Harley Benton JA60 Roswell / Review

[@CoryMura]

no patience? this could help: 0:20 Pics 2:22 Specs 10:20 Playing 24:43 Final Words

[@puppyy780]

Something about that fretboard is incredible to me. It compliments the guitar so well.

[@electrofreddy]

I just saw today (january the 8th) that they're changing the P90 for real jazzmaster pickups. Still no trem...

[@mrbesserwisser7447]

I have one of these in sunburst finish. Great sound, the clairity of singlecoils but with more punch. Apart from being the perfect rhytm guitar, it also sounds good in a mix, because the it maintain some string tone even when using a dist pedal. Perhaps the best HB I've bought.

[@joeycredible]

I really appreciate your very extensive review of this guitar. I now know it's okay to buy one.

[@Mr-Sig]

You have saved me! I've been looking for a new guitar for a very long time and it came to the point, where I was about to lose my shit, untill I watched this video. I have FINALLY found my future guitar so thank you for that! It's got everything I need in an axe: the looks, the sound and compared to my death and destruction guitars (besides my Gibson LP) the simple attitude that just says: I Love Rock'n'roll. And for that price it's, as we say in Denmark: stealing at high noon. Great videos! Cheers from Denmark :-)

[@IPushHard]

I don't like the pick guard, and I dont like where they put the input jack. Other than that? Seems like a super good deal to me. I have a few others in line before this one, but I'll get one eventually. : )

[@stu-j]

Gonna order one to compliment my sc custom vintage black as they do lefty’s.. for the price I might even buy the white and the sunburst

[@warrenleibbrandt1315]

This guitar sounds great, great playing Cory

[@CoryMura]

thanks warren

[@notecrackervideos]

Brilliant review ! Have one on the way that will be delivered Monday and now I look even more forward to that ! You. Play great btw ! MORE GAIN !!! 😎👍🏼🙏

[@The030Berliner]

After reading and watching so many positive reviews I just bought a used Harley Benton JA-60OW in stock conditions. These are my observations after a few days. Positive: + The sound is amazing and perceivably different from any other guitar/pickups I owned or played so far: pretty clear and surprisingly bright pickups (especially the neck pickup!) with relatively high output. The dynamics are second to none: On an amp with a slightly crunchy setting, one can create sounds from clean to distorted just depending on the touch. Amazing! + Well (though not perfectly) set up: The nut was pretty low (which is good!), the bridge too high, the neck had no relief at all (which isn’t good), so the action wasn’t exactly low (still not much too high though) + The unamplified sound and sustain are good. + Despite its offset shape, the body sits quite comfortably on the lap. Matters of taste: o Matching headstock is a matter of taste (I’d prefer it not painted) o The guitar is pretty heavy (4kg) o The neck is chunkier than any of my other guitars’ (and I prefer thick necks). I can’t say what it is, but it doesn’t fit too comfortably into my hand. The matte lacquer was a bit rough in some places - but polishing it with a bit of superfine steel wool helped a lot. o Neither the pickup caviities not the cables are shielded, but the hum isn’t more than in other single-coil guitars. Negative: - The stock strings are horrible and should be changed right away - The frets aren’t exactely nice: pretty sharp fret ends on some frets, and pretty rough surfaces. After dressing the fret ends, polishing the frets and adjusting neck and bridge I found one super low fret which kills the tone - so I’ll have to level all frets. - Tuners are extremely stiff (but different from one another), so I will swap them most likely. - The nut is made of rather soft plastic (but does the job for now) - As with many affordable guitars, the sound is very „straightforward“ and direct, so it is hard to created nuanced single-note lines. - The volume pot sits in a really stupid spot: It’s impossible not to hit it when strumming! - Pickup height can hardly be adjusted: The screws sit super tight in the wood, so one screw broke off immediately when I was trying to turn it. When lowering the pickups, the foam underneath them will squished, so the pickups can be lowered only about 3mm. Who will be happy with this guitar? People who * don’t care about the brand name on the headstock * don’t want to spend a lot of money * look for an offset guitar without the quirky tremolo, bridge and switches of an original Jazzmaster * like heavy guitars and fat necks * are willing to put some effort into fixing the frets, the setup and the tuning pegs * rather strum than solo (I love the strumming sounds, but don’t like the single-note sounds too much) Who might not bond with that guitar? * beginners (as they will struggle with the hefty neck, the heavy weight and the fret issues) * guitar snobs Those who own the guitar: Do you agree?

