Harley Benton SC-1000LH SBK Progressive Line

This being way to soon to leave a comprehensive review, I only received the guitar an hour or so ago. That being said I felt it relevant to pass along at least one quick piece of info along with first thoughts etc….This is the first “active” guitar I’ve actually touched so maybe it’s common knowledge to most active pickup guitar users. It seems active pickups do not work through wireless connections.. at least not through the line 6 G10 unit I have. I was stumped for a minute as to why it (the G10) unit showed a signal “hitting” the plugged in unit on the guitar ( light turns green when ever a signal is acknowledged) but no sound from amp… admittedly this was about the first thing I thought to check even though I didn’t think of it ahead of time .so I switched to a cable and all was / is right again …sort of sucks , hopefully I’ll find a work around eventually as I haven’t really used a chorded guitar in forever …. Beyond that ,I honestly cant understand how Harley Benton / thomann Sells this guitar for $169 . Don’t get me wrong I don’t wish for a price increase lol…it’s just seemingly that great of a guitar . Fit and finish in a preliminary exam seem about flawless. Setup is very good, action at about my perfect preference ,which I understand is a subjective thing but I’ve spent thousands on past guitars that were not setup this well…even intonation is very good .at 12th fret only a line on my snark tuner off at most on a couple strings ,which means it’s not really off at all. 24th fret the snark has a hard time locking onto but is maybe double (2 lines +/-) when it’s able to lock onto the proper tone / wave, but does seem to catch overtones on and off ( reading an occasional wrong note briefly) which I can’t really at this point blame on the guitar …. One small possible issue is the nut , even though it’s cut more or less properly it doesn’t seem to lay perfectly flat against the top of fretboard / bottom of headstock . I’m sure I can remedy this at the first string change , but in the mean time it isn't affecting tone or playability.everything else seems to be top notch at this early point in having the guitar. The tuners are way better than expected, bridge and stoptail seem as good as any …the arch top makes the input screw grommets ( or whatever they’re called) for bridge and stop tail show splines on the outside , wile ring flush on the inside….this always makes me a lil nervous but am fairly confident it’s more or less how it should be .the only possible area I can guess that maybe “money was saved “ is maybe the 3 way switch .. not that there is any issue but it feels maybe it could be on the cheaper side …oh and the knobs are right handed and are numbered backwards ,10=0 and 0=10 . But this is I common across many manufacturers an their left handed guitars, and I don’t normally look at the numbers anyways …also I think I’m going to get metal speed knobs eventually ( those aren’t numbered ) ….frets are well dressed / polished , maybe a slight edge end sharpness nothing bad at all really and no noticeable roughness to the surface when fretting / bending .I assume the body wood is multi pieces of not top notch / top grade but I don’t know with the awesome matte black finish it has . I can’t really fault anything about this guitar and I’m trying lol…I don’t know yet how I feel about the pups for two reasons , 1: I never owned active pups before, and 2: I’ve had this guitar less than two hrs …yet I hear nothing wrong with tone so far , if I was forced to make a complaint about the pups I’d only say maybe they’re not as hot as one would expect from active pups … but I can’t say that with 100% certainty .bottom line even with the high shipping and handling cost ($100+) it’s still well worth it imo….in fact it’s a steal of a deal imo, maybe I got lucky with this particular guitar but I dont think so . This is my second Harley Benton ,both purchased from thomann …and this one is nicer than the HB35 plus LH ,which was very nice to say the least and was more expensive at $235+ shipping and handling(think it’s cheaper now too) .. I honestly can’t see an area where getting the “name brand” version of this guitar would justify the price difference … you could buy replacement electronics and parts and still be way under that cost , hell you could probably refret it too and still be under their cost ( but I haven’t done the math lol) if you’re not a headstock name driven guitarist I see nothing so far that would make you regret buying this guitar . On the contrary I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised ,especially if you’ve never owned a Harley Benton before. If I can and there is reason to ,I’ll update this review after owning the guitar awhile . If you’re on the fence , my first reaction is definitely don’t worry about being let down…that is unless you expect a custom shop signature guitar for $169+ S&H , otherwise your expectations will be exceeded in about every place by multiples

Ordered this with low-ish expectations but was pleasantly surprised. Build and finish are flawless. Intonation spot on. Action on the high side of medium. Nut perfectly adequate, but may need some lubrication. Stays in tune well but machine heads don't feel great (maybe due to the nut) Neck plays well and frets are well finished with the exception of the last two or so. Inlays are no great shakes but nice and level with fingerboard. Binding is flawless on body. One tiny spot on the neck where (I assume) the wood splintered, appears filled in. Roseacer fingerboard feels unfamiliar and dry at first. After a first oiling it feels a lot better already. Pots feel ok, but don't appear very linear, kinda wished they had lowered them into the body a little just for appearances' sake

Extremely surpised by the overall sound and the pickups in general. Other reviews led me to believe they weren't that great but I really love the nasty greasy dirty sound I can get out of them. I know this guitar is aimed squarely at the metal crowd but you can really get some Jimmy Page Whole Lotta Love-esque sounds out of this which makes me smile just thinking about it. Unsurprisingly the pickups are extremely hot. Turn that Master down first!

