Harley Benton SC-400 SBK Vintage Series Reviews

Surprising silk black beauty

I read a lot of reviews and tests because I really liked HB’s cheap LP series. I was a little afraid that his voice or design might not be good enough because I’ve only played Fender and other similar mid-range instruments in the last couple of years. I have been playing electric guitars for over 15 years.

At first I wanted a gold color but finally, since there was no black I ordered. I ordered it on Friday, it was sent on Saturday, it was already here at noon on Wednesday.

When I unpacked and tried it, all my fears are gone! :) This matte black paint looks very good and the design of the guitar is flawless. The neck is straight, the frets are nicely polished, they don't hang out and they are polished, better than my Squier CV 60 custom Telecaster, which cost three times as much! The fretboard looks good and you like it to the touch. The switch and knobbs working fine. The only non-quality detail is the white scratch plate, which is slightly but not dangerous and easy to remove. :)

The design of the whole guitar is well beyond the price in my opinion, the instruments that cost twice as much are similar.

I think the pickups sound good, much better than one would expect in this price range! :) Only ceramic pickups but I think they are very good, it won't deter anyone from buying! :) The factory set-up near perfect out of the box, just a little bit high but very good playable.

The factory strings are not very good, they need to be replaced but after that the guitar is a gift for so much money because it sounds good, looks good and the price is very good! Absolutely recommended!

the price-quality ratio is not bad

The painting of the guitar is good, the neck is smooth, the anchor is working,

the guitar frets do not scratch but are not polished.

the pickups are microphones.

The soldering of the electronics is very bad and is not shielded.

Perhaps I came across such an instance.

If you can fix all the flaws yourself, then you can buy.

For the price...

Like a lot of other reviews I think this is a hard guitar to beat, for the price. I bought it to use at home and as a back-up third guitar for gigs. I'm playing 17 years and play everything from rock, blues, country, pop and everything in between. I've owned many guitars over that time and this is hands-down (for the price) the best value. Genuinely.

I've had it around 3 months and it gets played regularly. Overall the guitar sounds very good. I was going to swap out the pickups at some stage but honestly don't think I'll bother, Neck & Bridge pickups both sound fantastic as they are.

I will be changing out the tuners though. The factory ones feel a bit flimsy, as if a turn too quick and they might snap off in your hand. But this is a minor job and personal preference.

Out of the box the intonation was near perfect but there was a nasty fret buzz on the E & A strings all the way up the fretboard. Nothing that wasn't fixable handy enough, again a small job. Strange as it sounds, this wouldn't be a terrible thing if you're not used to fixing these kinds of issues as it is good practice.

Tuning stability is good, generally doesn't fall out of tune like I was expecting it to, given the price tag

The best thing about the SC400, by some distance, is the finish. The matte black is simply beautiful. There was no blemishes or scratches on mine. It's not out of place beside my other guitars on the rack.

If you're looking for a guitar that looks the part and can back it up (after a little bit of a setup) and you don't have the budget for a Custom Shop, its very hard to argue against the HB SC400. If you're just starting out and not sure if you'll keep up playing, it's a great choice. If you're a seasoned veteran and need a backup for gigs or recording or just jamming at home, it's still a great choice

Pros:

The matte finish

Pickups are fantastic

The price!

Versatility

Great for beginners and veterans alike

Good for modding (if that's your thing)

Cons:

Tuners feel flimsy, will be swapping them out

Arrived with nasty fret buzz on E & A strings

Heavy and powerful

Gonna use this guitar at home. It's kinda heavy so you'd better find a good strap.

My first ever guitar.

And I can't believe that you can get such an instrument for that kind of money. Obviously, I don't have much to compare with. But still. This is why I really couldn't find a reason not to begin practising. Amazing. Love it.

Bought as first guitar

Sounds okay and no major problems.

Some problems with build quality:

Some jagged edges, especially on frets.

One tone control came completely loose in its socket.

Overall decent guitar for the price.

Not an expensive guitar of good quality Harley Benton SC-400 SBK

Usage: Home music making, amateur group.

