I Bought a New Guitar.... and I HATE it!

[@misterknightowlandco]

I never change pickups on guitars. Every time I’ve tried I just end up spending money and not getting the results I want. Personally, I just buy, do a good set up and embrace the way it sounds. That’s what makes it a unique instrument.

[@channtastic]

You just have to find the pickups you like. I always change pickups in my guitars.

[@missingremote4388]

You need about 500 dollars including a new scratch plate

[@ValiRossi]

I'm the same way. I have screwed up some really nice guitars changing pickups. It's because I am a lot smarter than the people that designed it. NOT. :)

[@lone-wolf-1]

If the unplugged sound is poor, better pickups will not make it sound astonishing. 😏

[@klauswigsmith]

@@lone-wolf-1 you're kidding, right?

[@KeithWilliams-dk4ck]

I have a sc550 I put Seth lovers along with the old school wiring. The guitar has become one of my best sounding guitars. I regularly get compliments on it when I gig.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Love my 550 and I'm digging the tesla hum buckers. Also just kind of like that they say Tesla! 🤣

[@picksalot1]

I suggest you try raising and lowering the Pickups and Screw Pole Pieces in various combinations. Small adjustments, even a 1/4 turn, can make a big difference in tone.

[@ckelly5141]

Aren’t these slug coils?

[@picksalot1]

@@ckelly5141 On there Harley Benton site, there is a photo closeup of the SC-450 P90 GT that shows screw slots in the Pole Pieces.

[@edg.3100]

This ...... Can make a significant difference.. I just snapped up a P90 SIRE L7 it sounded funky ... the bridge pu was cranked all the way up..the neck way down... Evened them up a bit + a cpl other tweaks and it is a howler.!! In my experience with brands like IYV, Firefly, Harley Benton, AIO, Mitchell, the Harley Bentons/ Mitchell (LP copy)/ and Firefly's were consistently clean well made and solid chassis guitars. With a proper setup, basic tweaks, they all play really really well with selected parts upgrades to address any weak spots they can be truly fantastic playing and sounding instruments.... it's never NOT surprising to me the own good they can become with proper assembly or the right small tweaks or upgrades. I have a few that got significant upgrades that made me happy but did not dramatically improve the guitars performances and now the Sire which I put more in the mid level range like a solid Epiphone vs low end is another nicely built really good specced and dialed guitar.

[@gbarillot]

I have this exact same Harley Benton! What's fun to me is when you complained "look, it twangs!", because... that's exactly what I needed and why I love it so much LOL! I then changed the nut (bone, obviously) and replaced the pickups with Bare knuckles ("old guard", but I'm not sure they're still available as of today). Surprisingly, the frets ended up really worn out after only 2 years, so I got it refreted with low and narrow stainless steel frets. Nonetheless, even after all these customizations, I can still recognize its distinctive tone throughout this video. Just like you said "the bones are OK". I play good ol' Funk/RnB (James brown, Isley Brothers...) and to me it is just THE perfect instrument for 4 years. I did try to buy 3 other guitars (way pricey!) but... no, this the one. What's fun is that I bought it only for its flashy gold top on Thomann's website. I'd never, ever, expected it to be the instrument that I love so much now. Just one question: may I ask you what's the amp/pedals/profile you used on the video? The one with the tube screamer at the beginning? That's exactly the kind of tone I'm looking for :-).

[@MikkelGrumBovin]

Les Paul´s are not suppose to twang - - they are meant to be tight and buff ! - Fenders are twang Guitars ! atleast in my book,-

[@BlazonStone]

Often you have to file the nut slots down because these guitars often have too high slots so the strings are too far from frets at the headstock direction

[@edg.3100]

Definitely ... If you are buying collecting new guitars paying for nut service/?setups etc gets expensive.. dropping $150 on a proper set of nut files was a solid investment!

