, and waited just like everyone else.
@@AudiomoMusic good to know. I bought an sc custom in 2020. Lot of issues and international warranty is a joke because return shipping won't be covered as HB tries to give you support email instructions Instead of a flat out exchange.
I did show in the video the headstock issues they sent me with ny HB35+, it quite literally had bare wood showing on both sides of the headstock at the nut due to terrible QC.
This guitar was simply perfect though.
A very nice looking guitar and plays well too! If only the headstock looked better lol. Thanks for sharing!
I actually own one to which I paid £150 second hand I actually fell in love more with the colour it's a heavy guitar such a fantastic player of all the Harley benton les Paul's 550sc I own this is my most favourite and most comfortable guitar to play on
Great review man. New sub. I have the original sc550 and it’s great too. Thomann can be hit and miss but looks like you got lucky. Good job 👍
I was extremely surprised, can't say it enough. I liked the original sc custom I had ages ago, but this was substantially better than that guitar
Great review!
Thanks! People seem to like these so I'm going to be doing some more. I have the new SG JR they just released on the way here for Tuesday's video!
@@AudiomoMusic looking forward to your review of it mate
Cool video! That’s a sweet deal. I’m not crazy about the veneer & finish on these but it sounds great for a cheap guitar.
Crazy thing, its actually not a veneer. Thats a real maple cap. I didn’t know until i took the guitar apart to check the electronics out afterwards
Bro, I agree, I got one about a week ago, and was blown away,, I am selling my two Epiphone Customs, with fat necks and heavy, which I would gig with, to keep my Gibson 61' reissue in good shape. The Tesla pickups are nice, with a good sustain, loving that, not as heavy too, weight wise, the tuners are probably going because they seem to slip a tad. I have 5 Harley Bentons. I play the CST 24, and Fusion II [dig the HSH setup] a lot and I ditched the Roswells on both of them. I am selling a few guitars, because the HB guitars are just plain better, which show players they are being over charged my the Big Boys! Good Review, dig the hat!
It's just a bit over the top for me how good this guitar is for 300 dollars. It's almost outrageous. If I were you I'd be doing the same thing ditching the epihpones, use this guy for gigging either pocket the money or get a new amp or pedals and call it a day. Glad you love it too bro!
I just bought one of these. I don’t know if it’s the exact same model as mine is supposed to be one of their
Slash tribute models and the model # is slightly different being SC-550sl as opposed to 550ii. I’ve heard good and bad about Harley Bentons but for 300 bucks I decided to give it a try.
It is hard to describe how floored I was by the quality of this guitar. The stainless frets are well rounded with not a hint of fret sprout anywhere. There isn’t a single high fret anywhere on the neck. All the pots are smooth. There isn’t a loose pice of hardware anywhere. The top is stunning. The workmanship on this thing is amazing. I was thinking there had to be something wrong, I figured the pickups had to sound bad, I mean how could there not be something wrong with a 300 dollar guitar? Well the sound is Amazing. There isn’t an Epiphone anywhere that can hold a candle to this. And I have some nice Epiphones. I don’t know if the top is a veneer or a cap, but it is gorgeous. I don’t know if I got lucky and got a good one or if this is indicative of the quality of all of these, but this is a great guitar at any price. If you showed this to someone that doesn’t know Harley Bentons are inexpensive, and told them to guess the price I bet they would guess 1500-2000. This thing is so gorgeous I don’t even want to play it. To think you could buy three of this for the price of a Gibson studio is just insane.
I’m going to order another one asap.
The Mk2 Harley Bentons are an improvement on the iffy originals.
I have several of their range, the only one without issues was the Fusion 2.
This new SC550 has a better spec with only the way to obvious white nut
and green tuners requiring an immediate upgrade.
Thanks for a great review, i have subscribed to yor channel.
It's a huge improvement, I had one of the original SC customs, and it was an OK guitar... it wasn't bad. It wasn't great either. It was just kind of a bit better than you'd normally expect for a $200 guitar. This one is substantially better imho. Thanks for the support Allan!
