BARITONE GUITAR BATTLE - Harley Benton JA Baritone vs Squier VM Baritone Jazzmaster

[@BaenaCarcosa]

For more information on the Harley Benton JA Baritone guitar: ►Harley Benton JA-Baritone: thmn.to/thoprod/528005?offid=1&affid=1582 Check out my band for more heavy music: linktr.ee/carcosa

[@emanuelgouveia]

Nice vídeo Andrew, btw, i have both models to, try to use the EXL156 (.24 .84) on the HB! I put those strings on the HB and its sounds killer on Drop E

[@DJENTISNTNOTAGENRE]

I actually think the Harley Benton JA Baritone sounded better. I feel like the Squier was noisier. Plus, the difference with the bridge is a major advantage to me. Can't wait to get one a few months from now!

[@TheBanana93]

Hmm thats weird because I was thinking it was the other way around. I have not heard either guitar before so there is no bias but the Jazz master sounded way more clear and less noise.. could be my speakers tho

[@DJENTISNTNOTAGENRE]

@@TheBanana93 Could be your speakers or even mine. Either way, both guitars will definitely be noisy as hell regardless since they both have single coil pickups in them. Plus, you won't have to pay roughly $1,000 or more to get your hands on one of the Harley Benton models. I'm honestly surprised Fender hasn't reissued their Jazzmaster Baritone by now with how popular it still is.

[@whoisdin]

plus you can get a Fishman Fluence p90 and get rid of that hum… and ooooo boy you’re cooking with gas now.

[@CodyCockyote7046]

@@DJENTISNTNOTAGENRE those guitars were 300 /400$ I think 1 grand for it used is too much scalping

[@DJENTISNTNOTAGENRE]

@@CodyCockyote7046 That's a fact! Then metal guitarists started using them for low tunings and that was it. Everyone, myself included, wanted one. I've seen the used price slowly decrease over time, but it's still insane how much they can go for now.

[@michawee]

Harley Benton is killing it lately. Definitely a brand I’ll keep on my radar.

[@jeremyrafuse5330]

I've been tracking them for the past year now and finally pulled the trigger on an Amarok baritone. Absolutely amazing guitar. And for $600 CAD (after shipping and customs), it's an insanely good deal.

[@thebigman8250]

Hearing that HB through the Gojira archetype makes me want them to play in a super low tuning for at least one song, it’d be interesting to hear that kind of high treble sound over super low notes

[@xziggyx1]

Been waiting to order this and I’m ready to pull the trigger on it. Such a sick guitar and I’m tired of tuning my actual jazzmaster down low and not getting the action I want. Boutta be rocking with thenJA

[@mikeciotti]

I legit can’t wait til these are back in stock. Scooping one up ASAP.

[@ilikeheavymuzic135]

Surprisingly I actually slightly prefer the way the Harley sounds. They’re definitely both very similar in terms of tone, but the Harley just sounds a little more defined and snarly to my ears.

[@ShiceSquad]

Indeed, it does sound ballsier and cooler for most purposes. My Squier JM sounds a lot janglier and twangier and more suitable for indie as opposed to ultra heavy.

[@stefano2465]

Are the pickups on the HB noisy?

[@completionofanexorcism1195]

Great comparison. My JA Arrives Monday.

[@VOUXE]

How is it going?

[@ianskelding5827]

In the drop E tuning, the Harley benton sounded darker in tone, it would be interesting to hear them both clean back to back

[@BaenaCarcosa]

No clean tones allowed on this channel

[@ianskelding5827]

OK I got it

[@ColtonAtkins]

@@BaenaCarcosaand nothing above drop B

[@LESHAVISHNEVSKY]

Comparison: Harley Benton - 4:39 Fender - 5:39

[@Pops42069]

On the HB one of the screws on the pickguard seems to be over tightened (the one to the left of the pickup switch), the pickguard looks like its warping

[@void870]

Cool thing about the bridge on the Squire is that it can be easily replaced with damn near anything you want, with minimal amount of holes to plug. Mostly because there's no string-through holes drilled all the way through the body. I did a bridge swap on a squire strat body, and replaced it with a Schaller Hannes 6 bridge, because it too had a hardtail bridge that was front mounted versus string-through :)

[@albertoalfak]

any locking tuners that could be replacing the standard ones on the hb?

