ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 พ.ค. 2024
- I was hopeful about the Harley Benton TE90 FLT I received. I thought it was a one off.. Acording to Thomann that's not the case.
TimeStapms
0:00 Intro
0:31 Recap
2:12 Quality Control ?
3:02 To Be Expected?
3:48 Grounding Problem?
5:11 Dealing With Thomann
7:11 Thomann's Response
Buying The Guitar Video • Buying My Friend A Gui...
Original Problem Video • I'm Sending The Harley...
Sources (in order of appearance)
SMG- • IS IT CRAP?? Harley B...
Dan Leggatt - • Harley Benton TE90FLT ...
HP42 - • BLASTED! Harley Benton...
Rockpastor Ministries - • Harley Benton TE-90FLT...
The Guitar Geek - • Budget Telecaster with...
Jon is just TOO LouD!! - • Harley Benton TE 90FLT...
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Should have put the serial number in the notes so that the person that gets it can see that Thomson was told about the issue.
Low cost bentons usually dont carry serials
@@nayr87 they come with a proof of ownership paper/ receipt
The power of woodgrain, it is in its self a serial Nr, no other guitar looks like this one.
@@nayr87 Yeah they do. My DC Junior has one.
Good call... 👍
As a guitar and pickup maker I can say with confidence the issue is very likely that the pickups weren’t potted at all. Also if the cover isn’t fitted properly the top of the cover can actually vibrate very slightly which causes instant feedback squealing.
This is especially true if the pickup wasn’t potted at all but can even happen if only the coil bobbins were potted and then the cover installed afterwards.
It's why I got my pickups from Ronnie O' Sullivan
“If a guitar doesn’t function as it should, then it shouldn’t be sold as it does.”
Amen.
If someone buys a guitar under 200 bucks it's his own fault. There will always be someone who can do it cheaper. It's common sens that it has children's blood on it for that price. HB is a scam it's the cheapest Chinese crap you can get. And because it's thomann directly ordering them there's no middleman. So they can cut cost. But thinking they have a quality control is just insane. The factory doesn't do this in general and just look up how many employees thomann has... Then you can calculate how many packages they send out and you see that the even not checking 3000€ guitars. THOMANN is just a warehouse. They get stuff in and send it out. It's not a musicstore where they pack out stuff, check it, set it up and hang it on the wall.
@@AlexisGitarre Thomann are not just a warehouse. They're a warehouse selling broken goods as functioning, and defend it by claiming the guitar is supposed to be broken. It's a fraudulent scam at this point.
@@AlexisGitarre you have issues lol
But it's how it should be
--expert
Imagine buying a brand new car and finding out that it needs suspension and steering work, and that it's on YOU to pay someone else to fix, or to gain the knowledge and buy the tools necessary to do so yourself.
That's what factory guitar companies have been getting away with.
KDH - TH-cam's #1 source of music industry drama.
You should record and post a song called "Thomann (As it should be)" and use that guitar as the microphone for the vocals.
that's an awesome idea
Use this guitar for everything: record drums through it, record vocals through it, record bass, guitar, just full mix
YES!
Brilliant idea!!! 👍👍👍😃😃😃
Kinda like that guy who went viral with the song about United Airlines breaking his Taylor guitar... 👍👍👍😃😃😃
This is a very bad move by Thomann. It's even worse that they did this to KDH. This dude is always looking for a fight. And he wins!!!! 😂
Thomann is a Chappers cawk rider.
The Hall monitor of guitar community
@@danamcwhite and Kelan is fundamentally a very nice, reasonable guy who only complains about stuff with a solid legitimate basis to do so...
He wins because he's right :D
@@danamcwhite interesting community crossover
Funny to see a clip of my video pop at 8:13 🤣
Gutted for you that this happened and the way it’s been dealt with. I’ve always had really great experience with Thomann as a whole. My guitar is the only HB I’ve ever owned so can’t really comment on their QC but based on the active range design flaws and now this, it’s not a great track record in recent times.
I purchased the Harley Benton TE-53KR BL, Keith Richards "Micawber" Telecaster tribute. It came with a switch plate issue where the screws were clearly drilled in sideways. It wasn't, in your face, noticeable, but noticeable enough. Thomann offered me $25 bucks for the inconvenience, which I thought was a joke considering it would cost them $200 to have me ship it back. I asked them to do better, and they wouldn't, even after I explained the logical route. In the end, I just kept it, but only because it was just easier for me to keep it. It will surely be the last guitar I buy from them. I would rather pay more money and get a service package, than pay less and take a huge customer service risk.
I saw you first as Marzi Nyman 😄
I can't believe that Thomann have not followed this up and tried to resolve this, no way should this guitar have left the factory like this, and the so called experts saying this is how it should be.
It's pile them high, sell them cheap. It's not worth them spending time - what do you think the margin is on HB? Even though it's a store brand so they've cut out a middle man it's still not worth their time. And you can have videos saying they're crap but it won't dent the sales because the people buying them are only interested in the price and a guitar that is made to aesthetically look like a more expensive guitar. That it plays at all is really a testament to modern machining. It's like the people who pay for easyjet or ryan air flights and expect the service to be the same as a £300 ticket from a major airline.
The worst thing about these guitars is the number of youtube channels buying them on the premise that they're worth buying or to see what they're like - because they should know better and it's free advertising - all KDH is telling us now is common sense : the guitars are cheap and are going to be full of issues and flaws unless you're really lucky.
More key, it's not expensive enough to even expect a good retailer to spend their time and effort opening the box, inspecting it, maybe fixing the odd issue. Some guitars are worth the money, most of the ones that are not are either really cheap or really expensive. Use your common sense when you pick the price point to go for - and find a retailer who will make sure it's good (because there's enough margin in the price for him to do that) - be wary of the box shifters who sell pricey guitars by just shipping you a box from the manufacturer - because the saving you think you get is a loss when the guitar has a problem - even if they take the return it's still wasted your time and effort.
I once had to return a Behringer combo amp that was meant to be for our little garden practice room, but something was loose and clacking around inside, so we sent it back for a repair/replacement. I painted a little dot on the inside next to the cable. This amp has been neither replaced nor have the loose insides been fixed. They simply sent it back to us
Not shocked. Behringer suck!
I actually just got a 20w behringer combo amp yesterday, its been good so far, i wonder if it was damaged during shipping
@@youmustmonthebiff That was not his point and no, Beringer does not suck.
The point is that Thomann does customer support in similar style, just worse than Amazon.
@@youmustmonthebiff Yup you get what you pay for.
If the amp was otherwise functional and you told them something was rattling when you move it, I could see them being like "and?..."
But yeah its annoying when that happens.
"But...but but all of these youtubers who have affiliate links said they were a massive bargain and played as good as their $4000 custom shops!"
😂😂😂😂
They wouldn't lie to us!
They couldn't!
Gotta use the affiliate links to get good guitars
Harley Benton sells a guitar for $150. So that means it probably cost $20 to get it made.
