Harley Benton SC-450Plus LD Vintage Series

I was really surprised when I received this guitar. Stunning looks, great sound and playable out of the box.

For the price, it is an amazing guitar and I'm enjoying playing it without any regrets.

The guitar (manufactured 08/2019) is as close to a "true" LP shape as possible. There are subtle differences, but most of them are barely noticeable - no problem here. What pleasantly surprised me was a thinner (lighter) 3-piece body and 3-piece (scarf joint + heel) neck, neck joint shape that is super comfortable for better hand reach, and (!) a maple top. I measured almost 2cm of wood glued to the mahogany corpus. This is what is missing on my more expensive 2017 Epiphone. On top of this maple cap is a nice AAA flame maple veneer. The binding is in a quite nicely cut slot and seems to be clear any filler. There are rare spots of imperfections in the wood and the lacquer but nothing that would bother me. On the back, there is no veneer and you can see the real wood. The guitar seems to have a long neck tenon, which is also a plus. There is some dust in the guitar. Where is the place with most of the dust? You would not guess - it is below the tuning machines.

The fretboard was a little dried and in need of some oil. Strings were rusty, frets in need of polishing, but really - who plays a new guitar with default strings. What surprised me was no buzzing - after a closer inspection I noticed, that some frets were leveled (nice surprise), unfortunately, the leveled frets were not properly crowned and there were some rougher flats spots. These flat spots should be crowned and frets polished before some serious bending. Of course, a full fret job is a good choice and should satisfy the most demanding players. I was able to lower the action to personally preferred ~1.5mm (high E)/ ~2mm (low E) at 12th fret without any buzzing on the guitar as was shipped. The fret ends were not sharp and I consider them fine, but some additional fine-filing is advisable. The fretboard inlays show some tolerances and filler, but nothing that bothers me. The intonation was set quite correctly.

The neck was set up perfectly for 010 gauge strings. The neck profile is for me a comfortable C. The nut is a plastic one. A recommended upgrade is to replace it with Bone (HB Bone Nut Blank 45 is a great fit) or Tusq one but the stock works fine and provides an acceptable string height. I case of replacing - check the string spacing - some replacement nuts have smaller string spacing and for bigger fingers, it could be ~1mm difference between clean and buzzy playing.

The tuning machines work well - I was a little surprised. They are holding the tuning fine. A bit problematic for me was the bushing that should hold the tuning machines in the place - in some places the string tension was puling the pressed-in bushing out of the holes. The bushing was a loose fit and should be seated properly before serious use.

The hardware is functional but is not that much deluxe and provides a cheaper feeling. The bridge and tailpiece are some generic parts with little burrs. Surprisingly, there is a quite unusual spacing between the posts. On my guitar, the measurements (measured from hardware) are ~72 mm for the bridge (metric standard is 74 mm) and ~80,5 mm for the tailpiece (metric standard is 82 mm). They are measurements used rarely on some guitars, but fitting replacement hardware possibly requires a search for correctly spaced parts or a few mm of filing on newer standard parts. The plastic parts (pickup rings, switch chip, jack plate, and pickguard) also feel cheaper and on my guitar, some were a tiny bit different in a color.

The inserts bridge holes are well-placed for intonation, but what disappointed me a little was, that the inserts in the body were really "inserted" and quite loose - I was able to pull them out of the body without any major effort just by my hand. I was thinking that the wood expanded due to moving to a different world region, but there were shims in the holes from the factory, so they must have been loose even in the factory. This situation is most problematic for the tailpiece because the string tension is pulling the bushing out a little bit and it could cause tuning instability. Teeth on the side of the inserts were almost flat - so maybe there was higher tolerance on some parts (a bit smaller diameter) - who knows - and I was unlucky. It is easily fixable, but good to check before serious playing.

The wiring is surprisingly fine - I have seen a lot worse in more expensive guitars. The cavity itself is not shielded, but all the wires are. It is modern-style wiring with .047uf capacitors (it provides a good sound for split humbucker and darker, but still great sound for humbucker mode), two linear push-pull pots, and two unbranded larger diameter logarithmic tone pots with values well around 500K. The switch is not Switchcraft-like, but it is working well. The Roswell LAF pickups (they supposed to be Roswell's take on PAF) are quite punchy and I like their sound even in the split mode. Wiring modified with .022uf caps and 50's style brightens the sound up and pickups come more to life.

