Harley Benton R-458 BK Progressiv Series 4-stars Reviews

In this price category, very good. Only one shortcoming, which may be a matter of setting, the deepest string is difficult to tune.

Djent bloody Djent

I bought this Metal monster machine around 4 y ago. I was curious and I start researching on 8 strings guitars in the internet. Så came out that the cheapest one was the Benton. I was thinking maybe I don't like to play 8 strings and considering the price I convinced myself in buying it.

I have to say is very well made for the price and it sound great . Dedicated for metal but is possible to play also clean and synth \ drone stuff.

If u wander about how to get some sunn o))) kinda shit > this is the instrumenten!!!

lit bad was that I couldn't unscrew the neck because one screw didn't came out so I damaged edge it. And the machine are absolute not good.

A part of this 2 bad consideration the guitar is very nice .

I made also a video review if u wanna listen how it sound : https://youtu.be/qifoUOa69vQ

Fair enough

Well if you want a perfect finish, perfect tuning, perfect sound this guitar is not for you as this guitar is made to be cheap. The tuners are bad. They are not predictable at all, some even have slack. Detunes very easialy. The paintjob is rushed. Conclusion?

Worth the money!! Plays just fine and for what it is, adequate for this price point. Nice to own an 8 string on a lower budget. Recommended!

Actually a great bargain!

I received this instrument 2 days ago. I read propably around a 100 reviews before i bought it so i actually expected it to have some issues that would need to be addressed before it would be playable.

But no!

The finish is just way above standard for a 150 euro guitar. The neck is fine, slight string buzz on frets 1 and 2 but nothing that would bother me. Reviewers said that the pickups are noisy, but no. Mine are silent and deliver a great output for the price. The strings that come with it are not great but way above the expectations that i had so that is not an issue.

Tuners are just what the reviews said, quite simple HB stock but are actually ok. It does not detune a lot and the feel to the tuners is actually that of a more expensive instrument.

Bottom line, i LOVE this guitar and it has not left my hands since it came. It's a no brainer, if you want to try out an 8 string. Buy this one now! It has the feel of a 3-400 euro guitar!

Good base for a great project.

Well built instrument. Pick ups are a bit muddy but what do you expect at this price point? Great value, I do not regret my purchase whatsoever.

A good introduction to 8 strings

I bought this because I wanted to experiment with an 8 string guitar and generally they're very expensive. For the price point of this guitar it's hard to argue that it is anything other than excellent value.

It's well made, especially for the price. I've bought several harley benton guitars over the years and have seen the workmanship in there construction improve a lot.

The pickups are my main hang up with this guitar, it's not that they sound bad they just don't sound particularly good. It was difficult for me to get a good tone from them but I achieved it eventually. A part of this is probably related to the extended range of the guitar vs. the amplifiers I've tried it through. I recently purchased a kemper profiler and it sounds great with high gain amps. I will potentially upgrade them to some seymour duncans and then it will be an amazing guitar

its a good starter 8-string guitar

the neck has a nice shape, i dont know why but the sound feels "compressed"

Big bang for the buck

Great product, it arrived properly set up, so I could start playing right away. I was surprised that the stock pickups actually sound nice, even for clean tones. My goal with this guitar was to experiment with various tunings and learn to play an 8 string in general to get the idea if it was for me or not. It was perfect for this! The frets were not super smooth by the edges, but good enough not to complain. The guitar feels a bit cheap, definitely not a fancy instrument, but I only got praise on it (both it looks and its sound) when performing with it. Eventually I sold it (without any issue) because I moved to another country.

Need to consider the cost

I bought this guitar to get acquainted with an 8-string instrument.

The sound is not bad, but it came with a chip on the neck. The second guitar I have is Jackson rr-3 (Japan) and of course, in comparison, this guitar is a little worse in everything, but considering the cost, it is an excellent purchase.

Highly recommend.

