Harley Benton ST-62 Stratocaster (This Looks Good) 

Check out more guitar reviews: ru-vid.com/group/PLNaLwTdlpQNGXHK9wPm1kYNDwFvMLQ7ES Or some of my music: ru-vid.com/group/PLNaLwTdlpQNHKlg8ALZfM3AINC20WMp8s

Elmo, one of the few guys on here where I believe in your reviews.

I totally didn't expect it to pass the whammy test. There are more expensive guitars that aren't as stable - especially for the G string. Might be related to the heaviness in the bends. Anyway, nice balanced review. I like that this guy doesn't treat expensive and cheap guitars any differently in the reviews.

In the 80s, cheap guitars were absolute garbage. Nowadays, even a 100-euro guitar can be good. I maintain that if Jimi Hendrix were still alive, you wouldn't know whether he played a Harley Benton or Jet or J&D (Jack & Danny Brothers). Fender no longer has a secret formula.

I was in a guitar shop and the manager was sending back a brand new $8000 C F Martin he played it for me and we both agreed that it sounded flat or something was terribly wrong with it . It happens to all range of guitars .

I got a Harley Benton Strat and a Tel ...I'm impressed with them both...frets all flush and sounds majestic

Nothing wrong with that. Crazy value for money and great tones

I would go as to say that harley benton produce the best guitars in price to quality, here in germany there is no import tax so the guitars are very cheap, i play in 2 bands and most of the time i play an hwy bk 25 by harley benton with some upgrades like the tuners and the thingy where you put the 6.3 cable in

I have been considering a Harley Benton guitar, and found this video by accident. I really like your playing, of course, but I also like your review. It was honest, above all, and well balanced. That helps me, because you put out the information, the good and the bad, and I make the decision of what flaws I can live with. No surprises. Thank you so much for the video.

Just bought one used.. No trouble with the frets.. I've played accoustic guitars for many years, but never delved into the world of electric guitars. And I must say, for having no reference point other than accoustic guitars, this is a joy to play on. Really fun, looks good, and sounds pretty darn good in my ears.

I got a te-62 recently, b-stock for €115. Can't really say that there's much wrong with it. Good setup out of the box, good tones, very nice neck. Only a wonky pickup selector switch. It works, but it absolutely doesn't feel solid. However, I've had way more expensive guitars that didn't play as nice and needed more setup on arival as this one. Tbh, *all* the HB guitars I had the last few years (this TE, a Fusion 2, a SC custom 2(?) and a DC-DLX Gotoh) were amazing value for money. The Fusion stands between my expensive guitars (like a mexican Charvel and a HM Strat) and really isn't out of place there

I got myself a ST-62MN in vintage white with a roasted maple neck a few months ago. Mine has none of the mentioned issues (no fret sprout, no sharp set screws on the bridge) and is really nice to play. My ST-62 came with .010-.046 and I keep that string gauge when replacing strings (using Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys). As a bass player who is dipping his toes into guitar I don't have a problem with heavier strings. Even my guitar teacher is quite impressed, in his words "more than decent for the money and worth upgrading down the road". I know, Harley Benton instruments can be a hit or miss sometimes. Seems that I got a good one.

I totally agree that most of the time, very cheap guitars are not usually the best for beginners, having to deal with depending on which drawbacks or improvements can end up discouraging someone who is just starting to play guitar. I will also tell you that I have 5 Harley Benton, only one has needed more "complicated" work to make it playable (wedge between the neck and the body), but all have needed minor improvements, so yes, a lottery the quality control of Harley Benton.

Always good to see you, sir. I really liked to color. And I agree 100% that a beginner would find the fret-sprout, and sharp edges at the bridge uncomfortable. This could put off a beginner for life. Seriously.

Lots of noise, no music at all. I imagine a custom shop guitar would sound about the same. You might be better suited at reviewing Mexican Bagpipes instead ? (leaf blower) 😶

Some people spend a lot of money for aged Guitars, who cares about Perfektion for 150€???? And the more effects you need, the less you play with Heart and Soul. My ST-62 CC in Dakota Red is quality and soundwise equal to my mexican Strats, but I've changed the Vibrato to a Wilkinson, now it works perfekt and sounds awesome, the rosswell Pu"s are great.

