I’ve owned many fenders over the last decade and one thing I can definitely say is- quality control has gone out the window. And on instruments still built to 1950s spec that they’re charging 1500e for, quality control is everything. Some of their guitars in that price actually come with a plastic nut when a classic vibe Squier comes with bone. 700e will get you a Yamaha Pacifica with graphtech all over it, locking tuners, impeccable build quality. For this reason I’d take a less costly instrument which is well built any day of the week and shove some fender pups in it, which in my humble opinion are the best part of fender guitars.
Oh hey! The same crack in the neck pocket I also had on my Fender Stratocaster 70's re-issue MiM - and now the laquer has all flaked off and it's raw wood underneath. I think that is something Fender struggles with. Not that it has anything to do with the playability, but it's not nice to look at. -Mine is a 2005 model. -It's modded with DG20 Pickups and Super-Vee locking tremolo ... :) Nice video btw. -tnx! -KK
It's frightening how close the HB is to the Fender. I don't care about tone, Fender has more mids and it's warmer, I want clarity and in that area, HB sounds better.
@@JibbarJabbar totally agree. I own quite a few fenders and Gibson’s, all previously owned, for the same reasons. Enjoy a quality instrument for as long as you want and move it on if needed without much (if any) hit when selling on.
I returned the ST Modern from H.B. as just so many dead frets. Action was just so high to make it playable. High E string snapped on day 2, the frets were super scratchy. Also crack in the neck pocket. I bought a Fenix strat from 89, it was 120 euro cheaper than the H.B. and so much nicer to play.
Sad to hear you got a bad one. you would have thought the QC would be better on the flagship models. Maybe I got lucky with mine. I did have to change the rubbish Elixer strings as the high E snapped after 2 hours of play and also sort out the high action. No issues with the frets though. Interestingly my one is dated November 2023, so must be a very early 1st run production model considering they didnt come on sale until June 2024!
The scratchy frets are caused by humidity changes, you will find this with a lot of frets that get dressed in a very humid country and are then transported and subjected to a less humid environment, just a rub with a cloth can solve it though. I have been lucky with the frets on the HB guitars I have bought, I just got the odd fret that was slightly high and a knock with the nylon hammer fixed it, Stainless Steel frets are much harder to file and if any of mine came so bad that they buzzed when I had set the action, I would send it back also, I don't mind fret levelling with nickle frets, I have only levelled Stainless Steel frets once and I don't fancy doing it again!
Great review! Keep it up! Fender Strats will always be something special. But for someone Who is starting to play, the HB is an affordable great option!
With the tech today ...dialing your tone is simple. Getting a guitar you want to play and feels great isn't hard to find these days and Harley Benton is lifting that bar. Sadly with all high Mass production meaning supply is lower than demand you will find the QC lacking perfection. The great thing is I would buy the returns and fix myself from Harley benton. They are just that good. I have the fusion T HH FNt. Incredible. But now i want a strat style like this. I have a MIM black strat and a 3 tone SB 60s Classic Vibe made from Rosewood spec thin over maple rolled edges and alder body. It's amazing really. I'm tempted to get that re fretted to SS frets one day. Then give is a nice humbucker in bridge. Done. These modern HB guitars are killer. I mean it's incredible the price. If fender made such a spec, it would be above the ultra line on price.
@@robertclarkguitar thanks for comments. Yeah too right, Harley Benton make great guitars with good bones ripe for modding if you are so inclined. The fact it got close to my American strat is a great testament to how good these new Harley Benton’s are. When I compare it to the rubbish guitars we all learnt on, new players have it made. I’ve heard good things about jet guitars also and might check out one of those too.
I’m always confused why guitar companies think that sticking a humbucker in the bridge is somehow ‘modern’. Many brands do it, with varying quality of humbucker.
It’s more to do with the compound radius neck and other appointments that make it a “modern”. The HB more closely follows the suhr recipe than the fender strat, but I don’t have one of those sadly to compare it against. I’d need to sell a kidney to get one of those 😂
@@stevesguitargarage1802 thanks for the reply. I have 3 HBs, none with humbuckers in them, fantastic bang for the Buck. Only needed a minimal amount of set-up.
oops - I disagree. Until a few weeks ago I would have agreed 100%. Then I bought a Soloking with twin neodymium humbuckers and really importantly: single tone AND single volume control The voices of Soloking are incredibly versatile. The neck is a bit "fuller" and I am comfortable with that. But the main thing is that it has encouraged me to get out of the rut with guitar practice. I kept a Fender MIM Hendrix tribute a Squier and Soloing and debunked a lot of the old stuff. I cannot ... well you know ... compared to say 20 years ago? 10 years ago? Where I do agree 100% is preference. Go with what you want. The big guys are profit printers and not so sympathetic to its customer base (still dreaming about a Fender acoustasonic I tried boyz-o-boyz
I would agree the HB is a very nice guitar an i think it has a smooth and perfect Character. Its ab bit clearer than an Fender, but the dynamics are not as pronaounced than a good set of Fender SC Pickups. Thats my experienc with this HB (have the same color ;-)). A Fretleveling would improve the HB. The pickups are okay for me.
thankyou. Yes 100% this. The HB is a great guitar for the money and it is astonishing how good it is, it can hold its head up pretty high. But yeah... the fender every day of the week and quite rightly considering the price points.
