8 GREAT Cheap Guitars (And 3 to AVOID)

[@MrPolevaulter]

Note: There's a mistake in the video. I don't mention the second avoid guitar. It's the Harley Benton ST-20. Check out 8 great cheap amps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGqVlKatnNaCndksi=cHkRybzqNU-zC41D

[@kakerusatsuki8791]

20 euros is around ~200 turkish liras. not 50 million but you got the point

[@Klocaine237]

Fuk yeah from Virginia USA you rip bro. Cool vid. Sub

[@jamesbrown4587]

@Elmo Karjalainen do you have a planned video for the lok-n-roll compensated nut for Floyd rose guitars and the likes

[@DMSProduktions]

@Wendy Black Umm because he wants to HELP other less exp guitarists AVOID buying a piece of junk, & get a GOOD instrument that is good to play, & sounds good, so as they DON'T get discouraged! That's WHY!!!

[@patrickbuster8341]

Who is this sexy, mysterious, seemingly Scandinavian, shredder fella? Where is he from? Why does he shred? Does he mean us harm or does he come in peace? I wish I had a good Viking joke. Speaking of Vikings, what do you think of Hagstrom guitars? I played one of their 60's strats and it was like butter....like BUTTA I said. I also played their entry level guitar 'The Swede' which you could've put on your list. I hope your people still don't love war and scare everybody like I've seen in some Hollywood films I believe like they're serious documentaries.

[@leogolive]

This video proves that other than being a good player, you’re better off spending your money on a great amp. I learned this years ago. I never buy expensive guitars anymore.

[@MrPolevaulter]

I still do :D

[@leogolive]

@@MrPolevaulter Well I haven’t bought one in a long time! I honestly don’t need anymore. But hey I may have a moment of weakness some day!🤣

[@bradpurvis5935]

what do you consider expensive

[@JesseLeeKing]

Just save your money and get the guitar and amp that you really want.

[@JesseLeeKing]

Everyone needs a beater though

[@MattSwain1]

The problem with cheap guitars, as highlighted in the video can often be the variability of quality control that exists (not that you can’t get a bad expensive guitar) and the people most likely to be buying these guitars are beginners who will have no frame of reference for what a well set-up guitar should feel like. Many beginners will quit because they assume it’s them at fault. I know that my first guitar (years ago) was trash and I only really found that out when I went into a guitar shop and tried some others, suddenly the chords I’d been struggling with were playing properly

[@DunderHead.5000]

Or they realize it's the guitar and can't afford to buy a decent guitar or don't have any place to send it.

[@kopprophet3819]

I set up dozens of guitars a year and it's not just the budget models that arrive needing a set up. You'd be surprised!

[@fitthickchic6732]

Which guitar was that? Id like to avoid it!

[@fanatp0stpanka]

holy crap dude this was me, i played a yamaha pacifica at a school workshop and even tho the strings were rusted (wtf) i realised the guitar i had at home was the biggest part of my issue with playing i just bought an affinity strat today, can't wait to play it

[@CthulianDreams]

An often overlooked reason I love Harley Benton is that they have a massive offering for lefties. I've got the HB-35 in cherry red, and for a semi-hollow with coil splits, there's nothing comparable at even twice its price.

[@poboy942]

Thats good to know im a left too and the selection of peft guitars i like are limited but knowingvm this maybe ill try Harley Benton I never even thought of them .

[@mardula231278]

I have the HB35 plus had been upgrades with locking tuners when i bought it 2nd hand for £90 Paid £50 for a tech to set it up. Unbelievable guitar. Plays much better than my much more expensive guitars £700+ price range. Great guitar.

[@michaelolz]

This is fast becoming my favorite guitar channel. Great job, professor! And I like the bloopers. Keep it up!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@OrangePony75]

I bought an Ibanez RG made in Indonesia 12+ years ago. After some time abandoned and a recent visit to my main luthier, the thing plays GREAT. I’ll put on it some good pickups and the guitar is ready to compete with guitars MUCH higher in the price list.

[@ROLEPLAYA64]

The quality of budget guitars these days is just amazing. I started playing in the late 1970's on a Kay tulip, which had microphonic pickups, and an action you could fit your hand under, and that was close to £100 then. £100 40 years later buys you a massively better instrument. I seldom spend above £500, because to be honest it's rarely justified these days, unless you MUST have that brand name on your headstock.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Yep. Quality has definitely gone up.

[@kakerusatsuki8791]

there is an unstoppable inflation. £100 pound then is not the same as £100 nowadays.

[@Twixched]

100 pounds is 1979 pounds today💀

[@stevengorum2727]

Yes 45 years ago guitars were double the price they are now and half the quality......fue !!!!😳🤔😳🙄😳🙄🤪

[@TwoBassed]

Most of the budget guitars are made in the same factory as the expensive guitars, same cnc machines same workforce!

[@kiethsmoke]

I may be biased because I personally learnt guitar on it but it's the the Ibanez GRGR131EX. It's a guitar that costs around £180 and has great value for money. I still play it despite having bought other more expensive guitars because it's just bloody incredible

[@ws8080]

I think Yamaha and Ibanez turn out higher quality options at these lower prices, with brand name you can trust and warranties they stand behind. Ibanez should be represented in videos like this more often IMO

[@TexanUSMC8089]

Every Ibanez is pretty good, and some are great. Years ago I bought a used ST50 that I will never sell.

