REVIEW of Thomann Customer Service about the Quality Control of a Harley Benton SC 500 : PART ONE

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[@canadianintheukbrian]

Interesting video and interesting response from Thomann , I have a Les Paul Style guitar but a JHS Vintage V100 with Wilkinson Hardware never had this issue , Wilkinson parts are of a higher standard of quality then house brand that HB has but as you clearly stated the price, makes me think these guitars at this price are platforms for upgrades to higher quality parts, as for my Vintage well its going on 13 years now still plays great still stays in tune, look forward to Thoman'ns response

[@alanjohnson6369]

I have seen guys get hb and complain about everything it's not 1000 or 10000 guitar it's a low price. I think they are good value. For the money. If you don't want to do anything at all pay the money. If you are a beginner or if you want to mod or learn buy hb that's my 2cents thanks for sharing

[@devinsinderwitcz9134]

That's why I prefer a roller bridge versus a TOM saddle. Strings also last longer as well.

[@jerrywalaszek2473]

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR INFORMATION!

[@theguitaristas]

Excellent! 😆👍 looking forward to part 2.

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

thanks for coming by! :)

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

They said they will mail me a new bridge, so I will do Part 3 when that comes in!

[@theguitaristas]

@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic for entertainments sake a small part of me hopes it is also faulty... 😆

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

I updated the part two, spoiler! They suggested a discount of $35 USD, I agreed like a bandit, I rate their customer service 5 stars.

[@alanjohnson6369]

I injoy your videos and the way you do them. You don't complain about hb guitars not being exactly like the highest end guitar.

[@Barbarapape]

You have explained and shown the issue very clearly. Thomanns "Experts" seem to have little engineering knowledge and i doubt that they even comprehend what is causing the issue and how to correct it. You can see from the close up images that the quality of the bridge is poor and typical of how they keep the manufacturing costs down. I did mention in a previous reply that i had to change the bridge on my CST24 at this price level you tend to get what you pay for. I hope Thomann at least send you a partial refund to cover the cost of a new bridge, fit the best that you can find at a sensible price, there are a lot of low quality parts outhere.

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

yes, the quality is indeed poor, but poor can work perfectly okay because it just have to perform as a metal thing the string sits on, which is connected to the wood body. all it needed to be was stable and it would be perfectly fine like the other 5 saddles on that bridge. If thomann dont wanna send another bridge or send a discount, I have a backup solution, that is to simply cut off the end of the screw that goes into the hole, that will allow the saddle to sit flush on the bridge and that solves the problem on a very cheap guitar.. the tension of the string will keep it rock solid!

[@Barbarapape]

@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic That would be a cheaper option, but for the price of a good but not expensive bridge, i would just replace it. This is why i have stopped buying the entry level ones, the cost of replacing all the poor quality parts pushes the final price too close to that of a guitar that doesn't require so many upgrades to make a good guitar. Plus i am very fussy, i can't stand cosmetic defects.

[@peterwaynelegend]

Send an email to Thomann, they can refund partially some money

[@krisvind1715]

the bridge is lacking a retention spring wire. all tune o matics have a retention wire.

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

this is not a tune o matic.... it is a tune o matic STYLE.

[@TheDarkmore]

My fusion pro had problems with the floyd rose studs, they were falling out of the body... They "guitar experts" recommended to put some toothpicks in the hole to keep the inserts at place...

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

yes, toothpicks and wood glue to hold the toothpicks in place.. I would even split the tooth picks in half to have long half picks to fine tune the fit.. It is much easier to do that than to dowel the hole and redrill...

[@TheDarkmore]

@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic epoxy

[@ctcards2636]

Ive had this happen actually on guitars costing MUCH more than this guitar. Make a note of that folks. ;-) If i have a bridge like this i use the low level lock tight liquid. 1-2 drops behind and in front of the saddle. Let it dry and its fixed. The screw can still be loosened or tightened. Simple. Cheap. Easy fix. Also the stuff can be removed. Thanks for the video.

[@ctcards2636]

Also that was a terrible reply from them to "tighten the screw" to stop the buzz. Vibration is going to loosen that screw no matter how you try to "tighten" the screw. Also good luck with intonation with that great Thomann tip lol. Thats why i mention the lock tight. But theres other stuff you can use as well to stop this. Its a great way of fixing a cheap bridge so it actually functions well.

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

that wont work. even if i welded the saddle to the screw it wont work. screw needed to be lower.

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

there is no tightening of screw, it is just a free floating screw and the only thing exerting force is the spring. The bridge hole have nothing in it.

