700 posts
YouTube Channel: ToroK Channel
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Post by taurash on Jul 1, 2018 18:47:20 GMT
Hi guys, I couldn't stop me from trying one of the newest HB. I chose the TE7 because its body is made with ash and I cannot remember having played an ash guitar, and I wanted to try a fanfret but not a single cut - I already have tons of single cut Before I give you my thoughts about this guitar, here's a sound sample, in a metal genre, that I have recorded. https%3A//soundcloud.com/user-492302877/demo-harley-benton-te7-fanfretNow, about the guitar itself, there are good and less good things. PROS : - nice look, original color, looks like it's worth twice its price. - pretty good tone in high gain, very powerful pups. - HB locking tuners are doing a great job keeping the guitar in tune ! - Aesthetic finishes are really nice - Pleasant guitar to play with, well balanced with a pretty good neck. CONS : - strings action is really high and you can't lower it down that much - don't hope shredding. - clean tones should be a bit more brillant. - tuners are nos pleasant to use, but if you don't change your tune too often, it shouldn't be a problem. - on the one I received, there are big parasite noises, obviously due to electronics. I made sure it didn't come from my stuff. - as often, the fret polishing is poor - but this is a top of the line HB, so I expected it would be fine. For less than 300€, you won't find a better 7 strings guitar. It's definitely made for metal rythms, not for leads cos the action is really high. Yet, I still prefer my schecter Demon 7, cos the action can go lower and I love its clean tones, bright and deep. But it's a 500€ guitar. C U Taurash.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Jul 2, 2018 16:45:57 GMT
I wouldn't keep a guitar if I couldn't set the action somewhere reasonable. How high is it then? How many picks do you have to stack underneath the 12th fret to stop them from falling off? It's how I measure it on mine. I bought for 2€ of assorted Chinese picks just so I could do this (just kidding, I wanted the box that came with them). I'm happy with something around 1.8 mm.
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700 posts
YouTube Channel: ToroK Channel
Disclosures: See Signature
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Post by taurash on Jul 2, 2018 22:46:22 GMT
I wouldn't keep a guitar if I couldn't set the action somewhere reasonable. How high is it then? How many picks do you have to stack underneath the 12th fret to stop them from falling off? It's how I measure it on mine. I bought for 2€ of assorted Chinese picks just so I could do this (just kidding, I wanted the box that came with them). I'm happy with something around 1.8 mm. the way you measure it is pretty funny More basically, I use my rock'n'ruler and it said 3.5mm on the 7th string and something like 2.5 on the 1st string at the 12th fret which is a million miles too high for me ! So it's packed again and ready to go back to Thomann. I must admit I expected better things from this guitar which is a new model and kind of a top of the line model for HB. Maybe those issues are due to the youth of this model. Several youtubers are complaining about the new fanfrets these weeks.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Jul 3, 2018 1:45:25 GMT
Well, stacking picks is the only way I know of measuring things I couldn't read on a ruler. I started with coins and the 1.67 mm 5 € cent one was ok but picks are better. I have 0.46, 0.56, 0.71, 0.81, 0.96, 1.2 and 1.5 to combine together.
I never had a guitar I couldn't take below 2mm. What prevented it on the TE-7?
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Post by nicholaspaul on Jul 3, 2018 22:05:42 GMT
Being a Brit I use a 20p coin to measure top E string action at three 12th fret. That’s 1.7mm. But if if I’m broke I use a pick too
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700 posts
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Post by taurash on Jul 4, 2018 6:16:23 GMT
Well, stacking picks is the only way I know of measuring things I couldn't read on a ruler. I started with coins and the 1.67 mm 5 € cent one was ok but picks are better. I have 0.46, 0.56, 0.71, 0.81, 0.96, 1.2 and 1.5 to combine together. I never had a guitar I couldn't take below 2mm. What prevented it on the TE-7? Youre right about reading the ruler. It takes bionic eyes ! But I have a trick : you place the ruler, you take a pic with your phone, and then you zoom in. An easier way to do it would be to use a magnifying glass, but it's much more difficult to find out About the issues on the TE-7, I think it's the addition of several stuffs. Nut was a bit high, bridge not easy to setup because screws were a bit tough, fretjob was poor so I imagine frets were not levelled... I sent an email to Thomann to mention all those problems so I hope they will improve themselves for the futures models. But the one I had ordered is now on its way back to Germany.
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700 posts
YouTube Channel: ToroK Channel
Disclosures: See Signature
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Post by taurash on Jul 4, 2018 6:23:02 GMT
Being a Brit I use a 20p coin to measure top E string action at three 12th fret. That’s 1.7mm. But if if I’m broke I use a pick too Funny how each and everyone has his own trick to measure string height. Before I buy a rock'n'ruler, I used ols pieces on Canson paper. I drew a line under the string and then took an old metal rule I have kept from my school years, and it gave me a quite precise idea. The good height for me is 1,5 - 1,6 on the high E string and around 2 - 2.2 on the low E. If I go lower, with my big fingers, I have issues with catching a string to bend it, it slips under my skin, or I catch a second string unintentionnally, which sometimes result in something great. Sometimes...
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Jul 4, 2018 6:53:15 GMT
Pencil, paper, ruler, magnifying glass, phone… none of this is part of a standard guitar survival kit High nut, tough screws… Yes, I guess sending feedback is the way. They cannot find out by themselves what matters to their customers. I wonder how many people do set up their guitar and if this one will just end up as a B-stock.
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700 posts
YouTube Channel: ToroK Channel
Disclosures: See Signature
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Post by taurash on Jul 8, 2018 21:40:59 GMT
I have news ! I told you about the difficulty to tune the TE-7 up. I thought it came from the tuners. Though, I has ordered a 6 pack of the same tuners for my LTD MH-100. And it appears that, on this guitar, they work perfectly well, with a very fluid motion when tuning up or down. So, on the TE-7, troubles came from something else. Unless the tuners on this specific guitar were bad ? Anyway, HB locking tuners are doing a great job on a good guitar. Considering their prise - less than 40€ - it's a real bargain
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Jul 12, 2018 12:30:38 GMT
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Post by nicholaspaul on Jul 16, 2018 12:48:11 GMT
I’ve bought Vanson locking tuners and enjoyed using them.
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Post by nicholaspaul on Jul 18, 2018 22:03:17 GMT
Interesting,,, so how “unplayable” are these so-called decoration pieces? Has anyone here bought one?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2018 22:37:23 GMT
So far had 3 Dekos and all 3 played just fine and had no big issues. The JB-75 bass was flawless, the SC-550 had one high fret and the HB Spanish was just fine.
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Post by nicholaspaul on Jul 19, 2018 9:22:04 GMT
I think I wanted brakes for my GAS. Ooo dear.....
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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 Jul 19, 2018 9:35:11 GMT
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