The Best Guitar Under £300 You Can Buy - Harley Benton SC-550 II Deluxe

[@DanielBobke]

I bought an HB from Thomann and it made it to my home in California in 4 days for $70 shipping from Thomann. No complaints.

[@patrickdufresne8485]

Buy two and the shipping is the same.

[@starmorpheus]

@@patrickdufresne8485 In that case you didn't save $70, you spent $200. Better to just pay for the guitar you want.

[@robbive]

@@patrickdufresne8485this is what i did with my homie

[@marcohermans3207]

It always amazes me when you review a guitar. No fancy speed licks but your phrasing and tasteful licks are awesome and it sounds phenomenal even on youtube. These days there's a lot to choose from for the working musician who has a family and doesn't have custom shop money. I was a decal snob myself in the oast but the excellent products that are made these days in the far east changed my mind completely. If it plays good, sounds good, feels good, looks good and you've become inspired to practice more then mission accomplished!

[@TheStudioRats]

Cheers much appreciated

[@zz-.-]

Totally agree. At this point I’m buying guitars for the design, the feel, the look, and the rarity. The sound is a given at this point, most guitars sound good enough to play, you know what you’re getting in terms of sound and with high end instruments they all sound great.

[@extremex8511]

Hi,greetings from Sittingbourne.Amazing guitar for the price and nice playing.Would I buy one-yes!

[@dennyclosser8456]

It’s good of you to do this. I have three Harley Benton‘s. Also I have an American Les Paul which I love. Mine is almost 10 pounds about 25 years old. Do I love the way it sounds yes I do, I also have an American telecaster. Which is quite heavy also and I am 66 now so digging all night with a heavy Guitar can wear on my shoulder. I bought one of the Harley Benton T style guitars a couple years back and I love that thing I play it way more than my American telecaster. Just as you say, these are not going to replace our American guitars, but some can be just as much fun sound every bit as good, if not better than some very high priced Guitars out there. Always appreciate your videos

[@unkleian]

I have the HB SC-450plus Lemon Drop...and it is simply awesome - quality, feel, tone....

[@MAX96MENDES]

Fantastic ! Congrats. I also got one too :) Mine sounds as good as a Gibson LesPaul, and only paid 185 euros!

[@rickhammel9541]

great video, the best way to compare guitars is the way you did it, back and forth with no breaks so you can really compare immediately. Well done!! I have a few Harley Benton's, and they've all been great

[@Lola_Santoro]

I'm a guitar mod junkie. Half of my electric guitars have some kind of modification - either because I bought it with problems for a low price and fixed them, or because I just wanted some upgrades. My first Harley Benton was that SC-550 II in red. I had purchased a set of Russian made humbuckers but didn't have something I wanted to put them in. So, a B-Stock 550 II cost me less than $200 to ship from Germany. I replaced the pups and fixed the fret sprout, plus a full set up. OH MAN! Super hot guitar. It started my obsession with Harley Benton. I now have 6 Harley Bentons. The Fusions are phenomenal guitars right out of the box. I did put a Dimarzio Super 3 in one of them, but they are perfectly made. I'm now selling my Music Man Cutlass (and it's going on ebay for about $1000 more than I paid), selling one of my Fender American Strats, and will sell at least one Sterling by MM Cutlass because these HBs are really great guitars for the prices.

[@richedwards9646]

I appreciate your total honesty - well done The biggest factor as to how an electric guitar sounds is the amp and effects used - at the end of the day both guitars have a block of wood with strings vibrating over magnets with copper wire wrapped around them .😊

[@JorgeCanela]

Bought one for a friend's daughter. Exact same model. We thought it better to ship it to my house so I could do a setup, string change, blah, blah, blah. It came perfect from Thomann: perfectly setup action and intonation. 255€ at the time. At that friends birthday party we played a bit (I brought my Pacifica 812, he had his SC-550 and another friend brought a Gibson Les Paul Studio) and came to the conclusion that the HB was leagues ahead of the Studio, which cost something like 900€. It played better, sounded better and was better setup from factory (evident from the fact I had to correct the guitar's intonation there, a few months after purchase). You can spend as much as you want on a guitar, it's your choice. But you don't need to spend over 2000€, if you want a world class instrument. And in the 200-500€ range there are a lot of great guitars out there. I personally prefer to buy a nice 500€ guitar and then replace whatever hardware I feel it needs (PU's, pots, nut, tuners). I end up spending 1000€ total and getting a guitar that's better than most over 2000€ guitars.