@@AudiomoMusic Thanks for confirming that the Mk2 is a great improvement.
The originals always seemed to have been made to a price, and needed a fair bit of work and upgrading to make them a half decent guitar.
I just received my SC 550ii PAF just the same as this one. Overall incredible, only disappointment is the graphite nut which like in this video is cut slightly short so that the neck binding is proud. Not a big problem but I don't understand why something so simple has not been corrected at point of production in Indonesia. Still a bargain!
Nice vid. Imo the SC-550's are the Harley Benton's to purchase. I just finished gutting all the electronics and put in split coil CTS pot's on both tone's because they came with splitable PUP's but did not split them. I put audio taper pot's on the volume's. It is 50's style wired but with .22 Orange Drops. Tuner holes and pot holes need to be expanded by drilling out. The long shaft switch fit okay. I got rid of the glow green extra long tuners and put Grover Deluxe vintage on. I have a stock one as well that i may also alter. I replaced the knobs with amber and also added an amber switch tip. It looks and sounds even better. I may try some upgraded pickups in the future. I would like to have stainless steel's on mine indeed. Thanks.
50's style wiring is the most underrated modification you can make on a les paul style instrument. It's simple, but makes a huge difference.
I got one of these from Thomann last year. Lovely guitar for the price. I had Locking tuners on it, new nut and put in the Slash AFD pick ups an it sounds like a beast for around £500.
That's all the guitar really needs, and you're right there on a recording and 99% of people will ever know the difference. They really are great guitars.
Hi from Spain again! Well I wrote to Johann Thomann and got a very positive response. They are replacing the "B" stock model I bought with a normal model at the same price, kind regards, John.
That is amazing i'm happy it worked out for you, their customer service is great
I got mine last week and apart from a setup to suit my tastes, the guitar is absolute perfection. Gibson should be ashamed of themselves asking the money they do for guitars that are so inconsistent.
You know I changed the PRS pickups and did not keep the coil splits, and I actually like it better and don't miss them. I don't think they are as necessary as people might believe before getting a guitar with them. The classic selections are great and obviously they work in this harley benton too.
I think the only guitars I like having the splits on are the 594 and the CE24, PRS are the only ones that have one worth using imho. But I tend to agree with you, I'd rather just have things be simple and to the point. It's one less thing to think about.
I put Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded Humbuckers in my PRS SE Custom 24, and it still sounds really good split. I took out the Roswells in my HB CST-24T and put in GFS Mean 90s. What an improvement for $35!!! It totally is awesome now. I lost the coil split but the guitar sounds really great. My HB SC Custom has Roswells that you can split, and it is actually so good I don't want to risk doing a swap. My Gibson Les Paul Classic has coil splits, and for a $2300 guitar, I would say it does not sound great with the split. Same is true on my USA HSS Fender Stratocaster worth $1300. So it really depends on the instrument.
Hi, nice review! I read your review on Thomann and found your channel. I think, Harley Benton has reached a class of it´s own nowadays and they are providing excellent quality but inexpensive (not cheap!) instruments. I am a fan of Cort and Vintage Les Pauls but I have kept an eye on the SC550 series some time ago ;-) All the reviews I saw came to the same conclusion - if we´re talking about SC550 II or PLUS - Harley Benton is on the right way imo and differs from "ah...just another Les Paul copy". Still fascinating that they can offer that bunch of features for the price!
I'm glad you found this useful, I also think it really is fascinating they can make a guitar of this quality at this price point. Even when I took the strings off to give the fingerboard some lemon oil and put on my preferred strings I checked the electronics... full sized pots, not the cheaper mini pots that come in guitars of this price range normally. It's extremely impressive.
@@AudiomoMusic Do Cort make these?
Someone already said everyting I wanted to... So I just agreed.
Only difference in opinion is that I will get the Black Cherry Flame.
GRACIAS.
Big love from Spain
Black cherry is beautiful, very dark but lush.