[@bfiume]

Good luck. I had a similar problem. They just kept throwing people at my till I gave up. I’ll never use them agaim

[@swordofhonor2]

that stinks. they should know to just give the credit and be done... Some years ago I replaced the bridge on a Squire jaguar and it made it better to hold tuning and intonation.. The last bridge was bridge was OK but the new one was way back way better.

[@alanjohnson6369]

I hope they make right with you

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

they always do...

[@davidepannone6021]

I got my Harley Benton SC-550 II PAF today and boy it was rough. I understand when you pay 300 eu for a guitar you can't expect much, but in mine there were 3 major flaws: the nut was badly cut, and on the low e side there's a gap between the neck and the nut of 2mm, then the screw that holds in place the trussrod cover was not coming off (i had to use a feeler gauge to get underneath the screw's head to push it as i was screwing it off) so whoever tightened that basically damaged the wood making the whole bigger than the screw and lastly the electronics are jack shit. The 3 way switch is pretty much toasted (it either gives absolutely no signal in the 3rd position or if it does it's just faint) and for some reason while having the selector on the neck pickup and it's volume pot to 0, it could still pick up part of the signal from the bridge pickup. Safe to say this will be my first and ever HB guitar. I know some ppl rave about them (i watched many reviews before buying it) but this ain't it for me. Again, i am not expecting perfection at a 300 eu mark, but at least normal playability.

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

ahhh those 3 things I would consider minor, and I would just fix it myself.. and I would definately open up the electronics to check the connections and wire conditions... if it is a faulty switch, email thomann and they will make it rightm either they send u a new switch or give you money back and you can buy a switch craft... Many of my HBs had issues, but I just fix them because I have the free time, therefore I didnt spend alotta money on guitars, but for people who dont fix it themsevles, luthier hours cost dearly, and maybe HB is not the way to go for them...

[@davidepannone6021]

@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic I'm afraid we have to disagree. Sure i could fix these myself. But why. My 300 eu spent were not "to be fixed". They were good to go from the start. If i buy something, even cheap, i expect to have the basic to at least work properly. I'm not buying a used guitar. I'm buying a new guitar. I can understand setting things up like intonation, truss rod and action. I'm not complaining about a bad set up. I'm complaining about something new not working from day 1. It's like you and your bridge. Sure you could've fixed it yourself. But why. It was clearly a defective piece. Just like my selector and the bad wiring work. I am especially upset since this has apparently passed a QC inspection. I call bullshit because anyone doing an actual QC of this guitar would have noticed that immediately. We're not talking about a dent in the pickup cavity or a blemish in the finish. We're talking about a selector not working in one position and crackling in another. Or a pickup picking up signal when that pickup is not even selected. At least don't lie to your customers saying that they have done a QC inspection. It's not asking much, aside getting a functioning guitar.

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

i see your stance is that your 300 euro should have purchased a guitar that dont need fixing.. My stance is that for 250 USD, getting a guitar that have great specs and working properly would be something strange, I dont think they CAN make a guitar that cheap and work properly unless it is from INDONESIA, which the DC junior for 169 was so good it was unbelievable. I buy HB or any low price guitar always knowing that it will take some work to get it right, setting up, fret leveling, fret polishing and rounding, filling screw holes and rescrewing, all kinds of stuff. I know that thomann always make things right, If I have issues I just contact them and they either will send me parts or do a partial refund.. My epiphone SG custom had a high fret, I took care of that myself too... My PRS SE 245 had wood missing under a fret, I took care of that myself too... I dont expect low cost guitars to be issue free.. because they all came with issues, with the one exception of the HB TV yellow DC junior, still shocked.

[@Floodland-bn3ol]

Was curioius what upgrades you did to your Harley Benton CST24 besides dying the fingerboard a darker color? Thanks.

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

No upgrades but basic work on inexpensive guitar, fret leveling, fret dressing and not much else. thank you so much!

[@HoldMyBlick]

The guitar is actually worth 234.99

[@harrydassori7726]

THE FIX; Hey buddy get yourself a set of Graphtech saddles, about 20 buck, Like graphite nuts, these are the way to go

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

interesting.... graphtech.com/products/ss-saddle-tune-o-matic-gotoh-6pc I never heard of those so I looked them up... Pricy though.. they advertise reduced string breakage.. but makes me wonder.. I once purchased a functional yet cheap $10 roller tune o matic replacement which I current have installed on the red SG looking thing with a bigsby looking thing.. would that not accomplish the same thing as far as string breakage?

