Harley Benton TE-52 NA Vintage Series

[@kaffeice7]

it sounds really warm , great, and ur playing rocks too,im thinking of getting the te62cc in that amazing blue

[@LeslieDevoe]

I bought that very guitar today and looking at you I can tell you two things. 1) I've been playing since before your birth and 2) you blow my ass away. Bravo.

[@RobGalley]

Thankyou!

[@LeslieDevoe]

@@RobGalley I say this because it's true. I would love to Jam with you sometime.

[@RobGalley]

@@LeslieDevoe very kind words, I appreciate it 💪

[@ardennenwijzer2583]

My HB TE-52 NA arrived today. I don't write a lot of reviews. But this time I do. I played on it for about 2 hrs, right out of the box. In recent years I got a Fender MIM strat, a Sheckter strat and now I was playing on a GTRS 800 guitar. Honestly, this guitar rocks! The neck feels and play like butter. Sound and overall quality is great. For sure, this will be my main guitar. When struggling with some hard blues licks on my GTRS (rosewood), this mapple neck feels so easy to slide and bend. The only thing I probably will adjust is lower the action a bit. But still the action right out of the box, is fine. Is you still hasitate to buy this guitar, go for it! Years ago I had the opportunity to play on my teachers US Fender (80's) with mapple neck. I have to say that this HB comes very close the the same neck-feeling. Nice smooth shape. Vintage tuners are just fine.

[@wyattsdad8561]

The only thing I noticed when I got mine was the frets could use a good polishing. I replaced all the electronics in mine with fender USA pickups, pots etc.. but it really didn’t need it, the pots that I took out were actually full size pots and the pickups were actually really decent. Again, it didn’t need anything done to it. It was just so affordable and so nice that I wanted to make it a super Tele! My cousin who’s in a band played it and was blown away. His words were.. “this thing is a hidden gem.”

[@rubbadubdub6543]

Can’t beat a mapple neck.

[@yugomix717]

Hi thank you for the review! I search guitar for slow blues and funk. What do you think TE52 or TE-69TL better ? Can't deside 🤦

[@ardennenwijzer2583]

@@yugomix717 Can't give uou advice because I have no experience with the TE-69 TL.

[@rucksackrules2266]

I’ve two of them! One with the Wilkinson pups, which I unnecessarily modded with brass intonation barrel saddles and locking tuners and the other with the Roswell pups. Both heavy as a boat anchor (4.5 kg.), but I love them to pieces! Take ‘m anywhere to gigs and studios and had a lot of befriended musicians ashamed for their expensive Fender Tele’s. I don’t fancy the newer roasted maple necks at all and I own a very cheap HB TE-20 too just for fun. Jazz, Western Swing, Blues, Country, Rockabilly, Hard Rock, Metal, Funk, Soul… get one and you won’t have regrets.

[@alafenetre81]

Would have bought it but the weight...

[@rucksackrules2266]

@@alafenetre81 The newer TE-62’s seem to be less heavy.

[@TheBrunoleocoelho]

Great sound and playability. I've been watching many of those Harley Benton TE-52 videos, and this model has really interested me a lot. Firstly because I like those "old style" model guitars like that, also the transparent ash wood in a telecaster in that price range has caught my attention. I suppose to acquire one of that as possible (seriously need to talk with my wife 😅).

[@RobGalley]

I like the old style stuff too! But this is a cool guitar 👌 hopefully she will approve 😂

[@ardennenwijzer2583]

@@RobGalley Don't talk, just buy :-) Tell her you got a 150 dollar traffic fine and got the guitar for free from a friend ;-)

[@ruckailo88]

What means NA ?

[@kenhall6525]

This is a great guitar, plays well above it's price point

[@texasspecial17]

best review ever, thanks dude!

[@sun-p6g]

The bridge pickup on the Harley is closer to the bridge than the fender, but the pickups are more powerful than the fender. I have. The build quality is better than the fender. They sound so similar it is difficult to tell the difference. I had to set the intonation on the one I got.

[@FraJa1980]

I have this Hb too that I picked up used but like new for 80 euros, couldn't believe how good this thing actually was when I got it home and plugged it in. Sure you could anker a 30 ton freight vessel in gale force winds with how heavy it is but it sounds and plays great and for that price you can't beat it.

[@AVM-Music]

Had a used TE-52 Vintage butterscotch with a white Pearl guard It’s a cracking piece of kit tbf. Pickups aren’t too bad, but they’re definitely coming out and maybe a lot some Kent Armstrong blades

[@vw6809]

Great playing, guitar sounds great!!

[@wyattsdad8561]

I bought one of these and I was never a fan of tele’s either. Now I am. Haha I swapped out all the electronics for Fender American parts. I put in 52 Fender American pickups. It didn’t need any of that done it was fine the way it was. It’s my go to guitar. I love it.

[@RobGalley]

If I’m being really fussy, I’d consider changing the pickups but everything else is great 🤟 the stock pickups aren’t even that bad anyway

[@anyone-f2r]

Why by a HB in the first place with mods that no one will be able to differentiate from the original?

