Harley Benton ST-62 Review, Demo, Quality Control
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
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#guitar #guitars #music #musician
Dudes, stop making cellophane comments. Crinkled/Missing cellophane means IT'S BEEN PLAYED! Text in the video states that. I ordered NEW, not B Stock. So yes, Crinkled and missing cellophane.
I want it to be clear that I do not endorse Thomann or Harley Benton. I've purchased several Harley Benton guitars with my own money. More frequently than not, I've received poor quality instruments. Poor neck alignment. Poor setup. Defective hardware. Most recently, shipping damage. The USA has to pay expensive return shipping to Thomann. So returning these boat anchor, firewood instruments is pointless. I've lost a lot of money dealing with Thomann. USA customers be prepared to be stuck with junk if you risk ordering Harley Benton. You have about a 30% chance of getting a good one.
I have purchased seven HB guitars from Thomann and here's my experience so far: 5 have been excellent, functionally and even regarding the set-up. One of those has a very small mark in the clear coat that is hardly noticeable. One had a persistent buzz due to a high fret. They sent me a new Tusq nut, hoping that would fix it (which doesn't make sense considering the high fret was the 4th). The other had a small chipin the finish, which lined up with the damage to the shipping box and inner box, which apparently happened in transit. Thomann reimbursed me in full for the one with a high fret, and I got to keep it. They gave me $50 credit for the one that was damaged in transit. I'm happy with that.
This is the first one that I watched that wasn't trying to sell me anything bad and got straight to the point.
Thank you. I was thinking about ordering one of these, but have changed my mind. I’ll go a different way now..
They are decent for the price. But quality is a roll of the dice. I actually kept this Vintage White one.
I have the same Guitar . I receive this with 2 defaults ! But the tone is very amazing for the budget price ! After to fix the neck and action she is very good ! Your play is nice !
Hey! Thank you.
I have expensive guitars and I have cheap guitars and several are Harley Bentons. I don't think you can beat HB for the price. Mine have all been in great shape. I'm sure every once in a while a bad one gets through but their customer service was quick when I was missing a part in one of their kits I built. I wouldn't hesitate in ordering more because they are fun to mod also.
As a begginer this video was very useful to me, thank you for sharing
No problem, thank you Barry!
The nut is graphite. I got my ST-62 and I emailed Thomann and they told me that it is graphite. I guess I got lucky with my guitar. It is almost perfect and I am in the US.
This white one is actually real good after fixing the saddle. I sold the blue one though.
As someone who've dealt with Thomann for over a decade, I challenge you to find a place with better customer service. I'm always pro consumer but the amount of crap they must deal with, lol. Nice review btw! Just got the new TE62. Absolute steal for 149euros. It had the scratch plate issue too but the neck is Fender Am Pro 2 level. Free shipping to Denmark as well. If you're gonna send it over seas I'm not sure about the value, though everything considered.
The truth about Harley Benton (whilst most UA-camrs seem to have an axe to grind) Thanks a lot for sharing your experience bro.
My ST-62BK was missing the 3rd fret inlay. Found it in the box and glued it in. No other issues, not even "wrinkly cellophane."
Shizzle! You jam bro!!! Props!
Thank you Candel!!!
Thanks for the review. I ordered the Harley Benton ST-62 CC in Lake Placid Blue!
Cool, I bought one too. It's in this video at 3:33
@@HankCoffey Of course, nice!
@@HankCoffey I am on a guitar buying binge and I am a fashion photographer. Of course, I can play. Primarily like writing songs. This is my 5th Harley Benton and 7 guitars in total. I have the BUG!!!😂😂😂
@@BenjaminKanarek you'll find there are nice guitars, and some are heavy lemons. It's best to keep a few good ones and sell the boat anchors. You can take 2 of the exact guitar, and one will be better than the other.
These are the HB's I purchased: Harley Benton Custom Line CLJ-412E NT, Harley Benton PB-20 SBK Standard Series, Harley Benton Fusion-T HH EB BK, Harley Benton RB-612CS Classic Series, Harley Benton ST-62CC RW Lake Placid Blue… That’s it! 😳
Part of what I like about HB guitars is that, yes, I actually like that I get to do a small amount of work on them. Set them up the way I like, polish the frets if needed, etc. I know it seems crazy but they're really well made for as cheap as they are and I don't worry if I have to mess with them a little. In the end I get a good guitar that I've gotten to know.
