I am done buying guitars but I'm keeping my subscription to your channel just because your excellent playing, in fact I have been stealing your exquisite phrasing for a while now.
if you order it: the gotoh are only the tuners. not the bridge. its better to order the non gotoh and buy the 30 bucks hb locking tuners and a gotoh bridge. Or you save some money and get the SC DLX GOTOH. Which has both bridge and tuners from gotoh and is splittable (but no flame top). Or you increase, get the EMG version with better PUs, locking tuners and so on. The SC 2 Gotoh is a bit weird.
The gotoh one is only $32 more, and gotoh tuners are probably higher quality than Harley Benton ones, even if they lack the locking mechanism. If you buy the cheaper and change the tuners, you'll just have low quality tuners left over, if you buy the gotoh and change tuners, you'll at least have an extra set of decent gotoh tuner for only 30 dollars.
@@BlazertronGames the gotohs they use are around 30 bucks in Germany. You dont get high quality 80 buck gotohs. Hb locking Tuners are 35 bucks. i use both. Harley Benton are far more stable
@@Gloomshimmer Oh well it's only $30 extra and I'll at least have some decent tuners left over if I decide to replace them. A takeaway costs like $30, so it's not a big deal. As far as I've heard, people were happy enough with the tuning stability of the stock non-gotoh HB tuners. I'd imagine the gotoh's would at least be better than them. And if I was going to buy locking tuners, I would buy something closer to $60 anyway, so I haven't really wasted money. Unless the tuning stability is somehow horrible, I doubt I'll be replacing them any time soon. I've been coping fine with my stock yamaha pacifica tuners, which has a tremolo, which makes stability worse, and even with that it hasn't been too bad.
I got the bad want to need after watching this ,was going to order next week but they put a sale on for 219 USD , it will arrive in two days & can’t wait it’s like Christmas since the improvement in my hands
Hi Jon. I've. Just bought one. Wow. You get alot for your bucks. Love it. Sounds really good. It plays like me. I'm an old blues/rock guitarist. Been using Harley Bentons. For 2 years. But this baby is by far the best yet. So easy to play. Wow. M C UK 🇬🇧
Hi Jonathan, great review of a stunning looking and fantastic sounding model by HB. Loved the pickups. That flamed maple archtop accentuates the guitars appeal. Very well played. Cheers ✌️🎸💜
I enjoy seeing your great videos and honest reviews. Your guitar playing style is always TOPS ! Thank you. I was going to buy this guitar, but Thomann (in Germany) was out of stock for them at the moment, so I bought the Harley Benton SC-450-Plus LD Vintage Series (Lemon Drop burst). Just got it today and I am very amazed ! It is so beautiful, front and back. It looks so much better in real life than in any video. Very nicely built and sounding very good. No problems with it. I thought I might need to change the humbuckers, but these Roswell´s sound really good. They may be very cheap guitars, but you do get an amazing looking and playing instrument. Its also a great starting platform to make some future upgrades and cool Mods to them. I will definitely be buying another 450-Plus guitar version but in a different color-burst. Although, this 550-II "Guns & Roses = Slash" version is also on my list !
HI! just to let you know if you like this video and wants to show your appreciation, you can buy me a cup of coffee with the "Thanks" button which is just next to the share button! ✌❤ Please support me in what I do thru Patreon! www.patreon.com/Jonathankoh 0:00 Intro 0:23 Unboxing 2:14 Song 5:45 Demo (clean) 9:59 Demo (dirty) 11:51 Review 15:18 Conclusion
I have 7 HB guitars and they have all gotten into my heart in there own ways and I love each and every one of them! ❤ cheapest HB was my first ST20HSS in July 2020 , most expensive HB was my fusion II (absolutely fantastic!!) October 2020..bought others in between and they have all been perfect on unboxing..just needed a set up..the quality of even the cheapest guitars is 100% acceptable for the price you pay..they are all worth 3 times the price you pay for them to get a branded guitar and in most cases are better!! my £280 (at the time i bought it) fusion II will kick the ass of my Fender ltd Edition player series strat and it cost me £700..NOT saying the Fender is bad in anyway, i love it..but for the price difference..Fusion for the win in my opinion 👍🤘 that HB 550 looks very similar to my cheapest Epiphone slash AFD and sounds as good..sc550 looks just as fantastic tbh!! 😁
HI Jon, I recently purchased this guitar in Autumn Flame Burst. I had a luthier craft a bone nut and install treble bleeds. I also raised the pickups to about a millimeter from the strings. That tamed the treble frequencies, brought out the mids a bit and increased the output do it will drive my amp nicely. The clean sound is still very clear. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I had the flu also and now I'm dealing with the cough now that the flu is gone. I'm also a singer, so that cough makes it rough to get through a gig. 😊
Nice! HB make some very nice guitars! But dont tell certain RU-vid ers. Some people have a severe dislike of them going on. I like them a lot myself. Cheers!
