Harley Benton HB-35Plus (Good Cheap ES-335?) 

Check out a slow blues I did on this very guitar: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Nsne2e7aSwU.html Or check out some of my music: ru-vid.com/group/PLNaLwTdlpQNHKlg8ALZfM3AINC20WMp8s

I’ve got a bunch of these. Lots of “Name Brands” too. They sit proudly beside the Gibsons and Fenders in my house. A note about my experience with Thomann. I bought this same one in lemon. It had a buzz fret that the fret rocker confirmed there was a slight high 13th. I sent Thomann and they asked for a video. They refunded me the ENTIRE amount and let me keep the guitar. I fixed it in 10 minutes at home. Just thought that story is worth telling.

The fact that you buy the gear you review gives me confidence in your reviews. Keep it up! Never sell out!

Still today 249€, Nov. 2023. I ordered the green metallic one TODAY! Thanks for the review!

Fantastic video. You do what I do. Clean, dirty, get the feel of it. Overdrive. PLUS a coil tap? This is the guitar I am buying. I want an f hole guitar and I am going with this. Looks and sounds fantastic and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Thank you for this vid. i watched several on this guitar and this is by far the best one.

Great playing, demo and assessment of this beauty of a guitar. I was on the fence about getting one of these, but I went back to watch this review again, and I was convinced to buy it. As you say at the end, all guitars are individual instruments. Luckily, the one I got yesterday from Thomann lived up to what you showed in this video. It's amazing to me that this can be sold at $229! Of course, the shipping from Germany to Brooklyn, NY was $90, but still - a total of $319 for this outstanding guitar is truly fantastic! BTW, I also bought the "Les Paul" version from Harley Benton/Thomann, based on your review of that, and it, too, lived up to your assessment of it. Now if I could only PLAY as good as you do! I appreciate you and your channel - it's one of the best on RU-vid, for sure!

Great review! So nice seeing you enjoy this one so much!

I put a Bigsby B7 on my HB 35 Plus. It sounds even better and stays in tune easy. And it looks fantastic

Great video! I think you really summed up this guitar. I have one in metallic plum (it's pink, they're not fooling anyone) and I love it. Plays amazingly, feels great, and looks great. Not sure why but my pink one was about $40 cheaper than the other colors, but same instrument and same quality.

Very nice review, Elmojkarjalainen (your speed run of your name is always entertaining).

Man, you blew me away with your playing, that was so cool, and you looked like you were having so much fun - magical.. (inspirational too) Thank you. I m thinking about this guitar. I just subscribed.

Had this in my basket for weeks, after this I finally hit that checkout button. Great review as always.

The solo from 10.48-12.32 was great. Nice job :-). Thank you for uploading your videos onto YT.

Great playing! I just got one of these bad boys delivered yesterday. I’m blown away how really good this git is. Best

I bought an HB35+ in 2017. She had no finish problems out of the box barring the ugliest pick guard I'd ever seen. I reshaped it. These days they come with that LP type guard. The action I manage to get down to about 2/64ths higher than I wanted; roughly USA factory type spec. To get that extra 2/64ths I did a complete fret levelling job. It's not that she was unplayable but she needed to come down that little bit. It wasn't an unenjoyable experience doing the frets anyway. It did the trick though. She's gorgeous to play and that's not just my opinion. Back then they were fitting Wilkinson humbuckers. I find them pretty good. I didn't think I was going to bother to change them. (2021 I've bought some IronGear Blues Engine PAF types for a little extra brightness). Later on I got a Single Cut SC450+ with the newer Roswells. I find these Roswells just a Little better than the Wilkinsons given that, although the guitars are different, the pickups are the same for each both the old Wilko versions and the Newer ones. I've bought 5 Harley Bentons in total over the years. Only one had to go back.

