Check out more guitar reviews: th-cam.com/play/PLNaLwTdlpQNGXHK9wPm1kYNDwFvMLQ7ES.html Or some of my music: th-cam.com/play/PLNaLwTdlpQNHKlg8ALZfM3AINC20WMp8s.html
I totally didn't expect it to pass the whammy test. There are more expensive guitars that aren't as stable - especially for the G string. Might be related to the heaviness in the bends. Anyway, nice balanced review. I like that this guy doesn't treat expensive and cheap guitars any differently in the reviews.
I was in a guitar shop and the manager was sending back a brand new $8000 C F Martin he played it for me and we both agreed that it sounded flat or something was terribly wrong with it . It happens to all range of guitars .
I have been considering a Harley Benton guitar, and found this video by accident. I really like your playing, of course, but I also like your review. It was honest, above all, and well balanced. That helps me, because you put out the information, the good and the bad, and I make the decision of what flaws I can live with. No surprises. Thank you so much for the video.
Just bought one used.. No trouble with the frets.. I've played accoustic guitars for many years, but never delved into the world of electric guitars. And I must say, for having no reference point other than accoustic guitars, this is a joy to play on. Really fun, looks good, and sounds pretty darn good in my ears.
I would go as to say that harley benton produce the best guitars in price to quality, here in germany there is no import tax so the guitars are very cheap, i play in 2 bands and most of the time i play an hwy bk 25 by harley benton with some upgrades like the tuners and the thingy where you put the 6.3 cable in
I totally agree that most of the time, very cheap guitars are not usually the best for beginners, having to deal with depending on which drawbacks or improvements can end up discouraging someone who is just starting to play guitar. I will also tell you that I have 5 Harley Benton, only one has needed more "complicated" work to make it playable (wedge between the neck and the body), but all have needed minor improvements, so yes, a lottery the quality control of Harley Benton.
In the 80s, cheap guitars were absolute garbage. Nowadays, even a 100-euro guitar can be good. I maintain that if Jimi Hendrix were still alive, you wouldn't know whether he played a Harley Benton or Jet or J&D (Jack & Danny Brothers). Fender no longer has a secret formula.
I got myself a ST-62MN in vintage white with a roasted maple neck a few months ago. Mine has none of the mentioned issues (no fret sprout, no sharp set screws on the bridge) and is really nice to play. My ST-62 came with .010-.046 and I keep that string gauge when replacing strings (using Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys). As a bass player who is dipping his toes into guitar I don't have a problem with heavier strings. Even my guitar teacher is quite impressed, in his words "more than decent for the money and worth upgrading down the road". I know, Harley Benton instruments can be a hit or miss sometimes. Seems that I got a good one.
This guitar sounds pretty good and for the price, lets be honest if you're looking for a good first guitar to learn on or even a decent second guitar as a player you really can't complain. I just took delivery of the Harley Benton DC Junior faded Cherry. And I have to admit I also felt the stings seemed heavier than they were. I'm used to playing 10's and that's what is on the guitar but they do feel much heavier. Maybe something to investigate here.
I got a te-62 recently, b-stock for €115. Can't really say that there's much wrong with it. Good setup out of the box, good tones, very nice neck. Only a wonky pickup selector switch. It works, but it absolutely doesn't feel solid. However, I've had way more expensive guitars that didn't play as nice and needed more setup on arival as this one. Tbh, *all* the HB guitars I had the last few years (this TE, a Fusion 2, a SC custom 2(?) and a DC-DLX Gotoh) were amazing value for money. The Fusion stands between my expensive guitars (like a mexican Charvel and a HM Strat) and really isn't out of place there
I have owned 3 Harley Benton’s and still currently own 2 and have never experienced any serious issues with any of them, just a bit of a setup! The 2 I still currently own are now upgraded but was choice and because they are a good enough platform to reflect the upgrades and not because I had to! Stock I don’t believe them to be better than the Classic Vibe of Vintage Modified Squier’s but certainly better than the lower priced offerings from them!
I got myself an ST-62 some time ago. And you are quite right on the screws that sticks out. But the hard bending could be caused by a standard Harley Benton problem which is the sticky frets there is some goo on the fretwires that needs to be removed directly from the start. I use some very fine steelwool for this. I know have 3 guitars and one bass from HB and I had to clean the frets on all of them just to get a nice polish and no sticky residue. When it comes to the strings themselves I don't care since I'm nickel allergic so the strings go from the start. Fretsprouts is abit of hit and miss some have it some don't but then again it's easy to fix. I buy Harley Bentons so I can train myself in setting up guitars I only wish I could get one that REALLY needs some TLC(like fretlevelling or even exchange of frets)but sofar I've had bad luck in getting guitars that only need a stringchange and some polishing of frets aswell as fretsprouts. Otherwise great review as always.