[@lucasalce6010]

Just bought one, can't wait to receive it. Thanks for the detailed review. Are you still using it? Did you level the frets in the end?

[@olivierolivier6513]

Please harley benton make it in surf green!!!!

[@chancemiller9340]

Or Sonic or Daphne Blue... with matching headstock! (And I'm buying it!)

[@fender1000100]

@@chancemiller9340 Agreed youve got to like the look of the guitar not just the sound.

[@svensondenson5743]

Shell Pink

[@patrickloffler4318]

Thank you for your Review! I enjoyed every minute and love this guitar 😊

[@bassmana2z686]

Thanks Cory for another great review.

[@cheapocastercheapocaster3234]

Why this model lacks tremolo is a mystery.

[@oggolbat7932]

You would have to pay double the price for sure Jazzmaster normal bridges seem complicated...

[@uhmBob]

Alejandro Iborra Alejandro Iborra The Mustang-inspired Harley Benton MS-60 has a Jazzmaster-style vibrato and is priced about €17 lower than the JA-60. The Jazzmaster/Jaguar bridge isn’t that complicated; it is quirky and does better with heavier string gauges but there are a few replacement options. Michael Adams (AKA Puisheen) has a great Premier Guitar article on setting up Jazzmasters and Jaguars.

[@nickdryad]

uhmBob. There’s a duesenberg tremolo for a Les Paul/SG TOM. expensive but that might solve the problem. Not having a trem is like a Hard tail Brian May red special. The end of the civilised world.

[@manuelpetrault3933]

Another good review Cory, I like the guitar very much !

[@FarAwayman71]

The colour looks more like"vintage white" than"olympic white". I have Squier J.Mascis Jazzmaster and it looks almost the same as this guitar( I changed that original gold-anodized aluminium pickguard to a tortoise one), that little"yellowish", patinized white. Olympic White IMO is more"pure"white, snow white? After all this guitar sounds almost the same as the J.Mascis Jazzmaster( J.Mascis-signature mics are more like p-90, than the original Jazzmaster-pickups and I've been happy with those:), so if you don't need whammybar/ tremarm you should check one of these out! Real"punk-rock-spades"...and much more!

[@FarAwayman71]

Oh, F..! From the different angle, it looked just like olympic white-coloured! What if I just be guiet and watch the videos to the end?;)

[@MrDream-zm1pw]

How does the HB guitar compare to the J Mascis Jazzmaster as far sound, neck feel, how it plays?

[@alphanumeric1529]

What did you pay for that J Mascis JM? I was going to buy when introduced. I think they were $350 new from Fender. Now you can't even get them used for that price!

[@notecrackervideos]

Pickguard is no problem, since I will make a transparent one of polycarbonat. Should look cool. Will alse put on a Duesenberg Les Trem II Nickel TM85N. Also from Thomann. Screws right into the stopbridge holes and takes ten minutes to install. Again, thanks for a great review. 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽

[@davidward5225]

Excellent review

[@jernie9384]

oh, I waited for this review so much ! Danke dir.

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

Hey that guitar looks like fun to play... You seem to really enjoy playing it..

[@briansteffmagnussen9078]

Most tuners can be adjust in tension.

[@swordofhonor2]

Great review. I have a vintage modified jaguar made by squire and its very good too. $300 us dollars. I has single pick ups tho... i live that guitar.... its so cool!!!

[@SweetLittleRnRoller]

Incredibly good sound for the price. I haven't really played any HB in person, but my friends have and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

[@bakstabbath]

Do Fender or Squier Jazzmaster pickguards fit this? I'd like to get one, but it would need a real (or at least real looking) red tortoise shell pickguard

[@NofreedomofspeechonYouTube]

This is most impressive guitar from Harley Benton.