[@BlazonStone]

@@edg.3100 Yeah its not that difficult! Not saying its easy, but most people are scared of this for some reason. The worst thing that can happen is you screw up the nut slots. Which can be fixed with superglue+bicarbonat, I've repaired bad nut slots with good success many times with that :)

[@Samstrainsofficially]

​@@BlazonStone nah, you go down the local butcher and get nice bone from the leg of a cow and you clean that up using the bugs in your garden and you dry it out in the oven on a low temp then you cut it up and make a bone nut using that cheap set of needle files at home because its all you got to work with and you make it work. It comes out great. 😂 99% of these fancy guitar tools just make the job simpler you don't need them to do the job if you just work with what you got though.

[@davidyelland908]

Don’t throw money at it IMO. The tuning will be the nut. Get the slots checked and lubed. The pickups look low too….jack ‘em up. If that doesn’t do it I would get rid.

[@csharp57]

These are awesome beginner guitars. But long term they aren’t great.

[@stephenmcgauley]

Sounds like you need the nut recut on that Harley Benton.its why the 9s didn’t work and why it wont hold tune. Or replace the nut as you said.

[@JAL-cc8jd]

I have a Gibson LP Deluxe gold top that I converted to P90’s. I went with the Mojotone ‘56 Quiet Coil P90’s and I think it sounds great.

[@maxpatzke]

I've got that exact model. Had some buzzing problems at the bridge. Changed the bridge to a roller bridge and did some minor fretwork. It's been fine since. I wasn't a fan of the pickups as well. Currently i've got a P90-sized DiMarzio Tone Zone at the bridge and a Wilkinson Mini Humbucker at the neck.

[@ChaddSullivan]

I threw one of those p90 tone zones into my black PRS SE One, and it makes for a great rock n roll machine.

[@ctsguitar]

I worked on a friends Harley Benton guitar and I was shocked at how scratchy feeling and soft the fret material was! I have no idea what sort of alloy they are using, but they were turning to dust with even a light polish. Those frets wouldn't last even a couple of gigs... but I guess you get what you pay for!

[@thepeetjournal4469]

What you mean with import guitars? Only USA made are good enough for you?

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Import is a catch all term for foreign made guitar but it’s a relative term to where you live. When Pepe say imports they mostly mean chap guitars made in Asia. For example I wouldn’t usually call a dusenburg an import even though it is imported to my country m from Romania and Germany… and something like Eastman is pretty high quality… it is technically an imported guitar but the term import is usually for cheap stuff from China, Korea, Indonesia etc.

[@thepeetjournal4469]

@@ToneJunkieTV He can say low budget imports, right?

[@ph6376]

8:40 I know exactly what you mean. Just went through that with my Revstar, going through a "breaking in" period where I was playing, then tweaking, playing, tweaking. Wasn't loving, then loving. It doesn't fight me anymore.

[@capedukewuhaha]

still rocking my Harley Benton L450 P90! There was no ground wire to the bridge and the nut was garbage. Had to level the frets and crown them. Bridge was not wide enough to intonate it. There was also no shielding too...on a P90 guitar haha. Switched the complete electronic and now it's amazing. If you don't know the L series: the body has the same measurements as Gibson Les Pauls.

[@emelle1283]

i was like you on the 9.5s - i thought; "decimal point string guage now? - good lord where does it end?" But i tried as set and was surpised - really is right on where 9s or 10s werent makin it. I suggest having a go one time you might be pleasantly surprised.

[@zbutsam]

Have you got an EQ pedal? Try using one before changing pickups.

[@austincornett367]

I really enjoy buying a cheap guitar with all the quality bones and sticking my own flavor of pickups in, setting everything up.. level frets, intonate, if needed.. also add some custome pickguard and locking tuners if i feel froggy.. it's overall very pleasing to have about a 5-$600 guitar that plays and sounds comparable to $1k plus g-tar

[@StevenHess]

So I got one of these. It's unmodified to this point. But it needs pickups. The twangy bridge is a bit much. I really roll the tone knob back on the bridge pickup.I had to file my fret ends. They were sprouting like alfalfa seed. I also polished the frets. And I'm running GHS 10-46 flatwounds. Had to intonate it. Set bridge height to my taste. I'd like split Kluson split shaft tuners on it even if it's not "correct."

[@Samstrainsofficially]

Dumb question but you tried adjusting your pole pieces as well as pickup height?

[@StevenHess]

@@Samstrainsofficially I set the pickup height but have not tried adjusting the pole pieces.

