Comparing a Harley Benton SC550 ii with an Epiphone MIK Les Paul

[@jasong546]

I have to agree with you for sure! I remember shopping for my first good guitar in 96…were all 90’s epiphone guitars as bad as the few I tried? The HB is hard to beat. Great video Jim!

[@AudiomoMusic]

I don't think the Epiphones are bad, but this one doesn't feel nearly as good as a decent GIbson or Japanese Les Paul. It definitely feels more like a Gibson than the HB for SURE, but that's kind of to be expected considering Gibson owns them. Just a brand I've been indifferent towards since I was a kid, and I still don't get the appeal all these years later I guess.

[@nickofzo]

I like what HB have established over the past years. They set new standards for their price range.

[@AudiomoMusic]

It really isn't close either, I've not found a single other brand that rivals them in this area.

[@dragontonoir909]

Just ordered my HB. Can't wait

[@AudiomoMusic]

You won't be disappointed! I am a big fan of this instrument.

[@StrangeDevice]

I have 3 HBs and love them. I have the previous SC550 and it’s super solid. Am glad to see people putting out reviews of the SC550 II and the Plus. Thanks!

[@AudiomoMusic]

I had one of the previous ones too, great guitar but man the frets and the teslas are indeed a big improvement

[@StrangeDevice]

@@AudiomoMusic Oh man, now you're making me want to save up for one...

[@EJohnDanton]

I think what you say here is pretty accurate. The Epiphone has a bit more of a mellow vibe whereas the Harley Benton seemed to come alive when you gave it gain. I can picture the Epi as more a blues or jazz player loving it, whereas the HB would appeal to a more modern player. And I agree - Epiphone was probably really trying to get a more Gibson feel for less $. With either one though, a good sound engineer could alter them enough in a recording to make the differences almost indistinguishable.

[@AudiomoMusic]

Thank you sir, this comparison really just showed how different two guitars with the same body style can be... They really are more different than similar in many ways. Also your final analysis is something I agree with, which makes the decision to choose the HB over the Epiphone much easier due to how much better the HB plays and feels.

[@johnrenshaw9688]

Hi from Spain, I really enjoyed this comparison video, and based on other numerous positive reviews I ordered an SC-550 II PAF "B" stock and a hard case. Unfortunately when it arrived it was unplayable, the graphite nut set so high even simple chords resulted in intonation problems which I had fixed at my cost. Then the selector switch, bridge volume and tone controls failed so I returned it for repair. When it arrived back the selector switch had been replaced but BOTH the volume and tone controls for both pickups did not function so I returned it again for repair. Yesterday they sent my money back which I told them I did not want, I asked if they could replace the guitar with any SC-550 II but they said they did not have a "B" stock one at the price I paid of 245.00 Euro. Then they told me to return the hard case. Of course I incurred all the costs of the repair to the graphite nut and the traveling costs to my city post office three times. Maybe I was unlucky but it seems to me all the Thomann promoted reviews the guitars are always perfect. Your reviews on all your videos are always honest and fair, kind regards,John.

[@randymiles904]

I have a Korean les Paul with a flame top. It's an amazing guitar, after I modded and set it up. I'm a huge fan of Harley Benton too. Amazing mod platforms. Hell I even put together one of their prs kits with a few upgrades and it's absolutely great. I paid $75 for the kit, and I've had people guess it's a $1000 guitar. 😂

[@johngerardmusic7761]

Thanks for the clean example as well. HB sounds great!

[@AudiomoMusic]

Everyone skips the cleans! it never ceases to amaze me people want to just smash the drive and forget about the rest of the sounds! 🤣

[@DennisAlvarezMusic]

I agree with you about the pickups. They both sound nice, but very different from each other. I would imagine that the Harley Benton will be much more defined in a band mix. The unplugged sound sounded very similar to my Gibson SG unplugged. Very snappy. I already own an LTD EC 401 with an upgraded bridge and tailpiece (Gotoh). It also has Di Marzio 36th Anniversary PAF's that I changed the magnets to A2. If I didn't own that I would most likely try the SC 550 II or DLX GOTOH.