[@__Anton__]

Great review. I've ordered the SC 550 ii using your affilliate link. Can't wait for it to arrive.

[@jamiebriggs8277]

Love it. Nice comparison. As far as shipping, any time I buy an HB, I find a friend who wants one too, and we get two for the shipping price of 1.

[@johnoakleymusic]

Absolutely amazing! Almost Sod all difference in the sound! I am gobsmacked. The silver burst looks ace on Thomanns website. Soo tempted by this now. Silly value!!!❤ Great playing and demo as always.

[@vincentl.9469]

cheap labour, low overheads...low mark up

[@wadekresak2149]

I purchased a Telecaster copy from Harley Benton three years ago. Best guitar, bang for the buck. $76 US Yes, the shipping was eye opening, yet the shipment arrived in four days. As with every guitar, I personalized it. After my own fretwork, a bridge pickup replacement, and some brass saddles, this instrument is amazing, and nobody has tried to steal it! 😂

[@pmaudioproduction]

I have 1 Fender Strat and 1 Epiphone the rest are HB's and in a live mix.... you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference, and the wife dont get mad when i drop a couple hundred on a new guitar....ps love the channel!!

[@martinlahaie6012]

On stage you will never see a difference.Ever. At home with a good amp yes. From me...the difference is in the feel...

[@hardlines2635]

I have a Fender telecaster, my other six guitars are either Epiphone or Squire, I have a gold Squire Anniversary strat that I would put up against any other Strat.

[@vincentl.9469]

@@martinlahaie6012 the mark up must be low on these guitars...and I wonder where they are made ??

[@martinlahaie6012]

@@vincentl.9469 China?

[@Pensionaru27]

I was a LP hater many years. Then I bought this guitar, the Gotoh version and I can't stop playing it. Is my favourite guitar

[@longi625]

😲The two guitars sound almost identical! Wow!

[@hardlines2635]

Lots of snobs on here, the type of guy’s that say things like, You bought a Porsche Boxter because you can’t afford a 911. I paid £350 for an Anniversary Squire Strat and it’s one of the best guitars I’ve ever owned, I’ve got Fenders and Epiphone,

[@paulmckeown5672]

I've been HB curious for some time. Lot's of good reviews from KZbinrs I follow, so after viewing this video I bought one (without the gold bling which IMHO always looks tacky). I was amazed at how much of a Les Paul you got for just £249 plus free shipping. This is easily as good as my two Gibson Les Paul standards and lighter! I would recommend every guitarist buys one for their stable. I will say one thing that people might see as a negative, it has a thin neck, which I love, so if you like a baseball bat type of neck, you probably wont like it. I think I'm going to sell at least one of my Gibson LPs and I'll definitely look at replacing some of my other guitars with HP versions. I can't really get over how good this guitar is for only £249!

[@johnrenshaw7684]

Hi, I enjoyed your honest presentation. I bought my Harley Benton SC550ii PAF about 2 years ago and it is a great guitar, but I am interested in how you get yours to sound so good. Would you mind telling me what amp. you are using, pedals etc.,because I cannot match the great sound of yours. I am 73 years old and have owned in the past several Gibson Les Paul's including a 1950's "fretless wonder" in cherry sunburst, I had no idea how rare this guitar was when I sold it for £1,000 in 1992. It's easy in hindsight but I sold all my great guitars for not a lot of money. My Harley Benton is still available from Thomann for €299 which today at €1.19 / £ is £251 + p&p, a bargain!!...but I wish I had been able to keep my old Gibsons, the early ones were fantastic. Great video, kind regards,John.

[@milankotevski1663]

I own the first gen of Harley Benton SC550ii PAF, the one with Mahagony body, and I have no problem getting those classical Les Paul tones.

[@grazztube]

I love mine, cheapest guitar I've ever bought, and its a joy to play

[@Ultra7165]

Shows how much Gibsons are over priced.

[@martinlahaie6012]

Yes they are... Like a BMW and Mercedes. I have one...had many Epiphone. Epi are effin great. Gibson are on too of the food chain Are they perfect ? No way...but like a Harley Davidson imperfect machines but god ohh god...this is it.

[@wordofmouth7679]

By 5.3x according to Gibson themselves - don’t buy.

[@mrt7476]

They may well be. But Gibson’s workforce is probably paid a lot more fairly, and work in better conditions etc than HB’s labourers….

[@sixsledges5474]

@@martinlahaie6012you are comparing an extremely complex mechanical machine with literal pieces of wood, glue and screws

[@Timtime67]

When you pay your employees 30 dollars an hour you have no choice.

