a
Absolute looker, can't beat it at that price
Overall, I'm blown away by this guitar. Actually, it's my second SC-Custom II as I ordered the same model exactly a year ago and I liked it but ended up selling it and then regretting it and buying another one in 2021 LOL.
The 2020 model was a lot less dark, very tiger-orangy while the 2021 one has a brown tint, almost bordo - both look stunning. But I like the new one a bit better.
To specific points:
PROS:
+ Absolutely incredible look. I can't stress it enough - the guitar is a looker! I wouldn't change anything about it. The way they designed it with cream binding, dark chrome furniture, and zebra pups... I'm constantly drooling over it!
+ I couldn't find any cosmetic defects except for a couple of tiny rough spots where the neck connects to the body. Just inaccurate paint on the bottom which you can even see when playing.
+ Frets aren't sharp at all, very well rounded (something other called out but I guess I got lucky)
+ Ergonomics-wise, I love all the cuts that make it so easy to play and also light compared to old-school Les Pauls.
+ Pickups are pretty okay as long as you're not trying to squeeze some djent out of it. I was able to get some juice playing things like Gojira, but they don't have enough output to get a killer metal sound. Going to swap them pups and see.
CONS:
- The fretboard was slightly dry - easily fixed with lemon oil.
- I think wiring or grounding on my new HB is messed up a bit as I can hear radio coming through (love that new feature!). That wasn't the case with my 2020 model by the way. Need to check the grounding.
- Neck binding appears to be a little rough in some spots. Nothing major, just not sanded well. You can't really feel it, so it doesn't affect you much.
Sidenote: I heard from others that the strap locks occasionally tear through the carton box exposing the guitar's bottom during delivery and might result in some dings (I was lucky enough as mine didn't suffer from that). I flagged it to Thoman saying that removing strap locks and putting them separately in the box might help alleviate it - but just in case, don't hesitate to ask Thomann to do it upon ordering just to be safe.
That said, it's an incredible instrument which I would buy even the third time (I'm not selling it this time around!)
The 2020 model was a lot less dark, very tiger-orangy while the 2021 one has a brown tint, almost bordo - both look stunning. But I like the new one a bit better.
To specific points:
PROS:
+ Absolutely incredible look. I can't stress it enough - the guitar is a looker! I wouldn't change anything about it. The way they designed it with cream binding, dark chrome furniture, and zebra pups... I'm constantly drooling over it!
+ I couldn't find any cosmetic defects except for a couple of tiny rough spots where the neck connects to the body. Just inaccurate paint on the bottom which you can even see when playing.
+ Frets aren't sharp at all, very well rounded (something other called out but I guess I got lucky)
+ Ergonomics-wise, I love all the cuts that make it so easy to play and also light compared to old-school Les Pauls.
+ Pickups are pretty okay as long as you're not trying to squeeze some djent out of it. I was able to get some juice playing things like Gojira, but they don't have enough output to get a killer metal sound. Going to swap them pups and see.
CONS:
- The fretboard was slightly dry - easily fixed with lemon oil.
- I think wiring or grounding on my new HB is messed up a bit as I can hear radio coming through (love that new feature!). That wasn't the case with my 2020 model by the way. Need to check the grounding.
- Neck binding appears to be a little rough in some spots. Nothing major, just not sanded well. You can't really feel it, so it doesn't affect you much.
Sidenote: I heard from others that the strap locks occasionally tear through the carton box exposing the guitar's bottom during delivery and might result in some dings (I was lucky enough as mine didn't suffer from that). I flagged it to Thoman saying that removing strap locks and putting them separately in the box might help alleviate it - but just in case, don't hesitate to ask Thomann to do it upon ordering just to be safe.
That said, it's an incredible instrument which I would buy even the third time (I'm not selling it this time around!)
