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Avoid: Fixing a Single Issue Costs More Than the Guitar
Sad to say, my experience with this guitar was awful. I’ve been playing for over a decade and have had good experiences with Harley Benton in the past, which is why I bought this as a project guitar to upgrade into a high-end gigging instrument. I’ve successfully done this before with a second-hand Kramer, which now outperforms my Schecter Synyster Gates.
On arrival, the shipping box had a massive hole in it—fortunately missing the guitar. However, once unboxed, several issues were immediately obvious. One pickup was missing its plastic cover, while the other looked old and worn. There was also a visible chip in the paintwork on what should have been a brand-new guitar.
After tuning up and playing a few chords, three of the six bridge saddles moved under normal playing, completely ruining the intonation. My regular luthier described the fretboard quality as “shocking.” There were marks on the fretboard, and the pickup selector plastic felt extremely cheap and still had excess plastic residue that hadn’t been trimmed properly.
Positives: through a EVH 5150 it sounds good—but honestly, most guitars do through a quality amp (new players: your amp matters more). Tuning stability is average. The jack position isn’t ideal, but usable. If someone handed me this guitar at a gig for 2–3 songs, I could manage—but I wouldn’t trust it for a full set.
The final irony was that replacing the bridge properly would have cost more in parts and labour than the guitar itself. I explained to Thomann customer service—who were polite and professional—that this wasn’t an attack, but feedback. Harley Benton represents Thomann, and this level of quality control is unacceptable for any guitar over £100. I gigged for years with an Ibanez Gio at a similar price point; the wood was cheap, but it worked reliably. This does not.
My goal was a reliable gigging guitar so I don’t risk £700+ instruments that are effectively studio pieces. Unfortunately, I can’t accept quality control this poor.
Thomann offered either £40 to keep it or a return for refund or store credit. I asked—somewhat cheekily—whether returning it and upgrading to the next model (£200) with a small discount was possible; it wasn’t. Store credit wasn’t increased either.
In the end, this experience has pushed me toward shopping locally for guitars instead.
On arrival, the shipping box had a massive hole in it—fortunately missing the guitar. However, once unboxed, several issues were immediately obvious. One pickup was missing its plastic cover, while the other looked old and worn. There was also a visible chip in the paintwork on what should have been a brand-new guitar.
After tuning up and playing a few chords, three of the six bridge saddles moved under normal playing, completely ruining the intonation. My regular luthier described the fretboard quality as “shocking.” There were marks on the fretboard, and the pickup selector plastic felt extremely cheap and still had excess plastic residue that hadn’t been trimmed properly.
Positives: through a EVH 5150 it sounds good—but honestly, most guitars do through a quality amp (new players: your amp matters more). Tuning stability is average. The jack position isn’t ideal, but usable. If someone handed me this guitar at a gig for 2–3 songs, I could manage—but I wouldn’t trust it for a full set.
The final irony was that replacing the bridge properly would have cost more in parts and labour than the guitar itself. I explained to Thomann customer service—who were polite and professional—that this wasn’t an attack, but feedback. Harley Benton represents Thomann, and this level of quality control is unacceptable for any guitar over £100. I gigged for years with an Ibanez Gio at a similar price point; the wood was cheap, but it worked reliably. This does not.
My goal was a reliable gigging guitar so I don’t risk £700+ instruments that are effectively studio pieces. Unfortunately, I can’t accept quality control this poor.
Thomann offered either £40 to keep it or a return for refund or store credit. I asked—somewhat cheekily—whether returning it and upgrading to the next model (£200) with a small discount was possible; it wasn’t. Store credit wasn’t increased either.
In the end, this experience has pushed me toward shopping locally for guitars instead.
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Faulty item
Instrument arrived with one pick up not working
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