[@darwinbeagle9394]

I was expecting them to be similar. I felt the Epi sounded much better!

[@petarkosovic6455]

Loudness of a guitar doesn't have to do anything with the frets. Color does. It's wood pairing more than anything else.

[@warhammer10101]

Good comparison video, but you may have talked me out of the Harley Benton. I have plans to visit Thomann this Saturday, and I was strongly considering buying the new SC-550. I think it's great, but I am looking for something with a warm sound to mainly play clean or a bit overdriven tones with. Of course what I want to play changes with the direction of the wind sometimes, so... I have had a Harley Benton CST-24T for a little over a year I bought on a previous visit to Thomann. I had gone there that day having only the overly simple plan to "buy an electric". This video reminds me just a touch of that day. It was down to an Epiphone single cut and this guitar, and I had a really hard time deciding. I tried both in the amp room with the setup I was planning to buy later on. I wound up buying the HB because of the price. The Epiphone was around 400€ and the HB closer to 200€, but I'm still not sure I made the right choice. It came down to these two because I couldn't make up my mind as to what I really wanted at the time, and both had coil split functionality which I rationalized as versatility. It did help that I thought the HB sounded better as a single coil than the Epi.

[@AudiomoMusic]

That actually makes me happy to hear. It means I did a good job of explaining what they both do. For what you say you want then I'd absolutely recommend going for a more traditional style Les Paul than the SC-550 ii, perhaps then you won't be thinking this time next year maybe you made the wrong choice again? Let me know what you end up with and thanks for the comment!

[@mixchifius]

I know this is a 2 year old post, but I thought I would interject that Reverb now is home for an official Harley Benton shop and prices are pretty much as they would be ordered from overseas and really possibly less 550SC II 299 Euro from Thoman $379 from Reverb store, no additional shipping charges, which I think direct from Thoman is $100 basically making the guitar cheaper from Reverb.

[@650thunderbird]

👍🏻👍🏻 I have a '93 MiK Epi (birds eye top), solid guitar. I have a few HB's and no complaints about them either.

[@AudiomoMusic]

ooooo You have an early Samick. I don't see those very often, those are some of the better ones I've played.

[@dukey558]

Korean made Epiphone sounds fantastic...looks great, too... all hands down, winner~!

[@AudiomoMusic]

It's absolutely a looker, the finish was one of the bigger selling points to me when I bought it!

[@appetiteforguitar]

Interesting comparison. Appreciate the epi is upgraded but the second hand market is big for these so it's useful to see an older model in action. Great you talk about the neck thickness. That's something that can get overlooked... how a guitar feels to play can make or break your enjoyment as electrics etc can be changed. I've always played and owned slim necks, but the chunky epiphone/gibson now feels great to me and I might get one :). Can't beat the price of the HB though with steel frets. I'm assuming your old epiphone is pretty heavy but I heard the HB has some weight relief?

[@AudiomoMusic]

surprisingly, they weigh within 4 ounces of each other. Another thing I would have also assumed would be far different. I had an older version of a HB les paul a few years ago that weighed in around 7lbs, but both of these are around 8 and a half each. I love the chunky style necks too, I'd recommend checking out some Japanese les paul style guitars like Tokai, Orville, 80's Burnys and Grecos... they really nail that in a lot of models and the build quality is superb.

[@barrywebber100]

I think the wood and construction affects the sound, I have the original SC550 and the acoustic sustain is excellent, the vibrations travel all the way through the neck and is long lasting. Allowing for the passing years what was the price difference between the 2 guitars? Thanks for the comparison review.

[@AudiomoMusic]

The epiphone still $200 more than the HB even in current market... on no planet is the Epiphone $200 better than the HB.

[@OnTheFritz602]

Currently waiting for the HBs' to be back in stock. Have a Korean made Epi from 2005 with fret wear that I've leveled and crowned/polished. Have swapped out the pups for SD 59's, upgraded the electronics, and really want to play both of these side by side.

[@AudiomoMusic]

What are they saying the wait time is for the next batch to ship? I've seen some models say up to 20 weeks!