[@wyattsdad8561]

@@anyone-f2r yeah I didn’t do all that to sell it. I did it because the guitar was so affordable and it’s made so well that its worth it. As it sits right now it’s better than a Mexican Tele. The finish is as good and it sounds better with the ‘52 fender USA pickups, pots and switch.

[@wyattsdad8561]

@@anyone-f2r oh and I replaced the ashtray bridge with an ashtray bridge that has brass saddles and the ashtray sides have been cut back a bit. I like it A LOT. My pick doesn’t hit the ashtray sides any longer. Especially when doing tremolo picking, like for some Dick Dale shizzz. It’s so comfortable to play.

[@wyattsdad8561]

@@RobGalley yeah the stock pickups are actually great. Everything about the TE52 is great.

[@steveburrows101]

Good, innit? Mine is heavy, about 10.5lbs, plays great and sounded bright but a bit thin. Replaced the nut with a bone one and the steel saddles with brass intonated ones - vast improvement in an already decent tone, no further tweaks needed. Really hard to believe it could be this good for well under £150.

[@RobGalley]

What improvements does a bone nut make out of curiosity?

[@steveburrows101]

@@RobGalley In my _personal_ experience, having replaced _cheap_ plastic for bone on both acoustics and electrics, a slightly richer, thicker, more pleasing tone. But, I think it's the replacement of cheap / budget molded plastic nuts (and saddles on acoustics) with something more dense - whether that be expensive plastic (Tusq et. al.), bone or metal (brass etc.) which makes the difference. I have guitars with brass, bone and graphite tusq nuts - all sound good. I have bought budget guitars (acoustic and electric) with plastic nuts (and saddles) and judged them to provide thinner / less satisfying tone from the same brand & gauge of strings. Change out the nut (and saddle if appropriate) and the tone improves (to my ear), makes them sound richer, like more expensive "better" guitars. Lots of guitar nerds out there who will say similar, and it might just be confirmation bias, but I think that the density and mechanical rigidity of the nut and saddle material affect the damping and resonance and sustain of the string vibrations and in the case of acoustics the efficiency of energy transfer to the soundboard. FWIW. My 2d.

[@TylerKidd]

They need to clip this on put this on the site. I think im sold!

[@1willywonker]

Love your vids mate👍 great stuff🎸

[@1willywonker]

if that guitar sounds that good, Looks good / plays good its a no brainer ive goota have one🙏🎸

[@viktorbagdan3844]

Thanks for the review! Could You have the chance to compare it with a JET JT-300? (I'm in a hesitation now in between three guitars, almost in the same price range: Harley Benton TE-52, JET JT-300, Squier Affinity Telecaster). Thanks in advance! Greetz, Viktor

[@PatrickStreeter-js3wn]

I could give a shyte how heavy it might be and with a proper pedal board parked in front of it they are not just a "country/blues " guitar, I prefer the maple necks but that's subjective, plus I've found in recording, they can really come alive in a mix

[@Arthur.in.the.Fridge]

Good review. I just ordered one.

[@BeerandGuitars]

Woah, sounds nice, Great player too!

[@1willywonker]

Nice playing🤠

[@divindan]

Got one of these last year and I love it, quickly became my main guitar over my Gretsch electromatic. It's just lovely to play. My only issue was the plastic nut which was causing some buzz at the lower frets. Replaced it with a tusq which was an easy and cheap upgrade. Any idea what gauge the stock strings are? The ones on mine seemed really skinny, which is fun, but maybe a bit too skinny.

[@Fikser11]

Nowadays, they claim to put daddario 10-46

[@mrbigdaveyb]

The website says 10s but mine came today and definitely has 9s on, no big deal as I'll replace them when I tidy and polish the frets, luck of the draw but as a bit of a bonus mine has some amazing birdseye figuring on the neck

[@Zsolto66]

A stunning demo, Rob, thank you. Seeing your stellar skills -- do you think there is anything you cannot do on this Harley Benton that you could do on a higher-end Tele? Thanks again, Zs

[@RobGalley]

Interesting question! I can’t think of anything you couldn’t do on this. I guess a higher end Tele would just have better pickups but also the satisfaction of it having the Fender logo on it.. other than that this guitar is excellent

[@Zsolto66]

@@RobGalley Thanks a bunch, you have helped a lot 👍

[@stratogabo]

Is it me or the bridge pickup doesn't sound as twangy as a typical Fender or Squier would? I hear a certain thickness to it that I love, means I can play bridge comfortably without rolling anything back.

[@exop3295]

Yes

[@pauldavid22212]

I bought the model up with the roasted neck a while back. Tuners are pretty rubbish and the action was so high you could limbo under it. After a decent set up it was a cracking guitar. Really pleased with it but yeah sit when you play it ha ha.

[@RobGalley]

Definitely sitting whilst playing 😂 although I still need to gig test it..