I ordered two Harley Benton's, B-stocks no less, and they were both pristine and perfectly set-up right out of the box. Not a scratch anywhere, function perfectly, low action and good intonation like they'd been professionally set up. Fusion-t and a ja-60. Guess I got lucky, I can't believe what you went thru
Also bought 2 b-stock bentons, perfectly set up out of the box
I have around 26 guitars, including 6 HB guitars, Fenders, Gretsch, Epiphone, etc. Been playing for over 50 years. I have never had the types of issues you talked about with my HB guitars. I did have one that came in with a crack in the bridge. I took a photo, sent it to Thomann's customer service. They responded very fast, asked me if I wanted to return the guitar or would I accept a replacement bridge. I liked the guitar, so I went with the replacement. They two-day shipped me a new bridge, and requested that I retain the broken bridge for 6 months in case they saw a recurring issue. I replaced the bridge, and love the guitar. It's now been over a year and there have been no further issues. I am a fan of Thomann and Harley Benton.
Actually you bring up a good point there man- if that was someone's first guitar, it might be enough to put them off learning the instrument full stop. Hell if I can manage to remember where I bought my first guitar after 30+ years, I feel Thomann is not only damaging itself, but it goes deeper- we *all* lose out. Because that one person may put that instrument down for good and we potentially lose an astonishing guitarist and music that we never got a chance to hear.
Good they might buy a bass instead! Too many guitarists. Me included haha.
I tell that to everybody looking for their first guitar. If you get a piece of crap, more than likely it will end up sitting in a corner until death do us part.
@@unabrazoatodoslosbuenos I live in the Shetland Islands so I don't really have the luxury of trying lots of guitars before I buy. There's one small but absolutely awesome music shop here and after buying my Jackson for £530 just for all the Floyd Rose hardware being made out of shitty soft metal, I'll never buy another guitar without going there first. The extra money well is worth it
Indonesia wins
Make as cheap as possible , cut out the middle man and sell cheap !!!!
If that's how it "should" be then Thomann need to add "Includes fully Microphonic pickups" in the product description...
China has kept more expensive companies out of the world market by having workarounds on the cheaper products. If he was to wax the pickups, the problem should go away.
@@orlock20 wax does not impact this. Plenty of guys remove wax for that "vintage toan 1!!1" and the pickups still work as they should.
I’ve not heard of people having issues with Thomann’s customer care before. I suppose it’s bound to happen with such a massive company. Unfortunately for them they’ve let down someone who has a platform to talk about it.
> 16.000.000 customers, > 30 full truckloads leaving Thomann every single day. It's the Amazon of musical instruments. Good normally but IMHO it became just uncontrollable.
Right.they are awesome nice to me.idk.
I have 2 HBs. One came with a neck with shit conditioned fret ends, totally unusable. HB customer service was garbage, no help at all. So, before you make a comment like that, think twice.
@@davidschultz5209 I said I haven’t heard of people. Why the f&ck would I need to “think twice” because some f&ck knuckle with an attitude problem had issues? Get f&cked.
Sorry that you did not understand my post. I stated I had big "issues with Thomann's customer service." That is was very poor, and this was not just a unique isolated situation. The point being, It doesn't matter how big or massive a company is; the customer service should take care of mistakes WHEN THEY HAPPEN. You prove nothing with language like that, only that you have issues.
They probably forgot to wax pot an entire batch in the factory and some lucky chaps end up with the full amount of toan.
I had some Alan Holdsworth signature pickups that aren't wax potted, they were a little buzzer, but definitely not microphonic
No it's a wiring issue. Unwaxed pickups are still not microphonic.
Some people remove the wax for that classic sound, like Dave Simpson, and they don't become microphonic.
Some fucker just gets an entire wax guitar LOL
@@adiohead if you want to just play at home or recording you dont need wax potting. I think Dylan pickups have a humbucker without potting, and is his favourite, he made a video about the topic. But if you want to play live they are not the best option. Its for the classic sound as you mentioned. But with poor quality pickups that could be a problem, that plus not great quality pots and wiring, probably kill the guitar.
Their experts have basically instructed us to never buy their guitars. Good job, experts.
Spot on, that's how that email made me feel as well. I know things are tough and is getting tougher in Continental Europe, but still.
What a whiny bs. Every company has customer support fails. If you better clarify it to them and insist on the problem I'm sure they would offer a replacement.
@@CalzNL Nah you're the whiny pussy bro , girls probably walk all over you.
@@CalzNL So you're saying it's a customer problem due to a failure of clarification and insistence regarding the problem?🙄
@@deaddoll1361 no I'm saying every customer support makes errors but that doesn't mean they are intentionally trying to screw customers. I'm sure with some persistence the problem would get solved properly because Thomann usually is very good with repairs and returns. Making a frikking TH-cam video about it is blowing things out of proportion and unnecessarily giving the company a bad reputation.
Did you take the bridge off and check that the ground wire is actually making a good connection?
I had a bass once that had the string ground wire under the bridge slightly sunken into the paint, enough so that a connection was not being made.
I just moved the wire a little bit and fixed the issue.
Could it be a cold solder joint causing the grounding issue?
It's a shame, i have that guitar and it's great. I've had to return guitars to Thomann in the past too and they were super helpful, I'm quite shocked at how they've handled this.
Same. I had issues and they were extremely helpful. Im not sure what happened inbetween the timeframe i bought a guitar and now but since then ive seen a ton of vids about issues and customer service and they def need to get their shit together
Yep, I returned (or swapped) a few items in maybe over ten years and never a problem. But this sucks....
I have 2 HB guitars in the 100-200 range, and both of them have been more than deserving of a price like that. (Granted you should be prepared to adjust the guitar before you get to play and the pods are garantueed to scratch earlier than not.)
I did go through a lot of trouble some years ago when they forgot to add a a guitar to my order. Just imagine, they forgot to add A GUITAR, not a pack of strings or picks. Not only did I have to call them because nobody was answering my emails, but they didn't even bother to check if it was their mistake in the first place, they asked for pictures of the box in which the order arriver, to check for damage first of all. They also said that they would call me back the next day and let me know what happened. They didn't, I had to call them for four consecutive days to get an answer from them. Awful customer service from my experience, but luckily these mistakes happen rarely.
Their customer service has gone downhill in the last year or two. I've also had amazing experiences with them going back almost 15 years, but lately it's nowhere near the level of service I've come to expect from them.
By the way, if you buy more expensive guitars from other brands, you explicitly have to ask Thomann to check the instrument. I bought a Fender Player Plus Meteora this year and it had a bunch of issues. They confirmed me via email that they don't check all the guitars before sending them out. Maybe premium instruments (over 2k or 3k? No idea). Eventually, I got a discount (could've sent it back, but managed to fix all the problems)
I emailed Gear4Music in the UK a few months back about a guitar to ask if they could send me a few photos of it before I pulled the trigger it. The guitar in question was an E-II M-II evertune which at the time was £2599. They said they don't do inspections on instruments or even open the box before sending them out. So it's not always a given even with premium instruments! Needless to say I took my money elsewhere.
