I love your guitar solo on this video. When I first heard it, I enjoyed it as much as anything I can think of... and I return to it regularly. Just great work, sir.
Nice review John. I bought a HB35 Plus Lemon Burst recently. The extra money was money well spent. Out of 8 HB guitars I own this was the best on delivery. The only thing I did was to lower the strings slightly and lower the pick-ups - all the rest was perfect with no setting up to do. Even the pick-ups sound great in my opinion, and it's the only HB guitar in my collection that the pick-ups will not be changed in the foreseeable future.so far
i have bought a Harley Benton sc 450+ vintage and i m so satisfied of this guitar , great sound , good micros ( dobble and single coil split ), finition is top ! ( sorry for mistakes in english , I m a froggy ! a frenchie living and playing in Brittany , france ) thanks for your comments) your are great !
I bought the HB 35 plus. A few tweaks and a new set of strings and jeezo, what a bargain! £214 with a hard case. And I absolutely love it. I wanted a 335 style guitar, as like you John I didn't have one, and the 35+ was right about my price point. Outstanding for the money.
Was just looking at a ES335 clone on AliExpress for around 230 USD which would probably require the same Mods as this. Harley Benton is truly giving guitarists an excellent bang for their buck. My next trip to Europe will surely involve picking up one of them (Maybe that excellent superstrat you had done a demo for) from Thomann and also a set of lollar pickups from Germany.
My HB35 in Red comes on Tuesday , i find those pick ups ok , i will probably change the tuners as you say they are basic tuners, and an upgrade is not too expensive, i'm an Ernie Ball guy i use 9's , i will let you know how i find mine after delivery. Great playing again John, nice
I'm certainly happy you took the time to review the HB. I'm thinking if you call Thomann and place your order, you can ask the shop to upgrade the tuners, bridge, maybe the nut if need be, it'd be worth it to me to spend an extra 100 just to keep from having to do anything but play it, BTW, John, great playing as always, but last thing about the guitar is how dead nutz on they set the neck, frets, & the alignment of the 'e' strings on either side told that tale!
I got one of those guitars when it was £100. It was super playable out of the box. I still use it almost 10 years later. Its now beside my chair in the livingroom and still plugged into my valve junior. The fretts are worn in places after 5 years of happy budget gigging with mates in bars. I love it.
I bought my first Harley Benton a few years ago because of this video. Four years later, I watch the video not to learn about a new-to-me guitar brand, but just to watch the solo! It was - and is - outstanding!
I was thinking of buying a Gretsch Streamliner but, after watching a few review videos including yours, I've plumped for a HB35+ and I'm glad I did. It's a good solid guitar and I like the coil tap on each of the Roswell pickups. I put D'addario 10s on and I might swap out the machines for Grovers. Other than that, I love it (I went for the Lemon Drop finish). It might not have quite the Gretsch jangle, but it has some lovely warm jazzy tones and it's so damn comfortable to play. Thanks for your reviews and comparisons, John. Always a pleasure to watch.
Incidentally to put things into perspective I've got a Japanese made Epiphone similar to this manufactured in the early 1970s. At the time it would have cost about £80 which in today's money is likely to be over £800. That HB35 is probably as well made or even better made than the Epiphone. Even though all Asian made guitars have come down in price even for known brands this is an extremely good price for such a good sounding and playable instrument.
Looks like one of these is in order. I've been hoping you would review one of these, I'm glad you did. I'll be getting one soon! Great video, and the song is good to! Love your playing John!!!
Great review mate. I've just ordered one of these from HB and was looking through some reviews on the guitar and being a Teessider myself (now living in Oz) I immediately locked on to your accent! Like many people I can't really justify (to the wife lol) spending the kind of money you have to spend to get the Gibson but I really like the style and chunky sound these hollow body's produce. Given the price it would be almost rude not to buy one! From the looks of things the cost/quality ratio seems to be acceptable so I can't wait till it arrives to live out my 'Back to the future/Johnny be goode' dreams! haha.
He's right about the tuners, but I have a raft of HBs and they're all fantastic. Had to change the tuners on my CTS24, but that gave me a PRS-equivalent guitar for £230 all in. No-brainer.
You've been practicing again haven't you John, sounds bloody great. Never thought I'd be so eager to see you with a semi though ........... I said that out loud didn't I? :o/
Hi, thank you for review. I have HB-35 VB, the old version with that ugly curved pickguard, that I took off. I changed the tuners for Kluson MLS33C Lockheads. It is a really good guitar for that money. Maybe not for beginner, who can't do some basic setup. But for advanced player, who wants some backup guitar or just want some guitar diversity and wants to try some semihollow guitar, it is a good deal worth of try. Still remember, it is a cheap guitar, don't expect miracles.
Hi, I got the previous generation 35 plus with the Wilkinson Alnico pups and they are perfect but the Tuners are awful like you said and had to be changed. 3 years down the line and everything is holding up really well. Spot on review!!
As always John, found this video both informative and entertaining. The only problem I have is that your playing is so brilliant that you could even make that kitchen bin sound great!!!
It needs Grover tuners in gold and gold hardware!! I bought a HB acoustic and it plays fab and all I done was bin the plastic nut and saddle for tusq and now it's great. I'm sure like anything if you get a Friday afternoon guitar you might have a few issues but as I've said before Tomann need to sort out QA in Germany I would say my guitars never even got opened before shipping out.
