Harley Benton MS-60 VW Vintage Series 5-stars Reviews

Looking for that old "Jazzmaster" sound?

When I recently heard the guitar work of both Carl Wilson (Beach Boys) on their earlier albums and that of Elvis Costello and then discovered both played old Fender Jazzmasters, I thought I'd like to try one. The original Jazzmasters were slightly unusual in that they had a dual rhythm/lead circuit feature that really distinguished them from the typical three-way switch on most jazz guitars and indeed the new Jazzmaster reissues also removed that feature in favor of a three way switch. I liked the dual rhythm/lead circuit because it has a slightly brighter lead sound but could still be muted sufficiently to produce the jazz-like sounds Leo Fender was probably seeking in the original Jazzmasters. So, when I saw that the Harley Benton MS-60 Vintage Series retained that rhythm/lead circuit and was also incredibly cheap, I went for it and have been very pleased. I use it on several songs when I'm gigging with my blues-rock band, particularly the old T-Bone Walker covers and it has the additional advantage of being so inexpensive that if a drunk happens to knock it over and break it, it can be replaced without breaking the bank. So, if your band is doing old blues or jazz covers in slightly more dangerous venues or if you just want a brighter and sharper mid range tone, the HB MS-60 Vintage Series might be the guitar for you.

Nice budget version of a mustang

It's a bit strange to have the JM/Jag style trem but it works, I would have preferred the mustang style bridge to a tune-o-matic one but for the price I can't really complain. It doesn't have the in/off/out phase switches, just on and off switches.

Fantastic guitar !!

The size, the scale length, the sound, the color... Just love it.

I put on a bridge with rollers, and now it can take severe wiggling and stay in tune.

You will not regret buying this thing!

Great Price

Really love the finished white on this guitar ,the set up was great straight out of the box . No extra set up needed at all .The quality and finish is to a high standard all frets crowned well.The sound is good love the pick ups nice and warm on Fuzzy tones..Whammy bar works well if not over used it will stay in tune .Over all an A 1 guitar for the price

great guitar Sounds like it Should ,nice Quality Finish

Only Grip is the Colour says Vintage white ,more of a very pale Yellow But the Price Is Bang on the Money

Nice

This was very playable straight out of the box, even though it was not set up the way I like, half an hour later.... The neck is quite '60's a chunky style thing. Everything worked fine out of the box, the only thing that I had to do was drip a drop of 3 in 1 into the trem arm hole. It squeaked a tad. Other than that it was good to go. A little point about the 4 out of 5 for the features, it is 4 because there are no real features.

Really Great Guitar

I got this in 6 days from Germany to north isles of Scotland. Great guitar, Not really a vintage white finish. I'd say it's more yellowish. The guitar plays well apart from a slight buzz in the bridge which i will be swapping out for a gotoh tuno-matic bridge. The Jag/Jazzmaster Trem is great and can be blocked by tightening the middle screw although it doesn't really affect the sound or tuning much when unblocked.

A few minor dings and niggles but you find these litlle things on guitars worth 20x the price. The only other changes I will be doing is purely to make the guitar more authentic to the fender models but really dont matter as far as playability for the most part.

I will change the bridge. Swap out to two way switches for three ways so i can put it out of phase. No need for pick up change wilkinsons sound great for me. Colour it Sonic Blue, Add red tortoise shell pickguard and chrome control plate and some JB style control knobs. One hundered percent would buy again. The MS-60 is better than the Squier VM Mustangs in my opinion!

Stunning whatever the price

Bought this because I wanted something a bit different in my collection and something with a tremolo. Arrived quickly and safely. Firstly it looks great with a nice cream white finish. Out of the box it plays beautifully with a nice twang (very James Bond). Plugged in it sings and roars with lovely pickups and plenty of tones. Just has such a presence in recorded tracks with real personality. Of all the Harley Bentons I have, I was expecting the least from this but turned out to be one of the best. It might not be a pretty as some of my other guitars but tonally and to play it's beautiful.

This guitar is a bargain if you ever fancied a Mustang/Jaguar for under £100

This guitar is a bargain if you ever fancied a Mustang/Jaguar for under £100.

It has most of the features of a Mustang but dispenses with the less than popular Mustang style bridge and tremolo and replaces them with, what to me is, an improved Jaguar tremolo/Tune-o-matic bridge combo.

The sound is bright and chimey; the Wilkinson pickups giving the scratchy brittleness of a tele bridge pickup combined with a very unique sound at the neck with an undertone of chimeyness coming from the vibrato and a bit of compression too.

The strings supplied are very light for a shortscale guitar and a change might change these sounds but I like them at the moment even if they are a bit floppy and I can bend several tones without worry.