[@gillesgenete9598]

My best budget guitar is my Harley Benton Fusion Pro 2 HSH. It's beautiful, it's flawless, it's superbly equipped and it sounds as good as you'd expect, humbucker or splitted. And it's on par with my most expensive guitars in the excess of €2000. Just incredible !

[@vincentl.9469]

it's a good thing that these things are made in the far East...otherwise there would be no 'budget' instruments as was the case in the 50s & 60s. A Gretsch in the 50s in the US would have set you back $400 to $600 ...a lot of money

[@djijspeakerguy4628]

I have guitar #4 in lake placid blue. Super easy to play. I decided to go for the Tele over the Strat because I heard about guitarists from basically every single genre that play it, and I wanted something that worked no matter what I played on it. I also really liked the neck/bridge pickup combo, which Strats don’t have. Plus, the blue caught my eye on the display. I also heard horror stories about Strat tremolo systems, and the pickup switch and vol seemed in an awkward place. I’m glad I got it now that you say you didn’t care for the Strat model.

[@crusheverything4449]

Your sense of humor is on par with your playing! Top marks for this video - instant subscriber here! Well done, man!!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thank you :)

[@joesmith8398]

The South Korean Schecters are excellent. More expensive than those reviewed here, but better priced than a lot of name brand American made guitars. Their Indonesian made guitars are also very solid and less expensive than South Korean manufacture. Check out Schecter !!

[@MrPolevaulter]

I've been planning to.

[@zsaz4453]

Right.they are great

[@NuanDaa]

Said that Schecters virals.

[@cgrovespsyd]

I have a hard time deciding which guitar I like better, my PRS Custom 22 with a Brazilian rosewood neck and modern eagle pickups or my Schecter C1 Classic. Like the neck on my Schecter better but the PRS overall quality of finish, hardware, build quality is superior. The Schecter is a much better value as it was a couple thousand dollars less than the PRS.

[@zsaz4453]

@@cgrovespsyd i know what you mean.i like the sound of a 200€guitar more than a ESP...

[@beatmasterbossy]

"Build quality is terrible, look they drilled this hole wrong, there's tooling marks on the neck and the nut and neck joint have finish cracking/checking" Gibson: looks good.

[@MrPolevaulter]

:D

[@beatmasterbossy]

@@MrPolevaulter... and I will still spend $2800 on it. Because, Gibson. Damn you, Gibson, you know I can't quit you. I need that sweet guitar heat, just one more hit...

[@adrian_V99]

Well-done, Elmo. You are the budget king. Glad you got your speech and chops back.

[@caravan-o]

You make a good point about the Harley Benton SC-400 - that the one you got was bad but it may just be that individual guitar. Quality Control is an issue for pretty much all Harley Bentons. I have an SC-400 Gold Top B-Stock. It is the best value for money guitar I've ever had. It had problems but they were all cosmetic (apart from the need to change the pickups, which applies to all cheap guitars). It does what it is supposed to do: it plays well, it stays in tune, it has amazing sustain, it feels good and it inspires me to pick it up and make music. I can understand how a lot of people might not like the baseball-bat-like neck and I don't see how anyone could be proud of its looks, but I love it. On the other hand I had a CST-24HB which was the most unstable guitar I've ever had. Beautiful to look at, nice enough tones even from the stock pickups but the wood was so badly seasoned I was surprised it didn't sprout leaves in the Spring!. I set it up every couple of weeks for about nine months before the wood started to settle. By that time I was so sick of it I sold it - for what I paid for it. I have a Harley Benton Fusion-T which is second only (by a hair's breadth) to my Gordon Smith GS-2, at about a quarter of the price. I also bought the Fusion-II Roasted for quite a bit more money. That had a badly cut nut, a couple of high frets and no springs under the pickups to adjust the heights. It's great now, but it needed modding and set up work. Reviewing a Harley Benton is a waste of time. All you can conclude is that if your viewers buy one they will get something the same shape for the same price. And that applies up and down the range. They are not guitars for beginners (unless you are very lucky) but they are a good gamble for modders. This is all just my opinion, based on my experience of seven HBs. I still have four, which are great, and have sold three for almost exactly what I paid for them (such is the hype)

[@ZappaSheik]

As a rule I only buy b-stock HB cause then it's more or less guaranteed setup right and someone actually played the guitar. Have a SC junior LTD that I got for 88 €, it's fantastic and now it has an 1956 dog-eared P90 in it (don't know why I changed the Wilkinson to a 1000 € collectable)

[@jalitvin2719]

You absolutely right about Harley Benton. Absolutely lottery.

[@dafud77]

Great Review, Elmo! It does mean a lot that you buy and are influenced by companies in the least bit. This channel should have a lot more views and followers.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks man :)

[@michaelthomas9991]

I’ll watch your reviews just to see you play!!! You’re a fabulous guitarist, my God, I’m envious. Great, informative reviews here. Thank you so much for posting.

[@MrPolevaulter]

And thank you 😊

[@JW75383]

I think I may have said this on one of your other videos, but it really comes down to the player...going from smooth blues to rocking heavy metal riffs and leads on the Squier Bullet Tele is proof of that. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on a guitar to sound good , you just need to practice. 🙂

[@krisyoungsteadt9139]

Yep!