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LR
Favorit guitar right now
Grover tuners are perfect! Gift strap locks that I did not even read on the page (must have missed it) is a killer touch! Finish is just flawless, really! Pickups are hot but defined. I don't know what pots it has but it is as sensitive as my friends 2020 Gibson LPClassic! I showed him yesterday and he is legit mad at me now, because his axe costs almost TEN TIMES more. I am just simply amazed by the quality, there is not a single thing I pick on, really. I have the Harley Benton SC-550 from this march (it is the older SC-550, not the new SC-550 II). Compared to that (and that was more expensive) it is just night and day. The pots, the finnish, the accessories on it is just superb. I thought the SC-550 is a fantastic guitar but it has finnish flaws (nothing extreme, scratches, some misscolored spots at the neck joint), but after this guitar I want to sell the SC-550 now and get another of this in another color.
One thing I missed at purchase (but I was lucky I guess) is that the uncovered Roswell humbuckers in SC Custom II range are LAF Alnico 5 pups wheres this (and all the uncovered ones) are HAF Alnico 5 pups. The HAF pickups are a bit more compressed and much more hotter, which is a killer!
Ohh and the matte finnish! I am huge sucker for matte and brown wood colors, this combined just makes me look at it and just play it! Super super nice!
Setup: out of the box both bass and treble side are 2 mm at the 15th fret. I like Treble side on 1,5 mm and bass on 2, so I just lowered the treble side. Pickups were 3- 3 mm from the strings (both pups on both sides) if the last note is fretted. This pickup comes alive if you raise it to around 1,6 mm on the bridge (both treble and bass side) and 2 mm on neck pup (also both sides). The neck was spot on perfect, as well as the intonation. Factori d'addario 10-46 strings are fresh so even though I am a 9-46 hybrid slinky Ernie ball guy, I will keep them on to play them off, not the usual cheapo' basic noname strings!
Ohh and the matte headstock with the 4 staged Harley Benton logo, omg... super nice!
One thing I missed at purchase (but I was lucky I guess) is that the uncovered Roswell humbuckers in SC Custom II range are LAF Alnico 5 pups wheres this (and all the uncovered ones) are HAF Alnico 5 pups. The HAF pickups are a bit more compressed and much more hotter, which is a killer!
Ohh and the matte finnish! I am huge sucker for matte and brown wood colors, this combined just makes me look at it and just play it! Super super nice!
Setup: out of the box both bass and treble side are 2 mm at the 15th fret. I like Treble side on 1,5 mm and bass on 2, so I just lowered the treble side. Pickups were 3- 3 mm from the strings (both pups on both sides) if the last note is fretted. This pickup comes alive if you raise it to around 1,6 mm on the bridge (both treble and bass side) and 2 mm on neck pup (also both sides). The neck was spot on perfect, as well as the intonation. Factori d'addario 10-46 strings are fresh so even though I am a 9-46 hybrid slinky Ernie ball guy, I will keep them on to play them off, not the usual cheapo' basic noname strings!
Ohh and the matte headstock with the 4 staged Harley Benton logo, omg... super nice!
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AL
Quite disappointed
Bought the guitar on a Sunday afternoon and it reached me (Republic of Ireland) 5 business days after. That is probably as good as it gets in terms of delivery time for something like a musical instrument coming from thousands of miles away, so I was quite happy with that.
Upon taking it out of the box, it looked OK... but unfortunately a lot browner than what the photos in the website, as well as some videos in that 'VideoPlatform' .
I obviously can't state this with absolute certainty, but I could bet something changed in the manufacturing process and the color is not quite the same anymore. But all right... that's a cosmetic thing. It is somehow important to me, yes, but not ultimately decisive on returning the guitar or not. Still, I would say it was a good looking guitar. If that was the only 'issue' I would not be packing it again to return.
Now for the REAL issues:
Fret edges: rough! Not razor sharp, but definitely in need of considerable work. Very unpleasant to play... to the point that it actually becomes a detriment for playing.
Bridge: the nut where the poles screw in were not aligned nicely with the body. The one on the top was some good millimeters sunk into the body. The bottom one was slightly above the body level (I'm trying to describe it here with words, but it is a bit tricky to do so).
