Harley Benton ST-62 BK Vintage Series Reviews

Really Impressed!

I ordered the ST-62 based on a number of reviews i had seen on the web. I expected to receive a decent guitar which would probably require a certain amount of setup and adjustment to turn it into a playable instrument, boy was I wrong.

The guitar was perfectly playable straight out of the box, just needed tuning!

Setup was almost spot on.

No issues with body, neck or fretwork.

For €111 this represents amazing value, it plays really well and sound great.

If I have a criticism it's the protective plastic on the scratchplate, really annoying to remove.

Only question is which colour to order next time!

Highly recommended.

Consistent Quality = Great Value

My grandson was so impressed with my sunburst ST-62 that we ordered one for him. Just like mine, the guitar arrived in excellent condition without any shipping damage. As it turned out it required only a minor setup procedure (no truss rod adjustment was necessary). Please note that these guitars ship with the tremolo locked down so be sure to adjust the springs (or not should you prefer a hard tail setup) before intonating it. This is a solid, well-balanced guitar. The fit was almost perfect having a slight warp in the pick guard causing a minor gap with the body. As for the finish it was spotless. The color of the maple neck unlike the Squier's almost white-look, is a rich, seasoned brownish yellow. The only downside to the black body is that it shows fingerprints, smears, etc., but that is the nature of 'black'. However, I liked it so much that I almost wished I had ordered one instead of sunburst. My grandson reports that there is no comparison to his Fender Squier. According to him the feel and sound of the ST-62 blows the Squier away for the same price! The Wilkinson pickups deliver a richer, hotter sound than the Squier which now has become 'wall art'.

ASTONISHED :)

Honestly, I don't really know how this is possible. I bought this as an alternative to using my Fender American Strat in certain situations, but primarily as a project guitar that I can pull apart and upgrade over the next few years. My original plan was to replace the pickups and machine heads, based on my assumption that it couldn't possibly be decent at this price point. Having received it, let it settle for a few days and having had a good look over it, I have to admit that it is such a brilliant buy. I used it live last night for the first time and everyone was amazed at the tone and the fit and finish. The neck feels great (still going to sand the lacquer off though) and it held its tune on a par with the other more expensive guitars on stage. Honestly, this is the ideal guitar for everyone - a brilliant starter guitar (for the same price as the 'Rockwood' I bought over 20 years ago) and an excellent backup/base for a project. I suspect that i'll be buying more of these :)

Good for the money

This guitar is good for the money, It plays surprisingly well out of the box with a reasonably low action. The nut in particular has been cut properly - this is often a problem area in budget guitars.

However it is rather narrow at the nut (41mm) which is less than a real stratocaster and most other guitars.

Sound wise although it bears a passing resemblance to a Strat. it is a bit thin with only the neck PU being really usable.

This would be a good starter guitar for someone with small fingers.