Harley Benton Amarok-7 BKNT Flame Burst

In a nutshell: it's a steal for a price and there might be minor issues with finish or fretwork, but you can't find a better option in this price range!

Aww yeah:
- Macassar ebony fingerboard
- stainless steel frets
- Grover locking tuners
- stays in tune well
- super comfy

Cons
- chances are there are finish flaws or minor issues with craftmanship
- not perfect fretwork (mine)
- a bit heavy (seriously)

EMG 70's can be both a pro or a con, I found it quite a matter of taste.

Mine doesn't have any flaws, I'm quite lucky and happy about it.

I've never had such a guitar crush before. But I'm in love the Amarok model since I saw it on Harley Benton's page. I also own an Ibanez RGA in the similar price range and comparing the 2 guitars the RGA is a bit of disappointment. The Amarok came with perfect intonation, I just had to adjust the truss rod a bit.

I really love the neck profile. I have extremely small hands and fingers, but it plays well. It’s a slim modern C type - it’s a bit thicker than Ibanez necks but still comfortable to play, it's more like a Shecter-ish neck.

Clean sound is oookay, but this thing is to shred.

In this price range these Amarok models are unbeatable. You can complain that the pickups are not good enough or there are minor flaws regarding the finish. But you can’t really get better for this price on the market.

I was excited for this guitar. All over YouTube people seemed to have bragged about what excellent quality this is for the price and how well it plays and sounds. Spectre Audio even said it holds tuning….

Unfortunately this was not my experience. The guitar came completely jacked up. The input was loose and the cable kept falling out. The bridge was completely loose upon removing the strings and the screw holes were completely STRIPPED.

The guitar wouldn’t hold tuning for the life of me. I tightened all the hardware including the tuners and set up the bridge. I put new strings on the guitar, intonated every string perfectly. My friend and I played all day to break in the strings and it still doesn’t hold tuning.

Also, the frets were extremely scratchy and sharp on all the edges. The nut of the guitar is AWFUL. I don’t believe it’s what it claims to be. It seems like a cheap knock off. The low B string gets stuck inside the cutout.

The locking tuners were NOT Grover. They were cheap Harley Benton tuners that have HB on them. the locking tuners weee loose too.

The back of the guitar…There’s a little chip on on the paint in the crevice of the back plate.

The pots, I haven’t tested them but they don’t seem to be 500k for EMGS.

AND! The middle position of the three way switch is out of phase with the two pick-ups.

This guitar was a nightmare to deal with and took hours of setting up and fixing what I could.

This isn’t a Pro series guitar worthy of recording but a DIY series guitar because you’re going to have to invest $100’s of dollars on upgrading hardware and even then, you’ll just hope that it’s enough to fix the tuning stability.

I really wanted to root for the underdog this time and show that it’s worthy, but it’s not. There was absolutely ZERO quality control on this guitar. They just wanted a quick buck.

Since receiving this guitar I haven't set it down, I am happy to say this is the best Harley Benton I have played yet which makes sense as it is also the most expensive Harley Benton I have played. Out of the box I was happy to find that the guitar looks just as good as the photos and overall is very well finished, I was also happy to see that the guitar has stayed in tune during shipping and has a fairly good factory setup that most players would be satisfied with.

The Amarok features a comfortable C shape neck, It feels like an Ibanez but with a little bit more wood behind it, overall a nice medium, not too thick nor is it paper-thin. I have to say I am pleasantly surprised to say this has to be one my favourite neck profiles I have ever come across and the guitar is a dream to play.

If what you want is a serious 7 string guitar without paying big bucks then look no further, The Amarok is a top-notch 7 string dream that is more than just a pretty face. Equipped with stainless steel frets, locking Grover tuners & to top it all off a set of EMG Retro Active pickups that suit everything from crystal cleans to crushing distortion this guitar is no joke.

Positives:
-Insane value for the specs.
-Great player.
-Very stable.
-Premium appointments.
-Decent factory set up.

Negatives:
-If this guitar isn't 100% to your liking you might be able to find a better fit second hand.
-Packaging is alright but could be more secure at this price point.

I went between buying a 7 string or a baritone guitar and after several conversations with other players I opted for this Harley Benton beauty. This guitar has blown me and several other of my friends with its playability, sound and looks.

The neck thru design and EMG pickups makes this guitar a monster riffing machine that is effortless and a joy to play. There is no neck dive and it is comfortable to play sitting or standing. The controls all work flawlessly and the black burst finish with the binding on the body makes this a sexy beast.

I tuned it to drop A and it stays in tune no matter how hard I attack it. I would recommend D’Addario NYXL 59-10 strings if you want to stick with the string gauges that the Amarok came set up with. I toyed with going to heavier gauges on the bottom strings but why mess with the nut and set up when its already perfect.

This guitar allows you to shred fierce leads or write nasty lower register grooves at price point that cannot be matched. If you are in the market for a pro level 7 string guitar look no further that the Amarok 7 you won’t be disappointed.

With Harley Benton, you should expect to receive a guitar that will require major work and a setup.

This is the first upper price tier guitar I've purchased from Harley Benton and it arrived to me almost unplayable. The frets were a total mess and need to be leveled as there was fret buzz even with high action. This guitar came with blemishes and tool marks that would indicate a rushed build. After some serious doctoring (hours) I managed to get the thing into working condition.

All in all, it's now a very enjoyable instrument and I'm still a satisfied customer as my expectations of HB are tempered given the low prices that are paid for what is given.

However, I believe at this price point (nearing £500), there ought to be a better QC and fret job. My HB tele and bass were far cheaper and came in better shape than this.

I have a few guitars, been playing for a year again after a decade of not playing after I turned 18. This is my second 7 string, my other is a Schecter Demon 7 I put Fishman Moderns in. That Guitar sounds great, and is 1" more scale length, but I still find this to be extremely great to play on. The frets were so smooth, none jutting out, and they're stainless steel! The pups are unique, I'm getting used to them, but they're good EMGs still. Be careful for swaps though, the cavity is pretty small and tight on the EMGs already.

Can't recommend this guitar more