I have the ST62 Deluxe which had similar finish issues (eg. fret sprout) which I sorted out reasonably quickly. One pleasant surprise for me came when I opened the electronics up and I found all the pots are full size and there are two tone caps in there: not a massive deal but both unusual in anything even remotely cheap. The pickups are at that annoying point were they are good but _might_ be improved thus making the decision to change them or not a head-scratcher. Incidentally, the Deluxe came with 10s which I may change for 9s at some point as they do play heavy.
Some people spend a lot of money for aged Guitars, who cares about Perfektion for 150€???? And the more effects you need, the less you play with Heart and Soul. My ST-62 CC in Dakota Red is quality and soundwise equal to my mexican Strats, but I've changed the Vibrato to a Wilkinson, now it works perfekt and sounds awesome, the rosswell Pu"s are great.
Always good to see you, sir. I really liked to color. And I agree 100% that a beginner would find the fret-sprout, and sharp edges at the bridge uncomfortable. This could put off a beginner for life. Seriously.
I have owned this same guitar for a few years now. Biggest issue is that the high E string does not line up with the pickups. Bridge is okay'ish, but the middle and neck pickup poles do not line up with the string. Other than that, I must have gotten a good one, cause it plays great and sounds better than any Squier strats.
Oh nice ! i would like to buy a budget strat for personnal project ! And i was going for a Bullet, but wondering..., if the actual HB would be better than the olders ! your advices are always clear and true !
Exactly! I bought a cheap kit guitar and have received somewhat of an education leveling and crowning frets, shimming the neck, adjusting the truss rod, electromagnetically shielding the pickups, finishing the guitar, etc. If I get another strat I will be comfortable fixing much of it. I wouldn't want to take it apart and repaint it, but most of these come with a good finish. I wouldn't want to ship one of those back to Germany........ Good video of an inexpensive guitar. Thanks!
That's exactly why I got one of these back in 2018. I fixed it up until it played nicely and donated it to a local music school for kids who have it rough. By the time it left my place it played and sounded like a decent and inspiring instrument to play.
Tear it up, Elmo! Whatever flaws you have found, my friend, this video is a huge commercail for people who are like, GD, that guitar sounds AMAZING> in the hands of a great player, of course. I have a '76 F Mexicano and a '85 Fat Strat, and I bought a HB T-Type TE-70 earlier this year, it's as heavy as an LP, but I love playing the damn thing. Giving my Fenders a rest. HB? They make good guitars, bottom line. Do what any guitarist worth his salt does; throw that whammy bar away.
I really don’t know what your complaining about, that sounds and plays like a old G&L.I know because I have a Harley Bento kit guitar that I painted a put together.I really thank HB for their product.
I've not seen or played many guitars at that price point that holds its own like that! Fret sprout OK it's a pain but you won't but a guitar for that price new, that doesn't have those issues. Beginners won't fix it but sadly that's why most give up because they just try play with it as it is.
When grub screws (on the bridge) were sticking out really far, I've found that the neck needed a shim. That's my biggest problem with Strats - grub screw cheese graters!
Fret sprout (especially on maple fingerboards) are nature of the beast with inexpensive guitars....mostly because the maple isn't aged and continues to shrink as it dries out over time.
wow Elmo did you wind/unwind the strings when you loaded them in? To help make the tremolo keep the strings in tune after all that whammy-ing??? Just curious cuz it stayed in tune well!!! great video my brother!!!
2:48 Elmo it's the same on the Fender Squires, those screws are also very sharp and uncomfortable and those guitars are like 379€, this one you get for 130-160€.
That would make the perfect party guitar, maybe along side a budget LTD(by ESP) to cover the Les Paul players. You don't want to bring out your good stuff for parties, if some drunk dude stumbles over this, or lifts it into the ceiling fan on accident, not that big of a deal.
I just looked at Thomann, and surely it says that it comes with 9's. But in the description for every other color of the same model it says that they come with 10's. So maybe it's a mistake on their webside. Maybe the charcoal frost also comes with 10's.
That Strat bridge with the screws isn't a HB only issue, unfortunately. You can find them on Squiers and even older Strats. And, yes, even when you sand them down, this type of bridge is STILL very uncomfortable to play. You can get smaller screws that stand out a lot less (like on a Jazz bass) but getting a newer Strat stlye bridge is the best (although most expensive) solutions. The shorter screws clock in at < 10 €.
So glad you said that. The saddle height screws were an issue on many older strats with the "vintage" style bridges - that's why strats used to come with a small ashtray, to cover the exposed saddle screws. Newer bridge designs are much better, but if this pretends to be a "vintage" strat clone then the bridge screw issue is inherent to the design. Anyone who played strats in the 60s/70s learned to work around it - and the guitars still sounded great, as this one does.
