The Harley Benton DC Custom II has a unique "Feature"

[@TheGuitarGeek]

What do you think of the Harley Benton DC Custom II? Worth the money or not? Buy the Harley Benton DC Custom II from Thomann - thmn.to/thoprod/570325?offid=1&affid=288

[@douglaspate9314]

YES!! Well worth the money!

[@GreenyBlues]

Looks like a steal to me. Is it better than your signature DC junior though?

[@TheGuitarGeek]

@@GreenyBlues😂 of course not

[@onbedoeldekut1515]

Adjust those adjustable neck polepieces. Maybe it'll get soupy.

[@stuartcarter7053]

Unbelievable value for money. The problem is that Andy could play any old heap of junk and it would sound decent!

[@SHTMusik]

Harley Benton has made it possible for me to experiment with many different guitar styles without breaking the bank. My friends are a bit snobby but when they play one of my HBs they are always surprised by the quality.

[@hadeseye2297]

I always have a great laugh at people who go for a headstock name. You can literally have few greatly modded guitars in place of one.

[@AFriskyPigeon]

I bought a HB RB612 because Rickenbacker is just... not within my budget. It's not... the best? But for what I paid, I'm kinda blown away.

[@thelolguy007]

That’s a very good point 👏

[@odeo-]

I love how Andy is genuinely happy to see new great affordable guitars. Always fair to every brand, in my opinion. True Guitar Geek

[@kicsisziszi]

SG is my all time fav guitar shape.

[@Addict2FX]

It's crazy to me how inexpensive Harley Bentons are for what you get. I think it's a great bang for buck guitar.

[@NeungView]

A guitar is a block of wood and some metal brackets processed by a machine, and you think $270 is cheap?

[@warrenshalm550]

@@NeungView you can spend that on a nice meal for two in downtown Toronto

[@TheHesseJames]

@@NeungView5,5 h spent at the office in boring meetings and chatting over coffee with colleagues will buy me this guitar. Yes, it’s dirt cheap.

[@derricklevi3005]

They usually need some setting up and their fit and finish is lacking most of the time, but other than that they're awesome. I usually get shapes and models that no other company or only a few offer like the Mosrite copy.

[@Addict2FX]

@derricklevi3005 Nice, I think most people realize at that price they won't be perfect.

[@borisv8766]

Got mine two weeks ago, very happy with it. Seems they changed headstock logo recently. The one in this review, and most others has those 4 rhomboids, while mine has geometrical ornament. The photos on the Thomann site used to show the four rhomboids until three-four days ago, when they changed the stock photos, and now it shows the ornamental logo, same as I got.

[@jeffreyhaitsma8178]

@@borisv8766 I think I like the new logo even better 👌🏼

[@DesertScorpionKSA]

Don't forget the stainless steel frets.

[@philipellulle1072]

Just great!!!

[@Frank-in-NY]

The guitar sounds great! Not bad on weight! Excellent review, good job Andy.

[@MikeLute]

Imagine how lightweight the wood on this DC Custom must be. If the made it as thin as the SG the headstock would keep pointing to the center of the earth. Nice to see HB ist stepping up in quality. Some 7 years ago a nethew had an entry HB DC, which was unplayable and suffered from crappy pickups. I gifted him my Epi LP so he wouldn`t loose any motivation to play.

[@GreenyBlues]

In terms of QC, I’ve had mixed experiences with Thomann guitar purchases. I have a brilliant Harley Benton 12 string electric (Rickenbacker knock-off) that was superb straight out the box, but I also have an Ibanez Gio bass that was shockingly bad and wouldn’t have been fixable for a beginner. I rate Thomann and Harley Benton incredibly highly though - the value for money is insane.

[@JubbLaRacing]

That is Ibanez fault, not Thomann.

[@charlesharper7292]

I've bought 4 within the past two years and all have been inspected.👍

[@11000038]

Mine was inspected. What a joke.

[@franzjanson]

Mine weighs 'only' 3.6kg and I absolutely love it. Intonation is point on and the action is perfect for my taste.