There were also several ink stains over the binding of the neck. I mean, all over it... more so on the upper frets (the ones closer to the body), but through the whole extension of the neck you could somehow easily spot little nudges of the same finish color used on the back of the neck. Really poorly done.
Other than that, controls/electronics seemed to work quite well. The coils split OK, nothing spectacular, nor terrible. Just 'yeah... ok'.
I had huge hopes for this guitar, after so many astonishing reviews. I guess I didn't lucked out. I still intend to buy another one, possibly of a different color. I really want this guitar to be good!
Upon taking it out of the box, it looked OK... but unfortunately a lot browner than what the photos in the website, as well as some videos in that 'VideoPlatform' .
I obviously can't state this with absolute certainty, but I could bet something changed in the manufacturing process and the color is not quite the same anymore. But all right... that's a cosmetic thing. It is somehow important to me, yes, but not ultimately decisive on returning the guitar or not. Still, I would say it was a good looking guitar. If that was the only 'issue' I would not be packing it again to return.
Now for the REAL issues:
Fret edges: rough! Not razor sharp, but definitely in need of considerable work. Very unpleasant to play... to the point that it actually becomes a detriment for playing.
Bridge: the nut where the poles screw in were not aligned nicely with the body. The one on the top was some good millimeters sunk into the body. The bottom one was slightly above the body level (I'm trying to describe it here with words, but it is a bit tricky to do so).
There were also several ink stains over the binding of the neck. I mean, all over it... more so on the upper frets (the ones closer to the body), but through the whole extension of the neck you could somehow easily spot little nudges of the same finish color used on the back of the neck. Really poorly done.
Other than that, controls/electronics seemed to work quite well. The coils split OK, nothing spectacular, nor terrible. Just 'yeah... ok'.
I had huge hopes for this guitar, after so many astonishing reviews. I guess I didn't lucked out. I still intend to buy another one, possibly of a different color. I really want this guitar to be good!
10
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S
very good built guitar for the price, comfy fingerboard and fast in the playing despite roasted jatoba wood
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t
Excellent, with a few minor niggles
First Impressions:
A lot browner than the images suggest. Book-matched top, really nicely sculpted heel, comfortable neck. Shipping carton supportive, arrived in the UK three days after ordering with no shipping problems.
Some finish flaws, a blob of the satin top coat in the centre of the back, and also two dings on the back. The binding was also a bit dirty, not fully scraped before the finish was applied.
Left to settle after unboxing and then tuned up and tested.
First Setup:
Nice solid Grover tuners, intonation bang-on perfect out of the box [a first!]. No truss rod adjustment required, bridge down about 2mm and tailpiece up to ensure strings cleared the back of the bridge. Graphite nut cleaned up and E and A nut slots cut down by 0.5mm. Solid strap-locks.
Frets polished, and fretboard oiled.
First play:
Holy cow. Damn this plays so well. Roswell HAF pickups [only available on this Custom II] are nicely punchy with the volume rolled off, and very hot when run flat out. Not super-defined when run into a ton of gain but a slight volume roll cures that. Nice pickups. All electrics work well, no hum or crackles, shielding to all cavities.
Not as heavy as you might expect but there is still a bit of neck dive.
All frets level and neck perfect, not even needed to remove the truss rod cover yet. After adjustment action nicely low, neck fast, no buzzes.
A joy to play. Currently sporting a set of D'Addario EXL120BT with no other mods considered or necessary. Even the nut [a usual issue I have with Harley Bentons] just needed two slots deepening, otherwise it's been very smooth even after extreme bending.
Inspiring, one of those guitars that makes you play.
By far the best Harley Benton guitar I've bought in many years.
A lot browner than the images suggest. Book-matched top, really nicely sculpted heel, comfortable neck. Shipping carton supportive, arrived in the UK three days after ordering with no shipping problems.
Some finish flaws, a blob of the satin top coat in the centre of the back, and also two dings on the back. The binding was also a bit dirty, not fully scraped before the finish was applied.
Left to settle after unboxing and then tuned up and tested.
