M
Guitar arrived broken and unplayable
The guitar arrrived earlier this week with a chipped headstock and a crack at the base of the neck. The neck was so bowed that I had to raise the action extremely high in order to be able to fret it above the 12th fret. It is unplayable as a regular guitar. I contacted Thomann the same day expecting them to replace it but they spent days asking me to send photos of the damage and are now asking me to deal with the delivery company to get compensation!
This is the worst experience I have ever had with with an online company. No hassle, no questions asked guarantee?
What a lie.
This is the worst experience I have ever had with with an online company. No hassle, no questions asked guarantee?
What a lie.
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Z
Not what I ordered - otherwise OK...
The guitar advertised on the Thomann website depicts a 335-style guitar with a pronounced AAAA-grade tiger/flame maple top in cherry burst. The guitar I got was a brown burst and the tiger/flame maple is barely visible. It's like ordering a red shirt with a big fat logo visible but you get a black shirt with a miniature logo on the sleeve that no one can see. Not good. Not what I ordered. Not what I wanted!
Don't get me wrong. The overall build quality of the guitar (i.e. body, neck, fretwork, pickups) is amazing. But the neck pickup tone pot and output jack were loose - flopping around. The strings were rusty, the frets had gunk on them and the action was only good for slide guitar - but I don't play slide! I tightened the pot and jack, polished the frets, oiled the fret board and put on new strings. But I ask you (Thomann), why put QC tags on all your guitars if you don't actually QC them? I still have the tag if anyone's interested? I can teach you, if you want?
None of the guitars I received to date were properly set up. There was always an issue: either yucky, dirty fret-board with rusty strings, faulty electronics, poorly adjusted vibrato etc. I consider that 'verarschung'. Look it up in German.
It's not that I dislike the guitar colour etc. It's the fact that I was expecting what I had ordered. To date, the images of the guitar you probably won't get (i.e. if you order it) are still there . There is no mention that the product you will receive could vary substantially in colour and in the quality of the AAAA-grade tiger/flame top.
The Harley Benton HB-35Plus Vintage Burst is an extremely good guitar, albeit with some issues that were resolved. Seriously, this guitar is in no way inferior to the brand guitar that this guitar was modeled on. The original 335s I played in the 1980's weren't really better. Some had so many problems...brrr. OK, so the electronics (not the pickups) suck in this guitar. But that can be rectified. The Roswell pickups (switchable to single coil) are very good.
Had I received a properly set-up guitar with the advertised AAAA-grain and colour as advertised, I would have given 5 stars easily. Had the website been updated, I would have also added points. Alas, it is only 1 star.
Don't get me wrong. The overall build quality of the guitar (i.e. body, neck, fretwork, pickups) is amazing. But the neck pickup tone pot and output jack were loose - flopping around. The strings were rusty, the frets had gunk on them and the action was only good for slide guitar - but I don't play slide! I tightened the pot and jack, polished the frets, oiled the fret board and put on new strings. But I ask you (Thomann), why put QC tags on all your guitars if you don't actually QC them? I still have the tag if anyone's interested? I can teach you, if you want?
None of the guitars I received to date were properly set up. There was always an issue: either yucky, dirty fret-board with rusty strings, faulty electronics, poorly adjusted vibrato etc. I consider that 'verarschung'. Look it up in German.
It's not that I dislike the guitar colour etc. It's the fact that I was expecting what I had ordered. To date, the images of the guitar you probably won't get (i.e. if you order it) are still there . There is no mention that the product you will receive could vary substantially in colour and in the quality of the AAAA-grade tiger/flame top.
The Harley Benton HB-35Plus Vintage Burst is an extremely good guitar, albeit with some issues that were resolved. Seriously, this guitar is in no way inferior to the brand guitar that this guitar was modeled on. The original 335s I played in the 1980's weren't really better. Some had so many problems...brrr. OK, so the electronics (not the pickups) suck in this guitar. But that can be rectified. The Roswell pickups (switchable to single coil) are very good.
Had I received a properly set-up guitar with the advertised AAAA-grain and colour as advertised, I would have given 5 stars easily. Had the website been updated, I would have also added points. Alas, it is only 1 star.
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Mb
Eye yai yai!!
wont stay in tune.
in middle postion, (only bridge pickup)
heavey as HE*&!!!!
sounds really bassy.
All hardware will need upgrade to even play it...
in middle postion, (only bridge pickup)
heavey as HE*&!!!!
sounds really bassy.
All hardware will need upgrade to even play it...
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b
big quality control issues
Well, the guitar is really astonishing cheap for a semi-hollow with Alnico PUs - unfortunately the quality appeared to be at the same, low level. Finish is not exactly as shown on Thomann pictures: back and sides are not see-through red-brown, they are solid black, so the colour is black burst. The headstock had significant damages of the lacque finish at the very top of it + there were small sratches here and there all over the body. 'Flamed' maple looked really cheap. But the main problem was with the wiring of the guitar - it produces tremendous hum beeing plugged even on the clean channel.
Thanks Thomann customer service team (its is brilliant as always!)- with their help HB35Plus was sent back to Thomann.
Thanks Thomann customer service team (its is brilliant as always!)- with their help HB35Plus was sent back to Thomann.
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D
Buyer beware in states and still waiting
Thomann shipped the wrong product because they mislabeled it. Sent email no response. So called them said they would look into it. No response so called again, asked to send pictures. Pictures sent and no response so called again. Asked to send guitar back unless costs more than 60 euros. Emailed cost would be 133 euros. No response so called them again. They said they will send someone to pick up guitar sol waiting for guitar to be picked up and receive guitar I ordered.
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d
Amazing
Cost me $500 to fix the frets on my Harley Benton... worst guitars ever...
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