[@tylukov420]

@@franzjanson is yours II-nd generation?

[@franzjanson]

@@tylukov420 Yes, I bought it 3 weeks ago. It has the 'new' headstock like on the Thomann Website.

[@franzjanson]

@@tylukov420 Yes it is. I bought it 3 weeks ago and it has the new headstock design like on the Thomann Website.

[@MaxisBallinonaBudget]

Another testament to how amp and pedals can pretty much make any guitar sing, that bridge pickup sounds fantastic though

[@Doug5524]

24 Medium Jumbo Blacksmith stainless steel frets It sounds great value and a great review thank you

[@Agelos73]

Great video! I can't believe the quality that HB is putting out for the relatively low cost! Beautiful finish as well!

[@randrothify]

I am the same with SG body shape, though I would make an exception for the Guild Polara because it has history and has its own sound. But generally I am a stickler for original SGs only marginally offset horn proportions and shape. Anything more offset just doesn’t look right to me. Still, it sounds great and the price is bang on.

[@bigoldSupaD]

I wish they would make a run of the 43mm with a fatter neck profile for the Sasquatches out there... Sasquatches play guitar too.

[@sun-p6g]

@@bigoldSupaD 😄

[@GRBAquatics]

Very Cool, Thankyou. I was never 'interested' in getting an 'SG' guitar even though being a huge Angus Young, Duane Allman Fan. This was until I purchased a 'Budget' 2011 Epiphone 'SG'. Oh WOW. I soon 'understood' SG's. Such an Awesome Guitar. All the Best. Cheers

[@AVM-Music]

Still using my TE52 vintage and Amarok baritone daily for recording ❤

[@bruiserbrawler8054]

Yes it is! I JUST got a Shell Pink Gotoh Deluxe. Man, do I absolutely LOVE it. THIS Custom is next on my list.

[@SamBrockmann]

One of my favorite guitars is a 6-string Jay Turser SSH Strat style guitar that I bought used from Guitar Center online. It can be noisy if you have too much distortion, but it's solid if you tame it a bit. (Noise gates are great.) My point is, you don't need to spend too much on a guitar. You need good electronics (including the pickup) and a good setup. But it is sometimes more likely that you get better electronics in a more expensive guitar.

[@robertopreatoni]

I bought both HB's finished guitars as well as many DIY kits. The quality is always superb, for the price paid. These Tesla pickups sound great but also the Roswells they used in my HB guitars were really good. I would rate any HB Strat in the range between 200 and 300 euros equal if not better that a Fender Player series.

[@FrazerJones71]

I own a really good quality Epiphone SG but i would not mind owning one of these too, impressive

[@dylano6033]

Love the look of this guitar, really hard to argue with HBs custom lines for the price. Big fan of those Tesla pickups, to my ears they're a huge upgrade over the cheaper pickups. I'd take them over the EMG Retroactives that are in some other "more expensive" HB guitars. Probably gonna pick one of these up when they come back in stock. Would love to see a black finish or maybe even something way more colourful and different.

[@claudiajay8291]

Love Harley Benton guitars . Well worth the $$

[@jutukka]

About those pickups, I bought guite a similar HB SG copy a year ago and it is quite a nice guitar. It has quite nice potwaxed Tesla pickups of which the neck pup is a bit underwound (3.57H/1.51H/7.2kohm/3.53kohm) compared to classic PAF, and bridge pup was a bit overwound (5.17H/2.22H/8.8kohm/4.4kohm). (Values measured in guitar, not separated from guitar.) It would be nice if you could measure those values in addition to sound tests because those values could give some support to those sound observations. And yes, splitting those humbuckers usually cannot give a Stratocaster pickup sound because splitted humbucker has only about 4k DC resistance and does not have that resonance peak of a strat pup. But however, it still can be quite an useful option.

