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Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster
Harley Benton MS-60
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Playability
70
Sound
77
Build
70
Value
57
Score
72
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Playability
78
Sound
74
Build
57
Value
85
Score
70
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Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster vs Harley Benton MS-60

Reasons to Get
Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster over Harley Benton MS-60

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Indonesia
Built with higher quality standards
Release Year
2018 vs 2015
From a more recent year
Number of Frets
21 vs 22
Warmer neck pickup
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Type of Frets
Jumbo vs Medium Jumbo
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Nut Material
Bone vs Graphite
Good quality nut with rich tone
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Pickups
SSS vs SS
Beautiful cleans and good tone versatility
Nut Width
1.62'' (41.1mm) vs 1.614'' (41mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Paint Finish
Aged vs Poly
Paint has been artificially aged
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 24'' (609.6mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
9.5'' (241.3mm) vs 13.78'' (350mm)
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings

Reasons to Get
Harley Benton MS-60 over Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster

Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo vs Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Pickup Mods
Phase Out vs None
Interesting thin tone when combining pickups
Pickups
SS vs SSS
Beautiful cleans
Number of Frets
22 vs 21
Allows to reach higher notes
Nut Width
1.614'' (41mm) vs 1.62'' (41.1mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Paint Finish
Poly vs Aged
Resistant paint that ages well
Scale Length
24'' (609.6mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
13.78'' (350mm) vs 9.5'' (241.3mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Value Score
85 vs 57
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster vs Harley Benton MS-60

Bridge Pickup
Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound JLV Strat vs Roswell STA Alnico 5 Vintage Style
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound JLV Strat vs Roswell STA Alnico 5 Vintage Style
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Alder vs Basswood
Different Body Wood
Fretboard Wood
Maple vs Purpleheart
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Bone vs Graphite
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster vs Harley Benton MS-60

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Headstock
6
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Bridge
Tremolo
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck

Common Strengths

  • Top Pickup Brand

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Weight Relief
  • Locking Tuners
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • Expensive Wood
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster Prices

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster is probably the better product overall with its final score of 72 compared to the Harley Benton MS-60's 70 score, although not by a lot.

The Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Harley Benton MS-60 has the upper hand when it comes to playability, value for the money.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

Both meet 6 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

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Harley Benton MS-60
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster Overview

  • From Fender Custom's 2018 Custom Artist series
  • Jimmie Vaughan Signature
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 9.5" Fretboard Radius
  • 2-Piece Select Alder body
  • Rift Sawn Maple neck
  • Maple fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound JLV Strat (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Middle pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound RWRP JLV Strat (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound JLV Strat (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo bridge
  • Jimmie Vaughan Custom C Bolt-On neck
  • 21 Jumbo frets
  • Vintage-Style tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Harley Benton MS-60 Overview

  • From Harley Benton's 2015 Vintage series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 24"'' scale
  • 13.78" Fretboard Radius
  • Basswood body
  • Maple neck
  • Purpleheart fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Roswell STA Alnico 5 Vintage Style (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Roswell STA Alnico 5 Vintage Style (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Tune-O-Matic And Dlx Tremolo bridge
  • Harley Benton C Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Medium Jumbo frets
  • Deluxe Die-Cast Machine Heads tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Woods Used in the Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster

Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.

Woods Used in the Harley Benton MS-60

Purpleheart wood pattern used for guitar building
Purpleheart
Basswood wood pattern used for guitar building
Basswood

Purpleheart (also known as Amaranth) is a hard, dense wood with a brilliant tone. As its name suggests, the purple color makes this wood look exotic.

Basswood is a lightweight type of wood that isn't as expensive as other popular choices for guitar building. It gives more power to the mid-range frequencies. Its color can vary from pale white to light brown. Find out more about Basswood.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

The Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster has an SSS configuration while the Harley Benton MS-60 has SS pickups.

SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.

On the other hand, SS is the classic Telecaster configuration. It's used mainly for playing clean or with low-gain distortion, and it's very popular for the country genre because of their brightness. It doesn't give you as much versatility as a Strat SSS configuration, but you might like the cleaner look of a guitar body with fewer pickups.