So in other words, we get a better guitar out of a DIY set ..... I really appreciate your videos. thanks man. :D

Everything above 200 won’t have any of these problems.

This guitar sounds pretty good and for the price, lets be honest if you're looking for a good first guitar to learn on or even a decent second guitar as a player you really can't complain. I just took delivery of the Harley Benton DC Junior faded Cherry. And I have to admit I also felt the stings seemed heavier than they were. I'm used to playing 10's and that's what is on the guitar but they do feel much heavier. Maybe something to investigate here.

Great review. Honest, thorough and informative. I’ve been curious about the brand and your opinion is always welcome

Hi buddy,the pickups are terrible in that,I'm not happy with that guitar from Harley benton,looks is passable at best but failed in my apinion,can't win em all,I'd like to no the weight on that one,jim

Thank you so much for playing some metal for the demo!

Tear it up, Elmo! Whatever flaws you have found, my friend, this video is a huge commercail for people who are like, GD, that guitar sounds AMAZING> in the hands of a great player, of course. I have a '76 F Mexicano and a '85 Fat Strat, and I bought a HB T-Type TE-70 earlier this year, it's as heavy as an LP, but I love playing the damn thing. Giving my Fenders a rest. HB? They make good guitars, bottom line. Do what any guitarist worth his salt does; throw that whammy bar away.

should i get this one or the squier bullet strat??

Oh nice ! i would like to buy a budget strat for personnal project ! And i was going for a Bullet, but wondering..., if the actual HB would be better than the olders ! your advices are always clear and true !

I hate fret sprout. It does look good, but it's not looks that matter. It's like putting lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig. 🤣 .. That whammy you did is what you do on the last song for 10 minutes before you go off stage to make sure they remember you and if it goes out of tune, who cares, it's the last song. 🤣 Hope you're well sir.

tell you wot man ,it sounds pretty damn good and for e169 i dont really think its such a bad deal. nice playing btw

Good and fair review. I wonder if the stiff feeling comes from the springs in the back of the guitar. Maybe they are high-tension springs?

I got myself an ST-62 some time ago. And you are quite right on the screws that sticks out. But the hard bending could be caused by a standard Harley Benton problem which is the sticky frets there is some goo on the fretwires that needs to be removed directly from the start. I use some very fine steelwool for this. I know have 3 guitars and one bass from HB and I had to clean the frets on all of them just to get a nice polish and no sticky residue. When it comes to the strings themselves I don't care since I'm nickel allergic so the strings go from the start. Fretsprouts is abit of hit and miss some have it some don't but then again it's easy to fix. I buy Harley Bentons so I can train myself in setting up guitars I only wish I could get one that REALLY needs some TLC(like fretlevelling or even exchange of frets)but sofar I've had bad luck in getting guitars that only need a stringchange and some polishing of frets aswell as fretsprouts. Otherwise great review as always.

I have owned this same guitar for a few years now. Biggest issue is that the high E string does not line up with the pickups. Bridge is okay'ish, but the middle and neck pickup poles do not line up with the string. Other than that, I must have gotten a good one, cause it plays great and sounds better than any Squier strats.

Got any recommendations for a good strat around the 250-350 euro mark ?

Rip the guts out and drop in the David Gilmour emg pre wired kit, do an hour of finish work, and watch it compare to a $3000 strat…

Another enjoyable review; always worth watching and the playing us sensational. Thanks.

Thanks for the video. Dude, it's not a Floyd Rose bridge, so since it stayed in tune with that bridge, the bridge alone is probably worth $160.00. The fret sprout should not have happened. I have to ask if you changed the strings? If they were factory strings, I don't think you can expect a lot. The finish on the bottom of the guitar should be a return issue. Thomann's customer service is second to none. They're will fix it, if you give them a chance. Every guitar company has issues. Thanks for being honest, but I think you should see if Thomann will fix the issues before passing judgement. Have a great day.

DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!

Jet JS-400 same price range, if you get one, please try.

A Harley Benton with sh#tty frets, how very unusual! 😂😂😂

wow Elmo did you wind/unwind the strings when you loaded them in? To help make the tremolo keep the strings in tune after all that whammy-ing??? Just curious cuz it stayed in tune well!!! great video my brother!!!