@@steveburrows101 - The fun thing is that there is a short screw set that has the screws marginally above the holes so that it's not too bad. Very much like the bass with the vintage bridge. BUT - for whatever reason - the guitars ALWAYS ship with the screws that are way too long and NEVER with the short ones.
On the other hand if it’s $160 it’s a great guitar for a beginner to learn how to do a setup and file frets and such. Better then learning all that on a $400 guitar and learn skills that could be valuable later
I have two of these. Maple neck and pao ferro neck. Maple neck is really hard to play. The one with the Pao Ferro neck is easy to play. And only 9's strings. 10's strings are too heavy to pull. I also don't understand why this is the case, what is the reason for it?
Hey this guy, these videos are great even if I don’t plan to buy this exact product, because I can sort of follow along with your process and learn things I might not know. I was wondering why you said that you would upgrade the pickups. I get that an inexpensive guitar may not come with great pickups, but what aspects of the sound are improved with better pickups? Tone, clarity, responsiveness, signal to noise, clean/distorted performance, etc. Just something I wonder about when you mention wanting to swap out the pickups (something I haven’t done myself). Cheers
Hi! I am a beginner who particularly loves Dire Straits. Do you think it is a good choice for someone like me who starts from scratch and loves Dire Straits' sound? Thanks
I've got a USA Strat and the bridge height adjustment screws also feel quite sharp, I don't think there is a lot you can do about that, apart from grinding them down so the screw heads sit slightly into the saddle, or maybe get some shorter screws, but it's not bothering me that much
For all its faults q.c. it sounds a decent strat, at least when you play it but Im not a huge fan of strat/single coil apart from a tele bridge pickup.
Thanks for the video. Dude, it's not a Floyd Rose bridge, so since it stayed in tune with that bridge, the bridge alone is probably worth $160.00. The fret sprout should not have happened. I have to ask if you changed the strings? If they were factory strings, I don't think you can expect a lot. The finish on the bottom of the guitar should be a return issue. Thomann's customer service is second to none. They're will fix it, if you give them a chance. Every guitar company has issues. Thanks for being honest, but I think you should see if Thomann will fix the issues before passing judgement. Have a great day.
Was slightly disappointed to hear about the issues but then again, what can we expect for such low prices. I don’t believe you had these issues with the HB Les Paul style guitar. I am usually a Strat/Tele type of guy but keep coming back to the “BrianNay” guitar you reviewed recently. Think I’ll be getting one of them at some point.
love your vids! Informative, intelligently presented and unapologetically honest. Having said that can you or have you done a review on the Epiphone es 339? Thank you! Keep the reviews going!
Hi, nice vid’! Any tip for machine heads of Harley Benton ? Sold with Kluson and 8,5mm holes, trying to find others machine heads without drilling but looks complicated ? Thx
It sounds really nice but it basically sounds like you're sacrificing fit and finish for sound with this one. Which is not altogether awful, like you said, if you know how to deal with those. By the way, how did the frets feel on the surface?
Don't worry about pickups if you're a total beginner. Even professionals put too much thought on those very often. If the pickups aren't broken or terribly noisy, just keep them. Especially when the replacement pickups would cost more than the actual guitar.
Thank you for your work, good points. I gave a Fusion ll Harley Benton with humbuckers. I like that one. I belive you are right in that with uneven quality, I they are also made in different factors, in different country's.
Gonna sound like a paid commercial comment here lol, but the good thing about Thomann is that they literally say "order a guitar, check it out and if you are not satisfied, send it back and get the money back"
The problem is you have to pay import taxes, transportation fees and god knows what else when you order a guitar online. You never get that money back in case you need to send the guitar back.
I drilled a small hole through a part of wood. Screwed the saddles screws in and filed the screws bottoms shorter. Was a work of 1 hour. Now the screws are only 1mm above the saddles and it does not hurt anymore.
I thought the neck pickup wasn't particularly stratty. It was lacking in the sine-wave flutiness you usually get on the 2nd and 3rd strings around and above the 12th fret. The other two pickups sounded like a Tex-Mex style arrangement because they had a nice raspiness to them, and are more trebly just the same.
