Harley Benton TE 90QM Review

[@regtower]

Have one of these about 2 years. B class deal from Thomann. Roswell pickups. Not a twangy tele sound. More dark and warm. Love it!!!

[@gusdogbrownlab435]

Got one of these as a B stock. So needed a little bit of tweaking. Now looks and plays great for less than £150......amazing for the money. Nice review.

[@heartoftexan]

I've had many different guitars with the most $$ was a Suhr. Sold my Les Paul standard and Fender American Strat HHS on Craigslist and bought a floor demo ESP LTD MH 1001 (active EMGs for metal, $635), new Harley Benton Fusion-II HSH Roasted FNT (to replace the bluesy strat sound, $375) and a Harley Benton TE-90 QM HH Trans Blue (bc it is gorgeous and feels like silk in my hands, $212) and still had $1000 left over. Couldn't be happier! IMO the day of the $1000+ guitar is over for the non-professional musician.

[@useyourblues]

I'm curious - how has the TE-90 QM HH Trans Blue been? You've obviously had it for a while, have you found it to be a quality instrument? Is it of "gig" quality?

[@syncro16se]

If you watch the interview with Lars at Thomann about the Harley Benton guitars, he says they switched from W pickups to Roswell because they didn't have complete control over the W supply chain so maybe maybe some guitars actually have reached the market with pickups that weren't what they should be.

[@lohsemichael6398]

Great playing 👍👍 I am looking for a Ligtweight Tele, now i found one, thanks👍🤗 Greetings from Germany Michael

[@craigjacob3704]

I got mine from IYV from Vietnam. Really enjoy the sound it puts out. And quite a bit cheaper than Harley Benton s with no shipping charges off of Amazon here in America my friend. I really like this guitar. $179 delivered a year ago for me😁

[@Justin_the_Analog_IC_architect]

The thing is with those manufacturing flaws is that you'll get them on Fender and Gibson guitars too, only for those you'll start at 700 quid and go up to 5 grand.

[@transfixleo]

Honest question but first, I love the sound. OK, it's the P90's, right? Well the reason I'm looking is I am a long term Gibson player who is interested in a single coil Tele sound, but don't want to pay the full price of the genie. With that in mind, is this not the right one to get? Perhaps the 52 or the 70 is truer to the goal?

[@jaguar616]

I really should have a Tele style guitar. Getting it passed the wife might be a problem, as i told her i wouldn't buy any more. Maybe my guitar tutor will tell her i NEED one. Nice guitar and plating John

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Guitar addiction is far better than drug addiction !

[@jfitz458]

I have this one with Roswell P90's. They are hot pickups, but really burn with an overdrive.

[@petergrant7332]

Yup, love it , but will be going for the blue one with two humbuckers. It was concern over their builders using fake pick ups that led them to changing to Roswell .

[@dat219]

Thank you for all your help on guitars and guitar playing techniques I really enjoy them wholeheartedly I do have one suggestion as far as showing the sound of the guitar so we could hear it is to perhaps have less volume in the backtracking and More Of The Upfront actual tone of the pickups in the lead and in the strumming position okay thank you. Excellent playing

[@andyjay4695]

I've been planning to get one of these for awhile, they're out of stock until June though. But I love the P90 sound and miss having a guitar with them

[@michaelgreen7941]

It is great to hear a reasoned review best on what the "normal" guitarist needs to know. Well done John & thanks.

[@paulmckeown8557]

Hey John, just got my new HB CST 24T in Emerald over here in Oz, Beautiful guitar. newer model with the Roswell pickups. The nut was way out and fret buzz on low E below 2mm. Nothing a bit of tinkering wont sort out. Just wondering if they have slightly changed with the pickup change. not disappointed thou. Cheers great review.

[@gavmegs]

Paul, how much did it cost all up to get here pls .

[@stu-j]

Just ordered one mate hopefully it's nice

[@MartinJG100]

Nice demo, John. You do squeeze some nice tones out of these beasts. PS - You were right about the 'ceramic sounding pickups' on the black HB TE-40 which we both felt sounded a little bit on the screechy side. Now we know why. The rotten swines.

[@upload2352]

Nice overview and demo. I appreciate that the neck is great and gorgeous, though I wonder about the profile shape (D? C? U? V?) and thickness at frets 1, 7, and 12, so that I can compare it to others I've experienced. Any info appreciated. The radius on this neck is almost 14", makes for a flat board, which is unusual for an electric.

