In the world of guitars for beginners there is often little themed for the aspiring metal musician. Thomann comes to the rescue with the Harley Benton Progressive Line bundle featuring a classic metal inspired guitar, amp, and accessories all for under £200 Bundle: bit.ly/2nNd522 Guitar: bit.ly/2w9qfu1
I started off doing metal with a Pevavy Rage 158, a Hamer slammer (strat copy) and a Boss HM-3. this was 20 years ago. Things have come a LONG way. The set up I was was infuriating. You only thought the HM-3 sounded like bees in a can until you heard it out of an 8 inch driver.
My first guitar was literally the Shite Paul that Colin featured many years ago, my amp was one that me and my dad made and my only pedals were a Maplin Ultra metal and a shitty wah. If the HM-3 was the sound of angry bees then the Ultra metal was the sound of slightly miffed mosquitoes. This pedal was absolutely crap but i found that by maxing out distortion, volume, bass then cutting treble down to zero, I got an amazing Acid Reign speed metal/ British thrash sound. This was 30 years ago, I feel so old now lol.
Not at all, nothing uncomfortable or damaging in what I'm doing here. If you can tell me a way of getting a 1-5 stretch without putting your wrist at that angle, I'd be interested to hear it.
Fair enough. I just always feel like we are told to play with a straight wrist, and it just didn't seem straight to me. Maybe I just don't know what people mean by it.
Oh my god this is INSANE. Harley Benton is really the next level for budget guitarists. I wish I had this when I started. This is truly the best time to start playing guitar.
Man, when I started playing in 1993, there was nothing like this. If you wanted metal distortion on a budget and at bedroom volumes, your only option was the Metal Zone. This package looks and sounds absolutely amazing in comparison.
A very nice guitar indeed! I bought it and leveled the frets, sanded the back of the neck for a more "natural" feel and replaced the 500K pots (odd for an active circuit) with B100K ones. I also replaced the tone capacitor with a 100nF. There's much less white noise between pauses now. Paired with a small USB soundcard and VST plugins, the SC-1000 can do some serious work.
Another great video. Thomman is really stepping up their game with these packs. the amp is a big step up from what most others include in their packs. The overall quality level is incredible when compared to what was available 20-30 years ago. I can't believe they put active pickups in a guitar package instrument! that is a huge upgrade normally found on instruments costing at least $600 +
I say this on every video on this guitar, but as someone who is not a beginner and owns various guitars in the $500-$1000 range, I honestly want nothing more than to buy one and fit it with locking tuners and EMG's. It looks like a very great jam/gigging guitar for every level short of touring internationally.
Thanks for doing this review. Every newbie, including myself (an adult beginner), tends to drift to Guitar Center and Squire's Strat-type bundle. That's fine, but it leaves much to be desired if your main influence isn't Eric Clapton.
That quickfire round was definitely a nice addition to the video and made this better than your usual completely serious gear review. I like the creativity from that segment and I feel personally attacked by that Dunlop comment about pick thickness.
The accessories section brought back memories of my days taking lessons. I used to show up for my Friday afternoon lesson with my Friday night accessories (1 quart of Silk Tassel Canadian Whiskey) stashed in the storage compartment
Thanks for bringing this to our attention Colin, had no idea the ‘starter-packs’ had raised their game so much, fantastic! Great review Colin and great product Thomann!
Apart from using regular tuners instead of locking tuners, it looks almost the same as my ESP LTD EC-1000 vintage black, which I really like! Played it for 15years now, never needed another. That HB set including everything for under 200 pounds is INSANE value for money!!
seriously impressive... the guitar on it's own through your Kraken sounded fantastic! it still sounded decent through the HB amp... not sure how much of that dark/muddy sound was truly the amp character or it needed to be turned up louder or have the settings tweaked. if I was a beginner player this package would have me sold instantly!
6 years ago when I started playing, I got my first guitar bundle from thomann, it wasn't terrible or great, but nowadays they have really stepped their game up, they actually make respectable guitars for the money they're asking.
I have two HBs myself. One is a ST-20 (strat copy for 85€) which is great except the weak sounding pickups and the other is an HB-35 (ES-339 copy for 185€) that needed a fret level. Both are great guitars and well worth the money (it's not like I could afford anything more expensive as a poor student).