I haven't been to Spain in years, I spent some time in Valencia and Madrid, absolutely loved both areas but they are quite different to each other. Thanks for the kind words
@@AudiomoMusicFrom (and living in) Valladolid myself. Not far from Madrid. But we've got better wine lol
I have a Fusion II and the stainless frets are like glass, I just received 550-II today and they are a teeny bit scratchy still. But hopefully they'll wear in. Anyway, great guitar, fantastic price, my 8th HB and every one is good or great.
Congrats! Which version of the fusion do you have? I love the look at they appeal to me but I could never part with my ce24 and doubt I'd end up using one of those much.
SS frets don't wear in, they are harder than the strings,that's kinda the point with SS frets, so you'll need to do some light sanding and polishing yourself. I had to do it to my Fusion pro and it's so nice now. FWIW
That's actually a maple top and not a veneer. Its actually a whole piece of wood that about 6 cm thick. When I heard HB was doing this with their guitars it blew me away. They just never stop amazing me with their stuff
Maple top ?? 😮😮😮
Hello, This is Dennis from Tulsa! That was a really great demo of that guitar. You pretty well sold me. by the way I'm a lefty. I just got a new Epiphone L.P. in TV Yellow it is bad to the bone! It's not like the right handed model it has a different tail peice ect. ect. Any way it's got me wanting a good Les Paul with a good price and that one in the lefty modle fits the bill. Where Gibson and Epiphone does not. Thanks again for the great domo...
Top is amazing for the money!
I'd say it's just amazing period!
Just bought gotoh leftie.... It's great
Great vid Jim. Yeah I saw these pop up. I’m a fan of HB. I actually have normal version of that from about 2 months ago. Your top is way more convincing than mine. So SS frets. Big deal or no? And if you needed to do any crowning or end work…… would the SS make the job harder? Especially end polishing?
The frets made an immeasurable difference. The fact that they were so smooth I could easily have played this guitar with no fatigue for 6+ hours says it all... No guitar I've ever played that's been under a grand outside of PRS SE Custom 24's have ever played as well as this. The Mariposa, ESP/LTD, Mexican Fenders, other Harley Bentons, all had frets that in many cases were fine and acceptable but none had the feel of these.
To your second question I'm honestly not sure, I've never worked on these before but I'll let you know this week when I take the strings off to set the guitar up with my normal gauge and do a little bit of the fret end smoothing.
For those into modding, those Tesla pickups have 4 leads, so you can install push-pull pots and wire them for coil-splitting if you want. 👍😏
I noticed that also, but I kind of like that they are traditionally wired humbuckers in this guitar. That being said, they really outdid themselves with every detail on this, 4 wire pickups, full sized pots, a maple cap, stainless steel frets... it's unbelievable they do all of it for $300.
@@AudiomoMusic I kinda wish they would just combine the SC Custom and the SC 550 ll into one guitar. I love the contoured body, thinner neck, and better tuners of the custom, but I love the 4-pots, better pickups, and general looks of the 550. it's worse than having 2 girlfriends, you can never really choose just one w/o missing the other. 👍👍👍😏😏😏
Hey Audiomo Music is your SC550II like mine. I just got my SC550II today and the Bridge is backwards. The wider cut saddle is on the high E and the narrow cut saddle is on low E. It's a real pain to take apart the entire bridge and move all the saddles around. I loosed all the strings put on a Capo unscrewed the tail piece and flipped the bridge around; then reset the action height and intonate. As shipped the action was higher on the bass side, so I lowered it and noticed how lopsided it appeared. That's how a I discovered that the saddles are flipped.
I did not have any of those issues but jesus, how can they get something like that wrong. This is guitar assembly 101 stuff here. If you contact Thomann I'm sure they will give you some sort of partial credit to the store.
Had ec 256 sold it now looking to buy this one and when i heard you say its better then it then i know what to expect cause ec was so smooth to play i just hope that hb is gonna be bit heavier
The EC256 is still a really good guitar, but I'd never pick it at the price it sells at now over this guitar, it just wouldn't make sense to me imo
Can you please expand on what is better about any other les paul type guitars which cost ten times this? I don’t get how much better anything can be aside from pickups.