[@JJames666male]

A bad guitar will go out of tune even if you're Ritchie Blackmore, sharp fretends will be annoying even if you're Jimmy Page. You don't need a 4k dollars custom shop to have a good tone, but if you're guitar is built poorly and you're a beginner, that's discouraging as hell. Learning how to play should be the hard part, not fighting your instrument.

[@jamespell1138]

There are good instruments and bad instruments, and a bad instrument can definitely make someone sound like shit, but I agree, practice is the main factor in sounding good.

[@TexanUSMC8089]

@@JJames666male A good set up at the factory would add $100 to the price. I'd rather buy a good guitar that needed a setup, than a bad guitar with a good set up. If that makes sense. LOL Frets can be filed and smoothed out.

[@JJames666male]

@@TexanUSMC8089 bad setup and bad build quality are not the same though. Also, I agree with you on the setup part, but that only works for mire experienced payers

[@alanfowler.]

I have a Tele Thinline and a Strat by SX. They are both excellent and attractive guitars at approx £260 each. I think they're even cheaper at the moment. Unbelievable quality for the price.

[@timsarai]

In my experience these guitars are shocking. You might get lucky with a platform for modding but these are dogshit stock in my opinion. I upgraded an SX Leo and I’m still not happy with it because of the quality issues in the lacquer finish on the neck and the shit quality swamp ash used on the body. I’ll probably take the expensive upgrade parts off it and bin the actual SX wooden parts at some point.

[@gregjones9807]

Another bonus with the Indio strat copies is the swimming pool route under the pick guard. You can mod them with anything - I put dual P-90s in one.

[@DougHinVA]

I had one and he is right.... an inexpensive but well-made Strat can be very useful... especially to learn how to do things (new tuners or pickups, etc.).

[@billyvitale8994]

Swimming pools on good guitars are frowned upon... I think it's because of chemical needed for the maintenance.. :-)

[@gregjones9807]

@@billyvitale8994 Harder to insure too!

[@TOPMOSTPOP]

@@billyvitale8994 sir after exhaustive analysis i beginning 2tend 2agree. Sir??? "U sir have won it threspect of this channel." *AND A VERY WARM WELCOME* We pride ourselves on being one of the most friendly, and open minded channel on you tube. Exposing scientific anamolies... "We are like one big happy family." After all, it's about keeping it light. And fun. ~YOU WILL BE SENTENCED TO THE TEMPLE OF JUDGEMENT~ "If it has been verified u have seriously violated the sacred covenant of this channel." If we detect, any serious transgressions, or anything considered a serious civil violation, which may or may not be er infringement or blasphemy of our channels strict moral and legal code, if u have broken the sacred trust of our channel, and betrayed the elders, and disrespectfully abused our message of peace, and love, u may come under psychic attack, by the elders. Unless u apologize in the next 24 hours, failure to comply will result in the maximum penalty, and execution of the final solution. You will pay the ultimate price of being blocked from your favorite channel. For the rest of your life. Or until you die. You must comply. Or face they abyss of eternal darkness. We will not hesitate. To pulling the trigger .

[@mikaelbiilmann6826]

Back in circa 1987 I bought a Squier Stratocaster for 200 € equivalent. Fantastic guitar. The serial number says it is from 1982-1984 made in Japan. Still have it and installed EMG DG20s on it.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool :)

[@pyratoothNL]

The market now, especially for beginners on a budget has never been better. I've been on a spree buying instruments in this price range the last year and none have disappointed. I have a couple of HBs now, including the sub Euro 100 TE-20HH, which other than a bit of fret sprout is great fun to play. I did a pickup swap on it and I'm surprised how often I go to this one. For beginners, it doesn't have have to have perfect sounding pickups or even incredibly low action, but be set-up well enough that after a tune it's pretty much ready to go out of the box. Also these days, it's so easy to send a guitar back and get a replacement that the risk is fairly low for ordering online, though nothing beats getting an instrument in your hands. For me a guitar has to feel good and that can be very subjective (though it's mostly about the neck), even emotional. But the options available these days are incredible.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Spot on.

[@DavideBaroni]

Great video, loved the fact that you BUY the stuff you review and in this way you're not influenced by the companies. :-) Yours is the second good review of the Indio Strat I've seen here on the tube. And I myself own a Cort G 290 (the old HSS model, with EMG active pickups) which works a beauty... :-P It's good that there is someone who shows budget gear with good qualities. Not everybody has the money for a LesPaul or a PRS or a Custom US Stratocaster... And in many cases (like mine) it would be a waste. :-) But these "cheap" guitars that work well and have an exceptional quality/price ratio deserve attention. Thank you for bringing them into the light. :-)

[@Necromanos]

I have two $100 Monoprice Indio Strats, two Indio $100 Teles, a $200 Indio LP, and a $200 Idlewild acoustic. They all are were an extremely good value. Look for discount codes as Monoprice has them often. I also have a Harley Benton single cut LP Jr. It's good but did have some qc issues. I totally agree, the Monoprice Indio guitars that I have purchased are better than their cost would seem them to be. But keeping mind you could get a not so good one their return/exchange policy is pretty good.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool!

