A Closer Look And Setup Of My Harley Benton Fusion 2 Guitar

[@cflowers69]

I have the the XT-22 in black cherry and it sits on the rack beside my two Eastman Les Pauls, my Gibson SG, and Fender American Telecaster. This company is the real deal, and you definitely get your money's worth with the HB product(s).

[@beannie60]

Do you live in the US and if so do you use a Credit or Debit Card when buying from Thomann's? All my purchases from Thomann's were on my Credit Card because I was afraid to use my Debit, has anyone used their Debit card and is it safe or should I just stick with my Credit Card?

[@LuxscapeMusic]

got exactly that guitar and my volume pot makes that noise as well. but for the rest its a great guitar for the money. So I bought the black version as a backup and it was slightly heavier and it sounded slightly warmer with better sustain. On the green one I found the pickups muddy a low volume so changed for irongears. The black one I left because it sounds good.

[@learningtheory325]

Thanks for the video, but what is the action measurements at the higher frets?

[@jimr5703]

If you were checking bridge radius the top side of those strings, the middle strings may appear to be a bit lower because of the varied thickness of the strings. As it sat, the guitar likely had strings following the radius I suspect. If you re-check from below, you'll find that the strings are now too high (assuming the radius tool can be used that way).

[@jnelson1600]

.012 is “12 thousandths” of an inch not MM. The metric equivalent is usually listed below it on the gauge. Just thought I’d share. Love your videos Tony.

[@addictedtogear]

J Nelson yeah that’s what I meant. Thanks for the correction.

[@tonefish3825]

I love it when I can get more value for Dollar and this guitar is an amazing buy. It is a stonking great axe! I absolutely love the neck profile and SS frets. The pickups sound great, coil split works very well. This is a $699 guitar for about $310 shipped to the U.S. My response to Thomann was to ask for more Pro Series guitars in the lineup.

[@addictedtogear]

Sturat5150 a great guitar indeed!

[@bluwng]

It's equal and maybe better big name alternative is the new Charvel Dk, they have better contours and roasted male necks for $1K. Bentons are a better value

[@Mako-DC]

@@bluwng TBO don't think there is a better guitar out there, bought one and it has been just as good as many 1000 euro guitars and some more

[@meinhendl]

a very, very helpful video fir me ! thank you so much !👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼❗️

[@addictedtogear]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bennethos]

Very educational thx, ordered an HSH , should arrive tomorrow

[@addictedtogear]

Nice

[@ThePaddedPedalroom]

Nice Video! Very thorough and informative. Thanks!

[@tylert812]

Just bought a Roasted Maple Fusion ii and can't wait for it to get here. Definitely gonna use some of your pointers to set it up. Great Video.

[@addictedtogear]

Tyler Titzer congratulations Tyler!

[@schrodingerscatlps2028]

I was searching for a full setup video for months now and bumped into this by accident. Helped me a lot. GJ and THY. Abo and like.

[@addictedtogear]

I'm glad the video was helpful

[@richardiii76]

The main adjustment in a guitar setup is the string height. It's a good idea to get a quality string height ruler. That way you know what string action you have. Esp. if you change the string gauge, you can check before and after.

[@zeppo20]

This is almost a musicman. Cheap, of course. I like it.

[@PM-wc1lp]

It's nice to see that Wilkinson bridge still in action. I have the almost identical Wilkinson on my 1992 Carvin DC127.

[@eddiejr540]

Concerning the back trem cover...I think most people go into the trem cavity so much for tuning and adjustments, I think these manufacturers just assume you’re gonna take it off and leave it off....I know I do !!!

[@timbuktu7753]

Nice looking axe Tony and love the color. Thanks for the setup tutorial.

[@novorec128]

Great job, you were lucky with the guitar, but my frets are scratched, I undermined them, killed 3 hours for processing, the anchor was also retracted, it was hard to press the strings, but I have Fusion III HSH. KZbin translates well into Russian, your video helped me a lot, thanks.👍

[@jamesreaves5534]

The first Fusions had Wilkinson Pickups. Those are the Pickups I read everyone was complaining about being too muddy, but most people give the new Alnico 5 Roswell Pickups great reviews. I've not heard a side by side comparison, but the Roswell Pickups Sound good to Me. I'm wanting to hear a side by side comparison of the Uncovered Alnico 5 Roswell HAF Humbuckers vs the Covered Alnico 5 Roswell LAF Pickups. Kris Barocsi posted a great Video of his Silver Sparkle Fusion with the Roasted Maple Neck. That Guitar has Satin Nickel LAF Pickups with Satin Nickel Pickup Rings & Hardware, Trem, Tuners, etc. I really liked the look of the Satin Nickel especially with the Silver Sparkle Top. They really complimented one another. Chrome would've looked Cheap. The Silver Sparkle Guitar also has a Beautiful Flame Maple Binding. God Bless, Jimmy in NC....

[@nicovo9237]

Have you found any videoes where they compare the two pickup types?