Hi from Spain, I enjoyed your review.I ordered the same SC-550II unfortunately mine arrived unplayable,the graphite nut set so high even simple chords were unplayable so I had this fixed at my cost.But then the selector switch, bridge volume / tone controls failed so I returned it to Thomann.When it arrived back the selector switch was OK but both volume / tone controls for both pick ups did not function.I returned it again and today three months later they gave me my money back,but of course I incurred all the costs for the graphite nut repair,traveling costs to the city post office twice. Maybe I was just unlucky,but it seems to me all the reviewers were sent perfect instruments?Kind regards,your reviews care always honest,John.
👍🏻👍🏻
😁😁😁
Great review, not many out yet for this model. I am looking for a long term guitar without needing mods; enjoy everything from country to industrial metal. Thought of getting the TE90FLT but won't be ideal for either end of spectrum. Would probably pick up this and the TE20 alongside as I am in my country phase now. Are the Tesla pickups better than the Roswell's on the previous model. Any other notable improvements in reference to the old SC550?
Can anyone confirm if the electronics are shielded on this one ?
The Teslas are absolutely better, I did a little A/B yesterday with this guitar and the HB35+, I don't like how muddy and dark the Roswells are, these are a bit more articulate. I will let you know if the electronics are shielded after the first string change, i'm curious to see the inner construction and size of the cap.
My Harley Benton outer box had the same issues, all staples pulled through by UPS. I think the bad taping was done by them.
Yeah the staples were on UPS, and the taping was absolutely on Thomann. These things happen, at least it showed up undamaged at the end of the day right?
Just to add to my previous post. Maybe a got a good one, but the nut fits perfectly, and there isn’t a hint of roughness to the frets. There are other areas of workmanship that are better than my 2k Les Paul, like the high and low e strings being equidistant from the edges of the fretboard, a nut that doesn’t ping, low action out of the box with no buzzing, and a gorgeous top.
I’ll admit that i put a Slash alnico pickup in the bridge, since that’s what I put in all my guitars, so I’ve got a 400 dollar guitar now.
A few years ago I saw one of the new guys in charge at Gibson saying that Gibson was an aspirational brand. I would like to see some aspirational quality too. Aren’t Les Paul Studios 13-14k now? This thing shits all over LP studios.
Saw your review on Thomann, found this vid, ordered a Desert Flame Burst... Let's see what happens!
That's great to hear man! I couldn't pick between the desert burst or paradise flame, both are gorgeous.
@@AudiomoMusic same, I thought the Paradise was a bit too flashy for me personally. 🤣
I just hope the QC is on point, I had an Epiphone Les Paul Modern and sent the sucker back cause it was a dog with absolutely shoddy fret work…
Awesome guitar Man!! And very good vídeo. Against an epiphone les paul standard which one do you prefer?
If you wanted a more traditional Les Paul style guitar the epiphone, but in literally every other factor the Harley Benton is a better guitar and costs half as much.
The fret board looks really dark for pau ferro. They must stain it? I have a couple of these in the mail, and I'm excited to get them. I haven't ordered a guitar from Thomann since they switched from DPL to UPS shipping. I am hopeful. With DPL almost every guitar I ordered from Thomann was damaged in shipping. Also, it took forever. So, we'll see. I'm optimistic.
I thought the same thing, I normally really, really dislike Pau Ferro and this reminded me much more of rosewood from the shade of it. UPS international I have had great luck with, I'm confident you'll have a seemless experience next time you order from them.
My main issue is to decide which color to choose especially because from Thoman web site and real ones they seems different.... Is that a Paradise Amber flamme (looks darker on the web site and I prefer yours)
It is Paradise Amber flame and you are dead on with that worry... I've had some Harley Bentons show up that look NOTHING like they do on the website, for better or worse.
I’m really thinking about getting a Harley Benton LP Junior style guitar. This gives me hope that it won’t be a dog.
I had one of those and it was great, light as a feather and super easy to upgrade if you wanted to.
