ST-90SA Swamp Ash DLX Series : King Of Budget Strats

This is my first Harley Benton guitar and I must say I am very impressed with the level of quality for the price.

The Pros:

- Well fitted tonewoods (Swamp Ash, Maple Neck, Pau Ferro Board) with little to no blemishing. Resonant and light weight. Cavity was cut very well and can house a HSH configuration.

- Good electronics : CTS sized pots with a nice switch - I did not see the need to replace these. The Roswell pickups are fantastic as I found myself only replacing the bridge pickup with a Hot Rails style humbucker (personal taste)

- Good Tuners : vintage style klusons that stay in tune and feel robust for their price.

It did need work out of the box however as :

- The nut was too high and made out of butter : this was replaced with a TUSQ nut (essential),

- The frets were too sharp : they had to be dressed by my technican but he was impressed with their fitting!

- The board was too dry : it had to be oiled, but it looks amazing now.

- Minimal shielding: it does have a bit on the plate but I would recommend shielding the entire cavity.

With a bit of work, the ST-90SA is a fantastic instrument that rivals many beyond its price range. Easily better than modern day Squire Classic Vibes and on par with Mexican Fender if tempered by a proper guitar technican.