JD
My Best Harley Benton - so far
HB-35Plus Vintage Burst
Pros:
Price, Finish, Features, Fretboard, 3-way switch location, Output Jack location, Electric Sound, Frets
Neutral:
Frets, Acoustic Sound, Coil Tap feature , A few little blemishes, Strings
Cons:
Strings, Pick Guard
My 4th Harley Benton.
As always, ordering from Thomann?s website was easy and with Paypal convenience. The shipment took roughly 2 weeks from Germany to US/Florida (Christmas/New Year time).
The shipping box was damaged but, all items in the box were in good shape, no product damage!
Initial inspection was pleasing. The finish is very good on a product of this price. It is not perfect, but for this price it is better than I expected. The overall finish is smooth and nicely buffed to a high gloss. As for defects, only a few little specs in the clear, and a small blemish in the wood grain on the back of the guitar, roughly 1/2" long. Not really an issue for this price guitar, and it?s on the back.
The fretboard on this guitar is the best of the 4 Harley Benton's I now have. The fingerboard doesn't appear to have any stain coating as my other guitars had. The rosewood is natural, and has nice grain, however it appears a bit dry.
The block inlays are nicely cut and installed. They fit smoothly to the surface of the fingerboard.
The fret work on this guitar is good, but not finished. The frets appear to be raw fret wire pressed in an dressed on the ends only, but not finished beyond that point. They are clean and free of the crusty buildup my other HB's suffered from.
Sighting down the neck, there appears to be no offensively high, nor low frets, and a quick chromatic run up each string resulted no serious buzzing. I should mention this was done after the action was lowered.
As it arrived, the action was set very high, playable, but not ideal. I roughly lowered the bridge until some buzzing was noticeable, then raise the action ever so slightly.
The neck binding is very good as well, only one small area that is a bit rough between the frets. This can easily be smoothed off, so no real issue.
The strings are better than most I've received, but still not great. They don't feel rough or corroded, but lack brightness when played. I believe this inhibits the acoustic sound of the guitar out of the box. Better strings should make a noticeable difference.
The tuners are closed back, smooth and uniform in function and stay in tune (so far). They all appear to be well produced and bare no branding.
The pick guard - Every review I have read, seen or heard, has complained about the pick guard. I'm no different. It is poorly produced, irregularly-irregular shaped, rough-edged, makes the guitar look very cheap due to the rough unfinished appearance. Two screws and it is now off the guitar.
The coil tap (split) volume pots, cut the humbucker(s) to a single coil(s). As with my HB SC450Plus, I don't think the feature is as prominent as I had hoped, but it does work.
The f-holes are nicely cut and finished on this guitar, some wiring is visible through the f-hole, but of no concern.
The nut appears to be the standard HB plastic cast variety. The string spacing is fine, but may require the string slots to be opened up a little.
The pickups are Wilkinson covered humbuckers. The sound pretty good for stock pickups, especially at this price point.
As for sound, the pickups are fine for now, plugged in the guitars sounds very good (to me). Acoustically, the guitar is a little dull, probably the stings. Remember, it is a thin semi-hollow body as well, not a full bodied acoustic.
The output jack is in a location I prefer over an ES-335. The jack is placed through the wooden side. As it arrived, the jack is neatly installed and tight. I should also mention I like the location of the 3-way switch on this guitar over the 335. If you plan to add a tremolo (think Bigsby), the location of the switch on this guitar just seems better. It won?t be under the trem bar.
The strap buttons are very basic standard style, one at the end, the other on the back of the neck heel.
Recap.
The negatives are minor, a couple small spots in the finish, and a little rough spot on the neck binding in one area as well.
The frets are good, but need to be finished. It's playable, but could easily be much better.
The controls, pickups and tuners all work well, and for the price are quite nice.
This is the best finished Harley Benton I've purchased, it is also the most expensive Harley Benton I've purchased.
What really needs to be done to this guitar?
Finish crown and polish the frets, possibly adjust the neck relief, put on some new strings and check/set the intonation.
And, I might prefer a better 3-way switch. The stock switch works, but feels a little cheap.
Of course, this guitar can be played without any of these changes.
I'm giving it 5 stars because the few blemishes are of no concern on a guitar of this price. The frets aren't finished, but can easily be finished. Overall the total value of the guitar is greater than what it cost. A numerical rating would be 8/10, but the star scale it gets 5/5 for having everything, with minor finishing touches needed.
