Harley Benton TE-80 NT Deluxe Series Reviews

Decent for the price...

This is a stunning looking guitar. First thing I did was to replace the tuners with Harley Benton locking tuners (which weren't that great - regretted doing this). So I can't speak to the quality of the original tuners. Next thing I did was replace the volume pot. Strangely my guitar came with 500k volume pot which is not normal for single coil pickups. Sounded way too bright. With a 250k volume pot, the guitar sounded very nice. Overall build quality is very good. A little disappointed with how the ferrules were in stalled. Some were flush with the wood, some were pushed into the wood. That kept the quality rating to 4 instead of 5 stars. Overall I am happy with the guitar.

Didn't believe it would be this good

I had read plenty of reviews about this guitar and didn't really believe the guitar could be as good as what people were saying. Some even said they play this instead of guitars worth thousands. Yeah right!

Yeah, right.

I normally play a 90's Gibson Les Paul but wanted something with a different sound - either a Strat or Tele. This guitar got my interest because a) it looked amazingly cool, and b) it had 2 single coils. I hadn't played a "cheap" guitar for years but remembered them being very difficult to play, with taught strings, or with a really high action, bad tuners, crappy sound - that sort of thing.

I can barely believe how good this guitar is for £160. I'm boring my wife to death with telling her.

It's really easy to play, and nicely set up, although the action could definitely be lower around the 12 fret. The sound is absolutely brilliant, a real joy to hear. I am so pleased with the quality of the sound. It's got great twang and is fantastic for rhythm or lead. I've been playing almost exclusively with a clean tone.

Some people have mentioned the weight of the guitar - and it is heavy, although as I said I play a 90s Les Paul usually so it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Finish is as per the photos on this site - absolutely stunning.

Some of the fret ends could do with filing down but it doesn't bother me and apparently that's really easy to fix.

In short, the playability, look and sound of the guitar are fantastic, and absolutely jaw dropping for this low price.

And... it's true - I haven't played my Les Paul since getting this guitar. :)

I have played guitar for many years and i have a bunch of guitars. I bought the harley te 80 because i read some good reviews about it and i can gladely recommend it after some minor adjustment i think it works just fine nice fretwork nice neck sounds nice overall a god guitar absolutely

Super-fun surprise

I have guitars at every price range, but still love to try out the Harley Bentons from time-to-time. They're always worth the money, but this one was next-level great. It has become one of my favorite guitars to play. It sounds great. Plays great. Looks cool. Weighs a frickin' ton. But still is a guitar a turn to more than some of my guitars that cost more $3,000. If you're looking for something fun that pays tribute to one of the world's greatest modern guitarists, this is the instrument. It's way better than most of the guitars you'll find hanging on the wall at a guitar shop that cost three or four times more.

A piece of art that sounds great. Buy it.

I love this guitar. I have a G&L Asat Classic and this is built just as well. I'm not going to write a 23 paragraph opus but I will say that sure, you could upgrade the tuners and pots... heck you could upgrade all of the hardware if you really wanted to and even the pickups if you were so driven. In the end you would have a top flight tele that looks like nothing Fender or G&L has ever produced for a fraction of the price.

As it sits the only thing I might upgrade is the tuners. Maybe. I've already recorded with it as is and it sounds amazing. Warm when its supposed to be, bright and big when its supposed to be. I will never understand people who want to rip out pickups and put in their favorite high dollar brands in every guitar they buy. Do that and they will all end up sounding alike. These Roswells sound just fine to me; great actually.

The wood is gorgeous, the neck has no fret issues at all. Anyone who complains about intonation/action/pickup heights on a new guitar is wasting your time. You have to set your guitar the way you like it ANY time you get a new guitar. I had NO issues with how this guitar came to me. It was intonated and played like a gem out of the box. And if I want it 100% my way I'll make that happen, as I do with all of my guitars. I absolutely recommend this guitar!

I am Japanese, I missed buying H.S.Anderson 40 years ago.

At that time, a guitar that cost the same as my starting salary was an H.S.Anderson. I wanted one, but I couldn't afford it.

This guitar reminds me of it. The high end sound is the same. It's a bit hard for me to handle now and I think I'll change the pickups, but I'll try to remember how I felt then and play Prince.

So Xcited

I was very hopeful after researching this guitar. I wanted to get one so bad. I am happy to report that I was stunned at how great this guitar was. in all aspects. Great finish on it, nice set up, awesome sound, smooth playability and very well made. my only complaint would be the pick guard. I doesn't look any thing like the one Prince had on his. That should be and easy fix. don't be afraid to order it.

