Harley Benton TE-62CC SP

Absolutely incredible. I bought this guitar solely for the reason that it came with a roasted maple neck. If you look for it, you cannot find a proper guitar with a roasted maple neck even for triple the price of these from other manufacturers. So I was very excited to see it in my own hands!

I was not disappointed. The neck is beautiful and playable, and HOLY COW this thing is L I G H T ! It weighs nothing. It feels like it's a hollow body. (It's not.) The other surprise was that the pickups sound really nice – they definitely don't sound cheap or noisy. Compared to a Classic Vibe 50's Tele that I have, it's on par, and in the neck position it is more clear and articulated than the CV.

Of course at this price point, it is normal that the strings need to be changed immediately (they were rusty as hell), it needs a setup (intonation was a bit off, action a bit too high) and there might be small blemishes on the finish because there is no time to carefully inspect them. (Mine had a few issues, like there was a crack on the laquer near the neck pocket, the switch was a little too loose, the bridge was a bit misaligned and the frets needed a lot of polishing.)

But overall, this may also be true for guitars double the price of this. There is only one thing that is a little bit odd: the pickguard shape and size does NOT match the other F-style guitars. So if you were planning on swapping the pickguard to black (as me), you need to cut your own pickguard because nothing will fit (not even Thomann's own pickguard, apparently).

Summary: it became my favourite guitar, because it's so cheap that you simply don't feel bad when you accidentally knock it into the edge of the table. Feels light and sleek, plays well, sounds awesome (as other reviewers have said, the pickups do not need to be swapped, they are fine!) and this color is beautiful.

If you want a cheap but great guitar, and you are going to use it like this as a backup, buy it NOW! You will love it. If you want a „donor” guitar for modding and upgrading, probably buy something a little bit more expensive, like a SQ CV.

Overall, this is a great guitar and a phenomenal value for money. The fit and finish is good, caramelized maple neck feels good (although slightly chunky) and sounds good. The guitar is super light and I can play it for hours. However, mine did arrive with various issues (small neck pocket crack, very loose and slightly bent switch as well as a crooked tone pot. Thomann customer service is great as always and sent me replacement pots and switch for free.

Overall, the guitar is great but I was unluckly to receive a lemon. For the price, you can't go wrong and I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a Tele style.

I have had this guitar for two months now, and I'll be fast to say, this guitar is EXACTLY how it was advertised.

Everything on this guitar was perfect, firstly, sound: that twangy Tele sound is perfect, the pickups are extremely high quality, not an issue to be had here, each pickup selection sounds exactly as you'd want, which is surprising for this price point, this guitar is an absolute all-star, you can play anything on it easily, and it shines in most genres.

On top of this: no fret buzz on the default configuration for this guitar, I actually haven't done anything in terms of adjusting action, etc because the standard is fairly perfect for me (though the action was slightly high on arrival, I haven't adjusted it because it doesn't cause me issue nor bother me). I'd also like to add that the strings that came on the guitar are likely just as good quality as whatever you use, I have not had to change mine yet (at about 2-4 hours daily usage, for two months, including alt. tunings, both tuning up and down) they still sound as good as new.

And of course, Looks: This guitar looks as good as advertised, if not better, the soft, pastel pink, is even better looking in person, it's just deep enough to impact the looks of the guitar, but doesn't distract from the typical "mean" look of Tele style guitars; The fretboard is absolutely identical to the pictures, and so is just about everything else, including the tuning heads and all.

Overall: This guitar will turn heads in all categories, looks, sound, feel, and arguably most importantly, price point.

I am not going to play the price vs quality game. Either a guitar is good or not and I dont care if it costs 5 or 2 thousands euros. And this guitar is absolutely OK. Straight out of the box it was set up perfectly, even the strings were fine. Only the switch is a little bit loose, but it works and thats all I need. I like the pickups very much and I m not going to change them. The tuners are perfect as well. I tuned the guitar the first day and after a week they still hold in tune. Soundwise it depends what amp or software are you using. I can make it sounds like heaven as well as a crap. Amp is almost always more important than a guitar. I own Squier Classic Vibe (400,-), Fender Mexican (1000,-), USA (1500,-) and Gibson Custom (4500,-). This Benton is in the same league as Squier and both Fenders - quality and sound. Gibson is another league. Put this guitar into John Mayers hands or some of the youtube guys (Chriss Buck) and your jaws will drop. I also own HB TE 20. I bought it just for fun. And guess what? I really do have fun with that guitar. Although this 62 is twice as good (as the price). Dont be worried about buying it. It is not a beginner guitar.