First Setup:
Nice solid Grover tuners, intonation bang-on perfect out of the box [a first!]. No truss rod adjustment required, bridge down about 2mm and tailpiece up to ensure strings cleared the back of the bridge. Graphite nut cleaned up and E and A nut slots cut down by 0.5mm. Solid strap-locks.
Frets polished, and fretboard oiled.
First play:
Holy cow. Damn this plays so well. Roswell HAF pickups [only available on this Custom II] are nicely punchy with the volume rolled off, and very hot when run flat out. Not super-defined when run into a ton of gain but a slight volume roll cures that. Nice pickups. All electrics work well, no hum or crackles, shielding to all cavities.
Not as heavy as you might expect but there is still a bit of neck dive.
All frets level and neck perfect, not even needed to remove the truss rod cover yet. After adjustment action nicely low, neck fast, no buzzes.
A joy to play. Currently sporting a set of D'Addario EXL120BT with no other mods considered or necessary. Even the nut [a usual issue I have with Harley Bentons] just needed two slots deepening, otherwise it's been very smooth even after extreme bending.
Inspiring, one of those guitars that makes you play.
By far the best Harley Benton guitar I've bought in many years.
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e
My copy was made with feet
From afar, my copy looks good.
Technical problems:
I found that I could not adjust the anchor, since it was simply impossible to insert the key for it into the adjustment hole. More precisely, I can do it, but the angle of rotation is only possible by 30 degrees - I can't insert the key after this turn, it just doesn't want to enter the hole to make another turn.
Bridge pickup is installed with an offset - when shooting from above, it is clearly visible, compared to neck pickup. Therefore, the strings are not located above the magnets.Also, the string holder and bridge are installed at different angles. None of them are installed exactly horizontally.
Cosmetic problems:
All photos with numbering can be seen at the
imgur (dot) com + /a/CovyyLt
1. The tone knobs are offset relative to the center of the holes
2. Near the switch there is a trace of turning the nut with some tool
3. The light edging on the body and neck has darkening in some places. Especially near the neck.
4. The neck case of the pickup is slightly angled (very small but it is visible)
5. All fretboard inclusions have dark secretions (oil or glue, I do not know).
6. The borders of the frets on the neck (closer to the edges of the neck) have darkening, similar to dirt or grease from fingers. I've seen something similar on my old guitar after a long time of use.
7. There is a small crack on the neck in the area of the 6th fret. It is not under varnish or impregnation.
----
Thomann support informed me none of this is a defect. These are "technological tolerances".
The return from Kyrgyzstan will cost me 60 euros. It's a lot for me and I can't afford it. But even if I could, the delivery of another guitar would cost me 60 euros again.
I won't even be able to sell it as used -- no one will want to buy it in this condition.
Technical problems:
I found that I could not adjust the anchor, since it was simply impossible to insert the key for it into the adjustment hole. More precisely, I can do it, but the angle of rotation is only possible by 30 degrees - I can't insert the key after this turn, it just doesn't want to enter the hole to make another turn.
Bridge pickup is installed with an offset - when shooting from above, it is clearly visible, compared to neck pickup. Therefore, the strings are not located above the magnets.Also, the string holder and bridge are installed at different angles. None of them are installed exactly horizontally.
Cosmetic problems:
All photos with numbering can be seen at the
imgur (dot) com + /a/CovyyLt
1. The tone knobs are offset relative to the center of the holes
2. Near the switch there is a trace of turning the nut with some tool
3. The light edging on the body and neck has darkening in some places. Especially near the neck.
4. The neck case of the pickup is slightly angled (very small but it is visible)
5. All fretboard inclusions have dark secretions (oil or glue, I do not know).
6. The borders of the frets on the neck (closer to the edges of the neck) have darkening, similar to dirt or grease from fingers. I've seen something similar on my old guitar after a long time of use.
7. There is a small crack on the neck in the area of the 6th fret. It is not under varnish or impregnation.
----
Thomann support informed me none of this is a defect. These are "technological tolerances".
The return from Kyrgyzstan will cost me 60 euros. It's a lot for me and I can't afford it. But even if I could, the delivery of another guitar would cost me 60 euros again.