Perfect review that pretty much entirely sums up my experience with HB guitars. There's a Great guitar in everyone- if you look hard enough. Beginners beware! Subbed 🤘
So far I've purchased a few things thanks to you, but I'll pass on this one 😀 Please review Sawtooth Guitars 🎸🙏 Very curious about that one because they started off as Fender Stratocaster replicas and from what I've seen, were done pretty well. I had wanted one, but their SE series (I believe it's called that..) is discontinued in favor of more Modern shapes. And of course, Michael Angelo Batio endorses them and has his MAB24 signature.. Hey, you should play Glarry Guitars, maybe they'll sign you to endorse them! You never know lol.. For some reason, I feel that both Glarry and Sawtooth Guitars are manufactured by the same people 😆🤣
I actually bought the black guitar with white pickups for 250. It’s every bit worthy of being a 500 guitar. Very impressed. But now I want to try the relic strat they have.
Surkein esimerkki nauhojen "törrötyksestä" mitä olen ikinä kokenut oli minun US. made Fender Telessä. Telen soundit on kyllä mahtavat. Seuraavana pari Squieria ja intonaatiot Squeireissa päin vittua. Telen intonaatiota en muista. Niin ja sitten tuo HB soundaa käsissäsi aika hyvältä, Yleensä en oikein käsitä soundejasi. Pitää kai ostaa levyjäsi.
@@marcomostroso Ah ok, i thought i would be some kind of mixup, he does make some funny faces and even though i am also a long haired guitarplayer i am not Elmo and he is definately a much better player than me as well, I guess he is from Finland (never really checked to make sure), i am from the neighbouring country Sweden.
@Olen Suomalainen some people have really good luck with them, some experiance problems. Just a bit inconsistant. I've three HB's, one seems okay, but the other two needed fret work.
Check out more guitar reviews: th-cam.com/play/PLNaLwTdlpQNGXHK9wPm1kYNDwFvMLQ7ES.html
Or some of my music: th-cam.com/play/PLNaLwTdlpQNHKlg8ALZfM3AINC20WMp8s.html
I got a Harley Benton Strat and a Tel ...I'm impressed with them both...frets all flush and sounds majestic
Elmo, one of the few guys on here where I believe in your reviews.
Cheers! :)
Yes, it's true, really true. Authentic guy..
It is getting fewer by the day. After 4 HB's all with uneven frets, and a lot more ni had
I totally didn't expect it to pass the whammy test. There are more expensive guitars that aren't as stable - especially for the G string. Might be related to the heaviness in the bends. Anyway, nice balanced review. I like that this guy doesn't treat expensive and cheap guitars any differently in the reviews.
Thank you :)
I was in a guitar shop and the manager was sending back a brand new $8000 C F Martin he played it for me and we both agreed that it sounded flat or something was terribly wrong with it . It happens to all range of guitars .
I have been considering a Harley Benton guitar, and found this video by accident. I really like your playing, of course, but I also like your review. It was honest, above all, and well balanced. That helps me, because you put out the information, the good and the bad, and I make the decision of what flaws I can live with. No surprises.
Thank you so much for the video.
Thanks :)
Nothing wrong with that. Crazy value for money and great tones
Just bought one used.. No trouble with the frets.. I've played accoustic guitars for many years, but never delved into the world of electric guitars. And I must say, for having no reference point other than accoustic guitars, this is a joy to play on. Really fun, looks good, and sounds pretty darn good in my ears.
I would go as to say that harley benton produce the best guitars in price to quality, here in germany there is no import tax so the guitars are very cheap, i play in 2 bands and most of the time i play an hwy bk 25 by harley benton with some upgrades like the tuners and the thingy where you put the 6.3 cable in
I totally agree that most of the time, very cheap guitars are not usually the best for beginners, having to deal with depending on which drawbacks or improvements can end up discouraging someone who is just starting to play guitar.
I will also tell you that I have 5 Harley Benton, only one has needed more "complicated" work to make it playable (wedge between the neck and the body), but all have needed minor improvements, so yes, a lottery the quality control of Harley Benton.
Thank you so much for playing some metal for the demo!
In the 80s, cheap guitars were absolute garbage. Nowadays, even a 100-euro guitar can be good. I maintain that if Jimi Hendrix were still alive, you wouldn't know whether he played a Harley Benton or Jet or J&D (Jack & Danny Brothers). Fender no longer has a secret formula.
I got myself a ST-62MN in vintage white with a roasted maple neck a few months ago. Mine has none of the mentioned issues (no fret sprout, no sharp set screws on the bridge) and is really nice to play. My ST-62 came with .010-.046 and I keep that string gauge when replacing strings (using Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys). As a bass player who is dipping his toes into guitar I don't have a problem with heavier strings. Even my guitar teacher is quite impressed, in his words "more than decent for the money and worth upgrading down the road". I know, Harley Benton instruments can be a hit or miss sometimes. Seems that I got a good one.
