Harley Benton TE-80 NT Deluxe Series

I'd been thinking about getting one of these for some time, always been a bit of a Prince nut, and spurred on by the total lack of bad reviews I bit the bullet and ordered. I'm glad I did ... This is probably the best bang for your buck that I've ever seen, and just so you know, I'm a trained luthier. I did 3 years at MANchester College of Arts and Technology so I sort of know what I'm talking about.
I have to say that ideally I'd like to sit down with 10 of 20 of these and compare them. A bit of internet research seems to indicate that Harley Benton Guitars are made by Saein Guitars who market as Shine but I also have a Harley Benton MS-60 Mustang-ish copy and they don't feel like the same factory to me but really that's just a guess.
The body on this thing is great ... a bit on the heavy side but it is a solid Ash 2 piece with a maple veneer on the top with a Walnut centre stripe. The neck is more C than D. Maple with a skunk stripe but it is a 2 piece (separate fretboard) though this makes no difference at all to the tone or playability and from more than 2 feet away you couldn't tell. The frets are fairly level and even (I had a bit of a buzz on the top E string at the 10th fret but a single tap with my fretting hammer cured it completely.
The pickups are Wilkinson Strat type alnico V's which I've never used before, good output, really chimey and give a Stratty-ish quack with the selector switch in the centre position. I have to say at this point that if you want a traditional Tele sound then don't buy this guitar, it is what it is, and that's more of a Tele/Strat hybrid than a Tele.
The pots are little 16mm things and I can't see the impedance marked on them but I suspect 500k (I will measure the values when I restring it) and the cap is the cheapest green poly that money can buy. Cap makes no difference at all other than altering the rate of treble cut when the tone control is turned but I am going to try some full size 250k pots because I'm a bit analy retentive. No one will be able to hear the difference at the moment but in a years time they may be less crackly and a bit warmer sounding but unless you buy 2 guitars and set one up with 500k and one with 250k no one would be able to remember any difference.
I own a 59 Gretsch, a 62 Danelectro, an ex Jo Strummer/Kate Korris mid 70's SG, a late 50's Burns Vista sonic and a late 50's Framus Grand Star as well as assorted far eastern hacks .... and since I got this guitar it's the only one I've played.

This one's got it all. Looks, Play-ability, Build Quality and more.
I've always liked Maple fretboards' but could never find one with binding on the neck. I ended up buying Gibson's & Epi.'s Just for the binding & shorter scale length. I started with a E Series American Standard Stratocaster back in the 80's, after 20 years I sold & stuck with set neck electric's only. Upon seeing the TE-80 w/a Tele appearance and Strat type pickups I was intrigued upon closer inspection of pix I noticed not only did the body top & back it had binding on the neck too. That was my WOW point. I Ordered. Upon receipt, the weather was not extreme so I anxiously did the Box reveille. DANG, this thing was almost perfectly in tune. Upon looking it over closely I could NOT find a thing that I didn't like. With 1 exception. The string tree's are basic. But Not bad enough to change right away. Love the matte finish on the neck back. The finish on the high gloss body was very impressive Nice Top and Back, the Walnut stripe going thru the middle of the body is a nice aesthetic plus & probably improves the sustain. All Electronic's work as they should. I've been mostly a humbucker guy but with the right settings on the amp & guitar's tone knob you can get some pretty Phat sounds especially with 3 way switch in middle and neck positions. The Bridge Pup has really got the Strat Twang but can be fattened up by boosting the Middle & Bass EQ on amp. I'm only 3 days into this one and am absolutely in Love. I'm Just a hobby player used to play in garage rock bands in the way back days. I must also note that I have had GAS syndrome for over 30 years and have owned at least 250 electric guitars. American's, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian & Chinese, probably more. Gibson, PRS's, Michael Kelly, Epi's, Ibanez, Dean. Fender USA & MIM, And More. I am currently at 7 electric guitar's, 1 Bass and 1 Acoustic. The way I'm feeling after getting this Harley Benton TE-70 NT I'm thinking all I need is 1 Bass, 2 electrics and 1 acoustic. I'll be selling off my collection with just a few exceptions. But My TE-80 NT is now my #1.

