i inherited my grandfathers workshop and im building guitars theese days, windiing pickups, and if im creative with how i reclaim raw materials i can build 2 super strats for 500-600$ in parts, and if i source premium parts a single super strat can cost upwards of 500$ in parts and materials. not including the 80+ hours mininum man hours. i understand the industrial scale of an operation like thoman, and im sure their stuff is as good as any other, im just putting things in perspective for anyone wondering why QC can vary wildly amongst different companies at all sorts of price points, and why you may want to check your expectations
I have the same model in Daphne Blue and (although I am only hobby player) I have completely same experience with my guitar. All in all - they nailed it with Fusion 3. And one more thing - compared to stainless steel frets on SC-550 II that are smooth like a glass - these need some polishing or playing to get same smoothness.
Got the same guitar for about a year, love it. Same story with the stiff volume knob. Love the neck. The neck PU sometimes is too harsh on the treble and needs to be dialed down with the tone control, typical HSS problem I guess. You didn’t mention that you can split the humbucker. Great video!
I've been owning a HB Fusion 3 silver sparkle with 2 humbuckers & 22 frets for 1.5 years now. It plays very good, tuning stability is acceptable, but sometimes when using the vibrato/tremolo bar it does not come back exactly to the same position and requires an extra touch to make sure it is in tune. I haven't found any flaws in the construction that could prevent the bar to return to the proper position and, probably, it is because I use 9-42 strings, which put less tension on the springs. Another thing I don't like is the sound of the neck pickup: it is too dark and floppy. I swap pickups soon, hopefully for the best.
Oh, that's the one I wanted! Two of my friends have that exact model and both love it. I'm using 9-42 on my Fusion III, it works with thinner strings. Try some lube/greese on the tremolo studs
Funny...I have the same guitar (one of 7 fusion Pro's I have) and I can deck the trem to complete floppy strings and back again and it always returns in tune?
my HH has a coil split, I put some Dimarzio's in because the output when split isn't a big drop off in volume like the Roswells had. My most played guitar
Hi Max, I have the same guitar. I see you lowered the bridge and saddles. Is it possible to make a video on your set up of the bridge and saddles'? Thank you!🙏
Hey. I believe I actually slightly raised the bridge to make sure the trem works in both directions. Saddles must be lowered to compensate. I believe there are tons of videos about setup already, there's nothing new I could possibly add to the topic
Is it possible to remove the retainers (string trees) on it to remove additional friction points? On Fusion-II there were staggered tuners, if I recall correctly, maybe here as well.
Do you keep yourself updated on the changes to the current Harely Benton guitars? I see they put plastic nut and no locking tuners on same models that used to have it a couple of years ago.
I bought same guitar, but in vintage white color(that is new). I didn't expect this quality for the price. All is perfect: the finish, the neck pocket, many "flames" on the maple neck and I didn't have the problem with stucking trem, despite that my guitar is b-stock(it's just luck, I know). I am surprised and very happy
I've had the same Problem with the Tremolo 😅 and fixed it the same way😅 the only Thing I don't like...the Bridge Humbucker don't likes gain, gets extremly microphonic🙉 but all in all, awesome Guitar ❤ The reason why the Singlecoils sounds a bit more " harsh" is simple....lock where they are placed....way closer to the Bridge...means more heigts. On a Strat the Neck Singlecoil is placed where on this Guitar is the 24. Fret
Thanks for sharing! It looks like the tremolo 'thing' happens every now and then. Might have something to do with the assembly process. I understand that routings are made in the very beginning but the studs holes are drilled at the very end to compensate for neck joint imperfections and center the strings. Therefore, sometimes the bridge won't be perfectly aligned with the cavity made for it. But that's just my guess. Annoying? Yes! Could it be designed to account for this issue? Absolutely!
The only thing I don't like about the HB Fusion series, is that the volume pot is too close to the bridge pickup for me ( other than changing pickups for personal taste and higher output )... I always hit the volume knob while playing... everything else is about the most bang for the buck guitar I've found...
