Better Than You'd Expect. The Harley Benton SC 550 II Gotoh PAF:
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- Опубліковано 6 лип 2024
- Fire up that 4x12 and plug in this six-string monster for some glorious classic rock tone! The SC-550 II Gotoh PAF comes straight out of the golden age of rock n’ roll, with everything the modern rocker expects. A weight-relieved mahogany body with a gorgeous flamed maple top and a set mahogany neck provide that traditional tonewood recipe known for its attack and sustain. And thanks to the chambering, you don’t have to sacrifice your spine for tone! The 12” radius Pau Ferro fingerboard comes sporting 22 stainless steel frets, making worn frets a thing of the past, while the Gotoh tuners and graphite nut ensure zero tuning issues. Powering the SC-550 II Gotoh PAF are two Tesla Opus-1 Alnico-5 humbuckers, with individual volume and tone controls. Flick the pickup selector to the bridge position and crank out some dirty riffs, or try the neck position with the tone rolled down for that sweet singing solo tone. Or mix both pickups and play around with the controls; a plethora of tones awaits you.
"Harley Benton"'
Harley Benton SC-550 II Gotoh PAF
Paradise Amber Flame
SGD409 w/o delivery & Tax
EUR277 w/o delivery & Tax
USD300 w/o delivery & Tax
3.48 kg
harleybenton.com/product/sc-5...
www.thomann.de/intl/harley_be...
* Body: Meranti
* Modern weight-reducing milling
* Arched top: AAAA flamed maple
* Glued-in neck: Meranti
* Fingerboard: Pau Ferro
* Pearloid trapezoid fingerboard inlays
* Neck profile: '60s -
* Scale: 628 mm (24.72")
* Fretboard radius: 305 mm (12.00")
* Nut width: 42 mm (1.65")
* ABS nut
* 22 Blacksmith stainless steel frets
* Pickups: 2 Tesla Opus-1. Open Zebra
* AlNiCo-5 humbuckers
* 2 Volume and 2 tone controls
* 3-Way switch
* DLX Tune-O-Matic bridge
* Gotoh Kluson tuners
* DLX chrome hardware
* Strings: D'Addarío EXL-110 .010 - .046
* Colour: Paradise Amber Flame, high-gloss
HI! just to let you know if you like this video and wants to show your appreciation, you can buy me a cup of coffee with the "Thanks" button which is just next to the share button! ✌❤
Please support me in what I do thru Patreon! / jonathankoh
0:00 Intro
0:23 Unboxing
2:14 Song
5:45 Demo (clean)
9:59 Demo (dirty)
11:51 Review
15:18 Conclusion
Bruce approves this guitar!!
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Jon is a S.I.T Artist and uses SIT Strings (Power Groove) Exclusively!
sitstrings.com/product/power-...
Recorded with the
UAD Apollo Twin Duo
UAD-2 Satellite
on
Digital Performer 9.5
with
Line 6 Helix Native,.
Line 6 Relay G10S Wireless
Original melody composition by © Jonathan Koh
Backing track from: JTC
Subtitles available in English, Chinese, German, Spanish, Italian, Indonesian, Thai and Japanese.
can you open a paypal account ? rather give you the whole money rather than give it to a platform see yo john !!!
Dude those licks you're playing are siilllllky ❤ could listen to this all day. And thanks for the review because I'm looking at one of these!
Glad you like them!
did you buy one? if so, what is it like? 😁
Very cool instrument, and very beautiful. In the hands of such a wonderful master, it becomes even better! SUPER!!! :)))
Thank you very much!
I am done buying guitars but I'm keeping my subscription to your channel just because your excellent playing, in fact I have been stealing your exquisite phrasing for a while now.
Steal away.. but me a coffee when you can hahaha
youre never done bro. trust me. one little change in your life and the GAS is back.
It's not the gear it's the player that makes one's tone unique. This sounds great...great playing and great tone.
Thank you
The song ❤❤❤❤.....i can listen this for hours and hours .
Thank you!
Wooooooaaaaahhhhhh…. Impressive guitar playing! Great work 🙌🏼
Thanks a lot!
