My first time trying a Harley Benton...

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

Sponsored by Singular Sound Aeros Loop Studio Gold Edition Aeros at Sweetwater (affiliate link): sweetwater.sjv.io/qneP2g Aeros at Thomann (affiliate link): bit.ly/aerosthomann

[@enthused7591]

I picked one up in pink and surf green earlier this year. Tried a few HB's at this point and the JA60CC is my favorite. Wildly cheap, the neck and fret feel are unbeatable. The tuners are as good as you'll ever need and the overall look and sound are every bit as good as any $600-$700 guitar for the most part.

[@Sean_Plays_Guitar]

I bought the Kit Build version of this and it was a ton of fun to build. The Kit comes with p-90s and not JM pickups but since the kit was only about half the price of the built one (shipping included) I splurged on a few upgrades and I am really happy with the result. The neck carve on this model is amazing, actually. I was surprised but it has quickly risen the ranks amongst my other guitars as one of my favorite neck profiles. Sounded great, man!! Cool video!

[@Chris-Ian]

Did you change the bridge? Mine has the "wrong" radius, the 3-4 strings start to buzz first when I lower the action, as the bridge in the kit was too flat for the radius of the neck. On the other hand I purchased another one from Guyker and it won't fit - it's too wide for the posts.

[@danthegeetarman]

Cool to see an A-B review video on here. Glad you mention the two most important things such as how they feel and sound against each other since those are usually what people are looking for when deciding to buy the real deal or a cheaper alternative 👍

[@cozza3783]

Can’t wait for the Harley Davidson review. XD

[@pusheen666]

LOL

[@arrangearrange]

Huh

[@cozza3783]

@@arrangearrange end of the video

[@scottwilliams1363]

Love your sense of humor....and the reviews are both informative and entertaining.

[@hvhvgitaar]

Thanks for the review . I have this guitar . It was my first HB and I am really very pleased with it. I also adjusted the action a little bit and put new strings on. It plays beautifully and the pickups sound great. Would recommend to anyone looking for a JM-like tone .

[@MrMissingReel]

I've put a Duesenberg Tremolo on my HB....and it's great!

[@mikestroud9969]

Sounds the same buddy. Love Harley Benton. Seen a lot of reviews on them. They are great value. Take care 😎👍👌💯🎸🎸

[@billyparham630]

I've been eyeing this guitar for two weeks, feeling the most torturous fomo, just praying they'll be on stock once I can afford it but damn the hype spreads like crazy and I think I might come short on this one. Fellow European here, long-time fan, hello from Czech Republic!

[@Sean_Plays_Guitar]

I feel you know that! If you need another excuse, see my comment haha! New Guitar Days are the best days!

[@billyparham630]

@@Sean_Plays_Guitar That's so cool. I am a big DIY guy so I might actually buy the kit as well. But damn, the finish is angelic for the money, that's beyond my limits I'm afraid.

[@Sean_Plays_Guitar]

@@billyparham630 Dude...Mine too LOL! The finish on mine turned out well enough for my taste, but it certainly is nowhere near the quality of those production models. Super good value for the cash for sure!

[@fatbackfunk]

Outstanding video, presentation and playing! Thanks for sharing!

[@vince8081]

The only thing to do with this guitar is to swap the two 250k pots by two (good) 500k... because that guitar is quite dark sounding. The 500k will give you more brightness and open the general sound.

[@eddiejr540]

It’s interesting you mentioning “feels cheap”…this concept astounds me…I experience it quite alot…what is it that makes us “feel” expensive…and what is it about a guitar that makes us “feel” the less expensive…it twists my brain, but its a real thing!!!!

[@andkemp]

I have one. In the same shell pink colour. Taking aside a small fix to the bridge (the posts were not flush with the body) and after adjusting the action and the pickups height.... I can only say it's a WONDERFUL instrument. And not only "for its price"... it's awesome overall. I'm so glad you came to the same conclusions as I did. I'll absolutely keep it. Just a comment on the comparison you did with the Jazzmaster: this Harley Benton is actually equipped with P-90s (the soapbar pickup covers are of course misleading). Thx for sucking out great tones from this guitar, you're reinforcing my feelings about this guitar!