Very nice project guitar

Normally I don't buy guitars online. I want to feel and hear the guitar before I buy it. So in this case I made an exception and went for it. No regrets. At this price, a very beautiful and nice sounding guitar. Is it perfect ? No. Value for money ? Yes !

Planning to experiment with it and make some changes. Playability and tuning will be the first things to handle.

4 stars considering the price.

TE-80 NT Deluxe Series worth the wait!

This is simply an exquisite guitar, I went on a guitar buying spree a few months back and this arrival has impressed me the most, it is just beautifully made, if you are browsing the website wondering whether its worth getting then I can assure you that It is, with some minor adjustments, and a few tweaks this guitar turns int a high end instrument, I wont be buying from another manufacturer going forward.

Definitely a telecaster that looks like Prince's guitar. Great look. Good sound - tuners? Ehh.

I got this one about six months ago. I've changed the strings, and done a few review videos of it. It's not my go-to guitar, but it's definitely my funk guitar. It's got the spank, the pickups are great, the neck is decent. The tuners are the weakest link right now.

got what I wanted

was very happy with what I got for this price. I just needed a guitar to turn it into a MIDI guitar and therefore I cared only about ergonomy and handling. I cannot really judge the sound. Very happy with string/neck distance, plays smoothly.

Only complaints are sharp frets and uneven stripe down the back. I think more recent models may have corrected that issue. I threw on a pickguard that makes it look like Prince's guitar and was all set all in all a great guitar for the price.

about harley benton te 80 nt deluxe series

this is best tele in this price i found. Ash body , alnico pickups and good hardware. I changed the saddles for stainless steel and strings for 9- 42 beacuse i like it personally but it;s really good guitar in original hardware too.

Solid Guitar For the Money

I've had this guitar for a years now and I think it sounds really good, bright and warm, I think they have different pick-ups now, mine were Wilkinsons. I was a bit disappointed with the flame finish as on my guitar it does not look finished and there are two areas of dark areas of dense varnish or lacquer and the flame is quite minimal. Although this does make the guitar look a little more like Prince's worn Madcats. The neck is also slightly out of line with the body but only noticeable upon close inspection. The frets needed dressing and I also replaced the machine heads and bridge for Gotoh parts. I also bought a scratchplate and bridge scrathplate set. The nut isn't great and I will replace soon. I didn't bother to report this when I got the guitar and I did buy this guitar expecting to to replace parts. I have used it for loads of rehearsals and some gigs (after my alterations) and it has been really solid and as I said above it sounds great and let's be honest, they are very inexpensive.

Seriously impressed

I'm surprised at how well this guitar is put together. Everything about it is of a much higher quality than anything I've bought from any other major guitar manufacturer that cost less than $1000. The neck pickup is everything I'd want from a t-style neck pickup. My only quibble at all (and it is minor) is that the bridge pickup doesn't have quite as much chime as I'd like. That said, I haven't adjusted the pickup height yet. One thing is for sure: both pickups take gain REALLY well. Lots of bass without being boomy, and plenty of midrange definition. One more thing: the fretwork is exquisite; I cannot stress this enough. Just perfect.

Many folks like to compare this to the Squier Classic Vibe Tele. To me, there's no contest, as this is a better guitar all around without even factoring cost into the comparison.

I will buy more HB guitars.

Much better than expected

Arrived in the UK in less than a week. I bought it to play a couple of songs with dropped D tuning but it plays so well I'm playing most things on it. I had expected to have to set it up but the only thing it needed was tuning, although I also lowered the action.

This guitar has a great solid feel and looks as good as the one in the photos ... I can't find any blemishes in the finish. The three position switch give plenty of versatility as far as sound goes and it's not thin sounding like a lot of cheap guitars with single coil pickups.

Awesome Guitar!

This is my second HB guitar purchase, both guitars have exceeded my expectations for the price! The only flaw I found was the high e string tuning key was mounted slightly off. I love the tone and playability of this guitar!

Unbelievable

I received the guitar today and checked it out then played it. Only needed a little tuning but otherwise the set up was great. I can't believe the sound and quality for this price. I will surely buy another.

Great Guitar

The guitar sounds and plays great. I love the tele look and feels. If you are a Prince fan this guitar is a must for you.

The guitar is gorgeous!

Sorry for my english.

The guitar is gorgeous! Despite the fact that I have Gibson LP Custom Shop, I have PRS Custom 24, this guitar looks and sounds very nice.

Cosmetically, the guitar is perfect. The only thing, over time, I’ll probably change the pickups, so these are a little quiet in my opinion. The neck is comfortable, the tuners keeps excellent. Out of the box it was gorgeous tuned, the strings are low and they don't ring anywhere.