I have had several Harley Benton guitars. Some I kept and some I sold. With all of them I was very lucky. There are 2 that I'm interested in but now I'm a little apprehensive. Yours is not the only negative review out there. Thank you for such a candid review. The way you handled Thomann made me laugh and it caused me to become a member. Thanks! Gene
Thanks Gene! I would be apprehensive. I've bought 3 more Harley Bentons since these.... 1 was decent. 2 were junk. I'm not buying anymore, I can't return them. lol.
@@HankCoffey Thanks for the response. Looking forward to your next broadcast.
Finally. Someone not comparing it to a custom shop fender and saying it’s better. Ugh. Friend of mine bought one and when I got done making a guitar out of it he would have paid over $300.00 for what I did. Of course I helped out for free because I have a giant drawer of parts and pickups I bought played once and boxed them. Here’s the list. Fret job, pickups, bridge, nut, pots and tuners.
Wow!!!! Thank you. This is great information ....I'll use caution when ordering from them then. At least it was cheap fix. Peace man!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, the guitar I'm playing is cool. I'm gonna change the saddles. The blue one is listed for sale. Latah man!!!!!!!
Nice bro , good song choice
thank you for sharing such information, it can be really helpful
Hi Hilda, no problem. Thank you!
Great review, natural and easy to watch and listen to, as usual Hank!
Here's wishing you a
Merry Christmas
and a
Happy New Year!
🎄💚🌍
🐕🎸🎼
🐻🍩🍩
Thomann should sack Harvey and the other one, which looked like it could be Ian from your video.
When Tricia has worked abroad in Prague, USA and Canada I managed to find some places for very cheap calls. I distinctly remember ringing her cheap little mobile phone when she was sat on a pier on the seafront in Vancouver and it sounded as clear as a bell, clearer than you might get a few miles down the road on another day! Ain't technology weird sometimes!?!😀
Hey JaaaanJaaaaaan! The QC problems are really minimal on the guitars. It was enough to stop shooting the video though. I almost chose to not finish the video over it. A couple days later I decided to do the playing demo and warn USA Thomann customers.
That website Poptox worked well. Sounded like a regular phone call.
Marry Christmas man!!!!!!! 🎄🎼
🐻🎸🍩🍩
this is a great review
Thank you Virgil!
Amazing Review! Is it possible to install a Floyd Rose Trem System into this?
It would take a lot of work. The body would have to be routed. It would be better to get a guitar that already has the Floyd Rose.
Love the honest review man, most youtubers out there go on about that you should buy all that cheap stuff as iff it’s as good as the high end gear. Usualy that’s just a sponsored lie. Thnx dude
Thanks man. Yeah that is why I am trying to get away from the few companies that send me stuff. I don't like being a sponsored commercial.
My recent customer service experience with a faulty Hofner bass is very similar to yours. Thomann used to be excellent for customer service but it has declined recently. That’s just my opinion as a customer of some 10 or so years.
When I got ahold of the right person it was taken care of well. The first person was no help at all. I mentioned a possible UA-cam review if it wasn't taken care of... I'm not sure if that mattered or not. I definitely seen a difference when I started calling instead of emailing.
Hey man, thanks for the honest review on the vid. My buddy and I were just talking about the insane value you see on HB guitars. So much so we talked my buddy into it and he bought one straight up online during the conversation! We're in the UK, so that access to the European market. If it's in stock. 1-2day free shipping. Can't argue with that. I'd be really interested to get one just to check the QC on it out of pure interest. I mean I'm thinking it'd be cool to try a guitar with EMG pickups. One pickup is £80. The whole guitar at Thomann is £330. I'd accept some small defects. And I'd be prepared to do a full fret job and setup on arrival. Thanks for the info. I'm really liking your channel..
Hey, thanks John. I'm pretty sure Europe has free shipping on returns for a couple weeks after. So it's safer being in UK. In the United States, it's cheaper to list a Thomann return for sale than return it.
HB are decent guitars. I've been lucky with them. But I finally got some lemons. lol
@@mountainman8775 yeah, B Stocks are lemon returns 🤣... no, the saddle did disappoint me... but other than that, it's a great guitar. I'm keeping the one I'm playing. If I didn't have to stop shooting the video over the saddle, I wouldn't have even mentioned it. But it was enough to stop the video for a day.
