Custom Shop Specs for $450... Is This Still the KING of Budget Guitars?? || Harley Benton Fusion-III

[@agufish]

Ayyyy 2008-2009 core kids unite!! Serious question, though: thoughts on the new Limp Bizkit album lol?

[@SoundForgeStudio]

Im 36 and I remember when they came out with the version of faith.. I honestly dont know how I feel about it but it's not bad but it's great either.. I feel like my teenage years is forcing me to like it 😄 🤣

[@expendablepawn4878]

@@SoundForgeStudio Im 56 and grew up with Van Halen!

[@SoundForgeStudio]

I will say this though Wes still has kick ass guitar tones and riffs and Fred is still kinda of annoying

[@agufish]

@@SoundForgeStudio haha that’s the best way of summing up Limp Bizkit in a nutshell 😂

[@SoundForgeStudio]

@@expendablepawn4878 that's awesome I would of loved to grown up in the VAN HALEN days

[@maxo.2312]

Hunter going full corekid in this one :D

[@AshenHollow7]

It's what we do🤷

[@HadianGates]

Red sparkle, floyd rose, black headstock. Perfect guitar right there....take my money!

[@Bigwilliestyles83]

This is one of the best demo tracks you've ever done!

[@agufish]

Appreciate that, Will! The riffs in this one are pretty fun, for sure :)

[@SoundForgeStudio]

@@agufish just a fun idea. Get a bunch of your fans with harley benton guitars and do make a collaboration track. Like you make the main riff and your fans play solos with there harley benton guitars. I know cause of you and your channel I have bought HB. Be cool to see all those you have inspired to get behind there product

[@robertdavies9957]

Indeed, getting Tremonti vibes!

[@alexkelly8131]

I have 2 new fusions plus the purple sparkle with gold hardware .they are such great players .

[@expendablepawn4878]

That machine seems to be built pretty Good Thanks Fish

[@LukeDKramer]

I got the actual choir from the Halo soundtrack to perform for this track

[@SoundForgeStudio]

I got my first HB about a month ago and I'm super impressed by them I got the sc custom line in ocean blue

[@fredriksvard2603]

I have an sc-1000 that is just insane for the 160 i paid for it. Had to upgrade some parts though, and it took a few orders before i found a good one.

[@SoundForgeStudio]

@@fredriksvard2603 8 months later since I have posted the comment.. I have 4 now and I'm super blown away by these guitars.. 2 them I have done some heavy upgrading to an the other 2 I just upgrade the tuners

[@fredriksvard2603]

@@SoundForgeStudio Yeah. In general it seems the 250-400 or so models are the best bets. Considering a fusion iii "strat" atm.

[@saintshamrock6935]

Sweet work, Hunter .

[@shanewalton8888]

Great demo track/riff. It amazes me you have the time to make such great demos for all the guitars you have to review.

[@Masterfighterx]

That riffage is fire my dude! And it sounds so huge a brutal! 🤘 And that clean playing throughout the video is also just great, def some of the best so far! 😀

[@MichaelScullyMJS]

I have one of these in Sparkle Purple coming tomorrow! Can't wait to get my hands on it.

[@alexrobertson3164]

my god these demo tracks have gotten good

[@agufish]

Ayye thanks, man!

[@williamkramer9731]

I like that he plays a track in mix, but then demos, typically, everything stripped down so you can get a better tonally feel, because not everyone has a rig to play that style. Always awesome playing.

[@TrickyPickins]

I would argue that they have always been good, just the production quality has been steadily increasing.

[@andybungert]

Hey hey happy friday!

[@Sinfullybliss97]

Loved the 2009 crab core riff

[@RoyalHeartsFL]

🦀 🦀

[@heyimjoshnicetomeetya]

Good ol Asking Alexandria

[@n_money1019]

Ayeeee I’ve been waiting for this beast.

[@porridgeorange]

She's so sparkly....

[@boppermacca9346]

I love watching your videos down here in Australia. You know your shit and I love your playing style

[@darphbobo55]

What there is a fusion III now also appreciate the asking Alexandria riff lol

[@jeremyrafuse5330]

Has been for some time. Been eyeing up a pink sparkle HT for months now.

[@jps_musics]

This has got to be my favorite demo track you've done. The Fusions are so impressive

[@brandonmullen4047]

Aye the final episode there 3:40 I appreciate it! Great video man, can't believe guitars like this exist so cheap.