This is not a bad starter pack started with Ibanez EX (R900) 2nd hand, teisco check mate 25 (R600), died 1 year later, Ema dist pedal (R400) then peavy blazer(R1100),issues 6 months later, returned blazer, then Peavy addition 110 (added R700). This was 1999 - 2001 (I was 14 - 16). dollar was +- R10 to $1, everything was bought with my own saving... If you wane play. Buy what you can get...dedication will make you work even more for your upgrades... Now I'm a proud owner off my Jackson RR3, DIY 100W amp + 4x12 bugera cab, and I still have everything else from back then, always look after your Gear Thanx for the awesome vid Colin
Cannot believe that HB amp sounds this good!! So much better than the bundle 1watt kustom i got back in 2001... Nowdays are a great time for guitarrist on a budget or begginers
Cool deal. The amp lacks any mojo for sure, but I wouldn't complain. Maybe a good overdrive to boost it would come in handy. Now we know what Colin does in his spare time. He's a model! I forsee a shampoo commercial on this channel one day. =)
Harley Benton has really come a long way. I remember my Harley Benton beginner kit which was a shitcaster made of what seems to be a mixture of plywood and old youth hostel furnature and...an Amp. Let's not talk about the Amp...
"... when I started playing more than a decade ago."... Okay, now you're making me feel old. I've been playing since 1992. I wish they had something like this when I started. I shared a Crate combo amp with my older brother for several years before finally inheriting it from him when he bought a new one. I used a Metal Zone distortion pedal for years because that's what was available for the price I could afford to pay. I know this is a standard old man rant, but my tiny Boss Katana Mini that I paid $100 for kicks the crap out of any amp that I could have afforded when I started.
Its actually a really great package for a beginner. There is no reason to go all out when you're just starting out. That's everything you need to get started for less than 200 and the guitar is probably as good as many 500 dollar guitars. I love what Harley Benton is doing.
Mannnn I wish this was a thing in the 90's! I'll never forget my first bundle pack, I actually used it for for my first gig. I was 16 ,I ran a 10 watt Yamaha practice amp through a PA speaker and used a Zoom 505 II pedal. The connection between the amp unit and the speaker used push clips so it was easy enough but I thought I was a modding god!
a starter kit with active pickups under 200 is a steal. while I'm not crazy about the tone, it's a hell of a lot better than my first guitar/amp kit. pretty much buy this, save for a better amp, slap some aftermarket pickups and a better nut on the guitar and you have a great beginner rig
Hi Collin. I am a very big fan of Harley Benton because of the price/quality relation. I have an almost 400€ Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plustop Pro which is not a bad Instrument but is still worse than a HB SC-450 plus for less then 200 bucks. I really, really appreciate your honest and fair review of this low price beginners set. Keep up the good work! Greetings from Germany, Thomas. P.S.: I really adore the Scottish accent. Please stay safe and sound.
Man I'm glad affordable guitar shit has gotten so much better. I recently picked up a project guitar, a nameless Japanese bolt on plywood Les Paul Custom copy from the 70s. The truss rod cover holes weren't even symmetrically drilled so it sat crooked. The pickups were single coils disguised in a humbucker cover. The bridge saddles were plastic, etc. Fixed it up, sanded the cracked finish off the neck and sealed it with wipe on poly, buffed it smooth between coats, replaced the pickups (with the instruction vid from this channel as reference) and bridge, then traded up at a pawn shop for a better guitar but the new one still needs some fret work. But this thing is so much better and tighter out of the gate, warts and all. Easily worth the asking price. I've seen new Gibsons ship with more issues, and graver ones too, shit you can't change about it without destructive work. I'd like to see Harley Benton try their hand at some top shelf quality stuff, it'll probably kick ass. I hate seeing kids get cheapo instruments and amps that they can't get the sounds they want on. They get discouraged and quit, who can blame them. If you don't like how it looks and the action is high and it doesn't stay in tune well and the effects you want aren't included in what you buy, I'd have gotten discouraged too. HB seems to be fighting the good fight.
Thomann also has an harley benton prs look a like. I was a bit worried if it would sound good, but this video gave me more trust in Harley benton guitars, thanks a lot
When I first started playing guitar I got their RX-10 Bundle which was a beginner pack and there are two things I have to point out: the strap is broke after less than one month because the thing that connects the strap to that leather part that gets into the strap-lock was of very bad quality and the guitar cable eventually stopped working properly too. To note that the cable is the same one present on the bundle he mentioned. I guess you get what you pay for. As time went on I upgraded close to everything I got from that bundle (only the amp and tuner are left to be upgraded, but I alaready have an amp in mind to get that happens to have a built in tuner), but since that was only just a beginnner pack, I think that's to be expected. At the time it costed 171€ (but apparently it's 181€ now) and all things considered I think it was worth it.
