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Harley Benton BM-75
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster
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Playability
77
Sound
63
Build
59
Value
76
Score
66
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Playability
70
Sound
78
Build
75
Value
64
Score
74
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Harley Benton BM-75 vs Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster Specs Comparison
Harley Benton BM-75 Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster
General
Brand: Harley Benton Fender
Year: 2016 2019
Configuration: SSS SS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Indonesia United States
Series: Tribute American Ultra
Colors: Red Sunburst, Blue, Brown Burst
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Mahogany Alder
Bridge: Harley Benton Tremolo American Professional Jazzmaster
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Bolt-On
Tuners: Grover Machine Heads Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking (all short posts)
Fretboard: Purpleheart Rosewood
Neck Material: Mahogany Maple
Decoration: Dot White Pearloid Dot
Scale Size: 25" 25.5"
Shape: Harley Benton C Ultra Modern D
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.898'' (22.8mm) - 12th Fret: 0.931'' (23.6mm) 1st Fret: 0.82'' (20.8mm) - 12th Fret: 0.87'' (22.1mm)
Frets: 24 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 21 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 13.78" 10" to 14"
Nut: Plastic Bone
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'') 42.8mm (1.685'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: HB Single Coil (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Jazzmaster (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup: HB Single Coil (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: HB Single Coil (Single Coil / Passive) Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Jazzmaster (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 5 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Bell
Pickup Mods: None Series Split
Volume Controls: 1 2
Tone Controls: 1 2
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Chrome Chrome
Show Diagrams Comparison
Harley Benton BM-75 pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Harley Benton BM-75's switch options
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster's switch options

Reasons to Get
Harley Benton BM-75 over Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster

Neck Profile
Harley Benton C vs Ultra Modern D
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Pickups
SSS vs SS
Beautiful cleans and good tone versatility
Number of Frets
24 vs 21
Allows to reach higher notes
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.898'' (22.8mm) vs 0.82'' (20.8mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.931'' (23.6mm) vs 0.87'' (22.1mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.685'' (42.8mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Scale Length
25'' (635mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Value Score
76 vs 64
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster over Harley Benton BM-75

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Indonesia
Built with higher quality standards
Release Year
2019 vs 2016
From a more recent year
Number of Frets
21 vs 24
Warmer neck pickup
Compound Radius
10" to 14" vs 13.78"
Balanced playability for chords and single-notes
Neck Profile
Ultra Modern D vs Harley Benton C
Thin and flat neck for playing fast
Pickups Brand
Fender vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Nut Material
Bone vs Plastic
Good quality nut with rich tone
Pickup Mods
Series Split vs None
Connects pickups in series to imitate a humbucker
Neck Joint
Bolt-On vs Set
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Volume Knobs
2 vs 1
More volume control
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Pickups
SS vs SSS
Beautiful cleans
Locking Tuners
Yes vs None
Easier to change strings
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.82'' (20.8mm) vs 0.898'' (22.8mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.87'' (22.1mm) vs 0.931'' (23.6mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.685'' (42.8mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 25'' (635mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone

Other Key Differences
Harley Benton BM-75 vs Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster

Bridge Pickup
HB Single Coil vs Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Jazzmaster
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
HB Single Coil vs Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Jazzmaster
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Mahogany vs Alder
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany vs Maple
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Purpleheart vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood
Headstock
3-3 vs 6
Different Headstock
Nut Material
Plastic vs Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Harley Benton BM-75 vs Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster

Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Tremolo
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Weight Relief
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

Harley Benton BM-75 Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

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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 Harley Benton BM-75 favors large hands more than the Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.

Harley Benton BM-75:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster meets 7 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Harley Benton BM-75 meets only 5. 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.

New Player Friendliness

Harley Benton BM-75
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale

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 the Harley Benton BM-75

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Purpleheart wood pattern used for guitar building
Purpleheart

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.

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.

Woods Used in the Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood
Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

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.

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.

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.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

The Harley Benton BM-75 has an SSS configuration while the Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster 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

The Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster pickups from a more specialized brand than the Harley Benton BM-75. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Jazz and similar genres.

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: Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster.

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 Harley Benton BM-75 gives you 5 switch options while the Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster gives you 3. This means that the Harley Benton BM-75 gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster comes with some kind of pickup modification: Series Split.

The Series Split feature allows it to split and connect some of the pickups in series. When wired in series, the resulting tone is similar to a Humbucker's. The pickups will work together and produce a fuller tone with more output than single-coils, but less than Humbuckers.

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

Winner: Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Harley Benton BM-75
Pickups 65
Sustain 55
Versatility 70
Tuning Stability 60
Sound 63
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 60
Versatility 78
Tuning Stability 75
Sound 78

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 Harley Benton BM-75 compares to the Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Harley Benton BM-75 is built in Indonesia while the Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster is made in United States.

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.

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.

Winner: Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster

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 Harley Benton BM-75 has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

On the other hand, the Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster 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: Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster.

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

The Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.

Winner: Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster.

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.

The Harley Benton BM-75 has a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.

On the other hand, the Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster comes with 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: Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster.

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

Strengths & Weaknesses
Harley Benton BM-75
  • Expensive Wood
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • 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
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster
  • Locking Tuners
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Series Split Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Harley Benton BM-75
Quality of materials 56
Features 55
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 59
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster
Quality of materials 51
Features 80
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 75

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

Harley Benton BM-75 Nut Width
Harley Benton BM-75 Nut Width
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster Nut Width
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster has the wider nut with 42.8mm (1.685'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 0.8mm (0.031'') difference

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

Scale Length

Harley Benton BM-75's Scale Length
Harley Benton BM-75's Scale Length
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster's Scale Length
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster'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 American Ultra Jazzmaster has the longest scale: 25.5". The Harley Benton BM-75 is only 25" long. This is a 0.5'' (12.7mm) 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

Harley Benton BM-75 Neck Profile
Harley Benton BM-75's neck profile
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster Neck Profile
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster'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.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Harley Benton BM-75 has a C type of 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.

The Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster, on the other hand, has a D neck. This is a thin and flat neck that is made for playing fast. If you prefer a neck that doesn't get in your way when soloing, this is the shape you should use. Guitarists that prefer to have a bit more grip won't like this type of neck.

Fretboard Radius

Harley Benton BM-75 Fingerboard Radius
Harley Benton BM-75's Fingerboard radius
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster Fretboard Compound Radius
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster's Compound 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 Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster is the only one with a compound radius. This is a huge win because it will give you the best of both worlds: a more curved radius in the first few frets for chords, and flatter as you come closer to the body for soloing.

Fret Size

Harley Benton BM-75 and Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium Jumbo fret size

Both have a Medium Jumbo fret size. These are slightly shorter than full Jumbo frets, so you'll still feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. However, they interfere less with your fretting hand than medium-size frets. This is a good size if you like easy-to-press frets, but would still like to feel a bit of the fretboard when playing.

Final Playability Scores

Harley Benton BM-75
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 80
Playability 77
Fender American Ultra Jazzmaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 60
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 70
Playability 70