Harley Benton JA-60CC Lake Placid Blue Reviews

It's such a good deal, it feels illegal!

I have all kinds of guitars from Gibson Les Pauls to PRS CEs to Charvel Pro Mods to more affordable brands, like Hagstrom, Fame, and Sire, and I have to say this guitar is not just a good guitar for the money, it is a GOOD guitar PERIOD!

PROS:

- Beautiful, vivid, calm blue colour with flawless finish.

- It has a belter of a neck! Dark, roasted, beautifully figured and professionally finished. Playing it is a joy.

- Binding looks decent.

- Tuners do their job.

- Frets are well-polished. I didn't detect a single scratchy fret, which is huge for a guitar in this price range.

- Pickups sound great for my taste. I always disliked the Jazzmaster's shrill bridge pickup, but the bridge pickup on this guitar is mellow yet punchy (and has higher output).

CONS:

- The binding is a bit filthy in some spots, but within expectations.

- The body is smaller than that of a Jazzmaster and can look a bit too small compared to the neck, but it's not off-putting in anyway.

If I didn't know that this is a $150 guitar, I would have guessed it's worth around $700 minimum!

Please keep in mind that I ordered this guitar as soon as it was announced, so I believe I received mine from the 1st batch.

HB are known for dishing out batches of slightly inconsistent quality, but judging from what I have in my hands, this is one hell of a deal!

Absolutly stunning !!!

Been hording guitars for at least 40 yrs, and have a collection of a wide range of brands and styles.

This is one of very few instruments which just needed tuning, and nothing else. Neck was straight, frets was leveled and without any sharp edges. Intonation was spot on, even the nut was cut correct. I don't understand how it's possible to set up a cheap guitar so well from the factory.

Pickups sounds great, and all the electronics works fine without any scratching or buzzing.

I will probably change the pots for getting a bit brighter sound, but for the price, this is a really bargain - outperforming guitars several times more expencive.

Super happy with this one, thumbs up !