[@WolfgangPerkuhn-k5f]

My Harley Benton SC-Custom II Paradise also fantastic. Only the Satin Neck and the higher Output of the Pickups makes the different to the sc 550 II

[@AllanGildea]

What a demo! Super player - and what an accolade to Harley Benton!

[@atticushexcel9567]

Dude I've said it before, but you guys can play. I can't wait to hear each post. I really try to use your playing to develop my own. Such amazing riffs every show.

[@TheStudioRats]

Awesome, thank you! comments like that are few and far between so thanks!

[@matthewlewis281]

man if I closed my eyes I would be hard pressed to hear the difference. but I'm sure there is a feel difference between the 2. sounds like the Harvey Benton could easily get you through. Love the video

[@zz-.-]

Yes, eyes and ears closed, what’s the differences in how they play?

[@dasczwo]

so i got the 550IIftf to see if i was a les paul player after longtime on doitall stratish guitars. it clicked. came across a maybach lester with 58 big neck used. it blew all the cs gibbys from the wall. The amber pups? the neck is just gold. it also blows the benton away. hanging there....but noones buying... but the stainless steel frets are really great. very tapping friendly. wish they had biggerones on the maybach.

[@em001868]

Very nice comparison. I have done exactly the same myself. I bought the SC-550 II Deluxe myself a couple of years ago and have compared it to my 1996 Les Paul Standard burst many times over. In your comparison I can hear that the HB is just a tad muddier because of the Tesla pickups. This is something I detected as well with my setup. I have since swapped out the pickups in the HB to Gibson Classic 57's (uncovered) and man what a difference. Unfortunately the Tesla's don't do it for me and have had them up for sale for quite some time now for $50 CDN and it seems that nobody else is looking for these either as I still have them. All this to say, I can feel the difference in the LP vs. the HB where the quality is bar none better with the LP. However, as you have unequivocally stated, the HB is the deal of the century because that is what comes with me as my backup guitar on every gig because I simply don't care what happens to it.

[@milankotevski1663]

Tesla Opus 1 are amazing pickups. No need to waste money on aftermarket pickups.

[@ronniboi312]

100% agree, I bought the SC-550 plus about 2 years ago and was astonished at how good it is and I also am happy to rock it live especially Outdoor/dodgy venues where security is poor and I don't want to take my 88 LesPaul custom cherry sunburst and I also greatly appreciate the difference in weight. I also thought the Tesla's weren't as bright as my Gibson pups, but they're OK for gigging, I was going to mod it, but in the end I didn't feel it was necessary because it plays so well. Of course there's a difference and if you can't tell then you shouldn't be buying a Gibson at all, but I love the HB and I like playing it The Cork sniffers don't know what they're missing..!!!

[@johnphillips752]

I bought an HB Fusion T style guitar about 3 years ago. I had a couple of small issues, but I bought it to mod, anyways. The other reason was the steel frets. It met my specs and has an excellent maintenance free neck. It's my daily driver and strings seem to last a longer time. I'm thinking this HP LP might be my next. Thanks for the review.

[@grahamroden8897]

It would be interesting to have the Epiphone Les Paul Standard in between. Through headphones I can barely hear the difference, in a live setting I think it would be impossible to. I suppose the reason to buy the Gibson is because it is a dream guitar. As a gigger I’d use the HB

[@the.communist]

Not sure about the sounds but im certain the epiphone will play worse.

[@steviesynapse]

Hi Paul, really interesting video and great playing as always. I own an SC-550 ll that was modded by my good pal Alan Dingwall with a set of his custom made ‘Greeny’ pickups and it sounds sensational and plays beautifully. I own 6 Harley Benton’s and have owned another 6, IMO the SC-550 ll and the Fusion lll are the best of the HB’s that I’ve tried so far. However, on the flip side I recently bought a HB ST Modern Plus and had to return it due to appalling fretwork (multiple high frets) and a number of other significant QC issues. It should not have got out of the factory! QC still definitely seems to be an issue for HB, it looks like they have shifted a lot of production to China from Indonesia. I’m hoping the poor quality of the ST Modern’s isn’t a symptom of the changes in their production.

[@TheStudioRats]

Cheers for the info Steve, I’ll keep my eye out at the st modern.

[@OliverAmberg]

The world needs more HB reviews and comparisons to Gibson (witch generates Clicks) ... And I usually enjoy your channel very much.

