Harley Benton MS-60 VW Vintage Series

Hi guys! I've finally got this beautiful instrument and really want to share my happiness with you =)

Pros:
- A very nice freatboard, no frets stiking out
- Solid tuners, I'm impressed
- Neck pickup sounds warm and the bridge one is like a glass

Cons:
- pickups sound is rather quiet, will fix it with amp volume =)
- the bridge is really hard, not going to use it anyway
- pickups are a little bit noisy but they are singles so it's fine

Overall MS-60 is a great guitar. It can be used right from the box. No addtitonal fixes needed. I'd like to replace bridge pickup with another one in future but no rush for it.
The color of the guitar is not white as on a picture. It's lemon but I think it's even better - a true vintage look.

I'm going to use this guitar playing with my rock'n'roll band. Hope I could play it even during conserts.

Bought this as I've bought several Harley Benton guitars from Thomann in the last couple of months, and have yet to be disappointed! Great buying experience from Thomann as per usual. fancied something different from the Usual Strat and Tele type guitars that I have in my collection, I also bought the Harley Benton S600 VI at the same time. Both guitars arrived well packed and protected, within 5 days, and the purchase. I unboxed this model first and when I bought it, the one thing that put me off, was the pickguard, as I've never been keen on Pearloid scratchplates. On inspection, I can only say that the pictures on the website haven't done it justice, It's not being replaced, it's staying for good! It's pretty obvious which guitar this is based on, and I can say what an absolute joy it is to play! The shorter than normal 24" scale gives the guitar a unique voice, and playability is really good too! The only "problem" I had when I bought it was, that on the first use of the tremolo the arm was "stuck" in a higher position than it should have been, resulting in the first use of it sending the guitar a couple of semitones lower than it had originally been set up. No Problem! A quick re-tune and it was absolutely fine! I wasn't expecting to use the trem that much, as I've heard that they can be problematic on this type of guitar. I can report that I really like this trem! There's only about one semitones worth of down travel on it, but it it very controlled travel (makes me think of great film soundtracks!), I'm pleasantly surprised that the tuning stability is pretty good, I've played it for over an hour with a reasonable amount of use, and it has barely shifted in pitch! The range of tones is really good too! I'd actually say, that to my ears, it sounds like a "dark" Telecaster. Fretwork is really good, and setup is pretty good too, out of the box (unlike some guitars I've bought in the past!). I'm considering getting another one of these to do a Kurt Cobain type setup, with a Humbucker in the bridge position! Yet again, Harley Benton has rewritten the book in what to expect from an inexpensive guitar! I'd definitely recommend this guitar to anybody!!!!!! Great work guys!!!!!!

I am learning to play guitar. I started out with a guitar borrowed from my brother, who is left handed. The guitar is a nice old BC Rich, but ergonomics matter (lesson one).
I went online and started learning about guitars. I found Harley Benson and findmyguitar.com. They led me to the MS-60 - looked like a nice guitar and a great beginner's guitar.
Buying from Thomann was a good experience. When it came, it all just worked - nicely.
Now I'm actually learning to play. It's an adventure. It will take awhile, but I really like the guitar. Meanwhile I'm planning out how to build and finish my dream guitar starting with a Harley Benson kit. The adventure continues.

What a lovely, 'small' guitar! When it arrived, within two days to the Netherlands, and unpacked..i felt that quit some fret-edges where kinda sharp . That was easely corrected with Göldo Fret Polishing Rubber...works great...the rest of this guitar is marvelous...intonation was almost spot on..build quality is very good...and it is so much fun to play...i love the slim neck...the little bit smaller space between the frets fits my hands...the pickups sound very alright! It plays light and slick....it keeps it's tuning.My second Harley Benton electric guitar is a hit aswell! Love it!!!

When one would look at the price of this guitar, one would be tempted to believe it is just another cheap guitar, but do not be deceived by the price. It is a pretty good instrument. First of all, the color is quite nice. A lovely white that is a bit closer to being light yellow-ish. Personally, I like it. The arm was quite comfortable as well. The tuners and the bridge are quite decent as well. The tuners hold in the intonation quite well. The bridge might be its weakest point, though, not for the quality, but for the bridge model in itself. Fender Mustangs and Jazzmasters which have the same kinda of bridge often have the same issues. A tip: just tight the screws on it and lock it so it only works one way. By doing this, you shouldn't have any tuning problems. The guitar came with .09 strings, but I recommend changing it for .11's, which in my opinion is perfect for its shorter scale (compared to LP's or Strat's). After setting it up, it played perfectly. The guitar has two pickup selectors which work well, and two knobs, one for tone and for volume which are both quite responsive.