[@tomdameek]

Great review, thanks. This guitar is now definitely on my wishlist. BTW I heard on an interview on KZbin from a Thomann Manager that Apparently Thomann changed their manufacturer as they were slipping in fake Wilkinson Pups here and there on their models. As they couldn’t guarantee quality they changed Manufacturers.

[@jimm8594]

I like the fretboard radius on this model but I’m not a fan of the colors they offer. I’d probably end up getting the TB-40 TBK

[@nigeljacksherwood9900]

Nice to hear her sound like this in your hands 😋

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Nigel Jack Sherwood A lovely guitar, mate. Cheers for the loan 👍😀🎸

[@casperboo5465]

That Sounds So Sweet John , Considering There Ceramic Pick Ups, Want More Of You Playing , Cheers

[@timothytobin1481]

The product page for the TE-90QM says Alnico-5. KZbin won't let me post the link, but it's easy enough to find. One reviewer said that he opened them up and he confirmed that they're Alnico magnets not ceramic.

[@riddlergorshin]

Hi john, I love your playing. So smooth and great tone!

[@paulvanwal4875]

Not only a very good guitar ,but the Review is al so very good ! Thanks ....

[@weejim48]

This was a good honest review. No bull 5hit just tell it like it is and very nicely played. I bought a Harley Benton big sound jazz guitar with a bigsby style tremolo bar . It looked very nice and played well but for some reason I just couldn’t get on with it . I know it sounds daft but it didn’t feel right. So I swapped it for a new Yamaha electro acoustic that is very nice to play. Great video. Cheers. 👍👍

[@timothytobin1481]

In full grind it has that Clapton "woman tone" from the first several Cream albums. If I close my eyes, I honestly can't tell the difference in tone from the HB and Clapton's Gibson SG. The power of P90s

[@verifier6764]

I want a telecaster sound, I decide between TE 52, TE 70 Black paisley and TE 90 QM. I want Telecaster sound .. The priority is playability. Which would be the best variant for me..?

[@jfitz458]

Prob the Paisley.

[@guyfromnj]

Great review John.

[@stevesmith3990]

Great review, that's another one to add to my wish list on Thomann!

[@Secretarian]

Good backing track and playing. Nice review.

[@johnhetherington8830]

good job john

[@johnbyrne9900]

I love the lick at 3:32! Is there a tab available for this?

[@jameshayes3225]

Look at the IYV 400 on Amazon, Same guitar made by the same people. I have 2 just because I can't decide which one I like better.

[@nellayema2455]

10K subscribers. Congratulations!

[@jayjkayhouseofharleys3151]

I HAVE AND LOVE THAT GUITAR !! AWESOME REVIEW !!! \M/

[@waskele.wabbit717]

Ditto

[@danosullivan1946]

Fantastic playing there John!

[@dallastoto3189]

As y’all know Mate, ordered and I’m awaiting on it. Nice review! Y’all see it hopefully on our next Zoom lesson 😎Peace out Dallas

[@The_Macaroon]

great video and nice playing - how about a tutorial on creating a backing track like you did here.

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Macaroon Your wish is my command, mate. How I build a track, that's on the to-do list 😀

[@electoplater]

great playing

[@opo154]

Nice work John...appreciate it!

[@jiff4132]

Hi John, Can you give any tips/explanations on the speed riffs you do @ around 3.34?,, I love what you're doing & your style!, Keep it up!.

[@JRobsonGuitar]

jiff 41 I think that lick (or the basic idea of it, anyway) is in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6DZo6qAf66irtk Cheers for watching 😀

[@jiff4132]

Ah!,,,Great, thank you very much!!

[@StephenGallacher]

I bought the HB Cabronita style tele last year and the biggest issues were the fret job and the nut, all the low frets sounded sharp as it wasn't cut low enough. Based on this review it seems these issues have been resolved and the prices are still as good. Fingers crossed they keep it up 'cos I really fancy one of the Pro series Fusion superstrats that are scheduled to come out in the summer.

[@jumpingman8160]

I hope they keep the prices on those low. 300 Euros for a Harley Benton is really pushing it.

[@paulmckeown8557]

Hi Stephen, My new CST 24T has the same issues. Not playable out of the box.

[@StephenGallacher]

paul mckeown I got a local luthier to sort mine out, it cost me around £50 but was well worth doing. I also had to replace the pickup height adjustment screws as the wood was tougher than them and the tops got mashed up when I tried to adjust the heights. Hopefully HB have resolved these issues, even if the prices increase slightly they have to potential to be excellent instruments at really good prices.

