I’ve always wondered whether there’s extra QC checks or something when geartubers get sent these guitars for free. Shipping it back would be an international hassle for me, so even though these seem spec’d amazingly, this risk has prevented me from pulling the trigger on one of these. So I really appreciate how you sourced this guitar (ie. as a regular customer) for this vid!!
I totally get it and it is not fun doing an international exchange/return at all. I think it's important to not just have videos about gear where its all 100% positive because very rarely is that the actual case. There is a lot of guitar for the money here but for the first time with a HB I was a little let down with the QC.
Haha Mikey, I've had a company send me something completely unplayable for a review in the past... I ended up sending it back because they would not have been happy with my assessment so to speak and no video was made.
Not saying that what ur saying isn't justified, but getting it perfect from warehouse will never happen, I always even if there is a goldielock instrument that came perfect, I setup it up with my Luthier, so they can match the specs that make my fingers play better.
@@AudiomoMusictotally agree these are great value for $$$. If I wasn’t so spoiled with my Charvel necks I would likely bite on one of these (I believe HB makes/made a more contoured version of this guitar akin to the DK24)
Now, that's what a review should always look like! Fantastic video, great tones, full clarity and honesty about everything that's good or "bad" about the guitar. Thanks for taking the time to shoot such a great video!
Thanks Jack, that's exactly what I go for when I film these things - try to just hit the most important stuff without over praising or over criticizing the guitar.
should have also mentioned - as always great honest review of the guitar itself, pointing out the issues and contextualising them. Important to bring this to people's attention so they can make informed decisions regarding their purchases. Great sounding and a lot of bang for the buck it seems!
Thanks Ian it's been a bit of an adjustment here but I have been itching to get back to making some silly videos and this gave me a really good excuse to do so haha
@@AudiomoMusic haha man yeah its fantastic to see you back and it's a fantastic video! Hope all is well there as, yeah, definitely appreciate how much of an adjustment these things can be!
Awesome to see the first vid in the new setup! :) Even with the QC issues for the guitar, there's still a lot of guitar there for the money and at worst a prospective buyer might need to do a bit of minor setup on it
Even with the qc problems and unknown origins, putting a good bridge, and all this nice hardware on a beginner/budget guitar should motivate the bigger companies to start offering better option in this range. You shouldn't have to pay 1k to get a guitar with locking tuners fender. If anything they should be the default.
The hardware value alone is really great as we kinda went over in the discord and I don't get why other brands don't do similar things with their guitars - it's a win win for the hardware manufacturer, the guitar brand, and the consumer. This bridge is much better than anything I could find on other HSS guitars for 1k or under.
@@AudiomoMusic This is what disappointed me so much about the 2023 Epiphone ES-335 I had. Bad hardware, bad volume/tone pots, and rough frets. They’re $600 new, and you would need fretwork, wiring harness, bridge, tuners, and nut right off the bat. Meanwhile, multiple makers have all that covered from the factory.
The sheer amount of people reporting varying results in this is a cause for concern and part of why once I realized this guitar was not made in Indonesia like the Pro Series I was a bit worried.
That's why I like the push push concept...I think the reason why some folks don't like the push push knobs is because if it's a push push that goes up to the same height whether it's in single or humbucker mode, you can't really look down in a glance to see whether it's in single or humbucker mode...I would think they could design the knob to be like if you push it once, it springs up into a higher elevation from the pickguard when in single coil mode, push it again, it springs up to a lower position when in humbucker mode...who knows; maybe someone already has designed one to do that, and I just don't know about it...when playing live in front of people, and you need to quickly get to the next tone you want to use, the last thing you need is for your guitar to fight against you...being all "Oh, so you want to go single coil now, huh? Go ahead and try, hahahaha!" . Hey man, thanks for the video.
The Fender cory wong strat behind me in the video has a push push knob that does exactly that, it lifts up when you engage it. Push it again and everything is back to normal and the knob is at the regular height. It was something I never realized I needed but I've been able to track guitar parts all in one take I wouldn't have been able to easily otherwise because of it and it's extremely useful!
@@AudiomoMusic Thanks for that info, man! Glad it's out there to get...I'm crappy at soldering...got a little shake in the hands...but to me it would for sure be worth it to replace the push pulls with a push push that works like that...for me, anyways. Cheers!
No, the saddles are good for me. My main problem with the guitar was (I sent it back) the string height. I like my string height very flat but then the guitar rattles and the tone died on the high E-String at 12th and 16th fret. I‘ve ordered a new one in SFG!
Great Job Jim! A pity about the imperfections. My mate, just recieved his today - he also had the neck pocket lacquer crack and the same dings on the edge of the headstock 😬. Mine is due to arrive in a couple of hours 😬🤞
Yeah that's not exactly what I want to hear, I'd much rather hear people getting guitars with none of these issues out of the box. Let me know how yours arrives!
Thanks John, wonder what they'd do for the bridge since they went high end on the strat style. Either way we can never have too many teles in this world of ours
I got some nice Harley Bentons, a modded SC450plus (Tonerider AC2 pickups) gets a lot of praise by the audience. Yet I now mainly play Ibanez with their thin and flat necks. Waiting for a HB Fusion with this kind of neck. Waiting and waiting...
I got mine yesterday. Left version. It's pretty astonishing really. The neck is a bit chonky (I'm used to an Ibanez), but the quality is great. This does not at all feel like a cheap guitar whatsoever.
I'd agree it definitely doesn't feel cheap, I appreciate a lot about it just wish the QC would have caught the fretboard not being rolled on this specific one.
New set up looks great. Man, that flame neck is crazy on a guitar that price. What’s with the BARCODE??? LOL. I don’t think I would ever buy a guitar that had a barcode on it.
It's a pretty nice guitar honestly! The barcode is massive too, part of me wants to try scanning it with my phone to see if it will bring me somewhere hahaha
I had 2 of these at home. Both had the crack in the neck pocket and one of them Pos 5 on the pickup had no Output. Also the bridge is very bulky I did send both back.
Ordered my seafoam green one today. It’s a B stock, so will have to see if it’s any good. Kind of worried that thomann have already got some B stocks 1 week after launch. But I couldn’t wait the 7-9 week wait for an A stock. Let’s see how it pans out. Great vid and nice playing. Kudos
In a worst case scenario, at least they do have a return policy on it but seeing this many B stocks available this soon is something I don't often see with Harley Benton releases.
Great video, thanks Jim, yes the spec says "Fingerboard with rounded edges" (not edge singular), if you keep it, you'll have to do some John Robson relic’ing, it does maybe look like a B stock guitar ?
I'm just imagining myself with a razer blade or screw driver attempting to round the edges myself and laughing at the prospect of how that would end up hahahah
Said on numerous HB videos now, I am sure purchasers would happily pay a small extra amount to ensure consistent QC. I have had to return quite a few HB guitars and have basically given up on the brand at this point.
This one really disappointed me if I’m honest. The guitar itself was fine, but once I realized it wasn’t a made in Indonesia guitar I knew it wouldn’t come as advertised and it didn’t. I’d happily spend extra to have these built in a country that can follow a spec sheet and deliver a guitar that is as advertised.
I saw another review of this guitar, I'm sorry I can't remember by who, but they pointed out that they did not like the Babicz bridge because the strings came out below the top of the saddles and it prevented the natural technique of palm muting the strings. It's kind of like the bridge cover on a Rickenbacker or a Telecaster. If you didn't care about palm muting then it could be an advantage because then you could rest your palm down and play without muting the strings.