[@wildeasage]

Middle position (humbuckers) sounds great. And yes, Wilkinson 2-point getting mad love right now. The price tag is ridiculous. Like, actually ridiculous. I would consider the reigning value champ in the mainstream to be Schecter, and they'd likely sticker an equivalent guitar at a no less than $900. Probably more. HB rolls in at half. HALF?! My guy... H A A A L F...

[@FISHYFILMPRODUCTIONS]

Can confirm, I have a very similar guitar. A c1 exotic, it has a spalted maple veneer, nickel frets, 5 piece roasted maple and purple heart neck, same trem, schecter diamond 78 pups, which are amazing, but it clocks in around 800. Pickups aside since those are subjective, I would argue the fusion is "better", SS frets, roasted flame maple.

[@thedanksavatron7782]

Nissssssssssssssssssce 🍻 Demo track was very SeVenDust inspired!

[@km606x]

Will you ever try out the new Squier Contemporaries?

[@jeremykopatz4760]

Man...it seriously must be a ton of work just coming up with those produced intro songs for every review video (not to mention recording and mixing). I wonder how many albums of riffs you made over the years. Really liked the song for this video!

[@nohalo7]

🎶You're freakin' me out you wear a mask...🎶

[@joachimtesdal5998]

bought the purple sparkle one about a month ago and to make it simple; there's no better way to spend your money. absolutely blown away by it, even without swapping pickups

[@Robert-Peterson]

I've got the Fusion II version of the silver sparkle....and the purple sparkle version and the green sparkle version. After discovering how awesome the silver sparkle was, it was an easy decision to get the entire "sparkle collection". The silver sparkle is still one of my favorite guitars because it is so unique and sublime to play. These guitars are amazing and the only difference I can see between the Fusion II and the Fusion III is that they've removed the small coil-split switch and instead went with the push/pull tone switch. I don't have a preference but it's great to see that the "magic" of what makes these guitar's top-quality build construction hasn't diminished in any way.

[@Grimsleeper817]

best guitar for the price IMO - I have a fusion II and am STILL impressed on what you get for the price. All you have to do is replace the pickups with the ones of your choice and its beyond amazing. The stock pickups will work for anything but it is night/day after throwing in some A+ pickups in it.

[@WallyBoots]

I love my HB Fusion silver sparkle. It’s great and feels way more expensive than it is. They did a great job with these. The neck with the stainless steel frets is killer.

[@123TheGuitarist]

asking alexandria

[@patheticpigeon7673]

I’ve had mine for probably around 6 months now and have played it as my main guitar up until really recently. I have done absolutely no mods on it and to this day it still feels amazing. Just a few things in particular that I absolutely love about this guitar 1: The Neck. Oh my god this neck is probably the most comfortable neck I have ever played! Only rivaled by some expensive charvels I’ve played. The neck profile is thin but not too thin which is very nice. I seriously wish all my guitars could have this profile. Frets ate great too and still feel amazing! 2: the Pickups. Look they aren’t expensive pickups and if you are someone who has an ear for small differences then you might notice but the neck pickup in particular sounds amazing! Very clear and articulate even when gained out. Bonus note. The coil split is the most “single coil” sounding coil split I’ve heard. 3: The Tuners: If they would sell these locking tuners by themselves I would put them in all of my guitars. I know it’s a small detail but I think I’ve seen them on reverb for around $30 and they work just as well as other good brands like Hipshot which retail for over $100 I understand that import/budget guitars aren’t for everyone. I know there are some people who will only buy a Gibson or a Fender and that trash on other brands that can make the exact same guitars but half the price. Reality is if you can push that aside then Harley Benton is an amazing brand. I have multiple of their guitars and have never been disappointed. These guitars are built with good quality and even their $200 guitars will play great of you put a little bit of work into them. Moral of the story is if you’re on the fence about this company you should try one out before deciding to take out a loan to buy a $10,000 Gibson LP that can’t even keep in tune :)

[@davidleonreyes]

Can you comment on the Wilkinson trem and tuning stability? I'm on the fence between this and the Floyd version. I know the Floyd will stay in tune with its locking nut.