Hi Jon. I've. Just bought one. Wow. You get alot for your bucks. Love it. Sounds really good. It plays like me. I'm an old blues/rock guitarist. Been using Harley Bentons. For 2 years. But this baby is by far the best yet. So easy to play. Wow. M C UK 🇬🇧
Enjoy!
So cool. And a perfect solo lesson.
👍👌
I enjoy seeing your great videos and honest reviews. Your guitar playing style is always TOPS ! Thank you. I was going to buy this guitar, but
Thomann (in Germany) was out of stock for them at the moment, so I bought the Harley Benton SC-450-Plus LD Vintage Series (Lemon Drop burst).
Just got it today and I am very amazed ! It is so beautiful, front and back. It looks so much better in real life than in any video.
Very nicely built and sounding very good. No problems with it.
I thought I might need to change the humbuckers, but these Roswell´s sound really good.
They may be very cheap guitars, but you do get an amazing looking and playing instrument. Its also a great starting platform to make some
future upgrades and cool Mods to them.
I will definitely be buying another 450-Plus guitar version but in a different color-burst. Although, this 550-II "Guns & Roses = Slash" version is also on my list !
Have fun with it!!
Hi Jonathan, great review of a stunning looking and fantastic sounding model by HB. Loved the pickups. That flamed maple archtop accentuates the guitars appeal. Very well played. Cheers ✌️🎸💜
Many thanks!
Totally wonderful Jon. I want one too!
go for it!
Wow lots of feeling in your performance. What a legend
Thank you✌️❤️
just beautiful, the guitar also
Thank you
That is just beautiful!!
I love my Harley Benton sc
✌
Apart from your great reviews, its simply amazing and sensitive guitar play.. thanks for the great inspirations 😊 Greetings from 🇩🇰 Denmark
My pleasure! Thank you
Fantastic job, wow!
Thank you very much!
You are a wonderful guitarist!
Thank you very much!
HI! just to let you know if you like this video and wants to show your appreciation, you can buy me a cup of coffee with the "Thanks" button which is just next to the share button! ✌❤
Please support me in what I do thru Patreon! www.patreon.com/Jonathankoh
0:00 Intro
0:23 Unboxing
2:14 Song
5:45 Demo (clean)
9:59 Demo (dirty)
11:51 Review
15:18 Conclusion
This is a really good Guitar. I am impressed because of the clean Tones and light overdriven Sounds you played in the Beginning. BtW you are an awesome Player
Thanks a lot!
Uff, sweet tones as always Jonathan!
Thank you so much!
Beautiful playing...
Many thanks!
Beautiful! 😀 Great classic Les Paul sound and creamy growl! 🤩
yes!
Hi Jon, as usual fantastic playing and a great review in one video !
Glad you enjoyed it!✌️❤️
Playing sweet ❤
thank you
I snagged that one a couple months ago. Nice playing, by the way! Great video.
Thank you
Great guitar and great solo there 😁👍
Thanks a lot!
I have the ja60ow, dc junior dirty mustard, te25 anniversary and now sc 550ii gotoh... All lefties!.. Lefties!.... Love em ❤️🎸
Very nice!
The playing in the song at the beginning was exceptionally good this time Jon.
Thank you
I have that model. It’s a great guitar! Nice review🙏🏻☺️
Cool, thanks!
Great playing sir...
Thank you
cool melody on a cool guitar from a cool guitarist. good luck!
Thanks a lot!
You play so well! It's not the guitar but your fingers.
Thank you
Jon you are the best guitarist to me❤
Thank you!
Your playing is so melodic.
Thank you
Jon, your playing is so tasteful, the clean tones are so useful (for potential buyers). You have been blessed with a talent, thanks for sharing your passion!
Wow, thank you!✌💚
Nice! HB make some very nice guitars! But dont tell certain UA-cam ers. Some people have a severe dislike of them going on.
I like them a lot myself.
Cheers!
lol I dont really care what others think...they are good and affordable!
Bella chitarra e ottimo suono😉🙋🏻♂️
Grazie Millie!
if you order it: the gotoh are only the tuners. not the bridge. its better to order the non gotoh and buy the 30 bucks hb locking tuners and a gotoh bridge. Or you save some money and get the SC DLX GOTOH. Which has both bridge and tuners from gotoh and is splittable (but no flame top). Or you increase, get the EMG version with better PUs, locking tuners and so on. The SC 2 Gotoh is a bit weird.
