Harley Benton DC-Junior Pelham Blue

I've seen all the rave reviews, and also heard the cons. I ordered one, well aware that this is a budget model. It really is much value for the money. Finish is impeccable, the fret board is beautiful, and the frets are mostly well done, but there are a fret or too in the 14-16 area that frets out if I lower the action to where I would prefer it.

Hovewer a few issues: The nut was one of the worst I've encountered. It was so tightly and deeply cut that it was impossible to keep the guitar in tune in the stock condition. Luckily I do have some nut slot files, so I've remedied this.

The bridge is very versatile and intonable, but doesn't allow for very low action, as it is very tall. And I can see how the saddles are sharp/prodruding higher than neccessary. So I've ordered a replacement bridge. The guitar came with the bridge adjusted very far back so it tilted quite a bit, but I have adjusted this. The bridge studs are very tight, making them hard to adjust even with a big screw driver.

Edit: After ordering the replacement bridge, I found out it is impossible to screw it down for proper action, as the studs' holes aren't straight. The studs are not parallell to each other, making adjustment impossible.

Regarding the pickup, I had heard it was mounted very low, contributing probably to the very tele-like sound more than a traditional P-90 sound. So I will probably change it and buy some shims. I tried making a shim from plexi, but it cracked so... will probably just order something.

I find this guitar over rated and in effect defective, but I'm not sure if I am entitled to a replacement due to the modifications.

I know I've had this for some time, and it's really good for the money, but just to let potential purchasers of a few problems I had.

The nut was very poorly cut, but that's probably to be expected at this price point.

The action was really high with the bridge at its lowest point, I replaced the bridge with a "pigtail" style, which has a much lower profile, and that enabled a much better setup.

The bridge post bushings were loose, and fell out of the body when I took the strings off. Fortunately the set of bushings for the new bridge were a much better fit.

So, I might just have been unlucky, but you may need to sort a few things out to get it playable.

I previously bought an SC-DLX which I found to be excellent value, played well out of the box, although the frets were higher than I prefer. The Junior, albeit a lot cheaper, does not have anywhere near the same feel. The action is not great out of the box and adjustment is hampered by the very boxlike and utilitarian nut. The single Roswell does not have a very broad range and only really comes alive when given some distortion. It's natural sound is somewhat flat and uninspiring. The Wilkinson tuners do not keep perfect tune and require frequent minor adjustment. Overall, a reasonably good beginners guitar but not really for gigging. Should one expect more for the price? I suppose not.

This is a nice guitar, but it has it's issues. It was setup perfectly out of the box, however the QC leaves much to be desired.

Strings were rusted, hardware had toolmarks and rust on the bridge, bubbling on the fretboard trim (which is black, by the way, and not brown like the photos), there is a big blob of very dark blue paint on the bottom of the guitar, the p90 was loose and wobbling, and there were small black marks under the neck as if hung on a hanger. Demo unit maybe? Definitely not new.

I'm in the USA, so it'd cost me more than the guitar is worth to send back, but keep in mind you are getting exactly what you pay for with this guitar. It plays fantastic, but corners are VERY obviously cut.