advb
Harley Benton Expert
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Post by advb on May 17, 2020 13:27:24 GMT
Unlike the Plus (which has alnico pickups and coil split), mine has lower cost "vintage" ceramic pickups and I find these a bit dark sounding. And none of this has to do with the type of magnets. "Lower cost" might be the reason in that cheaper wire builds up more capacitance, as in cables. I'm only guessing here but the common prejudice making AlNiCo better than ceramic is unfounded. Agreed. There are plenty of YouTube comparison videos which show quality ceramic pickups performing well against AlNiCo pickups. (I won't say better or worse as this is all subjective). However, I do think it is fair to say that some very cheap pickups do sound nasty and they are more likely to have ceramic magnets simply because of the cost. Anyway, on the basic HB-35 the pickups are unbranded and simply described as "Vintage-style humbuckers". This video shows the difference when the ceramic magnets are swapped for AlNiCo 2 magnets. Not a huge difference but I think they are better for the change.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on May 17, 2020 13:41:50 GMT
And none of this has to do with the type of magnets. "Lower cost" might be the reason in that cheaper wire builds up more capacitance, as in cables. I'm only guessing here but the common prejudice making AlNiCo better than ceramic is unfounded. Agreed. There are plenty of YouTube comparison videos which show quality ceramic pickups performing well against AlNiCo pickups. (I won't say better or worse as this is all subjective). However, I do think it is fair to say that some very cheap pickups do sound nasty and they are more likely to have ceramic magnets simply because of the cost. Yes, there is a price correlation, but no causation. Ceramik magnets are apparently cheaper than AlNiCo, so they go in all cheap pick-ups where other cost savings are made, leading to a misleading association. Regarding the HB-35, I often find the unbranded pick-ups in the lower part of the Harley Benton price range dull in comparison to the Roswell of the pricier equivalents. This applies to the TE-30, the PB-20, JB-20 or PJ-4 basses. And I think that "upgrade" to AlNiCoII made it worse.
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on May 17, 2020 13:49:07 GMT
According to Mr. LeoThunder's arguments, NO SINGLE guitar model will ever fit the description "all-rounder". A guitar like the HB-35, which cannot remotely offer the basic sound characteristics of the most sold guitar in the world (the Stratocaster) can hardly be considered an "all-rounder". Plain, simple logic, once again. Some just cannot abide it.
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Post by calebz on May 17, 2020 15:51:08 GMT
As Calebz says, if you want the 335 style then the HB-35 fits the bill and is in your budget. I have the basic HB-35 (not the Plus) and it is nice for blues. I would not call it, nor any guitar with Roswell LAF, an "all-rounder", which is also part of the OP's requirements. These pick-ups just lack clarity to qualify as such. There's some truth to this, but in my opinion it applies across the HB range, including the roswell humbuckers. I buy HB guitars expecting to pull the pickups. So far the only exception has been my recent SC jr. In short, if you're starting out and still finding 'your sound', the LAFs are probably fine. After you have a better idea of what fits you, buy the HB guitar you want and get crazy refitting it to your needs.
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Donut
Harley Benton Club Member
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Post by Donut on May 17, 2020 17:38:31 GMT
In short, if you're starting out and still finding 'your sound', the LAFs are probably fine. After you have a better idea of what fits you, buy the HB guitar you want and get crazy refitting it to your needs. This sounds like a perfectly good approach. A HB with LAFs and some sort of blues driver pedal, or even a tube screamer set to a low drive will do blues just fine for most people starting out. Just 2 quick recommendations: 1) If you need an amp too then the Boss Katana series have the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver included as one of the emulated boost pedals. 2) The Kmise Vintage Distortion pedal can be found for £10-15, it's an OEM of the Joyo Vintage Overdrive (of which the Harley Benton Vintage Overdrive pedal is a rehousing of) which its self is a TS808 tube screamer clone. You can also find them badged as Saphue on AliExpress. I have the Kmise version and it's very good. However, it's power supply driven only, there's no battery compartment. Or just get one of these:
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