Harley Benton HB35+ - VERSUS - Firefly 338 - WHICH ONE WILL I KEEP?

[@60CycleHumcast]

Harley Benton: www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_hb_35plus_lemon.htm?offid=1&affid=405 Firefly on amazon: amzn.to/3hPj5Sb

[@markfurman4386]

Firefly Amazon link takes me to an out of stock gold top 338. Thursday, 17th, February, 2022.

[@clivewinter8321]

I own 4 Harley Benton guitars 3 les Paul's and an explorer so for me it's Harley Benton all the way genuine delivery always on time great sounds to from Harley benton

[@johncarlo7395]

@@clivewinter8321 I recently bought a Harley Benton Telecaster but I was very dissatisfied with the very thick neck which was nothing like a Fender or Squier, could you tell me are the necks on the Harley Benton Les Paul's more like a Gibson shape, more of a slimmer taper as I'm thinking of buying one?.

[@KevSmithMusic]

The HB sounds better I think. I prefer the tone, it sounds richer to me.

[@doowoppyify]

But he never played it!

[@chancejohnson8504]

Remember though..you can have 10 of the same guitars..color..model .wood...strings..but they will all sound a bit different

[@philippe_durel]

We've come to a point, quality wise, where the manufacturing company (name and location) should be mentioned (somewhere) on Asian guitars, because some of these Asian musical instruments manufacturing companies are now hitting a real high standard of quality, and it becomes more and more obvious. I think these Asian companies should stop staying in the shadow of some "obscure brand names" and start being proud of their production.

[@jameshill2015]

I just spent $1950 for a Chinese guitar which is what I paid for my "17" Honeyburst Les Paul Standard that will be available on Reverb this coming week. Crazy to some but my Chinese guitar has a far better cut bone nut than the Gibson, far better fret work than the Gibson, better pick ups than the Gibson, I prefer the finish being Varnish to nitro-cell gloss of the Gibson, my Chinese Guitar came with orange drop capacitors my Gibson did not, the Chinese guitar came with EBONY fret board while the Gibson came with some low grade rosewood/maybe Pau Ferro? type of wood... basically junk in actual comparrison... Ebony headstock overlay and truss cover while Gibson is nitro gloss and plastic cover.. I feel stupid buying the Gibson now.. It was not worth it UNLESS you are going to sell it..which I am and will get my money back but my Eastman SB59V in classic red varnish is NOT getting sold anytime soon! And WORTH EVERY PENNY for a 100% handmade guitar!

[@kevinking2468]

But with that would come a justification of higher prices - No thanks.

[@robertnewshutz1081]

check out the starshine guitars on ebay. They are trying to be innovative.

[@bjl1000]

I have no problems with my FF except the fingerboard makes my fingers black.

[@MyklBlue69]

You don't know about Samick then. If it's not like Fender or Gibson, liklihood is it's made by Samick but with someone else's name on it. They do release under their own name too but liklihood is both of those guitars are made by Samick. Maybe not but it's a fact that Samick is the largest manufacturers of guitars in the world because they make all the 3rd party (for want of a better term) guitars with other people's names on them.

[@waytothewill]

Kudos for the honest remarks at the end of this video. This world needs more people with morals.

[@kimmcintosh3449]

Yes and less liberals

[@johnora3857]

Who would’ve thought that Harley Benton would be the dearer guitar in a vs battle one day? I got the exact model and it is amazing!!

[@cooltunesmadeeasy]

Stays in tune.?.how would it compare to epiphone do u know?

[@johnora3857]

cooltunesmadeezy i dont have an epiphone. Stays in tune....better than a gibson les paul but worse than a tele.

[@tazzz69dazzermind35]

John O RA I don't have a Harley Benton yet. But looking to add an 11th guitar to my collection. Something cheap to teach my 2 sons on. Also for me too. Lol.😅 But I have a Gibson Les paul standard, Epiphone Les paul custom, Fender Stratocaster Lone star, 12 string acoustic Washburn, Ovation with Fishman preamp, Samick, Ibinez, etc. I've rarely had my Gibson, Epiphone or Strat go out of tune. Really rare !?!! I also don't have a black guitar yet or a Semi hollow. I want a black Les paul style HB. Don't care for Semi hollow guitars. Should I order a HB or is it going to be crap ? I've never bought a guitar I didn't try 1st. #Reluctant

[@johnora3857]

@@tazzz69dazzermind35 i would order a HB. Take for example the sc-custom in black for 199€ with either humbuckers or p90. Mine is with p90 and it is sensational for the price!! If you dont like it, thomann has got a very good return policy. btw: i am not affiliated with thomann in any way, i just enjoy that nowadays i can try every kind of guitar for pocket money.

[@paulroberts7561]

Me too, amazing value.

