19 posts
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Post by Swan King on Apr 16, 2020 21:58:41 GMT
Greetings, all:
New guy here. I turn 50 next year and will hopefully be in semi-retirement. I've decided to take up guitar and spent some weeks talking to musician friends and consulting the interwebs. With the downtime afforded us due to the Wuhan Virus, I figured I would go ahead with a purchase.
I want one of the LP-style guitars. First question: is the SC-550 still worth the extra cash over the SC-450+? I am not particularly caring much about the difference in the figured top. Absent of that, and better tuners, I don't see what makes it worthwhile for me, especially given that it seems the Roswell pups are the same.
Second question: does anyone have an accurate pic of a recent honey burst (HB) 450+ rig? I believe I have seen decent representations of the lemon drop (LD), and I like it. The HB is rather my preference if it is indeed a proper colour. So far, I have seen pics of them range from a tinged honey tone to a plain yellow with the clown red fade. And with the 550, anyone care to share pics of a recent Desert Flame guitar?
Final question: right now B-stock SC-550's are running $211-229 on Thomann. I can handle set-up, realignments, fretwork, and such at my shop. Should I be tempted to grab a "B" now and take a chance, over spending just $20 bucks more but waiting six weeks?
I appreciate in advance the assistance from everyone. As a starter instrument, a HB should be great, but I still want to spend my money wisely.
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Post by blindwilly3fingers on Apr 17, 2020 1:30:42 GMT
Hello Swan King, I have a 550 tobacco flame and a 450 but that is a gold top wth P90s. While I was pleasantly surprised how good the 450 is the 550 is a better guitar in terms of finish and some fitting. The tuners on the 550 are superior to the 450 even though the 450's work well. The bone nut on the 550 is a plus, the 450 nut is plastic which is OK, but is already starting to wear on the high strings but I do a lot of bending. 550 has Jatoba fretboard 450 blackwood tech, thh both guitars are very good. The 550 is mahogany body and neck, depending what 450 you choose the body or neck may not be mahogany. If it is mahogany it may be a different species. As for pickups the Roswell LAF are supposedly vintage voiced to sound like the old Gibson PAF pups. The 550 does not have coil split like some 450s do. I can't fault the finish on either guitar the body wood (back) on the 550 looks nicer through the semi transparent finish, if I had to pick holes. Both are very nice to play both had a couple of slightly high frets but not to the extent of affecting playability. There was no buzz or choke on either guitar, both came very well set up. The action on both was a tad high but tbh very close to Gibson recommended specs. The neck on my 450 is a tad thicker but not baseball bat dimensions. Tbh I prefer the 450 neck but the 550 is perfectly comfortable. The neck dimensions will probably vary on each guitar. While CNC may be used to shape the neck, final hand sanding and finish type/colour can cause variables. Whatever you go for I don't think you will be disappointed. Unless of course you get a lemon! That can happen with any brand though. Good luck.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Apr 17, 2020 1:50:27 GMT
B-stocks are not flawed instruments, just returns. People can order three guitars and return two, which then end up as B-stock.
I don't believe in "better tuners" making much of a difference. The top of the SC-550 is the real quality difference. To me the absence of coil plit, which the SC-450 Plus has, is a major issue.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Apr 17, 2020 9:28:53 GMT
Looking up the Thomann site, I see the SC-450 Plus now has a pau ferro fingerboard, no longer blackwood: The border on the SC-550 is broader and less abrupt: And of course, the SC-450 Plus has a pickguard.
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19 posts
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Post by Swan King on Apr 20, 2020 17:47:49 GMT
Looking up the Thomann site, I see the SC-450 Plus now has a pau ferro fingerboard, no longer blackwood: The border on the SC-550 is broader and less abrupt: And of course, the SC-450 Plus has a pickguard. The finish and grade of top concerns me a bit. I saw a recent vid of a guy who got a HB-35 Plus, and the veneer looked nothing like the pic, (typical Thomann, I suppose). I would be greatly upset to spring for the price of a SC-550, only to have a veneer no better than the SC-450 Plus. And as you said, more money for a git that doesn't have coil-split. The pots will get replaced in short order, anyway, but having having split until that time is preferable. I really want a honey burst, but without the bright red "cherry" look. My choice may come down to a SC-450 Plus in lemon, just for the price, predictable finish, and basically the same hardware of it's more expensive cousin. I appreciate your insight. Chris
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 18:07:20 GMT
As a matter of fact, B-stocks are quite often flawed instruments. Just spend some time reading reviews on the Thomann (or any other online musicstore) website.... Complaints in abundance. There's just so much aspects about a guitar that can turn out less than ideal.
Poor fretjobs, flawed finishes, tiny dings, misaligned pickup poles, etc... My co-worker ordered a B-stock SC-1000 last month, and turned out its matte finish had several scratches... Not cool.
I've been down that road, never again. I don't mean to frighten you, but why take extra risks for a meager 20 € discount??
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Apr 20, 2020 18:36:00 GMT
The finish and grade of top concerns me a bit. I saw a recent vid of a guy who got a HB-35 Plus, and the veneer looked nothing like the pic, (typical Thomann, I suppose). I would be greatly upset to spring for the price of a SC-550, only to have a veneer no better than the SC-450 Plus. Keep searching YouTube and sort by upload date. This is where you'll see the most recent guitars. This one was posted 14 hours ago, but the video is blurry: This from last week is a little better:
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Post by intenselycalm on Apr 20, 2020 20:00:59 GMT
Swan King, welcome to the HB forum. I say - Find the finish you want, place the order and hope for the best. Dress (or address) the frets, prep the nut, put new strings on it, set the action and intonation... play it. Followed by -If you are comfortable with doing your own set-up, fretwork and such, either guitar will likely be fine. I have a 3 year old SC-450, and while it was NOT a "B" stock, I really think it should have been sold as such. I love the guitar, but it had a lot of little issues. I also have a SC-400 which was NOT a "B" stock, and it should have been sold as a decoration model. It had more wrong than right. Other HB's have been pretty good. A tele-style was good, an HB-35 was good. All my HB's needed a minimum of fret dressing & polishing, and new strings. I'm not saying these things to scare you off of any model, or grade of guitar. Since I'm in the US, returns aren't a simple process so the "B" stock gamble isn't worth the gamble for me. As for tuners, I'm on the fence. I've replaced nearly ALL of my factory HB tuners at this point, and I'm glad I did. Of the originals that I've removed (4 sets), I could put one good set together. They all worked ( somewhat), but each set had a wide range of tolerances and quality of operation. Other people love them and have no concerns. Coil-split, if you are new to guitar, I wouldn't even consider this a topic. If you really want this feature, it is a mod that can be done later - assuming the Rosewells are 4 wire (someone would have to verify that). All-in-all, HB can be a great guitar, but don't be surprised if it needs some work to get it there.
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ttmax
Harley Benton Expert
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Post by ttmax on Apr 21, 2020 15:25:14 GMT
Swan King, Hello and welcome, I am a few years older than you, (indeed more than a few years), obviously everyone has a point of view and always tends to make it appear as absolute truth, but it is not always the case. Especially avoid youtubers will make the instrument appear almost perfect. That said, if you don't make it an aesthetic question, perhaps the best choice could be the 450+, so as to use the difference in price to change tuners, pots and nuts and hope that there is nothing wrong. It is usually enough but honestly spending more on an hb is not my advice. It is not an abstract idea I have various hb and honestly they are excellent purchases up to $ 150 plus they become a bet that depends a lot on the country where you live (I mean for a possible return even more difficult due to current problems). Enjoy your shopping and enjoy playing great.
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