It is quite a good guitar for the price. In my case: You can play it as is without any major changes and it will work fine. You can also upgrade a lot to improve the great core of the guitar to a superbly playing instrument and it still will cost less than half of what you are expected to pay for a similar type of guitar by a different brand (e.g. Epiphone).

After too may years of dithering I finally got around to ordering my first ever guitar. Over the last 6 months I have watched loads of YouTube reviews on many different makes and models and almost went for a completely different make and model from another supplier, but this one always seemed to get great feedback, so I took the plunge.
Ordering was very easy through the website and along with the guitar I purchased a practice amp and few other bits and pieces.
My order was placed on the Friday morning and I was able to track the progress from the moment it was dispatched all the way to my front door, here in the UK.
The package was delivered on the Tuesday, so only 4 days later and when you take into account it sat in a UPS warehouse in Germany over the weekend before moving on to the UK this was I thought was quick.
On arrival the outside box was quite heavily damaged but UPS asked that we take pictures before their driver left just in case the contents were damaged or missing. On opening the outer box I can confirm everything was still in the packaging including the small packet of picks. The guitar box had a small hole in it where the switch had come through the cardboard, the block of polystyrene that would normally cover this switch had been dislodged in transit, but on close inspection of the guitar itself there was no damage.
I have now started to learn how to play, only two chords so far but I want each one to sound right and for me to go to them relatively easily before I learn another.
Anyway I only need one more and I should be able to play the whole of Status Quo's entire back catalogue if the rumours are true.
As a complete novice I can't tell you if this plays any better or any worse than a similar priced guitar of another brand but I can say that I like the way it feels when I hold/learn to play it. There were no rough edges to the frets, the build quality seems excellent, the sound to my untrained ear is fine but I do have to check the tuning every time I pick it up.
The tuning issue may be due to the high temperatures we have been experiencing I assume temperatures, and atmospheric conditions can affect the materials it's made from, but what do i know?
For me, this appears to have been a great purchase and a very simple one too. I am really enjoying learning to play on this guitar and every time I pick it up for my next brief session it makes me smile.
Give me another 20 years of practice (if I live that long) and who knows what I will be able to play?

Harley Benton SC-450Plus LD, удивительная гитара!!! За малые деньги я получил гитару с прекрасным, универсальным звуком в идеальном состоянии, как внешнего вида, так и электроники! Датчики звучат потрясающе, а за эти деньги, это вообще подарок! Любителям музыка Гари Мура, стоит обратить особое внимание на эту гитару, так как ей доступно воспроизвести все нюансы и особенности исполнения композиций гениального Мура!!! Вообщем гитара из коробки только порадовала! Остаётся загадкой, как за такую низкую цену можно создать такой замечательный инструмент и стоит ли выкидывать деньги, не коммерческому гитаристу, на дорогие инструменты ведущих фирм из-за надписи на грифе?!!!

I recently purchased the Harley Benton Single Cut Lemon Drop Vintage Series guitar from Thomann Music, and I must say, I'm impressed! Truthfully, I was looking for an affordable alternative to a Gibson Les Paul when I stumbled upon this guitar. I watched and read reviews for weeks before making a decision. I finally narrowed it down to two guitars. This HB SC-450Plus LD Vintage Series and the HB SC-Custom II Lemon Flame. Obviously, I went with the SC-450. I'm sure the SC-Custom is a great guitar, I'll probably find out later at some point, but man am I happy I chose the 450 Plus LD!
One of the things I like the most about this guitar is the tone of the Roswell humbucking pickups it comes with. Initially, I had planned to change them, but after playing the guitar and hearing the beautiful tone they produce, I decided to keep them in the guitar permanently. Additionally, the quality of the guitar is top-notch. The flame maple top is stunning, and the guitar feels great to play.
The Harley Benton Single Cut Lemon Drop Vintage Series guitar is a fantastic instrument. It's not just an affordable alternative to a Gibson Les Paul; it's its own guitar. The quality is exceptional, and the Roswell humbucking pickups produce a beautiful tone. I highly recommend this guitar to anyone looking for an affordable, high-quality guitar that sounds great and looks amazing. I really want to be clear on something. this is not a Gibson Les Paul alternative, it is a Harley Benton, but I don't mean that in a negative way, what I mean is that Harley Benton has created its own take on the single-cut body style, and it looks and feels great.
Bottom line is this, if you're reading this because you're trying to decide whether or not to purchase this guitar, I'm telling you, every good thing you heard about this guitar is true and I have found no negatives in it.
If you're wanting to get an alternative to an LP for one reason or another, a Gibson player I know played this guitar, loved it, and said "Why didn't Gibson do this?"

