Harley Benton SC-400LH SBK Classic Series

I had seen these on youtube. I am a lefty so there are not many options to buy quality lefties out there. This was my first ever online purchase so I was very nervous buying a guitar especially knowing it was coming all the way across the pond. Shipping was fast and easy to track, which was surprising. As soon as I opened the box and saw the sc I could not believe what I had gotten for the price. There were a couple of tiny dings which Thomann rectified as soon as it was brought to their attention. Other than that, the guitar played nicely right out of the box. The intonation was perfect, not a high fret to be seen (I actually checked with a straight edge)and the only adjustment was pickup height which is a matter of preference anyhow. One day after letting the guitar acclimatize I was recording in my home studio with it. I could not believe the sound and build quality for that price. Anyone in their right mind should own one of these. Have not picked up my lp studio since buying the HB. This guitar is good for beginners and good for the gigging musician. Many comments have been made to me at the local jams about the looks. I am highly pleased with this product and plan to buy many more HB guitars as their left handed selection is pretty awesome. THANK YOU THOMANN

A good guitar to start your electric axe adventure, but without heavy modding - nothing more. I will say that the neck is very comfortable which is really important, especially for novices but for pros as well - a guitar can have the best hardware and sound like an angel singing, but it won't matter anything if playing it is a chore. While this one has its problems - the fretting was a bit uneven on mine and the tuners are not all that stable - it's rather nice for playing at home. I wouldn't take it on the stage without at least replacing the tuners, though. The pickups are nothing to write home about, but they do the job and are not terrible. Actually rather good for the price.
You're a parent wanting to buy your son a beginner guitar to see if he'll get into it? Definitely buy this, it's good for the buck and if the kid decides he's not into it, it's not a big pain.
Your a pro player that wants a cheap, but decently built LP as a modding platform? Look no further.

Here's the bottom line up front: this guitar is playable, sounds good and is astonishingly good value. I can recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone on a budget. There are some rough edges, but it's a fundamentally good instrument.

The guitar arrived perfectly set up, with a low action and no fret buzz. Strummed acoustically, the instrument has a nice lively resonance with good sustain. Plugged in, the pickups sound remarkably good. They're similar to a classic PAF, with slightly hotter output. The knobs, switch and jack all work smoothly with no crackles or pops. The pickup selector switch is a bit wobbly, but that's to be expected of a vintage type switch.

Cosmetically, you can see where the money has been saved. The frets are slightly gritty. The fretboard is thin and has a lot of colour streaking. There are some glue traces around the inlays and the plastic parts are quite flimsy. The matte paint finish marks easily. None of this matters very much, because it doesn't affect how the instrument plays or sounds.

I did have one significant problem - one of the tuning heads was slipping during tuning, then failed completely within a week. I promptly received a replacement part under warranty, so I can't complain too much.

In summary, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much guitar you're getting for the money.

Nothing negative to report. Good set-up, overall very good quality and finish. Nice colour, black not in glossy finish as usually is looking great!
Tuners are stable and ok, much better than many others on more expensive stuff I had. Neck feels smooth and is easily playable (thanks it is not a glossy coloured one).
The sound... Initially, I bought the guitar to experiment with other pick-ups. However, the ones included are also fine with me. Clear and bright (no idea about the distortion action, as not really being interested in gain / distortion etc. stuff), much clearer than the one and another more muddy Epiphone pick-up of Les Paul style guitars. Also very happy that no push-pull function is added, just pure Les Paul (all you need).
Rather heavy, albeit no mahagony body. No leightweight, just as expected, but feels good.
Very recommendable indeed. A sound and serious guitar.

I have ordered this guitar for a friend, who started to play the guitar back then. It was playable and nice out of the box. The delivery was fast. The guitar needed a little bit of a setup and maybe the strings were a bit high to my liking. I could not really tell anything about the playability as I am right handed. My friend is extremely pleased with it. The only problem so far was the input jack connector which was a bit loose, but we fixed that pretty quickly. I would recommend this to anyone, who would like to start playing the guitar. There are no bells and whistles, a good rock and roll machine out of the box.

As a Lefty, I have become well acquainted with brands and types of guitars that are unfamiliar to most. Always, the question is- is the guitar worth it? This one is. For the price, there's nothing as well built and musical. The problems, are fairly easy fixes- a toggle switch that's fairly loose, a few rough frets, and a bridge set a bit too high. I'd consider that to be "standard" quality issues, in the sub 1000 dollars range, so, I wouldn't call that a quality control issue. The sound, being the most important consideration, is solid. If you are looking for that two-humbucker, set neck, single cutaway sound- regardless of brand, this guitar will land you squarely in the target. It's hefty, and balanced, so it feels right, and is quite playable, right out of the box. I truly enjoy the beefy neck with the contoured heel, and can honestly say I have never played better above the 12th fret. I'd call that well worth the price.