Harley Benton R-457 BK Progressiv Series Reviews

Simply awful, bad pick of the bunch.

I know people say buy cheap buy twice but reading the previous reviews on this instrument it really pushed my to try out a Harley Benton instrument but I was honestly so dissatisfied with this product.

I wanted a 7 string to mess around with to see if I could get used to playing one and then progress onto a higher end model. But this instrument has put me way off.

The hardware was rusty and I couldn't lower the string action on a couple of the saddles. The neck was like an archers bow an arrow and wouldn't simply straighten out and it was warped. The action up the top of the neck was to high causing me to get my fingers stuck under multiple strings and not get proper clarity or definition. And the nut wasn't cut straight at all.

The guitar never ever stayed in tune either which was a nightmare, one string bend or pinch harmonic and the tuning went way out.

The knobs crackled and were filled with dust. The pickups were ok but the playability steered my thought away. The feel of the neck was the nicest part shame I couldn't play the thing properly to experience it.

Awful guitar and a waste of money on my behalf.

Typical starter 7 string

I bought this guitar to 'dip a toe' with 7 strings as I didn't want to spend a fortune on something I might eventually not like.

The guitar came pretty well set up from the factory, the action was OK, nothing to complain about there.

Quality wise, the guitar had certain flaws but they're kinda expected at this price range (frets, fretboard, nut) - luckily for me nothing I couldn't take care of myself but things is even at this price range I should not need to do anything like that in the first place. Having seen other guitars from the same line my guess is I just got a bit unlucky there and got a flawed piece. Props to customer service as they offered me to deal with the issue but I simply didn't have the time to be bothered with returning the git.

Sound is a bit thin, the pickups will definitely need to be replaced at some stage, but that's true for more expensive guitars as well.

All in all, a value-for-money instrument. IMO good for starters. Hard to beat at this price.

Excellent guitar.

I would hands down recommend this guitar to anyone who is looking to cut theirteeth and try out 7 string. Not just because it is an excellent guitar, but because the price sits right in the pocket of what some people can afford. Here quality is definately not overlooked, as soon as I unpacked the guitar, it felt like i was playing a guitar kin to the sort that was made by one of the major brands. Hands down I'll be buying Harley Benton guitars again.

Wasn't expecting this...

First things first, I am not in anyway a "good" guitar player. I'm a bass player for close to 10 years so this is my first time picking up one this creatures.

I went straight to a 7 string mainly for the fact that I write alot of stuff on my 5 string bass in drop A, so obviously I need a guitar that good manage that without busting the bank. And oh boy this didn't disappointment!

The guitar arrived within 2 days (Germany to UK) well package and perfectly set up straight from the box! No need to do any changes what so ever, which is nice for obvious reasons.

Sound wise. I use this guitar through BIAS on my macbook or ipad and I can get any tone I want with it, from heavy djent through to funk and then to smooth blues without a problem.

It plays like a dream no over hanging frets no un-even frets no nothing which is amazing.

I highly recommend this guitar anyone no what their experience is, its cheap, its sounds great what more do you people need to know? Haha.

Haven't been this impressed with a guitar for a long time...

The guitar essentially feels and looks like a virgin guitar. Never been touched by other human hands with a very smooth finish and nice feel. Did I really only pay this little for this guitar?

The guitar arrived in standard tuning, almost perfectly by my surprise. The strings are great. Intonation is fine. The build and all visual aspects exceeded my expectations.

After plugging in the guitar to my Line 6 Spider IV, it became clear that my typical distortion sound needed some modifying for this guitar. After changing some EQ settings and using a combination of overdrive, distortion and reverb, I reached an acceptable sound.

I have to say, I first bought this guitar with the intention of putting high quality pickups in order to save money. At the moment, I feel ever so reluctant to do anything to this guitar, as it feels so great and the pickups really aren't that bad.

For a beginner to 7 strings or even guitar, this would have to be the perfect guitar, for its amazing design, decent sound and unbelievable price. For more experienced guitarists, I still recommend this guitar, as it has so much potential that has yet to be explored, and, if you decide to change the pickups, you can turn this guitar into anything you want it to be.

This was the first 7-string i bought. It's a great guitar to start off on getting used to that extra string. All I can say is it's a bit on the heavy side. otherwise I've had this guitar for 2 years and it's still in perfect condition.

Wauw!

For the price this guitar is no less than fantastic! Even if it was more expensive it would be a good buy. The finish and overall quality of the guitar is really good - as good as guitars much more expensive. The only complaint that I have, is that the pick ups arent so much of a high input pair - but not low either. Have been playing on it for several months now, and i really love it.

The neck is super nice too, and fairly slim - not Ibanez Wizard III slim.

The intonation is pretty far off though, but that you can fix at home, so not really a complaint.

Astonishing quality for the price

I've bought a fair few Harley Benton products now and regret buying none of them. They've all been of very high quality and in this case you couldn't even build this for the price they're asking. Crazy !