I really don’t know what your complaining about, that sounds and plays like a old G&L.I know because I have a Harley Bento kit guitar that I painted a put together.I really thank HB for their product.

You are a recent find on the old You of Tube. Really impressed with your reviews, playing and candour.

On the other hand if it’s $160 it’s a great guitar for a beginner to learn how to do a setup and file frets and such. Better then learning all that on a $400 guitar and learn skills that could be valuable later

For all its faults q.c. it sounds a decent strat, at least when you play it but Im not a huge fan of strat/single coil apart from a tele bridge pickup.

I just looked at Thomann, and surely it says that it comes with 9's. But in the description for every other color of the same model it says that they come with 10's. So maybe it's a mistake on their webside. Maybe the charcoal frost also comes with 10's.

That would make the perfect party guitar, maybe along side a budget LTD(by ESP) to cover the Les Paul players. You don't want to bring out your good stuff for parties, if some drunk dude stumbles over this, or lifts it into the ceiling fan on accident, not that big of a deal.

Sounds great but is it cheating with a really good guitar player and high end tube amp…?

09:02 - Miracle Man. Didn't know you like Ozzy, Elmo. Those pickups seem really trebly when overdriven

Gonna sound like a paid commercial comment here lol, but the good thing about Thomann is that they literally say "order a guitar, check it out and if you are not satisfied, send it back and get the money back"

I've not seen or played many guitars at that price point that holds its own like that! Fret sprout OK it's a pain but you won't but a guitar for that price new, that doesn't have those issues. Beginners won't fix it but sadly that's why most give up because they just try play with it as it is.

Amazing Guitar for the money! I installed a 80s "Rockinger Tru Tune Tremolo" and I love this Guitar 🙂

There’s going to be blemishes and things that are maybe not right, he’ll even Gibson and Fender are shipping out blemished and defective guitars.

Hey this guy, these videos are great even if I don’t plan to buy this exact product, because I can sort of follow along with your process and learn things I might not know. I was wondering why you said that you would upgrade the pickups. I get that an inexpensive guitar may not come with great pickups, but what aspects of the sound are improved with better pickups? Tone, clarity, responsiveness, signal to noise, clean/distorted performance, etc. Just something I wonder about when you mention wanting to swap out the pickups (something I haven’t done myself). Cheers

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

love your vids! Informative, intelligently presented and unapologetically honest. Having said that can you or have you done a review on the Epiphone es 339? Thank you! Keep the reviews going!

ernie ball slinky are more "flexable" than original shit strings

A used or discounted Cort G250 knocks the spots of this guitar for not much more money.

I have one. No problems at all. Great guitar and I’ve got Fender, Gibson, PRS etc.

weird got mine in the mail a couple months ago and didn't have any of those issues

Was slightly disappointed to hear about the issues but then again, what can we expect for such low prices. I don’t believe you had these issues with the HB Les Paul style guitar. I am usually a Strat/Tele type of guy but keep coming back to the “BrianNay” guitar you reviewed recently. Think I’ll be getting one of them at some point.

I have two of these. Maple neck and pao ferro neck. Maple neck is really hard to play. The one with the Pao Ferro neck is easy to play. And only 9's strings. 10's strings are too heavy to pull. I also don't understand why this is the case, what is the reason for it?

I've got a USA Strat and the bridge height adjustment screws also feel quite sharp, I don't think there is a lot you can do about that, apart from grinding them down so the screw heads sit slightly into the saddle, or maybe get some shorter screws, but it's not bothering me that much

What is this color called?

Hi! I am a beginner who particularly loves Dire Straits. Do you think it is a good choice for someone like me who starts from scratch and loves Dire Straits' sound? Thanks

Might as well buy a guitar on Amazon like a grote . with all that going on.

It sound really nice on my headphones. For me, that feel of harder bends would be the deal breaker.

