TE-20 SB Standard Series : Incredible!

The Harley Benton TE-20 being priced even cheaper than the Squier Affinity range, I expected the same quality issues: many crooked pickguard screws, off-center bridge, “fret sprout” (i.e. rough fret edges), loose neck pocket, etc. I felt absolutely certain that it was going to have some issues, so, to avoid having to return the faulty TE-20 and wait for a replacement, I ordered two of them! My plan was to choose the least bad one and return the other. But I was in for a sweet surprise... I opened the first box, inspected the guitar and was shocked to be unable to find any issues. But I thought that I had gotten lucky. Then, I opened the second box and inspected the second guitar with an even more critical eye. To my astonishment, the second one was as flawless as the first. Honestly, they were both so well made, I had no idea whatsoever which one to keep, so I picked the one that had the nicest wood grain. Sure, I could have gotten extraordinarily lucky and received two exceptions to the rule, but if two guitars in a row are this good, Harley Benton must be doing something right. And I am saying this as a perfectionist who is always highly critical to every minute detail, which the vast majority of people do not even notice. All six tuning machines are in a perfect row, the nut is well cut, there are no sharp frets, no blemishes in the chrome plating, the neck plate is perfectly parallel to the neck, the bridge is perfectly centered and parallel to the edge of the pickguard, both knobs are the same distance away from the control plate, all the fretboard markers are perfectly centered between the frets, and so on. If I had to nit-pick, I would say that the jack plate is not perfectly parallel to the edge of the body, and there is a slight buzzing that seems to be coming from the bridge (might be one of the intonation screw springs). Also, the tuning machine gear ratio is pretty low, so it is easy to overshoot when tuning. But it simply requires a bit more concentration. Other than that, pretty much perfect! In terms of tone, the pickups sound like a generic Telecaster, so, if you are looking for that tone, you can get it on the TE-20. This is an excellent choice for a beginner or someone looking for a cheap beater guitar. I imagine, it should be a great modding platform, but first make sure that the Fender parts are compatible with these Harley Bentons. These are really incredible! My four times more expensive Squier had a lot more quality issues than the two TE-20s I received! I am sure that my next beater guitar is going to be some kind of a Harley Benton. There is simply no need to look any further.