Please remember, this guitar costs just under $200, it's not $400, $500, $1000 or more. If you expect a $1000 guitar quality, then buy a $1500 guitar. Yep, you read that right.
With a little finishing, this is easily a $400 guitar, or more.
Pros:
Price, Finish, Features, Fretboard, 3-way switch location, Output Jack location, Electric Sound, Frets
Neutral:
Frets, Acoustic Sound, Coil Tap feature , A few little blemishes, Strings
Cons:
Strings, Pick Guard
My 4th Harley Benton.
As always, ordering from Thomann?s website was easy and with Paypal convenience. The shipment took roughly 2 weeks from Germany to US/Florida (Christmas/New Year time).
The shipping box was damaged but, all items in the box were in good shape, no product damage!
Initial inspection was pleasing. The finish is very good on a product of this price. It is not perfect, but for this price it is better than I expected. The overall finish is smooth and nicely buffed to a high gloss. As for defects, only a few little specs in the clear, and a small blemish in the wood grain on the back of the guitar, roughly 1/2" long. Not really an issue for this price guitar, and it?s on the back.
The fretboard on this guitar is the best of the 4 Harley Benton's I now have. The fingerboard doesn't appear to have any stain coating as my other guitars had. The rosewood is natural, and has nice grain, however it appears a bit dry.
The block inlays are nicely cut and installed. They fit smoothly to the surface of the fingerboard.
The fret work on this guitar is good, but not finished. The frets appear to be raw fret wire pressed in an dressed on the ends only, but not finished beyond that point. They are clean and free of the crusty buildup my other HB's suffered from.
Sighting down the neck, there appears to be no offensively high, nor low frets, and a quick chromatic run up each string resulted no serious buzzing. I should mention this was done after the action was lowered.
As it arrived, the action was set very high, playable, but not ideal. I roughly lowered the bridge until some buzzing was noticeable, then raise the action ever so slightly.
The neck binding is very good as well, only one small area that is a bit rough between the frets. This can easily be smoothed off, so no real issue.
The strings are better than most I've received, but still not great. They don't feel rough or corroded, but lack brightness when played. I believe this inhibits the acoustic sound of the guitar out of the box. Better strings should make a noticeable difference.
The tuners are closed back, smooth and uniform in function and stay in tune (so far). They all appear to be well produced and bare no branding.
The pick guard - Every review I have read, seen or heard, has complained about the pick guard. I'm no different. It is poorly produced, irregularly-irregular shaped, rough-edged, makes the guitar look very cheap due to the rough unfinished appearance. Two screws and it is now off the guitar.
The coil tap (split) volume pots, cut the humbucker(s) to a single coil(s). As with my HB SC450Plus, I don't think the feature is as prominent as I had hoped, but it does work.
The f-holes are nicely cut and finished on this guitar, some wiring is visible through the f-hole, but of no concern.
The nut appears to be the standard HB plastic cast variety. The string spacing is fine, but may require the string slots to be opened up a little.
The pickups are Wilkinson covered humbuckers. The sound pretty good for stock pickups, especially at this price point.
As for sound, the pickups are fine for now, plugged in the guitars sounds very good (to me). Acoustically, the guitar is a little dull, probably the stings. Remember, it is a thin semi-hollow body as well, not a full bodied acoustic.
The output jack is in a location I prefer over an ES-335. The jack is placed through the wooden side. As it arrived, the jack is neatly installed and tight. I should also mention I like the location of the 3-way switch on this guitar over the 335. If you plan to add a tremolo (think Bigsby), the location of the switch on this guitar just seems better. It won?t be under the trem bar.
The strap buttons are very basic standard style, one at the end, the other on the back of the neck heel.
Recap.
The negatives are minor, a couple small spots in the finish, and a little rough spot on the neck binding in one area as well.
The frets are good, but need to be finished. It's playable, but could easily be much better.
The controls, pickups and tuners all work well, and for the price are quite nice.
This is the best finished Harley Benton I've purchased, it is also the most expensive Harley Benton I've purchased.
What really needs to be done to this guitar?
Finish crown and polish the frets, possibly adjust the neck relief, put on some new strings and check/set the intonation.
And, I might prefer a better 3-way switch. The stock switch works, but feels a little cheap.
Of course, this guitar can be played without any of these changes.
I'm giving it 5 stars because the few blemishes are of no concern on a guitar of this price. The frets aren't finished, but can easily be finished. Overall the total value of the guitar is greater than what it cost. A numerical rating would be 8/10, but the star scale it gets 5/5 for having everything, with minor finishing touches needed.