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The gotoh one is only $32 more, and gotoh tuners are probably higher quality than Harley Benton ones, even if they lack the locking mechanism. If you buy the cheaper and change the tuners, you'll just have low quality tuners left over, if you buy the gotoh and change tuners, you'll at least have an extra set of decent gotoh tuner for only 30 dollars.
@@BlazertronGames the gotohs they use are around 30 bucks in Germany. You dont get high quality 80 buck gotohs. Hb locking Tuners are 35 bucks. i use both. Harley Benton are far more stable
@@Gloomshimmer Oh well it's only $30 extra and I'll at least have some decent tuners left over if I decide to replace them. A takeaway costs like $30, so it's not a big deal. As far as I've heard, people were happy enough with the tuning stability of the stock non-gotoh HB tuners. I'd imagine the gotoh's would at least be better than them. And if I was going to buy locking tuners, I would buy something closer to $60 anyway, so I haven't really wasted money. Unless the tuning stability is somehow horrible, I doubt I'll be replacing them any time soon. I've been coping fine with my stock yamaha pacifica tuners, which has a tremolo, which makes stability worse, and even with that it hasn't been too bad.
HI Jon,
I recently purchased this guitar in Autumn Flame Burst. I had a luthier craft a bone nut and install treble bleeds. I also raised the pickups to about a millimeter from the strings. That tamed the treble frequencies, brought out the mids a bit and increased the output do it will drive my amp nicely. The clean sound is still very clear. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I had the flu also and now I'm dealing with the cough now that the flu is gone. I'm also a singer, so that cough makes it rough to get through a gig. 😊
Take care Dennis!! Get well soon!
I got the bad want to need after watching this ,was going to order next week but they put a sale on for 219 USD , it will arrive in two days & can’t wait it’s like Christmas since the improvement in my hands
lol
That top looks nicer than the one on my limited custom telecaster!
✌️❤️
I just ordered the Harley Benton SC-550 II PAF.
cool
Oooh, it's beautiful. More my speed financially, too! As usual, you know how to make it sound great. But if it wasn't at least good to start with I know you wouldn't bother. God bless, brother.
Glad you like it Mark!
@@JonIsJustTooLoud Thanks as usual for the personal reply Jon. Hope all's well on your side of the world. We're mighty hot here in Dallas but "this too shall pass." Thank God for electric guitars! Played my P90 LP last night, I hope my neighbors enjoyed the show. Sounded pretty good actually. Have a great night!
Thank you Jonathan for this review, and comparison with the 25th anniversary SC550 II. Being a Strat guy, I prefer these pickups offering more highs. And I do prefer this flame mapple top. May the Black Cherry could join my 2 Tokai LS soon (shame on me for too many guitars). By the way I like a lot my HB 25th anniv strat that I bought after your review, as well as my G&L Classic Bluesboy telecaster, bought also after your review 3 years ago 😁 (and my HB Fusion 2 🤪)
cool!!!
I have 7 HB guitars and they have all gotten into my heart in there own ways and I love each and every one of them! ❤
cheapest HB was my first ST20HSS in July 2020 , most expensive HB was my fusion II (absolutely fantastic!!) October 2020..bought others in between and they have all been perfect on unboxing..just needed a set up..the quality of even the cheapest guitars is 100% acceptable for the price you pay..they are all worth 3 times the price you pay for them to get a branded guitar and in most cases are better!!
my £280 (at the time i bought it) fusion II will kick the ass of my Fender ltd Edition player series strat and it cost me £700..NOT saying the Fender is bad in anyway, i love it..but for the price difference..Fusion for the win in my opinion 👍🤘
that HB 550 looks very similar to my cheapest Epiphone slash AFD and sounds as good..sc550 looks just as fantastic tbh!! 😁
Thanks for sharing!!
Great playing Jon. I came to see if the pickups were good quality and you sold me on them.
Thanks!
Jon, grazie del vidio
Prego !!❤️
😂 i'm happy that you feel better Jonathan 👍Thanks for your great video, I was wondering how the Tesla Paf's sound. Great guitar and great price...I love Harley Benton 🔥
Thanks! 😃
No no these are not PAF style pickups.. PAF. Refers to the finish of the guitar. I spoke about this in the video
I love your playing Jon, you're too louD!!