I may buy this, it actually looks very similar to my 2006 ESP LTD-1000, throw a couple of EMG 81/60 pickups in and change the tuners (very little work) and you'll save £700 haha. Hell I'm considering buying this to have a guitar always set in a different tuning and not even modding it, its unbelievable at that price.
Thank you for this review, i have 2 buddies that play guitar to varying degrees, one of them a gigging player and they all say go with something more, and while they are correct i dont want to spend a lot of money on something that will be a free time hobby and wont feel too bad if it goes neglected every now and again.
yah, I like this guitar I will definitely recommend this to any beginner. I really wish my first guitar was that good when I started, but I completely agree with you on the amp when I first started my amp was the first thing to go my old rig was a peavy bass amp and a Digitech multi-fx pedal and a BcRich warlock lol but I worked all summer and got a 6505mh and an Orange cab. basically, I personally recommend the 6505mh to everyone my fav amp series
Great video. I started in 83 with a no name Strat copy, which ate strings if I deigned to tune to concert pitch & a 5 watt solid state amp with no gain whatsoever. At the risk of sounding exactly like the old fart I am, kids today don't know they're born etc etc
Wow, fantastic tone off those pickups, even with the little practice amp. Thanks for the review. I'm seriously considering this one, the vintage les paul sunburst clone and the 7 -string baritone. It's $30 shipping bundled for up to 3 guitars. So dang cheap, you can't afford not to buy.
Active pickups CAN give you more output but the real two important features are less noise and lower magnet strength and so longer sustain. I would love to see this guitar with a cheapo distortion paddel.
Fantastic video as always!! The active pickups into the amp make it clip so much, quite often the sound just got muddy. It's not necessarily a massively bad thing for a beginner but I'd say get a different amp for this guitar! And I really don't think any beginner should start with active pickups!!
Only thing I would change is to use black chrome or regular chrome rather than brass because while brass looks good it tarnished quickly if not taken care of
Even with that amplifier, you can make a tweak and invest 100 pounds or less into a Guitar Link USB Audio Interface and along with some free or cheap but good VST Plugins it will make a difference. And then, you can use the amplifier as a speaker instead of an amplifier, and tweak a little bit the channel settings so you don't get a bad sound at all. Also good for beginners, and not breaking the 300 pounds limit. P.S. Nice video about Harley Benton products. Always thought they are a great deal for the money and products they deliver. Cheers, CSGuitars!
Though the Benton amp is a low quality amp it still has a killer tone i have a Mansfield GA-15 amp and it has a killer punch to it. Yes I won't say that 2000$ amps or higher quality ones are bad it's just that sometimes good things come from small packages
I got one of these last year when they first released, it's a cracking guitar for the price, also picked up the 84' explorer copy before the lawsuit forced Thomann to change the design.
When l started Roland (BOSS) 25w still had amps, along with a really cheap strat copy for 250€ at the time, l was 16, l am 53, around 82...changed the guitar for a Aria Pro-II, (night and day).
I wish these kind of bundles would've been available when I started out! Although I have to say the bundle I bought something around 17-18 years ago is pretty good too, and it cost 3333 Swedish crowns (which is roughly the same as this Harley Benton bundle). I still have both the amp and guitar, and they're a joy to play even though the amp (Peavey Rage 158) isn't exactly the best metal amp ever. With a bit of boost it does the trick though.
This looks to be a great deal for someone who is looking for heavy music. Even looking at used gear its hard to get quality gear for 200 quid. It's a great starting point.
I was thinking that the amp was the driving force behind the sound(see what I did there?), but with good settings on a basic amp and a good drive pedal even a beginner could get a descent sound out of a guitar like this. I think as long as expectations are set accordingly these types of instruments provided a lot of bang for the buck.
Hmmm... that guitar plus a katana 25 or katana 50 is like the ultimate affordable setup. I remember when I was looking to upgrade from my €100 bundle setup, I wanted to get a Blackstar TVP amp. But the store didnt have it that day, so I ended up getting the Katana 50 as well as an Ibanez Gio. Both those things costing me a grand total of €500. Damn great amp and super affordable. Pair it with that guitar and you have some serious metal power in your hands.
I've been rocking one if these for a couple of years now best bang for the buck SC out there. Shall be buying more HB guitars before Brexit ramps up import prices.
Funny.. I started playing in the mid 80’s..yeah I’m old!! Lol... I paid more for my first guitar than this whole bundle.. I think it’s great that beginners now have some inexpensive options to see if it’s something they will like.. Then after time get yourself a nice guitar and learn to mod/ upgrade/ setup a guitar with the HB.. I think some people are missing the point of some of these entry level guitars!! Great review!!