[@bingochoice]

I've got an harley benton, actually 4 of them, I love them..well made, playability is nice, I got a B stock HB35 for $127, its the best money I've ever spent on a guitar..

[@skippyi6969]

Ryan = Preachin the truth and gettin his ass torn out for it by the firefly cult.. Keep preaching brother and calling a spade a spade. Thats hard to find these days.

[@websurfer5150]

He is probably one of the very few that would do that... Raised my respect level for him and woke me up to the corruption going on in the "paid promotion" industry. Could well be considered dishonest advertising. I think the TV industry had to come to terms with that many years ago. I'm sure you recall seeing "The following is a paid promotion for ZXY corporation".

[@websurfer5150]

@Michael Miller You may not see it but its pretty obvious and it leads to people being mislead. are you in favor of misleading the public?

[@MattyP19751]

Harley Benton hands down

[@Gratefulwon]

Just ordered the HB in red. The guitar will be better than my ability no matter which one I buy!

[@mikehurley5052]

Same with me, i can make a 3000 dollar guitar sound like a 50 dollar one.

[@myam754]

my guitar playing skills in a nutshell. ordering it as well

[@jessiejames2155]

Everyone loves their Firefly ! I just love mine !

[@geezerbliz]

Firefly has improved their guitars based on user feedback...the inlays are a great example. You no longer have the huge gaps between the inlays and fretboard. They also upgraded the plastic nut to bone. (They also have more choice of finishes)

[@vancochran7344]

They have ball end stainless steel on their frets now too.

[@AlbusBand]

I appreciate the honesty for sure. It’s why I Love Henning and it’s why I love you (that and the video you did for me TO Henning at NAMM). Love watching the channel & looking forward to seeing you again in Anaheim. -Aaron

[@bradsullivan3588]

That HB is just freaking gorgeous. Great video, man.

[@4315jdickey]

I just ordered the HB 35 plus LD Lemon just like the one you are keeping

[@alanhardman2447]

I've owned my Harley Benton for over 2 years and I am still in love with it. I got the HB35 Plus exactly like this one. I rarely use the coil tapping. I have done some VERY minor adjustments in the action, but it remains one my two favorite guitars in the rack.

[@haveguitar]

Might be getting the HB but I have to agree that the color of the Firefly looks really good, temptingly so... :) Great video that only got better by your talk at the end, thanks!

[@jamesstaley9886]

Got the FF338 in matte black about 8 months ago. Swapped out the pickups with dual lipstick humbuckers from guitar fetish. Total rewire with bourns pots including push-pulls to split the coils. Hot-rodded and loving it! No tuner issues but still plan to change them out with locking tuners.

[@raceface_m2579]

That HB has the right sound I’m looking for. And that lemon finish is gorgeous!

[@VicClay]

Ryan, I just stumbled onto you here. So glad that I did. Major kudos to you. Finally, a guy that does comparisons in a way that is easy to follow and understand. The right way. You play the same stuff on each one and only for short bursts and I am very impressed by this vid due to your candor about the affiliate deal and the fact that you chose honesty over hyping the one that pays you better. I subscribed instantly and also became a fan instantly. I look forward to exploring your other content here. One tiny quibble with this vid is not talking about playing differences in the context of the 2 different neck scale lengths. It did not matter to me but it might to someone else. I have a Harley Benton Tele in my collection that is all metallic paisley on the front and has Texas Specials instead of the stock pickups and it is a pretty nice player. Another thing is I really appreciate you having captions and even more that you speak very clearly and face the camera so we can see your lips move. I am deaf and wear hearing aids so this means a heck of a lot to me and I want you to realize how much I appreciate it. And yes, being deaf, I have no idea what I sound like when I play and sing. lol If they start throwing tomatoes, I know its a bad night.

[@davidkastin4240]

Spend the extra $30 for the Harley Benton. It's a better guitar. Your going to spend alot more than $30 upgrading the Firefly.

[@skippyi6969]

THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[@ModernGolfer]

Disagree. Takes about the same $$$ amount to get 'em BOTH to the same level of usability. BOTH need to go to a luthier before seriously playing it. So does every guitar, IF ya want it to play at it's highest level, truthfully.

[@monmixer]

@@ModernGolfer many people have the minor luthier skills to do it themselves. there isn't enough value there to go beyond that unless just have a love crush on the guitar which only a 16 year old kid would and if his parents had the money they would step up a bit to Fender Squire anyway and one of the lower cost Fender sub brands that they are making now which are priced at this point anyway and likely no better.

[@rangerdoc1029]

$30?.....more like an extra $90. $230 vs $140.