Thank you🤣❤️
Hi Jonathan, thanks for reviewing this guitar. Was looking at is since it came out, just pulled the trigger and bought it today (for 245 Euro a steal of a deal in Thomann's anniversary discount sale). My wife hates the look of it, so it must be a real nice guitar to have :-) Looking forward to receive this guitar within a few days. Christmas is coming very soon this year :-).
Get well soon!
Cheers,
Faizel (The Netherlands)
lol! Have fun!!
Hi Jon, hope you are doing well. Just want to let you know I received mine today. Unfortunately there are some issues, hope to get this solved by Thomann. But the PAF version is very nice, even my wife gave her approval 😉
Cheers!
Slash Signature? :) :D. Watching now!
nope lol
sweet
✌️❤️
Very nice guitar 😊😊 Jonathan can make an Air guitar sound amazing. Hehehe. Take care buddy ❤️🙏💯👍👌🎸🎸. Beautiful licks J man 👍👌✌️✌️💯
lol
La chitarra è molto bella ma nelle tue mani diventa fantastica sei veramente 😊😊bravo
Grazie. sei molto gentile!
老師彈得太好聽了
✌♥
I got the SC450plus, put some Tonerider AC2 pickups in. Sounds great, plays great. Yet I am just a bit more into superstrats with Floyd Rose bridge.
Thta's alright!
Hi Jon, about the nut, it is listed as both graphite and ABS on the HB website as well as your own description but in the video you say it is ABS. It, seems strange to have ABS on the higher priced 550's but graphite on the cheaper ones. Great review, thanks :) New subscriber here!
I wondered about that too… in any case, welcome to the channel!!
That guitar has been on my list for a while plan to get one , with no trem it’s a stable platform
Sure is...how r u doing old timer?
Tengo esa guitarra y l ha gustado mucho y creo que es mucho por la o precio.... Saludos desde Colombia.
Thank you!
Hi, funny I got this guitar in April in Europe, but specs were different! The site then wrote mahogany body & graphite nut. The model is the same, it even says I have already bough this but now diffenet specs! Anyhow it feels great I like this guitar.
Thanks for the info
Great demo/video as usual. Just a little tip. It is a carved top in case of the solid body guitar. Solid peace of wood is carved in curvy shape. To be an archtop it implies that some peace of wood is bent/arched into the curve. This is often made from plywood, like 3 layers plywood used on many Gibsons even in 50's and 60's era. Some models though bend/arch solid panels into the shape being spruce or maple or what ever wood type was used for that model. This was used a lot for Jazz guitars and form that when you say Arch top it is not related to a top of the guitar as on the type of the guitar. Archtop is Semi acoustic guitar with at least top arched into the curved form. So back to a little tip, maybe use the expression carved top.
The expression ain’t mine.. but directly from Harley Benton. Thanks for sharing
@@JonIsJustTooLoud sure, no worries. They can make as many mistakes as they want, you and me we learn and then do not make such mistakes 😀 They are not native speakers anyhow. Neither am I. But this are major expressions any guitar enthusiasts should know at least in my book they are 😀
👏👏👏
✌♥
Genial review. Genial forma de tocar de verdad, en tus manos parece una Gibson. Estaría bien probar con un amplificador de gama baja y sin efectos añadidos
Gracias..
I "expect"...Harley Bentons to be very good by now...😊
I've got 4 😊
Nice
I absolutely love my JA 25th Jon thanks to you. This whole series seem to be exceptionally well made. Very James Bond. The man with the golden axe 😂😂
I’m not a fan of Roswell Humbuckers. I changed them out of both my HB Roswell humbucker guitars. Still really really worth it.
In saying that the Roswell single coils on the JA are really nice.
Wonderful playing as usual Jon and a really interesting video 😃👍👍❤️
Oh lovely!! I’m glad you liked it Tom✌️❤️
Thank you so much for this in depth review. It's what pushed me to pull the trigger and order one today. I also absolutely am riveted by your playing and plan to study it more closely and grab some of your phrasing and bends. Man! I do love your bends! Do you offer any UA-cam guitar classes?
