Unfortunately, this deal has expired 3 August 2023.
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228°
Posted 12 July 2023
Harley Benton SC-550 II Gotoh AFB Electric Guitar - £211 @ Thomann
Free from Germany ·
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Cooltide
Joined in 2012
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About this deal
This deal is expired. Here are some options that might interest you:
Retailers are extending their return policies for Christmas: Full List of Shops Extending Returns Policies for Christmas
As part of their Harley Benton 25th Anniversary Sale, Thomann are selling 25 Harley Benton Guitars & Pedals at 25% off. Full list of products on sale here.
I personally think that this Single Cut SC-550 is the pick of the bunch. Here's my logic.
Here are some reviews of the guitar (Last 2 without the Gotoh upgrade).
Review of the SC-550 II Gotoh AFB
Skip to 4:24 for the review to start
Review from a Metal player
I personally think that this Single Cut SC-550 is the pick of the bunch. Here's my logic.
- Weight-reduced chambered body (Single cuts can be very heavy)
- AAAA maple veneer on a solid maple cap (for tone)
- Body and Neck made from Meranti (A mahogany like wood used on many Sub £750 Ibanez's, etc.)
- 60's slim taper neck. With a volute (for added strength and tuning stability). With a carved heel (for more comfortable access to the upper frets.)
- Quality Gotoh Kluson tuners (for extra tuning stability).
- 22 Stainless Steel frets on a flatish 12" radius Pau Ferro Fingerboard (A Rosewoody wood!)
- Vintage "P.A.F." sounding Tesla pickups (for that classic tone)
- Will be suitable for a wide range of styles e.g. Jazz, Blues, Rock, Metal?
- It's made at a decent factory (World Music's Indonesia Factory, who make for many of the best brands).
- Most reviews agree that the SC-550 is a budget guitar that punches above its price.
Here are some reviews of the guitar (Last 2 without the Gotoh upgrade).
Review of the SC-550 II Gotoh AFB
Skip to 4:24 for the review to start
Review from a Metal player
More details at Community Updates
Edited by a community support team member, 12 July 2023
28 Comments
sorted byOut the box, the set up was perfecto! I cannot stress how surprised I was I mean perfect! Absolutely nothing needed. It was very nearly in tune as well!
Frets were nice and smoothed out, it had a really nice playable neck. It had a definite p bass sound. It was £120. Delivered. I cannot fault it.
Great price.
Also check out their Fusion range thomann.de/ie/…tml (edited)
If you still want a Single Cut, I'll try to compare this Harley Benton to the Epiphone honey burst also posted yesterday. They are very very similar.
They are constructed from similar mahogany-like bodies, with rosewood-like fingerboards and solid maple caps. They both have quality tuners. The HB scores better with the stainless steel frets which shoud be maintenance free for most players. Although the weight will vary on every guitar, I would expect the HB to be lighter, which is generally agreed to be a good thing.
The biggest difference will be the sounds available through an amp. The Epiphone has modern wiring to split the pickup coils to get you both the gutsy sound of a humbucker and something akin to the brighter sound of a single coil. This means you can get away with taking one guitar to a gig instead of two. (Think hendrix tone vs peter green tone.)
Another thing is the name on the headstock if you're a brand snob. You won't get dissed for rocking an Epiphone. If you're not bothered, the HB will rock just as hard. The Epiphone will probably retain more value on the used market.
If I didn't already own 2 single cuts, then I would be happy with either of these.
Word of warning. All budget and mid range priced guitars are likely to have some quality control issues. You may be lucky and get a perfect one out of the box, but you should expect some scratchy and/or sprouty frets, and you'll probably need to get the action and intonation adjusted and maybe the nut and truss rod. There will probably be the odd finish blemish. You should expect to take both these guitars to a friend or a music store to get it set up properly.
In snobby terms the HB comes from a good factory in Indonesia so you might expect less setup problems, whereas the Epiphone comes from a lesser Chinese factory. (I own a Chinese made Hagstrom Swede and it is superb.) But each guitar will be different.
Sorry this reply turned out longer than I planned. (edited)
Don't worry, this Harley Benton is a massive step up. Owning a guitar that you want to pick up and play will help you improve faster.
Please remember, at this price point, it may not play its best straight out of the box. It takes time to set up a guitar properly, time costs money, so they don't spend much time setting up budget and mid price guitars. Get it looked at by your guitar teacher or a guitarist friend and they may be able to adjust it for you. Also check out the many videos and webpages online for setup tutorials. Setting up a guitar yourself at home is (mostly) not hard. But if it needs fret work or a nut adjustment, you should expect to take it to a luthier, as this will need specialist tools and expertise.
One last observation for you. Initially this Harley Benton may feel alien under you fretting hand. The neck/fingerboard/fret shape and size are all different to a Strat and to what your muscle memory expects. Don't worry, after a day or two you'll get fully comfortable and your hand will be ok in future with different guitars.