[@patheticpigeon7673]

@@davidleonreyes Well I don’t have a ton of experience with other trem systems but I love it! It is very smooth and holds tuning super well in my experience. I usually kept it in E standard with 9 gauge strings and once I put them on and after around 30 min of playing I barely had to tune them. I used to own a charvel with a recessed pocket and Floyd Rose so I can bent it up and down. After I strung it up and tuned it that thing was rock solid. It would go months without going out of tune. That being said changing tunings and string was the biggest pain in the ass ever. It would take like an hour just to change the strings and change the tuning down half a step 😂. Overall if you just want a trem that is solid and does small to medium vibrato then this will do everything very well (even dive bombs to an extent) but if you want to do all sorts of other worldly harmonic acrobatics and whatnot then get the Floyd version. It totally just depends on what style to like. With the Wilkinson trem I was able to do subtle vibrato to full on evh style stuff, to a limit, with ease

[@davesuchy4712]

I love that you're demoing the pickups with clean sounds. Definitely helps get a pickups definition. Thanks!

[@dumptodreamhome2630]

Just got the H.B Fusion-III HSS in Daphne Blue and it is Amazing!! Wish the D.B had white binding but mine was flawless and neck is so smooth!

[@porridgeorange]

BOOM FIRST!

[@denverrandy7143]

It's gorgeous,I want one...great track Hunter!!!🤘👍

[@enlat2003]

I was waiting for more sparkle finishes... great video through. Keep up the good work man!!!

[@johnkoch9315]

Epiphone/Kramer, Yamaha, Slick and Xaviere from GFS, Harley Benton and Artist (utilize same factories, some build overlaps), Tagima, Ibanez/ESP, Vintage, Michael Kelly, PRS, and G&L would be the kings of things that have any price range where they could be considered budget brands/guitars to me.

[@gru813]

I have a suggestion: How about a harley benton custom shop, where you can get custom built guitars for eg sub 1000 dollars? :)

[@randymiles904]

That was a badass demo! I'll have one of those 😉 nice job Hunter. I love when you represent the budget guys like me. 🤘

[@Mjohnson409]

What key are you in?

[@agufish]

lol I'm not a real musician so I'm not sure, but I'm tuned to Drop C# 🤷‍♂️

[@ajohnhayes]

Specs are one thing, QC is another - will be paying close attention!

[@xcodychaosx]

Ayyyyye i can play that Asking Alexandria song too :b was taught that one by Jason Hale from chiodos found him on craigslist offering lessons apparently he's from my town....but also this guitar right here is on my list really dig it the color of the wood against the silver sparkle plus the hardware looks clean af ;b

[@nicksonthevet]

Thanks for demoing the clean tones

[@Goldarlives]

I was JUST thinking about this guitar and how I want to buy one lol

[@dustydreams5940]

Make them do a Jazz master type !

[@denverrandy7143]

There was a guy here on Denver craigslist selling a fusion 2 for 150 .but,I was broke.just said the frets were pretty sharp.

[@dantesaliba8533]

That track be giving me breakdown of Sanity vibes and I’m in LOVE

[@fagyu7502]

I've tried the Sire S7 and it's crazy how good these cheap-ish guitars have gotten, HSS config, modern strat specs like 9.5 inch fretboard, roasted maple neck, locking tuners and that somehow doesn't convince my parents that it's worth the price after having played for 5 years coz my first guitar was 180€ so it's quite a hard argument to make coz 2.5x the price doESnT eQuAl 2.5x better lol

[@Kylora2112]

I have a couple of Sire basses (5 string V7 and M7), and holy crap are they worth the money. About $600 for each and they play like they're worth three times the price.

[@materedai4158]

This demo song was perfect

[@MatthewJohnCrittenden]

Love me some Harley Benton. And some Acca Dacca to start my day as a bonus. Keep up the good work!

[@A.Moortal]

dUDE! This demo tracks SLAPS!!!!!!!!!

[@sqidvishus]

I really do wish they would set up a distribution network in the US. I imagine the hang up would be if they began to sell other name brands because of the way the companies set up EU and US distributorships. I always want to try a Harley Benton, but the shipping price always made that value proposition a lot less attractive. And in these post apocalypse times shipping is even worse than when I first got interested in the Harley Benton brand. Still, locking tuners, roasted maple neck, stainless steel frets? Super good deal, keeping in mind you can't get anything with Fender on the headstock brand new for less than $700 retail and a bottom tier Gibson will cost you a cool grand.