[@perthguitar5160]

That pickguard would go great with a nice red and cheese. Overall a cool guitar if not my style. Just blown away by the choices people have these days for little money. Nice review Cory.

[@notecrackervideos]

Hi Cory. What is that backing at the start ? 😬🤘🏽

[@jumpingman8160]

I'm curious about the one with Wilkinsons.

[@mylesmullarney4365]

Should I buy the Harley benton sg or the Harley bentonite explorer I play a lot of alternative Foo fighters ,qotsa,the pixies ,nirvana

[@blagahaga]

Hi Cory, Did you keep the Fanfret 5 string bass? If so, would you want to get rid of it? They no longer make them and I'm keen to try one! Thanks, Matt

[@lillocarcarino9407]

This guitar with this amp ,there's a perfect match! Good, very good! Bie guy!

[@twantheunisz9281]

I'm surprised by the pickups. Like seriously they're like 20 euros a piece. I have a gibson Les Paul with mini humbuckers, and I think these really well priced P90s are a great way to get into P90 pickups if you have a mini humbucker rout.

[@Mr.56Goldtop]

What is the opening music?

[@grayfool]

That sounds really good. Shame about the pick guard. could always paint , I suppose. Thanks for all the detail too, terrific video.

[@Chrisdava]

Nice guitar. I really love its vintage look (even the "salami" pickguard) and how it sounds with the new Roswell pickups. Awesome Jazzmaster copy for the price. Good review (especially the disto part) ! It's cool : you have gradually increased the gain, but it would have been interesting also to use a fuzz pedal to hear how the Roswell P90 react... Cheers.

[@AslanBlood]

Stiff tuners, €129.-, .... and i love Salami, ... boy owh boy, .... i love this Axe, ...... I just had my BigTone White and HB60 in ... so, Patience is my burden right now, .... But I Will Have This Axe, .... soon, ... Really Sooon. Really loved the clean sounds of this Axe, it tells one something about the build, the woods, the instrument itself. Thnx Cory. Great Review ... as always

[@johnmonroney8614]

Thanks. sounds like youd want a jag to sound

[@Wabin22]

Hehe awesome shirt, maybe you should print one up adding the sentence "maybe a little glooo" :) Great stuff man :)

[@matteodavis2221]

Cory does it have neck dive

[@jolof96]

awsome vid and awsome guitar

[@farmtracks1]

Great review! Thanks!

[@tomdameek]

I’ve been looking at this and the HB CST 25 P 90 Cory. Which one would you chose ? Thanks for your really helpful reviews as usual 😊👍

[@7Roeth]

Sure sounds great to me, looks cool to. Sweet vid.

[@mightyOmouse]

Is the intro music (in general, not just this video) played by you with the guitar in review?

[@konradsyc1039]

wow really good review, thanks!

[@ltcm5052]

Do you know the pole spacing on the Roswell pickups?

[@dadygee]

Another HB sold ... tnx Cory!

[@snooze0023]

Do you buy all these guitars and where do you store them all and how many have you got?

[@LLT79]

Very good review, as usual! XD If the guitar had a black pickguard it would be a perfect match to your Bugera! I prefer the sound of the roswells compared to the wilkinsons.

[@johnora3857]

Are you still active on patreon? I saw your last post is from March. Greetings!

[@leonardomafra5020]

Do you think it's a good guitar for mac demarco style indie rock? Thanks!

[@ikezn1412]

It should be. But he plays a strat right? There are Strats from Harley Benton that are in the same price range, so you could check those out.

[@mattgehringer7292]

Cory Mura what is the fingerboard radius on this guitar?

[@ivanichev7590]

@Matt Gehringer the radius is 7.25

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Dont worry i repeat myself sometimes ! Just to make sure the people heard.

[@adriankurt1872]

Ehm dritter :-D Auf das Video der Gitarre hab ich gewartet ;-) Dankeschön !

[@CoryMura]

Adrian Kurt gern geschehen!

