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Harley Benton ST-20HSS SBK Standard Series

594

Electric Guitar

  • Body: Poplar
  • Bolt-on neck: Maple
  • Fretboard: Roseacer
  • Fretboard inlays: Dots
  • Neck profile: Modern C
  • Fretboard radius: 305 mm (12")
  • Scale: 648 mm
  • Nut width: 42 mm
  • Double action truss rod
  • 22 Frets
  • Pickup: 1 Humbucker (bridge) and 2 single coils (middle and neck)
  • 1 Volume control and 2 tone controls
  • 5-Way pickup switch
  • Synchronised tremolo
  • Die-cast machine heads
  • Black hardware
  • Strings: .009" - .042"
  • Colour: Black, matte
Available since November 2019
Item number 449491
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Colour Black
Body Poplar
Top None
Neck Maple
Fretboard Roseacer
Frets 22
Scale 648 mm
Pickups HSS
Tremolo Vintage
incl. Bag No
incl. Case No
B-Stock from £80 available
£95
Including VAT; Excluding £10 shipping
In stock
In stock

This product is in stock and can be shipped immediately.

Standard Delivery Times
Delivery approx. between Tuesday, 22.10. and Wednesday, 23.10.
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in ST Style Guitars

An ST model for the modern age

front of the Harley Benton ST-20HSS SBK Standard Series

The Harley Benton ST-20HSS SBK features a poplar body in the classic ST shape and a bolt-on maple neck, both of which are finished in a modern and eye-catching matt black. The fingerboard is made from roseacer, which is baked acer wood, with contrasting white dot inlays to give the player optimum orientation anywhere on the neck. This guitar can cover a wide range of styles, from Blues and Jazz through to Rock, Alternative, and Metal thanks to its combination of a humbucking bridge pickup and single coil pickups in the middle and neck positions, which means it can sound like a typical ST-type guitar or deliver full-sounding humbucker tones. And as a bonus for players who want to experiment with different string gauges and tunings, the ST-20HSS SBK also features a double-action truss rod that allows optimised adjustment of the neck curve.

two singlecoils and a humbucker pickup in the Harley Benton ST-20HSS SBK Standard Series

Sonic options in abundance

The Harley Benton ST-20HSS SBK's three pickups are governed by a master volume control and a five-way blade switch, which allows the player to select each pickup individually or to combine each pair of adjacent pickups (bridge and middle or middle and neck). The guitar's two tone controls are assigned to the neck and middle pickup respectively, allowing the player to dial in a brighter or darker tone according to taste, and the vibrato system is synchronised, i.e. bridge and tailpiece are combined in a single, pivoting assembly. To top it all off, the ST-20HSS SBK's stunning looks are enhanced by a three-ply (white-black-white) tortoiseshell-look scratchplate.

bolt-on neck on the backside of the Harley Benton ST-20HSS SBK Standard Series

For those first guitar solos

The Harley Benton ST-20HSS SBK features the 648mm scale length and 42mm nut width that are commonly found on ST models, so it is perfect for beginners who plan on upgrading to a more high-end model later on - and its modern C-shape neck profile means that budding six-string wizards can learn to play on an instrument that has the same basic measurements as countless other guitars. The 22-fret fingerboard provides ample room for maneovre when playing your first solos and is relatively flat thanks to its 12" radius, so beginners will also have no problem with string bends - a feat made all the easier by the light-gauge .009 to .042 strings with which the guitar comes as standard.

black electric guitar headstock by Harley Benton

About Harley Benton

Since 1998, the Harley Benton brand has been catering for the needs of numerous guitarists and bassists. In addition to an extensive range of stringed instruments, Thomann's house brand also offers a wide choice of amplifiers, speakers, effect pedals, and other accessories. In total, the range includes over 1,500 products. Built by established names in the industry, all Harley Benton products combine quality and reliability at attractive and affordable prices. The continuous expansion of the range ensures that Harley Benton always provides new, exciting, and innovative products that keep players perfectly in tune with the musical world, day after day.

Pop, Blues, Jazz, Funk, Rock, and more

The Harley Benton ST-20HSS SBK packs an impressive level of musical versatility into an affordable beginners' instrument. The guitar is equally suited to crisp-sounding Pop melodies and snappy Funk licks, and the single coil middle pickup provides a smoother tone for Bluesy double-stops and clean Jazz chords, while the neck pickup is ideal for singing lead sounds - and of course the bridge humbucker is the go-to when you want to play overdriven Rock riffs. This versatility combined with the ST-20HSS SBK's affordable price makes it a no-brainer for both beginners and advanced players who are looking for a second instrument that won't break the bank. What is more, this guitar provides a great basis for experimenting with different modifications.

