The reason I Shouldn't keep this Harley Benton Fusion III HSS...
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
- Let's talk about the Harley Benton Fusion III HSS and why I might not be keeping it. We do a rundown on the Charvel Pro Mod DK24 inspired Harley Benton and go through the good points and the bad points of this guitar and why it may not be staying in my guitar collection. This Harley Benton Fusion III HSS OMS was in the Thomann 25 for 25th sale and was a B-stock product.
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BudgetPedalChap
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#HarleyBenton #HarleyBentonFusion #HarleyBentonFusionIII #HarleyBentonFusionHSS #HarleyBentonStainlessSteel #FusionIII #FusionIIIHSS #Fusion3 #HarleyBentonFusion3 #CharvelProMod
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If you don't want it, I'd be happy to have it, it would definitely get plenty of love
🤣🤣 I bet you would. It's not necessarily a case of not wanting it, it's more about justifying the space it'll take up. Fortunately, a lot of people in the comments are convincing me it might be worth holding onto.
@@BudgetPedalChapit is man dont give it up but if you dont want you can simply just give it away like in a youtube give away
@@micaelsilva1332 I wish I was making the kind of money to just give away guitars my dude. I recently played the last gig with my current band and I used this for the entire night, it held up really well 👍
have the same model (bit of a crap shoot with HBs, I hear) and I agree in full with your assessment. I plan on keeping mine for home practicing and swapping out for better pickups in the future.
Aw thanks 👍. Such great bang for the buck on these things, they're hard to say no to
My experience with HB guitars is a very good one and have had no issues at all, I have just bought my 14th model a TE 25th Firemist, I bought the Fusion T 25th earlier in the year and I was in two minds which of the t's to buy and I knew if I did not get the TE 25th I would be regretting it when they stop making them.
I hope they put out some higher spec traditional T types in a choice of colours as it would save me money in modding costs!
Thoughtful and well presented! Spot on great review 👍
Thanks so much, I'm still working on my presentation for these types of video so hearing words like this are a massive encouragement 🙏🙏
I have just purchased one myself, had it professionally setup with 9s and WOW easily one of the best guitars i have for feel and playability. I have an Ibanez RG prestiege and a LTD 1000 series, and this rivals those. I wouldn't be comfortable playing either of those other guitars on stage, but id happily play a £300 HB...
I agree the pickups could be improved. I'm to wait a little longer to see if they grow on me before replacing...someone has suggested i look at changing the pots first, which i might do.
Mine came with some scratches to the finish which I have been meaning to complain about, but it play so nice im not sending it back!
I've recently taken mine in to get the pickups changed, I'll probably do a follow up video about it after the change. Like you say, they are at a price point where you don't mind getting it knocked once or twice at a gig and they play really well anyway so you're not having to compromise with playability either. Let me know how you get on with the pot change, I'd be really interested to hear what you think 👍
Keep it! If you got a good one, dont let it go, i only let gear that i feel is easily replaceable ,go. If you feel you can easily get another good one some other day, then sell it.🤷🏻♂️
Aye, it's staying with me. I'm even planning what pickups I'm going to replace it with so I can make this a go to guitar 👍
I bought one of these. Frets were scratchy so I ran a few fine grits (800, 1000) on it and polished them, swapped the neck pickup for a Duncan hot tails and threw a Vegatrem in. Now it plays better than any other guitar I own, including my Strandberg 🫢
Yeah, the hb stuff can often be sitting in a warehouse before being shipped so will often require a bit of a clean up to get back to good shape. I'm glad you're getting along with it, they are a really decent guitar with quality well over the price 👍
It's nice on specs.... But in the end you need a killer tone guitar with love, ...the ss frets, locking tuners or roasted neck...thats a super nice bonus, but the important things are the feel and tone, purely subjective I guess. Nice axe though!
Yeah, none of those things mean anything unless it feels right. Fortunately, this one does. Very similar to the Ibanez AZ series 👍
HB has a policy that within 30 days if you don't like the guitar for any reason, send it back in original as received condition. That's why I don't throw out any box or packing until i know if I keep the guitar or not.
HB is easy to work with.
Yeah, that is a real advantage. This was b-stock so I'm not totally sure it has the same, but I ended up keeping it 👍
But who wants that? I want to pay and get a guitar that's good not waste my life buying a bunch of work and hassle, packing and repacking, returning etc - or finding someone else to fix it. If HB gave me £400 then sure, I'll test one of their guitars and send it back if it's shit. But if a retailer wants me to pay them for a guitar then I want them to send me a working guitar - otherwise they are shit. Good customer service doesn't mean buying crap guitars from Indonesia, sending them out to customers, hoping most of your customers are too stupid or embarrassed to complain and accepting back what isn't rejected - that's crap customer service.