I'm glad I watched this.
Hi Melinda! Cool.
good information. Bravo. Thumbs up and you've gained a subscriber.
Thank you Jesse!
Makes no difference how much you paid for the item it should be 100% perfect, shoddy quality control. The business depends on it's reputation to sell the items. A lot of companies will include seconds to fill the orders.
I'm glad I came across this video. I was just about to order that guitar. I think I'll go with my first mind and order the classic vibe.
Yeah, If you are in the US, buy from SW or MF, so you can just return a lemon.
They're definitely not high quality but pretty decent (for the price) based on my experience. Can imagine there are a few lemons now and then though like you now had. With those US shipping rates + cost of possible return I wouldn't recommend them for the US, I think you can get Squiers for less than $150? And maybe some local equivalents to Thomann/Harley Benton?
Yes, Squiers are cheap here. I like the HB Pro Series guitars. So I figured I would try their ST style guitars. Combined shipping is why I ordered 2.
I own a Harley Benton ST-62 in vintage white. Sounds really nice, plays well, but the pickups are not correct for the spacing of the strings. My neck pickup pole on the high E string isn't even underneath the string! Of course, there is a tone and volume issue with this. Since I just play at home, I deal with it, but it's poor quality control for sure.
So for $130 is amazing value.
Cool Video 👍🏻 to be honest I've ordered a view Harley Benton Guitars in the last Years and ALL under 200€ had issiues and I send it back. I live in Germany and a Backorder is for free. Merry X-Mas 🤘🏻
Right, EU returns are no problem it seems. Thomann carries things that are unavailable in the US. That is why I order sometimes. Merry X-Mas!
I like the fact that you answered a lot of my questions, but for a guitar this cheap, in my opinion, you have to expect defects, as long as they don't affect functionality. The slightly warped pickguard, and the guitar being heavy, or small, barely visible smudges or dings, do not bother me. Not at this price. I grew up in the 70's, when beginner guitars were far worse than these, while being far more expensive. I plan to order one with my fingers and toes crossed, as a, "kick around" guitar.
As long as it werks, I'm probably going to do much worse to it than how it arrives. I'm not going to beat it up on purpose, but that's the life of a sacrificial guitar, that takes the risk I won't subject more expensive guitars to.
Thanks for the video. It was good to see an honest, non infomercial review.
As long as you are able to set it up yourself, it will be a good guitar. I usually spend a hour or 2 adjusting cheap guitars into shape.
Hello , Great to hear ! what is the backingtrack you used ? is there a pdf file ( music note ) for the guitar ?
Hi Bert, I made the backing track myself. No music notes, It is 3 Yngwie Malmsteen songs. The Seventh Sign, Vengeance, and Heathens From The North. You can look for the pdf of those songs.
has the harley strat got a flat fret face or slightly raised face on fret side
QC before almost 7 years? Was this guitar 7 year in the box? Mine at the QC stamp didnt have any date, just the name John
Maybe the year is first? 2020? I don't know.
I came across your video looking at reviews of HB strats. I have a fusion III from them and I had the same experience with customer service there. Had to talk to 3 different people and threaten a credit card charge off, to get them to discount me 60 bucks when the difference in new and b stock guitars was closer to 90 on the model I got. They didn’t want to help and when they did, they made sure to tell me they were only doing it on good faith, not because the guitar was bad. I had bushings not seated correctly for the Trem, paint splatter everywhere and defect after defect. The neck is brilliant, and they make good guitars at HB. Thomann is the problem. If you are going to sell an Asian guitar and be their supplier, you better back up your QC. USA buyers beware indeed! I bought the new vintage version of the white one you reviewed here because I enjoy HB guitars. I’ll begrudgingly have ti go through thomann to do it.
Yeah, the Fusions can have neck alignment issues, messed up Floyd post bushings, they over shim the necks now... because people had to whine about the backplates not being recessed. So they recess them, then the Floyd bottoms out on it... then. you have to shim the neck to avoid that. I run my Fusion III without the shim. The Floyd can just grind a ditch in the backplate. I'm not playing with the strings 2 inches off the body. USA buyers can prepare to be shafted with junk from Thomann.