[@OnTheFritz602]

@@AudiomoMusic The Faded Tobacco Flame is projected @ 3-4 weeks, and the Desert Flame Burst is 8-10. Those are the two I'm torn between. Probably jump on the FTF if that does become available first.

[@masterquan4891]

Yeah, I have a Epiphone 1996 model, and it is much different on the neck feel, I have the HB SC-25th Anniversary though. It comes with the locking tuners, and the feel is much more modern, it is a D shape and so easy to play compared to my Ephiphone. The only thing I don't like is how cheap the 3 way switch is, I likely just got a bad one I will eventually change it out. Everything else feels solid and plays so much better. I am going to punt my Ephiphone, it is very old and pretty worn down anyway. I don't think it is worth a refret anyway. Someone might like it as a beginner guitar, but I out grew it a long time ago. The only other Guitar I wish I would not have sold was my Ibenez RG from the 1987. I notice they brought it back, it was a wonderful guitar for heavy metal. Sometimes the old one are classics and sometimes the newer modern guitars just destroy the older one. Harley Benton Guitars are no joke these days and are always a good choice even if you are a intermediate player. But that is just my 2 Cents worth which isn't much.

[@vexxiv]

wow, i didnt know that the pots were fullsize in the Harley Benton! i ordered the black cherry flame sc550 II on tuesday and it will be here by friday or monday. was planning on putting in some Seymour Duncan Nazgul/Sentient pickups in there. do you think ill be fine with the electronics already in the HB stock or will a new wiring kit be more useful?

[@AudiomoMusic]

I think you should be fine, I would just use a digital multimeter to make sure the pots are reading the accurate value ( they are like 10 bucks on amazon and good to have around for electronics troubleshooting ), so long as they are close to the standard output of 500k you won't notice any tonal difference from upgrading them. The only other benefit of switching pots is having a better taper to them, meaning when you roll off the tone or volume it's much more gradual and noticeable with smaller movements.

[@221b-l3t]

Hmm I adore my LTD Les Paul so that sounds interesting, I think I'm gonna get it. The LTD seemed like such an amazing deal at the time and now this? I guess I'll never have a Gibson LP, just too expensive. And at that price adding some pickups and tuners wouldn't hurt too much.

[@m4verick6666]

my first electric guitar was an epiphone sg special from 2005 i think. its a very well made guitar and always felt good as a starter guitar. last year i bought a LP style kit guitar from harley benton - did a slash goldtop finish to it and put wilkinson alnico 5 overwound pickups in it. that guitar cost me about 180€ and boy is it fantastic. its the very first guitar i put together and setup all by myself and when i compare it to my old sg it feels 10x better and sounds 10x better. i guess it kinda feels like that because i´m very proud of the LP and so i really want it to feel good and sound good but i think overall harley benton just makes very good products for an unbeatable pricerange. would i buy another epiphone? yes, but i´d consider buying a harley benton before thinking about epiphone these days.

[@AudiomoMusic]

That's awesome you did the thing on your own. There's a certain pride you get when you really build something yourself, that's YOUR guitar. It's all about what makes you happy, not the brand on the headstock. thanks for the comment

[@mariolozoya3960]

Cuts me deep! This guitar is sweet!

[@greenslider]

Have the old sc550...she's nice..but stainless steel frets on anything with a decent board are a game changer

[@AudiomoMusic]

It's one of those things I didn't think would make THAT big of a difference but man I was wrong. It changes the entire feel, playability, and durability of the guitar at that point.

[@rst4641]

HB is the right choice for bedroom players. Low price, nice sounds and good playability. What else do we need? A certain brand name?

[@AudiomoMusic]

The thing is, even at a gig I'd be much more keen to take the HB over this epiphone too. It's just an easier playing instrument and the fretwork from the factory is better than this epiphone even with a nice dressing, AND it's lighter. You're right about the brand name stuff, it still really matters to some people...

[@greenfly1264]

@@AudiomoMusic No..its more than just the name on the headstock some brands are 'proven' others as yet aren't.

