Review of the Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF Electric guitar. Where to buy it?

I’ll tell you how this post is built. First I list the features of the Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF guitar. Then you have a video or two, purchase links and useful comments from other users and then you have one of the most useful parts; comparison tables with similar items so you can compare.

  • Deluxe Series
  • Body: Okoume
  • Top: AA Flamed maple
  • Neck: Nyatoh
  • Neck attachment: Set-in
  • Fretboard: Roasted jatoba
  • Fretboard inlays: White pearloid trapezoids
  • Binding: Ivory-coloured
  • Neck profile: 1960 C – Thickness at the 1st fret: 20.5 mm; Thickness at the 12th fret: 22.5 mm
  • Fretboard radius: 350 mm
  • Scale: 629 mm
  • Nut width: 43 mm
  • Nut: Graphite
  • Frets: 22 Medium jumbo
  • Pickups: 2 EMG Retro Active FAT 55 covered PAF-style Alnico-5 humbuckers
  • Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone
  • 3-Way switch
  • Bridge: WSC LP17 Tune-O-Matic
  • Machine heads: WSC Schaller Style J07LKF locking
  • Hardware: Nickel
  • Original strings: D’Addario EXL110, .010 – .046
  • Colour: Faded Tobacco Flame Gloss
  • Made in Indonesia

review harley-benton-sc-550-plus-emg-ftf

This guitar usually has a price around 311.00 €

Now that we’ve seen the features of this guitar Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF watch these related videos to learn more.

A new level for Benton! HB SC550 Plus Review

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Some comments from people who come to the forum about this model:

Comment:

Well I waited, (expecting for it to arrive two weeks later) to find a pleasant surprise on my doorstep. Yes five days later it was delivered!!!!!! ( I did pay the 74.00 pounds import charge to the U.K. proactively from the ups website). Now for the unboxing.
I bought this after reviews from the mad German Henning and Steve from Boston had reviewed it, both said they were shocked at the quality and the sounds they produced from it were well…….in their words “shockingly good”.
On opening the box I must say at least I concur with the the both of them. Unbelievable build quality, beautiful flame top ( veneer) it looks very similiar to the Gibson desert burst, maybe a touch lighter brown in the darker areas with quite a beautiful carve.
Now I did notice the action was a little high but it was no problem to lower this (very low as I like it) with buzz free results, meaning the fretwork was spot on, in fact the frets were beautifully rounded on the ends and the binding was perfect, I was SHOCKED!!!!!! ) no truss rod adjustment was necessary!
And that’s it, it was now set up to my liking ie like my Sg standard exceptionally low.
Well! Time to plug it in to my Marshall jvm.
I THOUGHT I’ll hit an E ( that always sorts the men from the boys) and wow this thing kicks ass!!! I mean on playing it (Henning was right) it was fabulous, it was a joy and almost played itself.
How do I describe this sound…….as Henning said it’s not a les Paul…….I think ( and I got my Sg out to compare) it sounds somewhere in between an SG and les Paul classic ( which I used to have) which is fabulous as I never really liked the heavy thick bass on les Paul’s ( yes that’s their signature sound) but through my jvm I always had to dial it down.
The thickness of the neck very near to a sixties profile and they carved back the bout again made this much easier to play on the higher register(much better than the on a traditional model. Overall this guitar is damn beautiful, perfectly built with really great locking tuners and I can’t put it down. You’re going to find it hard to buy one of these as I believe the word is out now, Thomann you did it! The shift to Cort in Indonesia of production of these higher end HBs was a stroke of pure genius, Thankyou Thomann. What about a double cut Sg model in white next time ?

Comment:

Great guitar. The active pickups have a nice sound to them and are great for both overdrive and clean tones. It came with a nice setup with nice rounded off fret ends (not sharp). The fretboard needed a cleaning but I have bought a few HB guitars and all of them need a fretboard cleaning and fret polish. I think the guitar looks great too!

I would not hesitate to recommend this guitar to anyone who wants a single cut at a great price.

Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF vs Harley Benton SC-450 BK Classic Series

The guitar Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF is usually 193 € more expensive than Harley Benton SC-450 BK Classic Series.

