10 posts
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Post by 3marproof on Jul 31, 2019 13:22:06 GMT
its all in the title, but more specifically im talking the fret job, how well the nut is cut, general setup stuff like intonation for example?
and if i spend more, like something from the fusion range, does it get better care at the QC rather than a cheaper one?
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Jul 31, 2019 17:02:31 GMT
Sadly not. Some more expensive models like the SC-7 and TE-7 had quality issues and were delivered with poor set-up. However, the stainless steel frets of the Fusion models have received nothing but praise in all reviews I have seen since they came out.
Nuts are usually fine.
Do not rely on set-up in guitars you buy. This is like expecting the seat in your car to fit your body size. Action will always be higher than it can be and changing string gauge will throw intonation off anyway. You need to be able to do these things yourself, just like you tune your guitar. It's simple, easy to learn on YouTube and will free you from half the myth of "great guitars" that played better than all others in the shop.
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Post by micoli on Jul 31, 2019 20:23:40 GMT
My experience with my 9 HB guitars is that generally the higher the price I have paid the better they are out of the box. The 3 acoustics were all well set up with nothing needed doing, and the cheapest electric, a TE-52, had to have some work on it, (the frets were buzzing slightly if I remember correctly). The Manhattan Standard needed more work than usual, and at 242 Euros, I was expecting it to be better.
I have to agree with LeoThunder that you cannot rely on any guitar to be perfectly set-up as each player wants something personal and you should learn to do these basic things yourself. For me it's a bad fret job that really gets me annoyed but it happens other brands too.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Aug 1, 2019 5:01:53 GMT
I have to agree with LeoThunder that you cannot rely on any guitar to be perfectly set-up as each player wants something personal … All guitars I got new (or kept as new by their owner) had high action. It was playable but somewhat uncomfortable high on the neck and I think this is both by design and the result of time. 1) A "middle of the road" set-up should half-satisfy the most players since shredders and benders want different action values. 2) Necks will bend one way or another between the moment the set-up is made and the moment the guitar finally reaches its owner. Statistically half of them will bend backwards so if action were set as low as possible, it would buzz and likely cause returns. This may not happen and action ought to be set higher for that reason alone. 3) Strings pull on the neck and raise action with time. The longer it waits to be sold, the higher it ends up to be. Thomann and other retailers could have people do the set-up after the order came in but that would introduce one more delaying step in the shipping process so this is better done at the end of the manufacturing process or latest when they receive them. This is also the natural time for quality check so rejected items can be negotiated with the supplier. All the above goes to explain why receiving a well set up guitar is very much a fantasy. Most guitars I got really used had a set-up I could have kept (I didn't). The exception was that bass which came with non-intonated flatwound but showed marks of roundwound strings on the fingerboard. The owner had changed string type but not known to adjust the set-up as a result of the change in rigidity that flatwound bring.
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Post by cosvad on Aug 2, 2019 9:08:38 GMT
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Post by cosvad on Aug 2, 2019 9:28:46 GMT
In my opinion, gradient of the flamed maple is too strong between the 2 halves of the body
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Aug 2, 2019 9:42:20 GMT
In my opinion, gradient of the flamed maple is too strong between the 2 halves of the body Yes, it's still a cheap guitar. I have seen so many Squier Sunburst I wouldn't want for that sort of reason. I don't mind a body being made of several pieces but I don't want it thrown in my face. So I buy used, even the cheap stuff, because I want to see it first.
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chubbles
Harley Benton Club Junior Member
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Post by chubbles on Aug 8, 2019 13:18:39 GMT
And I bought a SC450 Plus and it was perfect. I did lower the action a bit. I do my own setups. I may have been lucky. It seems like a roll of the dice when you buy an HB. The prices compare very well to even store brands in the States.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Aug 8, 2019 15:15:02 GMT
And I bought a SC450 Plus and it was perfect. I did lower the action a bit. I do my own setups. I may have been lucky. It seems like a roll of the dice when you buy an HB. The prices compare very well to even store brands in the States. It is a roll of the dice. My SC-450 Plus was not perfect. It had slightly uneven frets and knob heights (which I fixed) and a funny tone pot (linear, which I replaced). I bought it from someone who re-sold Harley Benton like new, some with minor faults, so I suppose this was at least a B-stock or worse but no "deko" as it had no stamp. It came in the original packaging with all the add-on (wrench, cable, coil split indicators beneath the knobs and D'Addario string hanger).
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153 posts
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Post by r3v3nt0n on Aug 8, 2019 18:06:27 GMT
With Harley Bentons, lower price also means bigger tolerance regarding QC. I've heard some of the bigger brands do their setups and QC more seriously, but there is no garantee.Also, a lot depends on the shipping conditions and handling. I've spoken to some guys working at the guitar shops, and they told me there are numerous times they have to setup or repair something on the instrument before they put it on the wall.In inner circles, they go as far as rate brands in 10 out of 10 grades (lemmons per 10 pieces).
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Post by cosvad on Sept 22, 2019 12:47:29 GMT
HB quality/price comparison
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