I have this guitar from last year and it had fake Wilkenson PUP's in it. I could only tell when i removed them. It sounded good until I went to a driven tone and it squealed badly. The build and look are fantastic and it resonates big. I replaced the PUP's for $60 with some Alexander Pribora hand wounds from Russia and it is now an incredible sounding guitar.
I have got one of these and the whole neck resonates like crazy. What a guitar!! Also got a custom shop tele as comparison. Get the te-70 immediately if you havent got one!!
I have an earlier version that had Wilkinson pickups, & no skunk stripe. A good thing they put the Roswell's in them now. They do set them up very well. Better than guitars 5 times the price.
I have this very guitar, ordered after watching GuitarMax's review. I replaced the control panel plate with a psychadelic engraved pattern, and Celtic knot silver & black knobs. I have some Gerber tuners i'll replace the tuners with when the stock ones go wonky. Otherwise, stunning Tele type guitar for 160 USD. I am very pleased.
Hi John, I actually bought one of these about 8 weeks ago and absolutely love it, first tele I have ever owned. I had no setup problems at all but I totally agree about the tuners they do have a little bit of play, they are the only part I may change at some point but to be honest, they hold tune fine so its not urgent. Thanks for some great reviews.
I own this exact same guitar I've made a bunch of videos with it. I absolutely love this guitar. I carry it around but a battery powered amplifier almost everywhere I go
Excellent review and I'll definitely have to try one. Check the video at 13:48. It shows you donated 180. I think it's great you're taking the time to help those children.
Yo sorry to bug out again! This is the exact same Harley Benton TE 70 that I own even the same finish identical guitar. I took my volume and 3-way switch and turned it around in the opposite direction and screwed it back in. Mine is identical
Harley Benton sell some really nice inexpensive guitars but unfortunately for me all the Stratocaster and Telecaster style ones have large fingerboard radius’s and being old school I prefer a 7.25 or at a push 9.5 inch fingerboard. I do like the look of the black paisley Tele and have considered buying one and swapping the neck, even factoring in the price of a replacement neck it would still be a bargain.
Henry Hunter I hear you, mate. I prefer the modern flatter radius, but I've never found a twin post tremolo I've been happy with. I'd much rather have the old style 6 screw tremolo. Set up correctly, it stays in tune pretty good & sounds much better, I think. But... it seems we're both in the minority with our tastes, you with the neck radius & me with the bridge. I guess budget makers have to cater for the mass market 😀
What a fun review to watch! Your playing is AWESOME and the switching of pups within a song is brillant. Thanks you! (I did order this guitar for my daughter).
I bought one of these, the fret ends would rip your fingers to pieces, the tuners looked like they’d been fitted by a blind man, easy fixes, yes, but would have been better if Harley Benton’s quality control had done their job, this was my second HB the first being a deluxe model now discontinued, a great guitar which I could not fault. So disappointing to get the paisley falling short of the mark slightly.
Agreed. HB quality control can be a bit shonky. I've grown to realise they're essentially partially finished kit guitars. A little work is often required... But then again, I've had Fenders you could say that of.
reffoelcnu alouncelal Intonation is fine, mate... Well, as good as you can ever get on a 3 saddle Telecaster. It intonates "perfectly" according to a regular tuner, although, I suspect a strobe tuners might show up some discrepancies.
good review, the reference to Japanese teles from the late '80's will sell these like hot cakes(pancakes), I sold a boat load of these for $299.00 Can. At the time in Canada, TMI, was listing strats at $1199.00 dollars, teles a little less, this was before Fender got fed up and took control from distributors who were taking advantage of the retailers.
Hi from Phoenix, Arizona. Great review so I decided to pull the trigger and buy one of these. I like your guitar playing and clear reviews so am subscribing and will be watching some more. Happy Holidays!
