I want to start by saying that I have never written a review before and that I was not paid to write this one. But many people may have the same doubts about Harley Benton as I did, especially because the only reviews you can find are either on YouTube, which are mainly paid, or on their own website.
I have been searching for quite some time for a guitar that I can use exclusively for C standard tuning for my stoner rock escapades, but my talent doesn’t justify an expensive guitar for such a specific task. My requirements were a modern scale, a thin neck, and hot pickups. My choices were limited by the scale length because most Epiphones, Squiers, and Yamahas out there have a more traditional approach.
The fret-board was a bit dry, but the edges were well-shaped, with no high frets. I own guitars three times the price of this one that required extensive setup and fretwork to be playable, and I’m not even pretentious. The material quality seems as promised, with a good paint job, a beautiful neck, and mid-range quality pots and buttons. I haven’t inspected the electronics in detail, but I imagine they are not the most expensive components. The sound punches way above its price range. The pickups are not muddy, actually, they’re a bit too punchy for my taste. There are zero unwanted noises, whether using high gain or not. Play ability, for my taste, is exactly where it should be. I was able to get a similar action height to my Ibanez. The frets are rolled but require minor polishing for smoother bends.
The bad parts include the machine heads, which are a bad joke. I feel like one of them will lose the fight with life soon. It also requires small adjustments, which can be challenging if you’re new to this.
In my humble opinion, this guitar is probably better than many budget-brand guitars, and I dare say it’s likely above the low-end models of big brands. What holds it back are the electronics and minor details, but for its main purpose, it does a great job.