[@sethdusith6093]

That familiar fender sound. They always have this accentuated high mids tone compared to other guitars. Where the high mids always sound a little too high

[@lgcovers1]

Thanks for this comparison! Haven't fiished watching but let's see if I was right not to sell my Squier before this came out...

[@jseaux]

They are back in stock in 7-9 weeks, so I’ll be checking back. I’ve got 2 baritones and I really want a 30” to mod. I’d definitely swap out those pups to something less noisy. But for $200 with another $300-400 in mods, I think this would be a better value and out perform the VM.

[@jseaux]

Change in plans! Ibanez is releasing their own short scale bass/baritone. The SRC6 is coming out in a few months. It’s $800, but you get bartoloni passive humbuckers with an active 3 band eq, it’s multi scale and it looks so much more versatile. But instead of coming at the direction of making a guitar with a longer scale, they are taking a bass and making it shorter with guitar spacing. Best of all it’s still cheaper than what a Squire VM Baritone JM will cost you.

[@cjlc93]

Just curious, what p90s would you switch to? I'm considering buying this guitar but I've never had p90s before.

[@polyphemus880]

Best Title and Thumbnail so far!

[@DrTomoculus]

All I know is this. I picked up a Harley Benton HB JA-60SB awhile back, and it stays in its case. Because if I take that thing out, I won't use any other guitar I own. I purposefully play the others and keep that thing out of rotation. Out of the packaging, the bridge pickup got marked up by the pick I was using. So this told me things is cheap here. I got a blue stained soapbar pickup within 2 hours of owning. But that guitar is awesome. And with this Baritone JA, I noticed the same thing. It somehow "floats" argggh. This is difficult to describe. What it sends out is a very direct sound from those pickups. But when you put effects, or EQ on it post-recording, production mix stage, the thing floats. It sits so well in any mix. And you can throw a heapload of reverb/delay, just washed in effects, and it just keeps its "integrity" but allows you to manipulate it to no end. I would use it on EVERYTHING I compose/record, but I purposefully don't. Because I won't use any other guitar I own, which includes another Harley Benton (the SC-550 II BCF, which is great itself) Squiers/Fenders etc. Shame about the tuning pegs on the Baritone, but as said, the JA-60's pickups got marked up by a pick! So I knew what I was getting for under £140. BUT IT SOUNDS GREAT.

[@Blockaid40409]

So, the full mix sounded incredible with the HB JA! I love the way those pickups sound with that low E tuning! What I find interesting however, when you were doing the A/B testing between the two instruments in the video, I zoned out for a moment while listening to the two sound bits- I can't tell a difference sound wise. They sound pretty much IDENTICAL if you ask me. That's incredible! Thanks for the video Baena! Now I need to pick one of these JA's up...

[@mateuszbogucki8323]

Same here. I was like "dude, when are you gonna switch to the other one?"

[@juffurey]

Wow thanks so much for this review!

[@ZL1LoVeR]

Great demo and comparison Andrew! Why is the mounting screw on the HB neck pickup flying off the cover? 😅

[@budverissimo1]

I'd like to see what under the pickguard looks like for the HB. If there's room for a full sized humbucker, slap a fishman in there.

[@justaamateur6533]

You've probaply seen by now but the routing underneath is pretty tight, humbuckers woudnt fit without routing a bit of the wood yourself

[@ANDI3niable]

Aight, finally pulling the trigger on the harley benton JA thanks to this video.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

I never thought those Squiers were worth what people ask for them. Hope I can pick one of these up before the price gougers!