I got some stainless steel block saddles for my Affinity, and they were pretty cheap. I would be more concerned about the gunk on the guitar. But the fingerboard looked pretty clean, which is amazing for that type of guitar
Everything came off of the finish. The Stainless saddles I use are real nice. I think there is only 1 or 2 sellers that sell the ones I use. The chrome block saddles are the cheap ones. Pot metal.
I think they sent you B stock. Happened to me a couple of times but I am in the UK so I was able return them.
They are definitely B Stock condition. Thomann had these on their "to USA" B Stock shelf. lol.
You definitely need some setup and fettling skills with these banjos. I have noticed that, generally speaking, US customers seem to have more QC issues than European customers. That's just the impression I have from watching a lot of reviews. I have several HB guitars and they've been good for the money. I recently bought a Gibson Les Paul standard. It arrived with a fulcrum pin missing from the P/U selector switch. The pin wasn't in the cavity, so obviously left the factory like that. It also had significant back bow. That was from a UK supplier. I fixed it myself, but over 2 grand UK for that sort of poor QC?
It's not just budget banjos that suffer from this.
Nice video.Ta.
The Vintage White guitar in this video is actually real good. I changed the saddles to block, and it's perfect. I'm keeping it. The blue one shouldn't have left the factory with the bent pickguard. Also, someone has been playing the blue one. So Thomann sent me a B-Stock Return. And of course, we know why it was returned. It's a heavy boat anchor with a bent pickguard.
On the topic of USA having more QC issues, maybe a lot of the lemons are reserved for USA orders. Because it's not worth the cost to return. And, they can ignore us easily. Because most Americans won't call them. So they play a email game.
@@HankCoffey I had the same thought. Returns from US are financially prohibitive. Plus Thomman have full order books on many guitars, with significant waiting times for some models. I've never had to return an item from them, but from what I can see, here in the UK that mainly involves printing off a return label from Thomman.
US customers seem to do better than us with availability of brands like Cherrystone, Wolf, Firefly and the likes. You have to be lucky or be prepared for a long wait here.
@@Peasmouldia I don't think we have separate inventory. All of my stuff ships from Germany. I'm assuming it all ships from the same warehouse.
Or if you are meaning availability of those brands, and not Thomann... a lot of it ships here from China.
From Leo: a few years ago you could ship three guitars for $30. I think the guitars were better then as the three I got had no issues. They did not have PRS custom collection finish, but they were plenty good. Since then Thomann switched builders, and by the time you add $80 shipping, a buyer would be better off paying that money for a used one of better quality locally. Even if the guitar is unimpressive, your playing skill is commendable.
Thanks! The $30 shipping was DHL. Took forever to get to the USA. I've waited 6 weeks before. I'd rather pay the UPS Express and get it in a few days.
Nice playing!
Thank you Nitro!
Have you tried the Ibanez az essentials yet? They're killer and cheap for the price.
I haven't, I'll take a look at them
@@HankCoffey you won't be disappointed mate, hss version is amazing very versatile guitars.
Hei Hank
What overdrive/distortion did you use in the video???
Regards Danni
Hi Danni, I think I am using an Axe FX III here.
@@HankCoffey thank you, it sound’s fantastic
Anyone know if the pots are 250 or 500k?
Soooooooo, what happened with thoman in the end? I couldn't identify a follow-up video for the problem with the terrible quality on those guitars. I believe that pick guard is a call date tortoise shell. I see the new one you got 5 months later had a white pickguard instead of tortoise.
Thomann sent me 1 saddle, and a loaded pickguard. I just dropped the topic. I don't want to make negative videos.
@@HankCoffeyok, so you got replacement parts from them and that sounds like a positive result. You like me can work on guitars and repair it. I'm in a similar situation now and with the same email transactions going on with Thoman. Same initial tactics used with me. That's why I was curious if there was a resolution.
It was a hassle, but they made it right. Had to call them.
@@HankCoffey
What app did you use to be able to get through to them
I don't remember, I think I say in the video. I haven't used it since.
3.6 roentgen, what this means?
Thank you.
Chernobyl Series joke. Radiation measurement.
def gave me a better and realistic viewpoint on it
Cool, thanks Mattie!
hey man I wanted to ask you you learned to play this good? any course you recommend?