@@michael1 it's not always easy or convenient to get to a shop to try these things out, so the online system can work for some. If it's not your thing, I can completely understand that 👍
@@BudgetPedalChap Doesn't matter if you go to the shop or not. If they send junk then the customer service was poor. Right? They aren't doing you a favour by letting you send it back. Unless your fetish or hobby is getting and sending parcels perhaps - then you probably find the experience exciting. But imagine you went online to buy a guitar to play. You want a guitar sending you that works. You want the retailer to have made sure of that. Otherwise they're useless.
@@michael1 that's not what was mentioned here. All the HB guitars I've ever received have worked perfectly fine, but the option is there to send it back if you don't like the feel of it. Like I say, going into the shop to try it would be the best option, but as these are sold in Germany, that's not an option for most of us. Having the option to send it back if you just don't gel with it is a really great move for the consumer.
Sounds great, even in the full band mix here. For me it's a keeper.
The pickups have a bit more brightness than the other lot. The real test will come at the end of the month when I take it for a whirl with the ol' band. Guess I'm going to have to keep it to do that though...
@@BudgetPedalChap besides, the ideal number of guitars is n+1
@@binface9 🤣🤣🤣 I like your thinking
I have a 2015 Fusion ll. The only changes I've made are to add a small toggle to activate the bridge pickup in any position and I swapped the roswell neck double coil for a traditional strat single. Great guitar.
There isn't much that needs to be done to turn them from good guitars into great guitars. I have been really having fun with mine
I could've left it stock but I had specific sound expectations having been playing a '73 Strat that went in for a refret and I wanted a viable substitute.
@@rickroberts9182 yeah, I've since been trying the pickups through other things and they can sound good in certain situations. I'll probably still replace them but I'm in no hurry now at least
I must correct myself. My first Harley Benton was 2018 but the Fusion ll is from 2019. I bought it on the strength of the quality of the first guitar which was an ST70 Paisley Strat copy that was very inexpensive and still was a very playable guitar that I gigged with to see if it was up to it. It was and I still have it.
I think you missed what is a big negative on these unless its changed. I have a fusion 2 and there is no way to adjust pickup height. The screws are just screwed into the body with no springs and the pickups are stuck to a foam pad. Makes it difficult to complete a pro setup unless you shim the dang pickups.
This isn't exclusive to HB guitars, I've seen this done on Ibanez guitars that have foam on direct mounting too. I didn't have to adjust the pickups, so I didn't look that closely. Shimming could be a great solution though, thanks for the tip 👍
@@LukeMosse aye, there needs to be a better system for sure
I find HB so frustrating! I have bought quite a few over the years, but returned as many as I have kept. I just wish they would add an extra $20 or so to ensure better consistency, especially as far as the fret levelling and dressing goes. In the long run it would increase customer satisfaction and ultimately sales. I am now at that point where I simply can't be bothered with the lottery of buying HB guitars.
Although they've not been set perfectly, every one I've had have been finished well enough that I could adjust it myself. It sounds like I won the lottery a bit there, tbf 👍
If they offered a set up and finish as an additional extra, that'd clear up the issues wouldn't it?
I don't really get the logic of this, not least because we don't know what quality the setup would be. If people are going to spend on a setup, 9 times out of 10 they would probably prefer to use their owned trusted technician. Also, why not just make the guitars better to start with. I am not talking about the core construction, which tends to be OK, but the fretwork, neck quality and setup. I have good tech skills and tools, I can do fret jobs etc, but frankly I'd rather not have to bother and instead buy a guitar that is fine right out of the box. Yes they are good value in many ways, and I do temper my expectations to the price point, but my experience has been that at most I only keep 50% of the ones I have purchased because the others have been pretty awful to be honest.
@@BudgetPedalChap No, because it's not that a guitar is just a setup away from being good. If that were the case we could all buy a cheap guitar and just find a local luthier. A good store that sells even more expensive brands is often going to look at a guitar and just reject it. But, even before that stage how consistent a set of guitars are constructed is a question of how often the factory retools / resets their CNC machines and things like that along with how many guitars their QA reject. Doing these things improves the output consistency. At which point things like setup and finishing is significantly more likely to yield a high quality playable instrument - but that pile of rejects and the production line being stopped lowers the output which would increase the cost to make the guitars. This is why even if 2 different brands are made in the same factory out of the same wood on the same machines it doesn't mean they are all of equal quality. One brand may opt for the factory to lower output and do the work that improves the quality and then they get, say, guitars that are going to be sensibly priced at ~£800-1000, but if you want £500 or less guitars then you have to cut costs somehow. Obvious HB play the game of making you think that you get the same specs and whatever of boutique guitars you see people like Guthrie Govan playing that cost £3k+ - but even taking into account the different cost of labour between USA and Indonesia / China you know they've cut costs somehow.