[@Samstrainsofficially]

@StevenHess probably won't quite be the radical difference you want but might help some 😊

[@IracesGarage]

I'm a big fan of Gotoh tuners. I feel like they're extremely well made (in Japan) and are very affordable. If you want to keep a budget theme for your budget guitar (I usually try to do that), then look at the Guyker tuners. I've got them on a couple guitars and they feel great, and they're only about $25/set. For pickups, the OG Gibson P90s are probably my favorite for that "bark", or Lollars for the more polite "PAF" type of sound, but the stock pickups already seem to be doing that pretty well, but it's not what you're aiming for. If you want more "more", the ceramic Seymour Duncan P90s are a good choice too.

[@dlux703]

I love P 90s and especially alnico 5 P 90s. If you are not getting what you like out of those, you might want to check to see if they have 500k pots, cause that makes a difference. Lots of people think that because they are "single coil" they should use 250k pots, but that just dulls them down. I can also highly recommend Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P 90s. Very well rounded and warm with clarity, and bark when you want it.

[@stevenmatthews2271]

Id stick a couple of decent s/h humbuckers in to bark growl and howl it seems to quack now

[@davidhutchinson1758]

I'm Loving your show!!! Now about the GT 450!!! The guitar is basically a Les Paul P90 Special. The guitar looks like it has a maple or some other top, it doesn't. Whatever wood it's made of still is good. I actually own one myself and I made some changes to it. I bought a roller bridge and changed the knows. I plan to go to the Guitar Fetish site and get their Plug In pots and 90s. I also bought a B Stock GT 450 and installed Humbucker P90 and Pots Plug Ins. I have this thing for Gold Tops I guess. My dream Gold Top is the Epiphone Tak Matsumoto 1954 Custom. Check it out. It has custom appointments for under 1500.00. Keep up the good work. I also have the 550 in its base form. It's relegated to display duty. I don't like the finish.

[@midnightwind8067]

In the end it just isn’t worth it. But you do you.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

I think you are right…

[@edwinstovall3334]

I've made that mistake -- putting 9s on a 24.75 inch scale length guitar. Not happening. The lightest gauge I've ever gotten to work on a Gibson scale guitar is 9.5s. You still have to set the guitar up for them, of course, but once that's done, my shorter scale guitar feels and plays reasonably like by 25.5 inch scale length guitars strung with 9s. I barely notice the difference, and when I do, it's usually because of the size, not the tension, of the strings.

[@DaveyG68]

I recently switched from 9's to 10's for my Tele. and Strat. I used 9's on Fenders for 40 years. Can't go back to 9's. I've always used 10's on my Gibsons. Thinking about a Harley Benton soon.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

I'be gone from 10s to 9s to 10s to 9s on F scale and 10s on G scale to 9s on everything and now I have all the F scale stuff with 9s and G scale stuff is split between 9s and 10s.

[@Glorybound1313]

I have the exact same guitar and have experienced the same issues. Doesn't keep tune well, even when working on the nut, and the pickups are just bad.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

YUP!

[@orlock20]

Set it up to open D or open G and use it as a slide guitar.

[@jamesBrian-lu4kj]

I had the 400 G played and sounded ok, only problem not a Gold Top, it was orange and soon resembled John Lennons sanded down Casino

[@kevinkeener]

Have you looked into Bootstrap pickups? Hand wound by a small business. I have a couple of their beefy humbucker sized P90s.

[@Thehowlingonions]

Try the inspired by gibson custom shop epiphone series. They're on another level. Custom bucker pickups, one piece neck, switchcraft & cts electronics. They're phenomenal.

[@edg.3100]

I just got the Epi / Gibson Custom Shop Korina Explorer and Flying V purchased both between September and December ...they are fantastic! Alot of money for a Chinese Epiphone but they are made well..no issues at all, they play fantastic, look awesome and are rare enough hopefully they retain some value .. Personally they just look fking great on the wall together and so I play one or the other almost daily.😀

[@csharp57]

I have the 355. It’s needed some work to get it playing well. There was a blemish too. I wish the edges were rolled too, but it’s my favorite non American guitar.