Esa caja la abrieron trabajadores de UPS?, pues las grapas y el pegamento que usa Thomann para sus envíos es de gran calidad, no solo venden guitarras Harley Benton o amplificadores "marca Thomann", venden muchas cosas mas
Hi, i’m thinking about getting this one, and your video is convincing me, my mayor concern now would be if there’s fret buzz or any related issui with the guitar. Did you notice anything like that?
Nope, I was actually amazed at how well it was setup. I did no changes or tweaking on the guitar before filming the sound samples.
Great video and playing... What riff is that at the 6:40 mark I'm thinking it's the The Eagles but not sure what song any help is appreciated, thanks in advance.
I am also not sure, I was just playing some basic kind of chords together so I'm positive someone has used that exact progression before but I couldn't tell you what it was off the top of my head
@@AudiomoMusic thanks for your kind response. I did figure out at least what it reminded me of check it out when you get a chance. The song is by Don Henley it's called "You don't know me" cool song btw. Take care bro!!
Harley Benton SC-550 II from how many pieces of wood is glued together?
What do you want for £250?? Blood?
Wahoo seems to be a great guitar ! Thank you for the démo ! I'm about to buy an epiphone lesPaul Standard (Never had that kind of guitare) for playing mainly blues and i don't know what is thé best choice... Thé standard 50 , thé standard 60 or thé limited 59 édition, or this HB ! They all have différent pickups !! 😭😭😭 . Can somebody help me ?
Regarding the missing staples in the box situation: Did this guitar coming from Germany went thru Customs?
Leaving away the specs...did you enjoy playing this? I have the Harley Benton Fusion II strat with tremolo and i hate to play it, there is something about it that just feels off (and no, it's not the roswell pickups) . I consider this as a viable option on my next purchase. Thank you for your thorough and detailed video
I did like playing it save for one particular thing, the neck itself was a little thin for my tastes. All my les pauls have a bigger neck on them so playing this felt a bit off by comparison. Outside of that, it was genuinely smile inducing playing it, I didn't need to do a single alteration to the setup and the thing just played itself. I think the newer stainless steel frets they use really helped the fluidity and smoothness of the feel of the instrument.
I Wish they did this with a nice gold top finish.my hb gold top is more copper top in appearance.
Yeah Jay, the guy I do my podcast with had the same exact complaint with his "goldtop", was a bright copper.
Excellent , Thorough and articulate Review! I Was not looking to Buy another guitar… However, Shame on you for stirring up my Guitar purchasing disease!
Can you explain how exactly this is less than the 4k Gibson? I know the question sounds ridiculous but Im really curious what the expensive guitar magic sauce is.
I actually want to take the time to make a detailed video on this with some interesting data that will shed a lot of light on things, and in the case of Harley Benton show just why they are one of the smartest guitar makers in the world financially.
Hi. I´m deciding between this guitar and the Gretsch G5220. Which one do you think is better?
Really different kinds of guitars there, I don't think there is a "better" between them. They'll play and sound pretty different so I'd do my best to try both first although I get with the HB they are not so easy to come by locally depending on where you live
@@AudiomoMusic Thank you very much for your reply. For me, it´s easy to get an HB. In fact, i already have this guitar (the SC550-II). I was thinking if it's worth to do the "upgrade" to the Gretsch (im my country, it costs about 200 euros more than the HB).
Do the midle of the neck and midle of the pickups match on your guitar are they in a straight line? Mine are way off. Im not sure if i should take my money or try a new one. Pls reply thnks in advance.
Oh wow, did you already talk to them? Mine were straight on but dude if that was my guitar I'd ship it back and go from there.
@@AudiomoMusic yeah, i shiped it back. Still waiting for their reply.
Got full refund. Buying a new one.
They are giving PRS SE a run for their money it's crazy how they can get paper thin veneer tops to look that nuts nowadays!
Audiomo Music said it’s not a veneer - it’s a real maple cap. I’ve never seen a veneer that looked that sweet!!
Crush Everything is right, it's not a veneer, that was a real cap. I have no idea how they are doing this but I was beyond surprised.
Does it neck dive?
Can you put an LP pick guard on these guitars?