[@frantisekvtelensky820]

Nice review, Cory! Guitar sounds very good to my ears and for beginners it is absolutely steal for the money! 129 Euros? How HB do that? :)

[@CoryMura]

+František Vtelenský no ads, no distributors.,no endorsers.. get rid of all that and you can decrease the cost by a huuge amount. thats how thomann does it

[@frantisekvtelensky820]

Nice! :)

[@Clown13]

Again a great video cory !!!! Must have guitar !!! 2 questions : 1-This Harley Benton or the Fender SQ Affinity Jazzmaster ?? And 2-can i fit in this quitar an EMG 81-60 set of active pick ups ?? Love the Jim Root jazzmaster ,but it is not for my badget !!! Thanks dude ;-)

[@CoryMura]

+Karmaniolas Chris 1-can not say. its up to your taste..sorry. 2. i am not sure but i think they pickup routings are made for humbucker so yes. should be possible. but cant say for sure

[@Clown13]

Τhat salami- peperoni pick guard ruins everything !!! :-P . .. I'll make the decision soon . . . I believe . . . thanks anyway ;-)

[@jernie9384]

Karmaniolas Chris you could still spray it or so

[@Clown13]

Sleep tight Pizza you are right . . I prefer though to buy a Squire pick guard . .I believe it'll fit !!!

[@jernie9384]

worth a try I'd say

[@Bluesman76]

cool review , i like that ja60

[@StevieZero]

Nice Guitar

[@bluesdawg8014]

It's called a pickguard. The color is tortes shell. Not salami LOL

[@vintageguitaramplifier]

Super quality :D

[@alexcarpen3201]

Oh this guitar is so cool. GAAAAAAAAAAAAS incomiiiing

[@AlsRides]

Pepperoni pickguard :( everything else looks great! :)

[@argon4713]

I JUST CAN'T MYHELP SELF 18:40 LOOL

[@Noisehead101]

Not bad guitars at all. The body is actually a fair bit smaller than a Jaguar/Jazzmaster when you see them side by side. That's the only real downside. I look the size of the proper bodies.

[@jwolthers]

I have the Australian equivalent the Artist Grungemaster. I have a lot of guitars and this is my favourite one. The P90s in this guitar are awesome! I also added a Bigsby B5 clone to it. Here is my view review of it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIWtp6OAhamdrNU

[@natredjaded52]

We need rose acer..or ebony!!I don't care thomman upcharge me 20$..I can't buy anything w rosewood in the states

[@craigparse1439]

I would even be curious if they would sell it to me without the neck.

[@ggriffaw]

The Thomann website says Blackwood fretboard.

[@rickbiessman6084]

13:55 YEAH I LIKE IT! :D :D :D

[@siameseifyouplease7690]

OK, let's go with MORE GAIN

[@riiko92]

"I just cut my hair"

[@stefanjankovic9075]

Anyone want to explain the Harley Benton thing.Most of their stuff seems pretty sweet on reviews but the comments gravitate towards them being shit?And why the hell are they so cheap?

[@CoryMura]

Stefan Jankovic they are cheap because there are no endorsers, no advertisements and no distributors. so they got rie of all middlemen. the factories are the same then other brands use. sadly the QC is not the best, people receiving a lemon are of course the loudest in the comment section and elsewhere. and also some people tend to talk about them without testing them before.. cheap =shit.. which is wrong here. this guitar with the same specs etc would cost 350euro from other brands due to everything i mentioned above.

[@stefanjankovic9075]

Cory Mura Cheers Cory!I am about to buy a Sechter C7 Hellraiser but now I may get a Harley 7 string first.Who knows with all the hype they may be worth something some day xD

[@CoryMura]

Stefan Jankovic hype is never good.. people expect too much. expect a solidly build guitar with surprisingly good working components but maybe some imperfections... dirty frets for example. cheers mate

[@dainiusvysniauskas2049]

Harley Benton 7 string baritone is awesome for the money!

[@stefanjankovic9075]

Dainius Vyšniauskas I could use a baritone.I'm tempted to get like 10 harleys instead of that sechter lol.

[@neverwhatever]

Salami Power!

[@adrian_V99]

The salami pickguard has to go.

[@guitarMade]

Какой Крим? Купи себе нормальную гитару!! 82-164 Гц должны звучать... Та шо с ним разговаривать...:-)