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe tbh, this is shocking! For that price tag? Omg... Where did you buy the guitar? You can't always buy locally unfortunately (at least in my part of Austria)
At least you got an awesome guitar in the end! Those are so sweet. Did you get the silver burst one,??
Does your bridge pickup have considerably less output than the neck pickup? I played a Meteora recently and really dug it, but the pickups were hilariously unbalanced. Wasn't a pickup height issue, either.
@@HarlanHarvey76 yes I did. And I like it a lot and still have it. I made a video about the issues, it's on my own channel (search for L&M Guitar Corner and Fender meteora if you're interested)
Man, I remember my first electric... 15 years ago. Squire Bullet, was like 70e new in store, regular price, my guitar teacher checked it out in store for me, no issues at all, even after years of use. I used it with single coils, for extremely high gain metal :D
Bloody hell, for 70€ you'd be lucky to get a Dimavery, with frets sticking out and shredding your hands, not a Squire.
Mike Rutherford plays a Bullet Squire Strat. I have one I snagged for $99 from Guitar Center on some sort of crazy sale. It's really a very playable guitar with very versatile tones. I finally did a full setup on it last year. It's even better.
I remember HB changed from using Wilkinson pickups to Roswell because counterfeit product was getting into their supply chain, maybe this has happened with the pickups that are in this model.
Thomann have to work within the law, in the UK the sales of goods act states that if a product is not fit for the intended purpose then you are entitled to a full refund, but as you say once you return that guitar someone will end up buying it as a B stock, when people buy B stock and they request a replacement or refund they let the customer keep the faulty guitar, I have seen 2 examples of this.
Nice guitar shaped mic you got!
Curious how the mic stand would look like :D
@@lukaslmguitarcorner 😂😂
I prefer the Shure Unidyne.
Told ya they would say that .
They kinda had no choice and its part of a much bigger problem of the. "We'll NEVER admit we're Wrong " era we're currently in .
I bought a single cut LP Junior style guitar from Thomann. The SCJR in limited edition silver sparkle. I didn't play it much in the first thirty days because I was doing other things. Eventually I started playing it and it was IMPOSSIBLE to adjust the action to have no buzz and be playable. EVEN AT 3.5 millimeters on the twelveth fret it buzzed. Upon close inspection, it was clear that the set neck was not mounted correctly. The angle was too steep. This would fall under the 3 year warranty.
Thomann first asked for photos. Then they asked for a video. Then they had me take it to a guitar tech to get an estimate of having the frets leveled. THEN after they were told the price for the repair, THEY THEN CLAIMED THAT THE NECK HAD WARPED DUE TO HUMIDITY PROBLEMS! That was total crap. The guitar was fully covered in paint with the exception of the fingerboard. It was kept indoors and never left my room. There was no humidity problem to cause the neck to warp. IT WASN'T WARPED!
So Thomann REFUSED TO HONOR THEIR 3 YEAR WARRANTY! So I had a guitar that cost $189 plus $65 shipping.
NEVER BUY FROM THOMANN!!! They have ZERO INTEGRITY!!! Eventually I sold it to a guy who thought he could fix it. I lost $100 on it. NEVER BUY FROM THOMANN!!!
At least KDH got a refund.
Yes, visit an actual guitar shop! They are usually perfect when looking for entry level/starter gear. Buy some strings and a strap too. We need to keep these local guys in business!
most likely their "experts" are offshore workers who have never used a guitar before
made in a chinese factory for peanuts its how all their stuff is so cheap
@@asd3601 That is only for the real low end HBs, this one and above is made in Indonesia. Even higher end HBs, although still made in Indonesia has higher QC (at least one can hope so) and Korean parts (FR 1000series, the step before the OFR) and SS frets, although not top quality SS fret, but SS none the less.
@@Masterfighterx What models? I’ve yet to see anything they make that isn’t made as cheaply as possible in China! There’s a reason why these things are cheap and it’s definitely not quality! In the end regardless if it’s made in China or somewhere else in Asia who will build it as quickly and cheaply as possible it’s not going to last and the moment you buy it it’s already worthless.
@@werewolflover8636 So you haven't looked at their guitars for a good few years then..
The fusion series have roasted flamed maple necks, Korean made FR 1000 series, SS frets, made in Indonesia, just like the guitar in the video.
Some of their guitars have gotoh tuners, emg pickups.
Agufish is (hopefully) soon getting his second line of signatures to release and they (ash top) look amazing, there are also solid pastel coloured coming
Single cut
Mahogany body
Roasted flamed maple neck
Thin U neck shape as on ESP/LTD, his favourite.
Ebony board
SS frets
Korean T.O.M
Korean made pickups that are made to sound like his favourite set of bareknuckles
Sandblasted and coloured ash top
Graphtech nut
Luminlays
Rolled fingerboard edges
Straplocks
Grovere locking tuners
@@werewolflover8636 Indonesia is seen as the next korea in terms of mass produced guitars, remember, Korea was once bottom of the pit and so was Japan, Japan now makes some of, if not the best guitars.
Despite the pickups and other cosmic flaws I would bet this guitar is great to play on. I had the TE-52 which is cheapest than this, and while it also had its flaws it was really comfortable to play.
Really pathetic of them to say thats how it should be, its their house brand 🤯
It makes ZERO difference how inexpensive a product is, it legally has to perform adequately for its intended purpose, or else it falls foul of (at least in the UK) the Trade Descriptions Act. And I’m pretty sure Germany/the EU has the same legal requirements
Thanks for the review, I,ve place an order yesterday, now I see your video, I contact HB to ask them if the noise issue is resolved, they say they have no info regarding improvements on the TE-90 FLT -_____- ..... order canceled
Use a ohm meter and measure the resistance from the strings and the shield of the output?
It happened to me with a Grestsch guitar. I also had to send Thomann's "experts" a demo video. After 2 or 3 days, they told me that it was "normal" for the guitar to have a big ground noise when the volume is at zero... I replied that I've been playing the guitar for almost 40 years and that's the first time I hear such BS and they seem to forget that there are customers who really know the subject when it comes to guitar. I was furious that they took me for a fool...
Did you compare it with another guit to show them how bad the issue was? If you didn't, I can make 'normal' PUs sound similar, that's probably what they wanted to prevent. To show the extent of the issue, you need a point of reference. Without a point of reference, more than likely user error.
@@literalghost929 What? Are you serious? The grounding noise was very loud for a guitar at that price, I guarantee you that it was not "normal". No need to compare with another to realize it.
@@nicosteream Yeah, for you it might be evident, not for others; ex aka; tech support guy. Every guit has inherent noise. Whether it's acceptable depends on the amp volume, PU types, etc. You can't take the customer's word for cash when you're doing tech support or the such.