[@RusiruRupasinghe]

Great channel. It would be great if you play clean tones more. That way we can get a better idea of the guitar tone itself.

[@dragan4658]

This is such a valuable video: examples of what guitars to avoid and which ones are worthwhile buying is always priceless! Thanks Elmo!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks :)

[@kopprophet3819]

Lots of guitars can arrive with fret sprout - even expensive ones. Wood shrinks when travelling through different climates. I've set up a number of Sterlings and they were all excellent - similarly I've bought a number of Indios and received some good and some bad. I'm glad you take the time to say that you are just reviewing the guitar in front of you - as all these companies lack QC, which is why they are so cheap.

[@lengross4126]

Thank you for this Elmo's Greatest Hit's review. You're inspiring me to add another guitar that I don't need to to my seriously over sized collection!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haha :D Sorry :D

[@lengross4126]

@@MrPolevaulter Guess what. Your baby blue Cali Strat is now on sale for $79.99 (Sept. 2, 2021). I picked up one to add to my stupidly large collection. If it sucks what the hey it was only 80 bucks.

[@JerryBrown-q3b]

I bought the mono price indio strat last year ,it cost less than $100 shipped.after fixing sharp frets,sounds great I love it.its my go to guitar at home .I might buy another.thanks Jerry

[@idealmethod]

classic vibe for strat players and jackson JS22 0r 32 for metal players. thats my 2 winners that i stand by. £350 or £185 - flawless guitars. wish i knew this when i started out! for a blues machine les paul style HB 550 stainless steal frets £250 looks lovely and the you tube gods swear by it, not tried that one yet.

[@jeffwarne1442]

Hi Elmo. Appreciate the effort you expend on your videos and concise, candid reviews. In regard to your horrible experience with the Sterling Cutlass, your review made me think twice, but I did none the less go ahead to acquire a Cutlass CT50HSS, since a Sterling Ray4 StingRay I had previously acquired was a most excellent value. The Cutlass unit you acquired must have been a real lemon. As you note, it is not the cheapest of lower end guitars, but the unit I acquired is excellent; great fret work and no issues with build quality.

[@JJames666male]

I'm really happy you mentioned the Harley Benton HB35 (I assume the plus version at the price point you mentioned). I have few guitars including an American Strat, a Japanese Charvel from the 80's and a Jackson Kelly Series X. Still, the HB 35plus is my go to guitar, it just feels great to play

[@robphillips8351]

I think you are very sharp with the 400.00 limit.. usually there's a substantial jump in quality at 500 and to find good options at 400 brings competition to the 500 and up to around 700 (similar quality in the 500 to 700 range)

[@ThunderFalcon333]

You got some serious chops my friend 🤘

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@johnaviles684]

IMO, the most under rated guitar is the late 80's early 90's Peavey Tracer. You'll probably want to switch out the stock pickups (that's all !) and you'll have your favorite axe for around, only $500! They are monster shredders. I own several. Check them out if you like. The one's with 24 frets and a floating bridge with locking nuts!

[@jonathanfrieze8497]

i absolutly love my 90s peavy telecaster copy its got the nicest smothest neck love thr made in usa peavys i need one of there srats next

[@johnaviles684]

I have several. I'm about to sell at least 3. If you're interested (or anyone else out there), let me know... If not Jonathan, thanks for your reply!

[@ravendemo4980]

I have a Squier Classic Vibe 50s tele, which (although double the price,) is one of my all time favorites. I basically keep it in open c all the time!

[@StratsRUs]

Wow.Great sounds Elmo.Excellent playing too.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks!

[@paulmullins8425]

The red classic vibe was really good, as was your playing red hot man 🎸👍🎸👍

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@CAGED1702]

Very insightful and instructive video! As a professional player for 45+ years I agree with you, we live in the Golden Age of Guitars indeed. When I started playing the guitar at the age 8 (I studied violin at the same time) I had to deal with instruments that were more like torture instruments. With high action, heavy gauge strings with a wound 3rd, terrible pickups and crappy set-ups. I got my first decent guitar in the form of a '62 Fender Strat, which, in comparison with most of the low-budget guitars of nowadays, was not much better, despite the huge price difference. Just my 2 cents. What I'd like to see demonstrated more is the Gibson SG type of guitars, but maybe you have already. I just subscribed to your channel ( and also bought some of your music on Apple Music). Keep up the good work, Elmo!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@raphexe]

Finally, reviews from someone who has chops and tone !

[@toddkennedy5714]

I have the Indio strat as well. After doing a setup and putting a new nut on the thing…. I love it. I’ve had guitars that cost way more that didn’t feel and play as nicely as my Indio. Thanks for the video. Great job. You earned yourself a new subscriber

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@filip_petric]

I have a Squier Bullet Stratocaster and i love it! But i changed the bridge, tuners, and pickups...

[@mickster4455]

Check out any of the Vintage brand guitars. I bought a V100 from British Audio in TN, USA. They set it up prior to shipping and arrived in tune! After owning it a few months I took it across the state and had it PLEK'D, polished the frets, set-up and strung with ELIXR 9's.... WOW! Night and day difference! I plan to buy another this year. Yeah, it's that nice!