I had to lower the action a TINY bit, about 1mm, but that's personal preference. It arrived totally playable and with no fret buzz or setup problems. Intonation is perfect, all the hardware functions well with no crackles or glitches and the knobs and toggle switch are smooth yet precise.

Finish on the guitar is really nice, it's simplistic but for a "black" guitar there's nothing wrong with it. Nice shine to it and easy to keep clean. Tuning heads keep their tune and don't slip out.

Pickups sound good both distorted and clean, with a nice deep tone for rhythm and a more biting sound for the treble. No crackles when switching and the delineation between the sound is clear.

If you're looking to get into playing a 7 string guitar then I would recommend this wholeheartedly. The neck may not quite be as "fast" as an Ibanez (it's a little deeper) BUT that's a really, really minor quibble considering that getting a playable 7 String Gem would cost you about £600 at LEAST. I was playing this for a long time "out the box" before I changed the action a little and it was fine, it's just a matter of preference as to your playing style but the tool is provided to change the action should you desire and the bridge being how it is means it's easy to setup.

Also, worthy of note, this guitar has a fixed bridge which makes it really helpful for beginners as the traditional tuning/intonation problems that can befall people unfamiliar with floating/tremelo setups are not part of the equation here. I purposefully bought this mainly because of this. Even though I've played guitar for 20+ years I haven't had a Floyd Rose or equivalent for a long time as I just find them irksome.

I'm now considering buying the 6 string version also, just as another "fun" guitar as, for the price, these are just crazy good value.

For a beginner to 7 string, as I've said before, I would fully recommend this there's no need to spend more and for people familiar with 7 strings I would also say that it's a great guitar. I did mention earlier that the neck is a little deeper than an Ibanez but that doesn't mean this is a "slow" guitar, I've been playing loads of crazy death metal riffs on it and it really suits that sort of play. The slight increase in neck depth almost makes playing it feel more weighty and, well, "heavy" ;-)

No quibbles here, this is a steal and represents yet more high quality/low price value from Harley Benton.

Extremely good for any enthusiast

Expecting low quality product, judging by the price, I WAS SHOCKED!

This thing is heavy as a wide load, solid as a rock and made with one purpose - to fall in love!

Nice, thick body with great contours and surprisingly - PERFECT finish. No flaws with laquer job.

Solid neck, thick enough for transfering great sound overall, thin enough to get your arm around for any chord you wish. It is one piece, but it has great lines that make me confident it won't bend over time in a bad direction.

After seeing that the woodwork and the "outside" job was done greatly I expected to find electronics bad. I was wrong, the switch is solid, doesn't make noise and the pickups are really defining their positions. Even though they are not the best, they do their job properly.

Volume and tone pot are acessible and turn without much effort, feels just right!

Pros: Cheap 7 string with excellent woodwork, great neck feel

Con: Nut is a bit weirdly made, kinda wide slots for thin strings. Makes it go off tune after some hard play or a few days sitting.

Harley Benton R-457 BK Progressiv Series

So i bought this 7-string nearly two years ago and was my first Harley Benton Guitar and to be honest i was really sceptical at first Because of the low price.However i was very wrong.

This guitar was playable right out of the box.There was no fret buzz, unnecessary high action or stuff like that, and the neck is really comfortable.

The finish is impeccable and while basswood may not be pricey or heavy as mahogany, still sounds pretty decent.

I've Been using this guitar almost 4-5 days per week and never had any problem with the knobs or pickup switch, and it holds tuning perfectly.

Sound wise this guitar isn't bad either, it has a clear and rich tone that make even single notes sound "big".I've had more expensive guitars that sound just as good.

I highly recommend this guitar to any guitar player who wants to buy his/her first 7-string.

A good cheap guitar, a good start for a custom project

The guitarbody is lightweight and pretty robbyst!

but the pickups and tuningscrews are subject for change, with hard playing the strings could easily get out of tune and the pick ups make a slightly muddy distortion sound.

All in all, a good newbie guitar that you could upgrade whilst expanding your skills.

Great guitar for a steal

The guitar looks way above its price range, it's in a great looking piano black with matte black hardware, a really striking appearance. The neck feels fantastic really smooth and fast, also feels nice and thin despite the extra string. Feels well built overall, and sounds fantastic, definitely recommended for a first or cheap seven string

Great for the price!

The build quality of this guitar is brilliant. I'm quite impressed! You expect a guitar at this price range to be extremely substandard but I can say this definitely isn't the case here!

Where do I start. Well maybe first I should start with the only bad point I have found. The quality of the pickups is not great. The sound is fairly muffled. I found that changing to my trusty Elixir strings helped a little. The other problem with the pickups is the amount the sequel. It's like the sort of feedback you get from a stratocaster. The volume knob doesn't really solve this problem either. I will say though I am facing my amp and I haven't gigged it yet.