[@ithemba]

Harley Benton is still the in-house brand of Thomann, Europe's biggest retailer. It doesn't exist as independent business entity. The whole deal with HB is based on direct resale without distribution or any middle man between Thomann and the manufacturer. The only way you'll ever see American distro will be if Thomann expands into the US market full-scale with US based Warehouses. Which, give the steep competition of Sweetwater and guitar center, not very likely.

[@alextomasi8387]

is the opposite for eu about " american " brands... for example the top model of a sterling majesty that us cost around 1400$ to us is about 1900 euros ( 2175$ ) and for the same price you almost get an original ebmm in near mint condition on used market... we pay usually a overprice in retail of about 800$

[@sighswoons]

I lost it at the riffing of the final episode. love it dude lol

[@FISHYFILMPRODUCTIONS]

I know it goes against the principle of what these are going for, but i really want to see what they can do with 7-800, even 1k guitars

[@northtimo666]

Check out Amarok series. They’re around 500 i think.

[@Alanoffer]

It’s the best time to buy budget guitars , I’m selling a custom shop strat and buy a bunch of HBs

[@ianperks8569]

Absolutely killer Riffin hunter 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@napk1nz878]

Was not expecting the Asking Alexandria riff at 3:40. sounds hecka dope!

[@draleigh8881]

that counterfeit riff was sick!

[@martyndormer]

I have the Daphne Blue HSS Fusion 3. I have 13 guitars but this one has become,my favourite. Also, I play British rock and roll and jazz standards. It handles both very well.

[@KakuraZenom]

What really is missing from the fusion series is 7 strings !

[@valentinodania7956]

3:56 Asking Alexandria! love that

[@jacobbockover1628]

Those are cool. If i run into a couple other people looking for an hb id be into it since we can split shippin.

[@handicappedhoods]

Anyone else hearing that buzz with the clean demos?

[@highsocietyskate]

unreal demo! good stuff bro

[@StuartBridson]

I bought the sparkling pink hardtail Fusion III and I LOVE it so much, the roasted maple neck feels incredible and the only thing I changed was getting Thomann to install a JB/59 set.

[@adamkatona7784]

damn demo song wrecked me I have a circle pit in my room🤘🤘🤘

[@jgenoese]

Runniiiiiin riiiiiiiight off the tracks

[@stephenhammond9793]

Harley Benton do do some great budget guitars but be wary of rave reviews on their website and KZbin videos with affiliate links. I have two cheaper HBs which were great out if the box. I also bought a fusion III and the quality control was appalling.. nut was so high it didn't play in tune, frets were so pitted and noisey a new E string broke after a week from the friction, and the neck humbucker was so loose it was floating round on its own. I decided to keep the guitar because I like the overall feel and not too difficult work. I posted an honest review on thoman's website and they didn't post it. Makes me wonder how many other horror stories are vetted out. Good back up guitar when sorted but I'd never use one as a main guitar at a gig no matter what reviews they get.

[@prandz420]

Thanks for your honest review haha. Dodgy as if they are censoring reviews.

[@MrWill9894]

Rock and roll train!

[@BK-lx5mo]

Special thanks to Pete Thorn for designing this guitar :) #petethorn

[@AndyRofe]

Come on people, let's get some 24 fret Hum-Single guitars with a Wilkinson please!!!!!

[@Dimitar_Tsanev]

I was just thinking about All Signs Point to Lauderdale today...

[@Kabayoth]

Some say he's cheap and cheerful when it comes to his guitars, but those chuckleheads haven't noticed the premium instruments he dabs with a diaper after sacrificing a lesser instrument to the tone trinity Orange, Marshall, and the Monolith (the ashes are still warm in the kitchen shrine.) And the only time he's been known to scream in distress is when UPS brings in a mangled box that rattles ominously, but he's still looking for a ranch-style house to reduce the number of stairs FedEx has to climb. The man! The Legend! Der Fish!

[@MBvolcom92]

How are you liking that Digitech the drop pedal? Would be cool to see a video on it :)

[@RFDQE]

You should really check out the Sire Larry Carlton stuff!

[@muddy83]

Bro that demo track is fire!