I'm sure you can, HB do make a few models that have pickguards you'd probably have to buy it directly from Thomann though to be sure it fits.
The maple cap is apparently really thick , it’s not a thin veneer ,
When I took the guitars original strings off I checked the electronics and while doing so noticed that. Just makes this an even better value than i initially thought.
There is only a coil split from perfection I guess :)
I really don't think it needs it! The cleans it does as is are decent enough that it's good they focused on just the full humbucker sounds for once instead of forcing in the splits. It's hard to get those things right, to me I feel only PRS USA gets it right from the factory with coil splits and well... totally different price range at that point haha
@@AudiomoMusic Agreed, PRS coil split tone is very usable. The HB looks good for half the price, good choice. Thanks for sharing with us :)
I have next to no knowledge of guitars. I like the look of this one and I am looking for a first electric guitar. Would you recommend this one?
Thanks.
Absolutely.. this is something you don't need to worry about changing anything on, it will be easy to play, and it will last as long as you will while playing the instrument. Can't go wrong.
@@AudiomoMusic thank you! Fun thing is I ordered this guitar last night (3 pm here now) along with various accessories. I'm very excited to get it home and get started with learning guitar 😊🎸
@@marcusberggren9241 What did you think of the guitar when it arrived?
@@TripleMoxy9 absolutely gorgeous! Sounds good unplugged which is a good indicator. You can play clean or distorted, it sounds great either way. I can't recommend the SC-550 II enough!
So you liked it huh? Are you sure your not just being a shill for Thomann,Ha Ha! But seriously,with the added shipping cost from Germany,it's still cheaper than alternatives,so your opinion helps to decide,many thanks,Keep up the good work-Peace from the northeast,
After how bad I slammed Thomann for the shipping I highly doubt they'd want to work with me anyways, and these things are so cheap and sell so well the last thing they need is someone like me on any sort of payroll hahaha
It's crazy how good this is, I played it more last night and it reaffirmed my thoughts regarding the ease of playing as well as the comfort. It's a really, really decent guitar.
@@AudiomoMusic Thanks from a disabled old fart,on a low budget.No they don't need your opinion on their products,But your judgement helps with it's honesty.So again 'good job'! and thanks.
As always James, thanks for even commenting on this stuff man. I'm happy it can help anyone honestly
Have any video references on how to set this guitar up. Mine I just bought has high action and intonation is way off
ua-cam.com/video/DODV11pn4YU/v-deo.html this should do the trick
@@AudiomoMusic Thanks for the reference video.. Helped out alot and got the HB to sound real nice now with a new set of strings as well
Good to hear man, these are really good guitars and play effortlessly with a good set up
Dam i thought this was James Franco for a second , My SC-550 is coming tomorrow and i'm well excited
I've been told I sound like David Spade, your comment is much more complimentary than that haha, appreciate it. Which color did you get? I'm sure you'll love it it's a great guitar.
@@AudiomoMusic Hi mate thanks for replying, It came today the colour is Pradise Amber Flame and it's very nice .
now just need to learn to play it lol
Great choice on the Paradise Flame, it was my favorite of all them which why I also picked it!
Said it before, but man those zebra pickups are cool. Do you think you'd recommend this over an Epiphone? Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever heard you say anything about Epiphone.
You haven't heard me say anything about Epiphone because I don't have many nice things to say about those overpriced mass produced chinese guitars.
@@AudiomoMusic 😆 I thought you might say something like that. I'm going to ask you more about this on the next stream.
In going to get one. I'm putting Seymour Duncan 57 pups in it with cts lots and Sprague capacitors! To me fine UK - less than £400!! And sorry Epiphone but better than an Epi 50s, cheaper and much better pups!
Impossible to beat at that price, I couldn't ever see myself buying a new Epiphone at any price, too many better alternatives for less.
Are they teSLASHarks? I have a set of them from a company in Britain?
They were just labeled as Teslas with no model name attached, it's possible thats what they are
@@AudiomoMusic I have a set of teSLASHarks in my 2016 studio and I have a set of SD slash pups in my 2010 standard and they are absolutely the same. Id never buy anything but iron gear pups if im going alnico2.