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

Hey man! Thomann lists the pickups as Roswell JM Alnico-5 vintage style, so I thought they were vintage style single coils as the Jazzmaster has?

[@adipasanbegovic5191]

Don't quote me on this but I think the older models had the P90s and the newer ones have single coils. Been eyeing this guitar for a while, guess I'll find out soon enough lol. Your playing makes it sound even better haha :)

[@Ari_Calamari]

@@adipasanbegovic5191You are right. The old ones had p90s. These are pretty much Jazzmaster style pickups.

[@andkemp]

@@Ari_Calamari no guys. Pls go and check the Harley Benton site, not the Thomann one. The new one HAS P90s.

[@KoaCharvel]

Never owned or played a Harley Benton, but they seem like the darling child of Europe for low-cost guitars. I suppose it is a fun and cheap way to try out a different body shape and pickup configuration. A purchase that won't make you feel like you wasted your money trying something new.

[@ReasonanceHead]

i played a 7 string (around 160$) and had a pb-50 (110$). The 7 string definitely felt like a 200-300$ six string guitar, and the pb felt and played very good too, with great looks. Can compete with guitars double the price i think.

[@gearViewmirror]

@@ReasonanceHead That's what they probably would cost, or more, if Thomann delivered these to dealers round the world....🎸🤘🎸

[@jratcliffe91]

MORE HB REVIEWS - i LOVE this channel so much, easily top three gtr gear channels on youtube - and i LOVE cheap gear - do the SG next :D

[@OliverAmberg]

I hope your great channel will not be flooded by Harley Benton products in the future. Keep up the great work!

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

It will not.

[@christoguichard4311]

I have 4 Harley Bentons, including this one, in red. They really are great guitars. The reason they are so affordable is that if you buy a guitar in a store, with a brand name, you have payed at least 70% over the cost of the guitar, if there were no store cut, and no brand name cut. Which is exactly what Thomann DO. They also buy in huge bulk, which again, cuts the cost to the end buyer by about 10%.

[@bluesdawg8014]

I love my JA 60 OW which is why I just purchased the JA 25th Firemist which is even better. Los Angeles

[@jwstout007]

Those Nirvana (Phil Spector) and QotSA tones form the Kemper sound like you have an actual Lo-fi torn up speaker in a cardboard box right in front of you, simply amazing! But seriously though, it sounds really good & it’s crazy to see a Kemper emulate something as roots-like as the tones you have here. I own two HB LP Jr. with single P90s & I’d take them on the road in a heartbeat. There’s a sense of satisfaction to playing just as well as any other guitarist, but your guitar is only 10% of the price ;)

[@noahpauley]

I still think that the Squier classic vibe JM is much better for a bit more money. With a Squier you could upgrade with parts to have better specs than the reissue for less money. Idk I might be biased with my Squier, but I prefer it much more to anything Harley Benton has to offer. I’m also a bit of a JM purist and only want one with the vibrato and rhythm circuit.

[@denssession644]

The colour way is awesome on the H- B. great video btw✌️

[@rayschoch5882]

There are audible differences, but they're subtle, not the night-and-day difference some might expect. I live in the low-end (i.e., less than $800) guitar world, and have owned and played a couple of Harley Bentons. I thought they looked fine and played as well as other brands I have. Difficulties arose mostly because some parts (i.e., pickguards) weren't quite the same as the "core" or American-made version, so replacement usually meant having something custom-made, which is a budget-killer. Some components (i.e., tuning machines) weren't quite up to snuff when compared to a higher-end instrument. Not a serious problem when they could be easily replaced, but often they could NOT be "easily" replaced (slightly different measurements, clearances, materials, etc.), at which point they DID become a major issue. Maybe not my first choice if I were in the market for a new instrument, but certainly in the top two or three - they're generally well-built, and I'd have few qualms about spending money to get one while staying within my budget. Shipping time from Europe to the USA can be an issue, but not always. It's inconsistent, which is, itself, something of an issue.

[@snakemont]

Thank you so much!

[@Brennanjasso]

what a pretty looper ❤

[@dwscott343]

Awesome review! Thanks!