[@petergedd9330]

I bought a genuine Gibson LP for £2200 and it came with flat top frets (not crowned) I couldn't believe it!! Still have it, its my only LP but I crowned it myself with some really good crowning tools. It plays and sounds like it should, and smells great, but I will never know why it came without proper crowning. I own a HB LP model which is ok but the frets were sharp on the outside fretboard (fret sprout) and it does not have nearly the sustain of the LP, but only cost £140...say no more. This model looks good enough to eat, I want one. Thanks Paul, your demos always get my mouth watering. Paul I seriously am thinking about getting this beauty, toss up between the Tele cos that sounds and looks good too.

[@TheStudioRats]

Both great the tele is a winner

[@PaoloRS1]

You were unlucky. Gibson plek their guitars. You prob should have returned it but it's great you are happy with it.

[@petergedd9330]

@@PaoloRS1 I know should have returned it really, but I waited a long time for it, didn't want to go through all the process again, its ok now though, but next fret job will have to be a replacement.

[@petergedd9330]

@@TheStudioRats Cheers Paul.

[@picksalot1]

The HB sounded pretty close to the LP. The LP is a bit brighter. If you wanted to brighten up a pickup on the HB, switching the Pot to a higher resistance could change that for about $10.

[@TheStudioRats]

Yep but that only works if you turn the pot down.

[@picksalot1]

@@TheStudioRats According to Perplexity AI regarding a 500k Pot: "However, the potentiometer's resistance is always active, regardless of its position." "Minimum Resistance: Even at the lowest setting, there is still some resistance present, though it's much lower than 500K." Be that as it may, testing is the best way to actually determine if it's worthwhile to switch the Pot. For those that don't know, the Resistance on a Pot can vary considerably from the Spec on the Pot. I was looking for a Pot with higher resistance than 500K, so I took my Voltmeter to a local guitar store that sells Pots, and was able to find a 565K Pot that was "Marked 500K". Capacitors are also an important in the tone performance of a Pot.

[@luca4352]

​@@TheStudioRatsAs Picksalot1 already desrcribed: The resistance of the volume pot influences the tone of the guitar even when fully open. On max. setting a 250k, a 500k and a 1Meg will sound very different, and this is not subtle. It can make a huge difference in brightness. 250k being the darkest, 1 Meg being the most open/brightest sounding. I suggest to try it yourself, it's often an overlooked feature of the guitar, but really powerful.

[@gearViewmirror]

@@TheStudioRats Add some decent caps and a treble bleed! The wiring is mostly holding these back....🎸🤘🏼🎸

[@MrPeterbennett]

Two of my friends bought HB guitars. Within 3 weeks they were playing their Gibsons at gigs once more. Says it all to me

[@arthurkarlsson5585]

I bought a HB same model, it's fecking brilliant. It's a bargain it plays and sounds brilliantly.

[@sEaNoYeAh]

I've really enjoyed your journey from avowed guitar snob to now. Full credit for being open minded and continuing to explore what's out there. I will still spend about £1000 for specifically made in Japan stuff I like, but otherwise I'm kinda done with very expensive guitars. I got a pair of Vintage V100s recently and while one of them has a couple minor flaws in the finish, a pair of scratchy frets, it was £399 new and sounds and feels fantastic. I legitimately, sincerely, do not feel the need for a real Gibson. My stepfather has had a few USA Gibsons and I'd genuinely take my V100 Lemon Drop over any of them. And perhaps fittingly his best "real" Les Paul is actually the made in China Epiphone Greeny. I've read those can vary for QC, but his one is completely flawless and better than any USA Les Paul he's had. Harley Bentons always used to be typically really well made but let down by the pickups, which didn't bother me because I tend to replace pickups to taste anyway and they still constituted a good value mod platform. These days some Harley Bentons sound quite good. I think Vintage as a brand does much better *sounding* budget guitars with all their Wilkinson hardware, but Harley Bentons are fantastic, really enjoy mine.

[@BlackRose-vi2yg]

I think a big part of paying for a Les Paul is exactly that: having a Les Paul. 🤘🤘

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

They sound like nothing else when overdriven trust me!

[@TheRange7]

I never bought this model, but I did buy a bunch of HB's about 7 or 8 years ago. The good ones are great with just a little TLC and the bad ones are give away bad. Even giving them to someone for nothing I felt guilty. That was a long time ago though.

[@revtimewest]

You can get a bad gibson as well. I think the difference is quality control. Less bad gibsons.

[@floatinganarchychannel3204]

Thanks for the review, what about epiphone??