8:21 ein wenig WD 40 und der Poti läuft ganz leicht und schnell. Ich würde es allerdings nur auf dem Volume Poti einsetzen. Ich Persöhnlich mag es im Moment aber gerne etwas schwerer.
The only thing that's happened to my HB fusion T in 3 years is the switch in 5th it seems to lose power requiring wiggle. Not no sound but splits to the single I think so I need to take it apart and rewire. Great line HB. Pro series
hi Max, been watching all your harley benton fusion videos, theyre great! I got my own like a month ago and the saddle locking screws got rounded when setting it up :( replacements nowhere to be found so I've been wondering if you can upgrade the bridge to a VS100 right away without any modifications to the body? wouldnt dare to drill the wood to be honest. Thanks if you have any info!
I feel bad cause I can't get a low action whatever I do... tried the neck from 100% straight to the point I have some slack and still buzzing... guess it needs some fretwork!
Is the neck closer to an Ibanez Prestige RG or to a Standard Fender strat? If it is the latter, can you recommend a HB that is the closest to an Ibanez Prestige in neck specs?
It's very close to Fender Modern C. Nothing like Ibanez Wizard. Most if not all HBs I played had round necks. I don't remember any with a U shaped profile
Hi, sorry for such a random question but i would really appreciate your opinion on this. So the thing is im planning to buy an ibanez rg421 and a katana mk2 50. I saw your review of the ibanez and except for the background noise it was making it seemed like really nice pick. I also want to mention that this will be my first electric. I have played on an acoustic for about a year now. Do you think this guitar is a good choice? If not, do you have anything else to recommend in a similiar price range?
Haha, not really. Although, there was a funny incident awhile ago when HB texted me saying 'Hey Max, your signature is ready'. It was Guitar MAX's model, they texted the wrong Max 😆
@@MaxSoloMusic Too bad I'm a noob when it comes to recording so I can unfortunately not give any good sound examples 😂 The main reason I swapped the bridge pickup was because the original had really really low output volume. Now it's more balanced with the original neck pickup that I really love 😁
@@guyincognito320 its definitely not like a Floyd Rose but you can move it up and down a bit more compared to a strat. Also it is much more sensitive than a strat tremolo
Hola Max. Gracias por hacer este video. Ando en busca de una harley benton y este tipo de ayuda visual y de experiencia usuario sirve mucho. Un abrazo desde Chile 🇨🇱💪🏼🤘🏼
Hey. There's no right answer that'll satisfy everyone. I guess it's a matter of taste. If you like the sound of a particular pickup, it will sound familiar in this guitar as well. All my Fusions still have stock pickups in them.
I owned one. It required some fretwork in the beginning and, of course, setting up intonation and height. Otherwise, it is a good guitar for the money. I personally didn't like the default pickups' sound, but this is very subjective.
Hello! I absolutely love your analysis videos and I eagerly watch each one. I've been eyeing a guitar that looks fantastic, but its surprisingly low price has left me a bit unsure about its quality. You might have come across it, or perhaps you'd be interested in checking it out after this message. I would be thrilled if you could do a review of the Harley Benton R 446 model. Thank you so much!
The sustain block rubbing on the side of the cavity is such a first-week guitar builder fail. Cheap hardware is why those guitars are cheap. Poor electronics also. Parts are not equivalent because they made in the same factory. That's not how things work.