[@edg.3100]

@csharp57 roll those edges... It's easy I do it on all my guitars I use thosr disposable cheap finger nail file sticks..all you need to do is sand down and round off that hard corner of either fretboard or binding between frets... Takes maybe 10-15 min.

[@felixayala05]

I have a Gretsch electromatic that was twice as much as that one and has given me TONS of trouble. It will be firewood soon so needless to say I feel your pain.

[@shadrackperez7325]

Hi HW, I bought the Suhr S90 pickups. Love the sound of Blue but dont have enough money to buy one… On which guitar would you put them in?

[@ToneJunkieTV]

I’m not sure, what’s your price range like? Maybe a squier JM or the Harley Benton JM style guitar. G&L has a JM style guitar with a trem that I’ve always wondered about

[@shadrackperez7325]

About $700 to $1000. What would you buy?

[@channtastic]

I would check out Lollar, Bareknuckles, or SD for P90s for pickups. For tuners I always use hipshots but the graphtech ratio tuners are interesting to me.

[@TheRichie213]

Sounds good to me, especially for under 200. Get new pickups if you're not satisfied with the tone. As far as the tuning, you might need work done on the nut. Use nut sauce, it really works! Put the sauce on the bridge, the nut and the tuners.

[@farko63]

Harley Benton are born for pickup replacement if not why buy them....On mine I use SD P90 hot on bridge and it's wonderful...but at the end the PU value is the double of guitar cost. Good choice is try Tonerider PU on them...

[@AvroBellow]

I dunno, I just bought a Chinese-made Donner DJC-1000S for (the equivalent of) $116USD and I absolutely love it, probably because I had very low expectations (especially after the first one came with a warped neck). I set it up, lowered the action and while it does have fret buzz in a couple of places, it's not bad enough to marr the experience and I know that I'll just have a luthier fix it. What it DOES do for me is that I'm no longer having to practice on my old Washburn Strat which has BAD fret buzz on the bass string and it also means that I'm not practicing on my Canadian-made Godin Session or Godin Solidac. Those are guitars for jamming with friends and/or performing, not for practicing endlessly. 😁

[@jesterraj]

Qhat efx are you using for these vida?

[@ToneJunkieTV]

All kemper, free Deluxe reverb from Tone Junkie.

[@ChaddSullivan]

I have an early PRS SE One with a Duncan Antiquity P90 that I love. Sounds great, with some bark but cleans up nicely. A builder friend of mine has gone all-in on Carondelet pickups. Hoping to see mine by spring to compare. As for tuners, usually 10mm drops into import guitars.

[@estenray5385]

I’ve had good luck with the Seymour Duncan Noise Less P90 pickup’s have used them on many of my guitar! Sounds great in a classic P90 shape/size!

[@dver4624]

I struggle with P90s, moreso in the bridge position. It's been hard to find a bridge P90 that is loud enough but not too noisy.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

My favorite are Suhr S90s. I also really like the Lambertone Ristrettos.

[@csharp57]

I like that it’s nosy. Makes the guitar rude and unruly to me. Untamed.

[@georgepantazis141]

I'm so happy with my new guitar,it's a Yamaha 112c and I love it.usally go Les Paul type,but maybe a fender ain't as bad as I thought.,,🇦🇺

[@ollielindsay]

nice playin sir. Second vid of yours I've watched. The first being about the 59 Burst drama. hahahaaa

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Thanks! It's always a good time to talk about the "59 burst drama."

[@austincornett367]

I like the neck sound, but I agree with you on the bridge p/u... I bought a Lindy Frailin P90 in a single coil style with +5% wind and was very pleased for my TELE.. I know this doesnt match but, I do like lindys pickups! I'd give his or lambertones a try

[@skullstjohn]

I've had a good experience with Seymour Duncan P90 Silencer noiseless pickups on my 2005 Epiphone 1956 Goldtop. Not cheap! $280 a pair but real good sounding pups.

[@ByGraceThroughFaith777]

My 08 indonesian Ibanez RG120 with that I bought for $150 from GC in 2009 is my favorite guitar, period. The maple and rosewood neck is soo good and flat it's unbelievable. I "need" to get me a HB so bad this year 😂

[@dananthony6258]

I have a $2k les paul I never play because it’s to nice. I want a workhorse that feels as good I can bang around a little. I want a semi hollow.