Yeah that's a pretty fair take on it. I think if someone wanted a strat to use the vibrato more liberally on this would be a good shout, but it did feel a little strange palming mute for aggressive stuff compared to a traditional strat bridge.
How's the neck profile and depth? It doesn't have the chunkier Harley Benton feel, Or is it closer to the fender standard or maybe even Ibanez shredder?
My comment vanished. There's a brand called M Musi that sold nice guitars (made in China) on Amazon the last few years for under $400 and free shipping. They sold out multiple times. I snagged three of them. Alder body, alnico pickups, CTS pots, roasted maple necks, rolled fretboard edges, SS frets, bone nut, nice bridge, compound radius (9.5" - 12") board. They were better than EART. I think Thomman took notice. I will never buy a HB from Thomann ever again after I had an issue trying to return a guitar that had multiple problems 8 years ago. They wanted me to pay the return shipping which was more than the guitar itself and they would assess whether they would reimburse for shipping after they got the guitar back. That didn't fly for me so after several calls to Europe I got a prepaid label. Then they dragged their feet giving me a refund on the guitar after they got it back. Do yourself a favor, if you buy an HB and you're in the US buy it from their US based Reverb store.
Great video. Why they didn't provide you a guitar is beyond me; solid demo, honesty, and quality production. But hey, companies do what they want, not always what's best, and thats how it goes. Sounds great and looks fantastic. Bummer about that fingerboard. If I bought this, I'd demand some money back. Is that a huge deal, no, but it is a specified feature and it should be there. All guitars, at all proce points shoule have immacukate and perfect frets. Its a key component to a guitar. It cracks me up when we see modestky proced guitars like this cone with bretter fret work than American guitars costing nearly $2000.
I don't ever expect anything from anyone for doing videos, just not to be exploited and having people use my content that I made for free on their websites to use as free advertising after the fact which kinda rubs me the wrong way. I'm absolutely going to contact them about the fingerboard, it's simply not as advertised and that's not something the average person is going to want to/be able to work on so I'm hoping it's a one off on this particiular guitar.
I have two Harleys. TS and DC600. I bought the Tele used, but it was flawless. I bought it to mod. Very easy mod and it's now a beast. The DC600 was a different story. I live only a few miles from Thomann so I go frequently. I bought the guitar, picked it up and immediately took it over to exchange it. QC was NULL. Got the second one...Flawless. As you said, out of the box, perfectly ready to go. I swapped the tuners and it's going great. That is the problem with HB. QC ia poor and it's the roll of the dice if you get a good one or bad one. The tele is like 130 Euros new. The DC600 was like 190 Euros. But this supposed Pro Model is going for 400 Euros. I think that is a very poor decision by HB to go that high in their pricing after seeing your review. 400 bucks and QC issues as bad as you've revealed. I say no. Even if modified, that guitar has cosmetic issues that would bug me to hell.
So it looks like they're aiming for the Fender Player Plus (MIM) range, so far as features (and perhaps a bit beyond), but at like half the (street) price. I've found the Player Plus QC to be lacking since COVID, so it's probably a favorable comparison even with the flaws on the HB. At that point, the remaining benefit of a MIM instrument is the better fit on after-market Strat parts, as your measurement mileage (or millimeterage?) may vary on "S-type" designs by different manufacturers. And I agree on your observation: push-push should go on Strat-style knobs. Push-pull works for Tele-style knurled knobs, where gripping is easy. Congrats on breaking in the new space!
I was never a fan of push/pull or push/push until I got the cory wong strat and I said ok wow, this actually makes sense and is extremely useful haha. Fully agree on a tele it's not as rough to manage.
I have been waiting for an honest review of this new guitar. Sad to see that they still don't check them before leaving Thomann. I would not be happy with this sample, having had to return guitars to them before makes me think twice about ordering any more. Hope you are keeping safe and well Jim.
I remember you've had some bad luck all around with new guitars, can't say I blame you for not wanting to order anything new blind at this point regardless of brand. I'm curious to see what HB will say if they see this about the guitar in the video.
@@AudiomoMusic I certainly had more than my share of bad samples. I hope HB do respond, if yours is a typical sample i can see a lot of B grades been available soon.
@@RyanMcQuen True if you are very lucky to receive one without any cosmetic issues. This is not a given with Harley Benton, they leave the customers to do the quality control.
It’s completely different than both, especially the silver sky which has a more vintage inspired radius and flavor compared to this really modern flat radius and aggressive output pickups.
Thank you. Today i played both the fender and the prs se, didnt like the prs se, felt like cheap plastic compared to the fender player series. So, quality wise can it be considered as the similar level to the fender player series?
Dude. Are these songs by popular artists you're playing to demo this guitar? Or are these off the cuff jams, or things you're working on? Great tunes, or the ideas of them if they are yours. Really strong songs. Well, parts of ones. If they're covers, could you let me know who you listen to? You're a superb guitarist, I forgot what you were reviewing after awhile, and just listened to your playing. You're great!
Man that means a lot, it's a mix between ideas I have and off the cuff. When I started doing youtube I threw in covers here and there thinking that would be what people wanted to hear and all of those videos got demonotized so I decided to just play my own stuff. I have one record that's been mastered and I'm working on some new stuff now with full instrumentation.
@@AudiomoMusic That's great to hear, when you release any of it, I do hope you upload or have links to where it is. Would love to hear, you're a very talented songwriter / ideas person.
That one is is a tough one because I am trying to determine just how much modulation I want to have on it!!! I've been working on it for a little bit and can't decide if it should go full ambient mode or kind of more subtle like how I played it in this video. I will absolutely let you know when this stuff is done it's great to know there are some people that appreciate the way i compose things
I can do that, and I will also make a video comparing to the neck on the Cory Wong Strat that has an American Ultra neck which has VERY similar on paper specs but feel completely different in person.
thanx for the review ! however , and maybe i am the only one with this issue . I find the roasted Necks sound harsh , the warmth is gone . i hear this also on the Sire Guitars , maybe the same Factory /Proces . Whats your opnion about this . Greetz
I think the pickups make a far bigger impact on the sound than the neck, both the Sire and this have a similar thing going on sound wise that kind of lines up with what you just mentioned.
Thanks for the review! But I guess you could contact Thomann, provide photos of the neck pocket crack, the dings and the unrolled neck edge... and definitely ask for a partial refund (at least like a B-Stock)
I just did about 15 min ago, the unrolled bass side of the neck to me is something this should have absolutely had done from the facotry or at the very least been caught at QC. We'll see what happens.
That guitar is a great value but I'd send that one back and get another one without a crack and the bass side of the neck rolled. Also, I'd prefer a roasted maple fretboard to the Laurel fretboard. About half the models have the Laurel. I'm thinking of ordering one from Thomann and having it shipped to Saudi Arabia.
I was hoping they'd have all the colors available with either a laurel or maple fingerboard... i already have a HSS pink super strat with a maple board so I opted against that one.
@@AudiomoMusic Unfortunately, I like the colors of the ones with the laurel fretboard more. I'm thinking of getting the white one. It has a maple fretboard.
Haha same! my favorite of the bunch was the seafoam ( really it's a surf not a seafoam ) green and I didn't have the option for a maple neck so I went with the laurel. White is a good choice with maple, classic too
@@AudiomoMusicfriend, very good review, video, good information, yes, I agree with you, I have a T HH OCT EB fusion, very incredible guitar, ebony fingerboard, yes, and one question, any other Harley Bentons, do you recommend which one is the cst-24t or the sc 550 II
That’s a rough one, you’re better off just using the stock pickguard and gutting it for all new electronics. Their shapes are not consistent and you could potentially have headaches. Part of the problem with contracted cheap MIC guitars man.
