Harley Benton TE-20MN BM Standard Series

I've bought this guitar because I adore the looks and sound of a telecaster.
I've owned an Epiphone SG (made in 2006) before. It was much more expensive than HB TE20. However, this tele is made much better. Epiphone SG had so many flaws, but I don't think this is the place I need to nag about it.
What I loved about this guitar:
1. This guitar came set up so well, that I don't even know what to add. The frets are polished, fret ends are smooth (we will see what's going to happen after our Northern winter). Even stock strings aren't terrible.
2. The body is well made, no "pickholders" like original Fenders have between the neck pocket and neck. All the plates and knobs feel good, the bridge is reliable and doesn't give any problems.
3. It stays in tune well. I didn't have any problems with tuning it up, which was a big surprise. Most people say that these 89 euro guitars have bad tuners, but honestly, I didn't experience any problems with it. Maybe I'm just lucky?
4. The neck. Oh God, I love this neck! It is chunky and awesome. It is super smooth and not sticky! It feels just right!!! Mind that I'm used to SG neck and jazz bass neck. Adjusting to this chunky thing wasn't a problem. With my big hands it's perfect.
What I didn't like:
1. The sound. I think it's the only point I didn't like. Although the sound met my expectations. I knew it won't have the sound I want, so I've ordered Fender Vintera 50's pickup set together with this guitar. They are 79 euros, so I'm guessing it will work. Anyway, the bridge pickup sounds so bland. It sounds incredibly boring! I couldn't get anything with the help of my amp and effects. It's just so dull. It actually sounds as if you are just playing into a mic, which is kinda strange. The neck pickup sounds quite OK. I mean it's not ideal, but it's way better than the neck pickup. You can actually get some interesting sounds out of it. In 2nd position the guitar sound quite unbalanced. Bridge pickup overpowers the neck one, so you are left with a bridge sound + a little of this dull neck sound. Again, as I said before, I was expecting it to be bad, so no surprise here.
What I have to say as a reviewer:
Because this guitar is so well made and costs so little, I was looking for "the catch" in this guitar.
1. The tiny dots on top of the fretboard aren't consistently round. Some are oval, some have a little paint sticking out. (I know it's something you won't even notice, but I was trying hard to find "the catch"!
2. The edge of the pickguard on the top isn't perfectly smooth when you trace your finger along it. There are some tiny waves and I don't think I will try to fix that.
3. The paintjob behind the bridge isn't ideal. It looks as if it has little navy spots there. I think it looks cool though. The blue colour itself is amazing though.
Summary:
I love this guitar. It is amazing. I was thinking it won't be as good as it is. Feels amazing, super well-made, stays in tune. It's a perfect guitar to start playing or just having fun with it!
The sound is not great, but I was planning to change them anyway. I got a set of Fender Vintera 50's, so if you are interested, I'll leave a review there as well. If you just want to play at home or start learning, the sound won't be a problem anyway.
I'm extremely happy with this guitar, if you have any doubts - trust me, it's a good buy. Especially for that price!

After recently moving to Europe and getting more into music, i found thomann looking for an electric drum set. I bought the Millenium MPS-850, and was (and still am) very impressed. The quality and price made me very happy with Thomann.

After that, I wanted a bass, so I bought a Harley benton PB-20 SBK. I did a bunch of research and was very happy with my purchase.

I have wanted to get into guitar, and really like midwest emo/math rock, so i decided to get this Tele style guitar. The internet had lots of good reviews for this TE-20, so i decided to go for it.

This guitar is top quality, and i am really in love with it. The feel, sound, and looks are amazing. This guitar sounds great, and i love playing it through the amp and pedal sims in logic pro. It sounds and feels like my freind’s fender, and if it didn’t say Harley Benton, I would seriously say it was a fender.

Mine had no sharp frets, no fret buzz, no finish imperfections, really a top quality instrument. I replaced the strap buttons with the Harley benton locking ones, which i would recommend doing. I also put on a fun purple pickgaurd i got from Amazon.