Oooh, it's beautiful. More my speed financially, too! As usual, you know how to make it sound great. But if it wasn't at least good to start with I know you wouldn't bother. God bless, brother.
@@JonIsJustTooLoud Thanks as usual for the personal reply Jon. Hope all's well on your side of the world. We're mighty hot here in Dallas but "this too shall pass." Thank God for electric guitars! Played my P90 LP last night, I hope my neighbors enjoyed the show. Sounded pretty good actually. Have a great night!
This is a really good Guitar. I am impressed because of the clean Tones and light overdriven Sounds you played in the Beginning. BtW you are an awesome Player
It s always the same story... What the ampli is ? Effects? Very soon we can makes a normal guitar, in a super guitar... Say that, i like the guitar!!! Good player and beautiful video!!!
Hi Jonathan, thanks for reviewing this guitar. Was looking at is since it came out, just pulled the trigger and bought it today (for 245 Euro a steal of a deal in Thomann's anniversary discount sale). My wife hates the look of it, so it must be a real nice guitar to have :-) Looking forward to receive this guitar within a few days. Christmas is coming very soon this year :-). Get well soon! Cheers, Faizel (The Netherlands)
Hi Jon, hope you are doing well. Just want to let you know I received mine today. Unfortunately there are some issues, hope to get this solved by Thomann. But the PAF version is very nice, even my wife gave her approval 😉 Cheers!
Hi, funny I got this guitar in April in Europe, but specs were different! The site then wrote mahogany body & graphite nut. The model is the same, it even says I have already bough this but now diffenet specs! Anyhow it feels great I like this guitar.
Hi Jon, about the nut, it is listed as both graphite and ABS on the HB website as well as your own description but in the video you say it is ABS. It, seems strange to have ABS on the higher priced 550's but graphite on the cheaper ones. Great review, thanks :) New subscriber here!
Jon, your playing is so tasteful, the clean tones are so useful (for potential buyers). You have been blessed with a talent, thanks for sharing your passion!
Great demo/video as usual. Just a little tip. It is a carved top in case of the solid body guitar. Solid peace of wood is carved in curvy shape. To be an archtop it implies that some peace of wood is bent/arched into the curve. This is often made from plywood, like 3 layers plywood used on many Gibsons even in 50's and 60's era. Some models though bend/arch solid panels into the shape being spruce or maple or what ever wood type was used for that model. This was used a lot for Jazz guitars and form that when you say Arch top it is not related to a top of the guitar as on the type of the guitar. Archtop is Semi acoustic guitar with at least top arched into the curved form. So back to a little tip, maybe use the expression carved top.
@@JonIsJustTooLoud sure, no worries. They can make as many mistakes as they want, you and me we learn and then do not make such mistakes 😀 They are not native speakers anyhow. Neither am I. But this are major expressions any guitar enthusiasts should know at least in my book they are 😀
Thank you Jonathan for this review, and comparison with the 25th anniversary SC550 II. Being a Strat guy, I prefer these pickups offering more highs. And I do prefer this flame mapple top. May the Black Cherry could join my 2 Tokai LS soon (shame on me for too many guitars). By the way I like a lot my HB 25th anniv strat that I bought after your review, as well as my G&L Classic Bluesboy telecaster, bought also after your review 3 years ago 😁 (and my HB Fusion 2 🤪)
😂 i'm happy that you feel better Jonathan 👍Thanks for your great video, I was wondering how the Tesla Paf's sound. Great guitar and great price...I love Harley Benton 🔥
Genial review. Genial forma de tocar de verdad, en tus manos parece una Gibson. Estaría bien probar con un amplificador de gama baja y sin efectos añadidos
Just everybody here's already pointed out supergorgeous feeling in your first solo (and not only in that one)! Could you kindly name the backing track song, if you remember that?
Hi Jon, I would like to ask, is the head glued to the neck or is it one piece? I feel that the construction should be better than the model with emg, I feel that it sticks head to neck there. I think this model looks good.
Maestro, I’m grateful for your review and your astonishing performance! I’m just a pianist searching for his first electric guitar… Please, tell me your opinion, taking HB SC-550 II vs HB DC-DLX (I also saw your review!): 1) Which one is better for playing pop, classic rock (and French rock style), jazz and blues? 2) Why 2 tone controls instead of coil split, or the contrary, should be preferable for me? 3) Would you suggest a third HB model as still better for me? Thank you very much in advance from Argentina!