[@tazzz69dazzermind35]

Nunya Bizness If you need a luthier because you can't fix these minor issues on your own !?? You haven't been around guitars much. Lmao.😅

[@lmoore5264]

I just purchased 2 indentical Firefly 338's. I bought one for me to convert from right hand to left hand. The second one I bought for a friend of mine. Both guitars came in with broken high E strings. The double box had been smashed too hard into the bridge and it broke a string on each. Secondly the volume and tone knobs were mashed so hard against the guitar body that it left indent rings around each. The knobs were rubbing the body. When I disassembled one to convert it to a lefty I found that the volume stems were too long for the application. As a fix they put double washers on the pot so it didn't protrude too far from the body. I removed the extra washers and relocated the pots to the other side of the guitar. I still have to replace the nut, the tuners and I want better pickups, but for a cheap guitar the thing plays well. When you play clubs and bars every weekend as I do you certainly wouldn't want to take a pristine 335 there and risk it getting damaged. So the Firefly certainly fills a niche.

[@louisfryzel4618]

Thanks for the video but one thing I wished you had done is compare the Vintage edition of the Harley Benton that is about $30 cheaper and so would more closely match the Firefly in price and in the specs. The "Plus" model you are showing has alnico pickups in addition to having the coil-split functions (a great addition I think); the cheaper model, like the Firefly, has regular ceramic pickups I think and no coil splits. You did mention the price differential but I just would have liked to have seen and heard a comparison of the Vintage HB vs. the Firefly, ceramics against ceramics, and so on.

[@Icantdrive55]

I bought the Firefly 338 the last time amazon had them a few weeks ago. I bought it knowing full well I’d be changing the buzzy bridge, pickups and tuners, and doing a fret job. I bought it as a winter project. I’ve never done a full setup on a guitar before so it’s my opportunity to learn how to do everything. KZbinrs like you will show me the way.

[@60CycleHumcast]

these are great guitars for someone looking to practice set ups and fret work. the price is right and the bones of a fun playing guitar is there.

[@Synsizer]

If you rec'd one like that, send it back! Mine had NO buzz of any kind. Hasn't had in over a year of owning it. Tuners have held wonderfully. Not as good as Schallers or Gotoh which I have on my other guitars, but still pretty decent. Just don't run the pickups all out (go back a notch or two). And a few minutes with the frets on a weekend and you should be good to go. Mine were good enough out of the box but I still may do a little edge rounding when I find the time. And yes, if you are (were) wanting to learn to do set ups, these are great little guitars for that do to the price range. Hope all turned out well with your guitar.

[@markewing6780]

Thank you Ryan! I'm ordering an HB through your link. I've purchased 4 Firefly guitars, and my experiences were not as great as others have claimed to have had with Firefly guitars. I was only willing to keep one of the 4 Firefly's due to poor conditions of the instruments. The one Firefly that I did keep out of 4 (which was the best of the 4), I have had to do a complete fret level, crown and polish. Still need to replace the tuners and at least one of the pickups (will probably replace both). That being said, I will still have to live with the other flaws (40 grit sanding marks throughout the entire paint job, lopsided string-through-body ferrules, crooked bridge...etc..). I was glad to see someone actually make an honest review of both of these guitars because I have been looking at the HB's for quite some time, and I've really been kicking myself for buying FOUR Firefly's without even trying ONE Harley Benton. Thank you for your honesty and comparison. It was spot on.

[@60CycleHumcast]

Harley bentons still get quality control issues here and there. but thats par for the course with budget guitars. I had a similar experience with fireflys though, out of 4 i only entertained the thought of keeping one, while i have 4 harley bentons and only one of them is kind of a dud.

[@markewing6780]

@@60CycleHumcast Very good to know. Thank you much for the info Ryan. You have definitely helped me to make the decision to buy a Harley Benton. I don't mind working on my guitars some if within reason. I don't expect perfect for $250 or less. Keep the videos coming my friend! Awesome stuff man! A little word called "HONESTY". If you stop on over to the facebook Firefly fans page you will see a guy who has a post about his frets being loose and unseated from the 12th fret to the 21st fret. He literally makes a video showing the bouncing frets popping up and down. One of the admins (no names) actually got on his post and said "I've seen people do this with Gibson's, it's an easy fix, just use Super Glue Gel" (first of all I would use THIN Super Glue if it was 1 or 2 frets, but not 8 frets!). Anyway, then he goes on to say something like "But still not bad for $150 guitar"!!! I was sitting there with my mouth hanging open slobbering on myself reading that. I felt sorry for the guy with the fret issues.

[@60CycleHumcast]

the nice thing about the fireflys is they are amazon prime so if you have prime you can return them fairly easily. Still though, loose frets are crazy.

[@markewing6780]

@@60CycleHumcast I agree. At least you can return them through Amazon Prime. I'm sure I will buy another FF guitar just based on that alone. But if I buy one more bad guitar from them I'm sure it will be the last for me. Hey man, I'm down to try anything as long as it's not wasting my time and money. Thanks for your time kind Sir. Hope you're having a great day!