Been looking for a tele style guitar for a while but lacking the budget for a genuine article. Came across this guitars sister the TE-52 which was going to be purchased until it became out of stock so spent a bit more and got this joyous being.

Also the first time I’ve dealt with Thomann which I have to say was a delight. Package was well packed and everything I ordered arrived in perfect condition and in as reasonable a time as a delivery from Germany to Scotland.

First impressions out the box was wow. I paid £160 for this and it looks amazing. Finish was flawless, and could easily pass for something more expensive. Then I picked it up. Jeez this things heavy, I remember going from a squier Strat to a fender Strat and thinking it was a dramatic weight change but this thing weighs more than a child haha. Came set up ready to play out the box, action is medium to low but that’s how I like it. Playing through my Blues Deluxe reissue the sound it crisp and clean, not as chimey as I expected from a tele style guitar but still good for what it is. Pickups are decent and not too much hum associated with single coils. Played through a few styles from rock to blues to country and it took it all well. I’m very impressed for how much this guitar cost compared to what you’re getting for your money.

Having played sitting down for 2 hours it was comfortable, the weight could be a factor if standing playing but a good comfy strap would help this. My biggest issue with the guitar is the fact that the plastic wrap that covers the pick ups extends down under the pick guard so makes it annoying to remove, which is nothing against the guitar itself haha.

Overall I would highly recommend this and would highly consider purchasing another Harley Benton guitar in the future.

I love this guitar. I have a G&L Asat Classic and this is built just as well. I'm not going to write a 23 paragraph opus but I will say that sure, you could upgrade the tuners and pots... heck you could upgrade all of the hardware if you really wanted to and even the pickups if you were so driven. In the end you would have a top flight tele that looks like nothing Fender or G&L has ever produced for a fraction of the price.

As it sits the only thing I might upgrade is the tuners. Maybe. I've already recorded with it as is and it sounds amazing. Warm when its supposed to be, bright and big when its supposed to be. I will never understand people who want to rip out pickups and put in their favorite high dollar brands in every guitar they buy. Do that and they will all end up sounding alike. These Roswells sound just fine to me; great actually.

The wood is gorgeous, the neck has no fret issues at all. Anyone who complains about intonation/action/pickup heights on a new guitar is wasting your time. You have to set your guitar the way you like it ANY time you get a new guitar. I had NO issues with how this guitar came to me. It was intonated and played like a gem out of the box. And if I want it 100% my way I'll make that happen, as I do with all of my guitars. I absolutely recommend this guitar!

Wow, where do I begin, this was my second HB guitar purchase, and once again I wasn’t disappointed. A long time Prince fan, and admirer of his infamous “Mad Cat” tele style guitar, when I first heard of these I just had to get one.

Straight out of the box, its action was nice and low, the neck is silky smooth with no fret sprouts present. It is a weighty beast, not a negative for me..I prefer a heavier guitar. The finish was as I expected, with the pickguard complimentary to the flamed top. As for sound, I have no need nor desire to swap the pickup’s they are great, nice and clean but with bite when turned up.

A fantastic guitar, yet again! So good I’ve just ordered my 3rd!!!

I'm surprised at how well this guitar is put together. Everything about it is of a much higher quality than anything I've bought from any other major guitar manufacturer that cost less than $1000. The neck pickup is everything I'd want from a t-style neck pickup. My only quibble at all (and it is minor) is that the bridge pickup doesn't have quite as much chime as I'd like. That said, I haven't adjusted the pickup height yet. One thing is for sure: both pickups take gain REALLY well. Lots of bass without being boomy, and plenty of midrange definition. One more thing: the fretwork is exquisite; I cannot stress this enough. Just perfect.

Many folks like to compare this to the Squier Classic Vibe Tele. To me, there's no contest, as this is a better guitar all around without even factoring cost into the comparison.

I will buy more HB guitars.

