Harley Benton guitars

Slartibartfarst42 · May 2022

I'm seriously thinking about a Harley Benton SC550 with the EMG Fat 55 pickups. It looks like a hell of a lot of guitar for the money. I normally change pickups on every guitar I buy and I generally prefer passives but I like the Fat 55's so I wouldn't have to change anything.

roberty · May 2022

I've modded a Harley Benton DC Fat. I haven't got the pickup quite right but I will try another one. Astonishingly good guitar for the money. It's resonant and playable up and down the neck. I think it's as good as any electric guitar would ever "need" to be

Kebabkid · May 2022

I've just read the May Guitarist article by Dave Burrluck about pimping a Harley Benton and it's an interesting one.

The things he believes need upgrading are the following and much of it is based on WD stuff/prices: -

the bridge to achieve better and true intonation (allow £22-£49)
Some new screws as they're the incorrect size (£6)
Tele Control Plate (£16.95)
Not really required but if you're going the whole hog, some Gotoh inline vintage tuners (£45)

As you can see, it can amount to the same as what you've spent on the guitar. However, if it's where it needs to be, will it be better than a Squier Classic Vibe, Epiphone or even an MIM?

I'll get mine set up/tweaked to suit and then leave it there to see what I think and whether I need or decide to go with any of the above.

A few years ago, I spent a good couple of hundred pounds on an MIM Strat I liked and upgraded it with quality stuff (Fralins, Callaham, Gotoh). I knew I was never going to get my money back but it was perfect and became my workhorse for nearly 20 years and earnt its keep with all the gigs and functions I did. I stupidly broke it up to sell for parts in order to raise some money and move to a Suhr, Tyler, PRS. They've all gone and didn't quite reach the essence of that pimped MIM Strat.

ToneControl · May 2022

Slartibartfarst42 said:

I'm seriously thinking about a Harley Benton SC550 with the EMG Fat 55 pickups. It looks like a hell of a lot of guitar for the money. I normally change pickups on every guitar I buy and I generally prefer passives but I like the Fat 55's so I wouldn't have to change anything.

these covered Fat 55s on my guitar probably have slightly reduced treble compared to the uncovered ones EMG sell to the public
But.. still very nice, I like them.
They do the uncovered ones on the other sc550 model anyway

roberty · May 2022

@Kebabkid I am approaching Epiphone levels of investment now. Epiphone comes with CTS pots and stuff already so yeah that's a good summary. It depends how much you enjoy fiddling about with them I guess. If you are the type of person to mod an Epiphone/Squier then HB could work out less

SlopeSoarer · May 2022

roberty said:

I've modded a Harley Benton DC Fat. I haven't got the pickup quite right but I will try another one. Astonishingly good guitar for the money. It's resonant and playable up and down the neck. I think it's as good as any electric guitar would ever "need" to be

Looks great!

Can I ask where you got the tortoiseshell scratchplate? Was it expensive?

Rocker · May 2022

roberty said:

I've modded a Harley Benton DC Fat. I haven't got the pickup quite right but I will try another one. Astonishingly good guitar for the money. It's resonant and playable up and down the neck. I think it's as good as any electric guitar would ever "need" to be

Interesting looking amp head on the floor behind your guitar. What is it and what are it’s specs? Thanks

roberty · May 2022

SlopeSoarer said:

roberty said:

I've modded a Harley Benton DC Fat. I haven't got the pickup quite right but I will try another one. Astonishingly good guitar for the money. It's resonant and playable up and down the neck. I think it's as good as any electric guitar would ever "need" to be

Looks great!

Can I ask where you got the tortoiseshell scratchplate? Was it expensive?