Please remember, this guitar costs just under $200, it's not $400, $500, $1000 or more. If you expect a $1000 guitar quality, then buy a $1500 guitar. Yep, you read that right.
With a little finishing, this is easily a $400 guitar, or more.
25
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J
Crits Shake your head!!! 2023 Guitar is worth it Imo.
I'm no guitar expert nor any sort of guitar God , Just a beginner n00b with a realist first impressions review.
My first Semi hollow body guitar ever.
Firstly i have to say ....V Nice guitar for the price, Well done Thomann.
Secondly, Any criticism of this guitar is sort of unfounded, Shake your head its a £200 guitar!!! its not even top end of the lower priced guitars.
Yes i understand £200 can be hard to come by as it took me 4 months to save for it and yet it didn't come in "Perfect Gibson" condition. In the past I've seen a lot of criticism about the fit & finish of this make of guitar but they've mostly been nit picking small things. Yes absolutely these things do matter if you're spending good money. However in the bigger scheme of things seem somewhat irrelevant considering the price this comes in at. Its no £3k Gibson but it certainly looks and plays like a guitar that ought to be be twice the price it is.
If you're the type of person who has expensive expectations then you'll probably feel a little let down. If however you're a realist this guitar will not disappoint.
I spent an hour giving the frets a polishing of their life and gave the fret-board a nice sparingly soothing rub with some boiled linseed oil ( I can hear the internet guitar gods screaming right now, chill out, Ive worked with wood for many years ) to nourish it for the next 6-8 months, Whacked some new Yellow RotoSound 10's on it & it gave the guitar a new life from right out of the box.
No additional setup required. It even made me a coffee mid way through polishing the frets... Ok so it didn't but meh it was a relaxing hour none the less.
Fit and finish of this guitar is truly amazing considering the price & I feel I have spent my money well and very happy with Thomann's service and delivery ( Only took 5 days from purchase to delivering to UK ) & the packaging was 100% top notch, a little overkill if anything but that's a good thing right?.
I bought the bundle with a Gig bag and extra lead, both of which are of expected quality and I'm more than happy with both.
In Conclusion:
Yes it didn't come in absolute perfect Gibson condition ( What does nowadays?, not even Gibsons do! ) with very little work, love and attention You've got yourself a worthy purchase.
Nit picking aside however..,
It makes me feel like I ought to sit down, rest it on my ample belly and break into a rendition of "To know you is to love you". Perfect guitar for beginners to practice their funny face pulling.
Thanks Thomann, Thumbs up from me for what its worth.
My first Semi hollow body guitar ever.
Firstly i have to say ....V Nice guitar for the price, Well done Thomann.
Secondly, Any criticism of this guitar is sort of unfounded, Shake your head its a £200 guitar!!! its not even top end of the lower priced guitars.
Yes i understand £200 can be hard to come by as it took me 4 months to save for it and yet it didn't come in "Perfect Gibson" condition. In the past I've seen a lot of criticism about the fit & finish of this make of guitar but they've mostly been nit picking small things. Yes absolutely these things do matter if you're spending good money. However in the bigger scheme of things seem somewhat irrelevant considering the price this comes in at. Its no £3k Gibson but it certainly looks and plays like a guitar that ought to be be twice the price it is.
If you're the type of person who has expensive expectations then you'll probably feel a little let down. If however you're a realist this guitar will not disappoint.
I spent an hour giving the frets a polishing of their life and gave the fret-board a nice sparingly soothing rub with some boiled linseed oil ( I can hear the internet guitar gods screaming right now, chill out, Ive worked with wood for many years ) to nourish it for the next 6-8 months, Whacked some new Yellow RotoSound 10's on it & it gave the guitar a new life from right out of the box.
No additional setup required. It even made me a coffee mid way through polishing the frets... Ok so it didn't but meh it was a relaxing hour none the less.
Fit and finish of this guitar is truly amazing considering the price & I feel I have spent my money well and very happy with Thomann's service and delivery ( Only took 5 days from purchase to delivering to UK ) & the packaging was 100% top notch, a little overkill if anything but that's a good thing right?.
I bought the bundle with a Gig bag and extra lead, both of which are of expected quality and I'm more than happy with both.
In Conclusion:
Yes it didn't come in absolute perfect Gibson condition ( What does nowadays?, not even Gibsons do! ) with very little work, love and attention You've got yourself a worthy purchase.
Nit picking aside however..,
It makes me feel like I ought to sit down, rest it on my ample belly and break into a rendition of "To know you is to love you". Perfect guitar for beginners to practice their funny face pulling.