Is the fretboard made of rosewood?? I don't think so, as rosewood had been put under restriction for mass production by CITES since more than a decade ago.
Nope, that's Indian laurel. Although rosewood is pretty common again these days since CITES has loosened on it. Fender Japan and USA offer rosewood on all of their production guitars that aren't a maple neck.
@@AudiomoMusic Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. However, for entry level and intermediate level electric guitars, those made in Indonesia, they commonly used Jatoba and Pau Ferro for fretboard till now. It's true that for more expensive to high end guitars that are made in Vietnam, Japan, USA etc, the real thing (rosewood) is used for fretboards in place of Jatoba and Pau Ferro, in exception of maple and ebony which are very different from rosewood. Today, we have to pay more for holding a guitar with rosewood fretboard as this wood attracts higher taxes than ever before. Practically, the warm tone and feel of rosewood can never be replaced by other substitutes. Even Gibson and Mexican Fender used Pau Ferro, which are much inferior to former models when rosewood was abundant.
It’s a cool guitar, but doesn’t move me to want one enough. It’s weird that they just don’t stamp where the guitars are made. Maybe an oversight with the first run.
Looking back at some of the other guitars in their line, the TE62 I had also had no stamp of any kind on it either. I'm actually looking at a few guitars in their vintage series and many don't have it either.
It’s a requirement here in the USA…. We are talking about very different standards in regards to many different aspects of production elsewhere in the world.
They're made in China, it's not supposed to be a secret, we'll discuss if we can add it on the webpage or somewhere. For us it's clear due to serial number but of course you guys can't decipher it.. 😄
Yep, pre dressed frets that are installed after they are shaped onto the fretboard. Makes sense as it cuts back on the production time a bit and thus, lower cost.
@@AudiomoMusic Kind of a shame. My Indonesian Cortek built guitars are my favorites. The Eart I owned just never felt right. I’m gonna pass on this and just be thankful for my Squier Bullet Telecaster and Harley Benton DC Fat.
I reckon that’s the case, made in China, since Eart has been showing less and less models in their EU warehouse. Maybe it is due to some “exclusivity” deal with Harley Benton
I don't know for me it seems these pickup are too muddy or it could come from the amount of gain you put to test it could be maybe too much for. I prefer always to hear a real clean sound before going on more crunchy after. So i can't say clearly how it sound like that. I do not hear any real clean sound in each pick up like this. Surely it's your like and i respect this. Thanks for your video 👍😉
Listening to You Tube demo’s of the ST Modern Plus I had a similar opinion about the pickups before I received mine 3-days ago. Plugging it in I was pleasantly surprised how good they sound both clean and with overdrive. The single coils have a higher output than ‘Classic / vintage’ Strat single coils but they still sound like a Strat. The humbucker has a nice thick warm tone. I expected to be upgrading and replacing the pickups immediately but so far so good.
No rolled edges on mine... It seems to be the same for the ones tested by EytschPi42 and Cory Mura. Edit: I have the pink shell version with maple fingerboard.
I didn't want to click anyone elses review so I could go in with a totally fresh perspective but knowing they didn't do it on multiple other guitars while making it a major selling point is... yeah that's disappointing no two ways about it.
@@AudiomoMusic I'm impressed by the guitar (what you get for that price) but really disappointed by that incorrect statement... That's amazing that besides you, nobody is paying attention to that detail.
I don't know if those two were provided the guitars in exchange for a review, however if they were launch day videos I imagine they had to have been. Maybe that has something to do with it.
I’m guessing they meant rounded fret ends rather than fingerboard edges. That’s also what they were saying on the Guitar summit videos from September 23
“Fingerboard: Laurel with rolled edges” That’s pretty specific and what they have listed. If the treble side wasn’t rolled I could see this maybe being a mistake however that’s absolutely how they advertise it.
On FB Harley Benton group there is screen of conversation with Thomann stating that those guitars are made in China which is not bad thing anymore. Everything can be done in China from s..ty to good things. Nice review but I miss info about neck. Is it comfortable comparing to Fusion HSS?
Not a bad thing is a matter of personal experience and preference... I've demo'd a lot of guitars over the years and the ones that have the most consistency issues with either specs being way off, qc being off or just missing at times, and in general the biggest lottery are from China. I've played some pretty good instruments from China and am not opposed to buying a chinese made guitar but I simply don't see any reason not to disclose it to the customer without them having to contact you to get that info. Regarding the fusion neck, I prefer the neck on the fusion by a bit honestly however it does not feel extremely different to it. The D shape on this is much more akin to a beefier C than a modern D on a guitar such as the American Ultra series from Fender.
@@AudiomoMusic Your experience matches my experience too, I had issues with few chinese guitars and had few nice like old Squier Classic Vibe. I agree that Indonesian made guitars are generally more consistent in terms of build quality. Great thanks for describing the neck. Many friends complained on Fusion models that have chunky neck. I really hoped that ST-Modern would have more modern thinner neck, not necessarily Schecter or Ibanez necks but at least something like Squier classic vibes which modern C neck is very universal. I am bit disappointed that Harley Benton decided to go with chunky D shape. There are lot of B-Stocks now, I ordered one and see if that is comfortable. Again, great and informative review. Last question: will You keep this guitar ? :D
Ok., here are my thoughts based on this video: 1. For me it's still too heavy. 2. It sounds pretty awful. 3. Those small issues are not exactly small. In some video I found problem with humbucker stability on the body. In the next, the other guy reports palm muting notes problem under that bridge work. 4. On Thomann website I don't see country of made at the others from this series models neck photos.
The "small issues" with cosmetics aren't exactly ideal but I can live with that, the fretboard not being rolled on one side is something that should have never passed QC.
Based on my experiences with MIC guitars and some of the off things with this one, I'd venture to say that's a very good guess however they should just say it straight away so this isn't really a discussion ya know? Maybe I'm just weird but that kinda feels off to me to deliberately not include it when you have other guitars int he same line that clearly state on the guitar where it's made.
With previous HB guitars I have purchased, all that CE information has been on a clear vinyl sticker that I could remove, not any more though, I bought two of the 25th Anniversary models and they had it printed on the back of the headstock, it looks horrible and a barcode is even worse IMO, come on HB you can do better than this! I am thinking of sanding it off and re-applying the clear coat, it bugs me so much
probably Thomann doesn't know, hence can't answer your question. there are a lot of things that they don't know because the factory won't tell them. (as said by a thomann representative when asking similar questions)
They definitely know, they sent me an email after seeing this video to say it was made in China and Harley Benton themselves also said so in a comment here. I can't wrap my head around not saying it in the description or on the guitar if both are aware of where it's made.
@@AudiomoMusic probably they omit it because of the "Chinesium" prejudices and stuff. and now more than ever people are just repeating what they heard from somebody else. for some, ignorance is bliss.
@pixieloco or it could be because many people who deal with Chinese guitars on a regular basis know it’s a genuine lottery what you are going to get with a guitar. I have worked in the past with a bunch of different brands based out of that country because I judge guitars based on guitars - they are the only place where there are consistently specs ignored or way off, missing, completely wrong, materials used that were not marketed and it goes on. I try not to buy Chinese guitars at this point because I want to know I’m getting exactly what I ordered and unfortunately based on my own experiences that place isn’t it. It is what it is, I’d rather buy a Japanese guitar for more and know the thing is going to be built right and by people that take the time to check to make sure it is acceptable before it leaves their factories.