Hey man, great video. I have the RW finish and I bought the guitar as my first project type guitar. Luckily it gave me the chance to have a go at shimming the neck and levelling/crowning the frets. After this the neck was way more playable. The Roswell's are pretty decent pickups, probably didn't need replaced but again for the experience I just upgraded to Tonerider hot classics (which sound perfectly "hot Tele"). I also upgraded the tuners to Vansons. Not a bad guitar to start off with for the money but now it's a truely GREAT Tele :)
What is better Value for money this Harley Benton or Sx telecaster? I founded on youtube HB tuners is the weakness and Sx also have also slightly better fretboard eges finish.
Excellent review, John, as usual. Could you get hold of the guitars that would enable you to do a clean comparison of cheaper Teles (no Tonelab!) so that we could have the benefit of your remarks about how they differ? I was thinking of the Squier Classic Vibe series and below or the Vintage equivalents, for example. Maybe it’s just too difficult to get a range of these in the room all at once. I’ll admit that, having got my own Tele choices reasonably sorted out I’m watching these videos of yours out of sheer pleasure. (And because there is always more to learn). It’s great the way you comment on the guitars straight after, or soon after, playing them and bring the breadth of your experience to bear on it all.
Steve Logan Might be a bit tricky to round up all those guitars, but I take your point. From now on, I'll include a "straight DI" sound in guitar reviews so you can hear them naked. It might be worth putting these up on SoundCloud so you can compare guitars from different videos side by side. Cheers for the suggestion 😀
John Robson Guitarist Thanks so much John for this fast and thoughtful reply. Your Soundcloud Idea is a really good one and could make a great sideways addition to your burgeoning site!
Hi John. Great review. Could you tell (and maybe show ;) us on which amp and settings (and effects) you play. I believe this determines the sound for a great deal.
Great review John. I’m eagerly waiting for. a HB ST62mn in white. What are you using for your drum tracks? They sound excellent as of course is your playing.
Alright John Now ya see,you`ve done it again !!! I had a G&L Tele in my basket ,then a Modern tele plus & now i am thinking about that Black Paisley again !! Sod it ,one weekend i am just gonna have to make my choice and stick with it :) Good stuff as usual mate.
you'll be fine with the HB guitars. I have 3 of them. 2 teles and a DC custom. Thinking of getting their Jazz Bass and a fretless. Sold a japanese Fender Strat have no regrets.
My dream guitar in terms of tone is jhonny greenwood´s Telecaster Plus. Should I save up for a "Standart Telecaster HH" or a "Modern Player Telecaster Plus"?? I still want the warm clean tones of the usual neck pickup of a telecaster, and I rly want humbuckers, wich no matter wich one of the 2 i pick later on i might change into the lace sensor duality humbuckers.. If I get the standart HH i lose that neck pickup, and on the other hand the modern player has the neck pickup (regular), a humbucker AND a strat single coil in the middle, wich in my opinion ruins the look... What do I do? Wich one do I save up for? (im talking mexican made fenders)
_ Ribary_ A HH tele with the neck pickup replaced by a humbucker sized P90 might be a good compromise. You'll still get a beefy warm sound from the neck pickup, but retain most of that single coil "snap" & clarity.
A set of lindys would cost a couple hundred dollars, a set of tuners about $50 and you will have an awesome guitar! Spend the majority of your money on a good amp and you are way ahead!
John, did you prefer this to the rosewood one or too close to call? I love double binding on Teles but like the Paisley too. Arrrrgh! Would appreciate your thoughts as I respect your opinion.
@@JRobsonGuitar cheers John. You should get an association with Thomann and post links to the guitars you review. You'd get some loyalty points etc from them.
Hello Sir, and thank you for your informative and entertaining videos. A quick question please... I have decided to being learning guitar and am considering my first purchase. Given that I’m a total newbie who will be seeking lessons from a local teacher (at least a few to begin), would you suggest the HB TE 70 as a good all around piece to begin with? Thank you!
It sounds like an old Shadows recording like "Honorable Puf Puf" (or something I heard on the Rarities album - all vinyl is on the attic now) th-cam.com/video/_TAkWDcTcec/w-d-xo.html I bet they used the Telecaster in the studio more than they're willing to admit. Btw, if you put Lace Sensors in it, you should get pretty close to the Burton Tele.