I love your videos, John. I've found myself with less time, and can't hardly get my required YT time in everyday, but I get to them, eventually!! I had never even heard of Harley Benton guitars pre-John Robson, now I can't wait to get my hands on one....or three. The HB35 looks like a beauty too, albeit probably needing a few inexpensive upgrades.
Nice review John. Mine plays well and sounds decent. Nut is cut well and like yours, frets are good. Unfortunately it goes out of tune, the only guitar I have that does. Must be the tuners. Unfortunately, that's not the only problem. I can't intonation properly as the bridge saddles don't move forward enough. I know there are replacement bridges out there that can address this. Maybe be one day I'll mod it but I'll persist with it for now.
Hi - your tuning issues could also be the nut binding. Get some nut lubricant (weird typing that out) before you change the tuners. I've learned the hard (i.e., expensive) way that you can change out the tuners and still have tuning issues. The bridge issue is annoying, but you can swap it out - I mostly play guitars with Fender type bridges where often the saddle won't move backwards far enough. I've spent a lot of time cutting springs in half...
@@pdp977 Thanks. I've used a ton of graphite on the nut which normally does the trick. I wouldn't normally blame the tuners but I reckon this might be the problem. I'll give it another try before I spend some money. Cheers.
Hi I have a Gibson es135 and it always went out of tune. I have recently put a set of 11 gauge daddario strings on the set comes with a wound 3rd . I can honestly say I haven't had a bit of trouble since it never would stay in tune with the 10s on. its like a different guitar now. I add a little pencil to the nut. I was all set to change the tuners I'm glad I didn't now.. Tony
John, I watch your videos because I love your sense of humor, and the way you play these lovely reasonably priced guitars. I'm over here in the US of A. I can't get hold of a Harley Benton with any ease really but you have me wanting one. Even if that means putting up with the import issues here. I can, like you, do my own setups and modifications if needed. I hope this finds you well Sir, God Bless.
Cheers! Ironically it was a US UA-camr who turned me on to HB guitars... Nick in the States, he goes by. He doesn't seem to have any problems getting them into the USA. Check out his channel. 😁
I think one of the improved features the HB-35 Plus has is Push/Pull Coil splitting, which may be why it's more expensive as well besides the pickups. Makes it more interesting to me than this one for the larger tone palette that gives you :)
Hey John, I bought one of the semi teles from HB last month(being a lefty, only the red one with p.90s is available). It's an awesome guitar - not for the price, just an awesome guitar! Only needed the frets polishing and the string trees replaced with roller jobs. I'm commenting to say don't write the body off as laminated maple too soon, I thought that of the TE 90 QM, but close inspection showed that the top is carved solid maple. A bit untidy on the inside, to be honest, but the nice quilted maple veneer makes up for it. Keep on rockin' mate!
I was intrigued by the use of 'blackwood' for the fretboard, since all the blackwoods I'm aware of are relatively scarce and pricey woods, unlikely to be used on a budget instrument. Looking at the Thomann site, I noticed that the higher-priced HB35-Plus is described as having a fretboard made from 'blackwood (Pinus radiata)'. Radiata pine is not a 'blackwood' of any kind. However, a little digging turns up a technological wood product called 'Blackwood Tec', and I suspect that this is what HB have used. It's Radiata pine, coloured with a natural pigment and impregnated with an organic resin under pressure, and then kiln-dried and hot-compressed to increase its density. There's a good page on the Hutchings Guitars website that sets out the process and explains why they use it: www.hutchinsguitars.com/about-us/why-blackwood-tec.html So it's basically still pine, but it's much more ecologically friendly than would be the use of real blackwoods, and way cheaper. It's a shame in a way that Thomann haven't made this clear, since we're going to be seeing a lot more of these wood products in guitars, and it appears that they work just fine. (Blackwood Tec is also resistant to termites, if that's a concern in Redcar.)
@@rrolf71 Yeah, I think they know what they're doing is selling modding platforms. I kind of think of them as a "mostly finished kit guitar". When I think back to my old Satellite Les Paul copy from the 80s (cost me £80 in 1980) which had a plywood body, bolt on neck & an action you could slice a boiled egg with... In today's money, that would be a £300-£400 guitar. Now you can get something which is within shouting distance of a "big name" guitar for a silly low price. A great time to be a guitarist 😁
Just because Thomann shows 2-3 weeks delivery continuously does not necessarily mean that they are continuously out of stock. What happens is that it will be 2-3 weeks until stock arrives and you pre-order. In 2-3 weeks they fulfill the orders and hopefully have some over but they go quickly so they are back to 2-3 weeks.
My SC450plus and case,arrived,from Germany to U.K.,in THREE days,and it’s to die for.Quality and finish are outstanding.Not over the moon with the Addario strings,as supplied,but a set of Ernie Ball slinkys (skinny top,heavy bottom)will undoubtedly improve things in that area.Other than that,quality and delivery brilliant.Only thing I would say,if you are ordering a guitar from them, check that it is in stock,and if not,check the waiting time before you order to avoid disappointment!!