[@MifuneYoutube]

The tele bullet rules! Just changing the plastic nut, saddles and pickups genuinely makes this guitar sound as good as a tele 4 times it’s cost

[@johncollins5552]

I just change the nut and tuners they are the worst parts

[@MifuneYoutube]

@@johncollins5552 yeah, that’s enough to elevate this guitar, however the saddles make a big difference too. Try some brass ones. Sounds fantastic!

[@johncollins5552]

@@MifuneKZbin Do you know is it routed already to take a humbucker, that would be a fun mod and make a more versatile 🎸?

[@MifuneYoutube]

@@johncollins5552 it’s been a while since ive had the scratch plate off, but I believe so. I went with single coil Seymour Duncan vintage broadcast pickups and re wired them into series mode, so I have neck, series and bridge on the 3 way switch. I prefer the bridge, but Series mode gives me the humbucker type sound when I need it. Best of both worlds for me

[@johncollins5552]

@@MifuneKZbin Cool, just read that Mike Rutherford former Genesis guy is now on tour playing a bullet strat , hardware mods but still stock pickups ,neck and body.

[@davespin9034]

You are an amazing guitarist and shredder, and I love how brutally honest you are, you seriously crack me up!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks!

[@bones2532]

Nice informative video, Elmo, thanks! I bought a used Vintage VS6 (SG copy) a few days ago. Got it for under 200€ and it's a great guitar, I cannot recommend enough. Very well built (discovered, that it actually has a long neck tennant, for example), plays ablolutely awesome and sounds fantastic (if you swap the stock Wilkinsons pickups). These Wilkinson PUs are very hot and sound rather boomy. Not my taste, at least. I put in some inexpensive Roswell HAF vintage humbuckers for 33€ pp and it sounds better than some Gibson SGs I heard and played. So I can really recommend checking out that Vintage stuff as well as that Roswell pickups, if you're looking for some inexpensive guitar/pickup tuning options.

[@MrPolevaulter]

And thank you :)

[@michaelnugent9758]

The Vintage stuff is nice. Took me by SUNY surprise

[@MyBurdenToBury]

The way you speak reminds me of Paul David's.Great video! Always cool to see the potential within instruments on a budget.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks!

[@matthieuforte7618]

Squier bullet telecaster is a fantastic guitar for the price and if you remove the pickguard you will notice that it is routed for humbuckers !!! I have mod one with a mini humbucker in the neck and a hot single coil in the bridge, its always the guitar I pickup first when I power up my amp !!! Great video as usual 👌

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks!

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you for sharing!

[@nomadman123]

I would have to agree about that HB Strat. However I got a Glarry Strat for about $100 and I love it. It’s very light weight and that’s a big criteria for me. I wonder if you ever tried the made in Canada Godin electrics? Like a Stadium HT. They’ve always had great guitars in the $600 CDN range which is above what you’re reviewing here but it’s cool that there are so many choices below $1,000. Especially when you see guitars that are in the $5,000 to $10,000 range. Great video by the way!

[@anthonybrock9435]

Elmo. Laddie. I simply must tell you. I watch your videos because they're very well made, interesting and entertaining. But I must confess. The primary reason is that you are a spectacularly fantastic guitar player. What you do with clean tones (and the others) is phenomenal. Ineffable. Haste ye back, Elmo. 🍀 🎸 🍀

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thank you Anthony :)

[@Ben-xl7ft]

I loved my Yamaha Pacifica (I think I paid about £140 fifteen years ago). Excellent budget guitar to get started with to see if you like playing before you upgrade your equipment later on.

[@albertofernandez7741]

A very useful video. And you are an excellent player, Elmo. Keep going!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thank you very much!

[@chrisgmurray3622]

Thanks for pointing out that your bad experiences with guitars are based only on the individual instrument you purchased.It occurs to me that perhaps the same point could be made about your more favourable guitar encounters...in that they may also have reflected on your good luck at striking one of twelve that had that something special.To me theis happened quite a few times; a cheap bass( probably made in Korea) by the brand " Tempo" with one low powered neck humbucker on a sort of jazz bass(fender) solid body, was bought for aNZ$100 second or third hand and it is almost the best sounding bass I've ever heard, and it records beautifully. If I some day tracked down the same model made in the same year, I would try it of course but I wouldn't expect it to be anywhere as good as the one my wife has. After all I've played different strats made in similar months that are quite notably different in sound.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Yeah, it works both ways.

[@johnwillard6198]

I own a HB 35 in black , so glad you included it , I love mine .

[@stuartwilliamjohnson7549]

Awesome video. Love that you deal with budget guitars like these. Your playing alone is worth a view. Sadly, I already bot a Harley Benton Strat which you hated. But it was very cheap to buy so I am not out much and it is pretty! I definitely will be checking you out much more and very glad I found you on here. Thanks so much for your efforts here - it is much appreciated !!! I will check out that Indio now too !! Cheers !!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@ColonelAngus2023]

Have you tried the GROTE 335 hollow body and Telecaster copies? I love them both. The natural finish 335 was $200 delivered. The Telecaster was $75 second hand. I was blown away by the quality right out of the box. The GROTE Les Paul however was a POS and was returned the next day. Check them out. You will be amazed at the look, sound and feel of them.

[@MrPolevaulter]

I haven't. Not yet at least. Seem to be hard to find in Europe.