[@ronniebaker4549]

I was about to buy a PRS SE when my acoustic and 3rd American Stratocaster was stolen in May of last year. My friend told me about Harley Benton so I bought a Harley Benton XT22 double cut away like the Gibson Les Paul double cut away. It was shipped from Germany to Georgia USA and all I had to do to set it up was tune the 1st E string. A friend got the Harley Benton HB 35 Plus for Xmas and I bought it from him in January for $200.00. He included a set of Grover keys but I didn't need them so I traded them for a strap. I haven't replaced my Strat or acoustic and plan on ordering a Harley Benton Strat and the Harley Benton CLD 41 SE. If the Strat and CLD. If the Harley Benton acoustic is as close to the $5000.00 Martin D 41 as the XT22 is to the Les Paul and the HB 35 Plus and the Stratocaster sounds and plays as good as any of my 3 American Strats it will be hard to buy another new guitar like a Gibson or Fender when the Harley Benton is a fraction of the price.

[@TomsGreenMind]

Appreciate your honesty! You can't buy integrity with affiliate money 😊

[@60CycleHumcast]

i can buy diapers though, and some times thats more important than integrity, lol

[@TomsGreenMind]

@@60CycleHumcast speaking from experience, you'll need all the diapers you can get 😂

[@stevestrauss6352]

Thanks for staying honest and not selling out. Great video!

[@ronnienose8608]

Harley Benton all the way, stick a pair of Iron Gear Blues Engines in it and it'll sound fantastic (good as Duncans but less than half the price).

[@michaelolz]

Iron Gear, huh? I never heard about them! I’ll look them up.

[@ronnienose8608]

@@michaelolz They're great pickups. They're sold through a site called Axetec.co.uk. British firm and made abroad with top quality materials. I'm not affiliated with them, just a happy customer.

[@casandre2]

Thanks for the video :-), I'll definitely pick the HB35 too, the sound is better and clear, the Firefly is a bit muddy!

[@thehound2161]

Ryan is on top of things with this video. Firefly's are hot now and the HB's have been for a time. Good stuff.

[@thehound2161]

I am not in the loop with the Firefly's and have only seen "sold out", but as i am a fan boy of the Harley Benton's i may remain a spectator with the Firefly's. I do not think they were made in the same factory, unless the Firefly's are made on the 3rd shift. Granted the materials were similar, but you have shown the finish differences to be obvious.... at least in this example.

[@thehound2161]

Firefly wins the pick guard competition however. :)

[@MyklBlue69]

I got my HB-35 Plus CH at end of July and I love it. Its definitely a stud, not a dud. Perfect in every way IMO. It has gritty frets but I will smooth them when I change the strings but they look like they were levelled after the factory and the edges are rolled very nicely. No imperfections and plays like a dream. My favourite guitar ever and nowhere near my most expensive!

[@sassycat]

Firefly pros: Rounder "ear" shape Boomier sounding pickups Proper shaped pickguard Firefly cons: Jumpy tuners Microphonic pickups Laughable fretboard quality Finishing issues HB pros: Gorgeous lemon burst finish Coil cut controls (!) Quality tuners Nice fretboard fit and finish HB cons: 'Tight' sounding pickups Ibanez shaped 'ears' LP style pickguard Keeper: HB-35. I can live with the Ibanez shape, and can swap out the pickguard and pickups.

[@mediocreboi]

Even on epiphones I take off the pickguard and switch out the pickups anyway. That burst is gorgeous.

[@ces69]

Sassy Cat If you can find an older one on eBay they are more “authentic” in their look. I believe Harley Benton/ Thomann changed them under pressure from Gibson!

[@rickyoung5625]

Ended up getting the HB35 very pleased and Happy with the decision, Thanks 😊

[@richardbaker_0088]

I love how he snatches those chords outta the inputs

[@MarkGardner66Bonnie]

First time visitor... Loved the review...and your honesty! Thank you

[@Bellyflops2]

Would love to see the cost breakdown of these compared to say a Gibson

[@RyanAmplification]

$3000 for a Gibson 335 $230 for the HB

[@nickofzo]

@@RyanAmplification I think bellyflops2 means the cost to make these guitars.

[@checkpointcovid8021]

Labor costs are a factor.

[@ThisIsMyFullName]

I just got the HB35 Plus. I definitely had to change tuners, they just couldn't hold and were very flimsy. Other than that, the stoptail wasn't screwed down properly, and the frets also needed some light smoothing. But these are all easy fixes and are just due to cheaper manufacturing and poor quality control, which is to be expected from a guitar at this price.

[@dragan4658]

For me the hb is worth the little extra cash for the extra features alone. The firefly is for the person who doesn't have the little bit extra cash, gr8 deals both of these guitars. Thanks Ryan!

[@kodiebutter6632]

Ide say that is a very accurate statement

[@flyfish1995]

I have 3 Harley Benton’s and so long as they keep up the quality and pricing, I’ll keep buying them over almost any guitar out there.