This guitar sounds pretty good and for the price, lets be honest if you're looking for a good first guitar to learn on or even a decent second guitar as a player you really can't complain. I just took delivery of the Harley Benton DC Junior faded Cherry. And I have to admit I also felt the stings seemed heavier than they were. I'm used to playing 10's and that's what is on the guitar but they do feel much heavier. Maybe something to investigate here.
Prob their strings aren’t t good
I got a te-62 recently, b-stock for €115. Can't really say that there's much wrong with it. Good setup out of the box, good tones, very nice neck. Only a wonky pickup selector switch. It works, but it absolutely doesn't feel solid.
However, I've had way more expensive guitars that didn't play as nice and needed more setup on arival as this one. Tbh, *all* the HB guitars I had the last few years (this TE, a Fusion 2, a SC custom 2(?) and a DC-DLX Gotoh) were amazing value for money. The Fusion stands between my expensive guitars (like a mexican Charvel and a HM Strat) and really isn't out of place there
Great review. Honest, thorough and informative. I’ve been curious about the brand and your opinion is always welcome
Thanks :)
I have owned 3 Harley Benton’s and still currently own 2 and have never experienced any serious issues with any of them, just a bit of a setup!
The 2 I still currently own are now upgraded but was choice and because they are a good enough platform to reflect the upgrades and not because I had to!
Stock I don’t believe them to be better than the Classic Vibe of Vintage Modified Squier’s but certainly better than the lower priced offerings from them!
Amazing Guitar for the money!
I installed a 80s "Rockinger Tru Tune Tremolo" and I love this Guitar 🙂
Another enjoyable review; always worth watching and the playing us sensational. Thanks.
I got myself an ST-62 some time ago. And you are quite right on the screws that sticks out. But the hard bending could be caused by a standard Harley Benton problem which is the sticky frets there is some goo on the fretwires that needs to be removed directly from the start. I use some very fine steelwool for this. I know have 3 guitars and one bass from HB and I had to clean the frets on all of them just to get a nice polish and no sticky residue. When it comes to the strings themselves I don't care since I'm nickel allergic so the strings go from the start. Fretsprouts is abit of hit and miss some have it some don't but then again it's easy to fix. I buy Harley Bentons so I can train myself in setting up guitars I only wish I could get one that REALLY needs some TLC(like fretlevelling or even exchange of frets)but sofar I've had bad luck in getting guitars that only need a stringchange and some polishing of frets aswell as fretsprouts. Otherwise great review as always.
Cheers!
I have the ST62 Deluxe which had similar finish issues (eg. fret sprout) which I sorted out reasonably quickly. One pleasant surprise for me came when I opened the electronics up and I found all the pots are full size and there are two tone caps in there: not a massive deal but both unusual in anything even remotely cheap. The pickups are at that annoying point were they are good but _might_ be improved thus making the decision to change them or not a head-scratcher. Incidentally, the Deluxe came with 10s which I may change for 9s at some point as they do play heavy.
Hey, would be able to tell how thick is the body? Is it full thickness like a fender eg around 45 mm? Thanks
I have one. No problems at all. Great guitar and I’ve got Fender, Gibson, PRS etc.
You are a recent find on the old You of Tube. Really impressed with your reviews, playing and candour.
Thank you 😊
Some people spend a lot of money for aged Guitars, who cares about Perfektion for 150€???? And the more effects you need, the less you play with Heart and Soul. My ST-62 CC in Dakota Red is quality and soundwise equal to my mexican Strats, but I've changed the Vibrato to a Wilkinson, now it works perfekt and sounds awesome, the rosswell Pu"s are great.
Always good to see you, sir. I really liked to color. And I agree 100% that a beginner would find the fret-sprout, and sharp edges at the bridge uncomfortable. This could put off a beginner for life. Seriously.
So in other words, we get a better guitar out of a DIY set ..... I really appreciate your videos. thanks man. :D
I have owned this same guitar for a few years now. Biggest issue is that the high E string does not line up with the pickups. Bridge is okay'ish, but the middle and neck pickup poles do not line up with the string. Other than that, I must have gotten a good one, cause it plays great and sounds better than any Squier strats.
Oh nice ! i would like to buy a budget strat for personnal project ! And i was going for a Bullet, but wondering..., if the actual HB would be better than the olders ! your advices are always clear and true !
Thanks for the review, well done...as always!
And thank you :)
11:59?!? Ok that was cool. And they are a great way to learn luthierie without mucking up a expensive instrument.
Exactly! I bought a cheap kit guitar and have received somewhat of an education leveling and crowning frets, shimming the neck, adjusting the truss rod, electromagnetically shielding the pickups, finishing the guitar, etc. If I get another strat I will be comfortable fixing much of it. I wouldn't want to take it apart and repaint it, but most of these come with a good finish. I wouldn't want to ship one of those back to Germany........ Good video of an inexpensive guitar. Thanks!