[@nazfrde]

So Joe Strummer, Chrissie Hynde and Hugh Cornwell playing Telecasters should tell you that you can play other music than country and blues on them.

[@kaffeice7]

and one thing ..som of the riffs u did.. was like wait, i know that from somwhere , and i noticed how u redid the sound of richie kotzen when he was in poison

[@Thoracius]

Beautiful looking guitar. Shame they didn't put the right radius on the fretboard. A '52-style tele should have 7.25" not 12" radius. It's way off.

[@КуприяновВлад-э4м]

4:49 Please tell me what song was playing in this excerpt or is it purely improvisation?

[@akaski777]

Wonder about the wood used and where it comes from

[@gstube1]

Ash, from the States.

[@ronald220964]

Fineer wood plywood core?

[@Sawmte964]

The woods come from the backyard, so it's backyard maple wood

[@reverbautopsy9093]

Wood is irrelevant in in an electric guitar.

[@mattrides18]

Would you go with an HB-52 or a Squier in that $200 price point if you had to pick between them?

[@dromeus21]

which did you chose?

[@zowster]

HB-52 for sure! With a Fender you always pay a premium for the brand name. But feeling is important too. Which guitar makes you wanna play more?

[@BenjaminKanarek]

Excellent exposé!

[@siv.blok1984]

What's the body thickness?

[@AndrewAHayes]

I never once thought the latest Harley Benton logo looked like the Fender logo, more like Harry Potter TBH!

[@mr.coolio4321]

Is the neck naturally that shiny?

[@RobGalley]

Other than a general wipe with lemon oil I’ve done nothing to the neck!

[@mr.coolio4321]

@@RobGalley Cool!

[@backandfour]

How heavy is "heavy"?

[@RobGalley]

Feels kinda similar to a traditional Les Paul tbh

[@buzzbuzzerson3592]

I just bought one. The bridge pickup is way louder than the neck, so when I go from clean in the middle position to dirty in the bridge position it's way too loud. Anybody else have this problem?

[@exop3295]

Neck pickup can be tuned up closer to the strings and it would be ok!

[@redhorsereincarnated5040]

As far as the 52 I think the higher that number the more expensive so I don't think it has anything to do with the year.

[@sie11pervan]

HB have stated that the Roswell's in the 52 are more aimed at a vintage 50's sound, and the Roswell's in the 62, more towards a 60's sound. So there's that.

[@mosha25]

Super! 🥳🥳🥳

[@geraldhills41]

I owned one it is stupidly heavy !

[@RobGalley]

It is, but I kinda like it!

[@AVM-Music]

I got one, it’s stupidly heavy and I love it

[@ardennenwijzer2583]

I love the weight.

[@kaffeice7]

meaning ?

[@Alfredo78666]

Thick and heavy, it remains me...

[@RobGalley]

hah!

[@mosha25]

Моя гитара!она мне очень нравится 👍

[@lazvt8469]

Got one today...heaviest guitar in the world..ain't gonna lie. WONDERFUL neck...in very way up/down/across/side to side. Amazing. Rest is decent...mod fest for sure. Not gonna spend $$ on Fralin or Lollars (as I did on two CV50's earlier this year)....but did order some $50 Bootstraps....fingers crossed. Great look, great buy...great review!

[@kaffeice7]

heavy as..?

[@lazvt8469]

@@kaffeice7 heaviest of 40+ guitars I've owned since 2010 at 9.8 pounds.

[@kaffeice7]

oo 4.4kg ok thanx , are all teles that heavy?@@lazvt8469

[@kaffeice7]

@@lazvt8469 aa ok, im thining about getting the te62cc ,thats about 3.4kg so i read

[@lazvt8469]

@@kaffeice7 yeah, it's also a better looking guitar. I was worried the TE52 would have a baseball neck...it doesn't at all. I may get me and my boy a set of 62cc...they come in lefty. I just replaced the bridge plate from a lefty to a right to see if it affects tone.....yeah, a bit...bridge is less ice picky. Really really impressed with my HB...the Roswell's are quite solid.

[@bolesawgilewicz7786]

👍👍👍👍👌

[@Cayres9]

Telecaster is great for most styles of music , im not a fan of the whole lightning ⚡ fast shred scene thats going on at the moment , give me SRV or Hendrix any day

[@therethere2p2e5]

WTF

[@CapitaineHaddock]

Honnêtement c'est fou . A moins d'être un riche boomer , je ne voit plus l'intérêt d'acheter autre chose . De toute façon c'est le même bois les mêmes micros et la même qualité de fabrication...souvent on retrouve les mêmes ouvriers dans les usines en Corée chine .....

[@JeffCui-sb6vj]

Why don't you tell the truth that that guitar is nothing like the 51 telecaster Fender makes. It's absolutely nothing compared to the 51 Tele that fender is putting out.... Money money covers the truth in this matter of guitars....

[@akaski777]

Wonder about the wood used and where it comes from

[@AmazingOpants_music]

American ash I think