[@birdman316]

sounds sweet as is brother! however this is murica and we can do what we want....mostly hahaha!! great luck on your journey with this one bro!

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Thanks man! 😁

[@Mikey__R]

I'm predominantly a bass player. My Epi ES339 has 13s on it. I think my Epi Studio may have 10s, but I prefer the semi. All factory made guitars, irrespective of where they're made, can be a good example or a bad example. It's just the nature of manufacturing. Gibson, especially so, they're all different. PRS, maybe much less so. Fender, in the middle. But country of manufacture counts for so little nowadays, we can't use it as a proxy for quality control.

[@ScottJamesHicks]

What people don’t understand is that a neck that hasn’t dried or cured can shift in unpredictable ways with lighter string. Indonesian manufacture may be great but, the materials may be inconsistent. Also, P 90s can be kinda polarizing.

[@1970Richiez]

Also get a Graph Tech Tusq nut

[@superpete1961]

This cracked me up cuz just two nights ago I spent $175 for dinner for my fiance and I. And just to brag on how good this lady is, she would have rather I spent it on another guitar😊 The only Chinese made guitar I've ever owned is a semi-recent purchase of a Firefly strat style with a humbucker bridge pickup. I like it and I only paid $139 for it on sale just in March 2023. I also own a Harley Benton fusion 3 that is really nice. I've sold all my expensive stuff , including my custom shop go top and back Les Paul 57 with p90s as well as my 2004 deluxe Stratocaster USA. My most expensive guitar right now is a line six Veriax. With Harley Benton now being sold on reverb lest the exorbitant cost of shipping from Europe I am more likely to buy an LP style guitar again. I just hate p90s because of the noise they make. So at least for my edification I would love to see you swap it out for noiseless p90s and see if those are any good. And if that worked my next guitar just might be a single cut lp style guitar. I wasn't crazy about the Gibson that I had because of the noise and the fact that a Les Paul doesn't sit in the lap nearly as well as a strat but for something in the $300 or less range even after pick up upgrades I wouldn't mind having one in the little stable I have. I've been considering and AIO version as well but that's closer to $500, but I read good things mostly.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Dude!! Restaurants have gotten so expensive, it’s hard to have a steak, drinks and some sides and not spend $175… HB has been pretty awesome lately, I want to try more of them.

[@guithawk-ij8is]

Indonesian guitars are in a golden age. I own several Indonesian guitars made in the past few years from PRS, Gretsch, Guild, and they are consistently excellent - very minimal set-up on my part. My older Indonesian Squiers were inconsistent, needed some fret and fingerboard work to get them where I wanted, but with a little work (sometimes replacing nuts or tuners) they have turned out to be great. Chinese made instruments I've played are wildly inconsistent. I love my Hofner bass and my Gretsch baritone, but I've also played a lot of crappy guitars made in China.

[@MikkelGrumBovin]

i never played a chinese made guitar , that wasn´t crappy - they simply do not care about quality - and it shows - everytime ,-

[@justgivenofox9543]

Hey man, how do you like your Gretsch baritone? I've been in the market for a baritone guitar for quite a few months now but I can't find the baritone guitar for me. Right now, I'm going for the Chapman Baritone, I was originally looking at the PRS 277 but I like how the Chapman has more contours. Is the Gretsch worth considering?

[@guithawk-ij8is]

Well worth checking out! I love mine, I got the one in Midnight Sapphire with the Bigsby and it looks fantastic. Minimal set-up out of the box, good fretwork and intonation. It's a very long neck - 30 inches - and takes some getting used to, it's the same length as my Hofner bass. The advantage is you can drop tune and the intonation remains solid. The mini humbuckers sound great.

