D
Good purchase. Highly recommended.
Background Info
After spending a month with a Harley Benton 7-string that I bought through an Indian retailer, I decided to order this Vintage-style V directly from Thomann - Cory Miura's review helped in making the decision.
Unfortunately, being in India, I had to deal with a very corrupt customs officer who overcharged me on the customs duty. Also, Thomann's regular shipping company, DHL, failed in providing any info regarding the product tracking and I'd almost lost hope of ever receiving this package.
But, things worked out alright, albeit after a hefty fees was paid to the customs department here.
Packing
I was surprised that this guitar survived the ill-treatment packages usually get at the Foreign Post Office in Delhi. But it was very well-packed and arrived in perfect condition.
Playability
The neck was a bit thicker than what I was used to, but after a few mins of playing around, i got pretty comfortable with it. If you are used to the Ibanez-style necks like I am, then be prepared to spend some time getting used to this thing.
The fingerboard feels nice. The bridge is pretty good and easy to adjust - I did spend some time lowering it once I put in a set of my favourite Ernie Ball set of 10s - Skinny Top Heavy Bottom strings.
One massive issue I have is that the strap button on the neck side is right on the bloody neck joint! The pics on this site showed that this had been changed, but I guess this was my bad luck. I'll get it shifted to another position soon, but I am disappointed about this.
Sound
The guitar sounds nice and warm, but a bit weak compared to my Cort X-6 and Ibanez ARZ 300. You can play a fair bit of metal on it with a bit of tweaking, but I'd suggest dialing in a bit more high-mids and treble for your tones. I will get the pickups changed at some point in the future.
Build Quality
Aside from the horrible strap button on the neck-joint, the guitar has been put together very nicely. It holds tuning alright, feels nice to play, and sounds good. And there were no issues with the finish, or the fret ends. If you are planning to invest in a good quality affordable model with a view to modify it later, I'd recommend this. But consider the thick set-neck before buying!
Conclusion
I love shred-style guitars such as Ibanez RGs and Cort X series models but I found myself enjoying this guitar a lot more than I expected - more than the Harley Benton 7 string, which isn't bad either. I have not taken this for any gig or a jam session though. But I see an opportunity to test that scenario coming up in a few weeks, so we'll see how this holds up.
I am pretty happy with the guitar. I'm not happy with the bloody month-long delay and wankery from the Customs department. If you are in India, then by all means order from Thomann, but be prepared for THAT bullshit. The folks at Thomann are pretty helpful, but even they can't help you in dealing with Indian Customs. Sigh.
PS I will definitely order another Harley Benton soon.
After spending a month with a Harley Benton 7-string that I bought through an Indian retailer, I decided to order this Vintage-style V directly from Thomann - Cory Miura's review helped in making the decision.
Unfortunately, being in India, I had to deal with a very corrupt customs officer who overcharged me on the customs duty. Also, Thomann's regular shipping company, DHL, failed in providing any info regarding the product tracking and I'd almost lost hope of ever receiving this package.
But, things worked out alright, albeit after a hefty fees was paid to the customs department here.
Packing
I was surprised that this guitar survived the ill-treatment packages usually get at the Foreign Post Office in Delhi. But it was very well-packed and arrived in perfect condition.
Playability
The neck was a bit thicker than what I was used to, but after a few mins of playing around, i got pretty comfortable with it. If you are used to the Ibanez-style necks like I am, then be prepared to spend some time getting used to this thing.
The fingerboard feels nice. The bridge is pretty good and easy to adjust - I did spend some time lowering it once I put in a set of my favourite Ernie Ball set of 10s - Skinny Top Heavy Bottom strings.
One massive issue I have is that the strap button on the neck side is right on the bloody neck joint! The pics on this site showed that this had been changed, but I guess this was my bad luck. I'll get it shifted to another position soon, but I am disappointed about this.
Sound
The guitar sounds nice and warm, but a bit weak compared to my Cort X-6 and Ibanez ARZ 300. You can play a fair bit of metal on it with a bit of tweaking, but I'd suggest dialing in a bit more high-mids and treble for your tones. I will get the pickups changed at some point in the future.
Build Quality
Aside from the horrible strap button on the neck-joint, the guitar has been put together very nicely. It holds tuning alright, feels nice to play, and sounds good. And there were no issues with the finish, or the fret ends. If you are planning to invest in a good quality affordable model with a view to modify it later, I'd recommend this. But consider the thick set-neck before buying!
Conclusion
I love shred-style guitars such as Ibanez RGs and Cort X series models but I found myself enjoying this guitar a lot more than I expected - more than the Harley Benton 7 string, which isn't bad either. I have not taken this for any gig or a jam session though. But I see an opportunity to test that scenario coming up in a few weeks, so we'll see how this holds up.
I am pretty happy with the guitar. I'm not happy with the bloody month-long delay and wankery from the Customs department. If you are in India, then by all means order from Thomann, but be prepared for THAT bullshit. The folks at Thomann are pretty helpful, but even they can't help you in dealing with Indian Customs. Sigh.
PS I will definitely order another Harley Benton soon.