Below have a look to the video of this guitar

Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF

Harley Benton SC-450 BK Classic Series
  • Deluxe Series
  • Body: Okoume
  • Top: AA Flamed maple
  • Neck: Nyatoh
  • Neck attachment: Set-in
  • Fretboard: Roasted jatoba
  • Fretboard inlays: White pearloid trapezoids
  • Binding: Ivory-coloured
  • Neck profile: 1960 C – Thickness at the 1st fret: 20.5 mm; Thickness at the 12th fret: 22.5 mm
  • Fretboard radius: 350 mm
  • Scale: 629 mm
  • Nut width: 43 mm
  • Nut: Graphite
  • Frets: 22 Medium jumbo
  • Pickups: 2 EMG Retro Active FAT 55 covered PAF-style Alnico-5 humbuckers
  • Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone
  • 3-Way switch
  • Bridge: WSC LP17 Tune-O-Matic
  • Machine heads: WSC Schaller Style J07LKF locking
  • Hardware: Nickel
  • Original strings: D’Addario EXL110, .010 – .046
  • Colour: Faded Tobacco Flame Gloss
  • Made in Indonesia
  • Classic series
  • Body: Basswood
  • Arched top
  • Set-in neck: Maple
  • Fretboard: Roseacer
  • Trapezoid inlays
  • Fretboard radius: 350 mm
  • Neck profile: C
  • Cream bindings on body and neck
  • 22 Medium jumbo frets
  • Scale: 628 mm
  • Nut width: 43 mm
  • Double action truss rod
  • Pickups: 2 Classic Covered humbuckers
  • 3-Way pickup selector
  • 2 Volume knobs and 2 tone knobs
  • Hardware: Chrome
  • Tune-O-Matic bridge
  • Closed die-cast machine heads
  • Ex-factory stringing: Harley Benton .010 – .046
  • Colour: Black high gloss

Below have a look to the video of this guitar Harley Benton SC-450 BK Classic Series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPTXPrbxNgA

If you want to know more about this option, click on the following link to see the Harley Benton SC-450 BK Classic Series review

Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF vs Harley Benton SC-Custom II Active Vintage BK

The guitar Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF is usually 103 € more expensive than Harley Benton SC-Custom II Active Vintage BK.

Below have a look to the video of this guitar

Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF

Harley Benton SC-Custom II Active Vintage BK
  • Deluxe Series
  • Body: Okoume
  • Top: AA Flamed maple
  • Neck: Nyatoh
  • Neck attachment: Set-in
  • Fretboard: Roasted jatoba
  • Fretboard inlays: White pearloid trapezoids
  • Binding: Ivory-coloured
  • Neck profile: 1960 C – Thickness at the 1st fret: 20.5 mm; Thickness at the 12th fret: 22.5 mm
  • Fretboard radius: 350 mm
  • Scale: 629 mm
  • Nut width: 43 mm
  • Nut: Graphite
  • Frets: 22 Medium jumbo
  • Pickups: 2 EMG Retro Active FAT 55 covered PAF-style Alnico-5 humbuckers
  • Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone
  • 3-Way switch
  • Bridge: WSC LP17 Tune-O-Matic
  • Machine heads: WSC Schaller Style J07LKF locking
  • Hardware: Nickel
  • Original strings: D’Addario EXL110, .010 – .046
  • Colour: Faded Tobacco Flame Gloss
  • Made in Indonesia
  • Custom Line series
  • Mahogany body
  • Set-in mahogany neck
  • Roasted Jatoba fretboard
  • White pearloid crown fretboard inlays
  • Neck profile: Modern-C – thickness at the 1st fret: 20 mm, thickness at the 12th fret: 22 mm
  • Ivory coloured binding
  • 24 Medium jumbo frets
  • Fretboard radius: 350 mm
  • ABS nut
  • Nut width: 42 mm
  • Scale length: 628 mm
  • Pickups: Roswell LZ56B Ceramic (bridge) and Roswell LZ51N Alnico-5 (neck) humbuckers
  • 2 Volume controls
  • 1 Tone control
  • 3-Way switch
  • WSC Tune-O-Matic bridge
  • Gold-plated hardware
  • Grover machine heads
  • Strings: Daddario EXL110 .010 – .046
  • Colour: Vintage Black Satin

Below have a look to the video of this guitar Harley Benton SC-Custom II Active Vintage BK

Harley Benton SC-Custom II Review – How Good Is the Vintage Black Model?

If you want to know more about this option, click on the following link to see the Harley Benton SC-Custom II Active Vintage BK review

Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF vs Harley Benton SC-550 II BCF

The guitar Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF is usually 56 € more expensive than Harley Benton SC-550 II BCF.

Below have a look to the video of this guitar

Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF

Harley Benton SC-550 II BCF
  • Deluxe Series
  • Body: Okoume
  • Top: AA Flamed maple
  • Neck: Nyatoh
  • Neck attachment: Set-in
  • Fretboard: Roasted jatoba
  • Fretboard inlays: White pearloid trapezoids
  • Binding: Ivory-coloured
  • Neck profile: 1960 C – Thickness at the 1st fret: 20.5 mm; Thickness at the 12th fret: 22.5 mm
  • Fretboard radius: 350 mm
  • Scale: 629 mm
  • Nut width: 43 mm
  • Nut: Graphite
  • Frets: 22 Medium jumbo
  • Pickups: 2 EMG Retro Active FAT 55 covered PAF-style Alnico-5 humbuckers
  • Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone
  • 3-Way switch
  • Bridge: WSC LP17 Tune-O-Matic
  • Machine heads: WSC Schaller Style J07LKF locking
  • Hardware: Nickel
  • Original strings: D’Addario EXL110, .010 – .046
  • Colour: Faded Tobacco Flame Gloss
  • Made in Indonesia

