Harley Benton EX-84 Modern EMG VW

Amazing guitar!

I can finally be James Hetfield

Good overall

Just has some fret buzz but otherwise very good quality

Great sound, poor playability.

Was really looking forward to jamming on this, but unfortunately that is difficult to do on mine. The fret ends on mine are so slanted that almost any note played on the high E slide right off the fret board. And since I mostly play rhythm Metallica riffs, that's most notes for me. The nut was also installed poorly and had some dried paint/glue coming out of the nut slot. It also needed an action adjustment out of the box.

I love the pickups but I wish they had used the EMG solderless wiring instead of soldering everything.

I missed my return window, otherwise I'd be sending mine back. Keep in mind I have a sample size of one so other players' guitars may be better.

Fantastic Guitar

I bought this beautiful guitar last year and have been using it since. The neck felt a little weird at first to get used to, but after a while you get used to it and it‘s actually smooth. The fretboard has a great feel for the fingers to play. The fact that this guitar has emg pickups for its price is amazing. The Hardware is solid, and the guitar will stay in tune even after soloing. Overall, I recommend this guitar if you‘re trying to get into guitar playing, and if you‘re a Hetfield fan.

the ex 84 vw emg

great guitar havent let it down since i have recived it great sound hardware and confortability truely a great deal for it value

Good quality and great sound for the price

I really like this guitar shape that I could find in your store, I have always dreamed of such a guitar shape and only you could make my dream come true. I also liked the build quality of the guitar and the quality of the materials, the guitar sounds great for its price.

Very, Very Great Guitar

I absolutely love this thing. Hardware is fantastic and and the specs are amazing.

Only issue I have is the neck dive. It's a decently light body and the neck just has a lot of dive, but that's not a very big issue.

Overall, I love this guitar. If it had a $1,500 price tag on it, I wouldn't question it. FANTASTIC!

Beautiful guitar with ugly side.

This is with no doubt one of the prettiest guitars that I own at the moment, it fulfills room interior and shine among my other hanging guitars when looking from distance, but this beauty have an ugly side - poor build quality.

When paint and lacquer coating was applied a small particle of dust got painted along and now beautiful white deck have a spot with tiny, but black dust under lacquer that impossible to clean out. Other poor side - fretboard, it has so many strange white cracks on it, especially on 11th, 14-16th frets, doesn't look new and some frets have annoying buzz, so it surely should be taken to a instrument craftsman to fix buzzes. Also screws doesn't look new. I guess my guitar could be one which was returned and poorly refurbished and now I consider on returning it back unfortunately.

Despite poor guitar build quality, the sound of this guitar is just amazing, EMG pickups is the best part of this guitar. However I find volume and tone controls too easy to turn and 3-way humbuckers switcher is too loose as well.

Great quality at an amazing price

I've always wanted a white explorer with black hardware ever since I saw Metallica's video for 'One', so after doing copious amounts of research on this EX-84 Modern EMG I finally pulled the trigger. The guitar got delivered after about two weeks. It arrived in perfect condition. I've heard people having gotten it with a chip or some minor scratches in the finish but that was not a problem for me. Guitar looks absolutely pristine. The body is a tad smaller than a Gibson Explorer or an ESP, but not like a junior guitar. I think I actually prefer this size and shape.

Everything on this guitar was in great order. The hardware is quality, the knobs and switches feel good and solid. The EMG pickups delivers really crispy sound with a lot of bite, but still a warm clean tone from the neck pickup. The EMG's sound really hot. By that I mean they have a lot of attack but it also picks up every little slide of the hand you make. The guitar had a really good setup right out of the box. I got it delivered in Scandinavia during October, so after I unpacked it I let it acclimate for a couple hours before I played on it. The intonation was spot on. Neck was straight. Really good right out of the box. The tuners feel great and solid, and the guitar stays in tune. I could have sworn that I read it came with Grover locking tuners so I was a bit surprised when I saw it came with the regular JN-03 machine heads and when I went to check the website, sure enough it didn't say Grover locking tuners so I must have misread. The fretboard felt a little dry, but no sharp edges or anything. You should DEFINITELY pull the trigger on this. This guitar easily feels like a guitar worth more than it's price. A contender for my top guitar, and I own guitars worth 3-4 times the price of this.

The one huge con I had with this though was that the nut that was on it was SUPER high. Like double the height of a regular nut, and the bridge wont go any lower, so my action was too high, especially around the first three frets. So I did have to remove the nut and sand down the underside of it. This can be a daunting task if you're not familiar with it. But I did that, oiled the fretboard and lowered the bridge and it plays wonderfully now. And like I said, it was more than playable out of the box. But with a good setup it will play like a expensive guitar. Well done Harley Benton. Will be buying more from these guys.

PROS:

-Beautiful finish

-Good hardware and pickups

-Good fretboard. Neck feels nice. (same thickness as a Gibson Les Paul)

-Very playable setup right out of the box

CONS:

-Really tall nut. Had to sand it down myself. This was the biggest con.

-Bridge won't go as low as I would like. So action is good, but not perfect.

-The guitar has neck dive. This comes from the fact that most of the weight is in the neck/headstock and the fastening point for the strap is on top of the neck. Neck dive can be remedied by moving the forward strap point to the back of the heel of the neck, or buying a wider leather strap.

Beyond impressed, astonished even....

I may start this review by saying I am not a gear head per se. I love gear, and I collect it but I know very little about it, I just know what I like. I have two Gibson Les Pauls, Fender Lite Ash Korea, Peavy Quilt Top EVH and so on. I'm a classical guitarist by trade and have spent by far the most money on my classical guitar (custom luthier built). So again, no expert, but I've played a few.

I've used Harley Benton twice, for exactly the reason most people do- to experiment with a fantasy guitar without spending outrageous money. My first was in 2004, a seven string, which I still play and rather like. This new one though, is in another class altogether.

As a massive Maiden, Metallica fan, (Smith and Hetfield respectively) I've always wanted an Explorer but wouldn't have had a daily use for one. Along comes the HB EX-84 EMG.

Well Holy God, this thing is a monster. As well made as any guitar I've ever played and could hold its own with guitars five times the price. The fretboard is like butter. Strung with .10s I have no issue switching between this and my nylon strings. Beautiful finish, no sharp edges or rough patches. Looks amazing, plays like a dream. Flatters me beyond belief! As for the EMG pick-ups.... pchow! Mind. Blown.

As I say, I'm no expert but I value quality, sound, aesthetics and playability. Sometimes I wish I'd broken the bank on a high-end Ibanez, PRS or suchlike- my classical cost over €6,500 so I'm no Scrooge. However, I can honestly say I'm not sure if that's necessary any more. If you are a true connoisseur, by all means shell out for the big guns, but Harley Benton are on to a winner with this one.

I've seen the price of my Peavey increase, and the Lite Ash might just become a dark horse classic. I firmly believe the same will happen with this guitar- it's a stone cold classic. Buy one before they sell out...