Amazing Value for the price

If you are looking for a quality 8 string guitar with great value, this is the guitar for you. This beast has amazing tone and construction for the price and can definitely be used in a gig setting as well as the studio.

Cons:

The strings that come stock are not the best and I recommend switching them out immediately. On my model, the input jack was a little loose. An easy fix but it's definitely something to watch, just to be safe.

And finally, the instrument definitely needs a setup. The intonation is a little off and fret buzz is abound. You can also use a fret wrap to mitigate this but a set up is definitely recommended.

This guitar is an excellent choice for that djent sound or technical death metal tone, but does so much more. Such as experimental open tunings, ambient guitar, the works. You get a quality instrument that holds a tune for less than half the price of the typical extended range. While it may not match the quality of the most high quality fenders or Gibsons, it can easily hold it's own between a mid range fender and a high range Epiphone. Well worth the price

Can't go wrong at this price

If you're looking for an 8 string guitar without breaking the bank, this is the one to go for.

I ordered this on a whim after listening to an Animals as Leaders album and deciding that I wanted to have a go at the whole extended range experience. It's absolutely not what I play live, so there was no point in spending a fortune on any of the (really very nice) 8 strings that are available from the 'premium' brands, so I thought that this would do the job.

Some other reviewers have noted that some setup was needed when the guitar arrived, but this wasn't my experience at all. It arrived promptly, and straight out of the box I was able to break into some seriously heavy riffing. The finish was remarkable for a guitar at this price point, and would rival instruments at several times its price. I find the neck to be very pleasing to play on, and the guitar is well weighted.

In terms of shortcomings, the guitar does show its price in some ways. The pickups have a tendency to sound a bit muddy, particularly when shown to any sort of gain. They lack the clarity of some of the big-name pickups, but this is to be expected when a single pickup can be more expensive than this whole guitar. If I were to be using this live I would consider swapping them out for something from Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio, but the fact that I would do that instead of just buying a new guitar should speak highly of the basic quality of the instrument.

Other shortcomings include the tuners, which have been prone to slippage in my experience. Nothing too major, but frequent retuning is necessary.

Overall, if you're interested in trying out the extended-range world, this Harley Benton is a great place to start!

Eeeeeeyoooooooo

It is very self explanatoring it is a good choise if you want an 8 string but you are learning or just for fun and if you grow to like the feeling of the 8 string you can still change the pickups.

Great for a start.

I bought this as a ''keyboard'' for more range in guitar practice. In fact it is a good choice if you wanna get involved with a guitar with more strings. it is better - and also great for the price - than buying a 7stringed.

Suitable as first 8 String Guitar

I buy this guitar to practice, and just to put it as my second guitar since sometime I interested to play some metal or djent...

I don't have any issue of this guitar except toggle switch, it make some sound when I switch it and it made of plastic... this guitar came with some stock string which for me doesn't sound right...

and may be, I'm going to change it pick-up since some of my friend thoughts that it doesn't capture low sound really details...but for now I'm happy with it and just use it as the way it is...

Harley Benton R-458 vs Ibanez RG8

As an owner of both guitars, I can see that almost every feature and measurement of this is extremely similar to the RG8. And why not, right? Both great guitars. The frets are about half an inch smaller all along the neck, in comparison to the Jumbo frets on the Ibanez.

This Harley Benton is the best and cheapest entry-level 8 string on the market. However the pickups are very bad and noisy in comparison to the Ibanez. The Ibanez delivers the clairty you hear in modern progressive metal bands, and the warmth and diversity for everything else. The Harley Benton sounds embarrassingly weak, but pulls off clean tones well enough to be enjoyable.

The Harley Benton is great for playing unplugged. It's about 1/3 lighter than the Ibanez due to the smaller, rounded body and the smaller fretboard makes it easier to get used to using the 7th and 8th strings.

The tone/volume pots and very delicate, consider taking the back panel off and reinforcing them, using them lightly is the only way to avoid damaging them as they are cheaply fixed at the back.