That's exactly why I got one of these back in 2018. I fixed it up until it played nicely and donated it to a local music school for kids who have it rough. By the time it left my place it played and sounded like a decent and inspiring instrument to play.
Cheers :)
Tear it up, Elmo! Whatever flaws you have found, my friend, this video is a huge commercail for people who are like, GD, that guitar sounds AMAZING> in the hands of a great player, of course. I have a '76 F Mexicano and a '85 Fat Strat, and I bought a HB T-Type TE-70 earlier this year, it's as heavy as an LP, but I love playing the damn thing. Giving my Fenders a rest. HB? They make good guitars, bottom line. Do what any guitarist worth his salt does; throw that whammy bar away.
hey there elmo. amazing review sir.
i had a question, does the bar go up as well ??
If you set it so.
I really don’t know what your complaining about, that sounds and plays like a old G&L.I know because I have a Harley Bento kit guitar that I painted a put together.I really thank HB for their product.
Good and fair review. I wonder if the stiff feeling comes from the springs in the back of the guitar. Maybe they are high-tension springs?
I've not seen or played many guitars at that price point that holds its own like that! Fret sprout OK it's a pain but you won't but a guitar for that price new, that doesn't have those issues. Beginners won't fix it but sadly that's why most give up because they just try play with it as it is.
Sounds perfect!! Love HB' s!!
should i get this one or the squier bullet strat??
U r an exceptional player Elmo !
Thank you :)
When grub screws (on the bridge) were sticking out really far, I've found that the neck needed a shim. That's my biggest problem with Strats - grub screw cheese graters!
Fret sprout (especially on maple fingerboards) are nature of the beast with inexpensive guitars....mostly because the maple isn't aged and continues to shrink as it dries out over time.
wow Elmo did you wind/unwind the strings when you loaded them in? To help make the tremolo keep the strings in tune after all that whammy-ing??? Just curious cuz it stayed in tune well!!! great video my brother!!!
Thanks! Those were the strings the guitar came with :)
2:48 Elmo it's the same on the Fender Squires, those screws are also very sharp and uncomfortable and those guitars are like 379€, this one you get for 130-160€.
Not on the ones I've tried.
@@MrPolevaulter strange, those screws were always scratchy ime. But if you swap out the trem it turns out a bad ass guitar
That would make the perfect party guitar, maybe along side a budget LTD(by ESP) to cover the Les Paul players. You don't want to bring out your good stuff for parties, if some drunk dude stumbles over this, or lifts it into the ceiling fan on accident, not that big of a deal.
tell you wot man ,it sounds pretty damn good and for e169 i dont really think its such a bad deal. nice playing btw
Nice vídeo! Between the Squier Classic Vibe and the HB ST62, which would you choose?
Classic Vibe.
This looks SO good
I just looked at Thomann, and surely it says that it comes with 9's. But in the description for every other color of the same model it says that they come with 10's. So maybe it's a mistake on their webside. Maybe the charcoal frost also comes with 10's.
That Strat bridge with the screws isn't a HB only issue, unfortunately. You can find them on Squiers and even older Strats. And, yes, even when you sand them down, this type of bridge is STILL very uncomfortable to play. You can get smaller screws that stand out a lot less (like on a Jazz bass) but getting a newer Strat stlye bridge is the best (although most expensive) solutions. The shorter screws clock in at < 10 €.
So glad you said that. The saddle height screws were an issue on many older strats with the "vintage" style bridges - that's why strats used to come with a small ashtray, to cover the exposed saddle screws. Newer bridge designs are much better, but if this pretends to be a "vintage" strat clone then the bridge screw issue is inherent to the design. Anyone who played strats in the 60s/70s learned to work around it - and the guitars still sounded great, as this one does.
@@steveburrows101 - The fun thing is that there is a short screw set that has the screws marginally above the holes so that it's not too bad. Very much like the bass with the vintage bridge. BUT - for whatever reason - the guitars ALWAYS ship with the screws that are way too long and NEVER with the short ones.
On the other hand if it’s $160 it’s a great guitar for a beginner to learn how to do a setup and file frets and such. Better then learning all that on a $400 guitar and learn skills that could be valuable later
I have two of these. Maple neck and pao ferro neck. Maple neck is really hard to play. The one with the Pao Ferro neck is easy to play. And only 9's strings. 10's strings are too heavy to pull. I also don't understand why this is the case, what is the reason for it?
Nice colour 👌
Jet JS-400 same price range, if you get one, please try.