Hi Elmo, I live in Austria....... You are great ! You convinced me to buy this guitar ! No other RU-vid-Channel could convince me like this ! I'am a small erneut, but I'll buy this guitar ! ! ! Kind regards J. Gottfried from Austria

I worked in a local family run music shop as sales man and instore guitar tech. One of our main lines was epiphone we did gretch's and all those big hitters and there I was after an epihone es335 style guitar and was looking to get myself either a Sheriton or casino. Customer brought in a harley benton for restring and setup. After this was done as usual I put the guitar through its paces fine tuining the intonation and I was playing it full tilt through a fender 68 custom deluxe and this guitar sang just as well if not better than the guitars that were three to four times the price. I now have 5 harley benton guitars one of them being this model and the dc 600vi a bass and twelve string and acoustic bass. The only issue I have had is with the DC600iv I couldn't set the truss rod and sent it back back,they sent me a new one out. Love them!

Gud förbannat! Your ”even more gain” playing was legendary! That guitar suits you!🤠👌

Great review. Had a feeling you liked this one after the blues vid from the other day. Another one to consider for the collection maybe

Great review, great presentation!

Hi Elmo. Great choice for the vid. I bought the black one w/gold hardware in March. I agree with you. While it's possible to get a "lemon," mine plays well, sounds good, looks beautiful. I also agree about the pickups. I've thought about replacing them, but for now, I enjoy the heck out of the guitar, especially for $245. The case is even nice, like a SKB. Thank you.

Beautiful guitar. And sounds great 👍! Tks Elmo!

New subscriber, great reviews bro. 👏👏👏👏👏I bought the SC550 paradise Amber flame, streight out the box it was superb. And still is 1 year later.. Harley Benton guitars (over the £250 range) are awesome. 👏👏👏👏

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for playing it unplugged at first!

Love my Harley Benton 35+ in metallic blue. In fact,it is my favorite so far. Great playing ! 😊👍

I have one in cherry red, i also have a candy apple strat from HB, decent guitars for the money, solid and well built, they are getting better year by year

Yes. What seems a common issue is not all are the same with some quality issues . That said that seems to be the case for most guitar brands. I'm considering one of these and you do get a 30 day return from Thoman. Thanks for the review.

I have the Lemon Drop version of this guitar. It arrived with a cracked bridge. (I am in the USA) I emailed Thomann customer service and sent them a photo of the bridge. I told them I liked the guitar, didn't want to return it. They rushed-shipped a new bridge and requested that I save the cracked one for 6 months in case there was a QA issue. I replaced the bridge, set the intonation...and it is now an awesome guitar! By the way, I have quite a few HB guitars, both electric and acoustic. My experience has been that the electrics were really great out of the box, just generally need some minor set up. The acoustics though...I have had to have almost all of them modified by a real luthier. Bridge work, etc. BUT, given the price of the guitars to start with, that has not bothered me in the slightest.

I have this guitar in Cherry Red. Love it. Especially like the Les Paul style control layout. Excellent video!

Beautiful and good-sounding guitar.Thanks, Elmo !!!

Great review from a guy who really knows what he's doing ! Thanks , buddy. Please keep up the excellent playing ! N.

Wow! Great vid as always

Looks really cool and it sounds absolutely amazing. That would the one for my collection i think. Love that playing part between 5:26 & 5:41.

I have this one in the plus version, lemon drop. Absolutely such value for money and such a great tone on it. Buy one if you can.

I have bought before a year ago the HB-35 (not plus) in black colour. Excellent for the price, no finish problems, excellent choice for my needs.

I purchased this model in black a few months back. I love it. HB builds with amazing quality. I prefer the lower end models as they are lighter weight and still sound the same. I also got a TE-52 which is rock solid. These folks build great instruments!!!!

Should be getting my Harley Benton HB-35Plus Vintage Burst... any day now. thanks for the review. and thanks for sharing.

that's pretty good playing .Wound love you hear you play amazing Grace on that one.You have a blessed day.I like the color.

Been looking at this for a while, now I've offloaded a couple of guitars this will definitely be my next purchase

How long have I dreamed we have this available here in India as easily as it is for you guys there in Europe and the Americas! I don't think I'll ever have a HB guitar much less like the dreamy one you're holding there.

Sure got a gorgeous guitar there Elmo I think you should keep it!!!👌🏻👍👍🎸🎶😎☮️❤️

I've been wanting a semi hollow for awhile now and this might be the one . I've seen some pretty good reviews of the Fireflys also which are cheaper but I think this looks like a better guitar and better value. Great playing !