@@michael1 no doubt there will be a higher variance in tolerance with the lower cost brands. That being said, that consistency isn't there with any fender or Gibson I've pulled off the shelf in the past 5 years, so I'm not sure that the quality is that much tighter. There will be a higher cost attributed to how selective these brands are with their materials. Both brands might be using a mahogany sub strand for example, but the premium names will select certain weight tolerances and visual inspection, where the budget brands will be a lot less selective. Out of interest, have you managed to try out one of these Fusion models?
I say keep it, you’ll find a use for it eventually ❤
That's what I keep saying about all the others too 😂😂
There will be a time where you will go "That HB...i could do with that..."
@@BudgetPedalChap
Does it have single coil split on the humbucker?
Yeah, it's a pull pot on the tone control 👍
@@BudgetPedalChap thanks 😀
It's definitely a keeper, the specs are too good not to
You make a really good argument
Tremolo Wilkinson work normally on this guitar?
Yeah, it works really well and stays in tune
i have a fusion 3 HH floyd rose that just arrived last week, i also own an ibanez AZ prestige, the ibanez is lighter has a more ergonomic body and hotter pickups, the neck may look similar but it feels quite different, the fretboard is a lot wider and the neck is more of a d shape, but the harley is good and definitely holds its own, i bought it because of the stainless steel frets and that it can do what the AZ can do in a live situation, its tiger stripe roasted maple neck and flame maple top also make it gorgeous to look at
I've always been interested how the Floyd holds up on those things. I've always had mixed results with the licensed units. Has your experience been good with the trem system?
@@BudgetPedalChap im not using it long enough to really give a strong verdict, i only use the trem for a few songs live, after i got to know it a bit its much better, the other night i did a gig whilst not touching the tuner at all but the high e was going sharp, a quick bend and everything was fine again though, the only reason i got the floyd was because i wanted the bengal burst with the roasted maple neck with the HH config and they only have that with a floyd, theres slight wobble in the bar but live you dont notice it, overall its been fine so far but if i could have gotten the guitar with the regular trem i would have, this is my first floyd
@@darkestfugue from how you've described it, it seems like a decent unit. Cheaper units don't hold tune for very long at all. Keep in touch and let me know how you're getting on with it 👍
I was checking out the other version of this with the flamed natural body. But I do like the color contrast of the olive green on yours and white pickups look good with it. Figures I don't see the green one on their website, gah! I'd of course change the HSS pickup set to Tonerider. I used their Alnico V overwound HH Birmingham set on the TE-20 HH SBK that I modded a year ago and love it. Not sure what Tonerider Alnico II would sound like in contrast instead. Just change the pickups and keep it!
Oh man, I can only think that it was maybe a limited colour. It wouldn't have been my first colour choice if I'm perfectly honest but it was the one discounted and it does look great. Tone riders would be an excellent shout for this, they are low cost enough for you not to be spending the guitar value in pickups, but they also sound fantastic. Thanks for the comment 👍
What was your first color choice, the flamed natural or another? I like matte finishes but worried about durability. I guess on gloss finishes with a clear coat minor scratches can be buffed away at least and less noticeable.@@BudgetPedalChap
@@SteveMavronis the Daphne blue or shell pink probably would have been my first choice but the olive matte is quite classy and understated 👍
Yeah I agree. I remember when Gibson came out with the olive green Les Paul, Explorer. and Flying V they looked so classy but unaffordable to me. @@BudgetPedalChap
Great review?
Is this model suitable for small hands also?
My hands are tiny and I find it really comfortable. Maybe a bit of a struggle for a smaller child, but other than that it should be good 👍
Nice Score - Excellent review 😎👌 I'd keep it! But don't listen to me - I've got problems.
So weird - I was just looking at the Reverend AirSonic yesterday in that very colour - very cool (adds to list)
Well, if it helps your dilemma, the trem system is excellent if this one is anything to go by 🤣🤣🤣 I only ever played a reverend once (and I wanted to dislike it), it was great
@@BudgetPedalChap Defo! Same trem on my Fusion ii too also additionally as well 😃👍
@@stevecassidyguitar the terms really are fantastic. Better than the one on the firemist for sure
if you’re not happy with the pickups what would you replace them with?. I’d keep it anyway
My go to maker of pickups is Fletcher pickups, but iron gear and tone rider are great on a budget too 👍
@@BudgetPedalChap thanks man. I just got the same guitar in snow white, and that was about the only thing i would upgrade. I just had no clue on what good pickups i could get
Love Tonerider and Iron Gear, great bang for your buck.