I bought an HB35CH back in June 2016 and found it to be an amazing semi acoustic for the money. As usual with Harley Benton guitars it needed a little bit of tweaking to suit my standards but was perfectly playable straight out of the box. The machine heads on my guitar were ok, although my guitar looks identical to yours I suspect that the pickups are different, my guitar sounds a lot smoother and less harsh.
the problem with thomann and harley benton atm is, that our american friends buy guitars from them like hell! and thomann cant keep up the demand......soooo quality goes down a bit and waiting time goes sky high....... but over all good guitars. but you have to do a bit of work on them lately, sad really sad. my last hb had a string hight of 2 cm on the 12 fret :D 1 hour of work and it plays like a charm. o and you should go for the high priced one....because the roswell pickups are really really good! sorry for my bad english, cheers from germany
over a year mate i ended buying the red one with p90 after some work it ended up a good giutar , i have now given it to a friend who plays around the bars in Thailand
Congratulations on the new axe John, I just received a Harley Benton HWY something or other black sort of super strat style guitar that we intend to review on our channel. I hope you come around to see it. Sometime next week probably.
Not sure if you still have the HB35 but the one you were originally after is currently in stock at Thomann for £158 - I'm assuming its this one - Harley Benton TE-90QM HH Trans Blue. I have the same guitar but in Trans Red with P90 pickups. It plays brilliantly after a pro set-up. The best way to describe the tone is that its like a Telecaster on steroids!
Jeg har købt en rød, vil lige nævne, at jeg har spillet guitar i over 60 år, dejlig guitar der holder stemningen rigtig godt. Har i tet at udsætte på den.
Thanks for demo and details. I had exact same problems with my HB35, but my conclusion was different: it was NOT playable, until full set up, and strings change. My taste also goes for alnico 2 instead of Al5, especially for more vintage/bluesy/jazzy sound. Last advice, I bought it 170euros, and tried to resell it 120 with hard case: unresellable.
It's all about expectations & outlook when you buy a guitar this cheap. I don't mind doing the set up work... At the most it'll take me a day to level & crown the frets, adjust the truss rod, replace the tuners, swap out the pickups, set the action & intonation and get the guitar into tip top condition. Then I've got a guitar which feels, sounds & plays like something much more high-end, for minimal outlay and a few hours spent tinkering & enjoying myself while listening to the radio or an audio book. I don't expect a £200 (or less) guitar to play like a custom shop instrument.
Whilst I agree with you 100% John, in the interests of fairness and providing a balanced point of view, who buys 10 bins for the kitchen and only uses one at a time?
@@JRobsonGuitar Luckily, there IS hope for humanity. Phew! From the site... "This website was designed for my OCR Dreamweaver course. Please note that the Wheelie Bin HQ and all the facts, figures, names and events on this website are entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to actual businesses, living persons or events is entirely accidental."
Did they change the pickguards? That looks like an LP rather than the usual HB ugly 335 guard. I enjoy your videos, I bought a HB black paisley tele & strat style.
@@JRobsonGuitar Not that it matters at all but I saw another video that day showing the LP style guard. Previously reviewers would complain about the ugly odd shape curvy pick guards on the older ones.
If you replace the pickups, why not just snip the wires on the old pickups and splice the new pickups to the old wiring? Wouldn't that be a lot easier than messing with fishing and desoldering the original wiring through the f-holes etc?
Yup, that's one way of doing it. I ended up lifting the pickups out, loosening the base plate screws, & swapping the ceramic magnets for alnico 2 & it transformed the sound of the guitar.
Just a question? In the States we call those hollow body electrics! Is the term "semi acoustic" just a regional term for the same thing or is there something different about the guitar that makes it "semi acoustic" other than the fact the body is hollow? And nice playing!
Just different terminology, I think. However, I'm more used to hearing the term "hollow body electric" in reference to the big Gibson jazz box style guitars which are fully hollow with no centre block... A Byrdland, for example.
Well I hope you don't have to return one. They just sent me 2 of the exact same guitar. I informed them right away and now there telling me I have to take it to the Customs office and show them the receipt and get authorization basically to ship it back and I have to pay for the return shipping fee. I paid 66 bucks for 2 day shipping and it took 5 days. This is my 3rd time ordering from them, needless to say never again.
I bought an HB35+ about 2 years ago. She had no finish problems out of the box barring the ugliest pick guard I'd ever seen. The action I managed to get down to about 2/64ths higher than I wanted; roughly USA factory spec. To get that extra 2/64ths I did a complete fret levelling job. It's not that she was unplayable but she needed to come down that little bit. It wasn't an unenjoyable experience doing the frets either. It did the trick though. She's gorgeous to play and that's not just My opinion. Back then they were fitting Wilkinson humbuckers. I find them pretty good. I don't think I'm going to bother to change them. Later on I got a Single Cut SC450+ with the newer Roswells. I find these Roswells just a Little better than the Wilkinsons given that, although the guitars are different, the pickups are the same for each, both the old Wilko versions and the Newer ones. I've bought 5 Harley Bentons in total over the years. Only one had to go back. That was a Tele model that, it turns out, they'd had factory troubles with. The four I kept have been great. In fact the cheapest one, my SC-450 P90 GT, was the one in the best condition out of the box. One came with 9s when there should have been 10s . Thomann sent me a set of 10s no fuss.
Oh btw I reshaped that ugly pickguard. Used jam jars and espresso cups for the radii. Made a template and cut off the offending protuberances. Took a lot of filing to get the Chamfer right. A router table would have been much easier ...
@@KozmykJ People keep mentioning the pick guard but I really don't have a problem with it. Just out of interest, what is it about it that you & other folks seem to dislike so much?