It was off some guy on ebay, £20. If you DM me to remind me I'll dig up the seller from my history

Rocker said:

roberty said:

I've modded a Harley Benton DC Fat. I haven't got the pickup quite right but I will try another one. Astonishingly good guitar for the money. It's resonant and playable up and down the neck. I think it's as good as any electric guitar would ever "need" to be

Interesting looking amp head on the floor behind your guitar. What is it and what are it’s specs? Thanks

Scuse the mess. It's a Selmer Treble'n'Bass 50 from the 1970s, derived from a blonde Bassman circuit. It has bass and guitar channels that you can jumper for pedal platform fatness. I have two because another one came up cheap. Here's my other

Dave_Mc · May 2022

Kebabkid said:

I've just read the May Guitarist article by Dave Burrluck about pimping a Harley Benton and it's an interesting one.

The things he believes need upgrading are the following and much of it is based on WD stuff/prices: -

the bridge to achieve better and true intonation (allow £22-£49)
Some new screws as they're the incorrect size (£6)
Tele Control Plate (£16.95)
Not really required but if you're going the whole hog, some Gotoh inline vintage tuners (£45)
As you can see, it can amount to the same as what you've spent on the guitar. However, if it's where it needs to be, will it be better than a Squier Classic Vibe, Epiphone or even an MIM?

I'll get mine set up/tweaked to suit and then leave it there to see what I think and whether I need or decide to go with any of the above.

A few years ago, I spent a good couple of hundred pounds on an MIM Strat I liked and upgraded it with quality stuff (Fralins, Callaham, Gotoh). I knew I was never going to get my money back but it was perfect and became my workhorse for nearly 20 years and earnt its keep with all the gigs and functions I did. I stupidly broke it up to sell for parts in order to raise some money and move to a Suhr, Tyler, PRS. They've all gone and didn't quite reach the essence of that pimped MIM Strat.

Yeah. I think I made that point in this thread (or a similar one?) earlier today- I'd be the first to admit that one of the first things I think when I contemplate upgrades is, "Will I be spending more than the guitar is worth?" and yet I think that might be not the best way to look at it. If it makes the guitar better than an off-the-shelf guitar of the same price (or any other upgraded guitar up to the same price) then it's probably worth it.

I guess you should probably separate it into "more than the guitar COST" and "more than the guitar is WORTH". "COST" is what the guitar cost to buy. "WORTH" is what you personally feel the guitar is worth, once upgraded. If you still don't like the guitar (or suspect you won't) even with upgrades, then it's not worth it. If it makes you love a guitar you already like, then it may well be worth it. Especially if you love it more than anything else you could get for the same price- whether upgraded or not.

The other thing is, people upgrade expensive guitars, too. People talk (joke?) about Harley Bentons with a pickup swap being as good as a Gibson. But I didn't like the pickups in my Gibson! Or the electronics! Now I've upgraded them, it (a 2012 (IIRC) USA Standard SG that I got a pretty good deal on) probably sounds as good as a Harley Benton with a pickup swap...

Seriously, though, I mean I upgraded the pickups and electronics in my Edwards LP too, but stock... I think the Edwards sounded better. (There wasn't actually that much difference in the prices I paid, but the SG was a bit dearer, and I guess most people would say that the Gibson is "the real thing".) The Edwards had a Duncan JB/59 set and Alpha 500k pots, and the Gibson had the 498T/490R set and (I guess, I never measured them) 300k pots on a PCB. I found the JB far too hot for the style of guitar, but the 498T was too hot too, and both Gibson pickups had a kind of "murky" quality, for want of a better word, which was hard to work around. Raising the polepieces helped a fair bit, but still not really enough. It felt like there was a blanket over the speaker cabinet all the time. Now- even with that, there was something "musical" about them that I quite liked, but I still prefer a brighter tone.

To be clear, I think the Gibson has more "mojo", for want of a better word- it feels better in the hands, and looks better, too. It looks and feels more like a higher-end, more handmade instrument, whereas the Edwards feels more like a precision factory-made tool. If that makes sense.