I won't even be able to sell it as used -- no one will want to buy it in this condition.
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GG
SC Ciutom II SPAF
I finally bought one and I am super happy with it. It looks great. It was slightly out of tune when I received it which I expected. It tuned right up, intonation is perfect. Action is good slightly high for what I like but nothing to complain about, I’ve played worse. Pickups sound great clean or crunch and the sustain is amazing.
The only issue with the guitar is the finish on the body is rough in a couple spots. That’s why I gave it a 4. That’s actually being picky because the price point and everything else about the guitar is soo good, the finish doesn’t bother me. Ever so slight fret sprout/sharp ends but nothing that bothers me while playing. I only feel it when I run my fingers down the edges of the neck.
I have played Gibsons and Fenders that cost 3 to 5 times as much and were unplayable.
Once I dress the fret ends and do a setup it will be perfect. Great guitar !!!
The only issue with the guitar is the finish on the body is rough in a couple spots. That’s why I gave it a 4. That’s actually being picky because the price point and everything else about the guitar is soo good, the finish doesn’t bother me. Ever so slight fret sprout/sharp ends but nothing that bothers me while playing. I only feel it when I run my fingers down the edges of the neck.
I have played Gibsons and Fenders that cost 3 to 5 times as much and were unplayable.
Once I dress the fret ends and do a setup it will be perfect. Great guitar !!!
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CC
Feels good, sounds good
Guitars are a highly subjective item. So, when you get your hands on a new guitar, it's really all about how it feels to you, personally. And for me, this Harley Benton SC-Custom II SPAF feels great, sounds great, and looks great.
This is not a perfect guitar, nor would you expect it to be so within this price range. However, the value far exceeds the cost in every way. The very minor issues on this particular guitar are: 1) very small dings in the neck binding (cannot feel them when playing but when you look close you see them), 2) the coil split knob comes off a bit too easy when I pull it (easily adjusted), 3) very small spot of overspray of the dark brown onto the neck binding where it joins the body (you don't see it unless you flip the guitar over because it's on the lower side of the neck).
Weight: Mine came in at 4.1 kg (~9lbs). This is heavier than I expected so keep it in mind. I have also heard that other people have received lighter guitars so experiences vary with the weight. I play sitting down most of the time so this is not a huge issue.
Overall, a great guitar at an attractive price.
This is not a perfect guitar, nor would you expect it to be so within this price range. However, the value far exceeds the cost in every way. The very minor issues on this particular guitar are: 1) very small dings in the neck binding (cannot feel them when playing but when you look close you see them), 2) the coil split knob comes off a bit too easy when I pull it (easily adjusted), 3) very small spot of overspray of the dark brown onto the neck binding where it joins the body (you don't see it unless you flip the guitar over because it's on the lower side of the neck).
Weight: Mine came in at 4.1 kg (~9lbs). This is heavier than I expected so keep it in mind. I have also heard that other people have received lighter guitars so experiences vary with the weight. I play sitting down most of the time so this is not a huge issue.
Overall, a great guitar at an attractive price.
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PS
What a beautiful, outstanding guitar!!!
Such a great outcome for a well deserved expectation, you guy, are wonderful, the classy LP sound on a thinner guitar with great looks and feel! You made me a very happy customer...just work a little more od making the frets all smoother, thanks. Jesus Cornejo!
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d
A lot of bang for not much buck
This guitar could easily cost twice the price. Well finished, versatile sounds, and a decent setup right out of the box. Looks-wise, this thing is lovely, and feels really nice. Only a couple of small issues are holding back a perfect five-star score... one wrong screw was used in one of the pickup surrounds - it's bigger than the others and has been screwed in at an angle. Easy fixed, but a little disappointing that this was missed before being sent out. The nut was pretty roughly finished, but a little light and careful sanding sorted that out. Pickups could be a little hotter, but that just personal taste. All in all, I can't recommend this enough, despite those small issues. A guitar of this quality at this price is quite incredible!
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