Harley Benton TE-20 BK Standard Series

213 ratings

Electric Guitar

Bolt-on neck
Body: Basswood
Neck: Maple
Neck profile: Modern C
Fretboard: Roseacer
Fretboard radius: 350 mm
Dot fretboard inlays
22 Frets
Scale: 648 mm
Nut width: 42 mm
Dual action truss rod
Pickups: 2 TE-style single coils
1 Volume control, 1 tone control
3-Way toggle switch
Hardware: Chrome
Diecast machine heads
Ex-factory stringing: .009 - .042
Colour: High gloss black

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Further information

Colour	Black
Pickups	SS
Fretboard	Roseacer
Tremolo	None
Body	Hardwood
Top	None
Neck	Maple
Frets	21
Scale	648 mm
Incl. Case	No
Incl. Bag	No

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213 customer ratings:

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4.1 / 5.0

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153 written ratings Read all reviews

Nice even if you don't know the price

04.01.2017

Before you run away with any ideas that this is going to be better than a true Fender, it's not. Is it going to be better than a Squier? That's a tougher question. It can't compete with a Classic Vibe for quality, that's for sure, but if you had a choice of the TE-20 and the Standard Telecaster or an Affinity - and you were paying for it yourself - the HB starts to look very attractive.
The TE-20 is a classic T guitar, with two single-coils and simple controls. The black finish is thick but smooth and it looks really nice, especially when you realise that the grubby look of the pick guard is caused by the double layer of polythene film that just needs peeling off.
The neck is a 'C' shape and nice to use. It's very slightly deeper than that of an Affinity, but it's good for beginners and more experienced players alike. The rosewood fingerboard is a little bit coarse but mostly it just needs some lemon oil to rub in. It's not as smooth as a Fender, but then if you are playing chords you won't notice. The fretwork on mine was good, with only a tiny bit of roughness on the edge of a couple of frets. I thought about getting a file out but didn't think it was worth the effort.
The tuners aren't the best. They do work, so if you are on a budget you don't have to replace them, but they are vague and don't have much feel to them. I' bought some OEM Wilkinson tuners (19 pounds and 20 minutes' work) to replace them and they made a world of difference. It's much easier to tune and you know that it's going to stay there - bum notes won't be the guitars fault!
I did replace the string trees with cheap roller guides (3 quid) but even that isn't necessary on a term-free guitar and they look out of place on a tele. The originals did look cheap though.
The strings were fine but you will probably want to replace them with branded items. The other hardware is fine. The pick ups work well and the PUP selector and the vol/tone controls work OK, while never feeling that nice.
The action was pretty good out-of-the-box. I lowered the action a bit at at the bridge and gave it a bit more neck relief, but it was always completely playable.
As for sounds, yes, it plays well. It sounds enough like a tele for most people and can be used to play most genres of music pretty well as the pickups seem to have plenty of 'go' in them. Most people won't gain an awful lot by upgrading them, and they are at least as good as the Squier Affinity at one third the price.
If you are a beginner, you can buy this safe in the knowledge that it will do everything you want a guitar to do, while risking very little cash.
If you are a bit more experienced and just have a bit of credit rattling around you PayPal account, this is a ridiculously good buy - good tone, nice feel and a good basis for modifications.
Seriously, I've had more expensive curries.

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HB TE-20 Black

18.06.2015

Well, where do I start on what is quite possibly the cheapest Telecaster style guitar in the world?

Like many people I was drawn in by the price, and I had a free postage code at the time, so I ploughed online for reviews, including the reviews here and eventually decided to go for the cheapest available (without the sunburst veneer) as I planned to do some work on it, and figured all the models would like have the same basic build quality and features.

I wanted a basswood body, as generally they are resonant, not as heavy as cheap ash, and also would be durable.

When the guitar arrived, it was well packaged, complete with a free cable.

It needed set-up out of the box, but was acceptable and could be used immediately - it was even almost in tune!

There were a few flaws with the guitar (paint run on the back, rough edge on the bridge, some minor imperfections in the paint etc) but Thomas's excellent customer service sorted that out quickly and I am happy with the guitar.

I am planning some new pickups - the bridge pickup is VERY bright compared to quite a dark neck pickup, but it definitely has a telecaster sound. I just want a mellower bridge and a brighter neck. I am also planning to upgrade the electronics, although that is relatively unnecessary. It also has a vintage bridge now fitted (which, with some new holes) screws directly into place and covers the old holes (unlike a Squier Affinity bridge change).

On taking the guitar apart, it well build overall - a bit of rough finishing inside the control cavity but everything is otherwise great. It;s not string through but the guitar rings very well and sustains well. Tuners feels solid and hold well.

The fret work is good although it could use a fret dress and the guitar can be set up basically but overall, it is superb value for money.

This is a budget guitar but certainly not budget feeling. The neck is nice, the instrument is well made and finished, and although the guitar is a 20th of a cheap USA Fender, it's still 90% of that guitars qualities and build.

Superb guitar for modders, beginners and (I hasten to say it) but professional musicians like myself could gig this guitar out of the box. I plan to raid my parts bin, add some new pickups & electronics, a bridge, strap locks/strap and do a full fret dress & setup, then it will be fully gig ready.

A VERY worthy investment - I would buy a Harley Benton guitar with confidence that it punches WELL above it's price weight.

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	22% bought Harley Benton TE-30 BE Standard Series	92 €
	17% bought Harley Benton TE-20 SB Standard Series	92 €
	17% bought Harley Benton TE-52 NA Vintage Series	133 €
	17% bought Harley Benton Electric Guitar Kit T-Style	82 €
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sales rank in this product group	11
at thomann.de	1908

item number	153579
sales unit	1 piece
available since	February 2003

Harley Benton TE-20 BK Standard Series

Electric Guitar

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Total
features
sound
quality

Total
features
sound
quality

Total rating
features
sound
quality

Harley Benton TE-20 BK Standard Series

Electric Guitar

Sound samples

Further information

Come up with your own creative bundle and save

This product is currently sold out

These are other customers' choices:

Related products

Nice even if you don't know the price

HB TE-20 Black

Smart Navigator

Further Harley Benton items

Payment & Security

Products

Sitemap

Contact & Service

Shop

More Thomann