[@akunanonim4645]

I thought the hb one is more noisy than the fender thats qulity different maybe you can mod with thin foil under the pickup for better grounding or better change the pickup with better one 😅

[@bemorecheetah]

Top job, as for the looper sponsorship I think the display would distract me...

[@mickkraviz]

The HB looks pretty good tbh haha, so does your jazzmaster! Great vid :)

[@Ari_Calamari]

This sounded really good to me. The Benton sounded a bit darker and hotter, and less chimey, more mid honk on the clean, but otherwise they were quite similar. I really enjoy the neck on the Benton’s I’ve tried. The downside for me on these guitars are generally the tuners… Oh, and the name, but what can you do… 🫤 You should try out the baritone Harley Benton Jazzmaster. Comes with p90, and it looks like a step up in quality. It’s similar to the Squier Baritone.

[@nym053]

The Jazzmaster has more lowend. And I agree, my JA-60CC doesn't feel cheap at all. Actually compared to my Harley Benton TE-20, which is their cheapest guitar and costs half of the other, it only feels slightly better in terms of finish. Neck is slightly smoother, and the fret ends are almost not sharp. The ones on the TE-20 are only slightly sharper, but not bad. I guess I prefer a semi high action because I've had to set both of them higher than how they came 😅

[@Roxanneredpanda]

They sound similar but have key differences that are matters of taste. The Harley Benton is quiter in the low end and has a bit more sparkle to it while the Fender has a richer low end. I personally prefer the sound of the Harley Benton, I think it would be better at sticking out in a mix and is generally closer to the types of clean tones I go for. That's just my thoughts though, it is an overstatement to say they sound the same

[@Pleczjoza]

plug sheat in to kemper = SOUNDS AMAZING XD

[@ethanpearson897]

Interesting to hear you say they sound nearly identical. My first thought about the Harley Benton is that it doesn’t sound like a jazzmaster at all. I doubt that it uses 1meg pots, and you can tell because it lacks the top end sparkle of a typical jazzmaster.

[@bluesdawg8014]

1M pots are $7 bro, easy fix but realistically these guitar don't need up grades at all.

[@musicmann1967]

I hear a pretty clear difference in the guitars actually, and absolutely prefer the Fender. To my ears, it has more note attack and clarity in general, nicer sounding. But the HB is absolutely worth every penny. For that price, I can't believe it even plays in tune up and down the neck. An amazing deal. I have no idea how they can actually charge so little either. Seems impossible in today's world with import taxes, shipping and supply chain costs getting more inflated. Crazy!

[@ethankolmel5118]

Honestly I think what you're describing in the differences could be almost entirely negated by changing the pots on the HB. The ja60 uses 250k pots vs. The traditional 1Meg pots on a fender jazzmaster. I'd put money on that being 95% of the tonal difference tbh

[@musicmann1967]

@@ethankolmel5118 That totally makes sense.

[@louisfryzel4618]

@@ethankolmel5118 I was going to mention that too. I was disappointed when I found out my JA-60 sunburst has the 250k pots and not the the 1M pots I had in a Squier Classic VIbe JM that I returned. My guitar tech buddy suggests I install 500k pots, probably just the tone pot. Btw, I put a cheap Guitar Fetish whammy unit on mine and it works OK but just looks too big for the slightly downsized body.

[@PooNinja]

I’ve got 2 Harley Benton’s one a Sc with a Floyd Rose had a few high frets easily remedied with trip to the Luither (95€)for a leveling and set up of the Floyd for my beefy strings now it’s an awesome player. The second arrived in excellent condition it was the HP42 signature which I will probably swap out the humbucker for something a bit bassier but the P90 sounds great. Can’t wait to see you fill the studio with tire smoke from a long burn out with the next Harley Davidson demo 🤘🏽 Try a hardtail if your organs need a good slamming around inside ya😮

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

Hardtail it is!

[@jimhart1959]

I picked up a new Tagima TW-1 Jazzmaster a few years ago and it's an excellent guitar. I just bought a Fender Powercaster and it's a cool guitar and lists about 3x more than the Tagima. BUT the fret work on the Fender is pretty bad, and I'm replacing the volume pot in the Fender.