[@Manche-De-Pelle]

If you got a low low low budget, I bought a Donner stratocaster, same range as the indio. Totally enjoy it as a first guitar and you can have a set where it comes with a gig bag, little practice amp, a tuner, a strap. It cost me 209$ CAD ... 150$ USD

[@MrPolevaulter]

I've been meaning to check out a Donner.

[@rabokarabekian409]

My advice to a new player is that along with guided playing instruction, also use the web to learn how to setup and mod. This will free you from nearly every typical problem. It is SOOO easy to improve an electric guitar as long as the neck isn't twisty. So always have a bolt-on neck. This makes adjustments and repairs massively easy. With a set neck, it could easily cost more than the new guitar to fix. Any differences in sustain from a set neck will not have practical impact, and often a bolt-on's sustain can be improved with one simple trick (yeh, thst's on line, too).

[@johnnyhock]

I have an EART “strat” and a Jet Guitars “tele” both were around the €250-300 price and are both very very good guitars for the price. Very playable with great necks stay in tune etc. I would recommend them both

[@aliensliveinme]

I tried a Jet JS-400, I liked the spec, nice big frets, the layout of the controls and nicer neck joint but man... That thing must have been built by a blind person in the dark! The frets were awful, a bunch of finish issues, screw holes in the wrong place, Neck was slightly warped. I'm probably going to try out one of those Ibanez AZES line next and hope that it scratches the itch.

[@johnnyhock]

@@aliensliveinme Wow man, I must have been lucky with mine, didn’t have any issues. Buzz on the low “E” string was sorted by graphite in the nut slots and a low action set up. Nothing else.

[@aliensliveinme]

​@@johnnyhock Oh man I just have relly bad luck when it comes to these things. In the last year I've ordered 4 guitars and returned 3 of them 1. Squier classic vibe tele with the worst finish I've seen in a long while, also whoever packed it decided that on top of the body was a good place to put some patch leads which chipped it loads 2. the replacement tele that has the worst cut nut I've encountered, it binds so badly that it can't stay in tune for more than a few seconds of playing (I didn't work this out until after the return window so it's getting a tusq XL at some point) 3. Chapman ML1 that was great but it was sold as new (and I paid new money for it from a reputable store here) that turned up with a ton of buckle rash on the back and dents in the fretboard (I am really sad about sending that back because it was the last one they had) 4. The Jet JS-400

[@sdfswords]

Good job, Elmo, proves we truly are in the Golden Age of nice sounding cheap guitars. Just grabbed a used PRS SE Santana today for about your 400 Euro price, used but mint with bag. Killer sounding and playing instrument, probably better than my Gibson PAF hollow body, still in disbelief.

[@gamecat666]

you make a good point about you buying the guitar VS being sent a guitar to review. You can guarantee that ANY company sending a guitar to a youtuber will always be their A+ stock and will have gone through 10 times the amount of QA and setup than a random online bought one has.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Yep.

[@mediastarguest]

I was looking about in a huge music store today, which stocked Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, PRS, Tokai and Yamaha, among many other brands. I noticed that several brand new made-in-Mexico Fender Player series Telecasters were very poorly finished - the join where the bolt-on neck meets the body was inconsistently gapped on both sides; some of them are really "bolted on" for sure ! I also noticed if you're willing to pay an extra 700 or 800 for an American Performer, then Fender can fit the neck to the body perfectly !

[@mahmutyldz214]

50 million Turkish liras equals 5 million euros. A little expensive for a gig bag I guess. Anyways, great video Elmo.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haha :D Cheers!

[@MikeHensley-sc3ns]

Mostly girls.. I know a couple of liars.😜

[@fostexfan160]

Excellent video with great information. Some superb playing as well. Another subscription. Well done sir

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@jamesjudd6577]

Best guitar channel I've found now. Thank you. However, you don't mention how well they stay in tune, setup out of the box etc, etc.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks! I do that stuff in the actual reviews.

[@caileford4919]

I love that you donated that one guitar to a student man much respect and love

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks!

[@jaredcoleman4569]

I just got the Sterling Cutlass CT50hss, it's amazing for it's price! I have a few expensive guitars and it definitely goes up to bat with those. I have heard of these having QC issues unfortunately though. I bought mine from a reputable dealer and it came decently set up out of the box, nothing was wrong with it except for the nut being kind of cheap. I'm sorry you got a bad one. This is a great video though!

[@raymondarchacki3454]

I also have the Sterling Cutlass CT50 HSS w/roasted maple neck and locking tuners and what a fantastic guitar. I was disappointed the reviewer spent so much time "bashing" it and didn't bother to play it. I get some great sounds out of it and it stays in tune.

[@IcarusWrath]

Nice transition from the chromatic section of the hey joe solo to purple haze. Sincerely, A jimi fan and player.

[@tankdarla637]

The Cort near beginning , looked and sounded really nice

[@victorblakey4260]

Channeling your inner Jeff Beck, and Gary Moore. You won me over. Subscribed !

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@raudoyveloz]

The Sterling cutlass that you tried not is the same that Darrell Braun reviewed, because one is the CT30 and the other is the CT50 new version with roasted maple neck , a superior model.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Yeah, might be I remembered the one he checked out wrong.