Whatevers wrong with it sounds effing great in your hands lol

It sounds like a strat but it doesn't sound like a fender

I have the ST62 Deluxe which had similar finish issues (eg. fret sprout) which I sorted out reasonably quickly. One pleasant surprise for me came when I opened the electronics up and I found all the pots are full size and there are two tone caps in there: not a massive deal but both unusual in anything even remotely cheap. The pickups are at that annoying point were they are good but _might_ be improved thus making the decision to change them or not a head-scratcher. Incidentally, the Deluxe came with 10s which I may change for 9s at some point as they do play heavy.

Nice colour 👌

Common it sounds 👍

11:59?!? Ok that was cool. And they are a great way to learn luthierie without mucking up a expensive instrument.

you can see the flaws in the finish in the reflection at 4.07

God that looks nice. Get a tortoise shell pick guard on that and you’re winning 🙌🏼

Lmao randomly rippin the Simpsons riffs was funny af

2:48 Elmo it's the same on the Fender Squires, those screws are also very sharp and uncomfortable and those guitars are like 379€, this one you get for 130-160€.

So far I've purchased a few things thanks to you, but I'll pass on this one 😀 Please review Sawtooth Guitars 🎸🙏 Very curious about that one because they started off as Fender Stratocaster replicas and from what I've seen, were done pretty well. I had wanted one, but their SE series (I believe it's called that..) is discontinued in favor of more Modern shapes. And of course, Michael Angelo Batio endorses them and has his MAB24 signature.. Hey, you should play Glarry Guitars, maybe they'll sign you to endorse them! You never know lol.. For some reason, I feel that both Glarry and Sawtooth Guitars are manufactured by the same people 😆🤣

I actually this guitar, its good enough for me!

you should try the vintage v6 as a strat alternative

These guitars are incredible value, take them to a luthier and you cant go wrong.

It sounds really nice but it basically sounds like you're sacrificing fit and finish for sound with this one. Which is not altogether awful, like you said, if you know how to deal with those. By the way, how did the frets feel on the surface?

Sexy strat

Nice vídeo! Between the Squier Classic Vibe and the HB ST62, which would you choose?

What did you expect?

Can you review Donner DST-400 ? Thank you.

I’ve got this, but inca silver. Im total beginner and so what pickups you would suggest to buy instead of Roswell

Does the colour come across as it does in the vid (slightly green)?

hey there elmo. amazing review sir. i had a question, does the bar go up as well ??

how thick is the body? is it slightly thinner than a regular strat?

Always forget to mention...Elmo, I can pronounce your surname 😁😉

Fret sprout (especially on maple fingerboards) are nature of the beast with inexpensive guitars....mostly because the maple isn't aged and continues to shrink as it dries out over time.

Take the reverb and delay out. You should know this as Player?

When grub screws (on the bridge) were sticking out really far, I've found that the neck needed a shim. That's my biggest problem with Strats - grub screw cheese graters!

Sounds perfect!! Love HB' s!!

Harsh but usable pickups, quite surprising.

That Strat bridge with the screws isn't a HB only issue, unfortunately. You can find them on Squiers and even older Strats. And, yes, even when you sand them down, this type of bridge is STILL very uncomfortable to play. You can get smaller screws that stand out a lot less (like on a Jazz bass) but getting a newer Strat stlye bridge is the best (although most expensive) solutions. The shorter screws clock in at < 10 €.

thank you finnish thom yorke

Nice and muddy

Are they bent saddles? I hate those you feel the screws on your hand more. I just changed them out on my Yamaha. Much better feel.

Accepting bad QC just because its €160 for me does nothing for harley benton to address this. I've sent back 2 harley benton guitars because of poor quality in fret finishing and poor paint. Id rather spend an extra €10-€20 for them to unbox guitars and check them over as that would address faults from the factory. Other manufacturers do it ( artist guitars do this) yes fret sprout can happen on any guitar but bad paint its a no from me.

This looks SO good

Surkein esimerkki nauhojen "törrötyksestä" mitä olen ikinä kokenut oli minun US. made Fender Telessä. Telen soundit on kyllä mahtavat. Seuraavana pari Squieria ja intonaatiot Squeireissa päin vittua. Telen intonaatiota en muista. Niin ja sitten tuo HB soundaa käsissäsi aika hyvältä, Yleensä en oikein käsitä soundejasi. Pitää kai ostaa levyjäsi.