Your range is amazing..from soothing to ear ripping..whats the weight on this puppy?it looks Heavy.yet Another Amazing Student Guitar from H/Benton...Wonder what this thing could accomplish with an after market Whammy bar?Big Thumbs up! You Rock!
I was impressed by your video with the cherry no-go-toh 😉 version of the 550 II. This one is on anniversary sale now, so I'm curious, how do they compare in your opinion (if you can still remember, it two years ago 😉)
@@JonIsJustTooLoud Hmmmmm . . . you're sitting in the Hinomi H1 Pro chair during the video. LOL I was thinking about buying one and I laughed when I saw you had that same chair.
Hello Jon! Me again... I have decided on an HB SC 550 II. Just not sure what pickups. I usually play any genre of rock, but I do like Santana, as well as jazz and 70s-80s funk... I value any suggestions.
I absolutely love my JA 25th Jon thanks to you. This whole series seem to be exceptionally well made. Very James Bond. The man with the golden axe 😂😂 I’m not a fan of Roswell Humbuckers. I changed them out of both my HB Roswell humbucker guitars. Still really really worth it. In saying that the Roswell single coils on the JA are really nice. Wonderful playing as usual Jon and a really interesting video 😃👍👍❤️
Nice review! Are you sure that this is the Gotoh version? On Harley Benton´s website it looks more like SC-550 II PAF. Green tuning pegs instead of white and the text ¨SC-550 Deluxe¨ on the back of the headstock.
Hi ! I'm sorry, but i think it is NOT... I've got one and it's written "SC-Tribute" on the headstock and has white tuning pegs instead of green... HB also upgraded nut to graphite instead of ABS. I think the model in your vidéo is "only" SC-550 II... However, nice playing 😉
Thank you so much for this in depth review. It's what pushed me to pull the trigger and order one today. I also absolutely am riveted by your playing and plan to study it more closely and grab some of your phrasing and bends. Man! I do love your bends! Do you offer any RU-vid guitar classes?
First of all, I was thinking with Christmas coming up, I had best get my order in now as I suspect it's gonna get very busy and I was so surprised to see it delivered here in California in one week! It is, as Jonathon and so many others have said, surprisingly good, especially at this insane price point. A close inspection found the finish to be close to flawless. I found two very small indications of tooling or handling on the lower side of the neck, but you have to look very hard to find them. I expected I would need to do some setup work, but I'm happy to say that all I did was lower the action a little. I found the action of the low E at 5/64ths and was able to get it down to 4/64ths which is my happy place on my other guitars and this one is playing beautifully. Frets feel fine to me, but I suspect they could be a little better if I polish them which I may do this week, but it's not necessary. The intonation is just about spot on, but will check it again when I put on new strings. Pickups! Again, it is as we see all over YOuTube: You could change them if you want, but for me, they deliver all I need. I especially am happy to hear them deliver that big warm tone on the neck pickup that LP's are famous for. Mids and highs are also crisp an articulate. I'm incredibly happy with this purchase. I've had it 4 days now and can't put it down. If I'm near it, I'm picking it up and playing it. I say "go for it."@@BlazertronGames
I think Gotoh has a good reputation and I have them on one of my other guitars too. And yes, they are working fine on this one as well. Some don't care for this look aesthetically, but I am a fan. Some prefer the heftier Grovers, I think. Me? Not so much. The tuners also feel solid....it's a tactile thing and is something I appreciate when I find it. It's another day and the only thing that gets me to put it down is stuff I absolutely have to tend to. I love playing it.@@BlazertronGames
Great video and fantastic play, Jon. Glad I have discovered your channel. Have ordered this guitar as well. Would be great if you could specify the backing track, if possible. I know it's from JTC, but is it available online? Many thanks
Wow.. you are amazing. I love the way how you play. Love that guitar too. I need to choose if I will order the SC-Custom II in vintage black or the 550 II. any recomendation? Thanks man!
@@oldcrackadatedThat's cool. 🙂 I own a couple of Ibanez and Fender, but when I saw that sc-custom vintage black, it took my attention immediately and got interested. It reminds me of my old Les Paul copy that was stolen from me back in 2000's. Keep on rocking. Cheers!
Am in the process of adding the SC to my collection as well. If ever you have the chance to review the EX-76 Classic, it's an amazing sounding guitar. Have a nice day!
@@christoguichard4311 They are too competitive, they put other companies out of business. Or perhaps not ? Perhaps they allow more people to come to the guitar and they will be future customers of other brands ? I don't know.
Do you think the new models will be much different now that they changed go a Meranti wood body? And I read that necks should never be made from Meranti bit this neck is... With that in mind... Any idea if the neck will last?