@@literalghost929 Well... I sent them a video with a test in clean sound, in crunch and in High Gain, i changed the cable between each sound. Ground noise was strong for all 3, the issue was obvious and It was also obvious that they were looking for an excuse not to refund. Are you a Thomann expert? You seem to want to defend them. I had no idea that I would have to justify myself in the comments of a TH-cam video...
@@nicosteream When did I ask you to justify yourself? I don't think I've ever asked you to do such a thing. Maybe if you weren't paranoid and so quick to believe that Thonman employees are out to get you you'd have seen my question for what it was!
You should and please do show the serial number on that guitar so people know it was just put back on the shelf and resold without the issues resolved… love your videos brother….
I simply wouldn't buy such a model from the B-Stock of Thomann in the near future 🙂!
Cheap guitars have no serial number.
How do you prove it's yours if it's lost or stolen, without a s/n, and surely they don't have "b stock" at this price point?
The power of woodgrain, it is in its self a serial Nr, no other guitar looks like this one.
Cheap guitars do have serial numbers. Fireflys do. If I was able to post pictures of mine I can prove it. They are $200 or less guitars depending on the model but they all have serial numbers
Not only do they not QC the stuff they sell, but when you ask for money back it takes 5 to 7 weeks. I bought a LTD MH-1000 and paid €1600 for it. The bridge pickup didn't work, the Floyd Rose was installed crooked and the CNC machine must have had a bad day because the cavity for the Floyd was 3mm off which meant there was a 2mm gap in the top of the floyd and 1mm on the bottom. I waited 7 weeks for my money back AFTER they got the guitar back... Thats a lot of money. I will never buy a expensive guitar from Thomann again. Edit: I also bought a EMG 57/66 set, the bridge pickup didn't work. I told them that the pickup was defective, didn't get any answer back before 5 days later. I shipped the pickups back and a couple of days after I got the email that the pickups had arrived and was being checked by "experts" I saw a B-stock set on their website. The bridge pickup had next to no output... Well Thomann doesn't care.
I had three £1000+ basses from Thomann and they all had issues. The first had cracks and flaking paint around the neck pocket, they offered £40 off if I dealt with fixing it.
The second was obviously used, dirty and had dead strings, it had clearly seen a fair bit of use and I didn't want to pay full price for a clearly used bass.
The third had the bridge installed in the wrong place, proper intonation couldn't be dialled in without repositioning the bridge, by this point I was so fed up of dealing with their
customer service that I had a luthier rectify it and sold it on.
Everyone has been asking me to review these guitars. I think I'll just point them to this video. 😅
Oh go on, doc, I'd love to see the deep ass ripping job you'd do on it.
Genuinely a complete interest killer in ever buying from them, and they deserve it for this
Same, I was tempted by a Fusion 3 and I'm massively reconsidering now.
I have the cheapest 7 string multiscale that Thoman sells and it's fantastic. I own two majesty's, too, so I know what a good guitar is. 🤘
@@SwedeSpeeder You mean those white/black ones right? I am considering getting a fanfret, either go ultra cheap or ultra expensive.
@@SwedeSpeeder I'm sure they can be fine, it's just that it appears to be a coinflip whether you get a duffer or not and then I've heard multiple stories of their QC team just flat out refusing to do anything about it.
@@Robster881 Exactly my sentiment. I absolutely believe they make fine guitars but I'm not willing to coin flip with any triple digit purchase
Look forward to following you getting the proper guitar. Take us along with you ! 😀
You should take that HB guitar with you on your guitar search and ask all the "professionals" you meet along the way if this is how it should be....
That's a good idea. "Shame" Thomann and make a video series atst.
It also prevents some youngster or beginner getting "bagged" with it, because that's definitely what is going to happen.
I was about to buy a couple of HB juniors - I have now emailed HB and Thomann linking this - and telling them I will now go elsewhere. Thanks for the timely heads up!
Well, while it is good to base your choices on other people's experience, doing it on just one is almost as good as doing it on none. While this particular example is very unfortunate, mainly because of the response from Thomann, wwhich is very very very bad, there are actually tons of people very happy with what they got for the money, including me (one of the instruments I own was a b-stock and perfectly fine). My experience with their customer service is also very good.
@@ondrejkauzal8969 True, but showing them the results of their bad behavior might cause them to take better care in the future.
@@indiedavecomix3882 But I am not saying otherwise, right?.
It happened to Glen on SWG as well. 2 different TH-cam guitarist who actively have an audience. If they can't get it right for them, they'll just piss on the rest of us.
I've had 3 HB guitars from Thomann 2 which were basses and were excellent straight out of the box. I recently bought a HB TE20HH guitar which had multiple excellent reviews on TH-cam. On arrival it was pretty much unplayable and I wondered if the guitar had previously been a return as there wasn't the usual paper sleeve with silica gel parcels around the strings. The action was incredibly high and intonation way off. The main point of contention was the humbucker pickups did not sit parallel to the strings which looked pretty awful and no amount of adjustment with the height screws made it any better. I contacted Thomann who took 2 days to respond to my email who stated I could return for a replacement or refund. I would have liked to return for a replacement but in my situation it would have been very inconvenient and probably expensive, there was no mention as to whether they would pay the (probably very expensive) return postage.
I decided to keep the guitar and try to fix the problems myself. Bought a luthier tool kit and set to work, as I intended to swap the string set to lighter gauge 9's the rest of the strip down was easier. The pick-up level problem was due to distorted adjustment springs which I replaced and I also put foam rubber blocks in the cavity to improve the stability, on the recommendation of another TH-cam owner I took a little of the paint off the underside of the bridge to help with earthing and reduce buzz, which it did. For my own convenience I replaced the tuners with locking tuners.
All in all I spent an extra £50 plus about 3-4 hours of my time getting the guitar to the way it should be, as it is now its a superb instrument, plays well, sounds excellent and looks good, Thomann QC is absolute s**t though.
It starts to look more like a Thomann's massive fail...
I received my Fender Am Pro II Strat RW OWT with nut problems and poor quality fretboard. My assessment: I've made a list with jobs to be done in order to get a "Fender-certified quality assurance" instrument... nut replacement, fingerboard overhaul, fretboard edges overhaul, new setup... and then I remembered what I paid... full price, no discount.
I am not the only one having this same problem on the same model (one guitar sold online with discount by Anderton's UK / rejected by customer) beginning of 2023. I was offered a replacement from Thomann and my request to do their own QC on the replacement was rejected... meanwhile model is out of stock... replenishment... with big chances of even longer delays due to holly days season/bad weather in Europe.
Meanwhile I'm waiting in a limbo for Thomann's experts to give their assesment (probably overwhelmed by huge volume of returns lately) and to be allowed to play big money at the next lottery... maybe I will win a true "Fender-certified quality assurance" instrument... or maybe not... who knows...
Yeeeyyy!!! Christmas fun... with Thomann
There are two issues here . The quality of HB guitars which , in my opinion is unbelievable for the price , and the quality of Thomann's after sales service . Given their size I can't believe they weren't on to this like a shot . When your business model is based on trust and distance selling , as opposed to hands on trying out , it seems crazy to take a risk with customer's patience . If every rare dispute involves a 100% or even 200% loss it still makes sense to keep the customer satisfied .