First off, this guitar is a steal for the price. The finish on the guitar I received is blemish free and beautiful. The fret work is very good for a guitar in this price range. No sharp ends or extremely high frets. Intonation was pretty darn close out of the box. Tuners and pots actually seem quite decent, however, I'll be replacing the tone capacitor with an orange drop and the nut with a graphite one. Pickups are pretty decent. Neck is very fat and the bridge is very chimey. Volume output in the middle position is a bit Les than the other 2 for some reason though. The only reason I've given this a 4 star quality rating instead of 5 is because I had to shim the neck. Not a big deal, but it could be a deal breaker for someone that doesn't have any experience working on guitars. Again, for the price this guitar is an awesome deal.

Having had guitars since the sixties, first a Fifties Fender Strat, then various acoustic guitars, some German makes Hoyer and Framus, and then back to Strats, a Squier JV series and a squier Korean made E series. I then went onto an Ibanez George Benson semi acoustic, and a Yamaha Pacifica so I have a fair bit of experience with guitars.

I ordered the HB TE-80 as much out of curiosity as anything else after having read so many reviews from experienced guitarists which were positive.
I was going to settle for the lower priced Telecaster models, but when I saw this one had Wilkinson pick ups as well as a maple neck, I thought I would pay the extra. (I did source the Wilkinson pick ups elsewhere and found that they would cost me about £45 on their own).

Super fast delivery three days from Germany to London fantastic, really really well packed with reams of bubble wrap inside the box. The guitar couldn't have been better protected. Out of the box, slip back into tune and play...

The guitar is really well finished, mine is blemish free I haven't taken the film off of the control plate or the scratch plates yet, but the neck finish is silky smooth, not glossy varnish smooth, but a really nice feel.
I had a good session with the guitar for a couple of hours and checked the tuning and intonation and everything was still in spot on.

Brilliant action and a really nice tone, perfect shape of neck if your into rocking bar chords. My only minor criticism would be that the strings needed cleaning, perhaps the guitar has been in the warehouse for a bit. But that is being picky I am really pleased and after having had guitars delivered and received damaged from suppliers within the UK I was more than pleasantly surprised.

At this price, get one and you'll be shocked at the quality and service for such a low priced guitar and if you want anything else at the same time 'Bundle it up' and they knock more money off. I really don't know how they do it.

Wow! This guitar is one of the best bang for buck guitars you will find I'm sure!!

This is my second guitar from thomann and I thought the first one was a great buy but this is even better!! Can't fault this at all. The build is fantastic. Some say it's really heavy but I love the weight of this guitar. The finish on this is superb! High gloss body (faultless) and a smooth satin finish neck that you hand just glides along so easily! The tone of this guitar is beautiful. Pickups sound great! It's easily my favourite, go to guitar now and I have plenty to choose from too!! I just can't put this beauty down!!

I had read plenty of reviews about this guitar and didn't really believe the guitar could be as good as what people were saying. Some even said they play this instead of guitars worth thousands. Yeah right!

Yeah, right.

I normally play a 90's Gibson Les Paul but wanted something with a different sound - either a Strat or Tele. This guitar got my interest because a) it looked amazingly cool, and b) it had 2 single coils. I hadn't played a "cheap" guitar for years but remembered them being very difficult to play, with taught strings, or with a really high action, bad tuners, crappy sound - that sort of thing.

I can barely believe how good this guitar is for £160. I'm boring my wife to death with telling her.

It's really easy to play, and nicely set up, although the action could definitely be lower around the 12 fret. The sound is absolutely brilliant, a real joy to hear. I am so pleased with the quality of the sound. It's got great twang and is fantastic for rhythm or lead. I've been playing almost exclusively with a clean tone.

Some people have mentioned the weight of the guitar - and it is heavy, although as I said I play a 90s Les Paul usually so it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Finish is as per the photos on this site - absolutely stunning.

Some of the fret ends could do with filing down but it doesn't bother me and apparently that's really easy to fix.

In short, the playability, look and sound of the guitar are fantastic, and absolutely jaw dropping for this low price.

And... it's true - I haven't played my Les Paul since getting this guitar. :)