@@JRobsonGuitar The old pickguard had an odd shaped "horn" to it. These days they fit a more LP shaped one. Here's an example. Shane is showing an "Artist" brand , but it looks much the same as the old Harley. ua-cam.com/video/YRntEqSKZZY/v-deo.html
I can hear that someone has been influenced by Roben Ford with that bridge pickup (on 10) section John! Tasty, I have an Epiphone 335 model, it's not bad, this one sounds ok to me.
Hey John. I have a very similar semihollow guitar. Its the Firefly FF338 in the same high gloss tuxedo black color. I'm loving the guitar so far but I have the similar issues that come with budget purchases, it seems. The tuners are shat, and I suspect the strings are also 09's. Having blabbed on, I have some questions if you have the time. *what model tuners will you swap in? *what strings do you prefer? *what do you recommend I treat the fretboard with? Thanks in advance, man. I continue to thoroughly enjoy your productions. Peace, from Texas!
No worries. Glad to hear you're enjoying the guitar. The tuners I tend to use are Vanson & they are very good value and a real improvement on the stock tuners on cheap guitars like these. You can find them on eBay, just search Vanson guitars. For strings, I use Legacy brand 10-46 gauge. They cost £3-99 a set & they're as good as D'addario or Ernie Ball. Best fretboard conditioner/cleaner I find is Dr. Duck's Axe Wax & String Lube. Hope this helps 😁
I fully agree that this model sounds more like its 57 progenitors than the too hot HB-35 plus. As always, Mr Robson informs and entertains: " a carrot that's been at bottom of fridge long enough to grow a beard."
John Great video as always. Why not star by swapping the magnets out on the existing pick-ups to a set of AlNiCo ii? much easier and might be an intersting video. Worst that can happen is you drop about £10 and a few minutes of time.
A guitar like this feels a lot different to a Fender in many ways. I'm not conscious of having to press harder on the strings... It's a shorter neck than Fender anyway, which results in less string tension.
Sent one of those thinllines back for the semi PRS clone. The acoustic sound was rattly on my guitar. You could only see the finish in direct sunlight.
The deal killer for me is the design on the headstock: don't get me wrong, I feel the same for Tylers which are outrageously expensive (and great) guitars. Matter of taste I believe but the shape or design on a headstock are pretty hard to modify…
John as a player you should have made £millions. Strange how great players never make it, I've seen it with a friend of mine, he's a Hank Marvin double in every respect regards to talent
I bought the bin but sent it back because I was not happy with the sound
Ahahahahahahahahaa ok THATS THE comment right THERE!
Heh...
I couldn't tune the bugger and sent it back, so i bought a guitar instead lol
@@1musculardystrophy346 don't be ridiculous.
I’ve got one in metallic grey.
Awesome bin.
'Not to bad' sounds bloody excellent to me!
Who spends £140 on a bin? Drummers, that's who.
I love your guitar solo on this video. When I first heard it, I enjoyed it as much as anything I can think of... and I return to it regularly. Just great work, sir.
Was here for the review of the bin. I'm sorely disappointed 😁
Bin had?
Skipper The Eye Child 😄
Dont talk rubbish!
😊
Heh...
Bin laden
Nice review John. I bought a HB35 Plus Lemon Burst recently. The extra money was money well spent. Out of 8 HB guitars I own this was the best on delivery. The only thing I did was to lower the strings slightly and lower the pick-ups - all the rest was perfect with no setting up to do. Even the pick-ups sound great in my opinion, and it's the only HB guitar in my collection that the pick-ups will not be changed in the foreseeable future.so far
i have bought a Harley Benton sc 450+ vintage and i m so satisfied of this guitar , great sound , good micros ( dobble and single coil split ), finition is top !
( sorry for mistakes in english , I m a froggy ! a frenchie living and playing in Brittany , france )
thanks for your comments) your are great !
I bought the HB 35 plus. A few tweaks and a new set of strings and jeezo, what a bargain! £214 with a hard case. And I absolutely love it. I wanted a 335 style guitar, as like you John I didn't have one, and the 35+ was right about my price point. Outstanding for the money.
John, you're a star. Fab playing - that guitar is ridiculous value.
Was just looking at a ES335 clone on AliExpress for around 230 USD which would probably require the same Mods as this. Harley Benton is truly giving guitarists an excellent bang for their buck. My next trip to Europe will surely involve picking up one of them (Maybe that excellent superstrat you had done a demo for) from Thomann and also a set of lollar pickups from Germany.
Thomann ship all over the world, I've even heard of people in Australia being Thomann customers. It's a pretty solid outfit with over 1500 employees
My HB35 in Red comes on Tuesday , i find those pick ups ok , i will probably change the tuners as you say they are basic tuners, and an upgrade is not too expensive, i'm an Ernie Ball guy i use 9's , i will let you know how i find mine after delivery. Great playing again John, nice
I'm certainly happy you took the time to review the HB. I'm thinking if you call Thomann and place your order, you can ask the shop to upgrade the tuners, bridge, maybe the nut if need be, it'd be worth it to me to spend an extra 100 just to keep from having to do anything but play it, BTW, John, great playing as always, but last thing about the guitar is how dead nutz on they set the neck, frets, & the alignment of the 'e' strings on either side told that tale!
I got one of those guitars when it was £100. It was super playable out of the box. I still use it almost 10 years later. Its now beside my chair in the livingroom and still plugged into my valve junior. The fretts are worn in places after 5 years of happy budget gigging with mates in bars. I love it.
I bought my first Harley Benton a few years ago because of this video. Four years later, I watch the video not to learn about a new-to-me guitar brand, but just to watch the solo! It was - and is - outstanding!