Enjoyed your vid, I'm looking at guitars at the moment and as a beginner Harley Benton guitars seem to be the best bang for buck, as you say a lot of guitar for very little money
Great video Colin! I'm really thinking about this outfit and upgrading the pups to some Kent Armstrong PAF's with coil split. For 200 British pounds, $255 US, you get a ton of guitar for the money! Thanks for showing this awesome pack, man!
It was finally about time some great guitars popped out also in the low price range. Could this mean the beginning of a radical change within the market? I began to be interested in instruments in the past decade too, so I can totally relate to everything you say about gear quality back then. P.S. that American accent was completely unexpected, it sounded strange if I can say it. :D
I could be wrong but that is like an exact copy of the ESP Ltd 1000’s and the Eclipse’s are literally called EC-1000 the only real difference is the volume and tone knobs not that I’m frustrated but I thought it was amusing!
Het Set for $179 and you can install them yourself (quick connect). Another $100 for bridge and tuners and you have an $1100 ESP for around $500. Great value.
That looks like a solid guitar ..would probably sound good w a decent rig (hey! Might be a good vid.) looks like an ec 1000...these starter packs ha e came along way scense i was a kid ..mine was a squier bullet.and ibanez 10 in. Amp..but it got me going. They have really changed the market for these younger beginner playeys..kids dont know how good they have it these days lol!!!
Those bundles are great nowadays, back in the days I was starting with some cheap used super strat, and an old polish Tonsil amplifier (which was heavy, big and had terrible quiet sound;) Metalzone was the major upgrade for it...
In the world of guitars for beginners there is often little themed for the aspiring metal musician. Thomann comes to the rescue with the Harley Benton Progressive Line bundle featuring a classic metal inspired guitar, amp, and accessories all for under £200
Bundle: bit.ly/2nNd522
Guitar: bit.ly/2w9qfu1
I started off doing metal with a Pevavy Rage 158, a Hamer slammer (strat copy) and a Boss HM-3. this was 20 years ago. Things have come a LONG way. The set up I was was infuriating. You only thought the HM-3 sounded like bees in a can until you heard it out of an 8 inch driver.
My first guitar was literally the Shite Paul that Colin featured many years ago, my amp was one that me and my dad made and my only pedals were a Maplin Ultra metal and a shitty wah. If the HM-3 was the sound of angry bees then the Ultra metal was the sound of slightly miffed mosquitoes. This pedal was absolutely crap but i found that by maxing out distortion, volume, bass then cutting treble down to zero, I got an amazing Acid Reign speed metal/ British thrash sound. This was 30 years ago, I feel so old now lol.
Hey Colin, aren't you hurting your wrists when you play as you do at 1:57? Seems like bad form, with a wrist that bends that much.
Not at all, nothing uncomfortable or damaging in what I'm doing here.
If you can tell me a way of getting a 1-5 stretch without putting your wrist at that angle, I'd be interested to hear it.
Fair enough. I just always feel like we are told to play with a straight wrist, and it just didn't seem straight to me.
Maybe I just don't know what people mean by it.
Oh my god this is INSANE. Harley Benton is really the next level for budget guitarists. I wish I had this when I started. This is truly the best time to start playing guitar.
Man, I was sold until I found out the dinosaur wasn't included. That's a pretty crucial component in my signal chain.
Same, also the whiskey is easily the most crucial part of a bass rig.
Hey Colin! The Sexy ad break could be the best thing on youtube right now. Who am I kidding....
It IS the best thing on YT!!!
//Andy
Thanks Andy, should Thomann ever want to up the already considerable sex appeal of their advertisements, you know who to contact ;)
There should also be a 7 string version of this guitar. That would be very popular
@@Islandsoundzz YES
Man, when I started playing in 1993, there was nothing like this. If you wanted metal distortion on a budget and at bedroom volumes, your only option was the Metal Zone. This package looks and sounds absolutely amazing in comparison.
When are we gonna get a shampoo and conditioner commercial?
I'm slowly compiling a comprehensive list of comments like this so that I can approach shampoo companies for sponsorship. You are helping the cause.
CSGuitars YESSSS FINALLY, im usedul for something yayyy
@@LuciFernato You've always been useful.
Lucid.exe, Lmfao!!!!
Harley Benton - because youre worth it!
Keep it, mod it, make some vids polishing the frets, changing pups, brige, tuner, pro setup
Thinking I might try and do a Metallica Iron Cross thing with it.