[@danstringer7610]

Hallelujah! Just bought A PRS SE CE 24 standard satin for $425…very nice

[@taz3672]

Dimarzio makes humbucker P90 style pups. GFS (guitarfetish) has Wilkinson 18:1 Grover style tuners on their site. I love those tuners and they are inexpensive. Their classic keystone tuners are good a well. Go with the Graph tech TUSQ nut. I had a guitar that did not respond well to 9-42 gauge strings. I put 10-46 on and it was fine. Still the guitar rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was all the issues that I had to fix. It played and sounded great after the repairs and mods but still rubbed me the wrong way. So I gave it to my nephew and he loves it. At least someone loves that poor soul.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

I could see myself gifting this to a young'n at my church! Good on you dude! Cheers!

[@mqaisataloss.5951]

I bought a harley benton bass amp and cab. It's a simple amp (solidbass 600H) and I just crammed my pedalboard into the fx loops return, Using a two tones ReVolt Bass for preamp. And I am in awe ❤ On it's own as is I would suggest it for a serious beginner seeing it can always be a great backup or practice room amp. But ram a solid pre amp pedal infront of it and you have a amp for life, and its so Inexpensive you don't have to worry about it being stolen or taking a beer bath. 😂 Tldr : harley benton has some amazing gear, but they also have some straight up garbage. Guitars wise etc it's ofton "Fine" for the money as is. But never really worth Investing into.

[@jerrylev59]

Sounds a bit dull for P90s, but at least they're not noisy. As is, it doesn't sing like my brother's early 70's Gibson Gold Top. I have an Epi Dot which did not sound or feel good with 9's, it wanted 10's, at least.

[@fumanpoo4725]

A good dinner? $175? I cannot relate.

[@missingremote4388]

Walmart sells a 30 dollar steak. THE Tomahawk X 8 people equals $240.⁰⁰

[@ScottJamesHicks]

Sounds too cheap for all the steak and whisky at a restaurant. If he paid for his friends.

[@DonnyRocker2012]

Ruth’s Chris local to me dinner for two was $185 two years ago

[@mikewhitfield2994]

@@DonnyRocker2012 My buddy bragged about that place but said two people can't get out for under two hundred. I told him "Sir, you continue to underestimate me." I'll stick with Texas Roadhouse.

[@DonnyRocker2012]

@@mikewhitfield2994 but the RC Cowboy Bone-In Ribeye can’t be beat 😃 Meanwhile, I have a charcoal-grilled steak dinner event for which my band performs tomorrow: $20 with Prato and salad seems like a creaming deal…

[@tkabiranik]

Try one of the Fusion III with Wilkinson 2 point tremolo bridge.

[@trevorclarey3336]

I bought one of these for my Granddaughter she loves it , but the Pickups where microphonic squealed like a pig very cheap .

[@Tom_Emody]

I like the honey colored Les Paul’s too. I got a Epiphone one.

[@csharp57]

I have the HB 35. I can feel the less than quality areas on the guitar. So when I knew I wanted a gold top, I saw this and the Eastman, also the Epiphone, but I went Gibson and I couldn’t be happier. First thing I did was take a flash light and looked over the body like a medical examiner. They did an excellent job with my gold top. I really don’t play my HB 35 anymore and I’m not sure what to do with it. I don’t want offers of $50.

[@edg.3100]

@@csharp57 been there. A suggestion... Donate it to a music school or academy for kids .. or find a kid needing a guitar thru yr local churches or local schools with a music program ... I had 33 guitars nothing too fancy lots of 200-300 guitars I used to learn how to repair setup, upgrade,.... do anything to a guitar short of building one from scratch... With the market glut we have today and into the foreseeable future.....I can't sell any of the more basic models for more than $200+- $250 maybe. I say basic but they have all been upgraded, properly setup and any issues dialed out of them as they were being tweaked all of them play fantastic sound great and look good as well...... I would rather donate it 100% to a guitar obsessed kid who deserves and needs a good instrument,..... than hassle with selling them.. I look at it as my investment in a new generation of musicians.... ❤️🙏🤞👍

[@deanmccaskill5495]

I have one of those around here somewhere I think. I might have gave it away. I had to upgrade the bridge if I remember right. It inspired me to buy the Les Paul. Anyway I’m watching an old TJTV and the guy is playing some boutique looking P90 Gold Top. I think I need one of those. Can you tell me what it is please?

[@ToneJunkieTV]

The RetroSound?