I could go on and on though about how good it feels to play. The action is smooth, the components are of a good quality, it feels solid. It's just a good guitar for the price. I have had Gibsons and Fenders and I can honestly say it plays better than some of them.

H.B. R-457 BK

I ordered this guitar to try out a 7 string and at the price had nothing to lose.

The construction is of a standard you would expect in a 400euro guitar.

The guitar was easy to setup. tuning stability is not the best however

for 125euro its okay. Pickups are usable. In all a very good purchase,

for a beginner to 7 strings. If I decide to take it on further I will buy a

more refined instrument but this is a stepping stone and does the job just fine.

awesome 7 stringer for the price range

As a first time 7 string user i was very worried that if i buy a 7 string guitar i might not play well to use the instrument and may be after i would not like it at all and at the end just a waste of money, so i decided and was eager to look a cheaper brand just for the sake of myself being a first timer on the 7's,I looked for brands such as ibanez and esp's... their respective price's was good though one guitar the Harley Benton R-457 caught my eye, the guitar looked very good with a cheaper price tag rather than those famous brand of guitar,so first i read some reviews and specs and so from there on i didn't hesitate to think of purchasing the item. together with my band mate we both purchased this guitar and when it arrived we immediately jammed with it with our band, we were surprised the guitar was good to handle, the action was good the tone was nice the neck was superb, it's quite shocking for this guitar for the price that it was built very nice, we agreed that we will use these on shows, but the stock pick-up's was not good but not bad also, starting to think of purchasing some dimarzio or saymour's for upgrade. would recommend these guitars for first timers on the 7th dimension.

Best £100 I have ever spent on a guitar.

You cannot find a better quality guitar for £100, let alone a 7 string. The pickups are very good. The knobs have a nice resistance so they cant accidentally turn down while your playing. There is barely any static coming off the guitar when the volumes up and it isn't being played. The fret board is very nice. The best feature I would say is how easy it is to pinch harmonic practically every note. The only thing I think would of made this guitar better is to of put in a bridge with a whammy bar in. But saying this I literally could not care any less. THIS AXE IS FROM ZEUS HIMSELF. YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED LIKE ME :) ! ( I play metal genre... )

7 strings for a VERY reasonable price

Less than ? 200 for a 7-string guitar? It's like a joke, but it's a serious tool for your money. The guitar is made of natural wood! For an unsophisticated guitar player, the guitar looks stern, beautiful.

This guitar was used for heavy music, such as post-metal, sludge, and coped very well.

Weakness is the head of the machine. I would also like to note the complexity of setting the scale in a lower setting - it's better to play in a standard scale (EADGBE).

The neck is thin (for me), quite comfortable, the frets are made well.

The sound of "native" pickups seemed dry, there was a lack of sustain. Clean sound is not very impressive, but someone might like it. For the sound can be put from 3 to 5 points - this concept is subjective.

Overall, an excellent tool for your money, given the prices in my home country. If you replace the pickups with something more serious, then the guitar will sound in a new way.

Cheap, yet surprisingly good sound.

I bought this guitar thinking that I would use it mainly to try out 7 string and also to have a cheap guitar always available in our rehearsal studio (that I did not really care if it got broken due to temperature changes).

I picked up the guitar and brought it home to my home studio before bringing it to the rehearsal studio, and of course I felt the need to unpack it and to at least try it out!

Instantly I fell in love with the feel of the guitar acoustics and felt that I had to try it out with an amp.

So I connected it to my computer and just listened to the clean sound from the microphones, and I thought that for the price of the guitar it actually delivered a fairly good and acceptable sound.

I then started up Guitar Rig 5 and tried out some different amp's, distortions and other effects and once again I was surprised at what I heard.

For the price of the guitar and how it delivers, it is absolutely something that I would recommend for beginners and also for professionals looking for a guitar to use in a studio or equal.

How it handles on the road I cannot express myself about, but I can imagine that it will do pretty much alright.

So, as a conclusion.

Definitely a price worthy guitar that delivers a fairly good sound for the money spent.

Good work!

Excellent value-for-money

I bought this guitar to get a feel for seven-string guitars and my first impression has been very positive. Considering the price I didn't expect too much but I don't like to waste my money on garbage either so I did have certain expectations on assembly and tuning stability. Now that the guitar has arrived I am happy to discover that it exceeds my expectations. Intonation and tuning stability is good. The neck-joint is flawless and string height is very good. The neck was comfortable and overall it feels like an easy-to-play instrument. There were som minor cosmetic imperfections on the paint job. The pickups aren't excellent but work well. I consider this guitar excellent value-for-money.

Harley Benton R456Bk

Fantastic guitar. Bought to get a feel for seven strings, very impressed. Playability is fantastic and the neck width and depth feels perfect. Tone suprisingly good for a cheap guitar such as this.