[@david.brewie716]

That sound demo was really well put together as an AB comparison. Hearing one guitar play the same thing, starting where the pervious guitar left off is the best way of hearing the difference between the two, kudos. You say that the SC feels like an ESP - may I ask how the LTD EC-256 compares to the Benton in terms of sound? IMO both are on the brighter side and don't have that exccessive Les Pauly midrange warmth, which sold me on the LTD. But SC550 seems pretty similar and I'm starting to think I could have paid less virtually for the same experience.

[@AudiomoMusic]

Unfortunately, I would say you did. Before I got this HB I always said the ec256 was the best under $500 les paul style guitar you could get... this feels like an improved version of it in almost every way. The EC256 is still good, but right now given the choice if I had neither I doubt i'd pick the LTD over this one.

[@johnatkin8732]

I have a Hohner Les Paul from the 80s - made in the epiphone factory in Korea - now with upgraded pickups - sounds OK - so why change ?

[@GzhelMehanizators]

Здравствуй, выбрал такую же гитару своей первой. Благодарю за хороший и подробный обзор, мне приятно что ты оставил себе такую же. Ведёшь обзор весело и с толком 🤝

[@zoso2850]

Own 2 epiphone...a 2020 classic and a 2014 plus top pro...both great...did pup swap on both..and I will tell you the biggest downfall on them in my opinion is fret wire..the frets were done very well but the wire feels cheap and doesn't hold up that great as the 2014 already has some show on them...all be it VERY small...oh and the poly on the neck of the 2020 was thick asf..made it slow...took a scotch bright pad to it and now it's slick asf...other then that they play and sound MAGNIFICENT!!!

[@AudiomoMusic]

That's the biggest difference between these two guitars, and the acoustic portion shows it big time in the room. The epiphone with those cheaper frets sounds completely lifeless compared to the HB. Outside of that, guitar is great honestly.

[@marcusberggren9241]

Honestly, to my ears anyway, the Harley Benton actually sounds better. Which ofcourse makes me happy since I'm waiting for my SC-550 II to arrive tuesday!

[@AudiomoMusic]

I thought it sounded better plugged in as well as more importantly unplugged. That will tell you a lot more about the guitars personality than plugged in and using effects/gain. It's just incredible how good this guitar is for the cost.

[@marcusberggren9241]

@@AudiomoMusic watched several other reviews and they all come to the same conclusion. These guitars punch way above their cost. I don't know how they do it. The little things that bug people, I don't really care about like the color of the tuners. Cosmetic things.

[@TripleMoxy9]

What did you think of your SC-550 II when it arrived?

[@flamedmahoganytable9749]

One of these Harley Bentons with a Jimmy Page wiring harness would be incredible!! Oh the possibilities...

[@AudiomoMusic]

Would be cheap too, it's insane to think what you already get as is for 300 bucks. Under 500 you have an absolute killer of a guitar.

[@Canadianwheelchairguitar]

The Epiphone looks very similar to the PRS S2 you sold. The HB looks & sounds great, the Epiphone looks nice too doesn't sound as good unplugged as the HB. I've always been a fan of Epiphone just because I can buy them in a store, they order a deal with the headaches. I guess that could be the part of the price difference, convenience.

[@AudiomoMusic]

When I first saw the ad for it I thought the same thing, kind of regretting the PRS for a few minutes and then went to pick this thing. I agree with you, the epiphone sounds lifeless unplugged. It's much more noticable in the room. You might be right about the convenience but I'll also chalk up brand name to the price difference as well.

[@Canadianwheelchairguitar]

@@AudiomoMusic Yeah I agree with the brand name reason for the price increase.

[@petestaint8312]

Does the harley stay in tune? Seems to be a problem with some.

[@jacoblim6621]

I'm just wondering if the Harley Benton comes with a long neck tenon? At this price, what you get is already a steal. But I'm just curious

[@AudiomoMusic]

It's not a long neck tenon, but as you said, it's a steal as is.

[@tomd8313]

Vote for Pedro! 🎉

[@AudiomoMusic]

Give me some of your tots

[@toneman8478]

I just got a 550 II yesterday.. It's a nice guitar for the price but the tuners suck and it won't stay in tune that well plus they gave me a guitar with really old strings on it as after I played it for a bit my fingers were completely black caked.. Can you recommend decent locking tuners

[@AudiomoMusic]

I noticed a bit of black residue after playing it but they weren't caked, I knew there had to be something for Pau Ferro wood to be that dark of a stain so it made sense. It stopped doign that after a full day of playing. Old strings that just sucks! While you have them off just throw on a set of Grovers that lock, they will last forever and you'll never have an issue. I think the ones that fit this guitar are about 50 bucks give or take.