[@KevinRibelMusic]

IMO Squier is still king of affordable quality instruments! Over the pandemic I fought boredom with cheaper guitars and I owned a Squier Bullet Mustang and a Harley Benton TE90 I sold both but the Squier was such a better instrument in every aspect. The finish was superb (Metallic Blue) while the Harley Benton had the fake sand blasted finish looking very blend. The pickups were incredible on the Mustang (Humbuckers) very capable with high gain while the filtrotron copies on the HB were microphonic and sounding thin. Hardware and controls were also way better on the mustang.

[@alvertskaunang4947]

You must try Tokai guitar : china and japan version 👌

[@DangerAmbrose]

Harley Benton makes good beginner guitars. I've got a ST-90A ash body Strat copy. I like it.

[@bluesdawg8014]

I own two HB's a JA60 and the DC Junior, I've been playing pro here in Los Angeles for 50 years. These guitars are great for gigs. I have a large collection of vintage Gibson's and more. Gigging these days with $10,000 Les Paul could get you rolled in the parking lot. Much love for HB's playable guitars and basses that are great for gigs.

[@AndrewAHayes]

They can sell them cheaper because they don't use distributers, distributers can add on another 30-40% of the price of a guitar and then the retailer would add their profit on top also.

[@drewnorth3816]

Of course you made this guitar sound incredible. You'd make a plank of wood with pickups sound good.

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

;)

[@andreyugarov1853]

so a telecaster?

[@stepanpollak9010]

yes, bcs its all about what amp you have. Guitar is the second issue :D

[@rustedsunday7489]

@@stepanpollak9010 but the feel. Cheap guitars feel like shit

[@JubbLaRacing]

​@@rustedsunday7489Not always.

[@TheAudioDen]

How is the neck? Thick, thin, just a modern C? As for why they went for that name, that is exactly why they did! Phil McKnight told the story on a KYG live podcast some time earlier this year (I believe).

[@EdoCFH]

I think you can compare the sound of the instruments but not the scope they are built for. HB guitars are not meant to do extensive touring or go into recording studios, IMHO. The Jazzmaster is built to do that good for years. HB guitars are fucking great for bedroom players, and casual players who want to have fun with 10-20 gigs per year or so. Sound and hand feeling depend a lot on the player.

[@jackelmax1953]

cool demo. it makes me sad no one ever does any higher driven rock tones though.

[@benjaminmarkstein6680]

The best thing about (my) cheap guitars is the way I use them. There’s no vanilla scented nitro lacquer or collectors value to ruin, both for my kids, pets and my own sausage fingers, I can just have them around and use the heck out of them. No concerns, only fun. That’s how music is made!

[@Ottophil]

You say this like I don’t enjoy my nitro guitars. I still just don’t care about value or collecting. My american gibsons are really beat up because they have been used hard for 20 years. I’m not collecting or babying them

[@benjaminmarkstein6680]

Happy to hear you are enjoying your nitro guitars! So do I, but I tend to way too cautious with mine. I’m just wired that way I guess. To me it was a revolution.

[@granap]

Hopes that puts pressure on Squier/MIM Fenders to cut prices. Would never buy a Jazzmaster without a wiggle stick though.

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

Don't think Fender or Squier will cut their prices. If anything, with the situation in the world right now, they'll raise them. HB prices are extremely low, so very hard to compete with. Hope it can push big brands to make better and more interesting instruments, though.

[@egor1g]

I had HB and I now have Am Pro II Telecaster. Both great, but with Fender I become a better player. I believe it's about 20% better, but it's crucial. Everything sounds like it should be. Many years I thought usa guitars are overrated but I was wrong as f.

[@repoman5581]

Hi. Is the 60 cycle hum any worse than other guitars?

[@JohanRodrigues]

A video comparison between the Harley Benton and the Harley Davidson 😅

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

On it

[@tactical259]

Been looking at this exact model for a bit, thanks for the video!

[@void_snw]

Thomann does some pretty insane stuff for their prices. The quality control suffers a bit, different from product to product (the active pickup stealth guitars for example.. yuck), but man are they setting a baseline!