This is a great looking guitar that sounds awesome and the price is amazing. I really want something 335ish. It’s hard to justify spending more when you can get this one for such a low price.

Congratulations. Great review. New subscriber Edit. Great music . Thanks

Hi..E,I seem to lean towards guitars with no pick guards,3 burst good for resale, would have liked to hear it at a higher vol, CK feedback level,neck profile? How you say"bye"

Great playing man!

Elmo : en plein shred Sous-titres : (musique très sympa) 😂

Buddy great job of demoing acoustically …… I love that - no one ever does that …… this guitar looks better - plays better and sounds better than my last USA Gibson 335 …… that guitar is made to be played clean … it shines in that tone dimension …

He was a strat player like you, but he also played the es-335. Now we want to hear Albert Järvinen riffs :D

The sustain seems really good which is a big deal.. Usually cheaper or more affordable guitars don't resonate as well.. I don't know if there is consistency in the quality control, because everyone didn't got so lucky with their HB's..That said, it's a very good guitar for the money for sure..

Great video! What’s the difference between Plus and the cheaper Vintage series?

Hi Elmo, This one and the SC-550 are likely the two best, unless one gets into the Fusion series by H-B.As for their Tele's, I was not pleased at all and that includes the fairly newly-released double-bound custom colour range. My advice: do not hesitate to send them back. Don't waste time and money on upgrades. (Opt for Epiphone or Classic Vibe instead.) If the guitar is a 'bum' one,a s you say, that's how it remains. Bad bones. cheers!

That sounds great and looks also cool🤘

Been looking at these because I don't have a semi-hollow electric either, and my selection as a lefthander is somewhat limited. You've just convinced me that this is DEFINITELY worth giving a try! Thank you. xx

Woa a 'great' HB, congrats! Re pup mods, who wants to solder new pup wires through f holes to pots, does that take a luthier? New fan of Pau Ferro, my 2020 Lead II Pau Ferro fretboard stock without oiling is faster and more slippery than my old Les Paul with ebony, I really like it. BTW, Love how you fight demonetization.

Ive got 2 HBs one arrived (HP42 signature) it was great right out the box, the bridge humbucker could be better(its lacking bass to me anyway) and the old version of the SC custom Fr which needed a wee bit of fret work, after a minor leveling and a good set up its my no# 1 to grab.

It has an incredible price, although as you say, each guitar is individual, I have for now 4 Harley Benton, and without complaints, unbeatable price quality 👍💪🎸🎸🎸🎸

I took the pick guard off! Looks way better to me ❤

Hi Elmo. Great review, thank you. Would you say that the Vintage Burst colour of your guitar is the same colour as presently advertised on the Thomann website? Yours looks more like sunburst than the currently advertised Vintage Burst. I love your guitar’s colour but on the website, it looks darker with no red in the burst moving to amber, that yours appears to have. Would be grateful for your comments, thank you.

Awesome video, bro! So, you'd say: worth purchasing? Bc I'm looking at this in cherry red and.... oh boiii do I love it. All the best from Germany

I recently bought the cheapest acoustic HB and it is pretty good for the money. This one sounds good but i find the F holes kinda strange, too far back, looks weird, but for that price, no complains!

Fantastic how much we can get for how low cost....for noob like me, it means I will never reach the full potential of this guitar:) Thanks for sharing Elmo. Do you think guitars only with 1 pickup are too limiting (like SC/DC Juniors)?

Elmo...what pickups would you recommend to make this a superb specimen lol. Andy other recommended changes?

I'm gonna buy this guitar!

I got an question i'm torn by the HB dc 600 or This one HB-35plus for an Beginner both are well enough ?