[@davidarco6127]

Does it make any difference in tone to be the pickups covered or uncovered?

[@Leo_ofRedKeep]

Minimal. Watch this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZmvmY15r5abqZY

[@ekinkorkmaz2067]

I wanna buy a guitar which has jumbo frets. I m a new player and i think i should get a guitar which has jumbo (larger) frets cuz of my big fat hands 😂. Am i thinking wrong ? Does this HB SC-550 ii have jumbo (large) frets? Do you think i ll be comfortable with this guitar while i play it? Thank you for your feedback. (Note: I m sorry if i wrote sth wrong. My grammer is not that good 😇)

[@AudiomoMusic]

I wouldn't be worried about the big frets, I would be focusing on the size of the neck. I don't think this guitar would be a great fit for someone with very big hands, it's a very small neck. I would be looking for something that has a larger size, it will be far more comfortable for you to learn on.

[@Leo_ofRedKeep]

High jumbo frets make playing more difficult in that it is easier to bend strings out of tune. They require a lighter touch.

[@heiwei8726]

In my opinion, is the Harley Benton better than the Epiphone.

[@AudiomoMusic]

I completely agree. That goes for ANY epiphone I've ever played as well. The only ones I think would be better are the MIJ elitists from the late 90's.

[@epipick]

A MIK Epiphone for me every time, especially if it's from the Peerless factory.

[@greenfly1264]

Samick?

[@epipick]

@@greenfly1264 No, as I said, Peerless.

[@sfgdafg1372]

What is the name of the song starting at 2:18? Thanks)

[@AudiomoMusic]

That is the chorus for a song called " Go On" by a Japanese band named Uverworld

[@sfgdafg1372]

@@AudiomoMusic Thank you so much)

[@stephenskiles7782]

The 550 2 has a real maple top.

[@AudiomoMusic]

When I took the strings off and restrung it I was beyond impressed to see it did have that... remarkable that this guitar is only 300.

[@gregkar2736]

FORZA MILAN!!! i have the same jersey too!

[@AudiomoMusic]

Always and forever

[@OldBiker]

You were lucky you got a good one, I've had two really badly made ones out of three, I wont buy another Harley Benton guitar ever again. Especially when sending the second one back for a replacement I specifically stated for them to check it before sending it back to me, which they did not and sent the replacement with the same fault as the one sent back, being the pickups alignment being off centre so much so that the high E string did not even sit over a pickup pole. Also it takes three days in UK to have a new guitar shipped and eight weeks for a replacement, what a joke.

[@iwilrage]

Old epiphones used to suck

[@AudiomoMusic]

Some would say they current ones still do 😂. Everyone has their own opinions on that kind of thing

[@Leo_ofRedKeep]

Fret and saddle material have a much greater impact on sound than any of the wood in the guitar. That's because the strings rest directly on them when vibrating. Another important element is the type of bridge, as a floating one like a Floyd Rose will vibrate with the strings, absorbing some of the frequencies. Body thickness is írrelevant to tone, it only makes for weight, which in turn makes dumb ignorants feel like they have "something solid in their hands".

[@AudiomoMusic]

It depends how the weight is achieved. A solid one piece body of wood that weighs the same as a multipiece body of wood with internal chambering throughout is simply not going to sound the same depending on the woods used for each. How big of a difference there is in that will depend on the guitar itself and also which tone woods are being used. In the end your point about hardware is a good one, the nut also makes a difference. Basically anything that comes in direct contact with the string path will impact the tone.

[@andystagger2906]

Truth be told I’ll take the Harley Benton… it looks nicer and sounds equally as good ❤😂… I have a Harley Benton copy of 335 that sounds incredible ❤

[@AudiomoMusic]

I'm with you on this one, I'd much really have the HB and the extra money in my pocket too haha