The trouble with your reviews, John, is that you make everything sound so good!
Joe McCarthy Thanks Joe... I should put you on commission 😀
I have this guitar from last year and it had fake Wilkenson PUP's in it. I could only tell when i removed them. It sounded good until I went to a driven tone and it squealed badly. The build and look are fantastic and it resonates big. I replaced the PUP's for $60 with some Alexander Pribora hand wounds from Russia and it is now an incredible sounding guitar.
I have got one of these and the whole neck resonates like crazy. What a guitar!! Also got a custom shop tele as comparison. Get the te-70 immediately if you havent got one!!
I have an earlier version that had Wilkinson pickups, & no skunk stripe. A good thing they put the Roswell's in them now. They do set them up very well. Better than guitars 5 times the price.
I have this very guitar, ordered after watching GuitarMax's review. I replaced the control panel plate with a psychadelic engraved pattern, and Celtic knot silver & black knobs. I have some Gerber tuners i'll replace the tuners with when the stock ones go wonky. Otherwise, stunning Tele type guitar for 160 USD. I am very pleased.
Hi John, I actually bought one of these about 8 weeks ago and absolutely love it, first tele I have ever owned. I had no setup problems at all but I totally agree about the tuners they do have a little bit of play, they are the only part I may change at some point but to be honest, they hold tune fine so its not urgent. Thanks for some great reviews.
I own this exact same guitar I've made a bunch of videos with it. I absolutely love this guitar. I carry it around but a battery powered amplifier almost everywhere I go
Sounds and looks great! Just curious re the Paisley finish - is it a veneer?
Thanks for this demo. It really does have a traditional tele tone.
Excellent review and I'll definitely have to try one. Check the video at 13:48. It shows you donated 180. I think it's great you're taking the time to help those children.
Yo sorry to bug out again! This is the exact same Harley Benton TE 70 that I own even the same finish identical guitar. I took my volume and 3-way switch and turned it around in the opposite direction and screwed it back in. Mine is identical
Did u rewire, or just unscrew n turned it round?
Hot rod ; Lincoln does that too
The lag in the tuners is called gear backlash in engineering terms.
Harley Benton sell some really nice inexpensive guitars but unfortunately for me all the Stratocaster and Telecaster style ones have large fingerboard radius’s and being old school I prefer a 7.25 or at a push 9.5 inch fingerboard. I do like the look of the black paisley Tele and have considered buying one and swapping the neck, even factoring in the price of a replacement neck it would still be a bargain.
Henry Hunter I hear you, mate. I prefer the modern flatter radius, but I've never found a twin post tremolo I've been happy with. I'd much rather have the old style 6 screw tremolo. Set up correctly, it stays in tune pretty good & sounds much better, I think. But... it seems we're both in the minority with our tastes, you with the neck radius & me with the bridge. I guess budget makers have to cater for the mass market 😀
I've never played a HB guitar, but I'm really liking this TE-70! Thanks John.
What a fun review to watch! Your playing is AWESOME and the switching of pups within a song is brillant. Thanks you! (I did order this guitar for my daughter).
I bought one of these, the fret ends would rip your fingers to pieces, the tuners looked like they’d been fitted by a blind man, easy fixes, yes, but would have been better if Harley Benton’s quality control had done their job, this was my second HB the first being a deluxe model now discontinued, a great guitar which I could not fault. So disappointing to get the paisley falling short of the mark slightly.
Agreed. HB quality control can be a bit shonky. I've grown to realise they're essentially partially finished kit guitars. A little work is often required... But then again, I've had Fenders you could say that of.