If I was 15 again there would be zero chance I’d buy a name brand guitar at the prices they are asking This guitar has a dramatically better set of features than a Player Stratocaster Of only Harley Benton and the others would make accurate copies of Jaguars!
If they used high end hardware I’d be super interested in a proper traditional inspired offset. That stuff is vital and why so many budget versions aren’t on my radar. One day maybe they will!
IF that's the case why make the guitar there at all, why not make it indonesia - they already make the fusions there and I never had any QC issues with those...
@@AudiomoMusic I think the answer is costs :( babicz + SS frets + awasome flames + tesla pickups + made in indonesia might have costed way more.... still I dont see the point in hiding this.... btw how is it this compared to the fusion? I actually got a 25th anniversary ST for 199 euro...SS frets not rounded but a bit bigger then those rounded tiny frets...cant complain and besides the tesla is almost like one of those....
Where would you want it made? Really does t make a difference as long as the price is right. I've sadly purchased to many Made In America guitars that where terrible
Anywhere but China. As someone who has done a LOT of reviews and deals with brands out of China I will personally never buy a guitar on my own dime from there because they are never 100% as advertised and sometimes wildly off. Electronics, pedals, and other gear I have no negative experiences with but the guitars are a different story.
I spoke to someone that bought about 5 guitars from harley benton recently and he had to pay vat because customs said it came from china, so he told me that that must mean they're made in china.🤔
Yeah after this video was posted Harley Benton responded to a comment in here saying that as well. It shouldn't take detective work for a consumer to be aware of that though.
You could with a higher headroom amp, but something like the Gremlin or a Fender Champ which are low wattage combos would not be the ticket at all for this guitar for pure cleans.
"Features" and "specs" don't mean a thing if the guitar isn't built by people that give a damn about the quality of product you buy. For not too much more you can get Japanese made instruments that might not have all of the buzzword features but are built substantially better and you can feel the difference immediately.
for a super strat that's as modern as it gets for this particular style while still having some of the original vibe. 24 frets alters how the neck pickup sounds compared to 21 and 22 fret guitars due to the positioning of it.
@@AudiomoMusic Thats true for H/H guitars.I think that the single coil on the neck leaves enough space for 2 extra frets.I have a H/S/S guitar with 24 frets and the fretboard ends just by the side of the neck pickup.It doesnt have the space that the Harley Benton has between fretboard and neck pickup.I dont think that the neck pickup its in different position although i ll admit i am not sure 100% about that.
Why most of the problems are not a big of a deal? Really? On a 400€ guitar? Ive never had a squier , epiphone or a ibanez with this issues, and im talking about guitars in the shop. Most of the buyers and not so famous UA-camr that buys HB guitars find a lot more problems. I dont trust the brand, they need to improve the QC.
Well I’m not a famous UA-camr and I’ve found that these kinds of problems are common with Squier, epiphone, sterling, and tons of other brands so I’m used to it. None of it is “ok” but you get what you pay for, if I don’t want any problems I’ll buy a Japanese made guitar and call it a day.
I’ve always wondered whether there’s extra QC checks or something when geartubers get sent these guitars for free. Shipping it back would be an international hassle for me, so even though these seem spec’d amazingly, this risk has prevented me from pulling the trigger on one of these. So I really appreciate how you sourced this guitar (ie. as a regular customer) for this vid!!
I totally get it and it is not fun doing an international exchange/return at all. I think it's important to not just have videos about gear where its all 100% positive because very rarely is that the actual case. There is a lot of guitar for the money here but for the first time with a HB I was a little let down with the QC.
They 1000% do if it’s a sponsored or paid review, a company would be stupid not to
Haha Mikey, I've had a company send me something completely unplayable for a review in the past... I ended up sending it back because they would not have been happy with my assessment so to speak and no video was made.
Not saying that what ur saying isn't justified, but getting it perfect from warehouse will never happen, I always even if there is a goldielock instrument that came perfect, I setup it up with my Luthier, so they can match the specs that make my fingers play better.
@@AudiomoMusictotally agree these are great value for $$$. If I wasn’t so spoiled with my Charvel necks I would likely bite on one of these (I believe HB makes/made a more contoured version of this guitar akin to the DK24)
Now, that's what a review should always look like! Fantastic video, great tones, full clarity and honesty about everything that's good or "bad" about the guitar.
Thanks for taking the time to shoot such a great video!
Thanks Jack, that's exactly what I go for when I film these things - try to just hit the most important stuff without over praising or over criticizing the guitar.
Nice rhythm playing, man! It's refreshing to hear something different than the usual pentatonic noodling
Appreciate it, I don’t enjoy watching random noodles myself so I try to just play guitar normally and song ideas instead haha
Fantastic video, as ever! Loving the lighting and look of the new studio too and a great video to kick off the new space! :)
should have also mentioned - as always great honest review of the guitar itself, pointing out the issues and contextualising them. Important to bring this to people's attention so they can make informed decisions regarding their purchases. Great sounding and a lot of bang for the buck it seems!
Thanks Ian it's been a bit of an adjustment here but I have been itching to get back to making some silly videos and this gave me a really good excuse to do so haha
@@AudiomoMusic haha man yeah its fantastic to see you back and it's a fantastic video! Hope all is well there as, yeah, definitely appreciate how much of an adjustment these things can be!
Awesome to see the first vid in the new setup! :) Even with the QC issues for the guitar, there's still a lot of guitar there for the money and at worst a prospective buyer might need to do a bit of minor setup on it
Thank you for your honesty.
Always!
The tone on that guitar is overwhelmingly awesome
It sounds pretty good!!
Thanks for the insight Jim. Looks and sounds great! 😎
Thanks Tim, I apprecaite it!
I've been thinking about getting one of these. Hopefully they will strive to be more thorough with the QC going forward.
This stuff happens with all brands ( outside of Japanese ones of obviously haha ), just unfortunate but nothing that surprises me anymore.
@@AudiomoMusic Sad, but true.
Even with the qc problems and unknown origins, putting a good bridge, and all this nice hardware on a beginner/budget guitar should motivate the bigger companies to start offering better option in this range. You shouldn't have to pay 1k to get a guitar with locking tuners fender. If anything they should be the default.
The hardware value alone is really great as we kinda went over in the discord and I don't get why other brands don't do similar things with their guitars - it's a win win for the hardware manufacturer, the guitar brand, and the consumer. This bridge is much better than anything I could find on other HSS guitars for 1k or under.
@@AudiomoMusic This is what disappointed me so much about the 2023 Epiphone ES-335 I had. Bad hardware, bad volume/tone pots, and rough frets. They’re $600 new, and you would need fretwork, wiring harness, bridge, tuners, and nut right off the bat. Meanwhile, multiple makers have all that covered from the factory.
I received mine yesterday. Looks, feels and sounds really good. No complaints, except for one really big one: the fretboard edges are not rolled.
The sheer amount of people reporting varying results in this is a cause for concern and part of why once I realized this guitar was not made in Indonesia like the Pro Series I was a bit worried.
