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Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active
Gibson 70s Explorer
VS
Playability
80
Sound
73
Build
64
Value
82
Score
72
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Playability
73
Sound
72
Build
67
Value
61
Score
71
FIND IT ON:
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Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active vs Gibson 70s Explorer Specs Comparison
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active Gibson 70s Explorer
General
Brand: Harley Benton Gibson
Year: 2024 2019
Configuration: HH HH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Indonesia United States
Series: Custom Line Original Collection
Colors: White, Black White
Left-Handed Version: No Yes
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Meranti Mahogany
Bridge: Wsc Tune-O-Matic Aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Grover Machine Heads Regular Tuners
Fretboard: Jatoba Rosewood
Neck Material: Meranti Mahogany
Decoration: White pearloid crown Acrylic Dots
Scale Size: 24.75" 24.75"
Shape: Harley Benton Modern C Slim Taper
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.807'' (20.5mm) - 12th Fret: 0.886'' (22.5mm) 1st Fret: 0.82'' (20.8mm) - 12th Fret: 0.92'' (23.4mm)
Frets: 24 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 13.78" 12"
Nut: Graphite Ivory Tusq
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'') 43mm (1.693'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Tesla TM AH-5 Active Humbuckers (Humbucker / Active) Gibson 70s Tribute (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Tesla TM AH-5 Active Humbuckers (Humbucker / Active) Gibson 70s Tribute (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Dome Speed
Pickup Mods: Coil Split None
Volume Controls: 2 2
Tone Controls: 1 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Gold Chrome
Show Diagrams Comparison
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active's switch options
Gibson 70s Explorer pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Gibson 70s Explorer's switch options

Reasons to Get
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active over Gibson 70s Explorer

Fret Material
Stainless Steel vs Nickel Silver
Best fret material that will last forever
Release Year
2024 vs 2019
From a more recent year
Pickup Mods
Coil Split vs None
Splits humbuckers into single coil pickups
Number of Frets
24 vs 22
Allows to reach higher notes
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.807'' (20.5mm) vs 0.82'' (20.8mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.886'' (22.5mm) vs 0.92'' (23.4mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Fretboard Radius
13.78'' (350mm) vs 12'' (304.8mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Pickups Power
Active vs Passive
More output
Value Score
82 vs 61
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Gibson 70s Explorer over Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Indonesia
Built with higher quality standards
Number of Frets
22 vs 24
Warmer neck pickup
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Graphite
Resistant, good tuning stability and rich tone
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.82'' (20.8mm) vs 0.807'' (20.5mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.92'' (23.4mm) vs 0.886'' (22.5mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm) vs 13.78'' (350mm)
Easier to play chords without muting strings
Pickups Power
Passive vs Active
Cleaner sound and no battery needed

Other Key Differences
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active vs Gibson 70s Explorer

Bridge Pickup
Tesla TM AH-5 Active Humbuckers vs Gibson 70s Tribute
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Tesla TM AH-5 Active Humbuckers vs Gibson 70s Tribute
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Meranti vs Mahogany
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Meranti vs Mahogany
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Jatoba vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood
Headstock
3-3 vs 6
Different Headstock
Nut Material
Graphite vs Ivory Tusq
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active vs Gibson 70s Explorer

Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
2
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
1
Same tone control
Pickups
HH
High output without hum
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Set
Neck is glued to the body
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Top Pickup Brand

Common Weaknesses

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

Price History Comparison

Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active Prices

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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 Gibson 70s Explorer favors large hands more than the Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.

Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Gibson 70s Explorer:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gibson 70s Explorer meets only 4. 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 SC-Custom III Active
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Gibson 70s Explorer
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

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 SC-Custom III Active

Meranti wood pattern used for guitar building
Meranti
Jatoba wood pattern used for guitar building
Jatoba

Meranti is an affordable wood used mainly for affordable electric guitars. It's generally lighter and softer than Mahogany. Find out more about Meranti.

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 Gibson 70s Explorer

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: Gibson 70s Explorer.

Pickup Configuration

Both pickup configurations are HH. 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

Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.

However, the Gibson 70s Explorer has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.

The Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active's pickups are Active while the Gibson 70s Explorer's are Passive.

Passive pickups are what most guitars use. These have a normal output that works well for most genres. However, Active pickups are the preferred choice of heavy metal players because they offer extra output thanks to their 9v battery, which results in a heavier, more distorted sound. Bear in mind that achieving a completely clean tone with them won't be easy. So if you want to also use clean tones, you might want to avoid Active pickups.

Winner: Gibson 70s Explorer.

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

Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.

Only the Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Split.

Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.

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 SC-Custom III Active.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active
Pickups 85
Sustain 75
Versatility 61
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 73
Gibson 70s Explorer
Pickups 90
Sustain 75
Versatility 51
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 72

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 SC-Custom III Active compares to the Gibson 70s Explorer.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active is built in Indonesia while the Gibson 70s Explorer 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: Gibson 70s Explorer

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 SC-Custom III Active has 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.

On the other hand, the Gibson 70s Explorer comes with 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.

Winner: Gibson 70s Explorer.

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.

In this comparison, the Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active is the only one that has 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: Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active.

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: 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

Both come with regular tuners. The Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active's are Grover Machine Heads while the Gibson 70s Explorer's are Regular Tuners

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:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active
  • Stainless Steel Frets
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Coil Split Pickups
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Gibson 70s Explorer
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active
Quality of materials 71
Features 55
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 64
Gibson 70s Explorer
Quality of materials 56
Features 50
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 67

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 SC-Custom III Active Nut Width
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active Nut Width
Gibson 70s Explorer Nut Width
Gibson 70s Explorer Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Gibson 70s Explorer has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 1mm (0.039'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Gibson 70s Explorer, 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 SC-Custom III Active and Gibson 70s Explorer's Scale Length
Both have the same 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 24.75".

This is the scale length that Gibson uses for most of its Les Paul guitars. It's a smaller scale than the typical Stratocaster's 25.5''. Short scale lengths like this make it easier to bend the strings, which is pretty important if you have a fixed bridge. They also have a shorter fret separation, which makes it easier to change position fast at the fretboard.

On the other hand, a shorter scale like this one will make fret buzz more likely, which can affect you if you want to use thicker string gauges.

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 SC-Custom III Active Neck Profile
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active's neck profile
Gibson 70s Explorer Neck Profile
Gibson 70s Explorer'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 SC-Custom III Active and the Gibson 70s Explorer 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 SC-Custom III Active Fingerboard Radius
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active's Fingerboard radius
Gibson 70s Explorer Fingerboard Radius
Gibson 70s Explorer'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 Gibson 70s Explorer's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active'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 SC-Custom III Active.

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

Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active and Gibson 70s Explorer 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 SC-Custom III Active
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 80
Playability 80
Gibson 70s Explorer
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 70
Playability 73