We've had will it shred, now we need will it thrash
SabbathWorship Yes. “Will it Thrash” should now be a thing!
After that we need to see shite paul finally receive justice
@@ScienceofLoud I would love to see an Iron Cross build with this guitar!!!!
A very nice guitar indeed! I bought it and leveled the frets, sanded the back of the neck for a more "natural" feel and replaced the 500K pots (odd for an active circuit) with B100K ones. I also replaced the tone capacitor with a 100nF. There's much less white noise between pauses now. Paired with a small USB soundcard and VST plugins, the SC-1000 can do some serious work.
I love staying up til 5 am and seeing my favorite European youtubers upload :p
Get some sleep! Thanks for the support.
Get ready for article 13
Another great video. Thomman is really stepping up their game with these packs. the amp is a big step up from what most others include in their packs. The overall quality level is incredible when compared to what was available 20-30 years ago. I can't believe they put active pickups in a guitar package instrument! that is a huge upgrade normally found on instruments costing at least $600 +
So much better than what I started with in the early 90's. Kids today have to so good. My first amp was the sound of bees...lol
I say this on every video on this guitar, but as someone who is not a beginner and owns various guitars in the $500-$1000 range, I honestly want nothing more than to buy one and fit it with locking tuners and EMG's.
It looks like a very great jam/gigging guitar for every level short of touring internationally.
The American accent on the Accessory segment is hilarious.
That was clearly a Canadian accent. Don't be racist
I bought the sc 1000 a little while ago and I absolutely love it I have it tuned to drop c and it plays like a dream and it's delivers a wall of sound
10:47 I'M BLIND! GAAAHH!
FUCK YOU GLENN... Nah all seriousness I love your videos
FUCK YOU GLENN🤘🤘
Fk tht guy! Glenn is the sht 🤘
Me you and the Animal not so fat anymore & your mom is much uglier than I.
fuckboi
Thanks for doing this review. Every newbie, including myself (an adult beginner), tends to drift to Guitar Center and Squire's Strat-type bundle. That's fine, but it leaves much to be desired if your main influence isn't Eric Clapton.
That quickfire round was definitely a nice addition to the video and made this better than your usual completely serious gear review.
I like the creativity from that segment and I feel personally attacked by that Dunlop comment about pick thickness.
'Then go buy that size in a dunlop tortex, like everyone else'. Creasing.
I’ve never liked Tortex, but I love their nylon and ultex line.
The accessories section brought back memories of my days taking lessons. I used to show up for my Friday afternoon lesson with my Friday night accessories (1 quart of Silk Tassel Canadian Whiskey) stashed in the storage compartment
I've been playing for 2 and a half years, so I'm no longer a beginner. I still might pick this one up
Thanks for bringing this to our attention Colin, had no idea the ‘starter-packs’ had raised their game so much, fantastic!
Great review Colin and great product Thomann!
The design reminds me of some other popular guitar... Squier Jazzmaster? Great video as always!
Wait you mean that isn't a super strat body?
I thought it was a bc rich warlock
It's clearly just a Jackson king v rip off.
i thought it was a drumkit fuck man
Ec 1000
Apart from using regular tuners instead of locking tuners, it looks almost the same as my ESP LTD EC-1000 vintage black, which I really like! Played it for 15years now, never needed another. That HB set including everything for under 200 pounds is INSANE value for money!!
Absolutely hilarious, and thank you in advance for the strange dreams tonight. I'll never be able to look at a cable the same way again... ever.
seriously impressive... the guitar on it's own through your Kraken sounded fantastic! it still sounded decent through the HB amp... not sure how much of that dark/muddy sound was truly the amp character or it needed to be turned up louder or have the settings tweaked. if I was a beginner player this package would have me sold instantly!
6 years ago when I started playing, I got my first guitar bundle from thomann, it wasn't terrible or great, but nowadays they have really stepped their game up, they actually make respectable guitars for the money they're asking.
I have two HBs myself. One is a ST-20 (strat copy for 85€) which is great except the weak sounding pickups and the other is an HB-35 (ES-339 copy for 185€) that needed a fret level.
Both are great guitars and well worth the money (it's not like I could afford anything more expensive as a poor student).
This is not a bad starter pack
started with Ibanez EX (R900) 2nd hand,
teisco check mate 25 (R600), died 1 year later,
Ema dist pedal (R400)
then peavy blazer(R1100),issues 6 months later, returned blazer, then Peavy addition 110 (added R700).
This was 1999 - 2001 (I was 14 - 16). dollar was +- R10 to $1, everything was bought with my own saving...