That's why I like the push push concept...I think the reason why some folks don't like the push push knobs is because if it's a push push that goes up to the same height whether it's in single or humbucker mode, you can't really look down in a glance to see whether it's in single or humbucker mode...I would think they could design the knob to be like if you push it once, it springs up into a higher elevation from the pickguard when in single coil mode, push it again, it springs up to a lower position when in humbucker mode...who knows; maybe someone already has designed one to do that, and I just don't know about it...when playing live in front of people, and you need to quickly get to the next tone you want to use, the last thing you need is for your guitar to fight against you...being all "Oh, so you want to go single coil now, huh? Go ahead and try, hahahaha!" . Hey man, thanks for the video.
The Fender cory wong strat behind me in the video has a push push knob that does exactly that, it lifts up when you engage it. Push it again and everything is back to normal and the knob is at the regular height. It was something I never realized I needed but I've been able to track guitar parts all in one take I wouldn't have been able to easily otherwise because of it and it's extremely useful!
@@AudiomoMusic Thanks for that info, man! Glad it's out there to get...I'm crappy at soldering...got a little shake in the hands...but to me it would for sure be worth it to replace the push pulls with a push push that works like that...for me, anyways. Cheers!
Hb had stepped it up with this st modern plus line! Thanks for sharing Jim!
Hi Jim!
Good to see you! I bought the Mod Plus too. Mine is black and was terrible set up.
Best regards
Marco
What do you think of the bridge Marco? Do you notice the saddles getting in the way of your playing at all?
No, the saddles are good for me. My main problem with the guitar was (I sent it back) the string height. I like my string height very flat but then the guitar rattles and the tone died on the high E-String at 12th and 16th fret. I‘ve ordered a new one in SFG!
Great Job Jim! A pity about the imperfections. My mate, just recieved his today - he also had the neck pocket lacquer crack and the same dings on the edge of the headstock 😬.
Mine is due to arrive in a couple of hours 😬🤞
Yeah that's not exactly what I want to hear, I'd much rather hear people getting guitars with none of these issues out of the box. Let me know how yours arrives!
@@AudiomoMusic It's just arrived this minute! 😀 But I gotta start teaching right now! 😭😭
Did you finish the lesson yet?!?1?!
Nice demo, Jim. I'm hoping they bring out a T-style version in this line
Thanks John, wonder what they'd do for the bridge since they went high end on the strat style. Either way we can never have too many teles in this world of ours
I was excited about this guitar. Nice specs.
But I like the fusion specs better. 😊
Nice vid! I liked the flow of the review. Thanks
Awesome, thank you!
Great review Jim. Nice to hear lots of rhythm playing in a demo too
Rhythm is all I'm good for Graeme! hahaha
I got some nice Harley Bentons, a modded SC450plus (Tonerider AC2 pickups) gets a lot of praise by the audience.
Yet I now mainly play Ibanez with their thin and flat necks. Waiting for a HB Fusion with this kind of neck. Waiting and waiting...
The neck on this is really not much different than the one on the fusion iii despite what the specs say. it's no way a shredder neck
I got mine yesterday. Left version. It's pretty astonishing really. The neck is a bit chonky (I'm used to an Ibanez), but the quality is great. This does not at all feel like a cheap guitar whatsoever.
I'd agree it definitely doesn't feel cheap, I appreciate a lot about it just wish the QC would have caught the fretboard not being rolled on this specific one.
New set up looks great. Man, that flame neck is crazy on a guitar that price. What’s with the BARCODE??? LOL. I don’t think I would ever buy a guitar that had a barcode on it.
It's a pretty nice guitar honestly! The barcode is massive too, part of me wants to try scanning it with my phone to see if it will bring me somewhere hahaha
@@AudiomoMusic 🤣 now that’s funny
I had 2 of these at home. Both had the crack in the neck pocket and one of them Pos 5 on the pickup had no Output. Also the bridge is very bulky I did send both back.
Man, what a bummer.
That's some lovely playing mate
appreciate it, really rushed this one
Ordered my seafoam green one today. It’s a B stock, so will have to see if it’s any good. Kind of worried that thomann have already got some B stocks 1 week after launch. But I couldn’t wait the 7-9 week wait for an A stock. Let’s see how it pans out. Great vid and nice playing. Kudos
In a worst case scenario, at least they do have a return policy on it but seeing this many B stocks available this soon is something I don't often see with Harley Benton releases.
Great video, thanks Jim, yes the spec says "Fingerboard with rounded edges" (not edge singular), if you keep it, you'll have to do some John Robson relic’ing, it does maybe look like a B stock guitar ?
I'm just imagining myself with a razer blade or screw driver attempting to round the edges myself and laughing at the prospect of how that would end up hahahah
Nice video! Lots of helpful info!
Happy you enjoyed it!
Said on numerous HB videos now, I am sure purchasers would happily pay a small extra amount to ensure consistent QC. I have had to return quite a few HB guitars and have basically given up on the brand at this point.
This one really disappointed me if I’m honest. The guitar itself was fine, but once I realized it wasn’t a made in Indonesia guitar I knew it wouldn’t come as advertised and it didn’t. I’d happily spend extra to have these built in a country that can follow a spec sheet and deliver a guitar that is as advertised.
I saw another review of this guitar, I'm sorry I can't remember by who, but they pointed out that they did not like the Babicz bridge because the strings came out below the top of the saddles and it prevented the natural technique of palm muting the strings. It's kind of like the bridge cover on a Rickenbacker or a Telecaster. If you didn't care about palm muting then it could be an advantage because then you could rest your palm down and play without muting the strings.
Yeah that's a pretty fair take on it. I think if someone wanted a strat to use the vibrato more liberally on this would be a good shout, but it did feel a little strange palming mute for aggressive stuff compared to a traditional strat bridge.
Thanks man, excellent review!
Glad it was helpful!
How's the neck profile and depth? It doesn't have the chunkier Harley Benton feel, Or is it closer to the fender standard or maybe even Ibanez shredder?
No, it actually feels pretty similar to the Fusion III. It's not a wizard/shredder type neck at all.
Good review! Congratulations.
Thanks, appreciate it!
Great review as usual ! Any opinion on the neck profile? They say it is a D profile. Does it feel fuller than a C?
It feels nothing like the D profile on an American ultra and much more similar to the fusion neck
My comment vanished. There's a brand called M Musi that sold nice guitars (made in China) on Amazon the last few years for under $400 and free shipping. They sold out multiple times. I snagged three of them. Alder body, alnico pickups, CTS pots, roasted maple necks, rolled fretboard edges, SS frets, bone nut, nice bridge, compound radius (9.5" - 12") board. They were better than EART. I think Thomman took notice. I will never buy a HB from Thomann ever again after I had an issue trying to return a guitar that had multiple problems 8 years ago. They wanted me to pay the return shipping which was more than the guitar itself and they would assess whether they would reimburse for shipping after they got the guitar back. That didn't fly for me so after several calls to Europe I got a prepaid label. Then they dragged their feet giving me a refund on the guitar after they got it back. Do yourself a favor, if you buy an HB and you're in the US buy it from their US based Reverb store.
I wonder how these compare against the soloking guitars that are also budget, look amazing and come from china as well. 🤔
Great video. Why they didn't provide you a guitar is beyond me; solid demo, honesty, and quality production. But hey, companies do what they want, not always what's best, and thats how it goes.
Sounds great and looks fantastic. Bummer about that fingerboard. If I bought this, I'd demand some money back. Is that a huge deal, no, but it is a specified feature and it should be there. All guitars, at all proce points shoule have immacukate and perfect frets. Its a key component to a guitar. It cracks me up when we see modestky proced guitars like this cone with bretter fret work than American guitars costing nearly $2000.