[@aladolfsenjustanoldguy2045]

I also have the CT50, and I'll put it up against a Fender Mex Strat which costs almost $300 more. I love it. With the 12 inch radius, it makes for an easier transition with my Epi Les Paul, And it sounds great.

[@danieldepedro6452]

You play killer man! Nice vid

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@thebenefactor6744]

Tickle me, Elmo. With your excellent guitar playing skills.

[@MrPolevaulter]

:D

[@buckellard]

Thank you for doing this. Your comments are great. Your humor is refreshing. I've been looking at a bunch of different kinds of guitars and you just made it so much easier. Thank you so much.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Juno58]

You're a hell of a guitarist, i would give my left hand to play like you do! Uuups....

[@MrPolevaulter]

:D Thanks!

[@shanetankey3340]

Elmo,mate you do great work. Love it. My go-to cheap guitar is the Squier Affinity. You stay cool.

[@kenpullin4937]

Great video. Very informative

[@MrPolevaulter]

Glad you liked it

[@Sankara561]

Some good points there; my HB ST-20 has no issues at all BUT it makes sense that QC at that price will be variable and it does make sense to either save up a bit more or buy second hand. For most everyone the sensible answer to "what guitar should I buy, I only have £75 to spend" will be "don't spend the only £75 you have on any guitar". Same with the cheaper HB single cut, the SC550-II is SOOOOO good and still cheaper than anything that isn't a HB means you should probably ignore the cheaper ones and get the 550 as a forever guitar. It's SO GOOD.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@aptfx]

I can recommend two more Harley Bentons: The Harley Benton Fusion T HH HT(Pro Series) does cost just 299EUR and comes with steel frets, locking tuners, coil split, GraphTech nut and feels incredible to play. This thing... could easily be double the price. There is also a variant with a 2 point tremolo instead of the hard tail bridge mine has. Again... this is an incredible one. Next: Harley Benton TE-52.. its a vintage style telecaster - very nice looking very good and is well built. It does cost just 159 EUR. I bought it as a modding platform but left it just as it is. I really was surprised by it. It has one downside: It is really quite heavy.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Yeah, I was surprised by heavy it was.

[@aptfx]

@@MrPolevaulter One thing that often is also forgotten... HB offers quite a few guitars for lefties. The Fusion T is perhaps one of the best deals for lefty players overall.

[@poboy942]

That miracle man intro is very hard to to learn and play correctly, you were leaps and bounds better than ive ever been able to play it lol ...Ive spent many frustrating evenings trying to play the miracle man intro and worse the solo in the middle my fingers dont move that fast ..great video loved it !!

[@tomecalm7]

Honestly, just replacing the stock plastic nut with a brass one does absolute WONDERS for tone and sustain. Cost is less than $10. Try this on your present guitar before you go out and spend hundreds. JMO

[@mikaelconley1724]

Hi! I just fell over this older video of yours. I have a Harley Benton 550 (which I love) and have been thinking of upgrading the pickups. What pickups did you upgrade yours to? In general I love your tone, so I think it would be a good guideline for me. Thanks!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks! My luthier friend made me a couple of vintage style low output humbuckers.

[@mikaelconley1724]

@@MrPolevaulter Thanks I'll take a look at the options of that type. I was sort of thinking of the Fishman fluents and I believe that is one of the settings they have. 🤘

[@jvin248]

Don't get so worried about fret sprout. It takes less than ten minutes to file the ends back if needed. If you do it at the driest time of the year in your area you'll never need to touch that up again. When reviewing guitars and you find fret sprout, decode the build date and you'll find that guitar was made in the factory's most humid months (summer in Asia) and the review is happening in the dry winter. Wood is organic and it will shrink from humidity variation like that. A winter-built guitar will have no fret sprout in the humid summer of a reviewer. Filing fret sprout is less hassle than changing strings and should not be the primary 'Quality Indicator' that players get upset with. Focus on checking for level frets using a fret rocker -- that is a hard fix for a player.

[@tonetoner8789]

I think fret sprout is a major concern. No point in buying a budget guitar with a major concern. Best to avoid it. But I have to admit what you say makes perfect sense. I’ll take it onboard and consider myself the better for it

[@pbasswil]

Thanks for a little bit of clean tone here and there. I don't find overdriven rock to be the best demo of a guitar, it just makes them all sound very similar.

[@pepeguitarshop]

Great playing and a very honest review as Always. Thanks for this video. I've got a Classic Vibe strat and a Indio telecaster and I am very happy with both... What do you think about Cort CR200? Do you think they might be similar to a Harley Benton SC-550? Greetings and thanks again!

[@matthewblack7206]

I have a Cort CR-200 and I love it!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haven't tried the CR200.

[@ParFive]

Excellent review, and fantastic playing. Bravo!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@boblarouve4037]

on your marshall, all guitars will sound good !! 😮😀

[@EM-df6mo]

Great video, and honest commentary. Some fine looking instruments to be sure and amazing playing as well. I'll be back!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks!

[@doknox]

Harley Benton's are great guitars if you upgrade the electronics and put in the neck work. Solid heavy bodies and decent necks. I bought the 77 dollar one and put about 100 bucks into it and it's a beast. Also glarry if you want an extremely lightweight axe. I know this isn't that type of video but if you're a DIY type of player like I am you can have a guitar that sounds and plays like a thousand bucks for like 250 and little bit of work! I put together a glarry super strat that rivals any brand of guitar! My buddy wanted to trade me his RG for my glarry super strat! That says it all right there! Lol. I said no.

