JA-Baritone BK : More than just a great value — This is simply a great guitar

Here’s the nitty gritty: in a sound test, this guitar fooled colleagues. I re-recorded songs I had originally done with a custom Kiesel 7-string on this Harley Benton baritone, and no one could say with any certainty which recording was the $3,000 guitar and which was the $200 guitar. Do you know how absolutely insane that is? Here are the notes broken down based on recording, and notes on the guitars: Custom Kiesel 7-string: 26.5” scale, Fishman Fluence pickups. That’s the difference. HB JA-Baritone BK: stock, tuned down to drop G# Listener blind notes on the Kiesel recording: - More clarity and shimmer in clean passages - More note separation, slightly less “mud” in chords utilizing GBE strings. - More fizzy midrange in heavy passages, not pleasing to ear Listener blind notes on the HB Baritone recording: - Cleans sounded a bit “flatter” - Heavy passages had way more balls/grit/drive — overall listeners really liked the bite offered by the P90s - More sustain — one song had guitars ring out at the end, and it was noted that the Baritone rang out for nearly two measures longer, roughly 6 bars in 4/4 That’s kind of it. I love how it feels and how it plays and how it sounds. The 30” scale takes some getting used to, and if you deal with hand/wrist pain already, this may not be the guitar for you. That being said. This is a $200 guitar that, in a blind test, competes with a $3000 custom guitar. I can give it no higher praise than that. I will also note that playing down-tuned music *feels* better on the longer scale length. I actually tune it all the way down to F# now without needing to get thicker strings. Those wanting to tune down to E or Db will need to get thicker strings. Whenever I want to put money into it I will likely get higher quality tuners. The only part of the guitar that feels “skimped” on is the tuners, in my opinion. Still, a 5-star instrument all around.