If you wane play. Buy what you can get...dedication will make you work even more for your upgrades...
Now I'm a proud owner off my Jackson RR3, DIY 100W amp + 4x12 bugera cab, and I still have everything else from back then, always look after your Gear
Thanx for the awesome vid Colin
Cannot believe that HB amp sounds this good!! So much better than the bundle 1watt kustom i got back in 2001... Nowdays are a great time for guitarrist on a budget or begginers
It wants to be an EC1000/Eclipse so badly. It’s adorable.
Dylan lol
Cool deal. The amp lacks any mojo for sure, but I wouldn't complain. Maybe a good overdrive to boost it would come in handy.
Now we know what Colin does in his spare time. He's a model! I forsee a shampoo commercial on this channel one day. =)
Harley Benton has really come a long way. I remember my Harley Benton beginner kit which was a shitcaster made of what seems to be a mixture of plywood and old youth hostel furnature and...an Amp. Let's not talk about the Amp...
"... when I started playing more than a decade ago."... Okay, now you're making me feel old. I've been playing since 1992. I wish they had something like this when I started. I shared a Crate combo amp with my older brother for several years before finally inheriting it from him when he bought a new one. I used a Metal Zone distortion pedal for years because that's what was available for the price I could afford to pay. I know this is a standard old man rant, but my tiny Boss Katana Mini that I paid $100 for kicks the crap out of any amp that I could have afforded when I started.
Its actually a really great package for a beginner. There is no reason to go all out when you're just starting out. That's everything you need to get started for less than 200 and the guitar is probably as good as many 500 dollar guitars. I love what Harley Benton is doing.
Watched this bc it’s my Christmas present got the same bundle most excited for the amp tbf can’t wait to hear what it sounds like
This video was helped me to make a decision about buy this guitar. Now i have my first guitar to play ! Im very happy now! Let's rock ! \m/
but does the amp take the Boss HM-2
Mannnn I wish this was a thing in the 90's! I'll never forget my first bundle pack, I actually used it for for my first gig. I was 16 ,I ran a 10 watt Yamaha practice amp through a PA speaker and used a Zoom 505 II pedal. The connection between the amp unit and the speaker used push clips so it was easy enough but I thought I was a modding god!
😳😂. OMG that infomercial part was hilarious!!
60 FPS video... Colin, I love you.
Also, when's the shampoo ad coming. Chop chop!
"Whisky not included". Dammit! I needed to that to influence my creativity. Just like my favourite band Alcohollica...
a starter kit with active pickups under 200 is a steal. while I'm not crazy about the tone, it's a hell of a lot better than my first guitar/amp kit. pretty much buy this, save for a better amp, slap some aftermarket pickups and a better nut on the guitar and you have a great beginner rig
Your “American” accent is pretty spot on
Hi Collin.
I am a very big fan of Harley Benton because of the price/quality relation. I have an almost 400€ Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plustop Pro which is not a bad Instrument but is still worse than a HB SC-450 plus for less then 200 bucks. I really, really appreciate your honest and fair review of this low price beginners set. Keep up the good work!
Greetings from Germany,
Thomas.
P.S.: I really adore the Scottish accent. Please stay safe and sound.
Man I'm glad affordable guitar shit has gotten so much better. I recently picked up a project guitar, a nameless Japanese bolt on plywood Les Paul Custom copy from the 70s. The truss rod cover holes weren't even symmetrically drilled so it sat crooked. The pickups were single coils disguised in a humbucker cover. The bridge saddles were plastic, etc.
Fixed it up, sanded the cracked finish off the neck and sealed it with wipe on poly, buffed it smooth between coats, replaced the pickups (with the instruction vid from this channel as reference) and bridge, then traded up at a pawn shop for a better guitar but the new one still needs some fret work. But this thing is so much better and tighter out of the gate, warts and all. Easily worth the asking price. I've seen new Gibsons ship with more issues, and graver ones too, shit you can't change about it without destructive work. I'd like to see Harley Benton try their hand at some top shelf quality stuff, it'll probably kick ass.
I hate seeing kids get cheapo instruments and amps that they can't get the sounds they want on. They get discouraged and quit, who can blame them. If you don't like how it looks and the action is high and it doesn't stay in tune well and the effects you want aren't included in what you buy, I'd have gotten discouraged too. HB seems to be fighting the good fight.
Man I wish these were a thing 12 years ago when I started out. I still love my squier strat though
I bought a B stock from Thomann 137.07. And i love it
I wish this was around 5 years ago when I started playing.