Thanks mate 👍
I was thinking of buying a Gretsch Streamliner but, after watching a few review videos including yours, I've plumped for a HB35+ and I'm glad I did. It's a good solid guitar and I like the coil tap on each of the Roswell pickups. I put D'addario 10s on and I might swap out the machines for Grovers. Other than that, I love it (I went for the Lemon Drop finish). It might not have quite the Gretsch jangle, but it has some lovely warm jazzy tones and it's so damn comfortable to play. Thanks for your reviews and comparisons, John. Always a pleasure to watch.
Urrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Rrr
Rrrr
Rrr
Rr
Rrrrrrrrerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrerrrrrrrrrrrr
I knew if I was patient HB35 would make an appearance
Incidentally to put things into perspective I've got a Japanese made Epiphone similar to this manufactured in the early 1970s. At the time it would have cost about £80 which in today's money is likely to be over £800. That HB35 is probably as well made or even better made than the Epiphone. Even though all Asian made guitars have come down in price even for known brands this is an extremely good price for such a good sounding and playable instrument.
Looks like one of these is in order.
I've been hoping you would review one of these, I'm glad you did.
I'll be getting one soon!
Great video, and the song is good to!
Love your playing John!!!
The nut was too high on my TE-52, but I took it to my shop and Thomann took care of the bill.
Great review mate. I've just ordered one of these from HB and was looking through some reviews on the guitar and being a Teessider myself (now living in Oz) I immediately locked on to your accent! Like many people I can't really justify (to the wife lol) spending the kind of money you have to spend to get the Gibson but I really like the style and chunky sound these hollow body's produce. Given the price it would be almost rude not to buy one! From the looks of things the cost/quality ratio seems to be acceptable so I can't wait till it arrives to live out my 'Back to the future/Johnny be goode' dreams! haha.
I’ve had mine for a week and just love it 😍
I was hoping for a kitchen bin review also. Great review. Cheers from Canada John!
He's right about the tuners, but I have a raft of HBs and they're all fantastic. Had to change the tuners on my CTS24, but that gave me a PRS-equivalent guitar for £230 all in. No-brainer.
Enjoyed all of that John. Thanks!
Looking forward to a review of the HB bin from you soon as they release one.
You've been practicing again haven't you John, sounds bloody great. Never thought I'd be so eager to see you with a semi though ........... I said that out loud didn't I? :o/
Hi, thank you for review. I have HB-35 VB, the old version with that ugly curved pickguard, that I took off. I changed the tuners for Kluson MLS33C Lockheads. It is a really good guitar for that money. Maybe not for beginner, who can't do some basic setup. But for advanced player, who wants some backup guitar or just want some guitar diversity and wants to try some semihollow guitar, it is a good deal worth of try. Still remember, it is a cheap guitar, don't expect miracles.
Build quality on these is *superb*. Go for the version with the Pao Ferro fretboard if you can!
I bought the HB 35 Plus for a few quid more.
Well worth it for the coil tapping facility .
Makes a big difference.
Hi, I got the previous generation 35 plus with the Wilkinson Alnico pups and they are perfect but the Tuners are awful like you said and had to be changed. 3 years down the line and everything is holding up really well. Spot on review!!
I have this black HB 35 I do like it a lot , it’s a heavy bugger though , I love the sound of it through my dsl40cr Marshall .
Enjoy the review and your playing, thank you sir!
As always John, found this video both informative and entertaining. The only problem I have is that your playing is so brilliant that you could even make that kitchen bin sound great!!!
Cheers 😁
Who spends 140 quit on a waste bin? The same person who thinks that you own too many guitars. (Hope my wife does not read this!). LoL.
It needs Grover tuners in gold and gold hardware!! I bought a HB acoustic and it plays fab and all I done was bin the plastic nut and saddle for tusq and now it's great. I'm sure like anything if you get a Friday afternoon guitar you might have a few issues but as I've said before Tomann need to sort out QA in Germany I would say my guitars never even got opened before shipping out.
John, you are quite a stellar guitar player!
You've made a good point with that "who's buying a 140 pound bin...".
I love your videos, John. I've found myself with less time, and can't hardly get my required YT time in everyday, but I get to them, eventually!! I had never even heard of Harley Benton guitars pre-John Robson, now I can't wait to get my hands on one....or three. The HB35 looks like a beauty too, albeit probably needing a few inexpensive upgrades.
Nice review John. Mine plays well and sounds decent. Nut is cut well and like yours, frets are good. Unfortunately it goes out of tune, the only guitar I have that does. Must be the tuners. Unfortunately, that's not the only problem. I can't intonation properly as the bridge saddles don't move forward enough. I know there are replacement bridges out there that can address this. Maybe be one day I'll mod it but I'll persist with it for now.
Hi - your tuning issues could also be the nut binding. Get some nut lubricant (weird typing that out) before you change the tuners. I've learned the hard (i.e., expensive) way that you can change out the tuners and still have tuning issues. The bridge issue is annoying, but you can swap it out - I mostly play guitars with Fender type bridges where often the saddle won't move backwards far enough. I've spent a lot of time cutting springs in half...
@@pdp977 Thanks. I've used a ton of graphite on the nut which normally does the trick. I wouldn't normally blame the tuners but I reckon this might be the problem. I'll give it another try before I spend some money. Cheers.