Consider taking it to a technician as it probably went through a cheap set up, mine needed intonating and the string height adjusted to avoid the 7th and 8th string fret/string buzz, which you will get on the Ibanez too.

If you're buying an 8 string for the first time, buy this one. If/when the novelty wares off then you won't have wasted £300 more for the Ibanez. If you have the money, and don't like hoarding/testing guitars, buy the Ibanez!

Perfect "My First 8 String"

Bought mainly just to test the waters in the eight string world, and it's paid off. It's a beautiful bit of kit for the price. Needs a bit of setting up and TLC when you get it, but definitely worth the time!

Solid guitar that won't bust your wallet

After getting into more 7 and 8-string guitar music, I decided that I wanted to get my own to try to play and write in heavier styles. Obviously I didn't want to spend too much just to find out it wasn't for me, so this was the perfect option.

The neck is surprisingly comfortable, and the action is great. Obviously the pickups aren't going to melt your face off, but sound decent enough to write and play with. I may end up switching them out eventually, I like the guitar so much.

There's nothing that really feels cheap or tacky about the build; it's solid and reliable. I see a lot of criticism saying the build feels cheap, but honestly, I really like it, and for the money, it's an excellent purchase.

Great guitar for the money

The guitar play well straight from the box. It has a nice quality feel and great playability. The pick ups lack a little power but I can't complain considering the price. Excellent entry guitar for any one wanting to try an 8 string.

Nice guitar

I've been playing guitar for a long time, and I was curious to try those 8 string guitars that are rising up now in the market. My problem, as many other people, the budget. I was not in position to buy a 900$ guitar now, so I told myself that this budget 8 string could satisfy my curiosity, and if it failed as a guitar, the economical loss won't be as much. But it paid off:

Pros:

-Good construction and finish, it feels a bit light but not an issue.

-Good tuners.

-Good electronics. For the sound gourmets maybe these pickups are not of their taste, but they do a pretty good job IMHO. A little too hot I must say, but that's not an issue for me.

-It doesn't feel as alien when coming from a 6 string. This is because of its neck length and width. It feels very comfortable.

-Well intonated and decent string action (for my taste anyway)

Cons:

-The nut is made of cheap plastic, I strongly recommend to change it. Also it's set up sort of too high, when you voice a chord in the 0-3 frets and you apply a little bit more pressure, the chord detunes a lot.

- The strings are too light for what the instrument is (the F# one, so the 8th, felt like I was holding a bow instead of a guitar...). Change the set and get harder strings (like a .10 or plus).

-It depends on the unit, but for mine I will need to do a fret job. Some frets buzz where others don't (not a truss rod issue, that's tested already)

-Packaging. Just covered in carton board and air bags to secure the instrument, mine came with a hit in the head, half the size of a pinky's nail. Not something that is very bad but I could've been less lucky.

-The jack plug is not well grounded/connected, I get a familiar not-good-grounded noise (like when you touch the tip of a connected jack) when I move the jack in a particular position . I haven't opened the guitar but it seems like a quick fix.

So there you have it, as it is a budget instrument you'll need to adjust it, but for what it does and what it costs it is very good.

Perfect introduction to 8 strings

I bought this guitar after playing one at a friends house. I was suprised by how comfortable it was to play, after a few moments the thin but sturdy neck really welcomes your fretting hand. The neck is well finished and the frets are perfectly fitted with no sharp edges often found on cheaper guitars.

The build quality of this is really something special considering how cheap it is. The machine heads could do with being a bit tighter/higher ratio'd but thats a nitpick complaint. Also the pickups are a bit on the muddy side but thats to be expected from budget instruments. When playing through amplifiers it does show, however through a vst the sound is more than adequate for recording.

The range of tones is superb from jangly and deep arrpegios to some serious chugging which is hard to resist on high gain settings.

Id recommend this instrument to anyone looking for something unique yet infinitely usable for their collection.