[@jamesreaves5534]

@@nicovo9237 No I've only seen videos say the first ones were Wilkinson Pickups and the New ones use Roswell Pickups which are supposed to be better. I'm not 100% but I'm Pretty sure the Wilkinson's have ceramic magnets. I know for sure the Roswell Pickups have Alnico 5 magnets because they say so on the Thomann website.

[@Waggel86]

A bit late, but I still want to clear this up. The Fusion models always had Roswell pickups. Earlier Harley Bentons did come with Wilkinson branded pickups. Thomann found out that the factories used fake Wilkinson in at least some cases. Enough to switch to Roswell. Cora Mura has an interview posted on his channel with HB's product manager confirming this. Let me try to find a link.... Edit: found it. Around 13 minutes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fl60mJ6iZd1qb6c

[@bluwng]

Relief should be measured in the middle 8-10 fret is closer 9 ideal.

[@minus9us677]

angle of the bridge i usually set so the bent part of the whammy bar is same height all the way around from the body. that bridge appears to be too far backwards. rock it forward and no more issue with low e. and pickups always too darn close for my tastes. always. gna order one this weekend. floyd version

[@kenstogie]

What an awesome video on how to set up a guitar ....makes it so much easier seeing someone else do it and it really doesn’t look that difficult... thanks for the video ...do you happen to have any on a Floyd Rose tremolo set up?

[@addictedtogear]

No I do not. I gave up on Floyd’s a while back! However I do have one on the Vegatrem

[@tomfoolery2082]

Lol , Ur work bench n area looks like an operateing room at the hosptial compared to mine . After aligning the pup screws do u ever need to readjust them . Also do ss frets hav a diff sound or feel . Thx for ur time .

[@addictedtogear]

Glenn Winburn Yes if you readjust the pick up screws sometimes you have to either lower or higher the pick up. Stainless steel frets sometimes sound brighter in my opinion. Thanks for watching!

[@michaelsullivan9342]

Howcome you didn't set the intonation? That was the main reason that lead me to your channel! I bought the Harley Benton Fusion 2 from Thomann around 18 month's ago and it's played pretty nice'ly until now! I main'ly am having problem's with the "B" string, you can really hear it when I'm playing chord's, I'll tune it perfectly to the key of "E", then when I play a "G major" chord or like a "D" major, "A" major "C" major etc it's sounds all out of whack !!! I know a little about intonation but I need to be instructed by someone such as yourself on the proffessional way to do it, can you help a guy out? I would great'ly appreciate it bro! Thanks man! 😉👌

[@bfiume]

This was a really good video for me. When I had 1 or 2 guitars it was easy to do maintenance on them. I would change strings and do the cleaning myself. And take them to a tech guy for everything else. But, now I’m up to 14 (after hanging out with you too much) so I really have to do this work myself now to keep the cost in check. So now I’m thinking I should get a Harley Benton Fusion 2 to practice all this maintenance stuff on.

[@addictedtogear]

Bob F sorry about the 14 guitars...LOL

[@bfiume]

ADDICTED TO GEAR we are like two peas in a pod. An Italian pod at that.

[@jesterraj]

yes i like..... Caribbean viewer here.more set up vids

[@jfmoloney]

Hi Tony. Thanks for the tutorial. Much appreciated. I just received my fusion 2. Notice that the fret crowns are a little rough. Not smooth as glass. Bending strings I can hear and feel resistance and an almost fine sand paper texture. Is this something you noticed on yours or did I just have a bit of bad luck? Cheers

[@addictedtogear]

My frets were fine. You may just need to polish them a little more.

[@robertclarkguitar]

I ordered the T HH fnt and mine is second hand. In the ad the guys pic showed the intonation screw sticking way out he says he fixed it. Do they come loose? On their own? Then again this guy had the strings on wrong on the direction of tuning pegs. He had them outward. Haha. Wish me luck it comes today and all the way across the US. Worried a bit.

[@addictedtogear]

I am not sure but I think they do kind of work their way loose over time. I had one of mine suddenly stick out.

[@greghobbs1728]

This is the second video that I have seen that had that tone pot issue. Interesting, thanks for the video.

[@addictedtogear]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ryanday633]

I've heard of these Harley Benton guitars alot more lately. They must be good quality for a budget guitar. I might have to check them out.

[@craigdawes1533]

I have the TE52 (tele) and the SC550 Paradise (LP) and love them both.

[@NyMets0331]

Love this and all your videos! Thanks!

[@addictedtogear]

Thanks for watching !