[@MattSwain1]

It’s great that you can still get a guitar as good as this for so little money. I do own an entry level Gibson SG, and the reason I picked it over a LP was to do with weight primarily. This HB guitar is a full kilogram heavier than my SG which is a shame. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but for my preferences it does wipe out one of the advantages of an SG. It wouldn’t however put me off buying a HB in future though

[@drummer4hire12]

Eart hands-down has the very best packing

[@andyseal8134]

Love watching your videos Thank you

[@mr8ty8]

Fun fact. The original first SG"s sound so Raw cause they ran out alnico 2 magnets and out of emergency they used alnico 3 magnets in the pickups. Hence the old originals sound like they do

[@TheMerc1950]

You should also associate SG with Soundgarden!! Kim's signature Guild Polara!!!

[@hampusnilsson6950]

Albatross you say? You cant fake the love in your eyes when you reviewed that one xD

[@SoRadAwesomeStCool]

Would absolutely LOVE one in black if they ever make one.

[@STLLSLW]

So what’s up at 24:06 in that knob?😂

[@mooyahmooyah8440]

I ordered one of the SG style Harley Benton DC-DLX Gotoh Daphne Blue Deluxe guitars in Dec 2022 and the headstock and neck was so badly twisted relative to the body as shown in the pictures I took and sent to their customer service, they refunded money and didn't even want it back. So I agree with his statement that not all of the guitars are checked before being sent out.

[@fusionfan6883]

Yep had similar problems with HB pretending there was nothing wrong with a couple of guitars I sent back for obvious QC problems (and I know what I talking about as I have set up, fret dressed, etc many guitars over the years).

[@JKM395]

I wonder why they made the body so thick. I suppose it might help with the neck dive.

[@BrantYaeger]

What is that Flux capacitor pedal?! I've never seen that before. Great video, love your stuff, Andy!

[@Agelos73]

That would be the time-travel guitar equivalent of the Delorean; 180 bps and your back in time! 😆

[@vintagereezeoz]

@@BrantYaeger Spurr Audio TT Delay

[@armfourteen]

nice SG by HB. I have a viper-50 but I think I like this shape more. If I would have a custom made SG looking shape guitar, it will look like this one.

[@bluesdude1194]

Great review as usual Andy.

[@mickthebandit]

I have 25 guitars, 5 are HARLEY BENTON 😊

[@joermnyc]

I love their Les Paul DC Juniors, and really wish they'd add in the neck pickup for a DC Special as well.

[@douglaspate9314]

I have this very model. I love it. I have the 12/6 double version too

[@douglaspate9314]

It is heavy. My pic guard is perfect. I have bought 6 HBs. Still have 4 and typically I buy B-stock, including my DC Cherry Red. All have come in great condition.

[@thelolguy007]

Holy crap,it’s a thick as a Les Paul 😮

[@steviebrd1065]

A better single coil comparison might have been against a tele rather than a strat, since they're both two pickup non vibrato guitars. Great demo none the less.

[@hadeseye2297]

I'm was never fond of HT-5's dirty channel. And after seeing schematics of it, I knew what my ears caught at the beginning of using it. It's full of ICs. So much for a tube amp. xD

[@MF_Plissken]

you really got me on this one. i always wanted an sg but the prices or the badly made copies just wrecked that idea. this one is 99.5% of gettin it and its YOUR FAULT hahaha. and btw i am in fact a symmetry freak two on the double cut sg guitars^^

[@ickebins6948]

Dayum, that's a chunkster!

[@charlesharper7292]

It's got my interest!

[@PooNinja]

The 12-6 double neck is my jam

[@joshu-x9q]

this channel feels good yo. somehow devoid of the depressive qualities of music shop. idk how u do it :D

[@ant1sokolow]

The lack of 'warmth' in the neck pickup sound comes from the fact it is less afar from the actual bridge than on a 'real'/ordinary SG. The neck is jointed one or two fret lower, more inside the body. You can see the lack of a tenon cover, wich can be see seen between the end of the fingerboard and the neck pickup on a 'real' SG. That makes for a more compact guitar but also make it visually a bit awkward. It's difficult to see why at first.