594 Customer ratings

4.6 / 5

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379 Reviews

P
Very nice guitar for the money
Plectrum 02.04.2020
Ordered in early Jan, and was told to wait 7-8 weeks.
It arrived couple weeks ago, and here are my initial observations...

PROS
1. Looks even better than in the pictures. The red tortoise pick-guard really nice against the matte black body- which had no finish flaws.
2. Neck is fairly straight, and the fretwork is good - level with no sharp edges although I did polish them.
3. Stays in tune well, but I imediately replaced the basic tuners with Harley Benton brand locking tuners (black). Nut and bridge seem fine.
4. The pickups are pretty good, and all 5 positions are usable from clean to dirty tones & various points in between.
Note: Bridge pickup is quite hot, so some amp/pedal tweaking might be necessary to get the sound you're after (especially since it's not wired to the tone control - per usual Strat-style configuration).
5. Electronics are fine for what they are, and do the job without fuss. This can be considered another upgrade point in the future.

CONS
1. The strings are a bit heavy and flat feeling- personal taste thing.
2. Rough edges on the pickguard around the selector switch cutout. A quick 2-3 mins with a small file should do the trick if it bugs you.
3. Screw-in vibrato arm is either too loose or too tight, which is typical of this type of application. You'll need either a small spring or some tape to make it stay in your personal sweet-spot.

CONCLUSION
If you're a beginner or intermediate player looking for a good-quality HSS Strat that won't break the bank, this is a definite contender. Great deal and upgrade platform: as you get better and want to get to know a guitar by working on it, or someone who needs a backup guitar, or just to get a strat type w/ HSS layout?
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M
Excellent for the price !
MariusA 24.08.2022
I have bought it for my son, it is very nice and smooth, the quality of material is quite ok, considering the price.
It has a pro aspect and is perfect compatible with HB 20R.
The only con is that the humbucker`s springs are not very tensioned, if I press on the coil, it balances towards the bridge and remains that position, does not come to center position. It does not seem to a functionality problem, is only visible.
Strings should be upgraded, the E low and A sometimes vibrate very annoying.
Overall, for a beginner it is excellent and for this price is best offer !
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CC
My Favorite
Captain C 06.06.2022
This guitar is so much fun to play! Every time I look at it, it's screaming, "pick me up and play me!" Finally, after trying many different guitars, I have found my daily guitar that I play for hours on end. What do I love about this guitar?

- Satin finish. Extremely smooth and fast. (why don't more guitars have a satin finish neck?)
- Lightweight
- Black finish that I really don't care that much about, meaning, if it gets nicked or scratch, that would just add character. The black aesthetic with tortoise shell pickguard appeals to my sense of style.
- S type styling that is very comfortable sitting or standing
- The low price

The only knock is that the pickups are clearly not the best in terms of tone and variety. A) who cares, this is a practice guitar. B) easy enough to change them if I want to. C) They sound like an S type, which is what you would expect. They just don't sound like a PRS or genuine Fender noiseless for obvious reasons.

For reference, I am fairly new to the guitar (2.5 years) and I have actually purchased and used the following guitars in the last two years in my search for a guitar to fall in love with:
- Epiphone LP Vintage
- HB tele
- HB CST24HB
- HB DC Custom
- HB SC Custom II
- HB HB-35 Plus
- Epiphone Prophecy
- Sire S7
- EART E35
- Donner cheap S type

I still have the Epiphone LP Vintage that I kept because it was my first guitar. I still have the HB-35 Plus because I love it also, but it's a very different machine. All the others were either returned or I resold them.

I will keep this ST20HSS and play it til my fingers bleed. Yes, it is an inexpensive thrasher guitar, and yes, it is so much fun to play. I highly recommend it.
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RL
Kid's First Electric Guitar, great choice
Rick Leeming 02.03.2024
I don't play guitar, I play Banjo so I bought this for my daughter after looking over similarly priced second hand guitars. Unimpressed with the condition of them I started looking and was recommended HB guitars.

Having previously played acoustic and knowing she wanted a Strat style I went through the various reviews and this came top as a good guitar for the price.
Arrived well packaged (double boxed) and took 4 working days from Germany (I'm UK based). Postage was a very reasonable £10. For £105 total I couldn't have bought a decent condition 2nd hand from a "big" manufacturer.

After unpacking I had some help setting it up. Other than dropping the action slightly it didn't need any work. The finish is excellent, looks and feels good.

It has been looked at by a workmate (2 LPs amoung other guitars) and her guitar teacher they're impressed with it. Teacher is impressed enough he's considering getting a similar one for pupils.

Overall I think a Good Buy for anyone wanting a guitar that is good value and plays well for a new-ish player.
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