One word of warning, the switches are 2-way rather than the 3-ways of a Mustang so you don't get the out of phase option. Replacements that will fit are available for a couple of pounds from ebay.

Whilst you're on the bay you might want to buy a Mustang control plate too. I bought one and cut down the original scratchplate to fit it. Some redrilling was necessary but the end result is definitely worth it. Just be aware that there is a full rout beneath the scratchplate so you won't want any gaps where the two join. And also make sure you will be drilling into wood and not air.

The neck is nice, though a slightly banana tinged yellow, and of course the headstock is not like an original but you'd have to be a berk to buy a Squier one for well over the price of this guitar. Just revel in your price-conscious rebelliousness.

Finally, the colour, I would say, is more of a mint white bordering on TV white rather than Vintage white advertised (which I always think of as creamy). I like it though and it goes well with the mother of pearl scratchplate.

A small price for a fantastic guitar

When one would look at the price of this guitar, one would be tempted to believe it is just another cheap guitar, but do not be deceived by the price. It is a pretty good instrument. First of all, the color is quite nice. A lovely white that is a bit closer to being light yellow-ish. Personally, I like it. The arm was quite comfortable as well. The tuners and the bridge are quite decent as well. The tuners hold in the intonation quite well. The bridge might be its weakest point, though, not for the quality, but for the bridge model in itself. Fender Mustangs and Jazzmasters which have the same kinda of bridge often have the same issues. A tip: just tight the screws on it and lock it so it only works one way. By doing this, you shouldn't have any tuning problems. The guitar came with .09 strings, but I recommend changing it for .11's, which in my opinion is perfect for its shorter scale (compared to LP's or Strat's). After setting it up, it played perfectly. The guitar has two pickup selectors which work well, and two knobs, one for tone and for volume which are both quite responsive.

Now for the most important part: the sound. The guitar comes with two single-coil Wilkinson pickups. They are quite warm sounding, and with a bit of fullness to it (close to being a P90, specially the one in the arm). The guitar sounds perfect if you are into alternative rock, grunge or something a bit more grittier.

Therefore, if you want a knockoff of a Fender Mustang, get this one. Its quality extends way beyond its price.

70's Style & Grace..!!!

For the money the build quality is great... The standard setup of the guitar is all in all by fare better than named brands at double this price... Pop in some fender custom 69s and your away..!!!!

Harley Benton MS-60 Vintage White

Beautiful. how they can make a guitar like this for such a low price is beyond me.

sounds great too. no fret ends over the edge at all, Very nice fret work, smooth satin neck. only thing I will need to check is the intonation. which is easy with this bridge. Edit; Did the intonation without a problem!

And here is my Youtube video about a couple of cheap mods I made to it :) and it seems to be getting a lot of attention :)

great and a keeper :)

steve

Amazing value

This Harley Benton mustang style guitar is possibly even cooler looking than the Squier or Fender models, because it has a Jazzmaster style tremolo system!

The headstock is gloss, while the neck is satin-like in feel.

The colour is more or less lemon, so the name Vintage White is to me inaccurate. The pearloid pickguard, and chrome knobs, complement the body finish very well.

I hope there will be more colour options in the future.

The on/off pickup switching differs from the Fender mustang in that there isn't an extra 'phase' position.

Overall this is a well made, highly affordable guitar. Don't miss out!

Amazing value for the money....

Bought this guitar with low expectations given the price, but... I love it! I actually prefer this guitar to a Squier Mustang I tried out in a shop beforehand. The pickups are surprisingly useable, although I may upgrade the bridge to something hotter later on, this is an ideal platform for modding. Stock out of the box, the action and playability is nice. The sound is very resonant and chimey. Highly recommended.

Nice surprise!

Cool guitar, plays easy, sounds good! What more do you want? Put another bridge on it with rollers, now it stays better in tune, also I do not use the tremolo floating, but turned the level screw so that the up position is fixed, so pitch is only going down, but coming back at same position :-)

How can this be economically viable?

This guitar is amazing. I bought it subsidised with vouchers from reviewing a previous purchase, and it cost me about £80 in total.

The pickups sound great, like really great. a rich full tone perfect for basically any genre. This thing sounds better than you could possibly expect for such little money.

the neck was nice and straight and the paintwork was fairly nice out of the box

There were a few rough patches and bits of grime from the production process, but after a string change and a clean up it was gone.

Basically, if you're considering buying this guitar, but you are not quite sure, just do it. You could spend a lot more and end up with a lot worse a guitar.

Unusual Copy

A review of any product should always take account of the price. This is a very inexpensive guitar, under £100.

However, the finish is excellent and the guitar feels solid. Very bright sounding pick-ups give it almost a 'surf' music sound.

If you want to be a little different or want a second guitar that sounds good, but a little different from your main guitar, try a MS 60.

Good value and a lot of fun.