Thanks! No I don’t.. but I do conduct private classes
How is it? I'm thinking about buying one soon.
First of all, I was thinking with Christmas coming up, I had best get my order in now as I suspect it's gonna get very busy and I was so surprised to see it delivered here in California in one week! It is, as Jonathon and so many others have said, surprisingly good, especially at this insane price point. A close inspection found the finish to be close to flawless. I found two very small indications of tooling or handling on the lower side of the neck, but you have to look very hard to find them. I expected I would need to do some setup work, but I'm happy to say that all I did was lower the action a little. I found the action of the low E at 5/64ths and was able to get it down to 4/64ths which is my happy place on my other guitars and this one is playing beautifully. Frets feel fine to me, but I suspect they could be a little better if I polish them which I may do this week, but it's not necessary. The intonation is just about spot on, but will check it again when I put on new strings. Pickups! Again, it is as we see all over YOuTube: You could change them if you want, but for me, they deliver all I need. I especially am happy to hear them deliver that big warm tone on the neck pickup that LP's are famous for. Mids and highs are also crisp an articulate. I'm incredibly happy with this purchase. I've had it 4 days now and can't put it down. If I'm near it, I'm picking it up and playing it. I say "go for it."@@BlazertronGames
@@tomdellinger3710 Nice! I'm really thinking about it. How did you find the gotoh tuners? Do they stay in tune fairly well?
I think Gotoh has a good reputation and I have them on one of my other guitars too. And yes, they are working fine on this one as well. Some don't care for this look aesthetically, but I am a fan. Some prefer the heftier Grovers, I think. Me? Not so much. The tuners also feel solid....it's a tactile thing and is something I appreciate when I find it. It's another day and the only thing that gets me to put it down is stuff I absolutely have to tend to. I love playing it.@@BlazertronGames
Hi Jon, I would like to ask, is the head glued to the neck or is it one piece? I feel that the construction should be better than the model with emg, I feel that it sticks head to neck there. I think this model looks good.
I can’t remember.. the guitar is not with me
Great video and fantastic play, Jon. Glad I have discovered your channel. Have ordered this guitar as well. Would be great if you could specify the backing track, if possible. I know it's from JTC, but is it available online? Many thanks
Not too sure brother! BY THE WAY welcome to the channel!
I was impressed by your video with the cherry no-go-toh 😉 version of the 550 II. This one is on anniversary sale now, so I'm curious, how do they compare in your opinion (if you can still remember, it two years ago 😉)
I cant remember...But this is a great guitar!
Jon - you said the pickups are a bit too chimey. i'm looking for a warmer pick up - do you recommend any HB guitars that are a bit warmer? thank you
Get the fusion pros
Hi Jon i have the same a very good Guitar. LG Detlev
cool!!
has a chambered body (from HB web site)
Strange, the website says it has a graphite nut. Maybe they updated it.
The specs are subject to changes
Just everybody here's already pointed out supergorgeous feeling in your first solo (and not only in that one)! Could you kindly name the backing track song, if you remember that?
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Great playing was usual Jon..... by the way, what was that red thing over the first fret while you were playing slide ?
Thnak you Judy..That a String Damper✌♥
Maestro, I’m grateful for your review and your astonishing performance! I’m just a pianist searching for his first electric guitar… Please, tell me your opinion, taking HB SC-550 II vs HB DC-DLX (I also saw your review!): 1) Which one is better for playing pop, classic rock (and French rock style), jazz and blues? 2) Why 2 tone controls instead of coil split, or the contrary, should be preferable for me? 3) Would you suggest a third HB model as still better for me? Thank you very much in advance from Argentina!
Get the SC 550 II.. The pickups are different. Most LP style guitars comes with 2 sets of volume and tone controls.
Your range is amazing..from soothing to ear ripping..whats the weight on this puppy?it looks Heavy.yet Another Amazing Student Guitar from H/Benton...Wonder what this thing could accomplish with an after market Whammy bar?Big Thumbs up! You Rock!
You are so kind
Hello Jon! Me again...
I have decided on an HB SC 550 II. Just not sure what pickups. I usually play any genre of rock, but I do like Santana, as well as jazz and 70s-80s funk...