"quality of HB guitars which , in my opinion is unbelievable for the price "
But so is the quality of other housebrands, such as J&D, or Fazley, Jet... all very similar products .
The only difference is the hype created around HB guitars.
Even channels usually reviewing high end guitars now all of a sudden praise HB.
How can a HB T-style guitar be that much better than it's competition when they clearly use exactly the same parts?
"Sounds and feels like a guitar twice the cost (hurray, then you have a 150 euro guitar!)... I could gig with this...etc..."
@@JeanClaudePeeters This is something that I have noticed. Nobody really talked about HB guitars until they started getting aggressively sent out to TH-cam guitar influencers and if there is one thing that as a influencer is actually good at, it is being a free, easily manipulated tool for marketing departments. HB isn't bad but it isn't really any better than other house/entry level brands. They are not some diamond in the rough.
@@Great-Documentaries Absolutely. Had both a Squier affinity and an Harley Benton 8 string. The squier has perfect fretwork, i just put an hotrail in the bridge, a push pull and new tuning pegs (30bucks klusons) and it's just a good guitar all around to play, I'm in no way a professional luthier but I've just lowered the action and did a setup and it has an extremely low action like my ibanez. The HB had rusted screws in the bridge, 2 faulty tuning pegs (the string detuned in steps and not linearly), the nut was too big for the neck and it would cut into your hand as you played the first fret. The neck itself was cut too short on the high strings side from the first to the fourth fret. It literally wasn't parallel to the bass side. I've sold it to a shop after 2.5 years. That neck was incredibly easy and comfortable to play tho, so the people that got the good ones are extremely lucky.
It seems to me that the HB business model is primarily based on a low price and an incredibly aggressive advertising campaign, and that is has worked, and will continue to work for a long while, primarily because of name recognition.
I've heard significantly more about issues regarding Squiers than with HB though (almost never hear people having problems). I've heard people saying that they've experienced about a 50/50 or a 67 percent chance of getting one that doesn't have significant issues. I myself have had a couple of Squier CV's, and one of them came with a couple of dings in the paint, but wasn't really a significant problem for me. Just didn't feel that it was worth the full price. Also it had grease all over on the pickguard in the area around the pots. And it wasn't purchased as a B-stock (the other cv was and had no issues 😆). Thomann paid me a small and fair amount of compensation for it. No problem 😊
And I'm from Europe, so not expensive for me to get stuff shipped from them at all. Free returns as well.
I had a very bad experience with them recently along the same lines. They refused to pay me back after they sent a broken guitar. I returned and they made me jump through so many hoops. Videos and photos and it was horrible. It took a month to pay me back. I had to threaten with legal matters. They are scum at the moment. Doesn’t surprise me at all you went through this. Almost the same for me.
So harley benton are scum bags? Should I buy Squier instead???
@@jogmas12 wouldn't hurt, I've played some squiers that are better than fenders
@@oprasminj3422 the thing is HB puts in Alnico magnet pickups in their guitars that cost as little as $139. In Squier you have to pay more to get Alnico magnet pickups.😕
@@oprasminj3422 really my gripe is the guitar, being a musical instrument, suffers from having so many charlatans in the business. You don’t get this sort of thing if you buy a trumpet, or saxophone or violin.
This reminds me of musicians friend had similar situation with my bass rig I received the cab damaged and they wouldn't even take it as a return without me taking a 50% hit... This was 6 years ago still tell people to stay away from them as I've heard worse story's with guitars being received with broken necks (Gibson in multiple cases) along with others and again Musicians friend being anything but a musicians friend in these cases why almost souly do business with Sweetwater and zzounds as they have both done awesome and give free 2 year warranty any issues and it's taken care of.
I've heard about quite a lot of issues with HB guitars. About a week prior, I bought JA Baritone as my first guitar, and so far, nothing too bad - there are some like minor scratches(a couple millimiters at best) on the body, but it is pretty solid in the other regards(I wish I could say same about my playing skills). I think HB is good for it's low price in some market niches, where the price is usually really big, especially for people from poorer countries(like, finding another 30" baritone for that price is almost comical). But I think it's fair to look for alternatives instead, if there are in the same price range.
How's it holding up man?
@@thedude7726 Playing through Boss Katana 50. The quality in headphones isn't that great(probably cause 50 is in mono when recording/playing through headphones, instead of stereo). As for the quality purely via amp - I went through Tone Studio, and oh my, it is amazing on rhythm preset, lead and clean. Speaking of the guitar itself - the build is good. Neck is solid, came without any problems. The only two problems is switch(it's really shite, so I just play on bridge pickups), and the fact that P90's are a bit noisy, which can be fixed by noise gate(though I love that djentish, processed sound, so if you love something rougher, it may suit you). Overall, the guitar is pretty amazing for the buck. If you're playing via Sound Interface, and plugins such as Neural DSP, I think the only problem for you may be switch(I think they've upped the QC with the latest iterations of this model, as I haven't seen so many people complain about quality now, compared to its initial release). Recently bought R-446 Blue Metallic, can't wait when it will come to me.
Do these QC issues happen with cabs too?
Your move , Thomann . We are all watching !
Great video , Happy New Year !
You need a multi-meter; tugging it and "seems fine" and "is fine" are different. Many times I've had solder joints that "seem fine" and are not. A quick continuity test is the only way to make sure.
Having a weak or sold solder joint could be the reason for excessive noise but it wouldn't cause extreme microphonics. This issue is clearly related to the pickups themselves. Sounds like they aren't wound tight enough.
@@devilsguitaristmusic I fully agree. This issue isn't standard HB. May be the pickups aren't wax potted. Anyhow: It was NOT a clever idea to toss in the box a card stating QC passed ;) ;) ;)
Omg. This is my experience with Thomann all over again. A midi dj controller that malfunctioned out of the box and they were reluctant to allow for a replacement because it was “working as it should”… I’d watched hundreds of videos, I even contacted the manufacturer to make sure. In the end I had to ask the manufacturer to contact Thomann so they’d stop gaslighting me. They accepted the return, sent me a new unit and it’s been working perfectly ever since. This was in 2018…
With reluctant customer service as that I won't the chance of ordering anything from them (I had been looking at and considering several products from Thomann until know). 100% good customer service is essential, especially when ordering from someone not in town.
I was buying a new camera (DSLR), but I didn't want the kit lens which came with the camera body. The shop wouldn't sell me the camera body (as it's a DSLR a camera body without a lens is a perfectly complete stand-alone product.. but no). So I was forced to buy online. I got the camera, with the lens I wanted, plus another zoom lens I had also ordered. After a few days I noticed a color tint at the edge of photos taken with the zoom lens. I sent an email to the company, I got an immediate reply "we're sending you a replacement lens and a pre-paid shipping label for sending the original one back. Express." It arrived over night, I switched the old lens for the new one using the same box while I was in the post office, slapped on the shipping label and returned it.