[@damianoneil1078]

I am a deeply mediocre bits and pieces guitarist, and I have two electric guitars: a CS Les Paul 58, and a CS Strat 59. I can play them both as well/badly as I could a Harley Benton. But they both bring me great joy to behold, handle, smell, play and reflect upon, and it’s for these reasons I spent what is for me, a very large sum. I would take these guitars over any Harley Benton at any price, and if you were able, so would you.

[@dan_kay]

So, you believe people don't buy overpriced and overrated products because they can't afford them? Interesting view...

[@colinohare]

Hard to hear a sound difference between the two. The Guitar looks awesome, love the colour and the Gold Hardware. Such a buzz about HB guitars that I awaiting a delivery in the next few day of a HB CST HB tree of life. Looks incredible for the price and looking forward to getting it. I enjoyed your review.

[@thecreativeguitarlounge]

Both lovely guitars - I actually prefer the HB finish I must admit. I bought a Harley Benton HB35plus a couple of years ago and absolutely love it. I play it and love it as much as my 98 Gibson Les Paul and my 93 Fender Strat. I recently bought an HB jazz bass and its great too.

[@APHS-B]

At last. A non-syndromic review ("entry-level guitar", and the like). Signed-up.

[@koolkutz7]

Great demo and comparison. They both sounded excellent to me. Is the Gibson 10x better? I am not convinced. Only time would tell if the HB is still reliable and playable after so many years. I just bought the new Harley Benton ST Modern (the budget one for £168-October 2024) and so far I am very impressed. Such good value for money; roasted maple neck, compound radius fretboard, graphite nut & locking tuners - insane! I would be happy to play live with it too as I don't care about brand snobbery. As long as it stays in tune and feels good to play on stage I will be confident it won't let me down 🙂

[@akwamarsunzal]

Great comparison video! I have a Cort LP and bought it over the Gibson I was looking to buy simply because it had better feel, finish and, to me the Gibson tone but with "more".

[@samsbudgetguitars830]

I got the harley benton sc 550. 2 silver burst last Xmas and it,s freaking awesome 🤘🇬🇧👍

[@allanflippin2453]

Paul, Thanks for this well done comparison. I really appreciate the extra care in playing identical riffs with identical matching gear and also extra editing effort so we can hear the two guitars side-by-side without delay. Yes, the Harley Benton is an incredible value and quite a good guitar! It's only depressing considering the money I've spent on my gear :D I don't usually hear much difference in these comparisons, but I got my headphones out and gave it a try. The only difference I could hear was the Gibson had a tiny bit more clarity in the treble. This goes to show that HB are continuing to improve their pickup line.

[@TheStudioRats]

Cheers Alllan much appreciated

[@ronniboi312]

Yeah, I have to agree with you, The neck pup in particular has a little more definition, but the price differential is staggering. I bought an SC-550 ll with the Tesla Pups a couple of years ago and it's an astonishingly good guitar and I've got Gibsons hanging on the wall too.

[@ph6376]

As for shipping to the USA, I bought a Sire T7 from Thomann about year ago and it wasn't bad at all. Maybe about $80 bucks.

[@michaellandreth1392]

I hear Mc Donalds is coming out with their "Murphy Lab" inspired Big Mac. The Steve Lab Big Mac same as a regular BM. But since Steve was in charge of its preparation it's 250 U.S Dollars. Fries and drink extra. For an extra $ 35 you can get him to sign* the box it comes in. * A Stamp may be used if Steve is on his Cell*

[@ronsiegel1084]

To my unprofessional ear, I can’t tell the difference and aesthetically I prefer the HB.

[@Guitar_Fella]

I have the HB SC-550 II De-luxe, so was interested to see how it fares with a Gibson Les Paul in comparison. The fact that the said Les Paul is a Murphy Labs '59 and is 26...yes 26 times the price (!) the sounds were quite similar. I actually preferred the '59 LP, but not by a ratio of 26 times!!! I accept that the Gibson is a piece of guitar history, and will never depreciate in value, but after all, it is the sound not the aesthetics or the label of the instrument that is most important.

[@steveperks59]

It's bonkers. I have the HB PRS 'inspired' model and with minor upgrades like nut and locking tuner, it plays and sounds better than any guitar I've ever owned since 1976. Things have come a long way. Would I like to own a '59 Gibson Les Paul? Of course I would. Would I like a 7 series BMW? Of course I would, but I'll stick with my Skoda Superb!