SNOB!! 😜 It seems that great Steve's think alike 🤓👍 I have the white one with the maple board, and have the same conclusions re the side dots. The visibility might be worse on the maple. Where the flame is on the lighter parts, there could be a side dot hiding inbetween. At least with the rosewood, half of each dot is contrasted against the Laurel. I actually struggle to see them in normal light conditions, but to be fair I do really need to go to specsavers 🤓 Also agree Re the strat necks I have a 2004 Usa strat and a Jet JS400 (Same neck profiles) and i way prefer those to the HB. C shape 9.5" radius vs D shape 12-16" compound - The former is always the most comfortable for me too 😁👍 Great stuff mate! Keep em coming! 😀
I’m glad I’m not the only one regarding the side dots! Same with the neck shape, it will of course suit some. It does appear that people named steve share very similar opinions on this guitar 😂. Your video on the st was bang on
Yes, they sound slightly different but I wouldnt say the Fender sounds better, I have found with my Harley Benton Tele copies I can get very close to the Fender Telecasters sound by adjusting my EQ pedal, I prefer to use its own sound though I do make some slight adjustments though, I like to have a different sound on the HB, but still have the classic Tele Twang. The luminous side dots need to be charged with ordinary light for at least a couple of hours before playing and then they will light for about 70 mins, this was my experience on an Ibanez I once had, I used to have it on a stand in my bedroom and it received sunlight in the day and artificial light in the evening, I could see the dots lit most of the night when the lights were off.
I’ve owned many fenders over the last decade and one thing I can definitely say is- quality control has gone out the window. And on instruments still built to 1950s spec that they’re charging 1500e for, quality control is everything. Some of their guitars in that price actually come with a plastic nut when a classic vibe Squier comes with bone. 700e will get you a Yamaha Pacifica with graphtech all over it, locking tuners, impeccable build quality. For this reason I’d take a less costly instrument which is well built any day of the week and shove some fender pups in it, which in my humble opinion are the best part of fender guitars.
Oh hey! The same crack in the neck pocket I also had on my Fender Stratocaster 70's re-issue MiM - and now the laquer has all flaked off and it's raw wood underneath. I think that is something Fender struggles with. Not that it has anything to do with the playability, but it's not nice to look at. -Mine is a 2005 model. -It's modded with DG20 Pickups and Super-Vee locking tremolo ... :) Nice video btw. -tnx! -KK
I love the Harley Benton ST-Modern Plus and own one. Damned, we're speaking bout 450 bucks❤
It's frightening how close the HB is to the Fender. I don't care about tone, Fender has more mids and it's warmer, I want clarity and in that area, HB sounds better.
Resale value. That's why I like used and ex-shop display Gibson Fenders. They're a relatively safe investment, so long as you don't pay too much.
@@JibbarJabbar totally agree. I own quite a few fenders and Gibson’s, all previously owned, for the same reasons. Enjoy a quality instrument for as long as you want and move it on if needed without much (if any) hit when selling on.
I returned the ST Modern from H.B. as just so many dead frets. Action was just so high to make it playable. High E string snapped on day 2, the frets were super scratchy. Also crack in the neck pocket. I bought a Fenix strat from 89, it was 120 euro cheaper than the H.B. and so much nicer to play.
Sad to hear you got a bad one. you would have thought the QC would be better on the flagship models. Maybe I got lucky with mine. I did have to change the rubbish Elixer strings as the high E snapped after 2 hours of play and also sort out the high action. No issues with the frets though. Interestingly my one is dated November 2023, so must be a very early 1st run production model considering they didnt come on sale until June 2024!
The scratchy frets are caused by humidity changes, you will find this with a lot of frets that get dressed in a very humid country and are then transported and subjected to a less humid environment, just a rub with a cloth can solve it though.
I have been lucky with the frets on the HB guitars I have bought, I just got the odd fret that was slightly high and a knock with the nylon hammer fixed it, Stainless Steel frets are much harder to file and if any of mine came so bad that they buzzed when I had set the action, I would send it back also, I don't mind fret levelling with nickle frets, I have only levelled Stainless Steel frets once and I don't fancy doing it again!
Thanks for the really useful content Steve. Subd.
thank you
Great review! Keep it up! Fender Strats will always be something special. But for someone Who is starting to play, the HB is an affordable great option!
With the tech today ...dialing your tone is simple. Getting a guitar you want to play and feels great isn't hard to find these days and Harley Benton is lifting that bar.
