Harley Benton ST-20 BK Standard Series

Meh

I mean I got what I paid for: the fret ends were razor sharp, one fret started sticking out the fretboard causing a lot of buzz on the frets before this one. Plus, the sides of the pickguard were pretty rough, it was messing up the overall look and I had to sandpaper them. But I've got to admit, after fixing these issues the sound was surprisingly nice, and it had a lot of character. Now I realize I should've paid a little more and got a better Harley Benton, e.g., ST-62. Maybe that way I wouldn't have run into the aforementioned problems. I'd say with this guitar and at this price, it's a bit of a gamble.

Good for beginners

If you want to start touching the strings and playing chords, you can rely on this. The rating is for the price and the guitar level.

Excellent guitar - Unbeatable value for money

My 4th Harley Benton guitar in as many months. This has been my second purchase from the Standard range. I wanted a Stratocaster copy, but didn't want to spend the extra money for one of the more expensive models. I already have a Squier Affinity Strat, but it is need of some work on the nut that I wouldn't tackle myself. I would have to say that this guitar won't disappoint at the price point. It looks stunning in the black finish, and I found no blemishes on the body or the neck, which is worth the price of the guitar on its own. I prefer Strats with a floating tremolo and was able to achieve that on this guitar without too much trouble. The tension screws on the tremolo block were out of alignment with each other, which was a bit of a problem, but if need be I'll replace the screws. Suffice to say that it is possible to float the tremolo on this guitar without having to buy any replacement parts. It's set for the 009 gauge strings that came with the guitar and I'll be replacing them with 009s in future to save having to readjust the tremolo. What else was wrong? One or two fret ends were very slightly sharp, and the frets could do with filing to take the roughness off them, which you can feel when bending the strings, but other than that I could find no faults. The tuning pegs are best described as adequate, but I won't replace them unless I run into problems. Once the strings were stretched the guitar held tune reasonably well. I lowered the action slightly, but that was only to suit me, and the guitar was well set up when it arrived. Intonation was spot on except the lower E and A, but that could well have been down to me fiddling about with the tremolo block. The pickups may need adjusting, as they are the same height off the strings at both ends instead of being slightly higher on the treble strings, but that is very easy to remedy and I'll do it myself. Some people say the pickups on this guitar aren't great, but you need to experiment with their height and the sound coming from the amp. They are at least as good as on my Squier Affinity Strat, which cost twice the price of this guitar nearly 10 years ago. More to the point, this guitar sounds enough like a Strat to be a keeper. I've played guitars (as an amateur) for nearly 60 years, and this will more than fit the bill for most players. If you are mainly a Strat player then maybe the 62CC would be a better buy, but if you just want a Strat model on your rack, you need look no further. Obviously I have a fair bit of experience of tinkering with guitars, but it is easy to learn from You Tube, including how to float the tremolos on these etc. If you have the dexterity to play it doesn't take much to learn how to set them up etc.

Amazing starter guitar

As a beginner this was an amazing guitar to get started with was cheap enough to not feel like a waste but just enough to feel like I was playing a guitar.

has some noise and need some brige adjusment but for price is good

Decent instrument

Good guitar, the price-quality ratio is very decent, for beginners or those just learning to play.

Great Quality for the Price!

As an entry level guitar, this HB really helped me start practicing and get into playing. The sound is simply amazing for this price level, certainly couldn't imagine this sound just a few decades ago for the same cost. Additionally, the thin neck and good fretting makes it accessible to beginners. While it did come with a few shaving marks on the screws, it really wasn't a problem- just a quick clean up with a paper towel and looked brand new. Overall, amazing quality for a beginner instrument.

PS still amazed at its price- only 89 euros really?!

Sweet guitar

The guitar is alot better than I thought it was going to be, and I dare say plays better than a squire. It plays pretty smooth & I can sweep like a janitor also. The pickups could be better imo but if you play on a great amp its no biggie. Trem is totally fine also

For a cheap guitar, it's very high quality

as soon as I took it out the box, in which it was well protected, I DID NOT feel that this guitar was £70. The sound is spectacular and does not sound cheap at all, the body of the guitar is amazing, the finish is so smooth and overall feels great!

What a buy!

This guitar is surprisingly well made. Compared to my other guitar of similar features (Strat), This guitar has a better finish on the frets and fingerboard. The only minus I would point out is that the tuning machines are a bit inconsistent. 2 of the 6 have sticky points that affect the micro-tuning of the instrument. Also, you will want to change the strings to your preferred set.

This guitar is perfect as a starter or for an instrument that you want to take to a jam or small gig. Easy and a joy to play.