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Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone
Yamaha RSS02T
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Playability
70
Sound
77
Build
74
Value
84
Score
74
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Playability
80
Sound
74
Build
65
Value
78
Score
73
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Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone vs Yamaha RSS02T

Reasons to Get
Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone over Yamaha RSS02T

Type of Frets
Medium vs Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Plastic
Resistant, good tuning stability and rich tone
Pickup Mods
Coil Tap vs Boost
Lowers output of humbucker coil to create a single coil sound
Neck Joint
Bolt-On vs Set
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Pickups
HH vs P90P90
High output without hum
Locking Tuners
Yes vs None
Easier to change strings
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.898'' (22.8mm) vs 0.827'' (21mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.931'' (23.6mm) vs 0.941'' (23.9mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.65'' (41.9mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Bridge
Tremolo vs Fixed
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Scale Length
27'' (685.8mm) vs 24.75'' (628.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Value Score
84 vs 78
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Yamaha RSS02T over Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone

Weight Relief
Yes vs None
Lighter Body
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Type of Frets
Jumbo vs Medium
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Pickup Mods
Boost vs Coil Tap
Increases the output of the pickup
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Pickups
P90P90 vs HH
Vintage tone with decent versatility
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.827'' (21mm) vs 0.898'' (22.8mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.941'' (23.9mm) vs 0.931'' (23.6mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.65'' (41.9mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Bridge
Fixed vs Tremolo
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm) vs 27'' (685.8mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone

Other Key Differences
Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone vs Yamaha RSS02T

Bridge Pickup
Artec AHC-90 Soapbar vs VP5b
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Artec AHC-90 Soapbar vs VP5n
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Alder vs Mahogany
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Maple vs Mahogany
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Ebony vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Plastic
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone vs Yamaha RSS02T

Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
1
Same tone control
Number of Frets
22
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Frets
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone Prices

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone is probably the better product overall with its final score of 74 compared to the Yamaha RSS02T's 73 score, although not by a lot.

The Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone wins when it comes to sound, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Yamaha RSS02T has the upper hand when it comes to playability.

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?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone is the better choice.

The Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Yamaha RSS02T 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 MR-Modern Baritone
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale

New Player Friendliness

Yamaha RSS02T
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • 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.

Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone Overview

  • From Harley Benton's 2022 Vintage series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 27"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Alder body
  • Maple neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Artec AHC-90 Soapbar (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Artec AHC-90 Soapbar (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Speed knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Wilkinson VS-50 II Precision Tremolo bridge
  • Harley Benton C Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Medium Stainless Steel frets
  • Kluson-style Wilkinson locking tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Yamaha RSS02T Overview

  • From Yamaha's 2022 REVSTAR series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Top: Maple / Back: Chambered Mahogany body
  • 3-Piece Mahogany, Carbon Reinforcement neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: VP5b (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • Tune-O-Matic bridge
  • Revstar C Set neck
  • 22 Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
  • Die-Cast 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 the Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony
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.

Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.

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 Yamaha RSS02T

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

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.

Winner: Yamaha RSS02T.

Pickup Configuration

The Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone has an HH configuration while the Yamaha RSS02T has P90P90 pickups.

Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

On the other hand, P90P90 gives you two P90s for a crunchy vintage tone. The tone sits somewhere in the middle between typical single-coils and humbuckers. They also produce less hum than single-coils, but they don't cancel it completely like humbuckers.

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 Yamaha RSS02T gives you 5 switch options while the Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone gives you 3. This means that the Yamaha RSS02T gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Both give you different pickup mod options.

The Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone offers Coil Tap.

Coil Tap is similar to Coil Split but it works a bit differently. Instead of completely cancelling one of the coils of the humbucker, it only cuts part of the output once activated. Some people believe this gives the split pickups a more real single-coil sound.

On the other hand, the Yamaha RSS02T comes with the following: Boost.