Hola Elmo Me regaló mi mujer exactamente la misma hace 4 años más o menos y la verdad que de todas las guitarras que tengo , esa guitarra de Thomann y telecaster t 52 la cual modifique el neck son con las que más suelo tocar y tengo guitarra s sg les Paul .la HB 35 + es un guitarrón para mí muy versátil y con unos armónicos muy buenos yo le cambié el puente le puse un gotoh con selletas de bronce y me suena genial un saludo

Would you rather have the Alnico 5;s or say a Seymour Duncan Hotrpded set with jazz and JB Humbuckers? Thank you

I have an Epiphone ES body and am thinking about removing the top and putting a flame top on it from the local wood shop.

Wow!!! Ok Thanx. I will buy this Thing now!!!

Hi there, thank for the great content. I'm actually thinking of buying that guitar, I believe you've been using it for a while now, so what's your feedback after a prolonged use? Thanks

I put “8s” on mine just for fun. I got a pack of Ernie’s for like 3 bucks or something so I put them on. It’s a very weird playing experience. There’s no tone issue really but the feel… it’s like trying to grab water. Very weird. I think I’ll replace them with 10s soon.

Not sure that's what you are supposed to do with it, but nice that you can. It's a pretty useful tool in the right hands. You, on the other hand, are a bit more of a handful. You probably need your frets addressed, at the very least.

Great Solo!

What's the neck width like? I definitely don't like a thicker neck. It looks flat but it's kind of hard to tell in videos like this.

@elmo karjalainen after I watched this review, I order this guitar from Thomann 😁

Heloo. Can you plug in this guitar in to hb tube 5, and give me your opinion becous i plan to buy the amp for thr guitar. Thank you, i realy like your work.

thanks for bashing this guitar, i will now acquire one.ta very much, looks beautiful.

You do a very good job in pronouncing Pau Ferro in Portuguese. very well pronounced. Cheers. Mike.

It has a quite dark sound, is that from the guitar or from your amp set up you think?

Hey everyone: what guitar case gives you the best fit for a HB35 plus? I just got one and am loving it so far. Looking to buy a case and just want to make sure I get a good fit. I didn't get the one offered by Thomann because after shipping (to USA) it's way more expensive than other option. Thanks!

I have similar feeling that I had after your little blues video on that guitar. To me, when you play base strings, even on bridge pickup, sound was muddy and loose. I didnt like it. When you coilsplitted pickups it helped a alot. But this guitar looks beautifull and if its playability is good then pickups could be swapped after some time.

2:24 all the notes are completely buzzing!! Are you notice that or not?

After testing out the harley bentons, if you get one without any big issues would you play a gig with one?

I think the Dog wanted to go for a Walk. ;-)

Hi, please make test of Samick malibu mb1 or mb 2 or mb30 guitar. THX

Not fair. Yours sounds loads better than mine. Could it be the person playing it? Love this guitar.

What is the song at 5th minute called? I wanna lern it

What is this top color? I have a sunburst but mine is more brownish, this one more like gold? I don't see that on thomann?

Can I just say your clean tone is dirty, and your dirty tone is downright filthy. I love it :-)

I have one in sunburst.. I love it❤ it plays like a $1500 dollar guitar ❤

I'm curious though, If you were to keep only one of them, between the HB-35Plus and the SC-550, which one would it be?

Looks nice, alot better than that CST24 I tried recently! I'd be very interested to see how the frets hold up over time. You've still gotta try out an Ibanez's AS53, they look basic, but all the moneys gone where it should to give a lovely neck!

Generally it seems like that Harley Benton seems to do better with Gibson style models over Fender style models. Which seems weird, since construction is a bit more complex especially on a semi-hollow, but if they work they work. I'm using an older Made in Korea Epiphone Sheraton and have been thinking about getting an HB-35+ as a cheap backup. Only thing holding me back is the layout of the electronics. Don't like the switch up top and the neck volume seems way to close to the stoptail.

Very nice looking guitar, but I would love to hear the sound of it without distortion and so much delay.

I got a red one B-stock for 199euro's and I loooooove it.

can you review squier 2021 infinity plz

Lefty here looking for lower cost 335like guitar - this might be it if Thomann can ship to Canada - thanks 👍 - great playing as always.

more drive! moooooooooore

2:22 is that a buzz?

Now go and play Doom Eternal soundtracks on it please, sounds so good with this big amount of drive