Harley Benton MultiScale-8 QEB

This guitar blew me away the moment I took it out of the box. It came fully set up, almost perfectly in tune, low action, no QC mishaps, no fret buzz, no sharp fret edges.

The two most important elements for me, especially with 7- and 8-string guitars: the fretboard and the neck - are phenomenal. And not just for the price - I'm a stickler for necks, I dislike most C-shaped necks, even if thin (like Schecters), have a big preference for Ibanez D-shaped, ultra-thin necks (like Super Wizard HP), and not even all Wizards suit me (the ones with thick shoulders). But this neck felt amazing to play on from the start and into a couple of hours of playing, even though it's not extra slim. I've had a 7-string Ibanez before, that cost almost a 1000€ more, and i have to say I prefer both the playability and feel of the neck and the fretboard on this guitar. The fretboard is no Strandberg (my gold standard), but it's a solid 8/10. Fast, playable, elegant, very dark, no fret buzz straight from the box, and I got used to the multiscale layout within minutes.

The only real con for me are the pickups, since they're quite low output for what I'm used to, but this guitar is very much worth upgrading with a set of Fishman Fluence Tosin Abasi's. The only other thing is, the stock pickups are of 9-string width, and I'll have to bore new, narrower holes and mask the remaining space for the 8-string Fishmans (they don't make Tosin Abasi 9-string pickups yet).

The finish is consistent, very matte, which i like the feel of a lot, and the green looks much less poison-green and more emerald green in person.

Overall, the guitar is amazing, I almost can't put it down. For the money, it's unbeatable.

Ill keep this somewhat short and to the point.You'd be challenged to find a better product with these specs in the price range offered.For $350 U.S my guitar came in 4 days from Germany packed with care.The QC was on point despite what other reviews reflect.I had no issues aside from a minor finish imperfection.The guitar was set up nicely out of the box and the fret ends are smooth.I paid 3 times this amount for a name brand Fender last year with sharp frets multiple qc flaws and poor packaging.Getting the quality guitar i did at a fraction of the price from Thomann was refreshing and I couldn't be happier, it's one of my daily drivers now.😀

Bought this as my first 8 string, been playing 11 years and wanted to try something new. Package came to the uk I damaged and very well protected, no problems at all.

The bottom line with this guitar is that it’s incredibly well spec’d and made for the price. The build quality, qc and parts used are all nearly on a level with my Ibanez rg921 (which costs three times this guitar!), the only exception being the pickups. They aren’t particularly defined, definitely lacking clarity. But not bad at all for £350!! No sharp fret ends, smooth and pretty accurate locking tuners, no grounding issues and a lovely satin finished neck!! Overall very happy with this instrument :)

Pros:
-Fit and finish, nicely playable out of the box, no sharp frets
-Pure amount of features for the price, multiscale, separate saddles, neck through
-The colour!!

Cons
-One string off on intonation, action a tiny bit uneven (nothing a 30 minute service can’t fix!)
-Pretty muddy pickups, especially when using the bottom 2 strings, though far better than other guitars of the same price.

Fanfret 8 string neck through for this ridiculous price is absolute win! Guitar came set up pretty well, low action, almost no fret buzz. Quality build and paint is on point (remember, sub 400€ price) , the impression it gives easily compares with +1500€ instruments. Electronics are basic, but sound is in your signal chain, not pickups ;) locking tuners are also welcomed, tuning stability is very good even if you're heavy handed. The only mishap there is finish of the frets, not a big problem if you're handy with your tools, but some edges stick out, can scratch softer hands, also top of the frets was rough, you could really feel strings scratching during bends. Frets polishing would definitely add to a quality factor here.
Other than that very well rounded and inspiring to play instrument.