I learned guitar in the 90s. A scale book and old Yngwie Malmsteen records. Ben Higgins has some courses that look good. But I haven't bought any of them. So I'm not sure. It's probably good.
I think that while the quality of parts and workmanship is generally great for the price ... for the guitars made in China, they can have assembly issues. Loose screws, nuts, solder, etc. You have to get lucky with them, and probably 2/3 of people do. Sometimes Thomann rejects whole shipments from their suppliers for QC issues.
In addition, my experience is that they don't ship the cheap guitars with proper protection. So it's luck of the draw there too. I only buy the guitars made in Indonesia now, and because they are a little more expensive ($100 more) it looks like they provide exactly twice the packing material, which is still barely sufficient. It's clear they have no idea how to ship things outside of Germany. It's really stupid of them. UPS says to pack things so they'll survive a 6' drop to concrete. Thomann packs for a one foot drop, maybe. It could be they contract some other business for shipping, and that business A) doesn't care, and B) cuts corners.
I'm glad they eventually sent you the parts. Their customer service does seem designed to push people off, and it may be that you just have to be persistent. I had an issue and I had to email them a bunch of times and then I told them I was going to phone them if it wasn't resolved. THEN they addressed it. It was a clear fault that they should have addressed the first time around. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the customer service is handled by a less expensive offshore company (in other words, you're not really talking to Thomann).
Just out of shear curiosity, how was the qc on that eart?
The blue EART I have is great. I bought a red one that I had to return. Some of them have fret level problems. Which isn't good if you get a bad one.
Why that crinkled foil is bothering you? You will peal it off anyway.
for £109 is it worth it for siiting at home and jamming
Yeah, I'm actually keeping the guitar in this video. It's decent.
I buy a cheap stratocaster from Thomann and all was very good and perfect.
Surprised they haven't bribed you like everyone else around here apparently. I think Philip McKnight had a negative view of their guitars as well but I can't remember.
Nah, I've offered to do promotion videos for them. No response. When I'm spending my own money, there's no obligation to sugarcoat anything.
Almost as many issues as a Fender USA or a Gibson.
🤣
If you have to take your brand new guitar to a luthier, it's not exactly a bargain. HB can be good guitars but never expect top quality at under 200 euros.
4:44 Say what?
It's a quote from Chernobyl. Their radiation meters only went to 3.6 Roentgen. They said "3.6 Roentgen. Not good. Not terrible" Meanwhile the radiation was about 15,000. lmao.
My Harley Benton ST-62 strat seemed like a perfect guitar out of the box. but after only two months, one of the tuning posts came out, and fret buzz appeared on several frets. That really sucks.
Was the tuning post loose? Or did it just fall out all of a sudden?
@@HankCoffey No, it wasn't loose when I bought the guitar. It started to come out after two months. I have no idea why. The guitar still stays in tune, and is pretty much playable, if you're fine with the occasional fret buzz, but I'd expect such issues to appear maybe after many years of playing, not after only two months. Not with a new guitar at least.
@@milankotevski1663 and the truss rod is adjusted right? I am keeping the VW one in this video. If I do keep it for sure, I am going to put stainless frets on it. The blue one is for sale now, I'll see what happens with that.
@@HankCoffey I honestly can't tell if the truss rod is adjusted. All I can tell is, the guitar was properly intonated, and there was no fret buzz across the fretboard when I got it. I take care of my guitars, so that shouldn't be an issue either. I guess I'll just have to live with it. Luckily, I have a Fender Player Strat as a backup.
@@milankotevski1663 the neck might have some back bow. Search truss rod adjustment on here.
d upfront for guitar that Thomann claimed would be in stock shortly. Shortly became 4 months after @ 3 months I requested a refund of my advance payment. What followed was a flat out reply "go pound sand" I turned them over to PayPal along with a formal non performance complaint the funds were in my account the same day. The lesson was use Paypal. My attitude now is not to expect a fair response from Thomann to a QC or purchase issue. I will only buy really inexpensive in stock products and buy high ticket items from a reputable local vendors with humans working the shop. Its a shame that the American capitalist rip em off business model is our number one export to the world of retail.
Yeah, I just received another pair of guitars that are 10lb boat anchor garbage. I think I'm done ordering from Thomann. I'll stay with US companies. Where I can return if they send junk.
Una brutta copia della stratocaster.