@@fusionfan6883 they really are huh? They sound great and don't cost a lot at all
@@mauricetoirkens6455 hey man, I just got this guitar in vintage white. Only thing to change is the pickups! Did you change yours in the end, if so what did you go for?
Those are some tasty licks
One or more of them may have been stolen 🤣🤣🤣
The 999$ Charvel DK24 doesn't even have stainless steel frets (those are on the american ones, which much more expensive)
Yeah, HB have really taken the idea and run with it. I'm very impressed with the bang they offer for your buck 👍
Keep it....
If you insist ❤️❤️
Man that guitar is a killer one. It’s a keeper for sure
It sure has some decent specs and it plays beautifully
I recon you keep it, but I’d you don’t hit me up
🤣🤣🤣 it packs a punch for the price huh?
Is the neck thicker than an Ibanez Prestige RG?
It's thicker than a wizard neck, for sure. Like a slightly chunkier fender c
The neck feels a lot like the neck of a Suhr, in Fender terms it leans more toward a 70’s tele deluxe neck, guess the 70’s strat mex neck is the same.
The neck on a JS-500 and Hartwood Charger are also in that ballpark, modern C but more chunk than Ibanez but a bit less than a Fender D.
Personally I wish they would stay in tune better, I use 9-48’s, 2mm pick and hit the strings hard, lot of downstrokes and big bends and deep dive bombs in some solos, pitch is often off a few cents between songs, not an issue on my Partcasters.
Even got a Gotoh 1k bridge on my Fusion 3, it still isn’t as stable as Fender neck paired with a Babicz or Bladerunner trem.
@@JoeBaermann have you tried throwing some lubricant on the friction points? I tend to do this on my guitars and I haven't had any serious tuning issues at all with this one
@@BudgetPedalChap
Yes, I did lubricate all friction points, filed the nut slot angle and opening towards the tuners, removed the string trees except for on the high E etc., nothing makes it 100% stable, even got the back of the trem down at the body.
Heck, even my Squier and Peavy with Floyd Rose trems are more stable.
Maybe I’m just to nitpicky, I can hear it but visually it is only few cents on my Peterson Strobotuner, not even sure if anyone in the band notices it.🤣
I basically went over everything you could think of to make tuning as stable as possible, even got better springs on the trem and currently use graphtech saddles.
Also used some time on the cavity, since it didn’t fit from start, so the trem did return uneven, so it was much worse when I got it compared to now.
I still want another Fusion 3, since for the price it still beats everything even after hardware and electronic upgrades, but will opt for one with an FR1000 instead, had to much hassle with the 4 Wilkinson designed trems I got, to be fair though, the Fusions and the one made by Gotoh are still better than any standard Wilkinson trem.
The one the Jet JS-500 came with had badly worn knife edges just after a few weeks.
Next Fusions also comes with Babicz instead, their lower end trems though, so can’t tell how good those are, the one I got is from their top range, really stable even without lube (pretty rare that I had to add lube on nut and bridge for better tuning stability), but it’s a 6 point and not a 2 point, so can’t say if that makes a difference either.
I got one of the purple Fusion III guitars awhile back but it has one of the worst looking tops I've seen on a guitar lmao. I wish I'd returned it at the time but couldn't be bothered with the hassle of shipping internationally
How does it play? Does it at least play well?
@@BudgetPedalChap It plays okay, I'm not the most experienced guitarist so probably some small things I wouldn't pick up on. The action feels a little high but no major complaints!
@legoarmo I lowered the posts on the trem system and it plays even better if that helps 👍
Sell it and get the Tom Delonge Strat you’ve always dreamed of 😂😂😂
You and I have different definitions of 'always dreamed of' 🤣🤣🤣 I couldn't possibly step on your toes on this one anyway
Then why'd you order it?
It was on sale and hit all the specs I was looking for. At the time I ordered it, my situation was one where I needed the guitar. By the time it arrived, the situation had changed unfortunately.
@@BudgetPedalChap did you keep it? I hope so! I've got two HB guitars arriving next week. Thanks for the video. I enjoyed watching it.
@@ryanscutt8783 I did yeah, it was too good to get rid of.
Look what's the bad???
Largely the pickups, the rest was pretty great especially for the price.
Tienila.... cambiando i pickup non ha rivali
I think I have decided to keep it. The pickups will be going though 😂😂
@@BudgetPedalChap bravo
😂