[@paulmckeown8557]

good to hear mate, i like to play around with these things so no drama for me, just loving the Harley Benton thing.

[@JWS1968]

08:25 I was sure he said Tom and Nita need to take a bit of a look at their listings I think.... . 😂😂😂He didn't he actually said 'Thomann need to' HAHA I was thinking who the fuck are Tom and Nita. HAHAHAHA

[@slydekrieg1440]

Can you fit a Fender Tele neck to it?

[@valueofnothing2487]

No problems with fret buzz like with others?

[@EdDanaGuitar]

Roswell pickups are ok I think!

[@ziggylayneable]

Nice guitar here at this is what I was talking about buying the other day actually or something similar to this from Harley Benton. You're playing sounds great too thumbs up on that

[@RavenStJohn]

Good review!....I've been wondering about this instrument...looks like for the price you're getting a decent, fun guitar!

[@cooltunesmadeeasy]

great tone !

[@ericseader414]

That is some amazing playing, brother. 🙌🏼

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Cheers mate 👍

[@shaunhouse8634]

Hi John. Have you had the opportunity to play/own the Harley Benton Rickenbacker clone - RB-600? If you have how would you rate it? Many thanks

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Not tried it but I've heard good things about it 😀

[@MehdiS-music]

Nice playing once again!!

[@paperbagaudio5450]

Nice playing, John.

[@Leo_ofRedKeep]

In a recent interview, someone from Thomann said they moved from Wilkinson to Roswell after finding out they had been sold fake Wilkinsons. Of course, this implies they were not purchasing them directly from Wilkinson and had no intention to do so. We may suspect all "Wilkinson" pickups on Harley Bentons have been lower priced fakes of varying quality or nature.

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Leo of Red Keep I suspect the factories which make HB guitars were sourcing the pickups from a wholesaler & shopped around for the best deal, and were unaware of the problem at first. If they were knowingly putting fake pickups into the guitars, why would they mention it & switch brands as a result? I'm just amazed that there are people out there who counterfeit Wilkinson pickups anyway. You'd think that if you're in the business of producing fakes, you'd put a Seymour Duncan logo on them. Plenty of fake Armani jeans around, but who would bother faking "George by Asda?"

[@Leo_ofRedKeep]

Of course they didn't know they were buying fakes. They stopped when they found out and maybe only part of them were fakes. Maybe some of them were only mislabelled (ceramic sold as alnico). As to why someone would do this, I think anything that can answer a demand is worth faking. Thomann wanted to buy Wilkinson pickups cheap so someone somewhere went "ok, I'll sell you some, I just have some labelling to do".

[@michaelmendillo4614]

Well, we heard what this one sounds like,, I have to wonder how the newer ones now sound like with the different PUs,,,,, But TY John ! 😁✌

[@9wenwilson210]

really wanting one, still not in stock. none on Reverb. I'm in US, heard a rumor Thomann won't ship to US, any truth to it ?

[@kirkprell4493]

They won't ship anything with a rosewood fretboard to the US.

[@MyTube4Utoo]

Great playing John, and the guitar looks, and sounds great! Yeah, I would have never mentioned it, as I wouldn't want to hurt your feelings, but I did notice a small bald spot there on your cranium. *lol* I love your channel! You deserve m-u-c-h more than 3.2k subscribers, though. I'm sure you'll get them, too. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@alejandrogordillorodriguez8518]

What is the best semi-hollow guitar in the Harley Benton catalog for you?

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Probably this one: www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_aeolus_bengal_flame.htm

[@alejandrogordillorodriguez8518]

@@JRobsonGuitar Better than the Harley Benton HB 35 plus, and the CST 24HB?

[@tgmurph8511]

Are you soloing in D major I wonder John? Got the rhythm part down. Great learning.

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Tim Murphy The solo at the end was in D major with a bit of Dm pentatonic thrown in for a blues feel. The more melodic solo before that was in A major 😀

[@jiff4132]

Hi John, Could you explain/give practice tips on the speed riffs you did @ around 3.35?,, I love what you're doing with this site!,, Keep it going!.

[@blankline5215]

I'm curious... what guitar amp and bass are you using in this video?

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Vox Tonelab & a cheap no-name bass 👍

[@frmcf]

Tasty playing!

[@calogeroavanzato398]

Would you recommend this guitar for a beginner?

