Comparing the Harley Benton ST Modern+ and Fender CW Stratocaster.

There can be only one "modern" stratocaster in this house, and in today's video I compare the sounds and feel of the Harley Benton ST Modern Plus with the Fender Cory Wong Stratocaster. Regarding the difference in prices between these two guitar I realize this is an unfair test however this was a requested video so here we are. I purposely did not comment on the sounds between these two guitars in the breakdown because I prefer you make your own decisions in the comments.
Harley Benton ST Modern Plus - thmn.to/thoprod/565675?offid=...
Fender Cory Wong Stratocaster - thmn.to/thoprod/569160?offid=...
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0:00 A pointless comparison?
0:57 Sound comparisons
5:29 What I love about the Harley Benton
6:16 What about the Fender?
7:26 One thing Harley Benton can improve in the future
8:41 Price and value - subjective but important.
9:30 Wrapping things up

[@staleyexplores]

IMHO this is an interesting comparison because I can hear the difference in a pretty obvious way, not that the hb is bad bc it's pretty stellar but the cw is a machine. Been wanting one of those for a long time so there is my bias for ya.

[@AudiomoMusic]

Yeah Staley, to me in the room the difference really was night and day in sounds. The HB has its own thing going on but the Fender has the classic bounce almost in the 2nd and 4th positions and the neck pickup is just exactly what I think of when I think Strat. Just a little bit of a more open, defined sound.

[@HarleyBentonOfficial]

Very interesting comparison, thanks! 🤟

[@JBM_71]

I can't believe how close the middle pickup position sounded! 🎸🎸

[@DrTomoculus]

I was the same about that! There was so little difference between them!

[@Markleford]

Through desktop speakers and colored by your signal path, they're functionally close enough for me that I didn't notice obvious differences when I wasn't looking at the screen. Perhaps the Fender was a little more scooped? At the very least, it's something that could be "fixed" by EQ, but I wouldn't characterize one as a "better" sound without closer listening. Placed in the context of a track with other instruments, it would be even less discernible. And given the close shades of blue, it all comes down to feel! Interesting that you're digging the Babicz vibrato bridge, though. 🤔

[@staleyexplores]

5:17 is a sick riff

[@AudiomoMusic]

It’s a fun one, it’s actually a bass riff for a song we recorded I translated to guitar

[@neiljag718]

Thank youu !!!!!! Beeen really wanting to see this

[@AudiomoMusic]

No worries happy you enjoyed it!

[@DrTomoculus]

Ya know, it really comes down to a choice, because you're getting good guitars either way you look at it. The 3rd song sound comparison you did, I felt the Harley was more suited to the song itself. Whereas the 4th song sound comparison (in middle pickup position) they both sounded so similar to one another, it made no difference what guitar you used. It's evident you can't replace the Stratocaster sound. It's just there, it's distinct and very much its own voice. I was working on a song the past 24 hours, and it has a break section that goes into funk. I originally did one of the guitar parts with an Epiphone Nighthawk for that. And I listened. And listened. And today I recorded it instead with a Telecaster. Because it has that sound. When you want a particular sound, Fender and Gibson pretty much own everything everyone wants anyway. Once you get a Les Paul Custom, you recognise its sound on a thousand songs. Once you get a Stratocaster, everything's Machine Gun. They are the must haves, will needs, gotta owns. (And if you can't afford them, Epiphone and Squier really do some nice alternatives.) But the Harley Benton range is finding a sound of its own. And it's a really nice sound. My Harley Benton JA-60SB has an incredibly unique sound. I STILL HAVEN'T CHANGED ITS STRINGS SINCE PURCHASE 2 YEARS AGO. I DON'T WANT TO RUIN THE SOUND IT'S GOT RIGHT NOW!!!! It's just a great guitar, and is capable of many things. And I think this Harley Benton ST Modern has just as many capabilities. It's all what you're looking for. Thanks once again for your time and uploads. :D Great playing as always. You allow for the listener to actually hear the guitar.

[@carpathus]

Thanks for the excellent playing and comparison. I almost pulled the trigger on a CW during the sale you alerted us to. It was very hard to resist but in the end I wasn't sure the neck carve and compound radius was right for a permanent beginner like me. Cheers!

[@AudiomoMusic]

Permanent beginner, I’ve never heard that one before haha

[@carpathus]

@@AudiomoMusic Yeah, I pretty much suck at guitar but I'm having a blast and that's what counts. Cheers for now!

[@blaine2]

can u measure the saddle width on the CW strat? So we know which width to buy for modern replacement saddles.

[@debhart4302]

I like a humbucker for the bridge pickup in all my Strats, either real or Hot Rails. 😊 The HB sounds pretty good to me. If someone bought me one for a gift, I'd give it a good home. 😊

[@Barbarapape]

An interesting comparison, but hardly a balanced one on price alone, Good to see that Fender are making more desirable guitars that if you can get a deal on make more sense than the HB. Having just sold all the guitars that i never played since the day i bought them. all except the Fenders sold at a large loss, this learned me a lesson, if you may wish to sell a guitar be careful which brand you choose, that decal can make a big difference in it's resale value. HB guitars are fine if you want a guitar to mod and keep, but used ones are not that much in demand.

[@AudiomoMusic]

I’ve said this for a while, and it’s part of the reason I’m very picky on guitar brands from a business perspective and as potential sell on as a personal guitar. The loss potential is unreal, and whether we like it or not the Fenders and Gibson of the world will always hold their value better.

