Harley Benton TE-52 NA Vintage Series Reviews

A brilliant tele

I have a great many guitars over the last 40 years, and I’ve been playing ever since I was 16 years old. This is truly an excellent guitar regardless of price. The first thing I noticed about it was the weight, really solid And substantial, which suits me just fine. The next thing is the glorious finish and the really easy to play Neck. I have played this a few weeks now before leaving this review, and it really is as good as my USA found a telly which cost me over a grand.

Lots of issues

Worked my ass off on this one but turned out good

Great Telecaster homage both on looks and sound. Smashing deal!

Overall...very close to original. Stellar!

Brillant

Brillant guitar. It's quite heavy tho. ( I thought ) Looks great too . Sounds decent

Really fantastic guitar

Really fantastic guitar straight out of the case. I customised it by changing a few bits but it didn't "need" to be done and it compares very highly with the lower priced versions of the guitar it copies. And I've kept the pickups as they sound perfect. The only small minor thing is the weight which might be your consideration but I play it sitting down so it's not an issue.

One of the best telecaster models for the price

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Großartige Qualität für einen geringen Preis! Die Gitarre ist schwer, etwa 4,2 kg.

72 years old and a professional for 58 years playing all over the USA!

Check out my HB TE52 in my profile pic for weight relief. It was 10 lbs and now is 8 lbs. The body was modified adding a custom belly cut, plus arm rest cut, and a carry handle cut stained walnut and finish is boiled Linseed oil. It also features Custom shop Nocaster 51' pickup set, cts 250k pots, .022 cap and shielded body and pick guard, graph tech string trees and a graph tech nut and shielded wiring. All in around $500 including the cost of the guita which cost $202 US. It was well worth the time and effort. I would put this guitar up against anything out there.

Virtually Perfect

I love this guitar and until I bought my ST-62 it was actually my #1. The neck feels phenomenal and it has a nice weight to it. The pickups all sound fantastic, although I may play with tone capacitor values as they are a tad bright for my taste. This is no issue however, just means I have to use my tone knob more! Would highly recommend this for anyone eyeballing a Tele style guitar

Your smilin' hands want to Keep on Playin'!!

The quality of the build/fit & finish/& appeal all exceeded my expectations. Sensitive & precise articulation bring your fingers right through your amp. Sounds & tones in every position that offer unique & fabulous expression. The features are its pure simplicity combined with incredibly smooth and fast playability. Love this guitar.

Great

All in all, very nice, finish is clean, no dings or damage, some screws are not very straight but not a big issue, setup was good out of the box, pickups sound good too. It plays and sounds great!

Cannot criticize much at this price point but one thing I noticed on my guitar was that the volume pot does not go down to 0, the sound just gets very low and muffled but not off.

Best Tele Value Ever!

I never thought I would enjoy playing a budget guitar as much as this one. You can't beat this guitar for the price. Played great out of the box and looks great also. I can bring it out and play for people without having to worry about what's going to happen to it. The roasted maple neck feels fabulous. The only negative thing I can say is that it is very heavy but since I play sitting it's not a big deal for me but I'm not sure if I would want to wear it standing up for a 3 hour gig.

It's great to be able to try a Tele without having to go "all in" on the real deal but as far as I'm concerned, this Tele satisfies my "real deal" desire. I'm not replacing anything on the guitar as it is perfect the way it came out of the box. Thx Harley Benton once again. All of your stuff has been great! I think I'm going to buy my nephew one for Christmas.

Exceeds expectations, and they were pretty high!

I’ve had my eye on this model for a while, and finally ordered one. With shipping it came to just over $200. I have had and still have various more expensive versions of this style guitar, usa, japan and mexico made, and one that I built from scratch, and this one holds up credibly against any of them, and at this price point is an incredible value for someone who is just getting started, or maybe wants a T-style guitar to add to their rack without breaking the bank. I would not hesitate to gig with it. Tone is exactly what you expect from this style of guitar, playability is very good, fret finish outstanding, and the guitar came pretty well set up. Finish is immaculate, and I really like the neck finish. A word about weight… many reviews mention the guitar being excessively heavy. Maybe I got an outlier, but mine weighs in at about 7 pounds, which to me is not bad at all. Overall I’m very pleased with my purchase, and will most likely purchase other HB instruments in the future.

Such a classic!

This guitar is so beautiful! The pictures do not do it justice. The wood grain on the body and neck, the shine of the finish, the satin feel of the neck, even the Harley Benton logo on the headstock. The PUP's are very chimy which is too be expected on a Tele so that's fine. It's got a very vintage look to it. This guitar is super heavy though! and I'm not a huge fan of the solid black pickguard, I thought a 3-ply would look better, but it is what it is. If that's my only complain on a $150 guitar, I'll take it.

Rally impressed

Got to say this guitar really surprised me, setup and build quality was great right out the box. I know it can fluctuate with mass produced instruments but this truly is a great guitar. Tweed a few things to your liking and get jammin

Grrreat for the price

The finish on the frets it a bit rough, and a full setup is needed, but generally I'm very impressed. Waiting for replacement pickups and hopefully should be getting a full Tele sound out of it.

Incredible instrument at incredible price!

As one of the reviewers has wittily put it before, I too bought this guitar just "to scratch that Tele-itch" and see, whether it would be worth spending all that money on the original Fender some time in the future. Well, to make the long story short, not only has the itch been scratched, this beautiful piece of work has become one of my favourite everyday companions. As all has already been said in previous comments and ratings, there is no need to elaborate further why this guitar deserves all those stars - it just does! It has the right feel, the right sound, it plays like a dream (a cliché, perhaps, but nevertheless true) and it stays stubbornly in tune. Pricewise, it is definitely a real bargain. So much so, that one could easily be deceived, thinking that the low price mirrors the equally low quality, which, in this case, could not be further from the truth.

All in all, I would readily recommend this "tribute to the classic" to either a beginner or a skilled guitar player.

wam bam what a twange

love this guitar such quality i was supprised .love the twange and playabilty such a good price for a high end sound ..now brought a new harley benton hb 35 but dont dont miss out on the te-52 great guitar

An essential guitar for any Tele enthusiast..

One of the best Tele copies out there, irrespective of price.

The finish is reminiscent of much higher priced guitars. I see these other guitars in youtube videos and cannot believe how close the TE -52 comes in fit, finish, sounds, everything.

The neck is on the thicker side, but rather comfortable. I was a bit hesitant, but asked a few people for their opinion and decided to pull the trigger on one. I was not disappointed.

The pickups sound great. No plans for changing them.

Only drawback is the weight. If they fixed that, the would simply put F out of business. Simple as that. It can be uncomfortable if you play for a couple of hours straight, even sitting. About 4kg. Some people find it ok, though.

If weight is not to much of a concern, don't think twice, just get one. The caramelized neck makes this an even more special guitar.

Stunning Tele Example

The Te52 goes so far beyond expectations. I defy anyone to find a better value guitar on the market today. Purchase a HB te52 and you will purchase other HB guitars.