[@BuckFlicks]

The thinness and low weight would be the only reason I’d ever play an SG. I love the way they sound, but the headstock being several inches further out than I’m used to make it uncomfortable for me to play, sadly.

[@juanjan__]

I am a beginner and a big fan of Harley Benton. My first guitar was (still is) their TE-62 in shell pink but I wanted a second guitar with humbuckers because I thought it would suit what I want to play better (and it does) so I went for their SC-Custom III in Lemon Flame (so their Les Paul instead of the SG here, but with the same pickups and hardware). Neck and Bridge pickups sounded great, but the middle position was awful. It was basically the same sound as the neck. I wondered if it maybe even was only the neck? I messaged their customer service (always great) about this and they said that it was as it should be, so I had to send it back, unfortunately. Pity you didn't talk about this a bit more after you mentioned it once at some point. But yeah, in its place I bought the Squier CV 70's Telecaster Deluxe which is great, although 100 euros more expensive

[@vstags]

Is that a flux capacitor pedal sweet Jesus that’s cool

[@TheGuitarGeek]

It is!!

[@gadnosam9626]

@@TheGuitarGeek What is it and where can I get one, how can I build it! I must know more about it.

[@Zarphag]

Looks like a ​Spurr Audio Time Traveler Delay

[@vstags]

@@Zarphag yup thanks

[@zwerko]

05:36 - This is the first white graphite nut I've ever seen. Harley Benton designers are truly alchemists!

[@zwerko]

@@RaxFx Graph-Tech impregnates its TusQ composites with PTFE, not graphite. Graphite is black, you can't make it white no matter how hard you try. Mind you, PTFE is a better 'lubricant' mix-in than graphite, but it just sounds funny when people call Graph-Tech nuts, or any other white nuts for that matter - graphite. They most certainly are not.

[@retromacman620]

Seems pretty nice for sure. Not in the market for an SG unless I fell in love with one well under 8 pounds, though 😂. My Singlecut is a nice thick boy and I'm thinking it'll stay with me a long time, other than that I think I'm more for the Strat/tele weight. That price, though... appreciate your reviews ❤

[@melvoid01]

Thomann do have a Plek machine maybe they ran it thru that, if not then it's very well setup.

[@SymbolicSplenetic]

It's less of a SG and more of a Viper. ^ I typed that before I heard you say pretty much the same thing haha.

[@yanagida_01]

the thickness reminds me of the ESP/LTD Viper! the offset horns too, but the cuts doesn't seem to be offset like on the Viper.

[@onefatstratcat]

If it wasn't for the outrageous shipping cost to the states I'd buy a few

[@gringogreen4719]

This is more like a Ltd Viper. I have a Viper 400 and this is much closer to that (while a Viper has horns, its more of a Les Paul (heft) meets a Jaguar (it's actually an Offset) and they are fun to play. Lars Friedricksen from Rancid and Vinny Stigma from Agnostic Front play Vipers.

[@rudolphvanthoff1391]

I love a chunky body…. But I will stick with what I have… good review!

[@taz4965]

I bought the original. Said it was b stock but I can’t find the reason it would be? £179, but 18 months go. It’s much thinner but main difference is the roswell pickups, they’re fine but not as good as the ones on that one you have. Still great though! I also got the sc Gotoh, that is fantastic! Wanted to get the DC but all gone!

[@amaj7313]

Harley Benton have some great designs. Where do they get the inspiration from!

[@NeungView]

Well, the ST-182+ disappeared without a trace.

[@Robstafarian]

Blackstar's dirty channels are built-in distortion pedals (They also use solid-state phase inverters.).