[@dark666shredder]

Omg its a 100 eur guitar, dont cry just put smokin paper in the holes and keep goin

[@markpell8979]

Not an uncommon type of problem on 'lower-tier' mass-produced instruments from many brands. This bridge is a cast metal assembly that was not made to precision tolerances and you got one that was outside of ideal spec. That's the chance we take ordering a bargain instrument sight unseen without inspecting and playing it first. Most of the time luck will probably be on your side but not always and for what you paid, Thomann figures they can afford to lose you as a customer if you're not happy. I'm sure you know this. Unfortunately this is also not an unheard-of issue with more expensive guitars either but you knew you were gambling at $139. You have money and an appropriate replacement bridge costs less than a take-out dinner for two from a decent restaurant. If I was in your place, if I liked the rest of the guitar enough to keep it, I'd just order a mid grade replacement bridge for $25-50 and call it a day. If that's not satisfying you could afford to torch or smash the guitar, make a video of it, send them the link and remind them you have a YT channel and some degree of influence in their market. Unlike Gibson, they will not sue you over it. Or, donate it to a kid who will think it's the nicest guitar he or she has ever had, even with a little buzz in the saddle. Often that noise is not detectable anyway playing the guitar electrically. I'm on your team in this matter but sometimes we bargain hunters have to just take one on the chin.

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

oh it was no gamble at all, I knew 100% that these things will not be cosmetically perfect, and that to make it play well, there must be work done on it. I have 9 harley bentons and every single one was not cosmetically perfect, and needed work. except the TV yellow double cut (my 10th) which I was amazed about.

[@markpell8979]

@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic Thanks for the personal reply, Doc! I love your show. I've had the same kind of good luck with Epiphones- one perfect, a couple pretty damned good, and a couple that needed some fret work and a little TLC here and there. As with you, I enjoy that kind of thing and I end up with something more valuable to me. Eventually I'll probably have a Harley Benton just to try my luck there. A lot of folks whose opinions I trust have had good experience with them. Thanks again!

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

not all harley benton is the same. if you dont have time to watch my "how to buy a harley benton" series, here is some suggestions: dont buy the cheapest of the type, go for at least twice the price of the cheapest one, and consider getting two or three because the shipping for two is usually the same as shipping for one, and sometimes three fits in a shipment.

[@stevepelham9010]

Guitars up to 1000bucks in most cases there are no selection of them parts. Makers got them huge loads of unasorted cheap parts where some are ok and some are not. On my affordable guitars that are actually as well made I have selected good parts from my stock of saved goodies. No use in nagging on the seller about bridge and tuners as cheap is cheap.

[@mshapirouk1]

I wonder what Jimmy Hendrix would have thought of your dilemma.

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

He'd set it on fire and call it a day

[@martin-1965]

Oh dear, that's some shoddy workmanship on the bridge. Disappointed in Thomann's response as it's perfectly clear - even to a non-guitar expert - what the problem is and they should have done a mea culpa immediately. I imagine this kind of thing happens when emails are processed at customer service centres where they work from a script. I suspect the expert they "consulted" was a list of possible problems beginner guitarists have with a cheap guitar, but considering the effort you put in to diagnosing and explaining the issue, there should not have been any question on their part. It feels like a standard delaying tactic to avoid any additional cost on their part which is very disappointing and reflects badly on their customer service systems. I imagine as a doctor yourself, if a patient presents at ER with a partially severed finger, you would not need to get a second opinion - you would fix the problem as it was obvious and urgent. Thomann should do the same or forever hang their heads in shame.

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

you have a point about customer service methods... many companies do have a generic set of stuff you must jump through, given by low level employees before they push the matter to people who CAN do something. I dont blame them, because 99% of the time the matter is just something simple like you said, and if they didnt have these low level employees doing standard screening, they would overwork the skilled employees which probably arent too many of those..

[@Constriktor]

Good luck with that. I had a very bad experience with a Harley Benton acoustic guitar. It was a a complete mess. The frets were cut poorly. The neck was not straight. The bridge was badly glued...

[@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic]

In my video about how to buy a harley benton, I said that I would avoid the cheapest ones, and start looking at things that cost TWICE the price of the cheapest one. I find that no matter how much a maker tries, they has to be a minimum price in order to have quality that is good enough... I always have to do fretwork on all new guitar purchases because I never buy top of the line expensive stuff, but after the fretwork I do the frets are great. except the time I got the cheapest one that was a strat copy and it was just too crappy. A neck not being straight can mean a simple truss rod adjustment at home or it could mean it is warped or twisted or maybe the neck angle is not correct which would take too much work to fix and should be returned. badly glued bridge can mean the bridge came off? or it can mean sloppy job where you can see the glue? I got their superior EVS or something, supposed to look like a hummingbird, and it was not the cheapest stuff they have, and it turned out to be very very good for the money...