The friction between the tremolo block and the body is not related to the quality of the hardware, but an error in assembly. And it is by design: The costs of building these guitars are not cut in the area of quality of the materials and hardware. Those are in fact their main selling points, and it shows as the quality is indeed surprisingly high. So why are they so inexpensive ? By reducing costs in the building, assembly and quality control process: There are actually no guitar builders involved, (not even first-week ;)) but they are built and assembled by machines: very fast, very precise and in large quantities, so very cost effective. But just like with humans, there will sometimes be a problem with a machine. This company choose to apply a decent quality control in combnination combined with a very lenient return policy for the ones that slip through, which is much less expensive than a near perfect quality. For a consumer this means inexpensive products with a high quality, but a slighly higher chance of a small or larger problem. Personally, i really like this policy, as i actually prefer to do my own quality control if it can save me hundreds of euros ;)
i inherited my grandfathers workshop and im building guitars theese days, windiing pickups, and if im creative with how i reclaim raw materials i can build 2 super strats for 500-600$ in parts, and if i source premium parts a single super strat can cost upwards of 500$ in parts and materials. not including the 80+ hours mininum man hours. i understand the industrial scale of an operation like thoman, and im sure their stuff is as good as any other, im just putting things in perspective for anyone wondering why QC can vary wildly amongst different companies at all sorts of price points, and why you may want to check your expectations
quality good on you
hey max, love your videos and im curios why are you not uploading anymore videos?
3:20
It's not a fault, it is a feature!
You got a killswitch for free!
Yeah, I guess it could be mentioned as a 'RANDOM Kill Switch' in the specs 😆
I have the same model in Daphne Blue and (although I am only hobby player) I have completely same experience with my guitar. All in all - they nailed it with Fusion 3. And one more thing - compared to stainless steel frets on SC-550 II that are smooth like a glass - these need some polishing or playing to get same smoothness.
Got the same guitar for about a year, love it. Same story with the stiff volume knob. Love the neck. The neck PU sometimes is too harsh on the treble and needs to be dialed down with the tone control, typical HSS problem I guess. You didn’t mention that you can split the humbucker. Great video!
Yep, it's splittable but I didn't find much use for it for what I normally play. Bridge + Middle combination sounds funky enough even without split
I've been owning a HB Fusion 3 silver sparkle with 2 humbuckers & 22 frets for 1.5 years now. It plays very good, tuning stability is acceptable, but sometimes when using the vibrato/tremolo bar it does not come back exactly to the same position and requires an extra touch to make sure it is in tune. I haven't found any flaws in the construction that could prevent the bar to return to the proper position and, probably, it is because I use 9-42 strings, which put less tension on the springs. Another thing I don't like is the sound of the neck pickup: it is too dark and floppy. I swap pickups soon, hopefully for the best.
Oh, that's the one I wanted! Two of my friends have that exact model and both love it. I'm using 9-42 on my Fusion III, it works with thinner strings. Try some lube/greese on the tremolo studs
Funny...I have the same guitar (one of 7 fusion Pro's I have) and I can deck the trem to complete floppy strings and back again and it always returns in tune?
I have the Fusion 3 with the Floyd. Amazing value, my daily go to player over my Fender and PRS
I wish there was an HSS version with a Floyd
my HH has a coil split, I put some Dimarzio's in because the output when split isn't a big drop off in volume like the Roswells had. My most played guitar
Hi Max, I have the same guitar. I see you lowered the bridge and saddles. Is it possible to make a video on your set up of the bridge and saddles'? Thank you!🙏
Hey. I believe I actually slightly raised the bridge to make sure the trem works in both directions. Saddles must be lowered to compensate. I believe there are tons of videos about setup already, there's nothing new I could possibly add to the topic
This guitar not only sounds good / looks good, it feels good too ! So comfortable to play with standing up.
Is it possible to remove the retainers (string trees) on it to remove additional friction points? On Fusion-II there were staggered tuners, if I recall correctly, maybe here as well.
Do you keep yourself updated on the changes to the current Harely Benton guitars? I see they put plastic nut and no locking tuners on same models that used to have it a couple of years ago.
