Harley Benton TE-62DB LPB 5-stars Reviews

Great value

Easy transaction, this took just a week to arrive to the UK and came double-boxed with plenty of packing. Opened it up with some trepidation, as you do, but nothing to be worried about. Finish was perfect, not a mark or blemish anywhere, the metallic blue with cream binding looking very classy.

Tuned up and the action lowered. The neck felt smooth and comfortable, the fret ends slightly 'notchy' but no sprout or sharpness, the frets do feel a little rough and will get a polish. Checked heights with a gauge, no rocking. The neck was pretty straight but will leave until it's acclimatised before seeing if the relief needs a tweek. The laurel fingerboard looks a mid-brown and I thought a bit meh but thinking it might just be dry, I gave it a couple of coats of lemon oil and was pleased it darkened up so I'm happy with the look now. The tuners work fine, smooth and keep the stock D'Addario strings in tune, I certainly don't feel any need to think about changing them. I checked intonation and was pleasantly surprised it was already pretty much right and probably as good as you might expect with a three saddle bridge, just the bottom E slightly sharp.

Plugged into a Vox AC4 and again I was surprised how good a range of sounds could be coaxed from the Roswell alnicos, certainly plenty of Tele Twang. The controls work smoothly, but as some have mentioned, the three-way switch feels rather cheap but does the job.

This is a really nice instrument to play, I also have a Mexican Tele and this compares very favourably, but at a quarter of the price this Harley Benton is outstanding quality. I love it!

Good looking, great sounding at a great value price

I already own a TE52 vintage and I am delighted with it.

My family decided to surprise me with this 62 for my birthday as I was so impressed with it.

The finish is flawless. The double binding makes it look really classy.

It is as some have pointed out, slightly lighter than the pictures show, but that is probably down to the metallic effect of the paint.

The frets are well set and polished. I will lower the action as it is a little high for my taste but it was playable out of the box (after tuning). The tuners are fine. They feel solid and hold the tuning well.

It feels like a totally different playing experience to the 52, which is a good thing.

It is good deal lighter for a start. The neck has a different profile which I suppose makes it feel different in hand. The Roswell pickups are the same as on the 52 , and provide everything from a lovely crisp twang on the bridge, or a full sound on the neck, almost like an acoustic, when used with the tone control. The different wood in the construction must make a difference to the sound because it is different to the Te52 , but not in any bad way.

On clean, through my Fender amp, it sounds great, and playing around with the drive channel allows a more crunchy bluesy feel to it .

The problem now is finding the time to play both of them.

In my review of the Te52 I mentioned how it is far superior to my son’s Squier, something he confirmed, although he was surprised by the difference in weight. The 62 is nearer to the Squier in weight but I still think it leaves it trailing in terms of build quality and sound despite costing less.

I am delighted with it.

*****

Let's be honest, this guitar offers a lot for it's pricetag.

I bought this tele as a not-to-expensive travel-guitar & also a bit out of curiosity.

After one day I'm already used to it's neck (I don't have big hands) + it stays in tune & sounds way better than expected.

The finish is impeccable.

I'll just lower the action a bit and maybe later replace the tuners with lockins, but as for now: I'm very very happy.

Extremely good for the price

This is my fifth Harley Benton, and even with it being the most affordable it was the best out of the box. After a truss rod adjustment the guitar was playing great and action was low. Fit and finish was very good, and especially the roasted neck was super smooth. Frets were polished, fretboard, neck finish and joint were all great. There are a few high frets that might need some attention as I like my action low without any buzz.

PROs:

- Great look and feel, satin neck with a lovely fingerboard

- Decent pickups

- Comfortable saddles and ok intonation

- Well cut nut

- Overall feels great to play and a perfect base for some upgrades

CONs:

- Tuners are very low budget and not smooth at all. Needs an upgrade.

- Three-way switch works fine, but feels flimsy

Regarding the neck shape, it's a modern C but quite wide with a very flat radius. Not the best for thumbs-over playing, but a little extra rolling of the edges will make it extra comfortable I think. The frets are a happy medium size, but I wish they were a little taller. All in all a mind-boggingly good guitar for the price. With a new set of tuners and perhaps an electronic/pickup upgrade you'll have a guitar that'll keep up with anything.

Can't beat the Price to Quality ratio

I bough this with some skepticism in mind but man was it a worthy purchase. Can not believe how good this feels and sounds. The finishing is great, could not find any faults there. Roasted maple neck is very comfortable to play on. Set-up was also not bad, I just had to lower the action a bit to my taste, but that's subjective from player to player.

The only improvement could be the pickup selector, feels a bit flimsy, but works just fine. Also, removing the protective peel/sticker was not an easy task, I still have some small pieces left underneath the bridge pickup and the tone and volume knobs, which I can't seem to take off, I think I might have to open some screws to get them out.

Overall, this guitar would be a clear recommendation from my side. It's hard to believe I got such an amazing instrument for such a low price. It looks incredible and plays very comfortably.

Perfect

The guitar arrived within 1 week to the UK. It is stunning. The fit and finish is excellent, not a mark or scratch anywhere. The frets are really good and highly polished. The action is perfect. No crackly pots. The volume and tone knobs feel great. The tone is gradual,no on off effect you get on some pots. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the guitar. The colour looks great, the neck and head stock looks beautiful, looks like the roasted maple neck I have on another HB, which cost a lot more. The nut is cut beautifully and the tuners feel good as well. I have a HB paisley Tele, and that is quite heavy. The weight on this one is just right. Absolutely over the moon with this one. Highly recommended.