[@JRobsonGuitar]

I would prefer this one due to it's better sound for strumming chords: www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_te_90flt_sb_deluxe_series.htm

[@bassmana2z686]

Many thanks for the usual superb content. Check out Cory Mura's channel for a fascinating interview with Thomann's Harley Benton chap who talks about (among other things) why they switched to Roswell pickups. Thanks again John.

[@devlinmaguire8074]

John stop with the guitar porn the web cops will arrest us all, great video as usual

[@paulblackman3936]

John, Thomann stopped producing guitars with Wilkinson pickups because they found that they were not actually Wilkinson, they were fakes. So they went over to Roswell with Alnico magnets. I prefer the new pickups, they have more guts.

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Always puzzled me why the fakers were pumping out Wilkinson knock offs. If you've made a pickup & you want to earn an unscrupulous profit from it, why not badge it up as a DiMarzio or Duncan? 🤔

[@paulblackman3936]

I guess the price point of the faked pickups was such that they thought flooding the market with cheapies was the way to go. Dimarzio and Duncan are pretty voracious when it comes to their IP and rightly so.

[@LarryLane07]

I like everything about it except the P90s. I want it to be a Tele and to sound like a Tele, and P90s don't make Tele tones, so I would want the traditional pickups in it

[@Neil-Aspinall]

Whilst this is a great guitar mine had terrible fret ends that had to be fixed (How is it possible that fret ends pass any quality checks?)

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Neil Aspinall Human error, I suspect. Also given that more stringent QC is a hallmark of higher end makers, it's possible that HB are outsourcing their quality control to their customers to an extent. Still, it's a business model that's served Microsoft pretty well.

[@fritsvanzanten3573]

Far from an expert on this, but from several videos I understood changing climate conditions, like humidity and temperature can cause this too, so it might have happened after passing quality control.

[@jumpingman8160]

I was rather interested in this guitar, but the neck through me off. For me, Teles must come with maple fretboards.

[@JRobsonGuitar]

I kind of agree, on a tele, a maple fretboard is preferable. But this guitar is so UN-telecaster like in every way except for the body shape, it doesn't really bother me here.

[@jumpingman8160]

eheh, yeah. I have the TE52 [moded with Iron gear Alchemists for that P90 and maple fretboard thing] and a TE30 [put the TE52 pups on it]. Quite pleased with both.

[@ianrichardson3968]

It is Ridiculous isn't it that they can turn out guitars like this for silly money. You have to ask, even if expensive ones do have better pickups or something, why do you pay so much for them?? Mostly the name on the headstock because back in the day they had little competition and no computer aided machinery. The only other consideration is whether or not they'll last if you use them in anger..Maybe that's were the fenders and Gibsons etc come in..??

[@jimnixon5573]

Hi John Well now you have me looking at this guitar too.....Bad for my wallet,well not at these prices but my misses will not very happy !!

[@SteveLedger]

Shipping from Germany to Australia is the killer for budget HB guitars unfortunately.

[@paulmckeown8557]

just had 3 delivered to Canberra, same delivery price as 1. split it with mates ; )

[@plopperator]

tempted tempted tempted

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Even some of the earliest teles were top loaders !

[@scottconnors8419]

Malcolm Hardwick but they where made 1 x 1 and had diffrent pickups n where the pinnacle of what a plank of wood can do.....thnx Leo....simple,sizzlin,n still 1,the most popular guitar n style the tele.... thanks I'm kinda iffy on the new long wait list,like everything's sold out till mid march June ect,n quality control might be rushed to meet demand,im hit or miss on one these,n want gold top lp copy,but the quality control makes me hit or miss...anyone agree!thnx mate. .

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Scott Connors I wouldn't worry too much. Any faults are usually minor and can be remedied easily ☺

[@scottconnors8419]

Malcolm Hardwick thnx Malcolm..just w new supplier n factory,guess I,ll wait n see....thnx for your reviews..

[@mkuc6951]

hahaha

[@perihelion7798]

Roswell pickups are secretly made by little grey aliens...cool!

[@kimhansen6384]

They are made by small crosseyed Chinese :-)

[@IvorMutch]

Pity you can't get this with rosewood fretboard and mahogany body now.

[@Jake6837]

07:22

[@LightWingStudios]

"Grey hair is wonderful! Ask any Bald man.". - Rodney Dangerfield :)

[@Mr_G__Fla]

Nice review. Fucking ceramic pickups !! It is true!

[@konstantingrabko]

Sound like LP