Harley Benton SC-400 SBK Vintage Series

Like a lot of other reviews I think this is a hard guitar to beat, for the price. I bought it to use at home and as a back-up third guitar for gigs. I'm playing 17 years and play everything from rock, blues, country, pop and everything in between. I've owned many guitars over that time and this is hands-down (for the price) the best value. Genuinely.

I've had it around 3 months and it gets played regularly. Overall the guitar sounds very good. I was going to swap out the pickups at some stage but honestly don't think I'll bother, Neck & Bridge pickups both sound fantastic as they are.

I will be changing out the tuners though. The factory ones feel a bit flimsy, as if a turn too quick and they might snap off in your hand. But this is a minor job and personal preference.

Out of the box the intonation was near perfect but there was a nasty fret buzz on the E & A strings all the way up the fretboard. Nothing that wasn't fixable handy enough, again a small job. Strange as it sounds, this wouldn't be a terrible thing if you're not used to fixing these kinds of issues as it is good practice.

Tuning stability is good, generally doesn't fall out of tune like I was expecting it to, given the price tag

The best thing about the SC400, by some distance, is the finish. The matte black is simply beautiful. There was no blemishes or scratches on mine. It's not out of place beside my other guitars on the rack.

If you're looking for a guitar that looks the part and can back it up (after a little bit of a setup) and you don't have the budget for a Custom Shop, its very hard to argue against the HB SC400. If you're just starting out and not sure if you'll keep up playing, it's a great choice. If you're a seasoned veteran and need a backup for gigs or recording or just jamming at home, it's still a great choice

Pros:
The matte finish
Pickups are fantastic
The price!
Versatility
Great for beginners and veterans alike
Good for modding (if that's your thing)

Cons:
Tuners feel flimsy, will be swapping them out
Arrived with nasty fret buzz on E & A strings

Use - Just for messing about at home.
Fancied a LP as I was interested in a guitar with humbuckers.

For the money this is just amazing. Matt finish looks cool and is very smooth to the touch. There seem to be some light scratches on the back of the neck in the wood before the finish was applied. You can barely see it but you can feel it, this does not however have any negative effect when playing. No big deal. Fret board is fine. inserts are a little untidy in places. Frets seem to be level and no sharp edges. Could do with a polish as they are just the slightest bit 'grainy' and can be felt on some frets more than others when bending. Pick guard was sharp in places and could do with a sanding. Apart from these niggles It is amazing what just over £100 will get you from Harley Benton.
Order placed on Friday, delivered Monday. Well packaged and unbelievable delivery again from Thomann. Thanks guys.

Im not really a pickup snob , I usually find I can get the sound Im looking for with a bit of fiddling on the Amp (Vox VX1), so yeah, pickups sound fine to me.

Everything is well put together and seems to be built like a tank, a heavy shovel for sure.

Will prob change the strings at some point but what is there are fine. I am HUGELY impressed with my first HB and will def be purchasing again if I can hide them from the wife lol.

Anyone looking for a usable, 'wallet friendly' instrument , you will not find better in this price bracket.

Usage: Home music making, amateur group.
Good quality and price guitar. It's comfortable to play. I liked the beveled lower part (heel) of the neck very much, it is convenient to play after the 17th fret. Nice (vintage) matte black body and fingerboard. You can play right after unpacking. The frets are even, the neck is straight. The guitar is well done. The pickups produce quite normal sound, the difference with premium pickups can be noticed when playing through a tube combo, but most amateurs play through a guitar processor and guitar emulators (where you can wind any sound) or a transistor combo.
among the disadvantages: The switch switches too noisily
Modifications: I immediately lowered the strings, grinding off the fretboard nut, and slightly polished the ends of the frets with a file, changed the Harley Benton strings 0.010 - 0.046 to Elixir Nanoweb Light 0.010 - 0.046.
Even with the cost of delivery, tools on THOOMAN are much cheaper than ours in Russia. Delivery is very fast, managers are sociable.

Pro: Matte black finish is so nice and with a swap of the tuners to a black version it looks even better. Set up was great, no fret sprouting. Inlay work is all fine and no dead frets.

Cons: Tuning keys feel cheap but swapped them out with some black ones that are a bit better. Pickup toggle switch seems a bit loose but seems to function without falling out of selection. The nut seems a little rough and is plastic but seems to function fine.

Overall: The bridge seems to be a standard setup and functions fine. The finish is nice, no binding but that's fine with me. Fret work was fine out of the box, no sprouting and no dead frets. The action isn't the lowest but is completely playable. Overall I would totally buy again and recommend to anyone either starting out of looking for a solid second, third, fourth or fifth guitar to add to the collection.