Sadly with all high Mass production meaning supply is lower than demand you will find the QC lacking perfection. The great thing is I would buy the returns and fix myself from Harley benton. They are just that good. I have the fusion T HH FNt. Incredible. But now i want a strat style like this. I have a MIM black strat and a 3 tone SB 60s Classic Vibe made from Rosewood spec thin over maple rolled edges and alder body. It's amazing really. I'm tempted to get that re fretted to SS frets one day. Then give is a nice humbucker in bridge. Done. These modern HB guitars are killer. I mean it's incredible the price. If fender made such a spec, it would be above the ultra line on price.
@@robertclarkguitar thanks for comments. Yeah too right, Harley Benton make great guitars with good bones ripe for modding if you are so inclined. The fact it got close to my American strat is a great testament to how good these new Harley Benton’s are. When I compare it to the rubbish guitars we all learnt on, new players have it made. I’ve heard good things about jet guitars also and might check out one of those too.
Thanks for the honest review, fair points :)
Hey thanks. Great guitar but please lose the luminous dots on newer production models 😊
@@stevesguitargarage1802 I’m afraid that won’t happen, because many people like them, especially for playing in darker places 🤔
@@HarleyBentonOfficial good! They stay!
I’m always confused why guitar companies think that sticking a humbucker in the bridge is somehow ‘modern’. Many brands do it, with varying quality of humbucker.
It’s more to do with the compound radius neck and other appointments that make it a “modern”. The HB more closely follows the suhr recipe than the fender strat, but I don’t have one of those sadly to compare it against. I’d need to sell a kidney to get one of those 😂
@@stevesguitargarage1802 thanks for the reply. I have 3 HBs, none with humbuckers in them, fantastic bang for the Buck. Only needed a minimal amount of set-up.
Simply put, the Harley Benton sounds fuller, rounder with a more concise attack!
oops - I disagree.
Until a few weeks ago I would have agreed 100%. Then I bought a Soloking with twin neodymium humbuckers and really importantly: single tone AND single volume control
The voices of Soloking are incredibly versatile. The neck is a bit "fuller" and I am comfortable with that. But the main thing is that it has encouraged me to get out of the rut with guitar practice.
I kept a Fender MIM Hendrix tribute a Squier and Soloing and debunked a lot of the old stuff. I cannot ... well you know ... compared to say 20 years ago? 10 years ago?
Where I do agree 100% is preference. Go with what you want. The big guys are profit printers and not so sympathetic to its customer base (still dreaming about a Fender acoustasonic I tried boyz-o-boyz
That is only a paint crack....common on white strats for some reason ?
like most guitars - they sound fine - its how it feels in the hand!
I would agree the HB is a very nice guitar an i think it has a smooth and perfect Character. Its ab bit clearer than an Fender, but the dynamics are not as pronaounced than a good set of Fender SC Pickups. Thats my experienc with this HB (have the same color ;-)). A Fretleveling would improve the HB. The pickups are okay for me.
thankyou. Yes 100% this. The HB is a great guitar for the money and it is astonishing how good it is, it can hold its head up pretty high. But yeah... the fender every day of the week and quite rightly considering the price points.
SNOB!!
😜
It seems that great Steve's think alike 🤓👍
I have the white one with the maple board, and have the same conclusions re the side dots.
The visibility might be worse on the maple. Where the flame is on the lighter parts, there could be a side dot hiding inbetween.
At least with the rosewood, half of each dot is contrasted against the Laurel.
I actually struggle to see them in normal light conditions, but to be fair I do really need to go to specsavers 🤓
Also agree Re the strat necks I have a 2004 Usa strat and a Jet JS400 (Same neck profiles) and i way prefer those to the HB.
C shape 9.5" radius vs D shape 12-16" compound - The former is always the most comfortable for me too 😁👍
Great stuff mate! Keep em coming! 😀
I’m glad I’m not the only one regarding the side dots! Same with the neck shape, it will of course suit some. It does appear that people named steve share very similar opinions on this guitar 😂. Your video on the st was bang on
@@stevesguitargarage1802 As was yours Steve! 😂👌
thanks for your vid an opinion on the HB. I will also take my 27 year old and playd in Strat over this, periode!
Your fender is sharp on the cowboy chords and you make it sound terrible .. the Hb is way better
Yes, they sound slightly different but I wouldnt say the Fender sounds better, I have found with my Harley Benton Tele copies I can get very close to the Fender Telecasters sound by adjusting my EQ pedal, I prefer to use its own sound though I do make some slight adjustments though, I like to have a different sound on the HB, but still have the classic Tele Twang.
The luminous side dots need to be charged with ordinary light for at least a couple of hours before playing and then they will light for about 70 mins, this was my experience on an Ibanez I once had, I used to have it on a stand in my bedroom and it received sunlight in the day and artificial light in the evening, I could see the dots lit most of the night when the lights were off.
Good honest review, keep up the videos.
Thank you very much 🙂
HB is a much better value guitar, like that humbucker. He seems a bit overly sentimental on the Fender.
HB has asuperb looking neck thats all
Yes I agree.. it is a thing of beauty for sure
I hope you don't play that horrific sound to the audience. The Hb sounds better . Your strat needs a set up .