Harley Benton Fusion-T EMG HT Roasted SBK

...due to mixed reviews of HB instruments, but man, this one is perfect. Came in with perfect action height, only needed to extra intonate 2 strings, but it was a minor adjustment. Has some file marks on the neck, but it is a non-issue, because they blend in with the dark-roasted Canadian maple's finish. Will see how the matte black finish holds up to time. Haven't opened the electronic cavity yet to check the quality of the solders, but so far sounds great with no issues wired or wireless.

I had an Amarok baritone before with these same pickups but they sound a lot better on this Fusion-T. The cleans are absolutely amazing and the distortion is meaty. Nevertheless I bought this as a "project" guitar and will be adding a custom pickguard and swapping the pickups for EMG 57/66 set and maybe while in there, add some extra shielding inside.

Some info, the mat black finish is the kind that will scratch "easily" bit just small, semi-visible surface only scratches from your pick for example. This is something I like because it quickly gives a subtle custom worn look to the guitar, but might not be appealing to everyone. Pick-ups are a bit mellow sounding? Compared to the EMG 81 and Fishman Fluence in my other guitars.. also be prepared for small, minor or subtle visual inconsistencies. It's a cheap guitar so it's what you can expect. Even my Schecter that cost 3x as much came with some visible scratches on the neck. Just something to bear in mind, but overall this guitar is incredible for the price.

Got this, Harley number three for me, as the spec looked excellent. The other two, a Fusion iii and the HP-42 Signature are utterly amazing, both re pick-uped though. All bought on a whim but gradually they found their way centre stage and now firm favourites.

Firstly the guitar is fantastic, but there were one or two minor fret issues which after five minutes filing work sorted completely. And i’m not subtracting any marks for that as many other guitars i have - big name brands - have randomly had similar issues too, and all at six and seven times the price.
The neck is to die for ( as is the neck on the HP-42) roasted and silky smooth, the SS frets allow for heavier strings which feel lighter and easier to bend.

The tuners and bridge are perfectly acceptable and work and sound great. They're upgradeable anyway if needed.
All in all its a beast of a guitar, incredible value, defying the odds.

Now the pick ups…….. EMG’s are a fav of mine for at least 25 yrs, i don't have them in everything but the guitars that do are savage, including this one. But my preference is for an Alnico magnet in the bridge ( EMG 85 ) - so I flipped them round and on doing so discovered made in Indonesia stickers on the Emg’s, and slightly different design to the US EMG website pics - no adjustable pole pieces.
Anyone clued in will be saying, but hang on the bridge pup is f spaced and blah blah………. doesn't affect the sound one bit, no string loss or anything from the different spacing which, is minuscule anyway. I’m around too long to put up with anything but perfect string audibility etc. I’d recommend experimenting, if you find the bridge pup a bit bright, as it makes a killer neck pup, and putting the Alnco in the bridge has more gain and sounds warmer.

BUT………I guess i’m just pointing out this as its not mentioned in the marketing end of things at all. Sound wise they’re pretty good and seem to have the same connectors as all other EMG’s so can easily be swapped around.
I would love someone to tell me about this. Am I right or wrong here? Are all EMG’s made in Indo or just these? A bit perplexed tbh but not overly unhappy lol! And I certainly have no issue with anything from Indo there is amazing stuff coming from there and has been for years!!
The Harley Benton brand offers incredible value and a wonderful range of equipment, and obviously keeping costs down is paramount.
I guess I would’ve liked to see it in the product description.
But don’t let this deter anyone from buying one, they are incredible.

I’m just around too long to be fooled, and I just had to ask 😎

What can I say? I have 0 complaints from this guitar and at this price point it exceeds all my expectations. If I compare the fretwork of this guitar with a more expensive PRS, the Harley Benton wins by far. Of course the finish is a simple mate black, but simplicity makes this guitar awesome.

The tuners are solid, the guitar stays in tune quite well, no issues with the finish or the wood work. I only had to do a small intonation adjustment, but the height of the strings was in a sweet spot already.

Sound wise, it is very good for high gain sounds as expected, with lots of treble and nice definition. I use it mainly to play progressive metal but my impression is that it can do also classic rock as well since the retro active EMG pickups are not as compressed as the traditional 81/85 set.

Perhaps the only thing is that since the tuners are so solid the guitar suffers a bit from neck dive but nothing than a good leather neck can’t help.

All in all, great instrument.