God that looks nice. Get a tortoise shell pick guard on that and you’re winning 🙌🏼
Hey this guy, these videos are great even if I don’t plan to buy this exact product, because I can sort of follow along with your process and learn things I might not know. I was wondering why you said that you would upgrade the pickups. I get that an inexpensive guitar may not come with great pickups, but what aspects of the sound are improved with better pickups? Tone, clarity, responsiveness, signal to noise, clean/distorted performance, etc. Just something I wonder about when you mention wanting to swap out the pickups (something I haven’t done myself). Cheers
Thanks! Personally I'd get something noiseless, as single coils make a bunch of extra noise. Someone else might just want something different.
09:02 - Miracle Man. Didn't know you like Ozzy, Elmo. Those pickups seem really trebly when overdriven
Yep. I like Ozzy :)
@@MrPolevaulter Of course he does with players like RRs and Zakk and Jake E Lee, etc. How could he not. 🤪🤣🤟😉
Hi! I am a beginner who particularly loves Dire Straits. Do you think it is a good choice for someone like me who starts from scratch and loves Dire Straits' sound? Thanks
I've got a USA Strat and the bridge height adjustment screws also feel quite sharp, I don't think there is a lot you can do about that, apart from grinding them down so the screw heads sit slightly into the saddle, or maybe get some shorter screws, but it's not bothering me that much
I actually this guitar, its good enough for me!
For all its faults q.c. it sounds a decent strat, at least when you play it but Im not a huge fan of strat/single coil apart from a tele bridge pickup.
Thanks for the video. Dude, it's not a Floyd Rose bridge, so since it stayed in tune with that bridge, the bridge alone is probably worth $160.00. The fret sprout should not have happened. I have to ask if you changed the strings? If they were factory strings, I don't think you can expect a lot. The finish on the bottom of the guitar should be a return issue.
Thomann's customer service is second to none. They're will fix it, if you give them a chance. Every guitar company has issues. Thanks for being honest, but I think you should see if Thomann will fix the issues before passing judgement. Have a great day.
Factory strings :D
Was slightly disappointed to hear about the issues but then again, what can we expect for such low prices. I don’t believe you had these issues with the HB Les Paul style guitar. I am usually a Strat/Tele type of guy but keep coming back to the “BrianNay” guitar you reviewed recently. Think I’ll be getting one of them at some point.
Got any recommendations for a good strat around the 250-350 euro mark ?
th-cam.com/video/dM9zKKiZoxc/w-d-xo.html
It sound really nice on my headphones. For me, that feel of harder bends would be the deal breaker.
Hello, crappy high nickel strings! CHANGE them & you're right! It ISN'T the guitar!
Grow a pair and the big bends won't be so hard for you lil feller
love your vids! Informative, intelligently presented and unapologetically honest. Having said that can you or have you done a review on the Epiphone es 339? Thank you! Keep the reviews going!
Thank you very much. I haven't had a look at that one, but I might at some point. So much gear, so little time :D
weird got mine in the mail a couple months ago and didn't have any of those issues
Hi, nice vid’!
Any tip for machine heads of Harley Benton ? Sold with Kluson and 8,5mm holes, trying to find others machine heads without drilling but looks complicated ?
Thx
Not sure. Sorry.
Would you recommend it for my first electric guitar?
Sure. But be sure you can send it back. Guitars are individuals.
It sounds really nice but it basically sounds like you're sacrificing fit and finish for sound with this one. Which is not altogether awful, like you said, if you know how to deal with those. By the way, how did the frets feel on the surface?
Not too bad.
I’ve got this, but inca silver. Im total beginner and so what pickups you would suggest to buy instead of Roswell
That's subjective. I personally would put in Seymour Duncan YJM Furys.
Don't worry about pickups if you're a total beginner. Even professionals put too much thought on those very often. If the pickups aren't broken or terribly noisy, just keep them. Especially when the replacement pickups would cost more than the actual guitar.
The amp is more important if anything. Marshall DSL5 or a DSL20 are great all-round options. Reverb, tube, switchable gain, clean, loop etc.
@@Nightingale1887 How do they compare to a katana mk2?
Thank you for your work, good points. I gave a Fusion ll Harley Benton with humbuckers. I like that one. I belive you are right in that with uneven quality, I they are also made in different factors, in different country's.
So you think this is better than the new affinity strats? Love your channel btw :D
Yeah, at least as far as the ones I've tried.
@@MrPolevaulter okay thanks alot
Does the colour come across as it does in the vid (slightly green)?
Yep.
Gonna sound like a paid commercial comment here lol, but the good thing about Thomann is that they literally say "order a guitar, check it out and if you are not satisfied, send it back and get the money back"
Yep.
The problem is you have to pay import taxes, transportation fees and god knows what else when you order a guitar online. You never get that money back in case you need to send the guitar back.