Overall, this Guitar is amazing, and really lives up to the Thomann/Harley Benton name. This is so cheap, I don’t know how they do it. If you want to try out a Tele, or just start on guitar, this would be my recommendation.

...and the hype is definitely warranted! I'd been hearing about Harley Benton guitars for a while and had been ignoring the hype. I've heard people rant and rave before about how amazing something is only to be disappointed by the reality so I was rather sceptical.

To be honest, I wanted to hold off before reviewing -- firstly because I really wanted to give myself time to play the guitar but also due to some shipping issues which meant I did not receive the guitar before Christmas -- I didn't want my irritation at the delivery issues (UPS) to cloud my judgement of the product, the brand or Thomann. However, in fairness (and humble apologies) to Thomann, this wasn't really their fault.

That aside the guitar exceeded my expectations. I have a Fender MiM stratocaster and I'm not going to lie and say this rivals it in terms of sound or quality, but the HB is definitely worth shouting about and not far behind. I'd compare the build quality to that of the Epiphone Les Paul and SG guitars which I've owned and played a few of. Anyone familiar with Epiphone will truly appreciate that compliment -- the feel and finish of this guitar really blew me away, my dad was very impressed, too.

As is tradition, here's a list of some pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Neck feels really nice, not too chunky but not too thin, either. Frets are well fitted, absolutely no sprouting.

2. The selector swith and pots actually feel better than I'd expected. I've seen a few budget tele's where these looked and felt really cheap but these have a bit of heft to them, pretty nice.

3. I really like the bridge, it feels more comfortable to mute the strings than on my Fender strat. My plan was to eventually replace this, I might not.

4. The paint job was better than expected, it has a slight metalic sheen to it that isn't too garish but looks really nice.

5. Amazingly, the action and intonation were almost spot on, if this thing had been tuned I could have played it right out of the box and it would have sounded fine.

Cons:

1. Tuners aren't the best, more than expected at this price point. They're still more than adequate, don't get me wrong, they hold tune perfectly well for me. It's a hard-tail bridge, anyway, so if you string it properly you'll have no problems with them. I will probably upgrade these at some point but it's not a pressing matter.

2. The pickups are good, and you can get a nice twang, that spanky sound you want from a tele, but they're not amazing. I'll probaby change these at some point but they're still great and I'm having lot's of fun with them.

3. Not sure it's even really a con, but frets needed a good polish as there as a bit of drag/scratching, nothing major at all and something I'd fully expect. Once I'd polished them this thing was an absolute pleasure to play.

4. Another one I'm not sure is a con, but strings weren't too great. Personally I never expect a new guitar to have the best strings and in fairness the supplied strings were actually better than most, they weren't rusted or tarnished and fairly playable...I just like a different gauge!

Lastly - I've seen/read many reviews claiming these guitars are particularly heavy but this is about the same weight as the Fender strat, perhaps even a bit lighter.

So, in summary; I decided to take a chance and spent £79 on a Telecaster copy and I honestly wasn't expecting what I got. Looking at this, holding it, my dad, not knowing the price, guessed it was a £200-300 guitar -- when I told him the price he was gobsmacked.

So, yeah...I'll probably be buying more Harley Bentons, I did also receive one of their acoustic guitars, the D-120CE VS, which was also fantastic value for the money and I'll be writing an epic review for it.

Yeah, I think it's safe to say I'm pretty much on the Harley Benton hype train, these guitars are honestly quite splendid for the price.

Much obliged!

As a disclaimer, before buying this guitar I have only had experience with the bass guitar, so I can't give some super in-depth insight as to every small detail, but I can provide some general impressions I have (comparing to the different bass models I have had before).

Firstly, it's weightier than I expected. I'm not necessarily against that, but it surprised me. Compared to the bass it's not too bad however.

It came packaged really neatly with a few accessories. I was blown away with the quality of the finish, the blue colour is just as it is on the picture and in my opinion is one of the best features with this particular model.

The included strings are as to be expected, they're stock strings after all. I plan to replace them fairly soon, but they certainly do well for the beginning stage of learning this instrument. The neckboard has a nice smooth finish to it, the only downside being that the frets are rather scratchy. (not the fret-ends) I'm sure a good polish along the fretboard would iron out this particular issue, since it seems rather common with this model. It doesn't detract from the overall value whatsoever, since more expensive guitars can also have this of course.