***EDITED ON 17/01/2018****
Almost one year with this guitar. Still very satisfied. I have read many good reviews on this guitar and I just hope that Thomann will keep the standard with the new stock to come.
You will find few bad reviews on this guitar. Most are good: German, Spanish, French and English. No matter the language, so many people cannot be wrong. I join them.
Regarding the bad reviews two possibilities: 1- a bad guitar between a bunch of them. That can happen on big brands as well and for that you have the return and warranty. 2- People expected to have a 2XXX $ big "G" for less than the tenth of its price. 3- Taste, yes indeed there is taste for everything. 3- I will not give any adjective, but you know what I mean, people who does not know what they are talking about and complain about everything that is not 100% perfect. Is there something perfect, starting from the player?Personally, I do not think so.

I put better strings and made few minor adjusts since I bought it. I take it to at least 70% of the sessions I play. (About 3 per week between rehearsals and live) That since almost one year ago. I get that praise for the tone when I use this guitar in venues of 100 to 180 people.
I also own a big F deluxe Tele, a big E semi acoustic, a Vintage Stratocaster and a special Red with Burns pick ups. A part of taste and purpose depending on the chosen song, this guitar remains the one I use the most proportionally speaking. Of course the most inexpensive one I have ever bought including other HB's.
This edited review takes me to the bottom line: If this guitar keeps rocking until the three years warranty period is fulfilled, I will feel like I made the best guitar deal in my entire life with this purchase. If not, I will replace few things with probably 200 bucks and keep rocking closer to a big G for other few years!

***ORIGINAL REVIEW IN 2017****
Nothing to complain for this price. Actually this guitar rocks for the budget. Mine is only two pieces wood. Finishing is flawless. The bridge was replaced by a Gotoh (33? extra) A bit of setup done by myself and I installed strap lock. Total with a Gibbag was of 220?. The guitar is nearly perfect. Even if one day I need to replace the switch or the nut, that will be a easy and inexpensive move.

Now analyse the following. A similar guitar with a big "G" written on the headstock costs 2000?. Is that guitar 10 times better? I seriously doubt. My Fender Telecaster American Deluxe costed me 1600? four years ago. The current one similar to mine will be the Fender Telecaster American Elite. It costs nearly 2000?. Well, listen to this; my Fender has two pieces Alder body. The pots make noise on turning when high gain settings (CTS branded as Fender) since day one. The noiseless Fender pups have some hum anyway. The control cavity was not shielded. Definitely it is not 10 times better but costed me 10 times the price of the HB. I am not comparing a LP with a Tele. There are different instruments. But you can find a HB Tele for the same price than my HB SC 450 plus LP. You can also find a real LP for the same price than my Fender Telecaster. That is my point.
At 159 ? you cannot go wrong. Of course some HB needs to be sent back, but if you get one like mine (and there are many out there.) then, you made the deal.

I forgot. The scratch plate is of plastic toy, but it is well cut and looks ok. It fulfils the purpose as it avoids the plectrum to hit the finishing of the guitar. It is not a 3 ply definitely, but who cares?

I could have live with the original bridge, but I like Gotoh because the HB has valleys for the strings. That does not affect the tone too much, but I am a bit demanding.

Delivery was very slow. It took two weeks.
Guitar packaging was ok but I immediately noticed a ding on the back edge of the upper bout. Then on closer inspection I discovered glue splattered on the fingerboard at 5 different fret positions. I had to scrape this off with a razor blade and sand with fine grit sandpaper.
I tried to tune the guitar but it would not stay in tune. The machine heads were loose and useless. I had to replace them which cost me €80. After that I realised that I could not intonate the guitar as the nut was a disaster. The height was too high and it kept pinching the string. It was cut horrific. I had to replace this shocking piece of hollow plastic with a tusq nut. This cost me a total of €40 to buy and get fitted. My luthier informed me that he had a problem fitting the new nut as the nut slot was uneven. He had to level it and insert a shim. He also noticed that two of the frets were high and had to level them.
The pickups are ok but not great. They tend to be very muddy with higher gain. The pots are aweful. They have no gradual taper. They don't increase or decrease volume and tone uniformly. The split coil function is rubbish. It just decreases the volume of the pickups.
The colour and finish on the top is nice, neck feels good and the guitar resonates really well. These were the only reasons why I decided not to return it. The guitar ended up costing me almost €300 and still doesn't include an upgrade of pickups, pots, switch or jack.
I thought that I was getting a single cut for a bargain but I was wrong. Overall I was very dissappointed with my purchase. It was a nightmare and I am very reluctant to purchase another Harley Benton guitar.
I regret not spending a little more for an Epiphone 50s Les Paul which is a quality instrument. Epiphone guitars also have a resale value should you wish to trade up in the future.