Thanks Thomann, Thumbs up from me for what its worth.
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G3
Awesome guitar. Love it
I have to say that I LOVE this guitar. I'm 61 years-old and have been a semi-pro working musician since I was 14. I've owned a number of guitars through the years, including a Fender, Guild, Ibanez, custom Carvins, and Gibsons( including a 1963 Gibson ES-335), and this guitar is wonderful. I'm astounded how well it's made and sounds. I will admit that it's not as good as the '63 ES-335, but I was not expecting it to be. I should never have parted with 63 Gibson and have been looking to replace it ever since, but I just couldn't justify paying Gibson's prices. Apparently I don't need to now. I mean, how much better can a Gibson be? This guitar is that nice. I will say that if you are looking for that 355 feel and sound and can't/won't spend the money for a Gibson...this is the guitar to buy. You can't go wrong. it is a pure joy to play.
Pros
Workmanship is amazing considering the price. It just feels like a top quality guitar in all ways. I haven't found any flaws in it. It's beautiful to look at, feels wonderful to hold and play, and sounds great. The tone on it is just what I was expecting in a 335 style guitar.
Cons
There are 2 things I would change on this guitar. That is the placement of the pickup switch and the placement of the treble knobs. Harley-Benton decided to the put the pickup switch in the same location as it is on a Les Paul (above the strings). I switch pickups a lot and it's just not as fluid as the Gibson location (below the strings near the bridge). The other thing I don't like is the placement of the treble controls. They moved them a couple of inches and they are just too far away. Not a huge deal as I don't change tone often, but it's annoying. I'm actually considering having the treble knobs and pickup switch moved. Shouldn't be hard to do.
Overall it is a great guitar and absolutely worth what I paid for it. It looks, feels, and sounds like it should be worth 10 times as much.
Pros
Workmanship is amazing considering the price. It just feels like a top quality guitar in all ways. I haven't found any flaws in it. It's beautiful to look at, feels wonderful to hold and play, and sounds great. The tone on it is just what I was expecting in a 335 style guitar.
Cons
There are 2 things I would change on this guitar. That is the placement of the pickup switch and the placement of the treble knobs. Harley-Benton decided to the put the pickup switch in the same location as it is on a Les Paul (above the strings). I switch pickups a lot and it's just not as fluid as the Gibson location (below the strings near the bridge). The other thing I don't like is the placement of the treble controls. They moved them a couple of inches and they are just too far away. Not a huge deal as I don't change tone often, but it's annoying. I'm actually considering having the treble knobs and pickup switch moved. Shouldn't be hard to do.
Overall it is a great guitar and absolutely worth what I paid for it. It looks, feels, and sounds like it should be worth 10 times as much.
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P
Punching Way Above its Weight
I received my HB35Plus VB last week and was amazed at how good this is for 218 Euro. This was a birthday treat and I had promised myself an Epiphone ES 339 VS. I went into town a few days before buying this HB35Plus to test the ES 339 and was a little disappointed with it. The finish wasn't that good and there looked to be a growing crack where the neck meets the body. So I decided to think about it some more and subsequently decided to go for the slightly larger bodied HB35 Plus from Thomann who I had bought from before. I am so glad I did. I was prepared for it not being perfect out of the box, given some of the picky negatives we see about these. But I was so pleasantly surprised when it arrived. The figured top is beautiful, the sunburst is well sprayed on the front, back, and sides, there's no weeping into the cream binding - which is perfect by the way, even around the f holes. The neck is just perfect for my fretting hand and on the subject of frets, having made a guitar or two in my time, I can say that these are very well placed and finished both on the fret and on the bevelled edges. The inlays are attractive (as they should be - block is the easiest to inlay), the decals on the headstock are central and the generic tuning pegs seem sturdy and able to hold their position well. The HB35 could have been played straight out of the box after a little bit of string tuning, but I prefer a lower action so I adjusted it to suit me. Now I have what I would call a perfect guitar. The Roswell humbuckers combined with the 3-way pickup selector, the 2 tone control, and the push/pull coil split volume controls, work perfectly with my Vox AC30 and provide all the combinations I'm ever likely to need at the level I play. Crikey, even the pick guard is reasonably well cut on mine. Overall, I cannot fault this guitar. There's so much more here than the price point would suggest and I would wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone. I would also recommend Thomann. I ordered this late on Friday and it was delivered to my home the following Wednesday. This is the same excellent service I'd received when I bought my Epiphone EJ 200 CE from them.