[@philprowse8434]

One thing to note is the price difference as well. I’d choose the HB over the Firefly except the spalted maple FF 338. But after adding the rather significant shipping charges on the HB, you’re paying almost $200 more for the HB than the Firefly if you live in the US.

[@mneugent7658]

You sure you live in the US? I live in the farthest corner of the lower 48 and have 7 HB's and have never paid more that $70 for shipping. The Firefly costs $27 to ship. At the end of the day the FF338 will cost 225 bucks and the HB 335 costs 260, both after shipping. 35 dollar difference. I don't know where you got $200 difference.

[@koDaffi]

You can get Free Shipping now for HB in the USA.

[@4absentfriends]

I bought both the HB 12-string electric and the Nylon string electric a few years ago and luv them both ! Next . . their 6 string banjo.

[@evanbluemer5119]

the inlays speak to the quality control

[@Synsizer]

Never saw inlays as he has on that particular guitar, but the newer ones of today are super clean.

[@DavidR59]

Taking the moral high ground is a good phrase. I like good or strong integrity. Either way, thank you for your honesty!

[@randallerwin4375]

I had to spend $20 getting the fret edge's smoothed where they wouldn't cut my hands and will have to put some tuners on it because it won't stay in tune, but it does play and sound good when it is in tune and of course I had to do a setup too.

[@A-Wa]

Get a fret file for 40$ and do it on all your guitars :D best purchase I made these days

[@JF-em6hr]

That's totally cool. That neck tool thing. Never saw one of those before.

[@robertyoung7027]

Pups in the HB sound much more musical through my headphones while listening to your vid

[@rogerbranton1752]

I got all excited about the Firefly FF338 because of the endless KZbin reviews. I understood that they were hit & miss with some quality issues but I'd been wanting a 335-style guitar and I was just curious enough to put caution to the wind! Then I found out that neither Amazon nor Guitar Garden were selling these guitars in Canada. Then I found one for sale on Ebay. Nobody bid against me and I got it for eighty bucks!! The upshot of this is that it's great in every way. Tuners work fine.....fit & finish is flawless....pickups just kick ass! I realize I got very lucky to get one without the oft-mentioned quality issues. Anyway, if a guitar makes you happy, it ain't a bad guitar 😃

[@bryancarter5491]

The new designed firefly DCs will be on Amazon next week.. Much better guitars, check them out next week on Amazon!

[@michaelobrien1951]

Next week or the week after? Someone said next week last week which would be this week?

[@bryancarter5491]

@@michaelobrien1951 depends on if the containers get pulled for inspection.. If they dont by next weekend

[@jameswilliford5478]

The fflp out in December

[@Full_Deflection]

The neck pickup in the HB has me considering buying one. The light and airy tone I heard was super pleasant and exactly what I’d hope to get out of a guitar of this style.

[@andreapasillas8478]

What? no middle position demo for the pickups??? My heart is broken, Ryan :{

[@Hiro.the.God.]

They are the exact same guitar. Made in the same factory and or factories. The only difference is quality control, and the 90 dollar shipping cost of the Harley Benton. You will definitely swap out the guts of both guitars if you actually want them to sound good. Keep them as is if you’re just an at home noodler.

[@tundratom]

I just received a HB-35 plus in gloss black with gold hardware. Yes black, LOVE the retro look and the gold compliments this. The quality is amazing! I WAS going to buy a Firefly, what killed it was the microfonic pick-ups. I can run the distorted gain on the HB to ear splitting levels and it just crushes it. A fabulous partner to my Yamaha Strat. Peace.

[@ColinStuart]

I fell in love with the neck measuring tool, when my dad had one! Rember, there's nothing wrong with having morals.

[@comajoebuck999]

Body work tool?

[@bobhelbig]

The Firefly sounds a little better! I own one and own a number of Bentons too. I thought the Firefly sounded like it had incrementally more presence.

[@yaguitar]

Your honesty is appreciated man. I love my HB35, it's a great guitar. Same as you, my channel makes more from Amazon than Thomann lol

[@jdjohn4360]

Thanks man it’s hard to find the honesty that you promote kudos brother

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

I know this is a 2019 video and it is now 2022 for this comment. But in 2017 I was able to get one of the original fireflies in red sold to a buddy's house in the states and I was able to go and pick it up because I couldn't get them in canada. I still can't get them in canada. I just ordered a Harley Benton HB 35 Plus in the metallic Plum front top and it's on the way. For my 2017 Firefly I pretty much expected that I would have to change a lot of things on it and I was right all I kept was the post studs and the tail piece everything else had to go. I upgraded everything and it became a really nice playable 335 style guitar which I still love. I'm hoping my Harley Benton arrives with less things to change than my Firefly did. From your review I clearly could hear that the Harley Benton was better even on the 2019 Firefly. But in the clean tones of the pickups I thought they were very very close. The whole Saga of my 2017 Firefly is on my channel if anyone is interested to look