Bought this guitar as I didn't have one with humbuckers and the Covid-19 thing had me bored. The overall finish was nice. I had several hours on the setup, because I enjoy the do it yourself path to satisfaction and I'm just learning how to do the setups. Neck relief was good out of the box, box was a little damaged, screws on some of the covers were a little iffy on being aligned correctly when installed possibly due to a little overagressive routing on the control cavities. The tunamatic saddles had to be reversed on the top three strings to get intonation to come in as they were ringing flat when fretted versus the harmonic and all the adjustment used up. The nut was cut nicely and the 1st string height was good. I didn't find any slots sticking when tuning.
After I got it off the bench and plugged it in, it sounded great and all controls functioned properly. When I change strings I'll dress the frets, which are very playable as is, but could use some fine polishing to clean up the note bending scratches in a couple of spots. I didn't notice any fret sprout, which is good. Overall I'm very pleased with this purchase and I'm learning to set up a guitar good enough to where its a joy to play versus a chore when they are not. So for me this is a win win endeavor.
I would recommend this as a visually appealing and nice sounding addition to anyone's collection, especially if you're on a limited budget. People say you get what you pay for. I think in this case you get more.

As many others have noted, Harley Benton guitars usually greatly outperform their price points. I'm a hobbyist so I don't see a world where I'd ever feel the need to buy a real Gibson, but I have never owned any kind of Les Paul copy and this one was an attractive, affordable way to dip my toes into those waters.

Pros:
- Great finish. Very attractive guitar, no two ways about it.
- Playability is great. The action was pretty much perfect for my taste out of the box. I made some small adjustments to fix intonation and gave the truss rod a quarter turn to address some high E buzzing, but that's all that really needed to be done to make the guitar very playable.
- Sound is very good. The "Roswell" humbuckers have a nice clean tone and work well with a driven amp or any variety of distortion pedals. The tone and volume pots are both smooth and seemed to have a pretty good range to my ears.

Cons:
- Tuning stability could be better. At first, I thought this was mainly a problem that could be fixed with upgraded tuning machines, but now I'm thinking it's probably more of a nut issue. I did develop some high E buzz after owning this for about half a year and I was able to mitigate that with a truss rod adjustment, but I still can't seem to totally get rid of it. Combined with the rather poor tuning stability, I think maybe all of my issues could be fixed with a better-constructed nut.
- The coil split option for the pickups is cool, but not very useful to me in the end. I don't know if this is just because I've mostly been a single-coil player in the past and I've never played a more expensive guitar with coil splitting, but to my ear there was not much of an effect other than reduced volume/increased hum when splitting this guitar's humbuckers. Tonal quality was not really close to the platonic single coil sound that I think of. I probably would have been just as well off saving a few bucks and going with a Harley Benton with standard humbuckers.

So, I brought this as my first guitar after seeing great reviews on YT from China Guitar Skeptic and EytschPi42.
It arrived in good time and survived its journey halfway around the world with no obvious damage.
I played it for a long time without an amp, so I didn't find some of the electronic issues until it was too late to return it (along with the hassles that come with being half a world away), but here is a list of the defects I found in my unit

Cosmetic:
I ordered a Lemon Drop. What I received was a Honey Burst.
The neck, sides and back were polished to perfection, the front looked like they had skipped the final buff, or some overspray had landed on it.
The veneer book match joint is centered on the strap button, but not the tail piece or bridge - not sure if the veneer is off or if its the hardware

Functional:
Most of the tuners were not installed straight. One is so obviously out I had it fixed.
Pickups are offset - the Rhythm appears centered to the neck and strings, the Treble is offset towards the bass side to the point where the e string is almost off the pole screw.
Tone pots - when I eventually got an amp, there was pretty much no difference through the throw of the pots, apart from scratching noises at 3 & 5 positions.
Coil splits/ volume pots - just underwhelming. The knobs are sitting on the body and are so stiff you have to leaver them up with a pick.

Conclusion:
I've had it set up and it plays pretty well, or at least that's what players I know think. Its been a good introduction instrument and a great platform for doing your own upgrades, I've changed the pots, done the Peter Green mod and will change the switch and jack next. Its a great first instrument and development platform, just don't expect it to be perfect.