Leaderboard

Harley Benton is a brand, based in Germany. They got my curious because of their reputation of being good guitars. I did some research and couldn't believe how highly people were speaking of this brand. I was quite skeptical but still I wanted to give it a try and I'm glad to say I was proved wrong. The guitar is phenomenal all in all, well above my expectations for something that cost me 120 quid, out of the box. The guitar easily compares with the quality of my old Fender Tele MIM, and this is not an overstatement. In certain respects is even better. The neck is impressive, the fret job is extremely good and offers great playability, with no rough edges etc. Equally good is the finish, the guitar is truly beautiful. And above all it only weighs 3kg and 50 grams. My only doubt is how long will it last? I mean it is common to see Fender guitars that are many years old and play great, this is the nature of a real musical instrument, they mature, don't get old. Will the Harley Benton fall apart in a couple of years? Loosing frets etc? Who knows... The nominal cost of 120 quid is a little bit deceptive in my opinion, because the guitar will not work properly as it is out of the box and will require a further investment to reach it's full potential. I personally replaced the original nut with a GraphTech TUSQ, the electronics with Fender custom shop FAT 50's pre-wired pickguard (NB Fender's won't fit a Harley Benton guitar). The tremolo is factory set not to work, and it's made of stainless-tin, but after some tinkering will get the job done. The tuners are horrible and stiff, their movement is quite erratic rather than linear, I wish I had changed them but I didn't, however they keep everything in tune perfectly well. Now a more realistic cost for this guitar would be: Guitar................................ 120 Tuners............................... from 40 to 120 according to preference Electronics and pops .......from 120 to no limit, according to preference (260 in my case) Nut.....................................10 Tremolo system ............... original can get the job done (otherwise is another 80 to 150 quid) Tinkering........................... free and abundant Realistic sum total.............450 to 500 quid - now your guitar rocks. Is it worth it? It is after all. You get a super strat in the end, still for less than a fender entry level. My main reservation, as I explained, is asking to myself if the guitar will start falling apart sooner or later. Also I have now invested the price of branded guitar in something that has basically no resellability.

That looks like a bed warmer

Yeah you got the gist, that's it.

Of course, how could I forget BM? Many, many years ago, Lonnie Donegan released an album with various guitar players guesting on it. You didn’t need to check the sleeve notes to see which track BM was on.

for me it's Brian May. Utterly unique tone

Here’s some new builds I’ve been working on recently…..

I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait. I love mine, it’s a great guitar.

And I cannot lie,, All you other brothers can’t deny, Etc… From the up coming single, Brian May Got Back.

Yep, centre blocked, 335 types can still weigh in on the high side, especially if the block is something dense like maple. For proper light weight, you’ll want fully hollow, like a Casino. Even then, check it out, if you can (for the record my Casino Coupé is feather light, even with a Bigsby).

Your wish etc...