I value any suggestions.
Go for it!
Hi. Very useful video. Can you help with some setup parameters? Action bridge, tailpiece and pickup hight? Thank you
Can’t help you like this
You should teach guitar playing on UA-cam, you could make any guitar sing
Thank you
Thanks Jon you are the best
I bought this guitar, I'm waiting for delivery, it's my eighth Harley Betton out of twenty guitars that I own 🥸👍
oh wow!! have fun!
Can the pickups be wired for coil splitting?
You might have to change pickups for split coil
Excuse me, but can you tell me if this guitar neck profile is more like a C,D or 60s?
More like aC
Wow.. you are amazing. I love the way how you play. Love that guitar too. I need to choose if I will order the SC-Custom II in vintage black or the 550 II. any recomendation? Thanks man!
Thank you.. it’s your choice brother❤️
I’ve got the vintage black , it’s the best playing guitar I own , no problem with tremolo ,beautiful& sounds good ,but I also ordered the 550
@@oldcrackadatedThat's cool. 🙂 I own a couple of Ibanez and Fender, but when I saw that sc-custom vintage black, it took my attention immediately and got interested. It reminds me of my old Les Paul copy that was stolen from me back in 2000's. Keep on rocking. Cheers!
@@joelsantos7931 Thomann has a sale now 219USD , 301 USD delivered in US on 550
Hello Jon. Just wondering what amp you use there in this one and what effects pedals. Such a lovely sound
Read the description✌🏻❤️
Read the description
Nice review! Are you sure that this is the Gotoh version? On Harley Benton´s website it looks more like SC-550 II PAF. Green tuning pegs instead of white and the text ¨SC-550 Deluxe¨ on the back of the headstock.
Yes it is
Hi !
I'm sorry, but i think it is NOT...
I've got one and it's written "SC-Tribute" on the headstock and has white tuning pegs instead of green... HB also upgraded nut to graphite instead of ABS.
I think the model in your vidéo is "only" SC-550 II...
However, nice playing 😉
I prefer the magahony classic version sc ii with the Tesla pubs
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Hi Jonathan, how would you rate the fretwork on Harley Bentons in general ? I never owned one, but thinking to get one of these. Cheers, Koen
They have improved so much… so far I’ve got nothing to complain
@@JonIsJustTooLoud Ordered a EX-76 lefty. First Harley Benton, curious how it compares to my hmm too expensive other guitars lol
Am in the process of adding the SC to my collection as well. If ever you have the chance to review the EX-76 Classic, it's an amazing sounding guitar. Have a nice day!
Sounds good, but the tiger stripe top is fugly.
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Would you consider reviewing the Hinomi H1 Pro chair?
Of course if they send me one hahaha
@@JonIsJustTooLoud Hmmmmm . . . you're sitting in the Hinomi H1 Pro chair during the video. LOL I was thinking about buying one and I laughed when I saw you had that same chair.
What is the backing track of the song at 2:14?
in the description
10:04 The neck pickup sounds way too muddy in the low register when pushed. Yikes.
😳
hi question if I may ask how much was the shipping fee and if there's a tax?
Check Thomann please
Thank you Jon. :)
Such melodic phrasing, fantastic. That guitar looks and sounds great, but I have mixed feelings about Harley Benton.
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What??? WHY? 😂
@@christoguichard4311 They are too competitive, they put other companies out of business. Or perhaps not ? Perhaps they allow more people to come to the guitar and they will be future customers of other brands ? I don't know.
thanks for play it real and not playback!
Thank you
Do you think the new models will be much different now that they changed go a Meranti wood body?
And I read that necks should never be made from Meranti bit this neck is...
With that in mind... Any idea if the neck will last?
No idea.. it should be ok✌️❤️
H.B. sure is copying Gibson. Nice figure. l always enjoy listening to the music you make with all of the instruments in your videos. What an inspiration. Thank you
Glad you like them!
😂😂😂😂...where have you been for the last 30 years?!?! 🙄
Get well soon. Not a bad looking guitar but those green troll teeth looking tuner buttons would have to go. Cheers!
Thank you!
Would you go for that over a squire affinity hss ? I want to buy my first guitar and don't know what to do
get one that fits your budget and eyes✌💚