It was night and day between the two pickups. The stock ones sounded like fizzy wet cardboard. The Guitarmory sounded great. I appreciate what HB is doing in the world of affordable guitars, but I think people need to see these demos to know what they are getting into when buying one.
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
Yeah those pickups were some how thin, weak and super noisy. Tells me something went wrong making them.
@pedrosilvaproductions
Жыл бұрын
tbf it's usually what separates these guitars from higher priced models. It's usually the electronics and the QC or setups. Imo it's a good project guitar, to change pickups, knobs, tuners, nut etc and then you get a beast. I did something similar to a Jackson PS-1 I own. It was horrible sound wise, so I just changed almost everything, just didn't change the frets or the bridge and the guitar is amazing
@MegaDeox
Ай бұрын
I think that's harsh. I barely heard a difference, and even if there was one, the price difference is so large that it doesn't make any sense to upgrade.
@BaritoneGoatStudio
Ай бұрын
@@MegaDeox typically I agree, stock pickups tend to be fine. And granted, I am listening on studio monitors. My personal experience with HB pickups has been bad. I think the Roswell and Tesla brands they use are good. HBZ and HB passive have all been trash. HBZ I have used have had bad preamps. In the isolated clips here, the pick attack and gain roll off on the HBs are noticeably bad to me. They sound spongy. In a mix you won’t really tell, only the player will know based on the response and that could affect the performance overall. The noise issue is another thing and I have found that a high noise floor in the signal can kill sustain and definition. I will typically try and demonstrate clean tones to illustrate issues with output and definition since gain can mask some of those problems.
@parentesiquadra100
7 күн бұрын
What a perfect review, thank you!
@hellskreamer
9 ай бұрын
Thanks for a review that sets realistic expectations when buying something like this.
@MetalZoned
Жыл бұрын
I can't believe how cheap this thing is. The improvements really made it shine. Very impressed with those pickups and would definitely like to hear more of them on channel for sure.
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
I have a demo of the pickups coming up soon. Really interesting and unique with the bridge having both ceramic and alnico magnets.
@furfss
Жыл бұрын
Glad you’re back!
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
Back? Where'd I go?
@CalanReichel
7 ай бұрын
Just ordered a 7 version, and I couldnt find anybody who actually goes point by point over the issues. So, thank you! I ordered some new fret crowning and polishing stuff, new stings, brass neck pocket shims, and some locking tuners. Maybe drop in some fishman, if the guitar's bones are good enough, even though it will more than double the cost. 😆😆 Cheers bud!
@MetalHeadProductions
7 ай бұрын
It's got good bones and I think you'll be happy with it once you polish it up a bit. Hopefully the 7 string pickups are better than the 8's or I got some duds or something.
@gogaga6286
Жыл бұрын
great video, thanks!
@gph2193
Жыл бұрын
That sounded great. So... I joined you in this adventure and purchased a black one. Tosin Abasi I am not, but my move to 7 string changed my guitar playing forever and I want to see where it goes on 8 strings. A good way to get out of the pedal of the day mindframe for a while. Thank you for the inspiration.
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
That's awesome, glad to help inspire some ideas!
@gph2193
Жыл бұрын
@@MetalHeadProductions Waiting on strings and locking tuners. Dealing with the stock pickups for now. A Timmy to boost it and a BE OD pedal into Cab M+ Metal Zone preset very much helps the goofy pickups on it.
@jeffhirshberg5171
Жыл бұрын
I bought this same guitar. Put a Black Winter Duncan in the bridge, a HipShot bridge, HIpshot locking tuners, and a Graph Tech nut on the thing and It's just amazing. Plays and sounds like a $1500 guitar. Did the same thing with a Jackson JS22-7 with the same results. And that HB neck is just spot on.
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
Sounds like you upgraded your pretty awesome. I may do the bridge too, but honestly the bridge it comes with just fine. My goal was to take a guitar under $200, spend a few hundred and get it sounding and playing like a higher end guitar, and I think I've done that.