[@Barbarapape]

@@AudiomoMusic I can only agree, even the more expensive ones from G&L, Ibanez and Schecter went for less than 50% of what i paid. The USA Fenders i made a small profit on as they were bought before the prices went up. What surprised me was how well the Squires did, the association with Fender makes a big difference.

[@jamesmgreen15]

In 1983 these first-world problems were dreams........Good to do the review and super playing.

[@AudiomoMusic]

These are still first world problems in 2024 James 😅

[@elevenAD]

I cant believe you got that Wong new with a HSC for $1199! They are well over that used these days! Love the tone of that thing!

[@AudiomoMusic]

Franklin guitar works had both the surf and Daphne versions for 1199 for over a month - it was seriously one of the best deals I’ve seen on a new guitar in a while.

[@thomasmicaelcannon7867]

That HB Humbucker bridge is everything!! Way to creamy for that Fender to keep up with in my opinion.

[@AudiomoMusic]

sounds big for sure!

[@tomasodriziola]

the Harley does not sound like a strat in the combination settings or on neck pickup. it is not a bad sound but it is a larger difference than I thought

[@AudiomoMusic]

I’d actually agree with this. I don’t think they sound close at all but if I kept the Harley Benton it would have been interesting to put the pickups from the Cory Wong into that and see how they sounded in it.

[@vinylftw]

Soundwise almost identical. The steel frets and the roasted neck is also a huge plus on the Harley Benton - frets last longer and the neck doesnt need constant truss rod adjustment when the humidity in the room changes.

[@AudiomoMusic]

That's interesting to me, I don't think they sound close at all actually especially in the "strat" sound positions ( 4th position and neck pickup isolate ). the HB has a lot going for it but it is it's own sound - would be interesting to see how it would have sounded with the same exact pickups as the Fender in it but I still think it woulda been a bit different.

[@vinylftw]

Fender is definitely tinnier (more treble) and quieter - I agree with that 🙂 In the room they probably indeed sound more different. One extra note - the Harley Benton veneer variant has a contoured heel and no steel plate so better access to the higher frets. Thank you for the comparison video 🙂

[@jeffreystayman375]

@@vinylftw Yeah, almost no one is reviewing that version yet. I've got a feeling those sold out first, denying them to reviewers.

[@oaeoeaoRust]

Fender CW ftw... got that Strat brightness that cuts thru

[@AudiomoMusic]

yep, drops right into a mix or a band with no problems.

[@Robert_Fordin]

Weight of that Fender precisely?

[@AudiomoMusic]

7lbs 9oz

[@Robert_Fordin]

@@AudiomoMusic So, almost a half kilo lighter than HB. It's important. Thank you.

[@jeffreystayman375]

Yeah, an unbalanced head-to-head like this isn't in my opinion to answer the question "which one is better?" Rather I think it can be useful to answer the question of whether you're actually getting $700 more guitar out of the Fender, or if the HB is actually punching above it's weight. Soundwise, on my little speakers, the HB sounded very similar in a couple positions, but had less fullness or bass in others. I wonder though, since all pickups are different anyway, can you tweak the eq settings to make the Benton sound more like the Fender, or does the Fender just sound better no matter what, full stop. Thanks for the comparison. I didn't ask for it, but it turned out to be interesting.

[@AudiomoMusic]

For sure, you could always EQ per taste to make it sound a bit more like the Fender in a mix but at the end of the day I'd still rather just have the Fender in this particular instance because as a whole package, I enjoy both the sounds and almost more importantly the playing experience better with this Fender. It's a strange comparison indeed, however it was a fun one to take on and I'm happy you found it interesting.

[@jeffreystayman375]

@@AudiomoMusic It does make me wonder though what a $1,000 plus Harley Benton would sound like, if they ever added a premium line.

[@AudiomoMusic]

I would love for them to work with a builder in Japan where they don't put up with bad QC or missing features on their guitars if they ever did a premium line, but I'd bet the farm that absolutely never happens as it would destroy the profit margins.

[@mikey-dubs]

Damn that fender was 1100?? Nitro hard case, Seymour Duncan’s ? That’s insane no brainer. Harley Benton looks great but if you save up and wait for a deal like that the fender will be a lifer guitar and all you need.

[@AudiomoMusic]

My sentiments exactly

[@mikey-dubs]

@@AudiomoMusic please post any deals you see like that in the future. I would of grabbed one too !!! Insane value

[@user-du1yk7uk9v]

If only CW would use that guitar to create new DISCO-FUNK tracks with singers in the vein of EW&F...BeeGees.....Kc and Sunshine band...Change...Chic etc.......

[@AudiomoMusic]

give him time, he'll probably collab with everyone at some point haha

[@iamjezuzchrist]

I don't like humbuckers in strats even though I understand them. Get the right tool for the job.

[@AudiomoMusic]

I'm kinda with you on that and it was another small contributing factor of why I preferred the Fender.

[@jeffreystayman375]

Well I would just remember that when you're talking budget guitars, a lot of the market is people that are only going to own that one guitar. Owning a separate Les Paul style, Strat style, Tele style, Jazzmaster stlyle, will be cost prohibitive, get them in a lot of trouble with their wife, or both. Having different options from HB would be best, which they usually do, so I'd bet an SSS version isn't too far away.

[@iamjezuzchrist]

@jeffreystayman375 like I said, I understand them.

[@Markleford]

They're kinda the right tool for the job for me, at least in a live hybrid-style context: HB for metal, position #4 for funk, position #5 for jazz. If you only play in the studio, then you don't have to worry about swapping out "tools" for each section of a song! Though honestly, I've never had a use for middle single coil pickup! 😹