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h
Great Value!
Came in perfect condition. Plays like a dream!
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T
Can't be beaten
I have bought a number of Harley Benton guitars from Thoman and I trust them.
I wanted an all solid wood acoustic so I went for this model, mainly because it was the cheapest of this type available anywhere.
It arrived quickly though sometimes products sent from Germany to the UK take a bit longer due to UK Customs.
The Guitar is natural open pore and I liked the sound straight away.
The action was very good and the neck was just right for the left hand.
and build quality faultless.
I am not an expert in all wood acoustic guitars but have become a convert and would not by a non all solid wood acoustic.
Over the last year or two I have thought about buying a more expensive solid and have tried a few famous names costing 4 times the price, but you know what none have yet bettered this HB and it's getting better with age as only all solid woods can.
I wanted an all solid wood acoustic so I went for this model, mainly because it was the cheapest of this type available anywhere.
It arrived quickly though sometimes products sent from Germany to the UK take a bit longer due to UK Customs.
The Guitar is natural open pore and I liked the sound straight away.
The action was very good and the neck was just right for the left hand.
and build quality faultless.
I am not an expert in all wood acoustic guitars but have become a convert and would not by a non all solid wood acoustic.
Over the last year or two I have thought about buying a more expensive solid and have tried a few famous names costing 4 times the price, but you know what none have yet bettered this HB and it's getting better with age as only all solid woods can.
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DW
Great guitar, unbelievable value!
I am not sure how the wizards at Thomann are able to pull this off. For $169 USD, this guitar is exceptional. Let me repeat that for clarity- *for its price point,* this guitar is astounding. And this review is 100% based upon price point and not an absolute review conparing it to instruments which cost an order of magnitude more. Altbough I'd put it up against my Mexican Strat that I paid 5x the money for over 2 decades ago.
Sound? Big. Full. Varied. Tone won't be an issue. These Roswells sound fantastic, and the push-pull split coils are a delight. Even through a low end Fender Mustang amp, this guitar's rich sound blew me away. I am not limited in any way with regard to music style.
The build quality is good. Pretty darned good. One can gnit-pick a few finish flaws here and there. These are flaws a person really has to go looking for to even notice and are no big deal. Is it AAAA flamed maple? IMHO, nope. Probably AA, but it is still unquestionably an attractive instrument. Looks great on the wall, and will surely draw attention from guests.
The setup was surprisingly good. Totally competent job on the technician's part. On budget friendly guitars, much like most of you, I have always had to adjust action, new strings, swap tuners, work on frets and set intonation...not this time. Guitar also arrived in nearly in tune (save 2 strings being a little flat) after a 5000 journey and was absolutely playable. No sharp frets needing polishing, nor any dead spots. Action was right where I like it. Machine heads are good ebough to be an afterthought. No complaints on the pots or other electronic components.
Weight and balance are perfect. Just heavy enough to feel substantial, yet easily light enough that it won't strain your neck and back.
Again, this guitar is an absolute steal for what Thomann has it listed. Fender nor Gibson have yet to come close to this value.
Sound? Big. Full. Varied. Tone won't be an issue. These Roswells sound fantastic, and the push-pull split coils are a delight. Even through a low end Fender Mustang amp, this guitar's rich sound blew me away. I am not limited in any way with regard to music style.
The build quality is good. Pretty darned good. One can gnit-pick a few finish flaws here and there. These are flaws a person really has to go looking for to even notice and are no big deal. Is it AAAA flamed maple? IMHO, nope. Probably AA, but it is still unquestionably an attractive instrument. Looks great on the wall, and will surely draw attention from guests.
The setup was surprisingly good. Totally competent job on the technician's part. On budget friendly guitars, much like most of you, I have always had to adjust action, new strings, swap tuners, work on frets and set intonation...not this time. Guitar also arrived in nearly in tune (save 2 strings being a little flat) after a 5000 journey and was absolutely playable. No sharp frets needing polishing, nor any dead spots. Action was right where I like it. Machine heads are good ebough to be an afterthought. No complaints on the pots or other electronic components.
Weight and balance are perfect. Just heavy enough to feel substantial, yet easily light enough that it won't strain your neck and back.
Again, this guitar is an absolute steal for what Thomann has it listed. Fender nor Gibson have yet to come close to this value.