[@deanmccaskill5495]

That looks like what’s on the headstock actually yes. You have a video about it or can you tell me about it?

[@deanmccaskill5495]

I’m not sure if his page is working anymore:(

[@xenophonkirby]

Hey ToneJunkie, love your videos. Just subscribed. I have this guitar. The heel is superior to that on a Gibson. Seymour Duncan vintage p-90s will transform it.

[@cmfvalencia]

hi! great content, is there a Harley Benton official dealer in the US? where do you recomend to buy if you don't want to import the guitar yourself?

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Thomas will ship to you from Europe but Harley Benton has an official Reverb store now so just go on Reverb.com and look for Harley Bentons and the New ones ship from their US warehouse. I think they take returns too!

[@cmfvalencia]

@@ToneJunkieTV Thanks!

[@DavidJosephBoth]

I liked that lil intro jam!! "Bark like a dog!" , "but, you're twangin!"

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Thanks dude!!

[@jeremystephens6048]

Since it’s a budget guitar I’d find used pickups someone has took out of a guitar

[@ToneJunkieTV]

This is a great idea!

[@jasonpitre1249]

If you need to replace the pickups and tuners, and spend hours on getting it dialed in, you should have paid a little bit more to avoid all of the issues. Epiphone guitars have far better QC overall. PRS SE would be light years better than a Benton, and you could easily rock it as is.

[@monkofwar]

9.5 gauge strings are awesome, especially on Fender guitars (25.5”), you’re missing out.

[@GreenpointRemembers]

Don’t change anything, play it for 3 more years until the paint comes off and just use a different amp out of your 30 if you don’t like the sound. If not, sell the guitar.

[@leftymike5625]

Try some cheap gfs pups. Try something a little different I mean, let’s go all out.

[@scottapplegate5383]

Mojotone Quiet Coil P90s. Plenty of bark and no noise.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Thanks, I'll check those out on KZbin!

[@7enderbender87]

The funny thing is, blindfolded you'd guess that's a fender'ish guitar on the bridge pickup - as fender'ish as David Gilmour's all gold P90 Les Paul sounds on the Another Brick In The Wall solo. I'd take it as it is as that justifies the point of owning multiple similar guitars with slightly different flavors, right? ;)

[@spoonysmalls]

Played a bass at gc, it let me down. I really wanted to let it, but if was just wonky! Played the same model at another shop and its #1 on the rack right now+

[@mikekellow6437]

Sometimes the guitar is fine but the player is sh.t and expects to much

[@ToneJunkieTV]

That’s not very nice. Sorry I’m not your style.

[@patricksullivan7140]

Why did you buy it?

[@ToneJunkieTV]

I got a Harley benton SC550 and was blown away buy it so I wanted to try this one and it's not quite the same level was the other one.

[@actie-reactie]

You should have bought the sc custom iii P90....319 euro

[@JediMasterRick2]

You could try mini humbuckers from Epiphone.

[@RectifyTheParadigm]

I wanted something with P90s and I was leaning towards this guitar. I read a few questionable reviews. I think Im going with the Harley Benton DC junior. That one has amazing reviews

[@ckelly5141]

2:44 Steak 🥩 and whiskey 🥃……you are speaking my language brother! 😋

[@iridios6127]

If you need a barking - change pups on humbuckers.

[@edg.3100]

FWIW...I have a set of Tonerider p90 pickups in a Vintage Guitars Gold Top.. A "Vntage 90" neck and "Hot 90" bridge .. they run about $65 each made in the uk. Fantastic pickups and pricing.. i have a fantastic set of Lollar p90's in a PRS single cut that will be buried with me lol. and I do not hear a $250 difference between them. Another brand i was interested in trying are the DylanTalksTone P90"s...

[@JAL-cc8jd]

I agree. Tonerider pickups are some of the best I’ve ever heard, regardless of price. I have various models in a number of my guitars. Their Rebel 90 humbucker sized P90s are incredible. I also love their Alnico IV And Alnico II Classic humbuckers and their Vintage Plus Tele set.

[@edg.3100]

@JAL-cc8jd damn... I was holding off but I guess it's time to get a set of those Rebel 90's... I have a beautiful QM Firefly ES335 knockoff....and I've been thinking a set of Humbucker sized P90's would be perfect...