Hi I have a Gibson es135 and it always went out of tune. I have recently put a set of 11 gauge daddario strings on the set comes with a wound 3rd . I can honestly say I haven't had a bit of trouble since it never would stay in tune with the 10s on. its like a different guitar now. I add a little pencil to the nut. I was all set to change the tuners I'm
glad I didn't now.. Tony
I have one on the way! I had a 35 plus that I sold (sorry I did), but I am looking forward to it!
John, I watch your videos because I love your sense of humor, and the way you play these lovely reasonably priced guitars. I'm over here in the US of A. I can't get hold of a Harley Benton with any ease really but you have me wanting one. Even if that means putting up with the import issues here. I can, like you, do my own setups and modifications if needed. I hope this finds you well Sir, God Bless.
Cheers! Ironically it was a US UA-camr who turned me on to HB guitars... Nick in the States, he goes by. He doesn't seem to have any problems getting them into the USA. Check out his channel. 😁
Thanks John, Much appreciated. I will definitely look into his channel. Thanks again.
Thanks for the review.I got one about a month ago and I agree with everything you said, mine came with 9s also.
I think one of the improved features the HB-35 Plus has is Push/Pull Coil splitting, which may be why it's more expensive as well besides the pickups. Makes it more interesting to me than this one for the larger tone palette that gives you :)
Good point 😁
Hey John, I bought one of the semi teles from HB last month(being a lefty, only the red one with p.90s is available). It's an awesome guitar - not for the price, just an awesome guitar! Only needed the frets polishing and the string trees replaced with roller jobs. I'm commenting to say don't write the body off as laminated maple too soon, I thought that of the TE 90 QM, but close inspection showed that the top is carved solid maple. A bit untidy on the inside, to be honest, but the nice quilted maple veneer makes up for it. Keep on rockin' mate!
Lefty too, got an HB35 and a TE90QM as well; both amazing quality for the price.
In fact, I bought about five more...
I just assumed it was laminated maple because that's how Gibson make a 335, so it seems likely that it's done the same way here. 😁👍🎸
I have one in vintage sunburst...awesome guitar!
That blue thinline also comes in red, with a pair of P90s!
I was intrigued by the use of 'blackwood' for the fretboard, since all the blackwoods I'm aware of are relatively scarce and pricey woods, unlikely to be used on a budget instrument. Looking at the Thomann site, I noticed that the higher-priced HB35-Plus is described as having a fretboard made from 'blackwood (Pinus radiata)'.
Radiata pine is not a 'blackwood' of any kind. However, a little digging turns up a technological wood product called 'Blackwood Tec', and I suspect that this is what HB have used. It's Radiata pine, coloured with a natural pigment and impregnated with an organic resin under pressure, and then kiln-dried and hot-compressed to increase its density. There's a good page on the Hutchings Guitars website that sets out the process and explains why they use it: www.hutchinsguitars.com/about-us/why-blackwood-tec.html
So it's basically still pine, but it's much more ecologically friendly than would be the use of real blackwoods, and way cheaper. It's a shame in a way that Thomann haven't made this clear, since we're going to be seeing a lot more of these wood products in guitars, and it appears that they work just fine. (Blackwood Tec is also resistant to termites, if that's a concern in Redcar.)
Good info, cheers. Termites in Redcar? Not really... The only thing we have to worry about here are the seagulls that will steal your fish and chips 😁
@@rrolf71 Yeah, I think they know what they're doing is selling modding platforms. I kind of think of them as a "mostly finished kit guitar". When I think back to my old Satellite Les Paul copy from the 80s (cost me £80 in 1980) which had a plywood body, bolt on neck & an action you could slice a boiled egg with... In today's money, that would be a £300-£400 guitar. Now you can get something which is within shouting distance of a "big name" guitar for a silly low price. A great time to be a guitarist 😁
Just because Thomann shows 2-3 weeks delivery continuously does not necessarily mean that they are continuously out of stock. What happens is that it will be 2-3 weeks until stock arrives and you pre-order. In 2-3 weeks they fulfill the orders and hopefully have some over but they go quickly so they are back to 2-3 weeks.
My SC450plus and case,arrived,from Germany to U.K.,in THREE days,and it’s to die for.Quality and finish are outstanding.Not over the moon with the Addario strings,as supplied,but a set of Ernie Ball slinkys (skinny top,heavy bottom)will undoubtedly improve things in that area.Other than that,quality and delivery brilliant.Only thing I would say,if you are ordering a guitar from them, check that it is in stock,and if not,check the waiting time before you order to avoid disappointment!!
i like the double edge binding.
The catalog pics do it no justice,,, it looks much nicer here in the video ! 😁🖒
I bought an HB35CH back in June 2016 and found it to be an amazing semi acoustic for the money. As usual with Harley Benton guitars it needed a little bit of tweaking to suit my standards but was perfectly playable straight out of the box. The machine heads on my guitar were ok, although my guitar looks identical to yours I suspect that the pickups are different, my guitar sounds a lot smoother and less harsh.
Cheers mate. Yours probably came with Wilkinson pups. This one is now smooth & warm due to the fact that the pickup magnets have been changed to A2 😁
the problem with thomann and harley benton atm is, that our american friends buy guitars from them like hell! and thomann cant keep up the demand......soooo quality goes down a bit and waiting time goes sky high....... but over all good guitars. but you have to do a bit of work on them lately, sad really sad. my last hb had a string hight of 2 cm on the 12 fret :D 1 hour of work and it plays like a charm. o and you should go for the high priced one....because the roswell pickups are really really good! sorry for my bad english, cheers from germany
over a year mate i ended buying the red one with p90 after some work it ended up a good giutar , i have now given it to a friend who plays around the bars in Thailand
yes I put Grovers on mine,huge difference!
just subbed...dig your channel John. Very nice review and sweet playing. You had me at "lubricated with gravel"!
