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Harley Benton HBO-850BK

681

Steel-String Guitar with Pickup

  • Roundback with cutaway design
  • ABS super shallow bowl body
  • Spruce top
  • Sapele neck
  • Roseacer fretboard (thermally treated maple wood)
  • Cream-coloured body and neck binding
  • Scale: 650 mm
  • Nut width: 43 mm
  • 24 Frets
  • Built-in pickup with 3-band EQ
  • Diecast machine heads
  • Colour: Black high-gloss
  • String gauges: .011 - .052
  • Matching case available under Article Nr 177639 (not included)
Available since December 2006
Item number 196798
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Top Spruce
Back and Sides Plastic
Cutaway Yes
Body Depth Super Shallow
Fretboard Roseacer
Nut width in mm 43,00 mm
Frets 22
Pickup System Yes
Colour Black
Incl. Case No
Incl. Gigbag No
B-Stock from 1.529 kr available
1.666 kr
Including VAT; Excluding kr200 shipping
In stock
In stock

This product is in stock and can be shipped immediately.

Standard Delivery Times
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All the world’s a stage...

Roundback guitars are the epitome of the electro-acoustic guitar. They traditionally come from the USA and are usually handsomely priced – a perfect reason for Harley Benton to develop its own interpretation of this classic design: The HBO-850BK. Of course, all the essential features and adornments – including the richly decorated off-centre sound holes and the rounded bowl – are included here, and the HBO-850BK also boasts an integrated pickup, which makes it an ideal choice for even the most devoted electric guitarists.

Harley Benton HBO-850BK Body

Round sounds different

For once, the focus is not on the guitar’s top but rather on its ABS shell. Beyond its inherent technical advantages (such as excellent feedback suppression), this design also has a strong influence on the acoustics, since the sound waves behave differently than they do inside flat-backed guitars, and that is what creates this guitar’s characteristic tone. Because the guitar’s body is also very shallow and features a cutaway, it provides unrivalled playing comfort. The spruce soundboard is fitted with X-bracing and finished in a black lacquer, while the sapele neck offers a 650 mm (25.59”) scale length and the fingerboard extends to an impressive 24 frets on the treble side.

Harley Benton HBO-850BK Spruce top

Rock stars love it

Yes, the Harley Benton HBO-850BK is the right instrument for acoustic-savvy electric guitarists. The slim neck, low action, thinline body, cutaway, and last but not least the .011-gauge strings fitted as standard will make every electric guitarist feel at home in an instant. In addition, the piezo pickup with its three-band EQ will deliver the very sound that fans have come to associate with this type of guitar thanks to countless Stadium Rock anthems. And needless to say, this complete package comes at a sensational price.

Harley Benton HBO-850BK headstock

About Harley Benton

Since 1998, the Harley Benton brand has been catering for the needs of numerous guitarists and bassists. In addition to an extensive range of stringed instruments, Thomann's house brand also offers a wide choice of amplifiers, speakers, effect pedals, and other accessories. In total, the range includes over 1,500 products. Built by established names in the industry, all Harley Benton products combine quality and reliability at attractive and affordable prices. The continuous expansion of the range ensures that Harley Benton always provides new, exciting, and innovative products that keep players perfectly in tune with the musical world, day after day.

Being quiet is strictly optional

Of course, one can play the Harley Benton HBO-850BK purely acoustically. The shallow body delivers a subtle yet incisive bass response, and the sound feels well-rounded and “grown-up”. However, this guitar really thrives on stage – and the louder, the better. This guitar is pretty much feedback-proof thanks to its rounded ABS back and the design of its top. Incidentally, we recommend playing this guitar standing up and using a strap. This doesn’t just look good – the guitar also naturally tilts towards the player’s face, which allows an excellent view of the fingerboard.

In the spotlight

681 Customer ratings

4.4 / 5

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sound

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438 Reviews

k
Great roundback
kazhinsky 16.10.2019
Used it for home playing, so I have to admit, I never plugged it into an amp, so can't really judge the quality of the pickup sound, but as a purely acoustic instrument it had a great, bright sound.

Had some slight cosmetic flaws, like the leaf detail on the top of it was a bit rough and not completely glued in one part, but otherwise the build quality was excellent. And I think the guitar overall looks beautiful.

Feels great to play, even with the roundback design, which is known to be a bit unstable when placed in your lap. So I would recommend just putting a strap on, even when playing sitting down, so it's kind of held in place.

Did not have any issues with how it was set up out of the box.
Great, inexpensive alternative to the Ovation roundbacks.
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K
Harley Benton HBO-850BK
KimH 13.05.2015
FEATURES :
every thing is there from this iconic copy, all thats missing is the long haired wig, bandana, rip kneed jeans or spandex pants if you really must and a arm held aloft with the lighter burning.

SOUND :
after a string change the sound is very impressive for the price if a little shrill (only a little though). the volume is all there it projects its sound acousticlly wonderfully loud and proud. plugged in its not quite so good the volume is noticlbly unballanced with the middle strings alot louder than the outer strings. the sound is still good and clear just makes you play a little differntly to compensate for thr unballenced sound.

QUALITY :
paint job is good the 'Leaves' around the sound holes need a very good oiling as they are very dry and brittle. the tuners are adequit for the job. the neck feels lovely with the frets dressed superbly. the back shows a few ripples in places where its been moulded noticebly around the cutaway and neck, no big deal just with the fit and finish of this guitar and other harley bentons ive had its a shock to find a blemish at all.

CONCLUSION :
overall a good guitar that will be played alot.. no wheres me bandana and spandex :D
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Si
Fantastic guitar...
Solo in Dallas, TX 18.05.2022
I received my HB)-850 BK a few hours ago and can easily compare it to my 1987 Ovation CC-11 for playability (and bear in mind the CC-11 has a deep bowl).

I especially like the super shallow bowl. came out of the box well intonated (no changes there from me) and the action is well set. Normally I would have to do a full set up on any new guitar, but this is the one rare exception where I have done nothing to it whatsoever.

If I had to be really (and I mean REALLY) nitpicky about it, there was a tiny bit of excess adhesive on the binding near the neck on the high E side... and you would really have to go looking for that. All in all an excellent guitar value. I love the black with the wood appliqués on it. I may have to order this is blue as well, but maybe the classic with nylon strings.

Long story short, an excellent value for the money and will be seeing a lot of use in my home recording studio. Thanks, Thomann. Another great product.
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Co
Why did I wait so long?
Curreeney old boy 28.11.2019
I've had my eye on these guitars for years and was hesitant to buy ,being put off by some poor reviews ,but I finally succumbed,
So what did I get?
A guitar that punches way above its price,I've owned a solid top guild dreadnought that didn't sound as sweet!
The set up was perfect sub2mm string height,super level fretwork,
Immaculate Finnish,
Slick machine head's,plus a nice sounding preamp.
I've only dropped 1star off this guitar for the sharp unfinished fret ends ,which was an easy fix,.
The only thing I would advise anyone buying this guitar to do is don't judge it's quality until you get rid of the weird strings it come fitted with! 10s my ear! I fitted Harley Benton coated 10s ,and gave the nut a quick dress with one of those small welding nozzle cleaning file kits you can pick up for 5 euros!.
Was I just fortunate to get a good one ,seems not because I bought my wife the blue one and it's just as good,if only I'd tried one before I'd have saved myself a fortune .
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