Naturally I've never been reluctant about buying more things from that company. Trustworthy. That's the kind of customer service needed.
I also had an issue with a reverb stomp box I bought online from another company - it stopped working after a while. Sent an email, they just sent me a replacement right away, "keep the old one, maybe you can fix it one day" (maybe I can, I'm an EE after all). Again, a company I buy from again and again.
If a company fails customer service like you described and making it difficult for customers, just walk away, never come back.
Wouldn’t this problem point to those pickups being “unpotted”, ie not filled with wax to prevent sympathetic vibration of the coils?
Now imagine if this had happened to some parent buying their kids first guitar for Christmas, and not to KDH who is fully equipped to deal with it. Best of luck getting this resolved man, we know you will.
Everybody - even parents - could easily deal with that, you can just send the guitar back and get a full refund, no questions asked.
Honestly Thomann is the most consumer friendly music store I have ever dealt with.
He just bought the wrong guitar for what he wants to use it, he can just send it back.
There is literally nothing to "resolve"
@@modestoney1577 the wrong guitar for what he wants to use it lol. What would be the correct use of this guitar?
@@modestoney1577 : they wouldnt know the guitar was bad. It's a first guitar, parents know nothing usually. You would know it's bad, I would know it's bad....but someone totally new to guitar? So the kid is stuck with a VERY terrible guitar, that will never sound good...... this can result in giving up, and that is a shame.
@@batiris Low volume clean Jazz works best with my guitar with highly microphonic pickups, Sounds awesome. It`s not about "correct use" it is about finding the fitting guitar for what you wanna play.
@@keesketsers5866 LOL, if the problem is permanent squealing, then of course they would realise there is a problem. If there is no obvious problem detectable, well than there is no obvious problem, is there? Plus everything, every Christmas gift, toy or whatever can be faulty. A company cannot do more than offer you an easy exchange - if you are too dumb to realise that there is something wrong and therefore don`t send it back, it is really not the company`s fault.
Great video! Your channel is so cool, i love how you are unbiased and do investigative reporting
I appreciate this. So many reviews for Harley Benton are usually about being "surprised at how good a cheap guitar is." Having been a player for more than 40 years, this always sounds 'too good to be true.' I have pretty high standards, but I have bought cheap guitars made by bigger name brands, which turned out to be terrible, but without any of the glaring issues you found in this instrument; they were 'functional,' as you put it--just not to my liking. But this example is a travesty, which suggests what we all should already know: a company making great looking instruments and selling them for dirt-cheap prices is making some serious compromises in quality at some point in the process. Cosmetics get your attention, and the low prices are how they hook you and reel you in. I have totally sworn off buying cheap instruments; I'd rather spend more money on a guitar that I know is quality made and has actual resale value, should I decide it's not for me. The worst part about it is that these guitars are aimed at novices who likely don't even realize what they're getting.
I do have to say that this is not something I or anyone I know has ever experienced with Harley Benton (or Thomann in general). I've had a Flying V for a 100 bucks (10 years ago), an acoustic travel guitar for 80 bucks including gigbag (~5 years ago) and a bass a friend lent me (don't know the price), and every one of those instruments was surprisingly good for the price, meaning absolutely usable, decently set-up, no sharp frets or anything, not even cosmetic issues, okay sound. Now obviously I wouldn't recommend them as a main instrument for a serious player, but that's not what they're intended for. For beginners or as a beater instrument, they're absolutely fine.
Price on Guitars is just prestige. I got 2 Spector Dimension 5 Basses and both of them had massive issues. One costs arround 2,2k.
Got a HB Fusion EMG Tele for 450€. Build quality was great.
Its more about the Setup - the Frets and overall stuff.
If you can set up your guitar right, get good strings which play into the pickups you got and get yourself a fretpolish set you can buy a lot of HB Guitars and you will be very happy.
Thing is Harley Benton and Behringer build shit for so long that people instandly call it crap.
That may is still true in the lowest price options, but on the slightly less lower option side you get incredible stuff.
Id say the HB Fusion EMG (EMG70 - SS Frets - Locking Tuner - Luminlays - Rolling Stringtree - Roasted Maple - Graphtec bridge) whould cost atleast 800-1000 on every other manifacturer (even if they whould be used better Lockings)
OK seven months later what happened? Did Glen get anew guitar? Did Thomann sort it all out?
Yup, no plans to ever buy a Harley Benton guitar now. Thanks for the warning brother.
you let this one guy/video scare you away? sad. I've been buying HB's for years never had an issue. But here's a story that might scare you away from a bigger brand. I paid nearly two grand for a guitar and it was unplayable. The only thing good on it was the pickups. The frets were uneven, so there was buzz, the fret ends were so sharp it actually tore skin on my hand. Don't ever buy a "named" brand guitar because of my one experience...
Missed a trick here. I would of secretly marked it with a bit of tiny yellow sticker somewhere, wait a few months and then mention where you put it in another video. See if the guitar re surfaces with a new customer. Someone I know did this before I knew him. He bought a tape deck for a C64 back in the day. It had a fault, he returned it to the shop, who then sold it to me a few days later. I bought it, then met him and made friends a week later and we ended up playing games at his house. I told him my new C64 tape deck didnt work well. He came round and looked at it, showed me where he put a tiny dot of yellow paint to mark it and it was there.
Excusing it because of the low price is bullshit.
If a kid saves up all summer to buy their first guitar, it's heartbreaking if it sucks that bad.
"the interface was easy and pleasant to use"
whenever you hear KDH calmly praising something about a company he's about to roast you know it's just the calm before the storm.
Very interesting, I’ve got 2 Harley Bentons, simply because price. Now I’m aware, as you are, that buying cheap is a gamble, and flaws etc are to be expected. But basic functionality is surely a given. Or replacement of defective. One of the guitars I bought was 3/4 scale for my kids, they were al excited, couldn’t wait to have a shot.
I just have a picture of the disappointment had it not worked, then to be told it’s not going to work because “that’s how it’s supposed to be “.
I can understand why your annoyed, and if they won’t see you right, what chance have the rest of us got!
Did you ever check the pickups by taking them out of the body? Something has come loose in the pickups causing them to become defective.
Thomann have really dropped the ball here. It is insulting to every one of us guitarists to say that this is how it should be. Absolutely ridiculous.
People like you are a treasure to the guitar community. Keep up the good work!
i agree as a guitar fiend with lackluster playing skills
Well - it's a typical problem with pickups that aren't wax potted. It can vary depending on how the wire sits inside the pickups so you can be lucky or unlucky with those pickups. And the reason why most modern pickups are wax potted these days. As those are replicas from vintage pickups it's possible they didn't get that treatment. I looked them up on the Roswell homepage (as those Roswell pickups are no Harley Benton specific pickups indeed) but that page doesn't say anything about that. So I think it's more a problem with those Roswell pickups than with Harley Benton indeed. And if they aren't wax potted it's also kinda true that's "how it should be" although it's bad in this case even for waxless pickups.