15
1
Report
S
Great Alternative to Epiphone/Gibson
Great budget option flying V, Neck is a comfortable chunky perhaps epiphone C esque maybe a bit thinner, great for chords, bridge pickup would need to be replaced if your going for high output tones but its a very acceptable set of humbuckers, the tone they do provide is fantastic though so don't be put off by it, set neck construction is very clean and overall the V is a great buy
1
0
Report
E
Minor issues.
This is my first HB and my first V, I am a Schecter guy...
It is a cheap guitar, so I was not expecting much but playability is great. There is no neck dive. Somehow it is too light, I don't know how they did it. Most important one, it stays in tune while playing. When I pickup a guitar in the morning I expect it to be in tune, and this one was in tune. But there is grounding issue and volume pots wired reverse (rlly guys?). There was a dent on the headstock, but not really a big issue. Except electronics of the guitar, I'm really happy with the purchase. I'll probably discover some other HB models in future too.
It is a cheap guitar, so I was not expecting much but playability is great. There is no neck dive. Somehow it is too light, I don't know how they did it. Most important one, it stays in tune while playing. When I pickup a guitar in the morning I expect it to be in tune, and this one was in tune. But there is grounding issue and volume pots wired reverse (rlly guys?). There was a dent on the headstock, but not really a big issue. Except electronics of the guitar, I'm really happy with the purchase. I'll probably discover some other HB models in future too.
1
0
Report
Bf
Great guitar for someone to get used to a flying v.
While this guitar may not have the best tone or be made from the highest quality parts I would still recommend this guitar because it's dirt cheap so you can screw around with it and not feel to bad if you break it. Plus it's pretty good stock, the only thing I would say should be changed when you get it is the strings. Also please note as it's finished in gloss black and finger prints will show.
1
1
Report
KB
Amazing
The guitar is amazing quality and good build too. Loved it
0
0
Report
H
Amazing guitar for the price!
This guitar sounds and looks awesome! My only complaints are the frets are noticeably rough in some spots and there?s a small crack at the top of the headstock. Overall, this is a great guitar for the price. Definitely not my last Harley Benton!
2
0
Report
P
An absolutely fantastic budget option
I can see why this is one of the best sellers of heavy guitars. The guitars balance is perfect, and it doesn’t dive at all. The set up was perfect, and there was no scratchy frets either! My only gripe is that the pick ups were a little scratched up, but I was going to replace them anyway. Not that they are bad, I just like fish man pickups more. The finish was flawless. This guitar is a must have if you want to try a v! Or a nice playing and looking gigging guitar!
0
0
Report
K
Unmatched for the price
Harley Benton has been getting more and more traction lately and I decided to believe the hype and buy one for myself. My previous guitar was a cheap knockoff strat so of course the difference in quality is astronomical.
PROS:
+Nice finish, looks and feels good
+Holds tune pretty well
+Balanced well for both sitting and standing use
+Good strap placement, both ends of the strap end up not too far from each other just like in other less extreme guitars
CONS:
-The factory setup was quite bad, couldn't manage to get rid of fret buzz without raising the action way too high
-Some frets are of uneven height
-The V shaped metal plate at the bottom was a little scratched and chipped in one place (purely cosmetic)
NEUTRALS/MATTER OF TASTE:
*The pickups sound bassy and can get a bit muddy
*The guitar feels weighty but whether it's too heavy or not varies from person to person
*Two volumes and one tone knob, I'd much rather have two tones knobs
In conclusion, there is nothing too wrong with the guitar by design but the one you get could have some things you'd have to fix before getting the smoothest playing experience.
Overall, I'm happy with the purchase and would recommend Harley Benton guitars to others looking for absolute bang for their buck.
PROS:
+Nice finish, looks and feels good
+Holds tune pretty well
+Balanced well for both sitting and standing use
+Good strap placement, both ends of the strap end up not too far from each other just like in other less extreme guitars
CONS:
-The factory setup was quite bad, couldn't manage to get rid of fret buzz without raising the action way too high
-Some frets are of uneven height
-The V shaped metal plate at the bottom was a little scratched and chipped in one place (purely cosmetic)
NEUTRALS/MATTER OF TASTE:
*The pickups sound bassy and can get a bit muddy
*The guitar feels weighty but whether it's too heavy or not varies from person to person
*Two volumes and one tone knob, I'd much rather have two tones knobs
In conclusion, there is nothing too wrong with the guitar by design but the one you get could have some things you'd have to fix before getting the smoothest playing experience.
Overall, I'm happy with the purchase and would recommend Harley Benton guitars to others looking for absolute bang for their buck.
0
0
Report
h
Nice Flying V shaped guitar
Pros: Good balance while sitting or standing, very nice look.
Cons: Pickups sound decent but they lack output and definition, frets need a polish, setup was not very good out of the box & the one I ordered has a chip at the headstock, tuners and bridge feel cheap.
Cons: Pickups sound decent but they lack output and definition, frets need a polish, setup was not very good out of the box & the one I ordered has a chip at the headstock, tuners and bridge feel cheap.
0
0
Report
P
For this price is very good
Have a little fretwork issue but general is very good
0
0
Report