[@kloudtunes]

HB SCs practically out of stock over here in Thomann land. Thanks, mate!😅

[@ToneJunkieTV]

They seem top have some in their American warehouse because they have stuff available from the Harley Benton Shop on Reverb

[@ToneJunkieTV]

@JamesAmaranth 😂

[@nOpOrOpMoP]

Dillon pickups p90s are the best sounding p90s on the planet hands-down. They're not overly expensive and the guy has the best customer service I've ever dealt with. Hit him up for real.

[@PGR0069]

Keep getting more of them lol thinking about getting one just don't know witch one

[@fezthecat1]

LAMBERTONES! If not Seymour Duncan Antiquity. Also, get a string butler

[@jea783]

Like your «squirrel» smile while you play .....

[@ToneJunkieTV]

HAHA Thanks for saying something nice about my guitar faces I usually get 99.9% negative comments about them. It's subconscious and I don't notice I'm doing it. Cheers!

[@Deebz270]

I'd slap some Seymour Duncan P-Rails in it... That would require some re-routing of each cavity and custom pickup-rings... Or some stacked P-90's from Gibson, If you can find them. DiMarzion offer some 'soapbar' models of various output characteristics. Bare Knuckle make six varieties of P-90's and they certainly BARK.

[@dasczwo]

dang. really enjoyed your licks while you were shitting all over the pickups. i saved a violated harleya benton sc junior off ebay. some dude took a power drill and hammers to it. pandemic ageing trip. 60 bucks. he left a duncan p90 vintage and a abm onepiece aluminum bridge on there. barks. might go for a duncan custom p90. had it in a hamer special. that barked. harley benton has locking tuners. cheers!

[@Sea_Jay]

Man, being a Harley Benton, I wouldn't put too much money into it unless I was really connecting with it from the start. That said, maybe get some parts from Guitar Madness on ebay so you don't end up with a $1000 HB experiment. You can get get everything for under $100 and that's worth the gamble to get this guitar playing better.

[@wagonet]

My eart t380 is great. But my eart sss strat is just ok but not the same feel. Great video

[@brendanflaherty6696]

The Greg Koch Fishman set!

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Interesting, I haven't heard of these but will check them out. Are they true P90s or like Humbuckers in a P90 housing?

[@brendanflaherty6696]

@ToneJunkieTV Well… they’re part of the Fluence series, so they are active. I know that’s not necessarily everyone’s bag, but supposedly they are noiseless while retaining a true p90 voice. You also get two different voicings with a push-pull pot. Definitely a left-field choice. Really, I’m too chicken to make the plunge myself, I just want to see someone else do it!

[@GaryArmstrongmacgh]

Unless it's a scratch built guitar... don't eff with it!

[@eertje01]

I had this exact guitar once in my Journey. It was a total shit guitar out of the box. But: I did my first fret level on it, put a graph tech nut on it, tonerider p90's, proper pots, proper switch and it was great man. The tuners we're OK enough once I put the graph tech nut on it. I went with black plastics, it looked pretty badass!

[@flouisbailey]

Don’t forget the IYV and adjusting pickup heights. Try buying Bourbon

[@Dmeador]

300 and above ..great bang for buck.. another thing is that you end up throw money away if it less than 300

[@postoffice146]

Don't you have enough guitars for playing 😛 You get more of these "should I upgrade this or not" dilemmas when you buy more and more 😄

[@ToneJunkieTV]

😂 probably true

[@mikekellow6437]

Whine whine whine

[@lesbois53]

Mine are great. 550 and 450 ld. made for 10 gauge and up. 9’s are for effin’ WIMPS!

[@joosboer1030]

If you don’t love it, let it go, or you might find yourself pouring money into a project with little to no return.

[@BruceWillke]

"I drink my coffee black, and I play round decimal pointed strings" this is my new fav HW aphorism.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

AMEN!

[@lowercase3635]

I mean.. if you don’t like it, I’ll trade you a high five and a firm handshake for it 😅

[@itimoldenburg]

I’d love to see HW and The Sooze check out some Reverend Guitars.