That's exactly what I thought. Pretty sure these are not wax pottet. They probably just use pickup tape to keep everything in place. Probably was fine before shipping and then went loose because of treatment during shipping.
I'm glad they always helped me out when I had any issues with their products. But I give them a call - immediate possibility to discuss things with them makes it so much easier.
@@johanneschristopherstahle3395 Yeah, these are unpotted. They're going to squeal when you turn the amp up and stick the guitar next to it.
Is it because the windings are loose?
I sent mine back too and got a refund. I didn't trust the QC to guarantee a replacement would be any better. Apart from being very microphonic (both pickups) I noticed that one of them was out of line with the strings by a couple of centimetres - so much so that you could see the two pickups didn't align with each other at all. How anyone in QC could have missed that is a mystery. In addition, the neck was slightly offset, but enough to cause the high "E" string to actually be right on the edge of the neck so the slightest movement could mean it caught on one of the fret ends and stuck there.
I was so disappointed because this was the first HB guitar I have had that I needed to send back. (I have a few and I am very happy with them. Especially the Rickenbacker 12 String Electric copy).
I had been attracted to the TE90 FLT for its high treble pick up system which is unlike any other in my collection and on the videos I had seen of the instrument (all illustrated in your video) the sound was fairly unique. Also, the guitar was such a cool looking object out of the box that it was a wrench to actually re-box it and send it back.
Luckily, I sent photos with my refund request and they were enough to convince the team that there was something wrong with the instrument. I didn't add an example of the microphonic noise, because the other aspects were enough to prove my point. Unusually poor instruemtn that is definitely not up to HB or Thomann's usual standards.
Sorry to hear this response from Thomann as I've bought several guitars, including B-stock from them without issues, except on two occasions (a Squier Strat with a warped pickguard and a Squier P-bass with a faulty tone pot) when they were very helpful and replaced both, quickly and without question. I'm due to receive another B-stock guitar this week so I hope it's OK!
Breaks my heart because i love HB. My blue ocean flame 2 has been awesome to me after i got the fret board filed down a bit. I'm really going to miss having confidence in them that the guitars at least work if not in perfect mint condition
I bought one of these (exact same model/color) the first week they were released & they did NOT have this issue, nor has it developed in the time since. The pickups have been immaculate & the best thing about it for me :/
1. the buzz is a grounding problem most likely;
2. the feedback and microphony most likely is a pickup wax potting problem (as in missing it).
3. (or 2+.) the body tapping being picked up and such can also be an issue with the pickup adjustment "ringing" inside - i fixed smth like this on one of my guitars (coincidentally also covered pickups) by adding in there some cotton wool to damp the vibrations, it worked, and the height adjustment is not compromised;
4. To check for the wiring, you don't "look" , you use the continuity feature on your multimeter.. the one going "beep";
p.s: Not to defend Thomann, but for me, fixing that kind of stuff is fun (besides cheap), i would love working on that kind of stuff (and i do)
even though it's a money sink, I feel like you should keep it and keep showing it to everyone
I disagree (about the money sink) as it could be the "core" around a whole series of videos. I'm just thinking outside the box here.
@@castleanthrax1833 just really make them regret not fixing this situation
@@pip3guy Yeah. Kinda like the guy who did the "United breaks guitars" thing.
They should pay for the return and then inspect the replacement to ensure that it functions as intended before they send that to you. THAT is how you do customer service in any respectable business.
I purchased a DAngelico 12 string acoustic from Thomann. I looked it over when it arrived and I noticed there is an ink stain below the clear coat. I emailed Thomann with pictures of the stain who forwarded it to their expert. The so called expert stated that the stain is wood grain so is not a fault worthy of a refund!!!!!!!
I was wondering how your guitar will play with the same amp settings. Why you didn't show us how it should be ? Regards !
The saddest part is that parrafin wax to pot the pickups costs next to nothing - definitely not the area you want to skimp on
It sounds like they 'forgot' to pot the pickups ...
@@PhilipHawthorne Wouldn't surprise me. I've seen a Harley Benton where they skipped levelling the frets.
@@TUUK2006 ive seen fenders that skipped fret levelling, no surprise 150 dollars guitar would too is it. most budget guitars simply dont get that level of set up im afraid.
I've experienced these SE Asia made, non-wax potted pickups. Yep, they're completely microphonic. They can barely be used with clean tones, but forget it when it comes to any gain at all.
Sounds like decoupling capacitor missing or faulty.... did you try to adjustment of pickup height....soldering could be at fault..creating a resistive ground....shows the pick ups have loads of gain...at least...I've got one of the t series and its great albeit a bit muddy sounding
The first Harley Benton I bought (just recently, in fact) was their Fusion III line. One of their more expensive guitars, but I think it will also be my last. I don't like their neck profile, and the back of the neck for the guitar that I bought was not sanded completely. Around the 7th fret (near the low E string) there was a very noticeable rough spot that turned out to be unsanded sealer (I broke out my jewler's loop to verify it). No big deal, a quick sanding job fixed it, but for nearly a $400 guitar, you'd expect far better than that. I'm actually far happier with my $250 Xaviere than my $400 Harley Benton, and that's saying something.
But that electronic issue is just unacceptable. If it was just a loud hum, then it would make sense as a grounding issue, but with the microphonic pickups, it's very likely all to do with the pickups. They're just bad, possibly not even reverse wound like a humbucker should be (though two in the same guitar would be strange). A new set would probably fix it, but why should you have to shell out money to fix a problem they could've dealt with before sending it to you?
I don't think the QC card in the Harley Benton box really means a whole lot. It's probably handed to the guy, he gives it a quick glance, then throws his card in the box as he wraps it up for shipping. I doubt they test it in any capacity at all, just check it for obvious flaws.
I’ve had mixed experiences with Thomann service. I sent them back a wah that was broken and they sent it back saying it was working fine. A bit like this case
And what happened after that?
This is exactly why I started building my own guitars. I learn from each one I build. Nothing better than playing something you built yourself.
Unfortunately, this is only possible if you have talent as a craftsman.
@Pete79111 it's highly possible. 13 year old me built a guitar and I still love it.
I see your point as far as set up goes but Leo jaymez kits have instructions and all you really need are some screwdrivers. It is a shame about the guitar in the video. I was going to buy a HB kit, now I am having second thoughts.
Kitguitars are not ‘building’ a guitar.
@@nieko3038 what is your definition of building a guitar if I may ask?
Thomann bought 3 websites for musicians in Germany: Amazona, Bonedo and Gearnews. They look like independent websites, but they are basically advertising new stuff with their "reviews". Of course, Harley Benton Guitars always get results like guitars ten time more expensive.
My main problems with flooding the market with cheap guitars are these:
- More people buy more and cheaper guitars. This increases the environmental pressure that's already wiping out whole forests.
- Beginners tend to buy a cheap new guitar and they usually come with a bad set up. If your start playing, a good guitar well set up makes it much more easier. It would be better, to buy a used good guitar.