The sound quality is better than expected! I initially used the cable that came with the guitar, but quickly came upon the realisation that it is basically useless. After switching the cable I was really impressed by the overall output, buzzing is rather minimal in my opinion. It's possible that the cable included was simply faulty with mine, but I wouldn't recommend using it either way.

The guitar tends to lose its tuning quite quickly, but it can last for a little while before needing a tune-up again. Replacing the tuning pegs might alleviate this, as it seems to be a common upgrade path for this model. Personally I will be keeping it stock, but it may be a good option for those who want more stable tuning in the long-run.

The protective film was a huge pain to remove, but with some care it comes off okay. I've seen worse with other instruments. Pots are quite nice for such a cheap instrument, they feel like they will survive quite well, alongside the output jack of course.

TLDR: Here are some pro's and con's:

Pro's
- Phenomenal finish to the guitar, lovely colour!
- Fret-ends are nice and smooth
- Sound is better than expected, nothing too fancy
- Feels higher quality than the purchase price

Con's
- Screws were put in a bit wonky in a few spots
- Scratchy frets, but all they need is a polish!
- Protective film was annoying to remove (like on many guitars, although also somewhat satisfying)
- Goes out of tune quite quickly
- Included cable is rubbish! (but it's nice that one was included anyway)

Overall, it's a fantastic purchase if you're going for a cheap guitar. You can't do better for the price in my opinion. This 100% beats the first bass I ever had, which was over twice the price of this guitar.
(perhaps an unfair comparison, but that's all I can compare it to)

I'm just a retired guy who has dabbled with guitar over the years, but was never really serious about it. Now that I'm retired, I have more time to play! I can honestly say that this guitar is perfect for my level of playing ability! Since I received it, I haven't changed a thing (hardware) except a new set of strings. I also lowered the saddles to improve the action and then had to adjust the intonation. Now that I've got it dialed in, it's a fantastic instrument and a blast to play! I really can't say anything bad about the guitar! It has definitely exceeded my expectations!!! The only one complaint I have, and it's totally not Thomann's fault, is that the guitar arrived here in Florida damaged. Something blunt about the diameter of a dime pierced both boxes right through and put a dent in the back of the guitar. Thank you shipping companies!!! (Not going to mention any names, but you know who I'm talking about!) I have since filled it with wood putty, carefully sanded it flush, and put a 3 piece racing stripe silver decal over the dent and now it looks fine. I like the guitar so much I really didn't want to send it all the way back to Germany for a replacement, so since the damage is on the back and I made a decent patch job on it, it's staying right here! I would highly recommend a Harley Benton guitar over any other entry level brand!!! As I mentioned in my Heading, if I were a good enough player to join a band, I wouldn't hesitate to gig with this guitar!!! The blue metallic finish is absolutely stunning and the satin finish maple neck is smooth and fast!!! No complaints!!! The only caveat here for customers in the Americas, unfortunately and sadly, is there's always a slight possibility that the guitar might sustain some damage coming all the way from Germany across the pond. That being said, these guitars are so nice for so little money, I would still give Harley Benton serious consideration before plopping down more money at an American retailer on something that won't be of the same high quality. I won't ever part with this guitar!!!

Arrived on time and in perfect condition. I am past gigging so I was just interested in getting an inexpensive T-type with good reviews.
First impressions: nice appearance - like the maple neck, blue body not too sparkly. Playability - good; string action a touch higher than my Pacifica, but seems to make string bending easier. Might leave it as it is. Neck is slightly chunkier than the Pacifica ; not a problem, just commenting. Fretboard not so smooth at the edges but nothing bad. Tuners seem OK. Sound - neck pick up too soft/bassy, bridge pick up is bright and very usable. Middle position is good. I think I have reverse buyer's regret - wish I'd got a dearer one with alnico pickups. However for £87 delivered, got to be pleased with this!
Second impression: I originally reviewed this hurriedly having played it through my audio box/PC set up. I should have plugged it into my little Marshall in the first place, which showed off the pickups in their true light - and they are very good indeed. The neck position is much brighter than at first thought, the middle position is great, and the bridge pickup is brash to the point of ear-splitting - but that's why there is a tone control. (Also it depends how far I turn up the drive on the amp). I am even more pleased than before. I've added a couple of stars. Let's face it, for £87 you might expect a few imperfections, so I stand by my original comments, pickups aside, but overall, fantastic value.