I don't ever expect anything from anyone for doing videos, just not to be exploited and having people use my content that I made for free on their websites to use as free advertising after the fact which kinda rubs me the wrong way.
I'm absolutely going to contact them about the fingerboard, it's simply not as advertised and that's not something the average person is going to want to/be able to work on so I'm hoping it's a one off on this particiular guitar.
I appreciate your review man.
I appreciate you taking the time to watch and tell me that, seriously
I have two Harleys. TS and DC600. I bought the Tele used, but it was flawless. I bought it to mod. Very easy mod and it's now a beast. The DC600 was a different story. I live only a few miles from Thomann so I go frequently. I bought the guitar, picked it up and immediately took it over to exchange it. QC was NULL. Got the second one...Flawless. As you said, out of the box, perfectly ready to go. I swapped the tuners and it's going great. That is the problem with HB. QC ia poor and it's the roll of the dice if you get a good one or bad one. The tele is like 130 Euros new. The DC600 was like 190 Euros. But this supposed Pro Model is going for 400 Euros. I think that is a very poor decision by HB to go that high in their pricing after seeing your review. 400 bucks and QC issues as bad as you've revealed. I say no. Even if modified, that guitar has cosmetic issues that would bug me to hell.
EXCELLENT...Thank you very much!!!
Glad you liked it!
Good review thanks
No problem 👍
So it looks like they're aiming for the Fender Player Plus (MIM) range, so far as features (and perhaps a bit beyond), but at like half the (street) price. I've found the Player Plus QC to be lacking since COVID, so it's probably a favorable comparison even with the flaws on the HB. At that point, the remaining benefit of a MIM instrument is the better fit on after-market Strat parts, as your measurement mileage (or millimeterage?) may vary on "S-type" designs by different manufacturers.
And I agree on your observation: push-push should go on Strat-style knobs. Push-pull works for Tele-style knurled knobs, where gripping is easy.
Congrats on breaking in the new space!
I was never a fan of push/pull or push/push until I got the cory wong strat and I said ok wow, this actually makes sense and is extremely useful haha. Fully agree on a tele it's not as rough to manage.
I had to get used to palm muting with babics tremolo saddles. very strange saddles.
I agree, the trem itself is really well designed but it feels weird to play compared to every other strat i've played.
Nice demo despite the QC.
Good, honest, review.
Thanks Peter, that's all I can do in these things.
Very cool, but the Firefly FFST in sonic blue has all the same appointments, but is still half HB's price. Would like to see those 2 head to head.
Actually, would love to see those 2 PLUS the Sire S7. Affordable against very affordable against mega affordable.
I have been waiting for an honest review of this new guitar.
Sad to see that they still don't check them before leaving Thomann.
I would not be happy with this sample, having had to return guitars to them
before makes me think twice about ordering any more.
Hope you are keeping safe and well Jim.
I remember you've had some bad luck all around with new guitars, can't say I blame you for not wanting to order anything new blind at this point regardless of brand. I'm curious to see what HB will say if they see this about the guitar in the video.
@@AudiomoMusic I certainly had more than my share of bad samples.
I hope HB do respond, if yours is a typical sample i can see a lot of B grades
been available soon.
That's why if you can find a good tech to do a setup these budget guitars are still a great value.
@@RyanMcQuen True if you are very lucky to receive one without any cosmetic issues.
This is not a given with Harley Benton, they leave the customers to do the quality control.
@@Barbarapape I just buy the B-stocks and expect cosmetic issues.
How does it compare with fender mexican player strat and PRS silver sky SE?
It’s completely different than both, especially the silver sky which has a more vintage inspired radius and flavor compared to this really modern flat radius and aggressive output pickups.
Thank you. Today i played both the fender and the prs se, didnt like the prs se, felt like cheap plastic compared to the fender player series. So, quality wise can it be considered as the similar level to the fender player series?
yeah absolutely, the PRS do have the plastic feel to them and this neck absolutely does not have that.
Damnit, I've just bought my Jet.
I should have waited a bit more for buying this one. 😢
Dude. Are these songs by popular artists you're playing to demo this guitar? Or are these off the cuff jams, or things you're working on? Great tunes, or the ideas of them if they are yours. Really strong songs. Well, parts of ones. If they're covers, could you let me know who you listen to? You're a superb guitarist, I forgot what you were reviewing after awhile, and just listened to your playing. You're great!
Man that means a lot, it's a mix between ideas I have and off the cuff. When I started doing youtube I threw in covers here and there thinking that would be what people wanted to hear and all of those videos got demonotized so I decided to just play my own stuff. I have one record that's been mastered and I'm working on some new stuff now with full instrumentation.
@@AudiomoMusic That's great to hear, when you release any of it, I do hope you upload or have links to where it is. Would love to hear, you're a very talented songwriter / ideas person.
@@AudiomoMusic Whatever that is beginning at 03:42, is going to be a GREAT song.
That one is is a tough one because I am trying to determine just how much modulation I want to have on it!!! I've been working on it for a little bit and can't decide if it should go full ambient mode or kind of more subtle like how I played it in this video. I will absolutely let you know when this stuff is done it's great to know there are some people that appreciate the way i compose things
@@AudiomoMusic Do both! Subtle to begin and as the main drive of it, ambient over the top! :D
can you compare neck size, profile and fret size with fusion 3? thanks.
I can do that, and I will also make a video comparing to the neck on the Cory Wong Strat that has an American Ultra neck which has VERY similar on paper specs but feel completely different in person.
@@AudiomoMusic thanks man, love the channel!
No worries man, I'll try to get it done in the next week
thanx for the review ! however , and maybe i am the only one with this issue . I find the roasted Necks sound harsh , the warmth is gone . i hear this also on the Sire Guitars , maybe the same Factory /Proces . Whats your opnion about this . Greetz
I think the pickups make a far bigger impact on the sound than the neck, both the Sire and this have a similar thing going on sound wise that kind of lines up with what you just mentioned.
the neck pickup sounds very good at 5:26 but I will imagine this is a mic guitar shame about the qc
The teslas sound good!! Gets the chewy strat sound I love
Personally, I don't care where it's made long as it's made.Well sounds like a good guitar to me
Many feel the same way
Thanks for the review! But I guess you could contact Thomann, provide photos of the neck pocket crack, the dings and the unrolled neck edge... and definitely ask for a partial refund (at least like a B-Stock)
I just did about 15 min ago, the unrolled bass side of the neck to me is something this should have absolutely had done from the facotry or at the very least been caught at QC. We'll see what happens.
@@AudiomoMusic Definitely! Could you be kind enough to report once you get a reply? Thanks so much man!
@davidmultimedia2024 I will 100% keep you updated on that
That guitar is a great value but I'd send that one back and get another one without a crack and the bass side of the neck rolled. Also, I'd prefer a roasted maple fretboard to the Laurel fretboard. About half the models have the Laurel. I'm thinking of ordering one from Thomann and having it shipped to Saudi Arabia.
I was hoping they'd have all the colors available with either a laurel or maple fingerboard... i already have a HSS pink super strat with a maple board so I opted against that one.
@@AudiomoMusic Unfortunately, I like the colors of the ones with the laurel fretboard more. I'm thinking of getting the white one. It has a maple fretboard.
Haha same! my favorite of the bunch was the seafoam ( really it's a surf not a seafoam ) green and I didn't have the option for a maple neck so I went with the laurel. White is a good choice with maple, classic too
Bro great video 💯💯🎸🎸🎸......one question what is better st modern plus o fusion T HH OCT EB?????