UPS is the worst. Nearly every shipment I've received from them in the last few months has either been late or boxes in bad shape.
Yeah they suck. They also lose packages then refuse to pay out the insurance after.
U.S. customs tore up my packaging from Thomann,but everything made it safe to me.
Customs have been doing this a lot lately, must be assuming people are smuggling drugs or something
That blue support looks like CGI.
You forgot to mention that it's a solid top, the other unboxing with another guy he went into the pick-up cavity,scrate off some paint and what do you know solid Maple
I didn't realize this until I did my restring, I was blown away by that when i noticed it. This is by far the best $300 guitar I've ever seen.
Don't blame the company for the condition of the box.
That box has been mishandled by more people than you could imagine, all having different kinds of days.
As someone once said, we sewed product not packaging.
When a box is barely taped together, it has nothing to do with how many were involved with getting it to point A to point B... that's entirely on the initial packer/shipper.
Staples don't "come out". They were removed at customs.
The condition of the outer or inner box is not Thomann's or guitar's fault. It's always UPS, DLX, Post or customs fault. They don't care anything.
True, but the fact it was barely taped together was entirely on them. Ive ordered maybe 10 total guitars from then and they were all taped and stapled securely… this one was not.
For nearly $400 with shipping to the U.S. for a knockoff potential buyers outside of the UK are better off sticking with a knockoff from a company closer to them. When you buy guitars through the mail you will eventually have an issue you can't or don't want to fix. It's a whole lot cheaper and quicker to return a guitar in the U.S. than it is to return it England.
This is a fair analysis however what american available guitar comes remotely close to this in terms of specifications and overall quality at a similar price? The severe lack of competition in that area of the market is enough for people to want to take the chance in itself.
I think its a great opportunity for an american company to provide a similar product at this pricepoint but lets be honest, thats not happening.
There's nothing knock-off about these. Take a look at the heel it's totally different to Gibson's design. They come from Germany as far as know.
Jim, what’s the fret radius on this?
Hey Steve, it's a 12 inch radius
@@AudiomoMusic thanks bro 🤘🏻
no way this is better then the hb35 plus. can't believe it.... You mean I have to buy a single cut instead of the hb 35 plus?
Either one works just fine, I just found this to be a much better guitar than the HB35+, to this day probably the best HB i've ever played
@@AudiomoMusic keep up the good work these are great reviews. maybe I'll save up and get both! :)
is it better than a epiphone?
I believe so, but they are different. I actually made a video yesterday doing a direct comparison between two of them. ua-cam.com/video/MyrKD2NVjks/v-deo.html
Does it stay in tune or change the tuners
No tuning problems, uncommon for a Les Paul but when there are tuning issues the tuners themselves are the third thing I check to solve those kinds of problems. It's more often than not the nut or the bridge, not the tuners causing the problem.
@@AudiomoMusic is it worth the money or go ahead and bite the bullet with another Les Paul like Epiphone... How is the weight of it... I enjoy your channel.... Great video!
I wouldn't buy any epiphone over one of these. I'd rather save the money and get a HB personally... if you are willing to spend extra a Gibson les paul tribute is a great used guitar to go after at a reasonable price instead.
Thanks for the compliment man, I appreciate it!
@@AudiomoMusic your so welcome bro!
Did you have to pay custom duty?
No, anything under $800 US won't trigger that
@@AudiomoMusic just got this guitar ..it really does impress...but I obviously want to change the tuners..any idea what grovers fit this guitar?
@@zoso2850 not sure which Grovers but the Gotoh SD90s drop right in. Funny enough I put grover mini rotos on my HB35+ before I sold it and those dropped in but these are Kluson style and I didn't do have any grovers in that style so I can't give you a 100% answer for that brand
Missed opportunity for them to just be marked as the SC552 instead of SC550ii lol
I'll never understand the majority of their process of naming guitars either, I get confused looking at the site at times haha
@@AudiomoMusic I've just ordered the BCF version of this, should hopefully have within the next couple weeks 🤞