[@jimcamp2423]

Makes me feel good about the Monoprice Indio Telecasters I ended up with in 2021. They were on sale, 1 even had an additional coupon code . Both guitars came in at about what a Squier Bullet Telecaster would be on sale. I was on the fence between the Buttercream & 3TSB. The Buttercream won for Father's Day Sale, that when the 3TSB was on sale with a coupon code, it was a no hesitation to buy the 2nd one. I had lived with the Buttercream for 3 months, I knew I had a solid instrument. The only thing about the Indio(s), the 1st one was the heaviest guitar I have and close to 8.75 lbs total weight. The 3TSB was 7.75 lbs. There were issues with them for polyurethane finish blemish for the Buttercream & a microphonic squeal in the neck pickup of the 3TSB, but nothing that a little surfboard wax didn't cure for the 3TSB. The Buttercream blemish, I just ignore the flaw.

[@irf888]

Hi. Great video and content. Thanks.

[@MrPolevaulter]

And thank you :)

[@TheHenkka65]

The start of this video clip was absolutely in a class of it's own😂😂. Thanks for the review. 😀👌. How about doing a review of the Vintage V6 Thomas Blug - model..? I've listened to some clips of it and to me it sounds actually very good. It'd be good for the community (me!) to hear a pro's comments on that.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks! Maybe at some point.

[@stephendionne5690]

Ive got the ‘avoid #1’ actually love mine! Did a minor set up check - dropped action dropped pickups but raised poll pieces - i think this f’in rocks! Editing as i should have added, mine is a b stock. £108 - way way better than an epiphone LP that i had!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool bananas :)

[@hussamjamil4980]

Just got mine, frets are super nice. Love the feel of the satin neck, kind of fast and easy. For €123 brand new.....do not expect something great, but it is damn good. As Elmo always says....ever guitar is an individual....you can spend €2.000 and get something that plays much worse, or something cheap that is suprisngly good (not great come on, the price) and keeps you playing.

[@jamesgarvey8402]

I’m a new player and I wound up getting a Donner DST-152. I am extremely satisfied with this guitar and some of my friends who have been playing guitar for years couldn’t believe how good it actually was at that price point.

[@anthonybizzell3857]

I agree with you on the price to value of the Monoprice Indio model. I got their Modern Classic T-style for $89 and after some fret end dressing and a proper setup, it plays and sounds really good. Much better than an Epiphone Les Paul Jr I bought back in 2006 for $99. I'd like to try some Harley Bentons, but live in the HB desert called the USA.

[@TexanUSMC8089]

I live in Texas and have bought 3 Harley Bentons. They ship to the USA. I think the shipping was $60. I ordered two at a time and they came in one box. $30 shipping per guitar.

[@jimestus7506]

You do a great job!, keep up the good work!

[@damasterkarej]

Hi Elmo, do you Luke this Laney micro amp that stands behind you? Or ís it just for decoration? :-) For under 400€ probably ceahpest Chapman ML1 would fit. I guess so. It is amazing piece of wood ;)

[@MrPolevaulter]

Didn't like it much. Probably going to donate it somewhere.

[@ryant3600]

I agree on the HB 550 is an excellent guitar no matter what the price.. Most people say it's a great guitar for the price.. No it's just a great guitar no matter the price. The 400 is their cheapy runs about 112 bucks USD, it's basswood body and it is not as good, not sure where it's built these days but it's not built at Cort in Indonesia like the 550's. I have around 20 guitars right now and I have some excellent Japanese made Ibanez guitars, I have a Fender Strat, Jackson soloist, Kramer Nightswan, and a handful of Indo made Ibanez Rg's and a Ibanez Jiva, an Epi 60's standard.. Reason I'm telling all this, is because well first I got my Epi 60s standard as a Xmas present from my daughter. I was blown away by how great it looked, felt and sounded. It quicky became my favorite single cut guitar in my collection. Then Thomann released the HB 550 plus EMG, they sold out within like a week, I happened to be lucky enough to get one that week. And not only is it my all time favorite single cut guitar in my collection, it's my top 3 guitar in my entire collection. And it's my second least expensive guitar in my collection, the least expensive guitar I have is the HB CST-24T which I got for like 210 bucks about 4 years ago. My HB 550 I can't say enough great things about it and I have zero bad things to say about it. First, I ordered it from Alaska, it arrived in 3 days from Germany. It came out of the box perfectly set up, no fret sprout or sharp ends, everything was perfect. And it looks amazing and the EMG Fat 55's that come in it are incredible.

[@Axess-sv8nq]

I have 2 Monoprice/Indio Les Paul style guitars. Yes, I upgraded the pickups in both. But, I didn't have to. It was purely for looks and what I wanted to do with both. The Tobacco Burst Monoprice, I turned into a replica of Ace Frehley's Les Paul he had from 1974-1978 - the same one used on "KISS Alive!". The Goldtop Indio I turned into a Tom Scholz (Boston) guitar by putting on a pair of open-coil Dimarzio clones. They both sound close to EXACT to the guitars I modeled them after (when I put them on my Guitar Rig 5 presets I made for each band). And they play GREAT!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool!