Harley Benton TE-80 NT Deluxe Series

I bought this one because i thought it would be my conventional Tele… and i was a bit disappointed.

I’ve got a TE-90FLT VW Deluxe that i bought quite a while ago.. and it’s got a fat smooth satin neck, with a maple fretboard.
This one feels less natural.. The binding adds a plastic feel.. reminiscent of some of the Squier offerings. The neck Pup is also a Strat-like design ..which would be actually preferable, to me.. but .. in the end it just didn’t resonate with me.
I am keen on trying the more recent models with caramelized necks (TE 69 and TE 53) to see if those might make the cut.

I’ve got a Fusion-T HH HT Roasted FBB model too, and it is a WAY more capable guitar.
If you can afford the price bump, and you are ok with an HH configuration.. just go for it.

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. I'm glad I did ... 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 did 3 years at MANchester College of Arts and Technology so I sort of know what I'm talking about.
I have to say that ideally I'd like to sit down with 10 of 20 of these and compare them. 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.
The body on this thing is great ... 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. The neck is more C than D. 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. 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.
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. 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 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. 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. 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.
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 .... and since I got this guitar it's the only one I've played.

I've been craving a T style guitar for a while but wanted something that sounds more akin to a strat than a traditional tele. Lo and behold I spied the TE-80. In person the guitar is even more gorgeous than the photos, the one I received has the wood grain matched really well on the front and back. The binding on the neck and body has a few blemishes and are the only part of the finish I have any issues with, but with a bit of tactful wearing in these areas they will be hidden over time. Out of the box the guitar played ok but not well enough for anyone with a feel for how a guitar should play herein lies the caveats to this guitar. I lowered the action myself as it was a bit high out of the box and this improved things but as expected with a guitar of this price it required a visit to my luthier to set up properly. The guitar required the following issues rectifying:
-Full fret levelling and removal of sharp fret ends some of the binding had got onto the ends too so this was filed off. Some of the frets weren't seated properly introducing buzz as well.
-Truss rod adjustment, the neck was concaved out of the box- expected
-Intonation was out but only slightly would have been done regardless as the truss rod adjustment was essential
-The nut fitted on the guitar was rubbish so I had this changed out too
-Electrics all cleaned properly
-Action set nice and low (personal preference)
All in this cost me around £100 extra but with these adjustments the guitar now plays like something triple the £266 I spent on it. It sounds amazing and I'm still experimenting with different tones with some fiddling I have got some nice punchy strat tones and you can get the twingy twangy tele sound with the selector switch on the bridge or middle position. Also really nice for funk sounds as expected for a prince copy. I'm using 0.8's on it again this is personal preference but they sound very nice. Finally as it has an ash body it is really heavy (almost 3x the weight of my epiphone les paul) I'm in my early 30's and have a couple of shoulder/back issues and it's right on the cusp of being too heavy for me for long periods so if you are playing on using a strap its worth considering.

After trying out various Harley Benton guitars (Sc custom II, Dc600IV, ST62DLX) I had to get a telecaster shape guitar. The Harley Benton TE-80 NT Deluxe Series is not the average Telescater you might expect. Personally I found out it sounds nothing to a traditional telecaster but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. 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.

What surprised me the most was the weight on this guitar. I think it easily weights around 4.5 kg but if you have a solid strap the weight gets distributed.

Tight out of the box the guitar presented itself spot on perfect. It’s actually a first for me, since all the previous Harley Bentons I bought required some work or at least a small upgrade.

Proceeding with the PRO’s and CON’s:

PRO’s:

- the guitar has a superb flame finish and no bangs or flaws are present. It really looks like a boutique instrument;

-The fretwork is nicely done and you can bend for days on it;

- the electronics are nicely done, nu hums or scratchy noises;

-the nut is just fine, but I might change it in the future;

- the tuning keys work okay, but you need to tighten with a screwdriver for better results when tuning, although they will most likely be changed with Kluson tuners;

- strap buttons are alright.

CON’s:

-I would like if Harley Benton would put the actually weight of their guitars in the description. Not that I have a problem with a guitar being heavy but it might help in the future.

- the guitar neck has the right size (personally I like chunky necks) so I can’t tell if the neck should be thinner, but I dislike the unfinished feeling. Feels like somebody rushed the process. The ST62 DLX has a much better finish on the neck.

- string trees are kinda flimsy and they look cheap;

-rather than putting just a simple single coil int he bridge Harley Benton should consider adding from t he factory humbucker single coil style pick-ups, I think more people would appreciate that.

- on the Thomann website when scrolling thru the The Harley Benton TE-80 NT Deluxe Series photos I noticed on the back of the headstock that is made in Indonesia, mine has MADE IN CHINA. I understand it’s all about production cost but please be HONEST WITH WHAT YOU SELL. Personally China or Indonesia makes no differences to me as long quality control does their job.

- this guitar passed QC on the 2020-12-26 LGQ. It takes them a while to get shipped.

All in all this guitar is cool and I will keep it as it looks fantastic! Harley Benton did a good job and for 185 euro's you get an instrument that puts to shame a lot of more expensive brands. Keep it up team Benton!