Show Full Spec Comparison
| Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active | Gibson 70s Flying V | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| 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 | Grover Rotomatics w/ Kidney Buttons |
| 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 | Bell |
| 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
Reasons to Get
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active over Gibson 70s Flying V
Reasons to Get
Gibson 70s Flying V over Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active
Other Key Differences
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active vs Gibson 70s Flying V
Shared Features
Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active vs Gibson 70s Flying V
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
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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 Flying V 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:
Gibson 70s Flying V:
Beginner Friendliness
The Harley Benton SC-Custom III Active meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gibson 70s Flying V meets only 3. 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 Flying V- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- 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 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 Flying V
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 Flying V.
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 Flying V 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 Flying V'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 Flying V.
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
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 Flying V.
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 Flying V 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 Flying V
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 Flying V 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 Flying V.
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 Flying V's are Grover Rotomatics w/ Kidney Buttons
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 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
Gibson 70s Flying V
- 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
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 Gibson 70s Flying V 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 Flying V, 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 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
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 Flying V 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 Gibson 70s Flying V'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
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.