@MetalZoned
Жыл бұрын
How do you like the 8 string black winters?
@jeffhirshberg5171
Жыл бұрын
@@MetalZoned They're fantastic. Same with the 7 string version.
@MetalZoned
Жыл бұрын
@@jeffhirshberg5171 if you were to do it over would you get the Harley Benton or the Jackson
@jeffhirshberg5171
Жыл бұрын
@@MetalZoned The 7 string is a Jackson (JS22-7 DKA HD) and yes, it does sound a bit better. But I did the same mod work to it as the HB (Hipshot bridge/tuners and Graphtec Tusq nut). So, yes, I might go with the Jackson if I had to do it again. Though I'm very satisfied with the HB.
@DJ33
Жыл бұрын
Very cool. Definitely built a solid 8
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
the bones are good, but there are some issue they need to sort out. I hear this pickup thing is a problem in other guitars right now with them.
@CookedinChaos
9 ай бұрын
I just picked one of these guys up...I can't wait to throw some Fishman's in it
@Screwhead
Жыл бұрын
I've got the 7 string version of that guitar. Everything but the pickups were great! I put in a pair of Bareknuckle War Pigs at 2x the price of the guitar lol, but it was 100% worth it! I play tuned essentially to drop F and it sounds like an absolute BEAST with proper pickups!
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
I love the Warpigs, those are in my top for pickups for sure. Idk what is wrong with the pickups that come stock in this but it seems like something is wrong with how it's wired because it's listed as high output, but they're actually super weak and on top of that, crazy noisy like they weren't ground properly or something.
@Screwhead
Жыл бұрын
@@MetalHeadProductions Well, looking at the price of wood, and the price of the guitars, they had to cheap out SOMEWHERE, so I think that the pickups are some $10 AliExpress pickups.. The one I got was also SUPER noisy, extremely low output, and felt like there was a lowpass filter on it even if I had the tone all the way up.. sounded muddy and muffled.. Warpigs cleared it all up! It's a great guitar to use as an upgrade platform!
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
@@Screwhead funny mine were all thin and top end, haha
@sirbonple
Жыл бұрын
how do the pickups fit in the guitar, and how many strings are the pickups for? im tryna find pickups that would fit in the 7 string fanfret but from what ive seen they are the size of 8 string soapbars
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
@@sirbonple these fit perfectly. Guitarmory will work with you and the size of the pickups in the guitar already to make sure they fit correctly.
@MaxSxB
Жыл бұрын
Hey man well done video ! I got one too (and an R-457 FF). I swapped pickups on the R-457 trying to get rid of that nasty boxy pick attack on 6th string (7th string on R-458). I hear you got that same characteristic attack, with stock and new pickup (new one sounds a lot more balanced though). I've spent months trying to understand where it comes from, I'm blaming the instrument itself at this point. Would you have any clue on what causes it ? I'd say saddles or nut but I don't know... No other 8 string guitars on YT videos got that sound, there inevitably is a culprit I need to figure out
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
Idk, could be the saddle or even the nut possibly. Pickup swap did the trick for me, thankfully.
@GordanVrbanec
Жыл бұрын
So, to make the 150ish dollar guitar playable, you need to invest into pickups that cost double what the guitar does? :D But it's kinda true haha, i have one of those "affordable" ones, the Jazzmaster baritone from Squier. It's a great skeleton as you put it, but the pickups in there are so bad it's hilarious how bad they are. I've never heard that kind of noise before, and i can hear it while playing, noise gates don't do anything! I already swapped the electronics in it, and will definitely swap the pickups. They sound great clean, but as soon as you put any kind of dirt on them they go crazy. Kinda like this HB of yours. Those guitars like Squier and Harley benton are great project guitars. Get the shape and "thing" you want, from build perspective (with any luck, good build quality), and go to town upgrading it. :) Like, for mine, i want all gold hardware. Maybe tacky, but i like it. :D
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
Haha, yeah, the main thing was new pickups and cleaning up those frets. Still, though, this and some decent pickups are around $300-400, not bad for what you get, but wow Harley Benton need to do something about these pickups.