[@johnwebb2562]

"Bravo" Paul . Thank you so much for your honest opinion about Gibson vs HB. As a woodworking professional I have known these factors for a few years , but few in the guitar community decline to admit. Maranti is believed to be part of the Meliaceae. Anyway I could easily 9:20 take my HB to gig with , not so for the Murphy Lab 🧪. Don't want to end up like Peter Frampton being separated from My 🪓 Axe. Thanks 👍 Best regards. Hans Thomman will be happy, credit to such a pioneer of the Guitar.

[@alvaroruizruiz7538]

Maybe try to raise the neck pickup on the murphy so you like it better, it seems higher on the benton... But yeah those 550s are amazing bargains. Got one, thought it wasn't that nice, then I started recording with it... Blows every other humbucker guitar I have

[@Alex_Martz]

Which amp or capture are you using here?, it sounds amazing

[@TheStudioRats]

This was the Soldano SLO capture

[@Alex_Martz]

@@TheStudioRats Thanks!

[@bushcry1]

Awesome video! Remind us that there are guitars just as good as Fender's or Gibson's that can be less than 300 dollars or pounds!

[@douglaspate9314]

I have bought 6 HBs over time and they are GREAT!! I also have more high level brands too (no Gibson's yet)

[@jamiemonkey1362]

I bought a HB Fusion 3 the other month and its all i play now. My 30 year old Les Paul custom ( My go to guitar) has become redundant since. It just hangs on the wall now looking old and pretty 😂

[@miernicky]

Thank you for comparison. I have many guitar inclouded this H-B. But your sound is much more better than my. I use Tonex, so i have many options.. what is your secret about setting sound 😅? I would highly appreciate if you answer!

[@froblivion8284]

I have a great Les Paul custom - will never part with it but very impressed with the HB you bought - amazing bang for the buck. Looks great too👍

[@101death9]

I have one of these and it plays like absolute butter, only thing i don't really like is the pots, but that's a cheap upgrade.

[@surfdigby]

I wonder what would happen if you installed the same Gibson pickups and pots in the Harley Benton? It would really show how much influence the wood has.

[@onlyguitar6521]

On 4:57 the HB sounds like you put a blanket on top of the speaker, why is that? was there any difference in the settings?

[@voodoogcarlos4393]

Niceee...great comparison. Keep it up brother

[@TippitoWOW]

I have one of these guitar, I have no regrets !! is a fucking great guitar !!

[@fritsvanzanten3573]

I saw that flowing un-cluncky contour for the first time on Aria Pro II 'single cut's from the 80s

[@GearSafari]

Great review again Paul. 🎸👍🏻

[@liedgitarrist]

The Gibson has more clarity. But I think if you change the Pickups of the HB you will get very close.

[@tonedowne]

I’m in Australia and the shipping costs the same as the guitar. So no HBs down here.

[@KesterRymaruk-l8u]

I own 2 Telecasters one, is '73 and the other'74. The difference in playability between these and new USA Telecasters is massive. They are almost different instruments. The early 70's guitars almost play themselves, they ooze quality. You don't get this in a new Tele. I would love to hear from you if you agree/disagree. Thanks

[@dananthony6258]

Cool guitar thanks for sharing.

[@TheStudioRats]

You bet!

[@Adventuresingearland]

Given the two price points, the law of diminishing returns really comes into focus here doesn't it! The difference in tone on a function gig would be minimal. The difference in repair cost on a function gig would be a decent holiday!

[@SisterRose]

What colour is the HB? It's beautiful

[@TheStudioRats]

Hi Sister Rose, if you go to the description, there’s a link and and you can see all about it. Hope that helps.

[@jeanaimarre]

It costs less to have fun and several times with Harley Benton than with Gibson which is ruining our bank account ;) thank you for your video

[@Dreamdancer11]

A guitar that costs a couple of hundred differs from another costing several thousands usually differ at three key places....Nut,tuners,frets/fretwork....usually the cheap models have crappy zinc tuners,plastic soft nuts and not very detailed fretwork along with usually quite soft frets that dent easily....this guitar has actually better frets(slicker bending and vibrato with the SS ones) than the les paul,decent nut and even if the tuners are subpar thats a super easy swap......

[@bettermanxx]

As your well aware of guitarists of a certain age are full of it me included just had thatPCB replaced IN MY 2010 les standard great job sounds great you know like it did before?it has a clear smoked back plate because I can see polyester covered wires my dumb brain won’t allow me to settle on it so of course I’ve purchased a new circuit because we all know cloth covered wire sounds far more tone full right lads and lasses ?? Than poly ! Well am at it new pickups Gucci PAFs and you guessed it bridge stop tailpiece posts and the rest I know in my heart it really ain’t gonna sound much better ,as this vid shows not a lot in it

[@charlesharper7292]

Yhe QC on upper end Harley Benton guitars are making it more difficult to shop other brands. Four out of eleven of my guitars are HBs. None had any issues.