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GG
Sounds and Looks Beautiful
Briefly, this is A LOT of guitar for the price. With its two splittable PAF-style humbuckers, it's very versatile. It is beautiful to behold and hold. The full-size pots and switches are high-quality. I knocked a point off of 'features' for the plastic nut and the tuning machines, although both do the job just fine, and are to be expected on inexpensive guitars.
My guitar arrived from Germany well packaged, on-time, and totally undamaged and unblemished.
In my dealings with Thomann, they have been exceptionally punctual and helpful.
I really love my Vintage Burst HB35+, and I recommend it.
My guitar arrived from Germany well packaged, on-time, and totally undamaged and unblemished.
In my dealings with Thomann, they have been exceptionally punctual and helpful.
I really love my Vintage Burst HB35+, and I recommend it.
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K
Hidden Gem
Brilliant value and rapidly becoming one of my favourites.
Most of my guitars are basses. I already had a Fender Strat but I'd always wanted a 335 or something 335'ish. After seeing the video reviews of these HB35s I thought I'd take a chance on one.
I was not disappointed, she came out of the box playable and looked great; not counting THAT pick guard...
Finish is good and everything works. That sunburst is luscious.
Cons
Fret ends needed a little finishing; just slightly catchy here and there. Not horribly sharp.
To get her playing a little lower took a bit of fettling with the neck and the frets.
A little work brought her nearer the kind of spec one might expect to see on an American made guitar of this type.
Pick guard - that had to come off. Horrible shape, not well finished. After I was sure I would be keeping her, I remodelled the guard to take off that terrible horn and give it a more convention outline. I put a proper radius on the bottom end too. She looked good with no pick guard but now she just looks... right.
There was one little bit of transit damage.
One of the strings must have taken a knock in transit somewhere and was giving a curious buzz on just one fret. At first I thought it was a fret problem but upon magnified inspection I could see the dent was in the string. Thomann sorted that one with no fuss. Strings replaced.
Plays great, looks great. Tuning is stable. I'm very happy with her. going between her and my Strat, there is no feeling of a drop in quality or feel.
The pups are strong; I find they sound better when set lower rather than too close. Raising the poles (except the G and B) gives a brighter tone than just flat.
I put marvel strap locks on her just to be safe.
This experience has encouraged me to buy two more Harley Bentons; an SC-450 P90 GT (sweet) and a TE-70 Paisley (yet to get my hands on).
Somebody stop me !!! 8^)
Most of my guitars are basses. I already had a Fender Strat but I'd always wanted a 335 or something 335'ish. After seeing the video reviews of these HB35s I thought I'd take a chance on one.
I was not disappointed, she came out of the box playable and looked great; not counting THAT pick guard...
Finish is good and everything works. That sunburst is luscious.
Cons
Fret ends needed a little finishing; just slightly catchy here and there. Not horribly sharp.
To get her playing a little lower took a bit of fettling with the neck and the frets.
A little work brought her nearer the kind of spec one might expect to see on an American made guitar of this type.
Pick guard - that had to come off. Horrible shape, not well finished. After I was sure I would be keeping her, I remodelled the guard to take off that terrible horn and give it a more convention outline. I put a proper radius on the bottom end too. She looked good with no pick guard but now she just looks... right.
There was one little bit of transit damage.
One of the strings must have taken a knock in transit somewhere and was giving a curious buzz on just one fret. At first I thought it was a fret problem but upon magnified inspection I could see the dent was in the string. Thomann sorted that one with no fuss. Strings replaced.
Plays great, looks great. Tuning is stable. I'm very happy with her. going between her and my Strat, there is no feeling of a drop in quality or feel.
The pups are strong; I find they sound better when set lower rather than too close. Raising the poles (except the G and B) gives a brighter tone than just flat.
I put marvel strap locks on her just to be safe.
This experience has encouraged me to buy two more Harley Bentons; an SC-450 P90 GT (sweet) and a TE-70 Paisley (yet to get my hands on).
Somebody stop me !!! 8^)
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Lm
Unbelievabley good, especially at this price point
This guitar is an unbelievable value, it's hard to believe that it looks and plays so well. The finish is beautiful, the wood grain is great. I really like the neck and fretboard on this, it's smaller feeling than a Gibson Slim Taper 60's, and feels a bit flatter. It's super easy to play. Once the guitar acclimated to my home (I live in Las Vegas, so, very dry) I did a set up with new strings and it's perfect. The tuners work well and the guitar holds in tune I'd say that the pickups are fine, certainly not high-end great, but more than useable as they are. If you really want that Gibson, Heritage, etc sound you could always replace them and still be thousands of dollars ahead. This guitar is a gem.
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