@GordanVrbanec
Жыл бұрын
@@MetalHeadProductions Oh the fretwork you did also definitely contributes a lot to the sound and feel. And yeah, around 400 bucks upgrade is not that big, i mean, the pickups you put in cost about the same as i paid for Fishman Abasi set so, not that super expensive. And there's also more affordable options like Warman pickups and Iron gear. It's just funny to me how an entire guitar can cost less than just a set of pickups. :D Funny times we live in, but i like it. Buying an instrument - a good one - has never been easier. I remember my starting guitar, a squier that i had to tune mid playing (yes, that bad), frets all over the place and held together with magic, idk how that guitar didn't fall apart. And it cost more than this Harley Benton. Thank god for Thomann right? :D You mentioned their 2x12 cabs with Celestions. I have it. It's insane value! And they sound great, especially for the price! My cats scratched the hell out of the case though. :P
@leodanryan966
Жыл бұрын
I don't mean to be a jerk, but I really can't tell the difference between the stock pickups and the Guitarmory pickups. I just purchased this guitar for review. My 18 year old son is into metal. My brother Dan is the resident guitarist on the channel. He is a more traditional guitar player. They are both going to have a go with it. Thanks for the video 😉👍!
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
No worries, I would ask if you can hear the differences what you're listening through? Hope they enjoy the guitar!
@leodanryan966
Жыл бұрын
@@MetalHeadProductions In all honesty, I am completely deaf in my left ear, but I am listening through a Bluetooth earpiece. It generally gives good service. Thanks for asking 🙂.
@PegeCovers
Жыл бұрын
@@leodanryan966 I have to agree. Nobody can tell the difference in an actual song. Even listening to it out of the mix was hard to tell. I am pretty sure I could tell the difference if I was actually playing it though.
@DrMobiusOfficial
Жыл бұрын
@@PegeCovers Well welll, look who else is looking at 8 strings guitars! :D
@PegeCovers
Жыл бұрын
@@DrMobiusOfficial Oh noes 😳😏Yea at some point I want an 8 string. I collect different guitar types to cover a lot of ground 😩
@ctpexx112
Жыл бұрын
I love working on stuff and building I am fairly broke would it be worth buying this? I want to buy a 8 string and work on it but I also don’t want to waist any money.
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
Yeah it's got good bones. Tickets strings, a good setup and some better pickups will go a long way with this.
@MrPhroteus
Жыл бұрын
Great video, I have a Q, do you used a set of 8 string soapbar like EMG 808 (4 inches L) or a longer soapbar like 909's due is a multiscale guitar
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
Standard 808 soapbar size.
@bultronlagore4932
2 ай бұрын
@@MetalHeadProductionsI’m getting this guitar tomorrow and need to know if i could take EMG 808’s out of a Non Multiscale guitar and put them into the Harley B. Would that work or do I have to get pickups that are specifically designed for a multiscale guitar?
@MetalHeadProductions
2 ай бұрын
@@bultronlagore4932 I believe the pickup routes are a standard soapbar size so yes you can.
@janelaincloudcroft
8 ай бұрын
Anyone who owns this guitar, are the stock pickups that bad?
@SteveRicardo777
Жыл бұрын
Awesome awesome!!!!! S u b e d
@michaeljoefox
Жыл бұрын
I wouldn’t call that “In mix”, I’d call that “in snare”.
@MetalHeadProductions
Жыл бұрын
Lol, cool, man
@DawnLevendula
9 ай бұрын
summary: It's a cheap guitar with the only disadvantage that you will have to build it into a expensive guitar.
@MetalHeadProductions
9 ай бұрын
Eh, the parts aren't all that bad, especially if you find some used pickups, it's more that it takes some work to get it playing nice, like touching up the frets.
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