I would recommend any of the made in Indonesia fusions over one of these because they are more consistent.
@@AudiomoMusicfriend, very good review, video, good information, yes, I agree with you, I have a T HH OCT EB fusion, very incredible guitar, ebony fingerboard, yes, and one question, any other Harley Bentons, do you recommend which one is the cst-24t or the sc 550 II
Great Video! I Need to know the Song Name!! 3.44 - 4.50
That's an original that is being tracked as part of my next album, I do not have a name for it just yet
I’m sorry for you brother, it would be definitely returned in case it was bought by me.
I'm not sure what I'll end up doing with it, but seeing others have the same problems is definitely a little concerning.
4:05 song name
that's just a song i'm working on, no name
Will Fender Stratocaster pickguards fit on this guitar without redrilling holes?
I’m willing to wager no, you’d have to have one custom cut for it.
Anyone know if a preloaded F style pickguard will fit these? That '23rd' fret is sticking way back?
That’s a rough one, you’re better off just using the stock pickguard and gutting it for all new electronics. Their shapes are not consistent and you could potentially have headaches. Part of the problem with contracted cheap MIC guitars man.
@@AudiomoMusic Yep, that was my suspition, thanks for replying.
Anything about country of origin on packing slip and it shipping docs? International shipping usually requires a country of origin
I checked and nothing however in a comment on this video Harley Benton said it was made in China.
One question : does it stay in tune after dive bombs?
If you stretch the strings and the nut is cut fine on the one you get then yeah.
Is the fretboard made of rosewood?? I don't think so, as rosewood had been put under restriction for mass production by CITES since more than a decade ago.
Nope, that's Indian laurel. Although rosewood is pretty common again these days since CITES has loosened on it. Fender Japan and USA offer rosewood on all of their production guitars that aren't a maple neck.
@@AudiomoMusic Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. However, for entry level and intermediate level electric guitars, those made in Indonesia, they commonly used Jatoba and Pau Ferro for fretboard till now. It's true that for more expensive to high end guitars that are made in Vietnam, Japan, USA etc, the real thing (rosewood) is used for fretboards in place of Jatoba and Pau Ferro, in exception of maple and ebony which are very different from rosewood. Today, we have to pay more for holding a guitar with rosewood fretboard as this wood attracts higher taxes than ever before. Practically, the warm tone and feel of rosewood can never be replaced by other substitutes. Even Gibson and Mexican Fender used Pau Ferro, which are much inferior to former models when rosewood was abundant.
It’s a cool guitar, but doesn’t move me to want one enough. It’s weird that they just don’t stamp where the guitars are made. Maybe an oversight with the first run.
Looking back at some of the other guitars in their line, the TE62 I had also had no stamp of any kind on it either. I'm actually looking at a few guitars in their vintage series and many don't have it either.
@@AudiomoMusic That’s interesting. I always thought that was a requirement.
It’s a requirement here in the USA…. We are talking about very different standards in regards to many different aspects of production elsewhere in the world.
@@AudiomoMusic You taught me something new. 😂
They're made in China, it's not supposed to be a secret, we'll discuss if we can add it on the webpage or somewhere. For us it's clear due to serial number but of course you guys can't decipher it.. 😄
How is it compared to the Fusion III?
i 100% prefer the fusion but they are different enough where it's not an apples to apples comparison
@@AudiomoMusic
Thanks for the reply. I guess i will order the Fusion in Shell Pink then 🤟
I think these are made in the same factory as either EART or Firefly. The fret ends are a dead giveaway.
Yep, pre dressed frets that are installed after they are shaped onto the fretboard. Makes sense as it cuts back on the production time a bit and thus, lower cost.
@@AudiomoMusic Kind of a shame. My Indonesian Cortek built guitars are my favorites. The Eart I owned just never felt right. I’m gonna pass on this and just be thankful for my Squier Bullet Telecaster and Harley Benton DC Fat.
I reckon that’s the case, made in China, since Eart has been showing less and less models in their EU warehouse. Maybe it is due to some “exclusivity” deal with Harley Benton
I don't know for me it seems these pickup are too muddy or it could come from the amount of gain you put to test it could be maybe too much for. I prefer always to hear a real clean sound before going on more crunchy after. So i can't say clearly how it sound like that. I do not hear any real clean sound in each pick up like this. Surely it's your like and i respect this. Thanks for your video 👍😉
Listening to You Tube demo’s of the ST Modern Plus I had a similar opinion about the pickups before I received mine 3-days ago. Plugging it in I was pleasantly surprised how good they sound both clean and with overdrive. The single coils have a higher output than ‘Classic / vintage’ Strat single coils but they still sound like a Strat. The humbucker has a nice thick warm tone. I expected to be upgrading and replacing the pickups immediately but so far so good.
Exactly how I would describe the pickups. I completely agree. After all it is named Modern. Not vintage or classic
It confirm what i have eared in the video 😉👍
No rolled edges on mine...
It seems to be the same for the ones tested by EytschPi42 and Cory Mura.
Edit: I have the pink shell version with maple fingerboard.
I didn't want to click anyone elses review so I could go in with a totally fresh perspective but knowing they didn't do it on multiple other guitars while making it a major selling point is... yeah that's disappointing no two ways about it.
@@AudiomoMusic I'm impressed by the guitar (what you get for that price) but really disappointed by that incorrect statement...
That's amazing that besides you, nobody is paying attention to that detail.
I don't know if those two were provided the guitars in exchange for a review, however if they were launch day videos I imagine they had to have been. Maybe that has something to do with it.
I’m guessing they meant rounded fret ends rather than fingerboard edges. That’s also what they were saying on the Guitar summit videos from September 23
“Fingerboard: Laurel with rolled edges”
That’s pretty specific and what they have listed. If the treble side wasn’t rolled I could see this maybe being a mistake however that’s absolutely how they advertise it.
On FB Harley Benton group there is screen of conversation with Thomann stating that those guitars are made in China which is not bad thing anymore. Everything can be done in China from s..ty to good things. Nice review but I miss info about neck. Is it comfortable comparing to Fusion HSS?
Not a bad thing is a matter of personal experience and preference... I've demo'd a lot of guitars over the years and the ones that have the most consistency issues with either specs being way off, qc being off or just missing at times, and in general the biggest lottery are from China. I've played some pretty good instruments from China and am not opposed to buying a chinese made guitar but I simply don't see any reason not to disclose it to the customer without them having to contact you to get that info.
Regarding the fusion neck, I prefer the neck on the fusion by a bit honestly however it does not feel extremely different to it. The D shape on this is much more akin to a beefier C than a modern D on a guitar such as the American Ultra series from Fender.
@@AudiomoMusic Your experience matches my experience too, I had issues with few chinese guitars and had few nice like old Squier Classic Vibe. I agree that Indonesian made guitars are generally more consistent in terms of build quality. Great thanks for describing the neck. Many friends complained on Fusion models that have chunky neck. I really hoped that ST-Modern would have more modern thinner neck, not necessarily Schecter or Ibanez necks but at least something like Squier classic vibes which modern C neck is very universal. I am bit disappointed that Harley Benton decided to go with chunky D shape. There are lot of B-Stocks now, I ordered one and see if that is comfortable. Again, great and informative review. Last question: will You keep this guitar ? :D
👍👍
Ok., here are my thoughts based on this video:
1. For me it's still too heavy.
2. It sounds pretty awful.
3. Those small issues are not exactly small. In some video I found problem with humbucker stability on the body. In the next, the other guy reports palm muting notes problem under that bridge work.