[@joemurray2523]

We need a battle of the Harley Benton JA vs the Harley Benton MR :P

[@DoNotLookDown]

I had this in my cart the day it was announced and I didn't pull the trigger. I've been wanting a baritone for a while but I just prefer a humbucker in the bridge and decided to save the money. Looking to save up for a Rabea Signature Baritone Chapman guitar. That has all the specs I want in a baritone but is impossible to try in person near me.

[@justaamateur6533]

You coud probaply just get this and put a dimarzio p90 sized humbucker in it, but what do i know

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

I notice that the Squier out of the two is definitely fizzier but it does have better note definition whereas the HB has an unpleasant 'klonk' sound to it, as if there's a scoop in the upper mids and too much treble at the same time. I'd go for the Squier out of the two because that aspect I don't care for could be toned down with settings but the sound from the HB is not really something you can get rid of as easily, though arguably it will help it cut through a mix where everything is set really loud.

[@tyrantking9362]

That 6 string bass is groovy.

[@bungdilly6333]

was waiting for you to do this one

[@whoisdin]

i know it’s a very small detail, but that Harley Benton is not a jazzmaster body but a Bass VI body. it’s just coloured exactly like the the baritone jazzmaster. 🤙

[@rejectedcovers8790]

that’s what I’ve been saying

[@jeremyrafuse5330]

🤷‍♂️ HB looks better than the Squire with the slightly different upper horn

[@DelScully]

The Bass VI body is thinner and longer.

[@justaamateur6533]

Honestly, it woud be an instant buy for me if it didint look like a bass vi but a jazzmaster instead.

[@aftertheendtimes]

I am thrilled to hear and see you demo this JA baritone,... and you play it like no other it is heavy =) Thanks a ton dear Andrew, Love cheers 💚🎸🤘BTW we need up to 17 weeks until the HB baritone is in stock again 😪

[@bobbymcloughlin3452]

The Harley Benton Baritone is Tuned to an Open A6sus (Barbaritone) Tuning

[@Chriscorcho]

All this scale length and I STILL don't understand that Loathe tuning. Someone please explain. Is it E1 A1 E2 A2? And how in the world does that work out with a barry string set?

[@SomeWizard]

You convinced me for buying the HB Jazzmaster. I was between buying one of the Harley Benton cheaper 8 string models (and eventually change the stock pick ups) and also the ST-20HH, this last one is also on the cheap side but has some killer active pick ups, wasn't sure if it will djent tho. Anyway, gotta wait those 14 weeks!

[@t.schipper]

You ever found any tuners to slap some heavy strings on? I can't for the life of me find some decent tuning mechanisms that allow something between 80 and 105 for those guitarbass/bassvi string sets. To drop it comfortably to E octave lower.

[@merginator]

Wish I could get that Harley Benton. Been looking for a baritone for years.

[@NateSmith87]

That Harley Benton guitar looks so sick.

[@bobbymcloughlin3452]

4:44 That is Tuned To An Open Em11 Tuning For 6 String Bass but an Octave Higher, So it Would Be A Piccolo Bass Tuning Standard Tuning For 6 String Bass = F# B E A D G

[@mateisenciuc8406]

Standard 6 string bass is BEADGC. For that specific tuning u say you ll need thicker strings so it can hold that tuning

[@raymondmorton5105]

I like the pickgaurd better on the hb vs the Squier

[@Wrkncacnter777]

You should take a look at FireFly's new 30" baritone with SS frets.

[@SAZABI009]

What is the wait time on Harley Benton guitars and is ordering one pretty legit? I don't want to get scammed or anything because the price and quality is almost too good to be true

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

For this one you'd be waiting several months for the next production line to come in. They do sell a Bass VI copy, which is essentially the same apart from the bridge and pickups but you'd need to do some modifications to plug the holes for the bridge, change the pickups and install a new bridge and scratch plate to get these specifications

[@micharutkowski4674]

Well it looks and sounds great but I've got bad experience with this guitar. I've order it as soon as they post it and when they deliver me this guitar they scratch the fretboard, tuning key skipping and there pickups do not placed correctly under the strings. Thomann offered me the replacement but I must wait until February for the delivery

[@leinadatidumarp]

It has the same scale length as short scale bass. Does it mean you can install bass strings on it?