Congratulations on the new axe John, I just received a Harley Benton HWY something or other black sort of super strat style guitar that we intend to review on our channel. I hope you come around to see it. Sometime next week probably.
Cheers for the heads up 😀👍
I need a 140 pound kitchen bin to throw away my caviar...
I like the fact that the output jack is not on the front like a Gibson 335 and the switch is on the upper horn.
John cracking sound yet again, is it you ? or is it magic ? answer = you give the magic, sounds amazing.
Not sure if you still have the HB35 but the one you were originally after is currently in stock at Thomann for £158 - I'm assuming its this one - Harley Benton TE-90QM HH Trans Blue. I have the same guitar but in Trans Red with P90 pickups. It plays brilliantly after a pro set-up. The best way to describe the tone is that its like a Telecaster on steroids!
Jeg har købt en rød, vil lige nævne, at jeg har spillet guitar i over 60 år, dejlig guitar der holder stemningen rigtig godt.
Har i tet at udsætte på den.
Another well done video good sir! Always Enjoy your reviews.
Is it slightly closer to a 339 or big like a real 335 body? What a good looking guit!!
Enjoyed the humor in this video.
Plus model also gives coil split, flamed top and block inlays. I think for about 30 quid more.
That is EXACTLY the guitar I am considering .... Or maybe the Plus series -- thank you John.... One more great video !!
I have the plus and feel it's worth it for the inlays and push/pull, I also got it with the Hardcase combo deal which is great!
F ing fantastic playing chap ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks for demo and details. I had exact same problems with my HB35, but my conclusion was different: it was NOT playable, until full set up, and strings change. My taste also goes for alnico 2 instead of Al5, especially for more vintage/bluesy/jazzy sound. Last advice, I bought it 170euros, and tried to resell it 120 with hard case: unresellable.
It's all about expectations & outlook when you buy a guitar this cheap. I don't mind doing the set up work... At the most it'll take me a day to level & crown the frets, adjust the truss rod, replace the tuners, swap out the pickups, set the action & intonation and get the guitar into tip top condition. Then I've got a guitar which feels, sounds & plays like something much more high-end, for minimal outlay and a few hours spent tinkering & enjoying myself while listening to the radio or an audio book. I don't expect a £200 (or less) guitar to play like a custom shop instrument.
@@JRobsonGuitar I agree with you, just saying one buying it need to know how to do that all, maybe not a beginner.
Nice playin and a good lookin guitar John,cheers.
Sounds brilliant
Whilst I agree with you 100% John, in the interests of fairness and providing a balanced point of view, who buys 10 bins for the kitchen and only uses one at a time?
Probably someone like these nut jobs from "Wheelie Bin Enthusiast"... This is actually genuine, by the way! www.duck66.com/WBHQ/binGallery.html
@@JRobsonGuitar
Luckily, there IS hope for humanity. Phew! From the site...
"This website was designed for my OCR Dreamweaver course.
Please note that the Wheelie Bin HQ and all the facts, figures, names and events on this website are entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to actual businesses, living persons or events is entirely accidental."
@@stuartmiller7419 I must have missed that. Kind of a relief, really 😁
Did they change the pickguards? That looks like an LP rather than the usual HB ugly 335 guard. I enjoy your videos, I bought a HB black paisley tele & strat style.
Not sure, mate... didn't really notice.
@@JRobsonGuitar Not that it matters at all but I saw another video that day showing the LP style guard. Previously reviewers would complain about the ugly odd shape curvy pick guards on the older ones.
If you replace the pickups, why not just snip the wires on the old pickups and splice the new pickups to the old wiring? Wouldn't that be a lot easier than messing with fishing and desoldering the original wiring through the f-holes etc?
Yup, that's one way of doing it. I ended up lifting the pickups out, loosening the base plate screws, & swapping the ceramic magnets for alnico 2 & it transformed the sound of the guitar.
Well done, Sir, thank you
Just a question? In the States we call those hollow body electrics! Is the term "semi acoustic" just a regional term for the same thing or is there something different about the guitar that makes it "semi acoustic" other than the fact the body is hollow? And nice playing!
Just different terminology, I think. However, I'm more used to hearing the term "hollow body electric" in reference to the big Gibson jazz box style guitars which are fully hollow with no centre block... A Byrdland, for example.
Well I hope you don't have to return one. They just sent me 2 of the exact same guitar. I informed them right away and now there telling me I have to take it to the Customs office and show them the receipt and get authorization basically to ship it back and I have to pay for the return shipping fee. I paid 66 bucks for 2 day shipping and it took 5 days. This is my 3rd time ordering from them, needless to say never again.
Wow, great playing and nice sounding guitar.
I bought an HB35+ about 2 years ago. She had no finish problems out of the box barring the ugliest pick guard I'd ever seen. The action I managed to get down to about 2/64ths higher than I wanted; roughly USA factory spec. To get that extra 2/64ths I did a complete fret levelling job. It's not that she was unplayable but she needed to come down that little bit. It wasn't an unenjoyable experience doing the frets either. It did the trick though. She's gorgeous to play and that's not just My opinion. Back then they were fitting Wilkinson humbuckers. I find them pretty good. I don't think I'm going to bother to change them.