[@This_is_fine2024]

2/4 of mine are from HB. The other is my gig acoustic a red label from Yamaha. Along with my grandpa's 59 fender.

[@gae7081]

The same comparison with the tele, please! Thanks

[@joernbeineke]

Great comparison ... would be great if you could compare the HSS models as well ... greetings from Germany :)

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

My question is what amp or amp sim are you using? That tone is awesome!

[@soofitnsexy]

i think he always plays a sim

[@christopherblair6636]

according to his reply : SLO (soldano) capture on Kemper

[@ChockHolocaust]

Everyone knows that inexpensive guitars are great these days and that the logo on the end of them has no bearing on what they sound like. But in the same way that a Nissan Micra will take you to the shops just as easily as an E-Type Jag will - and do it cheaper - if we're honest, I'm sure we'd all rather be in that E-Type.

[@janolesen8938]

Nice video. If you want to/ need to change some hardware. Pickup’s, switch, pots, tuners or bridge Can you do that without drilling and carving ? How about neck dive ? These things are sometimes a problem with cheep guitars. Anybody have experience with their Harley Benton’s ?

[@jhhag]

I asked Thomann if they had locking tuners that fit this model. They said no. They recommended a set of Gotoh SD90-SL MG-T Locking 3L/3R N. But, "You just have to widen the borehole up to 10mm in the headstock." Right. 😏

[@TheStudioRats]

Good tip

[@nicholasguitars5527]

exclusivity doesn't have a tone ..thats why! but it looks good in pictures for social media for "look what I got" Tuesday :-)

[@tiptop8218]

the invest/return on harley Benoton is killer, although we shouldn't compare this 2 guitars

[@dan_kay]

Name one reason why we shouldn't.

[@McFlyGuitarsandStuff]

Hello sir. Would you mind if I used the audio only for a blind a/b test down the road crediting you (and this video) of course? Cheers!

[@TheStudioRats]

Go ahead!

[@McFlyGuitarsandStuff]

Thank you!​@@TheStudioRats

[@aidantod33]

Ok Paul, you went first, so I will confess that I am selling my Suhr Classic S and keeping my Squier Contemporary Strat. The neck and fretting on the Squier are perfect for me. The weight of the Suhr was low, but Squier even lower…finally the vintage trem on the Squier works like a Floyd with a bit of lube and well cut nut, and traditional non locking tuners. The only thing I would change on the Squier is to fit a push in arm, but the trem works so brilliantly, I am afraid to change anything, so will just use plumbers tape if I need it tighter at times. Thinking about it I sold my Gibson Les Paul, but am keeping my Michael Kelly Patriot. I could go on…but guitar snobbery means I won’t…..😊

[@EasyThere]

I have one of their CLG Barnboard stain dreadnought acoustics. It is effin awesome.

[@dariocrocetta9026]

Basic marketing lesson.For getting from point A to point B you can either use a Ford Capri or a Ferrari but you buy a Ferrari to tell everybody ‘I’m rich,I’m succesfull’.Same thing with guitars

[@joseeduardoperezmellado905]

Big fan over here, is there a posibility of you capturing some victory amps, i want some kraken with the quality of studio rats on my tone x pedalboard Cheers

[@TheStudioRats]

Sure, I’ll keep my eyes open for one

[@Pt.karolis]

I got a custom shop Les Paul. Payed 5k for it . I'll say this - it's like having a Rolex. You don't need it, both a cheap watch and a Rolex with tell the time the same way. But a Rolex will FEEL different and retain its value most of the time. That's my take

[@martinlahaie6012]

If you paid recently 5000$ for a Custom Shop that's a good buy... But here in Québec à 59' Murphy Age Les Paul goes for around 10k plus 15% taxes... Wont regain the value...will take 15 to 20 years just to get even... Like u said you buy it because you want it... Not the best investment .

[@kelleywhite5761]

Perfect analogy

[@hardlines2635]

I bought a copy Rolex, Dubai, and I can tell you an expert would have to open it to know it isn’t genuine. I was a guitar snob, played squires when I was skint, came into money so Paid a fortune for an American strat, after two weeks I took the strat back and bought another squire.

[@Compliment_Thief]

You can tell the time with your Les Paul?