[@justaamateur6533]

@@ketamine1643 no idea why you'd want to do that when you coud just buy a short scale bass lol

[@wesleyfraser3357]

You guys planning on coming to the Armstrong metal fest this year??

[@BaenaCarcosa]

probably not sorry

[@kiahharris3683]

Squire is all about the hype,I’m glad I didn’t pay so much money for it and happy with my new HB ja! Harley B dominated it

[@anthonyrojas2205]

The squier has more pickup noise cause of the p90 and much more screech on the low end and bass than the Harley Benton , both sound so cool though

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

The Squier doesn't have P90s. The Jazzmaster pickups have alnico rod magnets pointing at the strings, like other fender pickups, whereas P90s have bar magnets under the bobbin, more like a humbucker, which is basically two smaller P90s shoved next to each other to get rid of interference.

[@fyndnflyp]

I need that Harley Benton! Tuners and pickups would definitely be upgraded though.

[@scelesta218]

I would give it a shot before you replace the pickups. I managed to grab one when Andrew put it on his IG story and after playing with it for like a week, the pickups are nice. Not perfect, but handle drop E/adjacent tunings well. Some hiss, but that’s basically normal for anything passive.

[@RetroRecipesKitchen]

My fucking soul has left my body - this is amazing.

[@MarvelJAM]

I am going to need one of the HB Baritone guitars. If they only sold one with the Evertune bridge ;)

[@justaamateur6533]

Thatd be the equivelant of hb selling a guitar with bareknuckle pickups lmao

[@deanaf]

Someone help me out. Is the Hb baritone different from the HB VS?

[@skipmilligan]

So does this basically make the Harley Benton Guitarbass VS null and void? Are We all just going to overlook it now? Or will it end up being a super rare item in the future?

[@EasyHeat]

The Squier VM Barry's original MSRP was waaaay below $500. I initially opted instead to buy two of the Affinity HH JMs launched during the same lineup. Great players and mod platforms BTW. The HB clones would IMO definitely be an expected "mod box" needing tuners, tone/treble caps, and pot upgrades out of the gate. Honestly? I would of done the same for the VM had I got one back in the day. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Kudos to HB tho for pulling the needed emergency brake on a genuinely over-hyped out of production Squier one off. There is absolutely no reason to overpay for a used "budget" guitar like the Squier VM, which will typically need about the same amount of TLC and mods, if not more, post purchase. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Nice demo content BTW Andrew! For $250 including shipping? My money's on the HB. With enough saved investment coin to spare for an amp & pedalboard to boot by comparison! HAha! 😈😈😈😈😈😈

[@Lamarro]

Tip for new watchers: The Squier is the one with the brighter fretboard xD anyways ... damn ... awesome video Andrew !

[@koloss85]

Side question, know of a bridge that would be a good replacement for the poopy bridge on the Squier Jazzmaster baritone? Or are you just gonna leave it as is and deal with it?

[@monsterbubba]

Andrew do you think the squire can handle a bigsby and stay in tune ? I am getting one with bigsby

[@andrewtomas5655]

@andrewbaena how do i get your t shirt

[@TheBanana93]

I don't know if you know about their cheap fanned fret 8 strings? I am so tempted but I haven't found a good review from someone i trust like you man! "Harley Benton R-458MN WH Fanfret" from what I can tell it just needs new pick ups and its good for a budget first time 8 stringer.

[@BaenaCarcosa]

I just put up a video with one of those last week

[@rhitosparsha]

@@BaenaCarcosa Your video had the MultiScale-8. He's talking about the R-458 Fanfret, which is cheaper and costs around $200.