Later on I got a Single Cut SC450+ with the newer Roswells. I find these Roswells just a Little better than the Wilkinsons given that, although the guitars are different, the pickups are the same for each, both the old Wilko versions and the Newer ones.
I've bought 5 Harley Bentons in total over the years. Only one had to go back. That was a Tele model that, it turns out, they'd had factory troubles with.
The four I kept have been great. In fact the cheapest one, my SC-450 P90 GT, was the one in the best condition out of the box.
One came with 9s when there should have been 10s . Thomann sent me a set of 10s no fuss.
Oh btw I reshaped that ugly pickguard. Used jam jars and espresso cups for the radii. Made a template and cut off the offending protuberances.
Took a lot of filing to get the Chamfer right. A router table would have been much easier ...
@@KozmykJ People keep mentioning the pick guard but I really don't have a problem with it. Just out of interest, what is it about it that you & other folks seem to dislike so much?
@@JRobsonGuitar The old pickguard had an odd shaped "horn" to it. These days they fit a more LP shaped one.
Here's an example. Shane is showing an "Artist" brand , but it looks much the same as the old Harley.
ua-cam.com/video/YRntEqSKZZY/v-deo.html
Very informative, like all of your videos. Thank you,
I can hear that someone has been influenced by Roben Ford with that bridge pickup (on 10) section John! Tasty, I have an Epiphone 335 model, it's not bad, this one sounds ok to me.
I'm a HUGE Robben Ford fan & this guitar gets pretty close to his overdriven tone just putting it through my usual settings.
Love the groove man!
Have you changed the PUs yet John ? Would love to hear it again !!! 😁🖒✌🎸
Hey John. I have a very similar semihollow guitar. Its the Firefly FF338 in the same high gloss tuxedo black color. I'm loving the guitar so far but I have the similar issues that come with budget purchases, it seems. The tuners are shat, and I suspect the strings are also 09's. Having blabbed on, I have some questions if you have the time.
*what model tuners will you swap in?
*what strings do you prefer?
*what do you recommend I treat the fretboard with?
Thanks in advance, man. I continue to thoroughly enjoy your productions. Peace, from Texas!
No worries. Glad to hear you're enjoying the guitar. The tuners I tend to use are Vanson & they are very good value and a real improvement on the stock tuners on cheap guitars like these. You can find them on eBay, just search Vanson guitars. For strings, I use Legacy brand 10-46 gauge. They cost £3-99 a set & they're as good as D'addario or Ernie Ball. Best fretboard conditioner/cleaner I find is Dr. Duck's Axe Wax & String Lube. Hope this helps 😁
Blistering blues brother!
Damn!
Thanks 👍
For U.S. buyers, any idea how much the duties/customs fees are calculated on a bundled package of $240.00? I’ve no clue how that works. Thank you!
I fully agree that this model sounds more like its 57 progenitors than the too hot HB-35 plus. As always, Mr Robson informs and entertains: " a carrot that's been at bottom of fridge long enough to grow a beard."
John Great video as always. Why not star by swapping the magnets out on the existing pick-ups to a set of AlNiCo ii? much easier and might be an intersting video. Worst that can happen is you drop about £10 and a few minutes of time.
Might try that, actually. Cheers 👍
@@JRobsonGuitar Good idea for a video as well...
@@pdp977 Your wish is my command. Magnets ordered, along with the new tuners. Video in the next week or two 😁
niice... actually i really liked the higher gain solo.. nice licks, great feel. Would you share where you got the backing track?..
Thanks. The backing track was one of my own.
awesome.. is there anyway to get it? i'd really like to cover that solo with it.
@@SUPER8_GUITAR email me at the address on screen & I'll send you a copy 👍
The fretboard radius of 13.75"would make it almost flat? I'm used to a strat radius of 9.5" so I'd have to press harder on this fretboard?
A guitar like this feels a lot different to a Fender in many ways. I'm not conscious of having to press harder on the strings... It's a shorter neck than Fender anyway, which results in less string tension.
The conversion was a bit off: 300 mm corresponds to 11-3/4 in. Thirteen and 3/4 is more like 355 mm.
Sent one of those thinllines back for the semi PRS clone. The acoustic sound was rattly on my guitar. You could only see the finish in direct sunlight.
It's not not the HB that's cheap, it's the trash can that's too expensive. ;D
How I wish I could go to my nearest guitar dealer here in Aizawl India n buy this!!
If I can dream..
Was the "Thinline" you were referring to the TE-90QM? If so it has P90s not humbuckers. :-)
This one has humbuckers www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_te_90qm_hh_trans_blue.htm
Nice sound.
Good player this chap! I’d love a HB but I’m too much of a snob!!
The deal killer for me is the design on the headstock: don't get me wrong, I feel the same for Tylers which are outrageously expensive (and great) guitars. Matter of taste I believe but the shape or design on a headstock are pretty hard to modify…
John as a player you should have made £millions. Strange how great players never make it, I've seen it with a friend of mine, he's a Hank Marvin double in every respect regards to talent
nice playing my friend
I actually really fancy that bin ! is there a link ? (subbed ... good attitude matey)
This one or the semi-hollow tele? I know you're tele-biased, but besides that are there any big pluses or minuses to either one?
Hi JR I'm excited about your guitar and I've already got a semi. Nothing to do with owning a 335 clone. STOP IT!
Gave me a semi too..