Wonder how it would sound away from the amp what with it having microphonic pick ups
I’ve had a very similar experience with Thomann’s customer support, but it was for a €2k Ibanez Prestige. The knife edges of the trem were blunt, making the trem literally unusable. They insisted it was because of my setup. In the end they sharpened them but now the issue is back and I’ll have to buy another trem. They didn’t accept a return because of a tiny imperfection in the finish, although one of the B stocks I bought from them literally had a chunk of wood missing. So yeah, film everything the minute you unbox it and send it back immediately.
They were difficult for me to work with as well, on top of the representative not being a native english speaker made things harder than they needed to be.
I had a similar issue with a pint in London recently. It tasted like vinegar, so I took it to the bartender and he told me - in a Spanish accent - ‘it’s supposed to taste like that’. Honestly I’m still angry about it…
I own a Fusion III, bought it about 6 months or so ago. Got a message there would be a delay in delivery as it needed to be setup and inspected. The guitar arrived, no damage, great, setup wasn't close, string height was high, and the screws to hold the saddles to the bridge, everyone of them were lose. Fortunately, I have been working on guitars since I was 15 and soon I'll be 65 so I could address those issues. I also found the Roswell pickups to be muddy, decent tone, just muddy. So they were replaced as well. And finally, last issue, which I guess is my fault. Modern "C", WTF, which Font. This guitar has the thickest neck of the 22 guitars I own. Was unprepared for that, but it was at the threshold of what I would accept. As after all that work I did, I still like the guitar and maybe in a few months, I may take a spoke shave to the neck and reduce it's thickness. Just as it appeared that Harley Benton was getting their act together, I see more and more videos like yours about major issues with their guitars, total lack of proper testing and quality control. Until I start seeing more positive reviews on their products and more specs, especially on the neck dimensions. I too will not purchase another. Feel your pain bro....
This is just sad. I wanted to see a video of Glen playing this guitar, but the "experts" at Thoman prevented it from happening.
Lets hope you guys find a cool guitar in some of the stores there, and im "hearing" forward to Glen playing it. ♥
Reckon Glenn deserves a rob chapman super deluxe guitar with a snake oil pedal set.
Or the new Rabea signature Chapman. 😂🤣
Thanks for this! I own the orange blast version and have absolutely no issues what so ever and the pickups are excellent.
I was very lucky I bought one of these and it was absolutely pristine out of the box . In fact I'm blown away how good it is for the money . I'm sorry to hear this happened to you mate .
This is why anytime I have to make a video to show damage or malfunction, I always include a comparison to a different item of similar spec that does perform for reference so there's no excuse to assume it could be "the amount of gain on the amp" or whatever they believe it is. Anyway not like I'd ever buy a Harley Brokeback anyway but lol Good luck to anyone who does!
What's the serial number of that guitar? I'm just, y'know, curious.
I am astonished to hear your tale... my experience with them, from France, has been flawless, returns and supply... not that there has been much to return... just a faulty pedal power box, not theirs. I am really surprised to hear this, and wish you well in whatever you buy next. I am currently using a JP 550 5 string bass (248 euros) that rivals, and in some respects surpasses my Rickie 5 string at 10 times the price. Having had but a good experience with them, I wonder which rogue operator responded that that was 'how it should be'... incredible...!
what is the name of the "gibson" in your nackground
this makes me question ordering a new guitar from them now. i’ve had my eye on one of their 7 string multi scale models bc i’ve been wanting to try a 7 string without committing to a 500+ dollar guitar. i’ve been really excited about ordering it too but now i’m concerned if i get a dud that this is how it’ll go down.
thx for the great info as always and keep rocking
Hit up a pawn shop and try one there. Get a nice second hand and save some$$
I've bought multiple guitars from as have a friend of mine and they are all really good.
I own 5 Harley Bentons. Only 2 of them didn’t have significant issues. Of the 3 with issues, one has purely cosmetic issues, and 2 have issues that render them basically unplayable. I’ve had mixed luck with customer support but unless you’re okay with that ratio I’d stay away. There are other more reliable budget options.
Take the punt. They're not denying the refund. If it sucks, you can get your money back.
@@castleanthrax1833 Good point. Very good point. Essentially you're boiling it down to a no-risk situation. If you get a dud, you can send it back and ask for a diferent colour- maybe get two chances to get a good one. And still get a refund afterwards.
My experience with Thomann has only been positive. Great customer service both during purchase and shipping. When I had a problem with the 3 way switch they sent an upgraded replacement in response to my video. But I must agree that claiming microphonic pickups are ok is a worrying response!!!
Hey I believe you. I just wish your demo compared two guitars, good and bad, with the same amp setup.
Im absolutely baffled by that response. Im a customer of thomann since well over a decade. Not only did i experience top tier customer support, they usually not only answer questions to products i bought, but also for things i planned to buy. Like a guy literally spent like 30 minutes explaining me stuff about different audio interfaces on the phone and i hadnt even bought one yet.
Thomann should be double checking this ticket.
Also Harley Benton should be double checking that. After all thomann is one of the biggest instrument sellers here. And if they are "on public record" now stating that "this is how [harley benton] should be" thats seriously bad advertisement.
Yes Bentons are cheap but more often than not i was suprised with how much guitar you sometimes get for the price tag. And no matter how budget the brand is, selling non-functional guitars is not their standard. That might be "expected" when you buy a 30 dollar guitar on wish. But not 180 dollar guitar by a big player in the industry.
As you explained for 180€ you have to expect some issues. Finish, not so great fretwork, nuts not running smoothly, tuners being not the most stable ones, maybe the jack coming lose after a while. Stuff like that. But not a guitar that doesnt work as a guitar.
Thomanns customer service - as with most Mittelstand companies - varies massively between English and German.
@@FlatDerrick but it really shouldnt.
Also 91 million in profits, 1.1 billion in revenue is no „mittelstand“. Its an internationally operating company with close 1500 emloyees. Statistics list companies as „großunternehmen“ if they have over 50million in profits.
Thomann is literally the biggest music shop in europe and the biggest e-commerce player in the instrument business world wide.
For a company this size and with that legacy, customer service like this is not accaptable imho. Its not like this is a 1 location 100 people business.
I have the same guitar, sounds great and plays great after a decent setup and changing the tuners.
Don’t get how they won’t exchange it
Unlucky you man
The cost of shipping would eat the profits.
@@orlock20 That's not why they're not replacing it.
Yeah, me too. My guitar is fine
Exactly - absolutely no microphonic pickups with my HB, no hum or buzz or bad feedback, not at all. Bought my niece a HB J-bass and it's really great too, stands up perfectly against a Fender one (tested). No probs whatsoever. So I think the guy got unlucky.
@@PuppetXeno mine is awesome.. pickups are great
Its so scary seeing KDH getting this angry about something
The first thing i thought when i saw this was; is the bridge pickup supposed to be slanted? Everything else is fixable, even the microphonic pickups.