For that price as long as the innotation is good . All the rest can be upgraded... seems great value
reffoelcnu alouncelal Intonation is fine, mate... Well, as good as you can ever get on a 3 saddle Telecaster. It intonates "perfectly" according to a regular tuner, although, I suspect a strobe tuners might show up some discrepancies.
good review, the reference to Japanese teles from the late '80's will sell these like hot cakes(pancakes), I sold a boat load of these for $299.00 Can. At the time in Canada, TMI, was listing strats at $1199.00 dollars, teles a little less, this was before Fender got fed up and took control from distributors who were taking advantage of the retailers.
hey can u send me some Flowers Bitter,lol, not available in this province
I remember getting a new Fender 50s reissue strat for 275 english pounds ! Now they cost 3 2 4 times the price.
How much does the TE70 weigh? How does the neck compare to the Fender James Burton Artist Telecaster U shape neck?
Good to know, i like a classic Tele, I was looking at the Squire vintage vibe, but that is actually fairly pricey these days!
Love your playing!! sounds great!!!!!
i like when you play without the backing track, gives a better example of how the guitar sounds.
Hello! I did not know that I need this Tele model, until now!.. Reminds me of a James Burton Tele. Great review John and great playing! 🎶👍🏻😊
You sound great in this review. I bought a Fender mex tele and love it. Score another for team tele.....
Hi from Phoenix, Arizona. Great review so I decided to pull the trigger and buy one of these. I like your guitar playing and clear reviews so am subscribing and will be watching some more. Happy Holidays!
Thanks mate 👍 Happy Xmas 👍
Brilliant review I love my HB
Hey man, great video. I have the RW finish and I bought the guitar as my first project type guitar. Luckily it gave me the chance to have a go at shimming the neck and levelling/crowning the frets. After this the neck was way more playable. The Roswell's are pretty decent pickups, probably didn't need replaced but again for the experience I just upgraded to Tonerider hot classics (which sound perfectly "hot Tele"). I also upgraded the tuners to Vansons. Not a bad guitar to start off with for the money but now it's a truely GREAT Tele :)
Great review John as always, dont think you can beat these for the price, great value, cheers
Great sounding guitar and the guitar player certainly helps very nice!
I ordered one before watching your review, and now I know that I chose wisely.
What is better Value for money this Harley Benton or Sx telecaster? I founded on youtube HB tuners is the weakness and Sx also have also slightly better fretboard eges finish.
Excellent review, thanks John.
A great demo of a lovely guitar! Just curious re the Paisley finish - is it a veneer?
Excellent review, John, as usual. Could you get hold of the guitars that would enable you to do a clean comparison of cheaper Teles (no Tonelab!) so that we could have the benefit of your remarks about how they differ? I was thinking of the Squier Classic Vibe series and below or the Vintage equivalents, for example. Maybe it’s just too difficult to get a range of these in the room all at once. I’ll admit that, having got my own Tele choices reasonably sorted out I’m watching these videos of yours out of sheer pleasure. (And because there is always more to learn). It’s great the way you comment on the guitars straight after, or soon after, playing them and bring the breadth of your experience to bear on it all.
Steve Logan Might be a bit tricky to round up all those guitars, but I take your point. From now on, I'll include a "straight DI" sound in guitar reviews so you can hear them naked. It might be worth putting these up on SoundCloud so you can compare guitars from different videos side by side. Cheers for the suggestion 😀
John Robson Guitarist Thanks so much John for this fast and thoughtful reply. Your Soundcloud Idea is a really good one and could make a great sideways addition to your burgeoning site!
True i have both Squier cv and HB te30 with better pickups in and for 89euro unbelievable !
Nice playing! That guitar sounds pretty great if you ask me.
great review as always!!!
Hey brother that was some very tasteful playing. If you're not a session player you could possibly become one.
Hi John. Great review. Could you tell (and maybe show ;) us on which amp and settings (and effects) you play. I believe this determines the sound for a great deal.
Willem Smith Here you go, mate...
th-cam.com/video/EbI8fEvHVMY/w-d-xo.html
Great review John. I’m eagerly waiting for. a HB ST62mn in white. What are you using for your drum tracks? They sound excellent as of course is your playing.
