the guitar has a superb flame finish and no bangs or flaws are present. It’s actually a first for me, since all the previous Harley Bentons I bought required some work or at least a small upgrade. Tight out of the box the guitar presented itself spot on perfect. I think it easily weights around 4.5 kg but if you have a solid strap the weight gets distributed. What surprised me the most was the weight on this guitar. The sound is closer to a Stratocaster and the only time it sounds like a telecaster it’s when you play the pickups in the middle position. Personally I found out it sounds nothing to a traditional telecaster but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The Harley Benton TE-80 NT Deluxe Series is not the average Telescater you might expect. and since I got this guitar it's the only one I've played.Īfter trying out various Harley Benton guitars (Sc custom II, Dc600IV, ST62DLX) I had to get a telecaster shape guitar. I own a 59 Gretsch, a 62 Danelectro, an ex Jo Strummer/Kate Korris mid 70's SG, a late 50's Burns Vista sonic and a late 50's Framus Grand Star as well as assorted far eastern hacks. No one will be able to hear the difference at the moment but in a years time they may be less crackly and a bit warmer sounding but unless you buy 2 guitars and set one up with 500k and one with 250k no one would be able to remember any difference.
#Harley benton te 80 nt deluxe series prince tribute full size#
Cap makes no difference at all other than altering the rate of treble cut when the tone control is turned but I am going to try some full size 250k pots because I'm a bit analy retentive. The pots are little 16mm things and I can't see the impedance marked on them but I suspect 500k (I will measure the values when I restring it) and the cap is the cheapest green poly that money can buy.
I have to say at this point that if you want a traditional Tele sound then don't buy this guitar, it is what it is, and that's more of a Tele/Strat hybrid than a Tele. The pickups are Wilkinson Strat type alnico V's which I've never used before, good output, really chimey and give a Stratty-ish quack with the selector switch in the centre position. The frets are fairly level and even (I had a bit of a buzz on the top E string at the 10th fret but a single tap with my fretting hammer cured it completely. Maple with a skunk stripe but it is a 2 piece (separate fretboard) though this makes no difference at all to the tone or playability and from more than 2 feet away you couldn't tell. a bit on the heavy side but it is a solid Ash 2 piece with a maple veneer on the top with a Walnut centre stripe. A bit of internet research seems to indicate that Harley Benton Guitars are made by Saein Guitars who market as Shine but I also have a Harley Benton MS-60 Mustang-ish copy and they don't feel like the same factory to me but really that's just a guess.
I have to say that ideally I'd like to sit down with 10 of 20 of these and compare them. I did 3 years at MANchester College of Arts and Technology so I sort of know what I'm talking about. This is probably the best bang for your buck that I've ever seen, and just so you know, I'm a trained luthier. I'd been thinking about getting one of these for some time, always been a bit of a Prince nut, and spurred on by the total lack of bad reviews I bit the bullet and ordered.
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