HWY-25BKS Progressive Series : Sensational Stealth Guitar

I own two HB guitars and a bass and I have to say the quality at the pricepoint is beyond belief. This cost me £83 and I wouldn't be disappointed if I'd paid £250. Honestly, the knurled metal pots are probably worth more than £83...

The finish on my guitar is flawless, an anti-radar matte-black which suggests quiet menace. The reversed headstock adds an angular, sharp look and the predator fret marker is beautifully executed.

Out of the box, set-up was fine, though I've lowered the action a touch and tweaked the intonation to compensate. It's very playable - I'm no virtuoso, but my fingers zip around the neck and nothing seems like hard work.

The two humbuckers have plenty of throat, lending this guitar a rock/blues/metal character; I can't see it being the best for folk, jazz or funk. This is industrial when you want it to be, but not without finesse on lighter amp settings.

My one gripe is the whammy bar, but this may be partly my fault: I've slackened it off to enable extravagant dive-bombs, but when it returns the tuning is hopelessly destabilised. I'll try re-tightening and I might swap out the machine heads...

All-in-all, you simply cannot go wrong with this guitar: you're getting pro aesthetics and playability for beginner's money.

Why the terrible name, though? Harley Benton? Sounds like a steak-and-kidney pie and it's NOT cool on the headstock