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Which forums are you reading? There is op Amp circuitry In the tube amps of Blackstar As there is in Mesa boogies or Marshalls. I don’t understand why people call out Blackstar for this when many Amp builders are using this technology

[@Robstafarian]

@@TheGuitarGeek An op amp existing somewhere in a tube amp is extremely different from what Blackstar has done for more than a decade. With respect, just looking at the number of preamp tubes in benchmark amps from various eras will illustrate that Blackstar's amps do not have enough preamp tubes to get their distortion from preamp tubes alone. The solid-state phase inverter is at least as significant, however, as the phase inverter tube is responsible for most of the distortion from cranking a power amp (e.g. the phase inverter tube is the first tube to distort in a Marshall Plexi). I invented an electric-guitar circuit 13 years ago, at which point I began researching how pickups, pedals, amps, speakers, and their connecting cables function because a change that early in the signal chain affects everything downstream. That knowledge is why I have commented that pickups should not be measured from the end of a guitar cable. I mean no disrespect or self aggrandizement; I mean to help, as I dislike that the knowledge I have gained is so uncommon. I plan finally to launch my KZbin show next year, due to housing issues, with which I will teach how electric-guitar gear works from a user perspective such that customers can shop more wisely and artists can more easily make the art they choose.

[@TheGuitarGeek]

@@Robstafarian I look forward to your show and learning something

[@heathenwarrior2522]

I would love to get my hands on one of these and do a Fool SG paint job on it. I do artwork on guitars.

[@mattcarnevali]

Now I'm interested in thick SG guitars. Are there any other brands that do SG styling with thicker bodies like this?

[@vietnow4770]

Do you know if the maker ships to Iztapalapa?

[@ogrefyregaming]

Really neat. Only wish would be a darker fretboard on it. That color sticks out too much

[@wardy2783]

hi man I got this guitar a few weeks back and the one I received has a very dark brown fretboard not light like this dudes also mine has a different pattern on the headstock more tribal looking...maybe contact thomman to see if they all are being sent out like this as I have noticed others saying they have the new headstock version also so they may all come with a darker fretboard with the different headstock version...they have recently updated the photos on the website as the headstock was like this dudes....I thought I was the only one in the world who had this version of this guitar until I read others saying they got the same as me lol......very good guitar tho...cheers

[@jensenhealey08]

Side mount jack is why it's thick.

[@joermnyc]

There was at least one year (2015) where Gibson moved the jack to the side of the SG (and Firebird) using one of those long threaded jacks to avoid making the sides chunky. Traditionalists revolted, and the jacks moved back up to the top in 2016.

[@jensenhealey08]

I don't recall that. Gibson, a company unable to innovate because of its tradition. I am sure the changes to this guitar are to keep Thomann USA out of range of Gibson's lawyers.

[@ulyssestyler9685]

@@jensenhealey08 I have an sg with a side jack and it's not that thick at all

[@philgallagher1]

Andy.... Is it thick? I can't tell and I'm not sure if you mentioned it!

[@AVM-Music]

The sound was upsetting my ears Sounded out on the third and fourth I can’t get on with SG’s (strange considering I used to lust after them as a yoof) but Harley Benton are fairly consistent with their guitars…minus the odd setup issue. Actually looking forward to using them live outside of jam and rehearsal

[@andersg9451]

Thanks for using metric! :)

[@Kestrel-zc1du]

beautifull

[@sun-p6g]

The business side of it is similar to the motor industry. Once we buy one we have to spend money on them and the retailers and luthiers will supply us. Every guitar sold is going to make more money. Like mobile phones, we can buy them at a low cost, but we have to pay more to use them.

[@johnmonaghan1261]

I love my HB's BUT.... I hate that orange jatoba. Thomann, if you're reading this, GO BACK TO DARKER FRETBOARDS. I stained an SC-550ii fretboard. I tried ink, various types of stain. Ultimately landed on a MinWax ebony pen. Still took a few days' worth of coats.

[@Trashslayer76]

Nice guitar! And you should wear a shirt when filming B-roll when it has chrome/nickel hardware😉🤣

[@MrMont-ue8kh]

Thanks Andy! Looks beautiful. Sounds good, although the coil split didn't sound all that different, aside from the drop in volume. Frankly it sounded more like coil-tapping (still humbucking but with fewer coils). I did check the Thomann website, it does say coil-tap. And is it my imagination or is the high e string fretting out and not sustaining? Was the extra solder on the push pull pot supposed to be for a ground connection, I wonder?