A Boost will give your pickups more output, similar to an active pickup. It's great if you like to use a lot of output for heavy genres, but also like to use a cleaner tone often.

Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone's switch options
Yamaha RSS02T pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Yamaha RSS02T'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 MR-Modern Baritone.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone
Pickups 100
Sustain 60
Versatility 74
Tuning Stability 75
Sound 77
Yamaha RSS02T
Pickups 100
Sustain 70
Versatility 62
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 Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone compares to the Yamaha RSS02T.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Indonesia.

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: Tie

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 MR-Modern Baritone 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 Yamaha RSS02T comes with 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.

Winner: Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone.

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.

Both in this comparison come with stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.

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.

The Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone's brige is a 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.

On the other hand, the Yamaha RSS02T's is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

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 Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone 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: Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone.

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 MR-Modern Baritone has 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.

On the other hand, the Yamaha RSS02T comes with 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.

Winner: Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone.

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

Strengths & Weaknesses
Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone
  • Stainless Steel Frets
  • Locking Tuners
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Coil Tap Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Yamaha RSS02T
  • Stainless Steel Frets
  • Expensive Wood
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Boost Pickups
  • Weight Relief
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone
Quality of materials 86
Features 70
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 74
Yamaha RSS02T
Quality of materials 66
Features 60
Quality Control 70
Build Quality 65

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 MR-Modern Baritone Nut Width
Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone Nut Width
Yamaha RSS02T Nut Width
Yamaha RSS02T Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone has the wider nut with 42mm (1.654'') vs 41.9mm (1.65''). This is a 0.1mm (0.004'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone, 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 MR-Modern Baritone's Scale Length
Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone's Scale Length
Yamaha RSS02T's Scale Length
Yamaha RSS02T'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 Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone has the longest scale: 27". The Yamaha RSS02T is only 24.75" long. This is a 2.25'' (57.2mm) 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 MR-Modern Baritone Neck Profile
Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone's neck profile
Yamaha RSS02T Neck Profile
Yamaha RSS02T'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 Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone and the Yamaha RSS02T 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

Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same 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.

Both the Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone and the Yamaha RSS02T have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.

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 .

Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Yamaha RSS02T:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone Frets Size
Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone's Frets Size
Yamaha RSS02T Frets Size
Yamaha RSS02T's Frets Size

The Yamaha RSS02T has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone'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.

Final Playability Scores

Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 70
Playability 70
Yamaha RSS02T
Bending & Vibrato Ease 95
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 80

Specs Side-by-Side

Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone vs Yamaha RSS02T
General Harley Benton MR-Modern Baritone Yamaha RSS02T
Brand: Harley Benton Yamaha
Year: 2022 2022
Configuration: HH P90P90
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Indonesia Indonesia
Series: Vintage REVSTAR
Colors: Sunburst Black, Blue, Red, Yellow Burst
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Alder Top: Maple / Back: Chambered Mahogany
Bridge: Wilkinson VS-50 II Precision Tremolo Tune-O-Matic
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Set
Tuners: Kluson-style Wilkinson locking Die-Cast
Fretboard: Ebony Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple 3-Piece Mahogany, Carbon Reinforcement
Decoration: Dot Lines
Scale Size: 27" 24.75"
Shape: Harley Benton C Revstar C
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.898'' (22.8mm) - 12th Fret: 0.931'' (23.6mm) 1st Fret: 0.827'' (21mm) - 12th Fret: 0.941'' (23.9mm)
Frets: 22 Medium Stainless Steel 22 Jumbo Stainless Steel
Fretboard Radius: 12" 12"
Nut: Ivory Tusq Plastic
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'') 41.9mm (1.65'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Artec AHC-90 Soapbar (Single Coil / Passive) VP5b (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Artec AHC-90 Soapbar (Single Coil / Passive) VP5n (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 5 Way
Knobs: Speed Dome
Pickup Mods: Coil Tap Boost
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 1 1