Head to head
Epiphone Emperor Swingster, Black Aged Gloss vs Harley Benton ST-70 RW
The verdict
The Epiphone Emperor Swingster, Black Aged Gloss comes out ahead overall — 72 to 65 on our estimated score.
Estimated from specs & owner reviews — a starting point, not a substitute for playing both.
Epiphone Emperor Swingster, Black Aged Gloss wins on
- Better build (65 vs 58)
- Better sound (74 vs 60)
Harley Benton ST-70 RW wins on
- Lower price ($195 vs $799)
Scorecard
| Metric | Emperor Swingster, Black Aged Gloss | ST-70 RW |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 72 | 65 |
| Build | 65 | 58 |
| Playability | 75 | 72 |
| Sound | 74 | 60 |
| Value | 75 | 75 |
Full specifications
| Spec | Emperor Swingster, Black Aged Gloss | ST-70 RW |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Epiphone | Harley Benton |
| Type | Electric | Electric |
| Years | — | — |
| Country | — | — |
| Body wood | Layered Maple | Basswood |
| Neck wood | Mahogany | Maple |
| Fretboard | Laurel | Amaranth |
| Strings | 6 | 6 |
| Frets | 20 | — |
| Scale | 24.72" | 25.51" |
| Pickups | SwingBucker / SwingBucker | 3 Roswell STA Alnico-5 Vintage ST-Style Single Coils |
| Rating | — | — |
| Price | $799 | $195 |
| Back | Layered Maple | — |
| Binding | 7-ply Top and Back | — |
| Body shape | Emperor Swingster | — |
| Body Styles | Archtop | — |
| Bridge | LockTone™ Tune-O-Matic™ on pinned wooden base | — |
| Bridge pickup | SwingBucker | — |
| Control Knobs | Black Top Hat knobs with metal inserts | — |
| Controls | 2 Volume (2 Push/Pull series/parallel); 2 Tone | — |
| Finish | Nickel (BAG/DBM), Gold (FGM) | Natural High Gloss |
| Fretboard inlay | Block | — |
| Fretboard radius | 304.0mm / 11.97in | 305 mm |
| Fret Count | 20 | — |
| Headstock | Epiphone Large Clipped Dove Wing, 5-Ply binding | — |
| Headstock Inlay | Historic Epiphone logo in Mother of Pearl, Tree of Life in Mother of Pearl | — |
| Joint | Set neck | — |
| Model | ETS2BAGNB1 | — |
| Mounting Rings | Black | — |
| Neck pickup | SwingBucker | — |
| Nut | Graph Tech® NuBone® | — |
| Nut width | 43.0mm / 1.69in | 42 mm |
| Output Jack | 1/4" Epiphone | — |
| Pickguard | Gold (FGM), Silver (BAG/DBM), with E logo | — |
| Pickup Covers | Nickel (BAG/DBM), Gold (FGM) | — |
| Pickup Selector | 3 way toggle | — |
| Profile | SlimTaper | — |
| Scale length | 628.0mm / 24.72in | 648 mm |
| Side | Layered Maple | — |
| Strap Buttons | 2 - bottom and shoulder | — |
| String gauges | .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046 | — |
| Switch Tip | White (BAG/DBM), Black (FGM) | — |
| Switchwasher | Black with Gold Rhythm/Treble | — |
| Tailpiece | Licensed Bigsby® vibrato with wire handle | — |
| Top wood | Layered Maple | Imitation rosewood veneer |
| Truss rod | Dual Action | — |
| Truss Rod Cover | 2-Ply Crescent Bullet with E logo | — |
| Tuner Plating | Nickel (BAG/DBM), Gold (FGM) | — |
| Tuners | Grover® Rotomatic® | — |
| Ex Factory Stringing | — | D'Addario .010 - .046 (Article no. #104555#) |
| Neck profile | — | C |
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