[@judih.8754]

Great review Andy! How does it compare with the ESP? Would you choose this over one?

[@quickwashtheraccoon7601]

Aloha, I like the fat body and there is no neck-dive. I wish they would slim the headstock. A flying V headstock would be great. But the big G is there. A smarter headstock design would be great. Perhaps harley benton can try what Fender did with there parallel universe. Umbasa

[@GazWJ205]

Sounds great, but I play an SG (epiphone std) because its light and comfortable compared to a les paul. Why make it that thick and heavy?!

[@TheRafared]

Don't think I will buy another HB to be honest. I have a couple, one was excellent out of the box, the other had several issues which needed attention. The shape of that copy looks "off" to me but that's a personal thing I suppose.

[@Intheflesh79]

Andy that's a Mandela effect I swear the SG used to be symmetrical as well

[@kamrankawishbilal6891]

I had this guitar quite a while ago, it was my first HB and I was really surprised at the guitar I got for what I paid. I am planning to swap out the pickups , I have a set of 490R/T and SD Jazz series, I wonder which. ones should I use

[@laurencehastings7473]

Why didn't you lower that bridge to see if there was fret buzz or any other issues?

[@PaulCooksStuff]

A "checked by" tag isnt necessarily any reassurance anyway. My one HB (checked by 758 👋) was comical - tailpiece decked and strings visibly bent over the back edge of the bridge. A few minutes doing a sane setup and its mind boggling value and I'm a happy bunny. Though I'm not sure 758's guide dog knows what to check on a guitar. Other creators seem to get pot luck even on arranged reviews, so I'd put my 1c bet on yours being representatively random rather than cherry picked and prepped. Shielding paint is pennies. Thats such a weird corner to cut, especially when theyve taken the time to overlap the lip to contact the shielding tape on the cover. Strange and mystifying, but not completely surprising.

[@DeuceSchnozzle]

"Damn, boy! He's thick!" Good review as always, thanks!

[@Fawkes1978]

I do not think the Harley Benton is too thick. It is just a couple millimeters thicker than a Strat or a Tele. Gibson SGs are too thin, though...

[@ralphhathaway-coley5460]

Humm, does the coil split make the SG also stand for Surf Guitar? 😉

[@snörre23]

A SG that is thick and heavy ?

[@Robstafarian]

Again, measuring pickups through a cable does not measure the pickups: it measures the cable, the jack (relevant only if the soldering is bad), the controls as they are currently set, and the pickups.

[@nowhearthis5067]

Is it in vogue to sneer at good deals comparing them to other guitars at +10x outrageous pricing?

[@spokes28]

The body needs to be thicker than a regular SG to accommodate the p/p pot. That fret board color though is just horrible.

[@PerpetuallyTiredMusician]

Eh there is plenty of "short" push pull potentiometers out there that you can find in cheap brands and in Epi and Gibson and those pots aren't more expensive. My guess it's either a CnC convenience thing or a lawsuit precaution. My money is on streamlining the CnC production so models dont matter as much. Peace

[@TrueMeHow]

they switched pickguard into pickeeper 😊

[@newtonb1426]

Do you only work for HarleyBenton?

[@Mark_Ocain]

Yeah, too much wood and not enough knobs for me...decent sounding though. Good value and a very capable entry-level instrument.

[@warthogA10]

.. other words which start with the letter R Robust.. (for the thickness) Raw.. (for rhe sound) Remarkably odd looking top horn.. and finally.. Reasonably priced.

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Thank you!! Let me grab a pen

[@tyreguy61]

Well....the most significant spec of an sg is its thin body and the lightweight overall....so they failed...just my 2C

[@bigtguitars7312]

Come on Andrew you can’t Fat shame a SG you’re better than that

[@RalphBaretta-k7s]

Thickness is important