Harley Benton RB-600CS Classic Series Reviews

Quite pleased with this product

It caught my eye because of its similarity to a very expensive American made guitar that starts with an R, but with a smaller, yet very comfortable body. Fine out of the box; I just put my favorite strings on it and lowered the action a bit, not that it was too high at first. I love the neck, which is about Fender 9.5 C shape and size, comfortable for my smaller hand and shorter fingers. Tuners are fine, as it all the rest of the hardware. The volume and tone knobs and perhaps the pots are not the most precise for fine tuning, but I can work with them. It is fun to play and I love the looks. I hope soon to pull the string on an acoustic that I've had my eyes on. I recommend it.

Rickenbacker on a Budget

This guitar looked interesting (a Rickenbacker style guitar at a fraction of the price).

As usual the guitar arrived promptly and was well packed.

Out of the box this guitar probably wasn't as instantly to my liking (in terms of playability) as other Harley Benton guitars have been. I did have to spend a bit of time setting this guitar up. Having spent a bit of time working on the set up I can't honestly say that I am still happy wit things.

The guitar sounds ok, but not that special. So I'm a little disappointed I guess. However, this isn't a bad guitar. You have to consider the price. The guitar is a lovely size and feels very comfortable to hold. Nicely styled. I am just not that impressed with the tonal range and variation in pick ups. All things considered I will keep the guitar and maybe change the pick ups at some point.

Having bought a couple of other Harely Benton Guitars I had no hesitation in making another purchase. The Harley Benton guitars are excellent value for money, well made and very playable. The only fault I ever find with them is that they all (all the models I have purchased) have minor cosmetic flaws. The finish is never quite perfect.

A Guitar With 60's Cool - Something You Don't Find Everyday!

First Impressions

This beautiful looking Mahogany guitar is very light so it is easy to carry around with you and play gigs. The Mahogany wood is shown off to it best advantage by the cherry sunburst finish. My guitar has a flaw in the wood, not the finish but since it gives it personality and I am happy with that.

Influences

Guitar based on Rickenbacker designs are nickname "Rickenfakers". This guitar is not based on any one model but rather combines style elements from different models to create something new. The body shape is similar to the Rickie 600 series.

Set Up

Most of the strings were off the bridges, I didn't notice this at first because of the covered Rickie style bridge cover. The guitar has a low action. There is some fret buzz on the 5th and 4th strings at the first fret. I need to adjust the intonation on my guitar but I don't have a small enough spanner.

The control plate is covered with a protective plastic covering. unfortunately the plastic covering the lower plate cannot be completely removed without unscrewing the top plate. When I unscrewed the plate, expecting to separate them, I found that they were stuck together, curious.

Sound

This guitar wants you to play arpeggios in a lead and rhythm style that sorts certain type of songs. I have such a song I wrote called "Long Long Road" from my album "Mistress Of the Moon". The Rb600 fits this style of song perfectly and this will be my live guitar for this song from now on.

Techniques

Apply a little pressure to the floating tailpiece for some vibrato. It is also possible to create "behind the nut bends".

Something Just a Little Different

What a great little guitar! When I pulled it out of the box it was smaller than I expected. Not small mind you - but smaller than I expected. To be honest I love the size and I have to say it's comfortable in the hand and around your neck or sitting on your knee.

The inspired body shape is just a little different than the endless stacks of LP and Strat clones and so - a breath of fresh air. The combination of mahogany body, top, and maple neck add to the sound and the fit and finish are really first rate. The neck feels like a C profile - not to skinny and not too thick. The rosewood fretboard and has dot markers and decently sized well dressed frets. The tuners are on the small side but seem to get the job done Without fuss or bother.

The electrics seem fine though perhaps just a bit lightweight. The pickups have a hint of the old school sound and shimmer and work great clean or with some gain. They are lower output - but hey - that's what amps are for right? Right.

All in all this is a wonderful guitar and a great price so I say why not give something just a little different a try.