Tony Smith I use a free drum VST called MT power drum kit. Cheers mate 👍😀🎸
Hi John what was better in you opinion, the ST or TE Black paisley?
Tele all the way for me 👍
Great review and great channel! Thank you!
Which one would you prefer: the Te52 or this Black paisley?
TE52 I reckon 😄
Alright John
Now ya see,you`ve done it again !!! I had a G&L Tele in my basket ,then a Modern tele plus & now i am thinking about that Black Paisley again !!
Sod it ,one weekend i am just gonna have to make my choice and stick with it :)
Good stuff as usual mate.
you'll be fine with the HB guitars. I have 3 of them. 2 teles and a DC custom. Thinking of getting their Jazz Bass and a fretless. Sold a japanese Fender Strat have no regrets.
My dream guitar in terms of tone is jhonny greenwood´s Telecaster Plus. Should I save up for a "Standart Telecaster HH" or a "Modern Player Telecaster Plus"?? I still want the warm clean tones of the usual neck pickup of a telecaster, and I rly want humbuckers, wich no matter wich one of the 2 i pick later on i might change into the lace sensor duality humbuckers.. If I get the standart HH i lose that neck pickup, and on the other hand the modern player has the neck pickup (regular), a humbucker AND a strat single coil in the middle, wich in my opinion ruins the look... What do I do? Wich one do I save up for? (im talking mexican made fenders)
_ Ribary_ A HH tele with the neck pickup replaced by a humbucker sized P90 might be a good compromise. You'll still get a beefy warm sound from the neck pickup, but retain most of that single coil "snap" & clarity.
A set of lindys would cost a couple hundred dollars, a set of tuners about $50 and you will have an awesome guitar! Spend the majority of your money on a good amp and you are way ahead!
Is this better than a fender squire telecaster affinity ?
Yup 👍
Why didn’t Harley Benton do the Les PAUL jr double cut EASY !
Cheers John.
John, did you prefer this to the rosewood one or too close to call? I love double binding on Teles but like the Paisley too. Arrrrgh! Would appreciate your thoughts as I respect your opinion.
It's down to looks really & strangely for me, I actually prefer the Paisley 😄
@@JRobsonGuitar cheers John. You should get an association with Thomann and post links to the guitars you review. You'd get some loyalty points etc from them.
Hello Sir, and thank you for your informative and entertaining videos. A quick question please... I have decided to being learning guitar and am considering my first purchase. Given that I’m a total newbie who will be seeking lessons from a local teacher (at least a few to begin), would you suggest the HB TE 70 as a good all around piece to begin with? Thank you!
c5back9 Can't recommend them highly enough. Good luck, mate 👍
Great Demo!
nice review thanx
Good Video and a cool sounding Tele!
I wish Harley Benton did this in a left-handed version
He sure knows how to twiddle his little pinkies !
It sounds like an old Shadows recording like "Honorable Puf Puf" (or something I heard on the Rarities album - all vinyl is on the attic now)
th-cam.com/video/_TAkWDcTcec/w-d-xo.html
I bet they used the Telecaster in the studio more than they're willing to admit.
Btw, if you put Lace Sensors in it, you should get pretty close to the Burton Tele.
You should change the neck of this guitar and put a Fender
Getcha bleedin' 'air cut!!!
seamanjive Which one? 😀
Hi John. I'd like to donate a guitar. What do I do? One condition - I'd like to see your review of it on TH-cam :-)
Bohma Wow! That's generous! Thank you! No problem doing the review... email me jrguitartuition@gmail.com & we can discuss the logistics of it etc.
Love your playing
Thank you for your Great reviews.
Free ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`Tommy
Perfectly decent guitar.
Thanks John. Now of course I have to buy one....lol.
Lucky this didn't go viral with all that muck on your shirt. Take a leaf from James James' book. Great videos by the way.
The proportions are so weird ! The neck is so strange looking ! No Not for me. For sure this is not a "real"guitar. You can strum chords but...
Silviu Stefan and your point is...?