Good quality and price guitar. It's comfortable to play. I liked the beveled lower part (heel) of the neck very much, it is convenient to play after the 17th fret. Nice (vintage) matte black body and fingerboard. You can play right after unpacking. The frets are even, the neck is straight. The guitar is well done. The pickups produce quite normal sound, the difference with premium pickups can be noticed when playing through a tube combo, but most amateurs play through a guitar processor and guitar emulators (where you can wind any sound) or a transistor combo.

among the disadvantages: The switch switches too noisily

Modifications: I immediately lowered the strings, grinding off the fretboard nut, and slightly polished the ends of the frets with a file, changed the Harley Benton strings 0.010 - 0.046 to Elixir Nanoweb Light 0.010 - 0.046.

Even with the cost of delivery, tools on THOOMAN are much cheaper than ours in Russia. Delivery is very fast, managers are sociable.

good for beginner

my first guitar. its a good price for beginners. you really dont need to spend more than this to know whether you are going to like playing guitar. good for learning all the basics and intermediate stuff as well.

Sounds great

Plays amazing for the price great tone on every set up

One issue was the D string snapped after 2 tunings (I played my fave song) then went to tune to the normal E A D G B Eandthats when it broke so it barely lasted 4 hours but before that it was amazing

Nice guitar, with some (minor) issues

Guitar is sold and put together ok for the price. One thing I noticed are the sharp edges of the fret. Moving your hand on the neck felt quite uncomfortable and I had to use a file to smoothen the fret edges

Great little beast

This is a non guitarist review, so I might not represent the qualities that most guitarists value. I actually play drums, but I always wanted me a LP, so in the first quarantine I bougth this little gem. Beatiful, very well built, great neck feel, very good sound and above all so affordable, it is just what I wanted to get through the days. Also, the guitarists that have played with my SC-400 were really impressed by it! For me, the only downfall is that it is easily detuned, which is such a minor con for a guy who plays indoors for only a couple of hours.

I am happy. lol. Gut.

Nice guitare

Very nice made for the price, the sound it's good, only the last string vibrates a bit strange, probably will be better after replacement...

On and on the guitar is great I like it very much!

Great guitar to (re)start!

I bought this guitar for home practice after a long break from music.

It is definitely a great choice to start or get back in the game.

Pro: sound quality and good controls.

Con: some cheap plastic here and there plus you should change the chords it comes with.

Overall it is definitely a great deal and I would buy it again as the price-quality ratio is very good.

Stealth Classic

Pro: Matte black finish is so nice and with a swap of the tuners to a black version it looks even better. Set up was great, no fret sprouting. Inlay work is all fine and no dead frets.

Cons: Tuning keys feel cheap but swapped them out with some black ones that are a bit better. Pickup toggle switch seems a bit loose but seems to function without falling out of selection. The nut seems a little rough and is plastic but seems to function fine.

Overall: The bridge seems to be a standard setup and functions fine. The finish is nice, no binding but that's fine with me. Fret work was fine out of the box, no sprouting and no dead frets. The action isn't the lowest but is completely playable. Overall I would totally buy again and recommend to anyone either starting out of looking for a solid second, third, fourth or fifth guitar to add to the collection.

Is unfair for this price put less than 5 start i have for 2 years and i enjoyed a lot, i keep like the first day only i changed the pickguforard for one black, maybe in the future I gonna change something more but for now im very happy!

Ir arrived intact, no scratch mark. The action was a little high and the intonation a bit off but i solved that in 20 minutes. The guitar sounds great, unexpectedly good for the price. I have 2 or 3 high frets but will file then down. Totally worth the money. Ah, and it looks GREAT! The black satin matte finish is absolutely beautiful.

Simply amazing

I had low expectations but this is something else... Well done to whole service always being helpful to their customers

Excellent electric guitar for this money

I have been playing acoustic and electric guitars for a few years.

This guitar is really worth its money and is better than entry level Epiphone guitars.

Came well set up right out of the box, very playable and with excellent sound. Useful for variety of playing sounds!

No real cons, can't beat it for this price.

Best LP Clone I have ever dealt with.

I couldn't be happier with the decision of ordering this guitar from Germany and having to wait a month for shipping!!!

For 148$USD i received a pristine matte black Single Cut that plays, looks, and sounds JUST LIKE the Original that costs literally 10 times as much.

I totally expected to get a half-decent body and then have to spend the money on new knobs, tuners, and pickup; just to make up the difference and have something playable. Damn was I wrong on all accounts.

My guitar as all of the craftsmanship, AAA finish, tone, and overall playability that I could ever ask for and at a fraction of the cost.