Pickups Quality

Both come with some of the top pickups on the market. You can't go wrong with either of them. You'll probably never need a pickup upgrade.

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Tie.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

The Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster gives you 5 switch options while the Harley Benton MS-60 gives you 3. This means that the Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the Harley Benton MS-60 comes with some kind of pickup modification: Phase Out.

When the Phase Out option is activated, the pickups will ''work against each other'', meaning that they will cancel out their shared frequencies. The result is a very thin sound, instead of a full, rich tone. This is an interesting sound for genres like reggae or funk and has also been used in classic Hard Rock.

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster's switch options
Harley Benton MS-60 pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Harley Benton MS-60's switch options

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Harley Benton MS-60.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 70
Versatility 72
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 77
Harley Benton MS-60
Pickups 100
Sustain 55
Versatility 74
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 74

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 Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster compares to the Harley Benton MS-60.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster is built in United States while the Harley Benton MS-60 is made in Indonesia.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

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.

Winner: Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster

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 Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster has 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.

On the other hand, the Harley Benton MS-60 comes with a Graphite nut. It's a self-lubricating material that will allow the strings to slide over the nut without a lot of friction. It's a good type of nut if you want to have better tuning stability than with plastic, although it's not as resistant as Bone or Tusq.

Winner: Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster.

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.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

Both come with a similar bridge: Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster's are Vintage-Style while the Harley Benton MS-60's are Deluxe Die-Cast Machine Heads

Winner: Tie.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster
  • Made in United States
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Harley Benton MS-60
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Phase Out Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster
Quality of materials 56
Features 55
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 70
Harley Benton MS-60
Quality of materials 46
Features 60
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 57

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

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster Nut Width
Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster Nut Width
Harley Benton MS-60 Nut Width
Harley Benton MS-60 Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster has the wider nut with 41.1mm (1.62'') vs 41mm (1.614''). This is a 0.1mm (0.006'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster's Scale Length
Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster's Scale Length
Harley Benton MS-60's Scale Length
Harley Benton MS-60's 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 Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster has the longest scale: 25.5". The Harley Benton MS-60 is only 24" long. This is a 1.5'' (38.1mm) 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

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster Neck Profile
Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster's neck profile
Harley Benton MS-60 Neck Profile
Harley Benton MS-60's 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.

Both the Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster and the Harley Benton MS-60 have a C-shaped 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

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster Fingerboard Radius
Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster's Fingerboard radius
Harley Benton MS-60 Fingerboard Radius
Harley Benton MS-60's Fingerboard 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 Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Harley Benton MS-60'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 MS-60.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Harley Benton MS-60:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster Frets Size
Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster's Frets Size
Harley Benton MS-60 Frets Size
Harley Benton MS-60's Frets Size

The Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Harley Benton MS-60's Medium Jumbo 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.

Final Playability Scores

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 70
Playability 70
Harley Benton MS-60
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 70
Playability 78

Specs Side-by-Side

Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster vs Harley Benton MS-60
General Fender Custom Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster Harley Benton MS-60
Brand: Fender Custom Harley Benton
Year: 2018 2015
Configuration: SSS SS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States Indonesia
Series: Custom Artist Vintage
Colors: Gold, White, Sunburst White
Left-Handed Version: No Yes
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: 2-Piece Select Alder Basswood
Bridge: 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo Tune-O-Matic And Dlx Tremolo
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Vintage-Style Deluxe Die-Cast Machine Heads
Fretboard: Maple Purpleheart
Neck Material: Rift Sawn Maple Maple
Decoration: Micarta Black Dot Dot Fretboard Inlays
Scale Size: 25.5" 24"
Shape: Jimmie Vaughan Custom C Harley Benton C
Frets: 21 Jumbo Nickel Silver 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" 13.78"
Nut: Bone Graphite
Nut Width: 41.1mm (1.62'') 41mm (1.614'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound JLV Strat (Single Coil / Passive) Roswell STA Alnico 5 Vintage Style (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound RWRP JLV Strat (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound JLV Strat (Single Coil / Passive) Roswell STA Alnico 5 Vintage Style (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 5 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Dome
Pickup Mods: None Phase Out
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 2 1