Harley Benton SC-550 II Black Cherry Flame; deluxe series; electric guitar; mahogany body (swietenia meliaceae) (weight relief chambered); arched & flamed AAA-maple top; set mahogany neck (swietenia macrophylla king); pau ferro fingerboard; 60`s neck profile; 305mm (12,00″) fingerboard radius; 1th fret thickness 20mm; 12th fret thickness 22mm; pearloid trapezoid inlays; 22 stainless steel frets; 628mm (24,72″) scale; 42mm (1,65″) nut width; graphite nut; 2x Tesla Opus-1 Alnico-5 humbucker pickups; controls: 2x volume & 2x tone; 3-way switch; DLX chrome hardware; DLX tune-o-matic bridge; DLX Kluson style tuners; strings: D´Addario EXL-110 10-46; finish: gloss black cherry flame

Below have a look to the video of this guitar Harley Benton SC-550 II BCF

Harley Benton SC-550 II Demo

If you want to know more about this option, click on the following link to see the Harley Benton SC-550 II BCF review

Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF vs Harley Benton Fusion-II HSH Roasted FNT

The guitar Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTFis usually 28 € cheaper than Harley Benton Fusion-II HSH Roasted FNT, but the difference is so small that this can vary..

Below have a look to the video of this guitar

Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF

Harley Benton Fusion-II HSH Roasted FNT
  • Deluxe Series
  • Body: Okoume
  • Top: AA Flamed maple
  • Neck: Nyatoh
  • Neck attachment: Set-in
  • Fretboard: Roasted jatoba
  • Fretboard inlays: White pearloid trapezoids
  • Binding: Ivory-coloured
  • Neck profile: 1960 C – Thickness at the 1st fret: 20.5 mm; Thickness at the 12th fret: 22.5 mm
  • Fretboard radius: 350 mm
  • Scale: 629 mm
  • Nut width: 43 mm
  • Nut: Graphite
  • Frets: 22 Medium jumbo
  • Pickups: 2 EMG Retro Active FAT 55 covered PAF-style Alnico-5 humbuckers
  • Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone
  • 3-Way switch
  • Bridge: WSC LP17 Tune-O-Matic
  • Machine heads: WSC Schaller Style J07LKF locking
  • Hardware: Nickel
  • Original strings: D’Addario EXL110, .010 – .046
  • Colour: Faded Tobacco Flame Gloss
  • Made in Indonesia
  • Ergonomically shaped sapele body
  • Top: “Ultra Flame” flamed maple veneer
  • Matching headstock
  • Bolt-on neck: Roasted Canadian maple
  • Fretboard: Roasted maple
  • Neck profile: Modern C
  • Fretboard inlays: Clay dots
  • 24 Medium jumbo stainless steel frets
  • Graptech TUSQ XL nut
  • Nut width: 42 mm
  • Scale: 648 mm
  • Fretboard radius: 305 mm
  • Binding made of natural wood
  • Pickups: Roswell HAF-B Alnico-5 (bridge) and Roswell HAF-N Alnico-5 (neck) humbuckers and 1 S74-C BK Alnico-5 single coil (middle)
  • Volume and tone controls
  • Pickup Switch: Single coil / Humbucker
  • 5-Way switch
  • Wilkinson 50IIK 2-point tremolo
  • Chrome hardware
  • WSC staggered locking die-cast machine heads
  • Ex-factory stringing: .010 – .046
  • Colour: Gloss Flamed Natural

Below have a look to the video of this guitar Harley Benton Fusion-II HSH Roasted FNT

Harley Benton Fusion II HSH - Detailed Review Part 1

If you want to know more about this option, click on the following link to see the Harley Benton Fusion-II HSH Roasted FNT review

Where to buy the guitar Harley Benton SC-550 Plus EMG FTF

Thomann

  • Free Shipping.
  • Full warranty. If you have any problems, they take care of everything.
  • 100% reliable payment.
  • Leader in trouble-free shipping.
  • Usually Best price.
  • Best Reputation: They are the leading online store in Europe and have the best catalogue and information.

Amazon

  • Free Shipping and possibility of shipping in one day with Amazon Premium.
  • Full Guarantee but they are no experts in music equipment.
  • Sometimes better price.
  • He’s got worse stock than Thomann.

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Jaime Echagüe

Hi! I'm Jaime Echagüe, a musician and an authentic fan of musical instruments. With this blog I want to give general information about musical instruments in an easy, direct and honest way. I hope you enjoy my website and that you find it very useful.

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