Slartibartfarst42 · May 2022

Dave_Mc

There's certainly 'something' about a Gibson that no replica can match. I have always changed the pickups on every guitar I've bought and ironically, the only pickup change I regret was the 498T in a Les Paul. I really liked that pickup, though I admit the 490R was rubbish.

roberty · May 2022

roberty said:

I've modded a Harley Benton DC Fat. I haven't got the pickup quite right but I will try another one. Astonishingly good guitar for the money. It's resonant and playable up and down the neck. I think it's as good as any electric guitar would ever "need" to be

Couldn't sleep last night and found this on eBay. I had a voucher to use so it was an instant buy. When I'm happy with it I'll do a build list and cost it up

TTBZ · May 2022

The Pig 90 is awesome. I had a humbucker sized one and it sounds huge, almost like a humbucker but with that singlecoilish top end and slightly loose bass under higher gain. Really "throaty" and mean sounding

roberty · May 2022

Sweet thanks @TTBZ I'm really looking forward to it. I reckon I can set the DC up in D standard with this and use it in my band. The inverse snobbery appeals to me

TTBZ · May 2022

Me too, I've always enjoyed having the "underdog" guitar

I remember one gig where somebody told me I sounded great, but would have sounded much better if my guitar was a Gibson.

guitargeek62 · May 2022

roberty said:

roberty said:

I've modded a Harley Benton DC Fat. I haven't got the pickup quite right but I will try another one. Astonishingly good guitar for the money. It's resonant and playable up and down the neck. I think it's as good as any electric guitar would ever "need" to be

Couldn't sleep last night and found this on eBay. I had a voucher to use so it was an instant buy. When I'm happy with it I'll do a build list and cost it up

How fat exactly is the fat neck? I'd like a junior, but prefer the finishes on the normal version...

roberty · May 2022

guitargeek62 said:

roberty said:

roberty said:

I've modded a Harley Benton DC Fat. I haven't got the pickup quite right but I will try another one. Astonishingly good guitar for the money. It's resonant and playable up and down the neck. I think it's as good as any electric guitar would ever "need" to be

Couldn't sleep last night and found this on eBay. I had a voucher to use so it was an instant buy. When I'm happy with it I'll do a build list and cost it up

How fat exactly is the fat neck? I'd like a junior, but prefer the finishes on the normal version...

Thickness-wise it is very close to the neck on my 2020 Gibson SC LP Special, but more rounded (and dare I say more comfortable). It has bigger frets too which gives it a more modern feel overall

I am not a fan of satin finishes, this is the only thing about the guitar that I would change. I tried buffing it smooth with a drill attachment but this achieved nothing. It's like teflon or something. Probably best not to lick it

PhilKing · May 2022

roberty said:

roberty said:

I've modded a Harley Benton DC Fat. I haven't got the pickup quite right but I will try another one. Astonishingly good guitar for the money. It's resonant and playable up and down the neck. I think it's as good as any electric guitar would ever "need" to be

Couldn't sleep last night and found this on eBay. I had a voucher to use so it was an instant buy. When I'm happy with it I'll do a build list and cost it up

I have the original Pig-90 back from 2005, they are great sounding pickups, very early Black Sabbath sounds but cleans up really well too. It's in the Junior on the left, with a distressed metal finish.

Dave_Mc · May 2022

Slartibartfarst42 said:

Dave_Mc

There's certainly 'something' about a Gibson that no replica can match. I have always changed the pickups on every guitar I've bought and ironically, the only pickup change I regret was the 498T in a Les Paul. I really liked that pickup, though I admit the 490R was rubbish.

Yeah. Now, that being said- I have tried Gibsons where I almost laughed at the quality of the finishing etc.. And I would guess that a more expensive Gibson copy would give them a closer run for their money- I certainly remember trying higher-end Tokai LPs (not in the same shop, because Gibson doesn't like that, but on the same day in a different shop) against Gibsons and much preferring the Tokais.

But if you get a good Gibson...

I should also add that the murkiness of the stock Gibson pickups was still there after I changed the pots- I changed the pots before I changed pickups, just in case.

menamestom · May 2022

Anybody tried the P90 Goldtop or TV Yellow Special?

roberty · May 2022

TTBZ said:

Me too, I've always enjoyed having the "underdog" guitar I remember one gig where somebody told me I sounded great, but would have sounded much better if my guitar was a Gibson.

Proof if anything that people listen with their eyes

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Harley Benton guitars

Comments