Harley Benton - have I been living under a rock?

[haffner1]

I still believe the best overall value and selection in guitars is Ibanez.

This! I got a used RG570 model year 2000 a couple years back for $375 shipped. The body has the usual small paint chips out of it, but the frets, fingerboard and hardware are all in top shape. The Edge trem and hardware of the MIJ Ibanez guitars still beat just about anything made in the US. The only downside they have is that unless you are paying top dollar for a signature model, they are pretty much no-frills. You won't get MOP or abalone inlays or a nice binding or anything but the build quality is excellent.

 

[unix-guy]

I still believe the best overall value and selection in guitars is Ibanez.

The Edge trem and hardware of the MIJ Ibanez guitars still beat just about anything made in the US.

Most definitely. The MIJ Ibanez from the late the 80's through at least mid-90's are outstanding.

You can pick up what was their top of the line guitars from $350 with a little patience.

 

[Wallygatorr1976]

I bought HB B-650FL 6 string fretless bass for ~150 EUR to check if it will work with fretless for me. I was not expecting a top class instrument for that money, but I was nice surprised with quality. It needed proper setup, but after that it is playable instrument. It sounds not bad, but of course it is far from my Yamaha's or MM's. The raw (unplugged) sound is very nice, seems that it could be very good instrument for piezo pickup. I think if the equipment would be changed to better ones (but truly, set of 6 tuners cost more than that bass) it could be nice semi-professional instrument.
My initial plan was to sell HB, but even having a "proper" fretless I decided to keep HB. Maybe I will install piezo in it.

 

[gitfruit]

I have tried an electric and an acoustic. I really hated both. Pretty much unplayable, frets all over the place, sharp edges cutting fingers, electronic useless and the list goes on.

That pretty much describes the Fender P-bass MIM I bought about a year ago for a Grand.

 

[EG 2006]

I think that another brand at the 'affordable' end of the market can only be a good thing. If it helps more people get into the game and learn to play then it's a win. Buying as a 'good bones' guitar and then upgrading hardware and electronics can be a fun project and you can end up with exactly what you want but remember you won't get your money back on it. Guitars that are cheap when new will be cheaper when used and buyers rarely pay a premium for 'upgrades'. Spend money on it to keep it.
I used to build custom guitars for buyers but now only do it as a hobby for my own pleasure. I don't think there is a small time boutique builder out there that does it for the money - it's a labor of love.

 

[lauke-lux]

They can't be any worse than the Charvette I got as my first guitar. I have about 14 guitars now. The most expensive one is my 94 PRS Custom 24, and I still play the Charvette sometimes. There is no shame in cheap guitars, especially when you play the pants off of some arrogant tone sniffer with a $5000 Gibson who only puts 30 minutes a week into it lol!- (no offense to the other arrogant tone sniffers who are actual practicing musicians). Also check out Agile guitars at rondo music. They are Korean built and have a pretty good lineup. A little more expensive than the Harley Benton line, but you get things like real MOP or abalone inlays and Graph Tech bridges on a two or three piece body, usually for $400 or less. I have owned several and they are pretty solid guitars.

Wow these Agile guitars are quite hot stuff it seems. For some reason HB don't inspire me so much on the details of the look. And even if I'm convinced that the big brands are twice or more their real value, I never found ultra cheap guitars that sound really good. Some can sound better with good PU but they remain simple workhorse, nothing more.

 

[teof]

Hey guys, just thought I could share alittle on my personal experience with HBs perhaps it will help some of you good people over here. Afterall, I have been receiving lots of good advice from yall. Time to give back lol.

I personally own 3 harley bentons:
Harley Benton Fusion-II HSH Roasted FBB
Harley Benton CST-24 BK
Harley Benton TE-70 Black Paisley

To be honest with you. I was very skeptical buying my first guitar of the brand. This is coming from someone who has just purchase a pricey Strandberg Prog (SB lol) only a year ago. I gave a buddy's cheapass harley benton which was barely US$100 bucks a try, and thought "shit... the neck and feel seems pretty legit". Of course, discount the pickups and tuners.....we all know what to expect from such a deal.

I decided to give it a shot with my first Fusion-II which is apparently the top of the line in their offering. It turns out very very nice..... awesome look...great neck. Even the stock Roswell pickups are seriously playable.....but of course knowing us, guitarists., they will have to be changed in time to come haha. For this guitar, there is seriously nothing to complain about.

I went on to the next CST-24 BK which is pretty much a PRS replica. It was way cheaper than the first... cost abt US$185. Damn the neck was so playable to me. It ended up been my main guitar these days. Only thing I could complain is that the tuners arent so precise. I actually did some DIY work to the guitar...cosmetic wise. If anyone of you in interested, I could see if I can post a pic or two.

The last was the Black Paisley Telecaster which was an impulse purchase I have to confess. I have never tried a tele before and it was so cheap like a $100 bucks.. I thought what the hell. I have never played a pricey tele before... so I can't comment much abt this one. But it does look really nice...and have a good twang to the tone. In terms of build, I dont think its as good as the other 2 but still, it is pretty decent.

It was through these purchases that I questioned myself if my $2.5k Strandberg was 10 times better than the harley benton CST24. I tested all of them together. The answer to me was clearly a no. And so, I sold the strandberg.......and guess what guys, with the funds... i went for an Axe Fx III to join you here

Hope this helps some of you guys.

Btw, Im throwing in some new pickups into the harley bentons this weekend. Lets see how they sound through Axe III.