[@Dogtagnan]

I get what you're saying. There's something about owning a classic which can't be denied. But at the other end of the scale, as you get older you at last understand that a Rolex watch and a $20 Timex watch both tell you the exact same time. And unless you're a guitar god playing Shay Stadium you simply do not need a famous name guitar. Even then it won't matter because either the screaming crowds, the bank of pedals, or the output volume will distort your sound.

[@EyeDeal_666]

Sorry if I'm being thick, but I can't see the "deluxe" anywhere on the website - I know it's not a a "plus" because of the tuners, so what am I missing?

[@TheStudioRats]

@@EyeDeal_666 there’s a link in the notes.

[@EyeDeal_666]

​@@TheStudioRats Yeah, there's no reference to "deluxe" on their website, even through your link, it just states SC-550 II 👍

[@EyeDeal_666]

​@@TheStudioRats BTW, your vid has made up my mind..... I'm buying one!

[@OLLiGoldeaux]

...a question i ask myself since i own a "cheap" ibanez AR220 with Super 58 Stock Pick Ups: why sound the ibanez as "good" as some Gibsons ? I have seen a LP compare ( ...was the 11k '59 model ) and all the "good" attributes the G has i have with the Ibby same ( or better ) - maybe because it has almost the same specs as a LP Junior. But there is no Logo that shows the professionell player...

[@frankhughes5702]

I could be perfectly happy with the Harley benton but the deal breaker for me is the contour of the body where it meets the neck at the low E. It bugs me so bad I can't live with it lol

[@Juno58]

Agree 100%! That's the main reason why i bought an AliExpress Chibson LP Custom, swapped all the cheap hardware incl. pickups to Epiphone parts with Probuckers 2&3 and Gotoh tuners. Now that guitar sounds like a high end Epiphone, but it has the original headstock shape and not the ugly Epi thing. 👍🏻All in all i payed 420 €.

[@rodprod8522]

Studio Rats video: “I want it - what is it?”

[@Adventuresingearland]

🤣

[@user-bh5yr7wc1v]

The only wrinkle to the HB axe is that it is made of meranti wood. Meranti is a very cheap tonewood, basically a poor's man alternative to mahogany... It is also commonly used as plywood. I don't know what got into those Germans, just a year and half ago, they were making ALL of their singlecuts from real mahogany (swietlana something), that's when I bought my LAST SC guirar from Thomann. Sorry, I am not falling for that cheap alternative tonewood stuff. If they were able to make it at the same price two years ago, they sure would be now, maybe at a 20 euros or so extra, which I wouldn't mind paying... But I am NOT buying guitars made of plywood. First, they resonate much worse compared to mahogany pieces, second they are much heavier. Meranti is also much less durable than mhg. Paul, I understand your enthusiasm about HB guitars being so cheap and so well built. The axes still got some of the best necks in the industry. But with all that cheap meranti crap, they lost me as a customer. For good. I am looking for alternstives, and finding them - Carltons, Jets, etc. Genuine, classy tonewoods used.... I used to be a hardcore HB fan, bought 6-7 guitars from them. Keeping the old, moving elsewhere now because of this thing. They can paint it however nice they want, it's what's😂 under the hood that matters.... (not to headbangerz, I realise that). Last thing, I don't know what is gping on in Germany, but people there are just obsessed with making stuff from new materials, literally unfitting! for the final.product. Laely, their shoemakers started making running shoes from carbon infused rubber, the shoes performed well speed-wise, but turns out, they have dangerous side effects on your health when worn for a longer time periods. I bought one of those, and one of my leg nails turned red from blood! Put them to rubbish the very minute I found out!! Now, at the last NAMM show, some German adventurers presented guitars made of alluminium. The whole body! Looked ugly a.f., sounded weird. And here we have the famous Thomann, making the WHOLE range of their products from plywood (not a single singlecut guitar made of ANYTHING else!) Thank you very much, Tho! Not what you used to be, anymore. At lest to me, that is.... Good bye Sam, hello Samantha!

[@christianschifferle602]

Hey Guys. You can save shipping costs if you buy just 2 of them! I ordered 2 guitars AND a hard case for the same shipping costs as a single guitar would be.

[@RJManeri1]

Do the harley Benton guitars stay in tune well enough?

[@aminahmed2220]

Absolutely no way to be honest have a wonderful weekend Paul also how is the weather today ❤😊

[@hollywoodactress]

Wow I cannot believe how similar or same they sound. Unless there is a slight difference in a room As ever on a record or live no one will be able to tell ❤