I try to follow the models I reviewed. Most news I receive from you guys commenting on my videos
I bought same guitar, but in vintage white color(that is new). I didn't expect this quality for the price. All is perfect: the finish, the neck pocket, many "flames" on the maple neck and I didn't have the problem with stucking trem, despite that my guitar is b-stock(it's just luck, I know). I am surprised and very happy
I've had the same Problem with the Tremolo 😅 and fixed it the same way😅 the only Thing I don't like...the Bridge Humbucker don't likes gain, gets extremly microphonic🙉 but all in all, awesome Guitar ❤ The reason why the Singlecoils sounds a bit more " harsh" is simple....lock where they are placed....way closer to the Bridge...means more heigts. On a Strat the Neck Singlecoil is placed where on this Guitar is the 24. Fret
Thanks for sharing! It looks like the tremolo 'thing' happens every now and then. Might have something to do with the assembly process. I understand that routings are made in the very beginning but the studs holes are drilled at the very end to compensate for neck joint imperfections and center the strings. Therefore, sometimes the bridge won't be perfectly aligned with the cavity made for it. But that's just my guess. Annoying? Yes! Could it be designed to account for this issue? Absolutely!
Макс, а на русском будет ещё контент у тебя? Мы там заскучали уже :)
Приобретаю Cort kx500 как вторую гитару, что скажешь? Хороша ли она для второй?
The only thing I don't like about the HB Fusion series, is that the volume pot is too close to the bridge pickup for me ( other than changing pickups for personal taste and higher output )... I always hit the volume knob while playing... everything else is about the most bang for the buck guitar I've found...
Hi! Would you recommend this guitar for math rock/Polyphia guitar playing?
Great review, and step by step recommendations ✌️😉💜😊
8:21 ein wenig WD 40 und der Poti läuft ganz leicht und schnell. Ich würde es allerdings nur auf dem Volume Poti einsetzen. Ich Persöhnlich mag es im Moment aber gerne etwas schwerer.
The only thing that's happened to my HB fusion T in 3 years is the switch in 5th it seems to lose power requiring wiggle. Not no sound but splits to the single I think so I need to take it apart and rewire. Great line HB. Pro series
hi Max, been watching all your harley benton fusion videos, theyre great! I got my own like a month ago and the saddle locking screws got rounded when setting it up :( replacements nowhere to be found so I've been wondering if you can upgrade the bridge to a VS100 right away without any modifications to the body? wouldnt dare to drill the wood to be honest. Thanks if you have any info!
Any review of the tele type HB?
I feel bad cause I can't get a low action whatever I do... tried the neck from 100% straight to the point I have some slack and still buzzing... guess it needs some fretwork!
Great video!
Thanks, Max!
Hey man, are you ok? It's benn a while, i hope you are well
Are you just super lucky to get that flame maple fretboard? The other ones I've seen are just plain roasted maple.
Is the neck closer to an Ibanez Prestige RG or to a Standard Fender strat? If it is the latter, can you recommend a HB that is the closest to an Ibanez Prestige in neck specs?
It's very close to Fender Modern C. Nothing like Ibanez Wizard. Most if not all HBs I played had round necks. I don't remember any with a U shaped profile
Hi....... Max! Can you please make a review on shecter c6 deluxe
Hi, sorry for such a random question but i would really appreciate your opinion on this. So the thing is im planning to buy an ibanez rg421 and a katana mk2 50. I saw your review of the ibanez and except for the background noise it was making it seemed like really nice pick. I also want to mention that this will be my first electric. I have played on an acoustic for about a year now. Do you think this guitar is a good choice? If not, do you have anything else to recommend in a similiar price range?
Hey! Yes, RG421 is a pretty good choice as a first guitar. Two other options I'd recommend are Ibanez AZES which is amazing and any of the HB Fusions
@@MaxSoloMusic thank you! :)
please review Harley Benton Fusion-III HH EB!
I predict that we are going to see Harley Benton Max Solo Signature model in the near future. :)
Haha, not really. Although, there was a funny incident awhile ago when HB texted me saying 'Hey Max, your signature is ready'. It was Guitar MAX's model, they texted the wrong Max 😆
@@MaxSoloMusic 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I have a HB fusion 2 and a Larry Carlton s7 - 5 blade switch..same issues. Both really nice strats though.