Came with 9V battery, truss rod key, and lead included.
Lead appears ok, but chances are you already have a much nicer one at home.

I had my doubts about buying a Harley Benton but I really am stunned by how good this guitar is. Not just good for the price, but good full stop.

The styling very reminiscent of a well known Japanese guitar, and the satin finish is gorgeous. The active pickups are clear and crisp with a nice bite that cuts through a mix. Bridge and tuners are a smart gold finish and work well and the control pots are smooth. The guitar is nicely set up and the finish is flawless. What?s more it even comes strung with D?addarios. Unbelievable at such a low price. It?s quite a heavy guitar - ways more than my LP Standard, but I like that. The one slight niggle is that the fret ends are not as smooth as I?d like, but this is an easy fix for anyone with basic guitar maintenance skills.

I own 30+ guitars including several custom shop instruments, but I would happily gig and record with this Harley Benton. I can see myself owning a lot more Harley Bentons in the future.

A great guitar.just unboxed.to be noted it wont work without the battery.thomann.told me that you unplug the lead when not in use to switch off the battery.The guitar arived double boxed.The intonation and action are perfect.This guitar screams like a firework and growls like a bulldog.Close your eyes and you think you have a prs.AProper heavy metal axe.buy it its fantastic.I have just realised.The one i have recieved has cheap plastic knobs and NOT.The gold finish as on the pics.its a shame because it makes it look like a cheap frankinstein les paul copy.Thomann informed.See what they say.Justa up date,Thomann sent a set of gold knobs.Now looks perfect.Thanks again Thomann

I got back into guitar over a year ago after a 10-year hiatus. I got a knock-off Les Paul to start, and I still very much like my Lyxpro Les Paul. But I found myself playing Nirvana, Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, etc. And found that I was looking for ESPs and Jacksons as my next guitar to help me play some of those genres better with active pickups and a 24 fret board. If you're a right-handed player, getting a used Jackson or ESP for a decent price is not an issue. But being us Lefties getting one in a left-handed cut, I was seeing it was going to be about a $1,000 to get into one. I was not ready to throw down that kind of money.

lone and behold, I found myself daydreaming about this Harley Benton once I learned about it and found it. After giving it a month, I decided to buy it. Oh boy, and I'm ever glad I did, let's get into it.

The Good:
After shipping from DHL, Import Duty to the US, and the Cost of the guitar itself, I am in around $300. Idk if the current Trump tariffs had anything to do with the 80-dollar import duty. More than I expected, but I still think the guitar is worth it, especially for a lefty guitar player with not many options. But thought I would share this just so you know if you're shipping this guitar to the USA, expect a similar experience if you're buying in 2025

The guitar itself is remarkable. I do not know how Harley Benton makes this thing and sells it for a profit at $190. The fret work was awesome, the active pickups are decent, the tuners are decent, and the hardware overall is passable for home and casual use. With that said, I bought this guitar knowing I was going to mod it and do some upgrades as time progresses. And this guitar is a great guitar to mod, the body and everything you cannot change is solid. And everything else you can change if you want to put better tuners or a better bridge on overt time you can. I am very much into the tinkering side of guitar ownership as much as playing. This is a great platform if you're into that side of things.

The Bad:
Like I said, the body of this guitar is solid, but not perfect. For $190, you can not expect this to be handcrafted perfection. On mine, with the binding along the fretboard, it is not a perfectly straight line; it's not horrible. But if you look close enough, your eye will tell. Everyone who reviewed theirs on YouTube and other places shares a similar story about something being slightly off with their guitar in a different way. Just know, getting a guitar at this price point, the body is not going to be flawless, it's good, remarkable considering the price. But it's not handcrafted perfection. It does not in any way affect the performance or playability of the guitar.

Overall verdict:
I only had this guitar for a month so far; this is in no way a comprehensive review. But if you're finding yourself playing metal, rock and roll, thrash, you will love this guitar. Bear in mind, though, that this guitar with the active pickups limits you slightly to what kinds of music you will be able to play. I tried playing it through my Boss Katana on clean and acoustic tones for laughs and giggles, and you can slightly still hear the gain the pickups are pushing through the amp, unlike passive pickups. Can you do it? Yes. But if you are only going to have one guitar to play to adequately play all types of music, I would say this is not be the best guitar for you for your first and only guitar.

However, if you're starting to build your guitar collection, and you want something that favors the genres of music mentioned above. Or maybe those are the genres you love, and that's all you want to play. This thing is a metal monster, and I am super happy with my purchase. There's just something about a matte black guitar and metal that just feels so right. I love shredding on this thing. And I do not see myself growing out of this guitar or holding me back in any way, I see myself hanging onto this axe for a long time.