SC-550 II DFB : Well Impressed and stunned.

What can I say? I’d seen so many video reviews of this guitar, in which all say, (with differing blogger credibility) that it’s astounding for the money and worth buying. Being a Harley Benton fan, and owning a few Gibson Les Pauls myself, even though a single cut is not my go-to design, I do use them in the studio so thought it was worth a punt to see if the ‘hype’ was true.

Straight out of the box it was playable. Only a couple of personal set-up tweaks to get it how I like it and … WOW! It really lives up to all that is said about it. The HB-SC550 Deluxe (as it says on the rear of the headstock) I don’t think can be beat for twice the money. It looks beautiful and it plays beautifully. The body seems to be 3 slabs of mahogany, one even has a flame that is visible around the side of the guitar. An improved neck heel allows easier access to the dusty end of the neck, whilst the 22 chunky frets are clean and even all the way over the fingerboard, allowing great contact and good grip on the strings when bending.

I did an A/B test with my LP Standard (a 1991). OK, it doesn’t feel the same, but I have played more modern LP guitars that are not far off and you soon forget you’re playing a Harley Benton. The Tesla pickups are not quite as bright maybe as the Gibson’s, especially the Tesla neck which is even a little darker, but they ring nicely and are comparable. I don’t think the Kluson style machine heads are any worse than the real thing either but maybe a new set, maybe locking would improve things. The volute whilst being a nice looking addition to the neck, will undoubtedly reduce the likelihood of neck breaks.

It’s a very useable guitar, which I will use often, as I do my other HBs. My only gripes, and they are little ones, is that the body binding could have been thicker and more visible, and whilst the figured top is very nice, I think I may have preferred it more plain and simple. Flames and quilts seem to be the big trend and they are everywhere. Regardless, the HB SC-550 is a stunning guitar. It would be worth it at twice the price, however, the price is good as it is and will sell far more units than if it was higher.

For those like me who really don’t need another guitar or can’t justify a huge cash outlay for a new working instrument or for a little fun, or for someone needing a great guitar to learn on, this guitar cannot be beaten.