Show Full Spec Comparison
| LTD TL-6 | Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | ESP LTD | Harley Benton |
| Year: | 2024 | 2022 |
| Strings: | 6 | 6 |
| Made in: | Indonesia | China |
| Series: | Thinline | Custom Line |
| Colors: | Burst | Black, Natural |
| Left-Handed Version: | Yes | No |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Semi-Hollow | Hollowbody |
| Body Material: | Mahogany | Sitka Spruce massive |
| Sides Material: | Mahogany | Mahogany |
| Back Material: | Mahogany | Mahogany |
| Bridge: | Jatoba w/ Graphtech XB | Rosewood |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Set | Bolt-On |
| Tuners: | Grover | Deluxe Die-Cast Machine Heads |
| Fretboard: | Rosewood | Rosewood |
| Neck Material: | 3Pc Mahogany | African Mahogany |
| Decoration: | Dots | Abalone Dots |
| Scale Size: | 25" | 24.75" |
| Shape: | Acoustic Thin U | Acoustic C Shape |
| Frets: | 22 Jumbo Nickel Silver | 21 Medium Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | 13.78" | 15.748" |
| Nut: | Ivory Tusq | Bone |
| Nut Width: | 43mm (1.693'') | 43mm (1.693'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Pickups: | Fishman S-Core Pickup, Fishman TL-3 Preamp w/ Onboard Tuner (Preamp / Active) | Custom System with a combination of piezo, magnetic and preamp (Preamp / Active) |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Black | Nickel |
Reasons to Get
LTD TL-6 over Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK
Reasons to Get
Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK over ESP LTD TL-6
Other Key Differences
LTD TL-6 vs Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK
Shared Features
LTD TL-6 vs Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Solid Top Wood
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the ESP LTD TL-6 favors large hands more than the Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK.
ESP LTD TL-6:
Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK:
Beginner Friendliness
Both meet 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.
New Player Friendliness
ESP LTD TL-6- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
Sound Quality Comparison
The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .
Woods Used in Both
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Woods Used in the Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK
Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.
Winner: Tie.
Electronics
Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.
Winner:Tie.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the ESP LTD TL-6 compares to the Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The ESP LTD TL-6 is built in Indonesia while the Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK is made in China.
Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
Winner: ESP LTD TL-6
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The ESP LTD TL-6 has a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.
On the other hand, the Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK comes with a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
Winner: Tie.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The ESP LTD TL-6's are Grover while the Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK's are Deluxe Die-Cast Machine Heads
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
ESP LTD TL-6
- Expensive Wood
- Ivory Tusq Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- NuBone Saddle
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- Laminated Top Wood
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- Bone Saddle
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- Laminated Top Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 43mm (1.693'').
This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The ESP LTD TL-6 has the longest scale: 25". The Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.25'' (6.4mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The ESP LTD TL-6 has a U type of neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.
The Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK, on the other hand, has a C neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the ESP LTD TL-6's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK.
Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.
Fret Size
The ESP LTD TL-6 has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Harley Benton Hybrid Steel BK's Medium frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