Thomann also has an harley benton prs look a like. I was a bit worried if it would sound good, but this video gave me more trust in Harley benton guitars, thanks a lot
I played one of the Harley Benton PRS-alikes when I visited Thomann recently. They are totally solid, it would be a good choice.
When I first started playing guitar I got their RX-10 Bundle which was a beginner pack and there are two things I have to point out: the strap is broke after less than one month because the thing that connects the strap to that leather part that gets into the strap-lock was of very bad quality and the guitar cable eventually stopped working properly too. To note that the cable is the same one present on the bundle he mentioned. I guess you get what you pay for. As time went on I upgraded close to everything I got from that bundle (only the amp and tuner are left to be upgraded, but I alaready have an amp in mind to get that happens to have a built in tuner), but since that was only just a beginnner pack, I think that's to be expected.
At the time it costed 171€ (but apparently it's 181€ now) and all things considered I think it was worth it.
I was looking for my first guitar and I found it thanks to you, thank you
I may buy this, it actually looks very similar to my 2006 ESP LTD-1000, throw a couple of EMG 81/60 pickups in and change the tuners (very little work) and you'll save £700 haha. Hell I'm considering buying this to have a guitar always set in a different tuning and not even modding it, its unbelievable at that price.
Thank you for this review, i have 2 buddies that play guitar to varying degrees, one of them a gigging player and they all say go with something more, and while they are correct i dont want to spend a lot of money on something that will be a free time hobby and wont feel too bad if it goes neglected every now and again.
For now on there will always be whiskey and dinosaurs in my gig bags! Rock on man!!!
yah, I like this guitar I will definitely recommend this to any beginner. I really wish my first guitar was that good when I started, but I completely agree with you on the amp when I first started my amp was the first thing to go my old rig was a peavy bass amp and a Digitech multi-fx pedal and a BcRich warlock lol but I worked all summer and got a 6505mh and an Orange cab. basically, I personally recommend the 6505mh to everyone my fav amp series
Great video. I started in 83 with a no name Strat copy, which ate strings if I deigned to tune to concert pitch & a 5 watt solid state amp with no gain whatsoever. At the risk of sounding exactly like the old fart I am, kids today don't know they're born etc etc
First time viewer. Excellent review and great playing.
Wow, fantastic tone off those pickups, even with the little practice amp. Thanks for the review. I'm seriously considering this one, the vintage les paul sunburst clone and the 7 -string baritone. It's $30 shipping bundled for up to 3 guitars. So dang cheap, you can't afford not to buy.
Oh boy that American accent is coming along so nicely! lol, just love these review videos, awesome as always!
Damn it totally blows my expectations away! I think I got my idea for my friend's Christmas gift... :)
Balvenie doublewood is an essential accessory.
Well done, Great there's decent budget gear available for all!
Thanks for sharing brother!
Active pickups CAN give you more output but the real two important features are less noise and lower magnet strength and so longer sustain. I would love to see this guitar with a cheapo distortion paddel.
Fantastic video as always!! The active pickups into the amp make it clip so much, quite often the sound just got muddy. It's not necessarily a massively bad thing for a beginner but I'd say get a different amp for this guitar! And I really don't think any beginner should start with active pickups!!
Only thing I would change is to use black chrome or regular chrome rather than brass because while brass looks good it tarnished quickly if not taken care of
I damn near peed myself laughing when you got to the accessories lightning round. XD
Even with that amplifier, you can make a tweak and invest 100 pounds or less into a Guitar Link USB Audio Interface and along with some free or cheap but good VST Plugins it will make a difference. And then, you can use the amplifier as a speaker instead of an amplifier, and tweak a little bit the channel settings so you don't get a bad sound at all. Also good for beginners, and not breaking the 300 pounds limit.
P.S. Nice video about Harley Benton products. Always thought they are a great deal for the money and products they deliver. Cheers, CSGuitars!
This guy really deserves more subs imo
Never heard of Harley Benton before today. Will have to check them out
I am afraid that his performance from10:35 onwards might change his career...
Rounak Dutta I KNOW JDJHD
Though the Benton amp is a low quality amp it still has a killer tone i have a Mansfield GA-15 amp and it has a killer punch to it. Yes I won't say that 2000$ amps or higher quality ones are bad it's just that sometimes good things come from small packages
I got one of these last year when they first released, it's a cracking guitar for the price, also picked up the 84' explorer copy before the lawsuit forced Thomann to change the design.
Good review Colin, keep up the great work..
When l started Roland (BOSS) 25w still had amps, along with a really cheap strat copy for 250€ at the time, l was 16, l am 53, around 82...changed the guitar for a Aria Pro-II, (night and day).