[@raslolayton2152]

I'd like to throw my two penn'orth in here. For reference, I own a new Firefly 338 (and a 1964 Gibson 335...). One thing I think blurs issues is that we tend to evaluate budget guitars as players, as real 'pro'-type guys. If you are a new kid on the block wanting a guitar, the Firefly (cheap as chips) is spectacularly good. You won't notice the tuners, you won't notice the pickups, you'll find it easy to play and life will be good. Later on, you can get the attitude and the vocabulary and all the knowledge necessary to be a tedious bore at a cocktail party. Then you buy something else. But to kick off, you WILL NOT STRUGGLE with a Firefly. You will not miss the HB. Having said that, if you have the dosh then get the HB. It's still cheap. The one thing I would say is, don't buy a real Gibson or a real Fender unless it's vintage. The new stuff is way-over-priced crap, Support your local Firefly dealer. Or HB dealer. Good guitars at sensible prices. Here endeth the lesson.

[@60CycleHumcast]

Are there actually Firefly dealers? I've only found them on Amazon. -steve

[@AdamonfireXMX]

Well said. At $140 it’s a no brainer for someone low on cash. HB is better quality but not enough to matter if you have low funds.

[@jacobbrown1690]

spend the extra money and get money and buy an epiphone dot or sheraton. you wont be sorry.

[@kaptkrunchfpv]

They all work from the same state approved cad file in Chyna. Not sure about the HB, but Firefly has really upped their fret game in recent years.

[@ethanjones1689]

You should do a video on the oscar schmidt delta king.

[@timothytobin1481]

Yes! I saw a video on that, and that baby sounded exactly like BB King's Gibson ES-335, Lucille!

[@victorandrango3813]

Yes. Oe 30 all day.

[@rockinbobokkin7831]

I admire that kind of honesty. Nice.

[@paulbennett7021]

Very honest; I changed my mind halfway through; HB for me

[@paulbennett7021]

Bought a HB; love it; btw, I'm a bass player.

[@gwoodtones]

What a nice comparison again! Thank you bro!

[@skippyi6969]

Give me a few mins Ryan and I'll be joining you on the banned wagon.......

[@unitedstatesofmordor]

This channel is starting to grow on me. Thanks again.

[@xx-gp4me]

I would be willing to bet good money people are just gonna vote for whatever they bought to justify their purchase instead of looking at themselves and their guitar objectively.

[@ModernGolfer]

What if ya own both? Own both, enjoy both. Both are fine, but need to go to a GOOD luthier and get it 'tweaked' so it 'fits just right'. Just like EVERY guitar.

[@desiretuiel]

Grrr. Let. Me. Validate mu decision with strangers!!!

[@MYdjANDkaraoke]

They dont compare to my epi dot deluxe, but my epi is about 20 years so dunno about the current ones. My firefly semi sounds great until you do an A /B comparison then harely wins and epi wins over harley. Value though harley wins. New guitarists I'd say firefly wins for cost and playability

[@rickk1235]

Your honest and morals is why I follow your channel. Thanks so very much.

[@paull8678]

I wanted the Firefly, but try finding one. I ended up going with the HB. Swapped the tuners and I'm very happy with it.

[@davidcochran6291]

You could call them scruples too. I agree with your assessment of the two guitars. Where you and I differ is I like the wood grain and the pattern it creates. I also like the tan pick guard rather than the black. What I didn't get was what is the neck like on these? Since I like a thinner neck and a flatter profile that information would be welcome. I have small hands, but more important short fingers. So barre chords work better if the neck is built flat. That allows me to put more pressure from the back to support the barre. I noticed you are able to curl your thumb over the top edge of the neck so you can use it to deaden the top string if necessary. Or you can use it as I see players do sometimes use it to play the top string if you need a note that doesn't that doesn't require a full barre. Anyway, My thumb hardly ever gets over the top, and that is just the tip. Plus I have a pretty good case of arthritis, so that doesn't help. So that info would be nice. I am also left-handed, and I am guessing that model wouldn't even be available to me anyway. Overall I liked your evaluation. I also understand the need for the guitar to look right for you, I play golf and was pretty good at one time. But if the irons I was testing out didn't look right sitting behind the ball I couldn't get the ball airborne to save my life. It's quirky to be sure, but then if all of us liked the same thing, all but one of us would be unnecessary. Thanks again.

[@johnwillard6198]

Waiting on my HB 35 BK :)

[@getoutofthetimetrap5435]

You’re honesty just earned you a sub and a HB purchaser. Thanks

[@sandrabecht4489]

Let‘s face it, gibson nerds: it‘s 2 % the guitar and 98% the player.....🇩🇪🇩🇪

[@Ponch426Hemi]

I found out the hard way when I finally achieved my dream of owning a Gibson LP and I still sucked 😅

[@sandrabecht4489]

Ponch426Hemi same with me😂🇩🇪

[@johnbrasher1495]

Gibson fanboys are never going to agree with this!

