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Post by vlogget on Dec 31, 2018 14:57:12 GMT
I found this guy on youtube, he has some good things to say about Harley Bentons. He doesn't always name his videos too well, so it can be difficult to find. "john robson guitarist " is his channel. The HB Cabronita is his fave at the moment.
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Post by LeoThunder on Dec 31, 2018 15:59:50 GMT
I have been watching him with interest. He is free of the enthusiasm for brands and price-implied value as well as a former owner of the likes of PRS, so that makes him trustworthy.
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Post by Vincent on Jan 8, 2019 10:23:18 GMT
I have been watching him with interest. He is free of the enthusiasm for brands and price-implied value as well as a former owner of the likes of PRS, so that makes him trustworthy. I think that with PRS guitars one would be wise to monitor the used market before buying new because their resale value falls dramatically to a more realistic and affordable price point. This is how I bought mine. And still have most of them. Does this make me more trustworthy?
When someone proclaims that their new number one guitar is made by Harley Benton and they have previously owned the likes of PRS guitars I will struggle to take them seriously to be honest. And this is not a slant on HB by they way. The quality and price points of both brands are so far apart it isn't even worth comparing.
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3,968 posts
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Post by salteedog on Jan 8, 2019 10:43:01 GMT
It's a fair point. A statement about a favourite guitar without explaining why isn't very useful. He may have been very unlucky with his PRS and very lucky with his HB. Or perhaps the HB just feels more comfortable because it is heavier or lighter. Or perhaps he just prefers the colour. Or his ears now prefer this tone over the other. And any discussion on quality without reference to statistics is incomplete. And a discussion about tone without regard to personal preferences (including music style) is incomplete. Apologies but I haven't watched the video in full so
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Post by Vincent on Jan 8, 2019 11:01:57 GMT
It's a fair point. A statement about a favourite guitar without explaining why isn't very useful. He may have been very unlucky with his PRS and very lucky with his HB. Or perhaps the HB just feels more comfortable because it is heavier or lighter. Or perhaps he just prefers the colour. Or his ears now prefer this tone over the other. And any discussion on quality without reference to statistics is incomplete. And a discussion about tone without regard to personal preferences (including music style) is incomplete. Apologies but I haven't watched the video in full so And me neither. Backspaced in about twenty seconds
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DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Jan 8, 2019 11:16:57 GMT
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Post by Vincent on Jan 8, 2019 11:59:10 GMT
Ten seconds into the video and I was suicidal. It was the meaning of life that led me away!
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Post by vlogget on Jan 10, 2019 21:12:28 GMT
He's a profi musician of 20-30 years, and has owned top-end Fenders, Gibsons etc. When he reviews a guitar it's from a non-invested viewpoint, simply whether it's a good guitar or not. He knows what he's talking about, as with all reviews you can agree or not.
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DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Jan 10, 2019 21:39:28 GMT
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Jan 11, 2019 4:49:51 GMT
Yes, there is no magic in guitars. Their recipes are the result of an evolution. Trial and error has selected their attributes, taught people how to wind pick-ups, how to magnetise them, what values to choose for potentiometers and capacitances, what types of wood to assemble, how to make bridges and what adjustments to provide. Once these recipes are shared, anyone can make them at the cost of the material and what work is left to actually shape and assemble it. It is just wood, metal, cheap electronics and plastic parts.
Those who were led to believe otherwise and pay the inflated brand prices have a hard time accepting their folly.
The trouble with Harley Benton remains that they may require some finishing up, like fret levelling and some might just have problems. They are not fail safe, not fool proof. They should be inspected by someone who knows what to look for and occasionally returned if the issues are found not to be fixable.
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Post by Vincent on Jan 11, 2019 8:01:09 GMT
Further down at the link you gave there is an interesting article ( Designer” Guitars… Does Anyone Actually Play Them?) comparing the price, materials and work involved of a Gibson Custom Shop Billy F. Gibbons Les Paul Goldtop and a handmade bespoke dining room set. He certainly has a point
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Post by Vincent on Jan 11, 2019 8:11:10 GMT
The trouble with Harley Benton remains that they may require some finishing up, like fret levelling and some might just have problems. They are not fail safe, not fool proof. They should be inspected by someone who knows what to look for and occasionally returned if the issues are found not to be fixable. Is it fair to say so close and yet so far? I have owned quite a few LP copies and played many more. None of them were as good a real (-on-point-) Gibson. That said, I have an old Epiphone LP that is great and I will often pick that up in preference to a Gibson Standard but it is not quite the same to be honest. It is almost there
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Post by LeoThunder on Jan 11, 2019 8:33:40 GMT
The trouble with Harley Benton remains that they may require some finishing up, like fret levelling and some might just have problems. They are not fail safe, not fool proof. They should be inspected by someone who knows what to look for and occasionally returned if the issues are found not to be fixable. Is it fair to say so close and yet so far? I have owned quite a few LP copies and played many more. None of them were as good a real (-on-point-) Gibson. That said, I have an old Epiphone LP that is great and I will often pick that up in preference to a Gibson Standard but it is not quite the same to be honest. It is almost there I don't know. Harley Benton cut prices as far as they can and compromise quality in acceptable or fixable ways. Spend a little more and these compromises could be removed. You'd have a good Squier or an Ibanez Standard. They are still far away from the price of any Gibson but I doubt there is any real, meaningful difference in objective quality. It becomes a matter of taste, preference and fancy things, like an expensive top. Of course "it's not the same" but how much of the perceived value going into that difference is rooted in the wish to justify the price paid? I'd say most of it.
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Post by Vincent on Jan 11, 2019 9:05:57 GMT
I want to move along to the Squiers. Color me boastful if you wish but I was amongo the first to buy a JV 57 model back in the day. They had just arrived in the shop and I was amazed at the quality at that price point. We compared them side by side with USA Fenders and really it just came down to the decal on the headstock. Such great guitars. I have owned later Squiers, Korea etc but they were nowhere near the quality of the Japanese.
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