Harley Benton Amarok-6 BKRD Quilted Burst

I was very skeptical order this one at first, seeing alot of negative reviews and people saying that QC is awful and they have received defect units.
I decided to take the gamble anyway and I'm super happy about it!
The guitar came almost perfectly in tune, intonated, and had an average action height (which is what you would expect when getting a new guitar).
I checked for any major flaws as some YouTube videos suggest but couldn't find anything - the finish was perfect, the nut was cut and installed correctly, the frets don't have any sharp frets, and it feels wonderful to play!
Some things to consider:
1. The 3-way switch is vertical for some reason, but it's an easy fix (just open the cavity and rotate it)
2. The pickups are SUPER loud, and I mean it. Tried setting their height a-bit lower and it did help, but not by much.
3. The volume knob feels stiff, as if it's rubbing against the wood
4. Something about the input jack feels off. I have to push the cable in really hard, never had that in previous guitars.

Overall, it looks great, it plays great, and I highly recommend getting this guitar!

The Amarok competes with mass-production guitars that are triple the price of this instrument.

There is nothing that beats these instruments for a modern guitar player in the sense of spec’ed out 6-string guitars. The Amarok comes with premium features like stainless steel frets, luminescent side dots, locking tuners, reinforced neckthrough design, a modern C neck profile that is simply unbeatable on any guitar under €1000 from the competition. On top of that you, get a pair of Retroactive EMGs that would cost you 200€ extra. I don’t know how Thomann pulled this off, but also playability wise it is one of the best guitars that I’ve ever played, and it competes with my Solar S1.6, while still being a fraction of the price.

If you’re looking for a Metal / Metalcore machine for drop tunings, search no more. The Amarok has you covered without busting the bank.

I've been actively using this guitar for about 1 month.
It's my 2nd guitar, so I'm still a novice in playing, with about 2 years of experience, so judging from this level.

Pros:
- sustain on a clean sound (with no compression, overdrive or anything) - I compared lots of big brands in the shops, and this one beats them in holding of the sound, probably because of the Neck-through design
- high signal to noise level - possibly due to insulation of the internal compartment with graphite paint (though not perfectly done) and of course active pickups, so length of the cord is not affecting much - I haven't formally measured it, but using a very good audio interface and comparison to my old Strat with singles - is a whole new world of sound perfection
- locking tuners, really hold the tuning well over days!
- good ergonomics in general

Cons:
- no vibrato bar, but you know it from the beginning
- minor cosmetic inaccuracies

Summary:
awesome value for money, proper workhorse, amazing sound quality.

P.S.
Had to do a few usual things at the beginning - setup strings height lower to the neck, tune neck anchor, polish frets. String scales (mensura) was already fine.

Just got mine today. Not a fan of the quality or sound. In all the demo's I see the guitar comes almost perfectly in tune and ready to play. Mine was far from it and needed a setup. Also they sound good in the demo's but mine sounds like a cheap guitar with too much output.

Quality 5/10
- Mine has a lot of overspray on the paint job
- The quilt looks like it was painted on(really flat)
- Nut is separated from the neck
- Fretboard chipped near truss rod adjustment
- Not all pores from the wood not filled so they look like small holes/dents on the body and side of fretboard
- Pots touch the wood, you have to lift them a bit to not constantly scratch the wood underneath

- Super high action: 6 mm above 15th fret. Bridge saddle were at max
- Was probably never tuned. Tuning was no were near any sane note
- Totally not intonated
- Neck was perfectly straight though

Sound 5/10
- Clean with treble rolled off sounds good. Ambient/post-rock cleans are pretty nice
- Anything with gain sounds harsh, like using a cheap distortion pedal on an amp with an 8" speaker
- Used a Line6 Helix Floor, Orange Dark Terror and H&K tubemeister for sound tests
- The amount of output drives the tube amps a lot so need to back down the gain
- Cannot use same amp settings between this guitar and an passive high output guitar
- Especially the helix, most presets are unusable if you do not turn down the gain
- Taking the battery out seems like only the output level drops and little less treble
- Might even prefer to run it passive

Pro's:
- Neck is small which is great for chords or hendrix style playing
- Guitar design is awesome
- Good access to upperfretboard, could have reached a 28th fret if present
- Fretwork nice and no single note buzz. Could not get the neck super low though but pretty low

Con's:
- Quality
- Sound
- Neck is thick, more vintage C profile then modern. Makes it less fast