[@Ottophil]

John Brasher you’re right i dont

[@xxnonstopdancingxx]

Ha ha.. so true.

[@ibanezdudeck]

Thanks for being one of the honest ones. I hate people that push garbage for money.

[@EmptyChairNetwork]

OK NOW I understand why some You Tube reviewers are pumping these things... Its all about the payday.. not honest reviews. I think a lot less of them now.. I have 3 of them and I agree they are not so great.. HB is worth the difference and then some. Thanks for bringing some honesty to the game..

[@BrentAdams]

This is probably the 3rd time I've watched this video (Thank You Ryan for making it!) I struggle a little with the width of this style of guitar, BUT... the tone is pretty unique with it as well.... so I keep coming back to adding one to my "Guitar Sounds Tool Box". While I already own the Harley Benton CST 24-HB guitar (PRS shaped Semi Hollow design...& I LOVE it!) I still don't think I'm quite getting that "335-esque tone". Someone else thought the H.B. might be slightly smaller (new versions) than a 335 style, but not as small as the 339 style guitar. Anyway, I'm had just visited the Thomann site and they had the HB35 Plus back in stock in the Lemon Drop Fade (My favorite look that they offer...I am the type that prefer to see the wood grain through a translucent finish, versus any type of opaque finish...We all have our little prejudices don't we? 😉) ....so ... I finally grabbed it! This will be my 4th H.B. I do tend to appreciate what they have to offer, but I did sell the RB-612CS preferring my Eastwood Classic 12, even though I wanted to prefer the H.B. Now, I'll need to compare the CST-24 HB to the H35 Plus to see if I was really "missing something". LOL! Play Lots!

[@profile1251]

This is just the quality content we have come to expect from this channel. Wait, this isn't Hennig's channel

[@thenry8586]

Probably not gonna buy either one but your honesty about how you get paid at the end made me a subscriber. Soooo many dishonest “reviews” online pushing products these days

[@Timman57]

Well hell, the coil cut sells it alone

[@FF-so3su]

On clean setting I liked the H.B bridge and F.F Neck best😊👍

[@greenslider]

Harley Bemton QC has gone through the roof in recent years. Spec has put the fender own brands in the shade. Probably jackbooted guards on the assembly lines.

[@jimmyrhone68]

Bought a salted maple top firefly. Replaced tuners with grovers. Pickups from epiphany and roller bridge. All from my junk bins. It punched way above its weight now.

[@ccr8392]

Split coils are not that uncommon on these type of guitars

[@robsmyth7003]

Love your content. Especially the fact youre not a snob on the cheaper guitars, dont dismiss Squiers vs Fenders etc. Love it 👍🏻

[@AJgeartalk]

HB's the better guitar. Better tone, better looking, better made....

[@TheGhostGuitars]

I have a Firefly 338, and I agree theres a few minor cosmetic issues on it. Altho based on other's feedback, the quality control can be somewhat hit or miss. In my particular case, my 338 has only 2 paint blems, both really wasn't easily noticable unless ye specifically sit to look for them. Both are on the bindings, one is next to the neck joint where there is a tiny bit of excess clear globbing on the binding. There's a tiny bit of black smudge on the neck binding from the neck finish. Unlike yours, my board inlays is actually very excellent. There's no huge black margins on the inlay like yours nor were there any glue slop either. The inlays on mine fits snugly in the board recess cut for them. The tuners are decent for a set of generic sealed tuners, not the best but certainly not the worst either. I have on order a set of nickel Grover Rotomatic tuners enroute to me which will go on when they get here. I paid more than 300 for mine, but it came with a full fret job done on it and had a set of zebra 2009 Gibson Les Paul Traditional Professional pickups (Burstbucker 3 bridge/57 Classic neck) installed. I verified they are genuine while I had them pulled out to install coil controls via Seymour Duncan's Triple-Shots. Side note: the top arch on the 338 is flatter than Les Pauls, so a bit of filing was needed on the Triple-Shots for a perfect fit. I think the Gibson pups, even tho they're a bit lower output than what I'm used to (JB/Jazz) @ 8.1k/7.6k, are an excellent match for the semi-hollow 338! The pup's warmer tones with just a tiny bit of grit tones down the brightness of the all-maple body. Methinks the only other thing I'd change in the future are audio taper pots for more intuitive volume & tone control. Yes, overall the 338 is aint the best made 335 type out there, but for the $140 buy price, and the (at least for ME) the acceptable quality that came from the factory, it's an excellent beginner's SHB guitar that has room to be upgraded with a few choice pieces and _STILL_ spend less than a genny 335. I would have no hesitation to gig with this 500$* Firefly 338! Aside from the '09 Gibby pups, the guitar is easily replaceable. I'd lose sleep if I was travelling with a 335 costing a magnitude more. *Total cost spent on my 338, including '09 Gibson pups, Triple-Shots, Grover locking tuners, D'Addario Flatwound 10-42 strings and a complete set of US-spec pots, switch and output jack.