[@BaenaCarcosa]

@@rhitosparsha Ah I see - I think they are basically the same guitar though other than the finish and 5 piece neck - regardless I do have a more full video coming out on the 8 I showed in my unboxing soon. Maybe in the future I can get one of the cheaper ones as well

[@Davix-tt9sh]

@@BaenaCarcosa i've had the R458 and aside from the QC (neck wasn't cut perfectly, It was smaller on one side on the first 3 frets , 2 tuners were loose and the bridge screws were rusty) it's a fantastic guitar for the price. The pickups suck ass, but the neck is one of most comfortable i've ever tried (third 8 string i've used), the frets were very nicely done (no sprout, not scratchy) and It had extremely low action from factory. Change the pickups, tuners and lube the nut and you have a great guitar. I've sold It after 3 years because I couldn't find a set that fitted my style (9-80 were almost perfect but still too floppy on the 8th for my taste).

[@BadBadtzBobby]

My only complain is that there is no antigua version of the Harley Benton.

[@virtuex10]

Comparing the two, was there a noticeable difference with how the necks feel?

[@Syndic_Calls]

Anything to not have that massive woodscrew in that bridge or the cheese grater neck that was on the jm bari I got a few years ago.

[@kenny.m.olsen95]

You ever going to try out their other Bass VI model as well? (HB GuitarBass)

[@adamfrost3139]

I hadnt even considered a baritone guitar 🤔 think I might get a squire one myself, (while the prices are down still) 😅 we know damn well a few years from now they'll catch on more and suddenly they'll be $1600 plus dollars or something ridiculous lol

[@mus0rmus1c3]

If price is ignored completely, would you choose it over say the 30" scale Schecter (forgot what it was called)?

[@justaamateur6533]

The schecter hellcat is most likely better, but it also costs 3x as mush as the hb

[@dav_e98]

I'm wondering what to guitar to get...i mean between HB JA and SubZero Paradigm hmm what do you think?

[@frankrodriguez7400]

I got the HB JA last year and it RIPS and is much better quality than I thought it would be for the price. Pickups sound damn good for stock and it’s very comfy to hold/play. Only thing I see people are meh about is the tuning pegs being plastic but it really isn’t that big of a deal to me, it’s held my drop G# and F tunings perfectly and I haven’t changed the strings since I got it

[@ronaldovasquezjr9256]

Can you gig with this guitar?

[@PSZEMKI]

Does the 80 guage string fit through the tunning peg or did you made the hole bigger somehow?

[@laxguitar4724]

Unbiased but still I think the Squier's pickup are infinitely better in your comparison, hb one was muddy, undefined and flat.

[@justaamateur6533]

It shoud if its original cost was 3x more than the hb, not even mentioning what the prices are now

[@Zareh_Abrahamian]

Great video as always, Andrew. How is the balance, is there a neck dive issue?

[@thunder8585]

did you have to file the nut on the harley benton or did you just put the heavier strings on?

[@siriuswobble1453]

thx mate.

[@dwikisanjaya9737]

Have you played aria pro ii jet b'tone?

[@commandohornet2295]

Hit purchase on one of these a couple days ago. Had no idea about the affiliate link, is there anything I can do to support you through that purchase?

[@nicosonic]

and for B standard 30 inch is not too much ?

[@Impenetrable_Walls_of_Heaven]

If you only want to tune to B the longer scale will let you use much lighter strings and still have good tension.

[@justaamateur6533]

For b standard you woud probaply be fine with just a 27 inch scale

[@jobkuizenga]

Hey! What kind of strings should I use for this guitar to go as low as in the vid?? Need some advice :)

[@chrisohtm]

How hard was it to get the action and such set good on JA? Mine out of box is a little wonky. Going to give it some TLC this week.

[@PooNinja]

I’m not an offset guy but that HB Barry is beautiful .

[@jasperjones5995]

That Squire sounds like it's got teeth. Definitely better. I have one and can confirm it's a truly special guitar.

[@whome806]

Do you put a limiter on your guitars?

[@heavyvibrationstudiopl3256]

What kind of bass guitar is needed to play with baritone guuitar?