[@MultiGoulash]

I just bought the Guitar MAX version of the Fuusion III with the reverse headstock and similar specs apart from it has the FR 1000 on it. Build quality is superb and have to say loving the design. Also not mentioned, they are light so you could stand for hours wearing it if you want and not feel pain

[@WrinkledPlatypus]

I have the same one, it also had scratchy frets

[@larryfleming7295]

EVERYTIME i see a close up of that fret board i just wanna tape it off and high-polish the fret wire to a mirror finish. OMG youd moan during a string bend from pure XTACY LOL but that would make all the difference in the world, everyone should learn how to do it ... it really makes a difference that you will QUICKLY expect your guitar to feel like or your aggravated ....OH YEAH THAT WOOD THOOOO ...BEAUTIFUL!!! I love that satin polished look...i have a MIJ early 80's Squire that looks like that and I love it (Thanks Dad!! RIP)

[@SteveFrank111]

I'm surprised you're as positive about this guitar given the position of the volume knob.

[@RoyalHeartsFL]

You keep writing demos like that and we’re gonna automatically list you as a bandmember. Sounds sick! And the HB III sounds like a tight guitar, regardless of the budget.

[@thisguy2973]

I’m just not crazy about the roasted maple craze. Besides, roasting the moisture out of a neck may make it more resonant (as the science says drier woods have more tone), but it also makes it brittle. When kiln-drying woods, you reduce the water and sap down to a certain percentage to make sure the sap becomes crystallizes rather than losing too much moisture. The fact that we’ve seen roasted maple necks pop up in everything, that’s a sign that it’s a cheaper material.

[@SheepWaveMeByeBye]

Roasted maple was developed by scientists from the Danish Technical University as a way to replace dark, tropical wood in guitar manufacturing. So it's not a cost cutting exercise, it's designed to save the rain forests from the twin dangers of greedy third world foresters and guitarists who are too dumb to know where their "tone wood" comes from.

[@christianboddum8783]

HB should make a hardtail version, that would be great for school/teaching IMO. A 22 fret version preferable ;-)

[@Mdougherty8054]

Never knew this until I started watching Phil McKnight's channel, but roasted maple is apparently more susceptible to nicks and dents. I say it's worth the risk because they look stunning.

[@surfinjim]

Great demo and probably exceptional guitar at this price point. Small detail however: on the video, the fretboard edges don't look rolled. They look rather sharp, in fact. Should I change my glasses ? BTW I'll probably order one 😉

[@sb632]

Not gonna lie the fusion T in satin Daphne blue is a major want for me.

[@BenjaminKanarek]

Outstanding performace! Bravo!!! I am about to press the pay for this one but the Tele version. It is either the Tele version in Silver sparkle or maple.

[@milankotevski1663]

I don't know why they keep pushing Roswell pickups. Yes, they're usable, but they're not great. It's time for HB to up their game and start using some high(er) end pickups.

[@Masterfighterx]

Honestly, just add a standard pair of Duncans, JB '59, JB (Do you like) Jazz(?). Or what I would consider to be a perfect pair, Custom 5 and '59

[@JohnnyGuitaristOfficial]

Dude, Id love to get my hands on that daphne blue sparkle.... that toasty neck really complements it.

[@jw8554]

Just got my fusion 3 hsh in today. Going to give a it a spin until my Steve Vai Utopias get in and PIA this guy up.

[@Nachtmahr616]

This one in white with reverse headstock, fixed bridge, and 24 frets please...basically the black EMG version but in white please

[@yoyofargo]

The only thing they could improve on is to move the jack to the front like an ibanez S series.

[@beanapalooza6614]

Dude I spotted something ,,, something wicked this way comes... soon I hope

[@beanapalooza6614]

Or maybe I missed it lol

[@thetacticalape8852]

Idk, it is tough spending money on a Harley Benton which you don't get to test drive before buying... I think my best inexpensive guitar is my Schecter Banshee extreme in HSS configuration. Build quality and playability is spot on and picked up on sale for 425. I just saw a used one at guitar center for 599...

[@MrAntpre]

Tks hope they sent u ssh model to try and review.

[@yetimatzenightcat8702]

The fusion 3 is awesome but unfortunately there is only the fusion 2 in the combination floyd rose together with roasted maple neck. If you want the fusion 3 with floyd you can only get it with a maple neck in connection with ebony fretboard but at a significantly lower price that can't be beat. 349 €.👍 The fusion 2 is 449 € but still my fav 🤷‍♂️

[@CaptBaker]

OH! MY! GAAAWWDDD!! *crabbreakdowns*

[@nicashley327]

Do a HB vs Sire comparison please!

[@arpee915]

If it’s not a Benton, I won’t even touch it. Nothing plays better than a Benton!