4. On Thomann website I don't see country of made at the others from this series models neck photos.
The "small issues" with cosmetics aren't exactly ideal but I can live with that, the fretboard not being rolled on one side is something that should have never passed QC.
@@AudiomoMusic
One more thing: is that neck fat? I heard that is.
It's not a huge neck but it's bigger than I had anticipated it would be based on their specs given on the site.
Wish they sold Harley Benton in Canada
Great review ! I read somewhere that this guitar is made in China. Don't know if it is true.
Based on my experiences with MIC guitars and some of the off things with this one, I'd venture to say that's a very good guess however they should just say it straight away so this isn't really a discussion ya know? Maybe I'm just weird but that kinda feels off to me to deliberately not include it when you have other guitars int he same line that clearly state on the guitar where it's made.
👏👏👏
Price???
$362 usd
With previous HB guitars I have purchased, all that CE information has been on a clear vinyl sticker that I could remove, not any more though, I bought two of the 25th Anniversary models and they had it printed on the back of the headstock, it looks horrible and a barcode is even worse IMO, come on HB you can do better than this!
I am thinking of sanding it off and re-applying the clear coat, it bugs me so much
The good thing is at least it's an easy fix you can do on your own without damaging the guitar if it bothers you that much
Thomann did sell me B-stock items as new at least twice. In one instance I was even able to prove that to them and get a partial refund.
that's kinda wild you had to prove they sent you a b-stock
@@AudiomoMusic yes, and they actually admitted that “a B-stock item was accidentally sent” to me.
U good job ..subbed ya bro+1
Awesome thank you!
probably Thomann doesn't know, hence can't answer your question.
there are a lot of things that they don't know because the factory won't tell them. (as said by a thomann representative when asking similar questions)
They definitely know, they sent me an email after seeing this video to say it was made in China and Harley Benton themselves also said so in a comment here. I can't wrap my head around not saying it in the description or on the guitar if both are aware of where it's made.
@@AudiomoMusic probably they omit it because of the "Chinesium" prejudices and stuff. and now more than ever people are just repeating what they heard from somebody else.
for some, ignorance is bliss.
@pixieloco or it could be because many people who deal with Chinese guitars on a regular basis know it’s a genuine lottery what you are going to get with a guitar. I have worked in the past with a bunch of different brands based out of that country because I judge guitars based on guitars - they are the only place where there are consistently specs ignored or way off, missing, completely wrong, materials used that were not marketed and it goes on. I try not to buy Chinese guitars at this point because I want to know I’m getting exactly what I ordered and unfortunately based on my own experiences that place isn’t it. It is what it is, I’d rather buy a Japanese guitar for more and know the thing is going to be built right and by people that take the time to check to make sure it is acceptable before it leaves their factories.
I didn’t see a single hardtail variant….where is the st-182?
No idea, maybe next month as they do spread things out with new releases
you said the the tremolo bridge is good and stays in tune but you didn't prove it.
It’s a modern 2 point trem, it’s harder to make it unreliable than it is to make it reliable.
🎸🤘🏻
Many guitars at that price range don't come with stainless steel frets!!!
yeah that's true, but there's more to a guitar than the spec sheet :)
If I was 15 again there would be zero chance I’d buy a name brand guitar at the prices they are asking
This guitar has a dramatically better set of features than a Player Stratocaster
Of only Harley Benton and the others would make accurate copies of Jaguars!
If they used high end hardware I’d be super interested in a proper traditional inspired offset. That stuff is vital and why so many budget versions aren’t on my radar. One day maybe they will!
made in china, mentioned in another video I saw.
Great video as usual
Really, really wish they just flat out said it themselves.
@@AudiomoMusic i think they know that pretty much 80% of the customers will not buy 500 euro guitar made in china...personally I dont care much
IF that's the case why make the guitar there at all, why not make it indonesia - they already make the fusions there and I never had any QC issues with those...
@@AudiomoMusic I think the answer is costs :( babicz + SS frets + awasome flames + tesla pickups + made in indonesia might have costed way more.... still I dont see the point in hiding this.... btw how is it this compared to the fusion? I actually got a 25th anniversary ST for 199 euro...SS frets not rounded but a bit bigger then those rounded tiny frets...cant complain and besides the tesla is almost like one of those....
I like both the regular fusion iii and the 25th anniversary more than this one personally
Where would you want it made? Really does t make a difference as long as the price is right. I've sadly purchased to many Made In America guitars that where terrible
Anywhere but China. As someone who has done a LOT of reviews and deals with brands out of China I will personally never buy a guitar on my own dime from there because they are never 100% as advertised and sometimes wildly off. Electronics, pedals, and other gear I have no negative experiences with but the guitars are a different story.
I spoke to someone that bought about 5 guitars from harley benton recently and he had to pay vat because customs said it came from china, so he told me that that must mean they're made in china.🤔
Yep, HB themselves confirmed it after this video in the comments
It's made in China. Me and other people asked them and they said China to all of us
Yeah after this video was posted Harley Benton responded to a comment in here saying that as well. It shouldn't take detective work for a consumer to be aware of that though.
It always Sounds distorted but Never really clean
The pickups are really on the hotter side. Those exact amp settings are perfect clean tones with my other single coil guitars
Damn. Can you Even get it clean? I really like everything about it. But with no clean tone it would not be for me
You could with a higher headroom amp, but something like the Gremlin or a Fender Champ which are low wattage combos would not be the ticket at all for this guitar for pure cleans.
Very disappointed😢
Get a Jet!
I've never played a jet guitar, maybe I'll reach out to them to see what they have and if they'd like to see how their guitar compares to this one.
$450...and you are complaining with all them features ?
"Features" and "specs" don't mean a thing if the guitar isn't built by people that give a damn about the quality of product you buy. For not too much more you can get Japanese made instruments that might not have all of the buzzword features but are built substantially better and you can feel the difference immediately.
If you want more for less, chack out Jet guitars.
It looks like a good guitar but cant be modern with 22 frets.
for a super strat that's as modern as it gets for this particular style while still having some of the original vibe. 24 frets alters how the neck pickup sounds compared to 21 and 22 fret guitars due to the positioning of it.
@@AudiomoMusic Thats true for H/H guitars.I think that the single coil on the neck leaves enough space for 2 extra frets.I have a H/S/S guitar with 24 frets and the fretboard ends just by the side of the neck pickup.It doesnt have the space that the Harley Benton has between fretboard and neck pickup.I dont think that the neck pickup its in different position although i ll admit i am not sure 100% about that.
Why most of the problems are not a big of a deal? Really? On a 400€ guitar? Ive never had a squier , epiphone or a ibanez with this issues, and im talking about guitars in the shop. Most of the buyers and not so famous UA-camr that buys HB guitars find a lot more problems. I dont trust the brand, they need to improve the QC.
Well I’m not a famous UA-camr and I’ve found that these kinds of problems are common with Squier, epiphone, sterling, and tons of other brands so I’m used to it. None of it is “ok” but you get what you pay for, if I don’t want any problems I’ll buy a Japanese made guitar and call it a day.
3.7 kilos? Way too heavy for my taste! 🙄
Harsh pickups
yep, they are definitely going to fit a more aggressive sounding amp. The fender blackface style tones from the tone king aren't the best match imo