Now for the most important part: the sound. The guitar comes with two single-coil Wilkinson pickups. They are quite warm sounding, and with a bit of fullness to it (close to being a P90, specially the one in the arm). The guitar sounds perfect if you are into alternative rock, grunge or something a bit more grittier.

Therefore, if you want a knockoff of a Fender Mustang, get this one. Its quality extends way beyond its price.

This guitar is a bargain if you ever fancied a Mustang/Jaguar for under £100.

It has most of the features of a Mustang but dispenses with the less than popular Mustang style bridge and tremolo and replaces them with, what to me is, an improved Jaguar tremolo/Tune-o-matic bridge combo.

The sound is bright and chimey; the Wilkinson pickups giving the scratchy brittleness of a tele bridge pickup combined with a very unique sound at the neck with an undertone of chimeyness coming from the vibrato and a bit of compression too.

The strings supplied are very light for a shortscale guitar and a change might change these sounds but I like them at the moment even if they are a bit floppy and I can bend several tones without worry.

One word of warning, the switches are 2-way rather than the 3-ways of a Mustang so you don't get the out of phase option. Replacements that will fit are available for a couple of pounds from ebay.

Whilst you're on the bay you might want to buy a Mustang control plate too. I bought one and cut down the original scratchplate to fit it. Some redrilling was necessary but the end result is definitely worth it. Just be aware that there is a full rout beneath the scratchplate so you won't want any gaps where the two join. And also make sure you will be drilling into wood and not air.
The neck is nice, though a slightly banana tinged yellow, and of course the headstock is not like an original but you'd have to be a berk to buy a Squier one for well over the price of this guitar. Just revel in your price-conscious rebelliousness.

Finally, the colour, I would say, is more of a mint white bordering on TV white rather than Vintage white advertised (which I always think of as creamy). I like it though and it goes well with the mother of pearl scratchplate.

When I recently heard the guitar work of both Carl Wilson (Beach Boys) on their earlier albums and that of Elvis Costello and then discovered both played old Fender Jazzmasters, I thought I'd like to try one. The original Jazzmasters were slightly unusual in that they had a dual rhythm/lead circuit feature that really distinguished them from the typical three-way switch on most jazz guitars and indeed the new Jazzmaster reissues also removed that feature in favor of a three way switch. I liked the dual rhythm/lead circuit because it has a slightly brighter lead sound but could still be muted sufficiently to produce the jazz-like sounds Leo Fender was probably seeking in the original Jazzmasters. So, when I saw that the Harley Benton MS-60 Vintage Series retained that rhythm/lead circuit and was also incredibly cheap, I went for it and have been very pleased. I use it on several songs when I'm gigging with my blues-rock band, particularly the old T-Bone Walker covers and it has the additional advantage of being so inexpensive that if a drunk happens to knock it over and break it, it can be replaced without breaking the bank. So, if your band is doing old blues or jazz covers in slightly more dangerous venues or if you just want a brighter and sharper mid range tone, the HB MS-60 Vintage Series might be the guitar for you.

Harley Benton have really delivered the goods here, purely on lòoks alone it wins already straight out of the box.
If you have no experience of short scales and quirky bridge/tremolo systems then expect to do some on the job learning before you get it set up well. That is not a criticism of this particular model but any guitar with these features. If that scares you then check out the st or te range of Harley Benton guitars.
If you must have a 'stang and are prepared for the regular quirks then go right ahead and grab one of these. Because after a simple setup it really is a lovely guitar that has a really authentic feel.
Plugged in sound, firstly went through a Fender Champion and I had intended to replace the pickups...then I put it through a valve amp and changed my mind very quickly.
It sounds great for a number of styles from rock'n'roll to Nirvana to atmospheric doodling. It seemed to come to life through an amp with tonal character, I would say it has a more jag like tone than 'stang like...but no complaints there.
Will be grabbing a lefty version as soon as they are in stock.

This guitar is amazing. I bought it subsidised with vouchers from reviewing a previous purchase, and it cost me about £80 in total.

The pickups sound great, like really great. a rich full tone perfect for basically any genre. This thing sounds better than you could possibly expect for such little money.

the neck was nice and straight and the paintwork was fairly nice out of the box

There were a few rough patches and bits of grime from the production process, but after a string change and a clean up it was gone.

Basically, if you're considering buying this guitar, but you are not quite sure, just do it. You could spend a lot more and end up with a lot worse a guitar.