So I treated my self to my first HB.
If you handed me this guitar and asked me to guess the price I'd have said at least £250-280
£89!! 89 POUNDS! HOW!?
I own a Fender worth over 800 and a few guitars worth over 600. and a couple floating around the 280-350 range.
I am absolutely gobsmacked the quality of this instrument.
Even the strings aren't that bad.
How are you giving me a metallic finish and a Satin neck for 89 quid!?
It's Amazing!!

Cons:
I have had to go out of my way to find any form of "fault". if you can call them faults.
-The scratch plate and hardware isn't standard, making it very difficult to add any upgrades without redrilling.
-Tone knob is very slightly wonky (barely noticeable).
- The dot markers on the side aren't the cleanest. (after 15 years I don't use them anyway)
- Neck pickup slightly too dark (which tbh - complement in the middle position)
- The neck is slightly on the thicker side (though that is my preference, not the guitar)
-The frets need a little polish (most guitars don't have polished frets)
-Tuners aren't the best

Absolutely fantastic guitar, not just for the money but the guitar it's self truly is a good guitar.

Okay, let's be real. We're paying sub $100 USD for a t-style guitar. It's not built to Fender's Custom Shop standards, or even the Mexican line standards. BUT for the level of guitar this attempts to be, it punches FAR above its weight at this price.

Though it's not a string through design, though it uses a cheap set of tuners, though it uses the older style bridge saddles made out of a cheaper metal, they all work as perfectly as one could hope they would. No problems at all in tuning stability, the tuners are smooth and responsive with no dead zones, nut is cut perfectly, saddles have no issues. (mileage may vary depending on your guitar's final setup from Thomann, this is how MINE came) and I've only had to do the regular truss rod adjustment to keep relief in the neck. No fret sprout, no major blemishes in the paint finish, just a solid piece of equipment for anyone who wants a guitar that they don't want to worry about getting beat up, but will still play well and sound good.

I only gave this guitar 3 stars out of 5 for features, because in the end, they aren't Gotoh or Kluson tuners, it's not a tusq nut, they aren't brass saddles, but it also wouldn't be so cheap if they were, so keep that in mind... The parts may be cheap, but they work WELL on mine.

It has all the tones you want in a tele, and on my amp, they're fairly good with gain as well for single coils (at lower overall volume of course) I'm happy with this guitar beyond comprehension for what I paid. Best guitar for the money I've ever owned. PERIOD.

Been playing for around five days with it, and here's the summary:

Pros
-Price/performance - you get the whole guitar for a price of 1 pickup.
-Feels solid - all hardware feels nice: knobs, switch. There is no play in them. They're not loose or anything. However, I'd like to mention that the top screw that holds a bridge has been cross-threaded and doesn't sit evenly with the rest.
-Neck - it feels very nice in my hands. Fret height is perfect.
-Paint - flawless on mine; the sparkle is visible too. No blemishes or scratches. All around perfect. It's a beautiful guitar. So, if you stop playing after some time, it will still be an excellent decoration for your room, lol.


Cons
-Pickups. The bridge is fine, but neck... Just muddled with bass. The middle is fine. I'm thinking about replacing them some time in the future. But it has that distinct tele "twang", so for the time it'll do.
-Unpolished frets - it's not bad, I could feel a little bit of scratchiness early on, but it quickly went away as I played on.
-I have to retune it every day. It drifts away 1/4 step. But I play lots of bends with it, so maybe that's the case.


Overall, a lot of guitar for not a lot of money. Perfect, if you're a beginner. I don't want to go nuts with the guitars buying spree, but I'm tempted to get more Harley Bentons.