[@48832ok]

Try tokai next compare it to Gibson or fender

[@IndexFossilchannel]

How about the Arri Amira??? 😮

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

Nice camera! ;)

[@bjoern76]

I don't know if I am the only one hearing that the HB sound totally boxy and muddy in direct comparison to the fender. 🤷‍♂

[@SamaZnajeshXto]

Same here. Muddy is a good description. The vibrations are more "controlled" on Fender, thus more clear. Was a bit surprised when Living Room GD said that they sound almost the same🤨

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

There are many Asian Guitar manufacturers using the best high tech CNC machines. The machines can make a body that does need more than 5 minutes of sanding before paint. Blanks are fed into them and it takes just minutes. The machines can do it in one minute but the speed of the metal going into the wood badly burns the wood. Fender USA and Gibson use 20 year old tech and in many cases doing things by hand that new robotic tech does better and ridiculously faster. The dry times for paint are much faster so in hours they can be assembled. In short it takes minutes to do what in the West still takes hours. Guitars made by cheap hand labor is a myth. Valid 20 years ago but everyone has learned automation is the way to go. The very latest cutting edge robotic kind doing high volumes has proven everywhere to be the most profitable. Add to that every year it measurably better and faster. You still buy old style super cheapies. 100 Strats thrown together but look fine on a guitar hook sell wholesale for $35.00 each. Just check AliBaba the Chinese wholesale company.

[@TempleOfTheMartyrs]

WE USED A HARLEY BENTON ON OUR NEW ALBUM, ...................AND HONESTLY THEY ARE JUST AS GOOD

[@onlyshallot]

are u using noise gate?

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

nope

[@onlyshallot]

@@LivingroomGearDemos is this guitar not noisy?

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

@@onlyshallot not in my experience

[@monoscopes]

About the comparison with the Fender, the only thing I can tell is that both sound shitty through the Kemper. The sound is really "spongy", if you know what I mean.

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

👍🏻

[@monoscopes]

@@LivingroomGearDemos and, what I mean, they don't sound fantastic as your usual demos...

[@miniblackhole]

The Fender does sound substantially better - maybe 5X

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

really?

[@metalliholic]

@@LivingroomGearDemos he probably owns a fender 😂

[@Jeroen_K]

I just cannot get over the brand name, sorry. It really does sound like some Germans (no offence, love my neighbours) tried to come up with something sounding American and 'vintage' and the result got way too obvious. Is that just me? No hate meant, it's my own shortcoming.

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

It's a common trick to mimic a name from an already well established brand. I bet they also knew it was going to confuse some people. Good strategy.

[@Ari_Calamari]

@@LivingroomGearDemosThat is what happened! Same goes with Hughes and Kettner. It’s meant to sound like one American, and one British name.

[@tiptop8218]

650 euro for the aeros? loool never ever hahahaha

[@wbm3085]

STOP! Yr going to push the price up

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

haha why? Don't think they will

[@szveszs]

sounds quasi like shit HB compared to that Fender, "sounds" also more difficult to play with the HB than the Fender one.

[@kane6529]

I’ve never tried a Harley Benton is the Boujiest most hipster thing any guitar player has ever said 😂

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

Haha maybe, but you never find these in stores anywhere, so you either have to order one yourself or try it from someone who did.

[@twoys440]

i prefer the harley benton, simply because the fender color looks ugly, its old people color

[@slayerus23]

For an absolute starter or beginner? Yeah, sure. But that's it.

[@LivingroomGearDemos]

I would gig with this guitar, no problem

[@slayerus23]

@@LivingroomGearDemos Don't get me wrong. I'd gig with it too. But I would gig with anything that has strings and pickups work.

[@cycomiles4225]

When it comes to price, its not the guitar. Why everyone thinks that its the guitar you sre paying fir? Its the wages, workforce. HB has cheap chinese or indonesian labour and Fender American or Mexican labour and prices reflect the standard of living and the wages. HB could make an exact same guitar and it would still be cheaper because of its low labour costs. If that guitar was made in Germany, you would get a German pricetag, I assure youđ

[@voidburner8271]

The amp you're using is doing you no favors. literally sounds like a DI guitar tone.. tinny, no presence..