@@milankotevski1663 I guess it's true depending where you live. I live in Sweden so sending things to another EU country is not that expensive.
Common it sounds 👍
Should i buy this for my first guitar?
Depends what type of guitar you want.
@@MrPolevaulter no siis stratocasteri
@@MrPolevaulter semmone säröääninen
Lmao randomly rippin the Simpsons riffs was funny af
how thick is the body? is it slightly thinner than a regular strat?
Don't know. And I don't have it anymore, so can't check.
Can you review Donner DST-400 ? Thank you.
Probably at some point. Not sure when though.
Is this guitar better than squier affinity?
A bit maybe.
Are they bent saddles? I hate those you feel the screws on your hand more. I just changed them out on my Yamaha. Much better feel.
No, just that the screws were too long. Feels really annoying.
I drilled a small hole through a part of wood. Screwed the saddles screws in and filed the screws bottoms shorter. Was a work of 1 hour. Now the screws are only 1mm above the saddles and it does not hurt anymore.
Always forget to mention...Elmo, I can pronounce your surname 😁😉
:D
Sounds LIKE a 'Strat'! \m/
I thought the neck pickup wasn't particularly stratty. It was lacking in the sine-wave flutiness you usually get on the 2nd and 3rd strings around and above the 12th fret. The other two pickups sounded like a Tex-Mex style arrangement because they had a nice raspiness to them, and are more trebly just the same.
@@KarstenJohansson LOL!
What is this color called?
Can't remember.
Perfect review that pretty much entirely sums up my experience with HB guitars. There's a Great guitar in everyone- if you look hard enough. Beginners beware!
Subbed 🤘
Thanks!
These guitars are incredible value, take them to a luthier and you cant go wrong.
So far I've purchased a few things thanks to you, but I'll pass on this one 😀
Please review Sawtooth Guitars 🎸🙏
Very curious about that one because they started off as Fender Stratocaster replicas and from what I've seen, were done pretty well. I had wanted one, but their SE series (I believe it's called that..) is discontinued in favor of more Modern shapes.
And of course, Michael Angelo Batio endorses them and has his MAB24 signature..
Hey, you should play Glarry Guitars, maybe they'll sign you to endorse them!
You never know lol..
For some reason, I feel that both Glarry and Sawtooth Guitars are manufactured by the same people 😆🤣
I actually bought the black guitar with white pickups for 250. It’s every bit worthy of being a 500 guitar. Very impressed. But now I want to try the relic strat they have.
So much gear to try, so little time :D
@@MrPolevaulter lol isn’t that the truth.
Hey Elmo, do you know the weight?
No, sorry.
DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!
you should try the vintage v6 as a strat alternative
I'd like to see a review of sx liquid or sx hawk withers the p 90s I'd like to hear your opinion on those and the playing
Whatevers wrong with it sounds effing great in your hands lol
you can see the flaws in the finish in the reflection at 4.07
Surkein esimerkki nauhojen "törrötyksestä" mitä olen ikinä kokenut oli minun US. made Fender Telessä. Telen soundit on kyllä mahtavat. Seuraavana pari Squieria ja intonaatiot Squeireissa päin vittua. Telen intonaatiota en muista. Niin ja sitten tuo HB soundaa käsissäsi aika hyvältä, Yleensä en oikein käsitä soundejasi. Pitää kai ostaa levyjäsi.
Kiitos :)
Harsh but usable pickups, quite surprising.
Nice and muddy
oh man, that's really abusing a whammy bar. Can't believe how well an affordable guitar hold it. Good for Harley Benton.
Yeah indeed, i wouldnt expect my old Fender to stay in tune that well even.
@@Stefan- your face said it all haha ;) cool video
@@marcomostroso What face and what video ? I dont have any videos.
@@Stefan- ohh sorry I just replied fast and I was thinking you were Elmo. Anyhow, his face shows real surprise :p
@@marcomostroso Ah ok, i thought i would be some kind of mixup, he does make some funny faces and even though i am also a long haired guitarplayer i am not Elmo and he is definately a much better player than me as well, I guess he is from Finland (never really checked to make sure), i am from the neighbouring country Sweden.
Rip the guts out and drop in the David Gilmour emg pre wired kit, do an hour of finish work, and watch it compare to a $3000 strat…
What price range does that pickup set go for?
Sounds great but is it cheating with a really good guitar player and high end tube amp…?
A used or discounted Cort G250 knocks the spots of this guitar for not much more money.
Take the reverb and delay out. You should know this as Player?
A Harley Benton with sh#tty frets, how very unusual! 😂😂😂
@Olen Suomalainen some people have really good luck with them, some experiance problems. Just a bit inconsistant. I've three HB's, one seems okay, but the other two needed fret work.
:D