[@jamesreaves5534]

Great Video by the way I neglected to mention this in My other posts. I watched the 1st video you made on this Guitar and will be looking forward to the 3rd video with sound samples. If you purchase another Fusion with the Uncovered HAF Roswell Pickups I'd Love your opinion of the Covered LAF's vs the Uncovered HAF's. My favourite Fusion is the Bengal Burst with the Roasted Flame Maple Neck. Thomann's USA Website says this Guitar Has a Flame Maple Top with an Ultra Flame Maple Top. Kris Barocsi posted the video with his Silver Sparkle Fusion with the Satin Nickel Hardware and Flame Maple Binding. Does your Fusion have a Flame Maple Binding? Kris is a Professional Musician/Luthier who works in Thomann's Shop doing repairs and Set ups. I asked Kris in the comments section and He said all Fusions are Veneer Tops. I emailed Thomann about the Bengal Burst with the Roasted Maple Neck and Thomann's response was they have a Maple Top with an Ultra Flame Veneer. I'd really Love to know who's correct. I'm not asking you to buy a Fusion just to let Me know I'm only saying if you do purchase a Roasted Neck Fusion I'd Love to know who's right. Best Wishes!! God Bless You and Your Family!! Jimmy in NC....

[@jesterraj]

Is there any uneven frets??

[@jesterraj]

Does it stay in time when usin the whammy bar like a dive?

[@addictedtogear]

It stays in tune if you set it up properly

[@Furtheronmusic]

I spy iron gear pickup boxes 👍🏻 top pickups. Last year I installed a set on an hss Strat I put together. Excellent. I'm putting together a mahogany bodied t style but I'm using a p90 h/b set up I've bought Iron gear again. Esp if the p90 is good I'm thinking of upgrading my Harley Benton sc450 p90 gt with them too in the future.

[@addictedtogear]

Graham Hunt you can get some great sounding pickups from Iron-gear.

[@ronniebaker4549]

All I did to my XT 22 that was delivered to me in Sept. 2019 was tune it. I had it a month before I changed the strings and put lemon oil on the fretboard. I bought a HB 35 Plus a few weeks ago that a friend bought in December from Thomann and lowered the bridge and adjusted the pickups.

[@necurrence1776]

Can someone please clear this up for me : I've just bought this HB guitar and although it arrived in excellent condition the ebony fretboard looks kind of dry. I only had rosewood so far on my guitars. So I used Dunlop 65 lemon oil. Is this oil suitable for ebony as well or do I need to look at other products? Or this is just the way ebony feels and I only need to get used to it? There's a whole debate on every forum I read but not of it seems like a reliable source.

[@addictedtogear]

Get mineral oil from you local pharmacy and use that. It is safe and cheap!

[@necurrence1776]

@@addictedtogear this makes sense to me. Thank you, I appreciate your help

[@georgeneilson6070]

Thanks good video

[@dericdomino]

the website tells you the radius which is 12

[@vaudronphilippe5415]

Fun ! Mais pense à régler le problème de ton pouce 👍 😅 soit il est derrière le manche ou au dessus et replier ! Y’a pas que la guitare qu’il faut régler ! Le sons c’est d’abord les doigts et l’esprit Amen

[@jesterraj]

Why does the bridge have to follow the radius of the neck?

[@addictedtogear]

It’s not comfortable that way.

[@psour33]

I bought one refund it because of the bridge, bought a second one and now th nut is too high.

[@TheStudedude]

to be fair my strat and g&l strat back plates sit on top of the body, just looks a bit odd that the control cover sits flush though

[@addictedtogear]

I agree with you!

[@UNKUHNOODLES]

Great video!!!! Howzabout a sound sample?!?!??

[@addictedtogear]

UNKUHNOODLES I’m working on a full review video for this guitar and it will include sound samples as well. Stay tuned for that.

[@miguelafonso8746]

Anyone know what would be a good alternative in terms of pickup and other upgrades?

[@addictedtogear]

Jalen guitar pickups! Killer.

[@ptrisonic]

I was hoping you were going to actually play the thing! Best, Pete.

[@addictedtogear]

Check out my shootout between the two Harley Benton guitars for the sound clips

[@sandyturner1911]

Thanks for this. I just got a T style fusion, and it was a mess.

[@bingochoice]

what do you mean by relief ??

[@addictedtogear]

Relief is the amount of bend or space between the bottom of the strings and top of the fretboard.

[@bingochoice]

@@addictedtogear thank you sir

[@jamesreaves5534]

Th Thomann USA Website says the Strings are Brand Name D'Addario Strings. 10-46 Gauge.

[@addictedtogear]

Thanks for that info.

[@jamesreaves5534]

@@addictedtogear I don't know where to Get everything but I do know where to get a lot of stuff. Like the Halon Guitar Parts. If You're looking for something ask Me and I might be able to help You find it. Harris at Halon also sells GMI Luthier Tools in His eBay Store. GMI Luthier Tools are accurate to within 0.0001" inch per foot. Super High Quality. I have some GMI Tools Myself. Be Glad to help You anyway I can. God Bless, Jimmy in NC....

[@minus9us677]

angle of the bridge i usually set so the bent part of the whammy bar is same height all the way around from the body. that bridge appears to be too far backwards. rock it forward and no more issue with low e. and pickups always too darn close for my tastes. always. gna order one this weekend. floyd version