[@phillipholt6005]

I love my epiphone 339. Paid more and got more all the way around.

[@GK-ud8dv]

That goldtop looks great in the video.. love to see it in person

[@souloftheage]

MARTIN has the cheapest(none) looking headstock and no one complains of it.

[@w13rdguy]

I had a nice experience last year. I was headed into a town where they have one of those centers that sells guitars, but I decided to not shop there. Instead I searched "Music store" in a map app. The store I ended up at was selling used...at the same prices as the local garage sale app!

[@NoCoverCharge]

i love the Show Firefly

[@nickburmanmusic]

I was disappointed that this video didn’t feature Serenity.

[@rangerdoc1029]

I'm totally gonna swag my Firefly after the show now!

[@mirllewist3086]

One of my favorite semi-hollow guitars was a plywood POS Harmony "Roy Smeck" guitar. Gritty finish, weird pickups, very fake pseudo-bigsby trem arm which did nothing except throw the guitar out of tune badly if you looked at it funny, oh yeah, and janky inlays. however it was intoned more-or-less right and - the key - was super fun to play. Really soulful and satisfying. And cost $90. Total beater but lots of character. I'm glad to see there are cheap and perhaps squirrely guitars being made that give that soulful sound and don't require shelling out a ton of money. Rah for cheap guitars!

[@JonathanKillstring]

I appreciate that, for real. Finally subbed, haha.

[@hiramstumpjumper2836]

ES style kits cost around $270, a decent rattle can finish $100, and with any upgrades added a guy is money ahead getting either of these guitars.

[@PooNinja]

Please use applicable links and buy your favorite

[@60CycleHumcast]

use the links and buy anything really, i've got kids to feed!

[@duanepetersonakaroadkill7161]

I have no problems with the pickups in my firefly. But the coil split is nice in the Benton.

[@panhandlegeardemos6837]

Is there a 2 minute version of this video? 🤣

[@60CycleHumcast]

lol, nope

[@duffman18]

Yep, just increase the speed to 10x

[@rodjohnson3045]

He went with the Harley Benton. Better overall feel, with better quality pickups and tuners. And he would make more money through affiliate links if he pushed the Firefly, but he's honest and feels the Harley is better.

[@Dubski]

Perfect timing! I'm just about to pull the trigger and grab myself a "Lemon Drop" Harley Benton 35Plus in the coming week so having your review pop up on my feed really was perfect timing Bro, and for my budget limitations I'm reassured by your run down on that one you got there. So thanks a bunch, and keep pumping out the great videos my friend. Wishing you all the very best from Scotland!

[@kevinhernandez2594]

Keep the HB, take the Firefly to Tijuana and stick some firecrackers into it.

[@neutrodyne]

On the Firely guitar with the buzz issue check and see if the strings are grounded. They usually ground off of the bridge. My guess is there was never a ground wire on the bridge.

[@BobZed]

Not worth it to get half the guitar for slightly less money.

[@greggramig910]

Straight up, I go with the HB. Functionality and playability out of the box as it is. I like that. I too like the gold FF, it's appealing for sure. But, I want an instrument that I can play as is, don't mind mods but would rather keep it original. Oh yeah, the HB is available. The FF is not with no estimated availability even on the horizon. Thinking hard on this one. I'll let you know where I land. Really, really appreciate your honesty in your reviews. It is a tremendous value in itself. Keep up the great work! Many thanks for the reviews.

[@greggramig910]

What a hard decision, but! I'll get straight to the point, the HB 35 Plus LD won out. Received the 35 Plus two days ago and I am delighted and that comes from an IT engineer working along side of bell labs scientists on the largest data warehouse systems outside of the DOD. Details matter massively to me. The fit and finish was second to none and I mean none. I did find some glue on the upper frets, simply cosmetic, but no problem, simply scraped off with a polyester scraper and the instrument is absolutely perfect. No blemishes or defects, none, not, nada. After having many instruments since 3rd grade, 55+ years, this is the best instrument I have ever purchased or seen! The sound is totally top shelf. The only caveat is the pots, some minor dial noise however this is not a factor once set and playing, no noise during play. Will not be replacing the pots in the near term. In comparison to my Fender Strat Infinithy, there is simply nothing to compare, one is like pre-moon landing technology, the other, the 35 Plus, is truly at a level that only today's science and manufacturing capabilities can produce in today's era of guitar design and production techniques. I can confidently say this is a buy-yes recommendation. Play on friends ...