Harley Benton ST-62BK Hot Rod

OK, first a little backstory.
A few years ago I bought the regular ST 62.
I was very disappointed due to the fact that the pick ups were misaligned, pickup selector was bent , it felt cheap and I had to let it go because quality was not standard.

However I decided to take another chance since I bought another Harley Benton guitar which was really great and a friend of mine has a few also which are very good indeed. So I ended up buying the same model only in a hot rod version. And let me tell you I am not disappointed at all. This time it is a Smash Hit.

The pick ups sound very decent for the price, the finish is outstanding, the tuners hold up and guitar stays in tune quite well, the plastic on the pick guard which often on cheaper is impossible to get off was very easy to remove.

It just looks great. It's very comfortable to play at least for the price taken into consideration. However my biggest surprise was the neck. On the website it looks like a glossy neck. But on this guitar it is more like a satin finish and, here is the real bonus, it almost looks like it's a roasted maple neck. It has a very distinct color and looks awesome. If Thomanns website had listed roasted maple neck under the featured section I would have believed it.

Another cool factor is the logo on the headstock. With a nice gold shine It reminds me of the logo on Ibanez prestige model.

It also comes with a cable, Allen wrench which is really neatly and nicely packed in a little pouch.

The only negative thing I can say is that the tremolo arm doesn't really work very well. But, a good luthier would probably be able to set it up. I am sure that is possible if you wanted to use it.
I paid 1200 Danish crowns in total including an extra set of strings but I want to put this in perspective for you guys in the states. It's an amazing bargain. Thats approximately $180!

Whether you are looking for your first guitar, a guitar to teach on, a guitar to mod further, or to use in live settings, you can't go wrong with this one if its in as old shape as the one I received .

Get it while supplies last .

Rock on Thomann! And Harley Benton .

The guitar is really hot and even much more interesting in some features compared with the expections. The pickups sound amazingly. The playability is much more comfort in comparison with standart HB series such as my ST20. Thus, the neck is a bit thicker, the tuners are quite good and maintain the tunning even when using the tremolo system actively, the trem system itself is very comfort and the arm can be fixed in any position. Concerning the exterior, the guitar is really beautiful and it looks much more beautiful than the pictures on the site show.

Lacks:
1) there is no push/pull: coil split as it is claimed by Thomann
2) the input nest is screwed with a gap between it and the body
Perhaps, there are more lacks but I hope there is no more because generally I am fond of this guitar! It is very versatile and can be used for a wide range of styles.

Ok so right off the bat, the problems: It's really lightweight. Enough to maybe affect tone and sustain if you notice subtle nuances like that in tonewoods. Personally, I'm deaf.
The tremolo tends to knock it out of tune pretty quickly. I'll replace the butterfly string guides with something more suitable.

that's about it. I'm not a fan of the lighter fretboard wood, but a little Fiebings dye will turn that around if it becomes so unbearable. Otherwise I am FLOORED they were able to fit this much into this price point.
The caramelized maple neck has a satiny smooth finish that is a pleasure to play. The body is slightly smaller than a proper Strat, but honestly that works in its favor with it being light.

The pickups have that singular Strat jangle that I was looking for, and the hot rail is the perfect thing for those that still want to have that strat single coil in the bridge sound as an option.

I will be ordering many more Harley Bentons in the future.

For Harley Benton guitars, we all know that you get a lot for your money, you just have to be a little lucky to come across a good piece. Because quality control isn't the best - and it's not just Harley Benton guitars. Many other companies face the same problems.

The guitar looks great, I can't find any flaws anywhere. It can be seen from the tuners, that they are not really the best. As for the pickups, I was positively surprised because they sound quite well. Especially the humbucker is very good (and quite highoutput). The only thing I have to point out is the overall setup. Extremely bad setup on the guitar. When the luthier sets up my guitar properly, I daresay it will be a great guitar - especially considering the ridiculously low price.

I decided to give it a 5 stars overall, because for the money you get a really great instrument.

Awesome fit and finish (for the price). Necks looks like satin, definitely did not expect this and is extremely nice. This guitar looks better in the flesh than the pictures.
Setup was quite good, just had to tune and entirely usable. Action is high, but also adjustable.
Variety of tones is good (5-way switch, 2x single coils and 1x hot blade humbucker).
The rear plastic cover is not finished well though, just cosmetic and easy to resolve.
Overall, great guitar, very easy to recommend. The Roswell single coils are not the best sounding, but also easy to replace/mod with such a good base to start from.