[@jesseparrish9198]

Probably a 5 string would do the trick

[@heavyvibrationstudiopl3256]

@@jesseparrish9198 Yeah.But only 5 string?This is the question.

[@jesseparrish9198]

@@heavyvibrationstudiopl3256 oh I get ya. I believe any bass would be able to keep up as long as you had the proper gauge strings on it and a proper setup.

[@Mr.Goldbar]

sucks that they chose real P90s and the plastic tuning pegs, but other than that it compares pretty solidly

[@andrewmcbride88]

I wonder why the "If I keep it"?

[@BaenaCarcosa]

Because I only have so much room in my house and I can’t keep everything that I demo. I end up selling or giving a lot of it away

[@andrewmcbride88]

@@BaenaCarcosa makes sense. You may prefer to keep the Squier then?

[@BaenaCarcosa]

Yeah I don’t plan on selling the Squier since it’s rare now

[@Cpmnk]

I would get this swap the bridge for a guyker hipshot style bridge and put some alegree pickups in it

[@ShiceSquad]

Similar to my experience, but I'll embellish: fit and finish on my Harley JA was great right out of the box, but the pickup switch (or wiring thereto) was faulty and it is noisy a.f. leading me to believe that they used the cheapest pots, caps & wiring they could find. It also seems like it's going to be tought to set up a perfect action. But it actually sounds pretty good. My Squier JM, the sound is an "acquired taste" but good for various types of "indie rock", the neck, fretwork and action are great, BUT: you can tell that the hardware - and pretty much the whole thing except the neck - is pretty chinsy and this guitar is simply NOT worth much more than the original retail price of €350.

[@sgtmac62]

Fender officianado here. But, they can no longer compete in the lower middle markets. They simply do not want to.

[@thesplitking6340]

Yo I use 80 gauge on my 27.5 scale warlock

[@urfathersmelledofelderberr9498]

Can’t believe squier by fender would go so low and copy another brands guitar 😩

[@serfillustrated4018]

That HB is more of a Bass VI than a Jazzmaster.

[@user-qx9mu1us3s]

Yeah the benton definitely sounded much better. The squire was too bright and noisy. Sounds like a 200 guitar lol. I am happy as can be with the price/quality of my agile baritone 7.

[@jr.9792]

Weird that a squier is thought of as a premium model in something

[@Micahfugatt]

i love you, andrew

[@gypsydimitri]

1:14 So this is how the Harley Benton sounds :D *immediately starts on the open E and melts faces 🗿

[@boston9511]

@@gypsydimitri ???

[@johndeeregreen4592]

Um, wow, the tone of the Harley Benton is MUCH superior. It's not even close which one I would buy from tone alone.

[@BlommaBaumbart]

When you find yourself tuning a baritone guitar down to "dropped E", it's time to admit that you'd rather play a fucking bass. As a bassist interested in getting an instrument tuned A1 to C2, this seems a good option though.

[@justaamateur6533]

Palm muting and high gain distortion on bass suck, so if you want to go super fucking low, baritones are a way better option then bass lol

[@BlommaBaumbart]

@@justaamateur6533 If you ask me, palm muting is terrible in general and high gain distortion is only as terrible as your EQ and string choices. But I believe you if you say it's all better on a baritone.

[@stephendavies6375]

So cheap, want to order it. But not worth the 1 year wait here in Canada

[@chubi167]

Would love to hear how the guitar sounds when not ran through a mud filter

[@thebuck1152]

The harley Benton pups sounded more articulate and less noisy

[@DigitalDZ7]

Have you ever considered playing in a tuning that doesn't make you feel like you're gonna shit your pants?

[@evgeniychjen9258]

Tuning is E A Sports, it's in a game

[@CFChristian]

Dance On My Skin? More like Sit On My Face, amirite fellas?

[@necroticpoison]

Squier sounds noisy and has a weird kinda octave thing going on. Still sounds good but the HB sounds a bit better