I wish these kind of bundles would've been available when I started out! Although I have to say the bundle I bought something around 17-18 years ago is pretty good too, and it cost 3333 Swedish crowns (which is roughly the same as this Harley Benton bundle). I still have both the amp and guitar, and they're a joy to play even though the amp (Peavey Rage 158) isn't exactly the best metal amp ever. With a bit of boost it does the trick though.
This looks to be a great deal for someone who is looking for heavy music. Even looking at used gear its hard to get quality gear for 200 quid. It's a great starting point.
I was thinking that the amp was the driving force behind the sound(see what I did there?), but with good settings on a basic amp and a good drive pedal even a beginner could get a descent sound out of a guitar like this. I think as long as expectations are set accordingly these types of instruments provided a lot of bang for the buck.
Hmmm... that guitar plus a katana 25 or katana 50 is like the ultimate affordable setup.
I remember when I was looking to upgrade from my €100 bundle setup, I wanted to get a Blackstar TVP amp. But the store didnt have it that day, so I ended up getting the Katana 50 as well as an Ibanez Gio. Both those things costing me a grand total of €500. Damn great amp and super affordable. Pair it with that guitar and you have some serious metal power in your hands.
Nice Holy Diver reference in the intro, big Dio fan here. Keep up the good work.
I've been rocking one if these for a couple of years now best bang for the buck SC out there. Shall be buying more HB guitars before Brexit ramps up import prices.
Funny.. I started playing in the mid 80’s..yeah I’m old!! Lol... I paid more for my first guitar than this whole bundle.. I think it’s great that beginners now have some inexpensive options to see if it’s something they will like.. Then after time get yourself a nice guitar and learn to mod/ upgrade/ setup a guitar with the HB.. I think some people are missing the point of some of these entry level guitars!! Great review!!
Got this exact bundle for the Best Man at my wedding, went down well.
Enjoyed your vid, I'm looking at guitars at the moment and as a beginner Harley Benton guitars seem to be the best bang for buck, as you say a lot of guitar for very little money
That setup sounds mean. I'm blown away by the price. Very nice find
And I bet it stays in tune better than a Gibson. I picked up a Harley Benton Thunderbird bass. Extremely well made guitar.
Great video Colin! I'm really thinking about this outfit and upgrading the pups to some Kent Armstrong PAF's with coil split. For 200 British pounds, $255 US, you get a ton of guitar for the money! Thanks for showing this awesome pack, man!
I'm glad you didn't shave for that intermezzo. I would have been confused.
This blows away my first guitar. Mine was a cheap amazon guitar.
It was finally about time some great guitars popped out also in the low price range. Could this mean the beginning of a radical change within the market?
I began to be interested in instruments in the past decade too, so I can totally relate to everything you say about gear quality back then.
P.S. that American accent was completely unexpected, it sounded strange if I can say it. :D
I could be wrong but that is like an exact copy of the ESP Ltd 1000’s and the Eclipse’s are literally called EC-1000 the only real difference is the volume and tone knobs not that I’m frustrated but I thought it was amusing!
Well, my first rig back in 1995 was a rockwood les paul copy and a hohner panther amp and i was trying to sound like Pantera...so....yeah
KristianHvaal that gets you closer than a squier strat wanting to sound like lamb of god...
Knowing I just got a PRS Se McCarty 594 singlecut this might be my next guitar for that meralcore thing or metal in general
That Balvanie Carribean Cask is the shit! Got a bottle for dad's birthday last year 😍
Het Set for $179 and you can install them yourself (quick connect). Another $100 for bridge and tuners and you have an $1100 ESP for around $500. Great value.
^ this guy gets it.
Good choice with the whisky Colin!
That looks like a solid guitar ..would probably sound good w a decent rig (hey! Might be a good vid.) looks like an ec 1000...these starter packs ha e came along way scense i was a kid
..mine was a squier bullet.and ibanez 10 in. Amp..but it got me going. They have really changed the market for these younger beginner playeys..kids dont know how good they have it these days lol!!!
Your best video yet!
Bonus points for the single malt! 🤘🥃😋
Those bundles are great nowadays, back in the days I was starting with some cheap used super strat, and an old polish Tonsil amplifier (which was heavy, big and had terrible quiet sound;) Metalzone was the major upgrade for it...
I don't give a single damn on how it sounds. It's a guitar + combo amp under £200. And it looks damn good.
An Infestor you must be an incredible guitar player
@@adamgizka8189 we all know tone is in the fingers