Great video! I had my Fusion II for 4 years and I still love it 😁 Only swapped the bridge with a Dimarzio Crunch Lab 🤘
I wonder what it sounds like with that pickup. Worth checking? I haven't swapped any pickups on my Fusions yet
@@MaxSoloMusic Too bad I'm a noob when it comes to recording so I can unfortunately not give any good sound examples 😂 The main reason I swapped the bridge pickup was because the original had really really low output volume. Now it's more balanced with the original neck pickup that I really love 😁
Does that trem bend up or just down only? I don't see a recession cavity. It looks like a strat type down-only set up.
@@guyincognito320 its definitely not like a Floyd Rose but you can move it up and down a bit more compared to a strat. Also it is much more sensitive than a strat tremolo
Hi!! What happened with the part 3 of the Harley benton fusion T? Did you try to change the pickups?
Hey. No, never got time to experiment with that 😕
I play it as a pro, have guitars that are 3000 euro and up that gets me crazy! Thank you!
Hola Max. Gracias por hacer este video. Ando en busca de una harley benton y este tipo de ayuda visual y de experiencia usuario sirve mucho. Un abrazo desde Chile 🇨🇱💪🏼🤘🏼
Hola! I'm glad it was helpful
DUDE FUSION 3 LOOOOKS AWESOME
Thank you
Dzień dobry jakie proponujesz zmienić przetworniki w tej gitarze?
Hey. There's no right answer that'll satisfy everyone. I guess it's a matter of taste. If you like the sound of a particular pickup, it will sound familiar in this guitar as well. All my Fusions still have stock pickups in them.
@@MaxSoloMusic ok. Dziękuję. Zerknij na przetworniki ,,Vermilion,, są świetne w umiarkowanej cenie. Pozdrawiam. 💯👍🎸🤗
what do you think about ibanez grg121dx
Never played it actually. Do you have one?
I owned one. It required some fretwork in the beginning and, of course, setting up intonation and height. Otherwise, it is a good guitar for the money. I personally didn't like the default pickups' sound, but this is very subjective.
@@MaxSoloMusic yeah i was looking to upgrade the default puckups
Hi buddy, please do a review for schecter sun valley super shredder with EMG 80 pickups.... Your reviews are the best in entire youtube....
Do you think it’s possible to buy this guitar as a second one or is it better to look for other options?
Oh absolutely! I've used this HB as my primary guitar for a number of shows and it's stable
same as with women, always a rollercoaster of love & hate 😂🖤🎸
Haha 😆 in this particular case there are more positive things than negative
And they also require a little touch sometimes to make them do what they need to do ;)
А вот этот новый фьюжн мы уже мало видели на стримах
Top contentыч
Hello! I absolutely love your analysis videos and I eagerly watch each one. I've been eyeing a guitar that looks fantastic, but its surprisingly low price has left me a bit unsure about its quality. You might have come across it, or perhaps you'd be interested in checking it out after this message.
I would be thrilled if you could do a review of the Harley Benton R 446 model. Thank you so much!
классно выглядит, цвет приятный
@3.58 wd40 problem solve
The sustain block rubbing on the side of the cavity is such a first-week guitar builder fail. Cheap hardware is why those guitars are cheap. Poor electronics also. Parts are not equivalent because they made in the same factory. That's not how things work.
The friction between the tremolo block and the body is not related to the quality of the hardware, but an error in assembly.
And it is by design: The costs of building these guitars are not cut in the area of quality of the materials and hardware. Those are in fact their main selling points, and it shows as the quality is indeed surprisingly high.
So why are they so inexpensive ? By reducing costs in the building, assembly and quality control process: There are actually no guitar builders involved, (not even first-week ;)) but they are built and assembled by machines: very fast, very precise and in large quantities, so very cost effective.
But just like with humans, there will sometimes be a problem with a machine. This company choose to apply a decent quality control in combnination combined with a very lenient return policy for the ones that slip through, which is much less expensive than a near perfect quality.
For a consumer this means inexpensive products with a high quality, but a slighly higher chance of a small or larger problem. Personally, i really like this policy, as i actually prefer to do my own quality control if it can save me hundreds of euros ;)
@@martijn_yt They fucked up his guitar by design? An interesting way to do business.
Чё, здох канал?))
what can you want from a cheap сhinese guitar...