Show Full Spec Comparison
| Harley Benton Nashville-Steel | Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Harley Benton | Schecter |
| Year: | 2022 | 2017 |
| Configuration: | S | HH |
| Strings: | 6 | 6 |
| Made in: | China | South Korea |
| Series: | Custom Line | Artist |
| Colors: | Blue | White |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | No |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Semi-Hollow | Solid Body |
| Body Material: | Solid Mahogany | Mahogany |
| Bridge: | Walnut | Floyd Rose 1500 Series |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Set | Set |
| Tuners: | Dlx Machine Heads | Grover Rotomatic 18:1 |
| Fretboard: | Jatoba | Ebony |
| Neck Material: | Mahogany | Mahogany 3-pc w/ Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Rods |
| Decoration: | Dot fretboard | Mother of Pearl Blocks |
| Scale Size: | 25.5" | 25.5" |
| Shape: | C Shape | Ultra Thin C |
| Frets: | 21 Medium Nickel Silver | 24 XL Jumbo Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | 15.748" | 14" |
| Nut: | Plastic | Locking |
| Nut Width: | 43mm (1.693'') | 41.3mm (1.625'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Bridge Pickups: | Piezo system (bridge) (Preamp / Active) | EMG 81 (Humbucker / Active) |
| Middle Pickup: | ||
| Neck Pickup: | Lipstick single coil (neck) (Single Coil / Passive) | Sustainiac (Humbucker / Passive) |
| Switch: | 0 Way | 3 Way |
| Knobs: | Dome | |
| Pickup Mods: | None | Sustainer |
| Volume Controls: | 0 | 1 |
| Tone Controls: | 0 | 1 |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Chrome | Black & Chrome |
Show Diagrams Comparison
Reasons to Get
Harley Benton Nashville-Steel over Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S
Reasons to Get
Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S over Harley Benton Nashville-Steel
Other Key Differences
Harley Benton Nashville-Steel vs Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S
Shared Features
Harley Benton Nashville-Steel vs Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S
Common Strengths
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- 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 Harley Benton Nashville-Steel favors large hands more than the Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Harley Benton Nashville-Steel:
Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S:
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
Harley Benton Nashville-Steel- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
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
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.
Woods Used in the Harley Benton Nashville-Steel
Jatoba is a hard and dense wood that emphasizes the mid-lows, giving a fuller, more round sound than, for example, Mahogany. However, it also has a lot of clarity in the top end. Find out more about Jatoba.
Woods Used in the Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S
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.
Winner: Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S.
Pickup Configuration
The Harley Benton Nashville-Steel has an S configuration while the Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S has HH pickups.
A single single-coil pickup is not a configuration commonly found in modern electric guitars because it lacks versatility. But if you only want a guitar that sounds very thin and twangy, this might be good enough.
On the other hand, 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.
Pickups Quality
The Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S pickups from a more specialized brand than the Harley Benton Nashville-Steel. 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 Heavy Metal and similar genres.
We found the same or similar pickups to the Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S's online:
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: Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S.
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 Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S gives you 3 switch options while the Harley Benton Nashville-Steel gives you 0. This means that the Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Only the Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S comes with some kind of pickup modification: Sustainer.
The pickups with Sustainer are able to recreate the 'feedback' you get when you hold your guitar near a speaker without muting the strings. This allows them to produce infinite sustain that you can use for as long as you want to create interest sounds and harmonics.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S.
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 Harley Benton Nashville-Steel compares to the Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Harley Benton Nashville-Steel is built in China while the Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S is made in South Korea.
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.
South Korea was for many years the number one choice for mass-producing semi-premium guitars. They can build excellent guitars for a cheap price. Now, it's less common to find Korean guitars because Indonesia has proved capable of building guitars just as well, but likely for cheaper.
Winner: Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S
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 Nashville-Steel 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 Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S comes with a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.
Winner: Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S.
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.
The Harley Benton Nashville-Steel's brige 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.
On the other hand, the Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S's is a Floyd Rose. This is a double-locking bridge system that allows you to perform techniques like dive bombs and pinch harmonics. The locking nut allows your guitar to stay in tune even after the most intense tremolo usage. The disadvantage is that it takes more work to change the strings and set up everything correctly.
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: Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Harley Benton Nashville-Steel's are Dlx Machine Heads while the Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S's are Grover Rotomatic 18:1
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 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: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Harley Benton Nashville-Steel
- Expensive Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Sustainer Pickups
- Tremolo
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in South Korea
- 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
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, the Harley Benton Nashville-Steel has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 41.3mm (1.625''). This is a 1.7mm (0.068'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Harley Benton Nashville-Steel, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
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.
In this case, both have a scale length of 25.5".
This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.
However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.
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.
Both the Harley Benton Nashville-Steel and the Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S 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
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 Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Harley Benton Nashville-Steel'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 Nashville-Steel.
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 Schecter Jake Pitts E-1 FR S has XL Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Harley Benton Nashville-Steel'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.
