Harley Benton RB-600CS Classic Series

I don't pretend to know much about high end instruments, and I'm mostly an acoustic player but this RB600CS has given me more enjoyment than any electric guitar I've owned. The only issue I had with mine was a badly manufactured bridge saddle on the 2nd string. It was slightly wobbly and if I did a string bend it would move.

I fixed it myself by filing down the bottom side slightly until the wobble was gone and redid the intonation. After that, this guitar has been absolutely inspirational for my playing.

It features a volume for each pick up and you can blend them in the middle position of the 3-way switch. The tones are great through my Fender Champion 40 amp (In my home studio) on Blackface or British amp models, and there isn't a single blemish on that finish worth mentioning. I did a DIY mod to the pick guard because on real Rickenbackers the pick guard is elevated off the main white tear drop. Other than those two things I haven't touched a thing and I don't plan on it either.

Buy it. You'll like it A LOT.

* 6 Month Update*

Figured after 6 months with this beauty I'd give some long term impressions. 1.) I have not replaced anything electronic on the guitar. It just doesn't need anything else other than what Thomann gives you out of the box. 2.) You have to know what tone you want if you buy this guitar. If you want to sound like Tom Petty or the Beatles, you'll find those sounds. If you want to sound like Metallica, buy a metal guitar, this isn't designed to do that stuff. It's a classic rock/jazz/blues guitar, not a metal machine. 3.) I've read other reviews that try to explain what this guitar is. It's a tribute to the entire line of Rickenbacker. The body is actually more inspired by their bass guitars than the 660 small body like Tom Petty has on the cover of Damn the Torpedoes. And it works. The thing is GORGEOUS to just have a look at while it sits in one of my guitar stands.
4.) In the six months I've owned this guitar I haven't gone a full 7 days without being forced to pick it up and at least strum a Petty tune or Beatles tune just to get a few notes out of it... It's that much fun to play.

Almost speechless when I opened the box - but maybe a "wow" could just about be heard. What a looker - front, back sides and top - just an all-round really nice guitar. Had to keep going back to the website to check the price again - £178 delivered UK - amazing ! Really nice quality and finish.

After a few "plings" I just hung it on the wall and looked at it for a couple of days ( not all the time ) before checking set up. Never really had to do much to make it sing - fret levels were ideal and no sticky out bits to moan about. After the couple of days rest the relief was 0.010 so just left it at that. Fretboard was not especially dry after transit, but it did get a tiny drop of lemon oil just to cheer it up a bit. Some minor tuning and intonation tweaks and it was good to go. Tuners feel pretty good actually and do their job well.

Lovely and light to handle and quite compact which for me makes it a lot easier to play as am relatively new to guitar
( convert from percussion ) and a home player only. Very forgiving I would say and also maybe a "nicer" more symmetrical shape than the RB600 type on which it is loosely based - being a Tribute Series Guitar. I believe the pickups are Artec Classic Mini Humbuckers and have to say I really do like what they can provide - quite versatile.

A quick tip for anyone interested in the sound of a 12-String without the expense of buying or " inconvenience" of trying to master playing one - problem solved. The Digitech Mosaic 12 -String Emulator Pedal ( Thomann have them ) works a treat with the Harley Benton RB-600CS and sounds fantastic ( ref. Hotel California intro and many others )

I really have to give this guitar 5 stars for everything for two reasons mainly - Quality of construction, appearance, playability and sound. Secondly value for money - to get something this good for such a price is impressive indeed and difficult to imagine anything better. Highly recommended - if you are a fan of R-Types you will love this. If you cannot play at all - just buy one and hang it on the wall to admire. It's cheaper than a framed limited edition print !

The guitar I received was very good. The outer shipping box was trashed by the shipping companies. The inter shipping box was in good shape with no damage. There was a large amount of bubble / pillow wrap around the inter box.

The guitar was well packaged. When I took the guitar out of the box it looked great. So far, I have looked it over closely and I have played it. I can find no problems. The sound is good and finish is beautiful. I like the neck and the action. There's no static with the control knobs. They function as they should.

I own several guitars (Fender, Gretsch, Ibanez, Epies). This is my second Harley Benton, but it will not be my last one. I hope your experience will be as good as mine. I live in Texas, USA

What a great little guitar! When I pulled it out of the box it was smaller than I expected. Not small mind you - but smaller than I expected. To be honest I love the size and I have to say it's comfortable in the hand and around your neck or sitting on your knee.

The inspired body shape is just a little different than the endless stacks of LP and Strat clones and so - a breath of fresh air. The combination of mahogany body, top, and maple neck add to the sound and the fit and finish are really first rate. The neck feels like a C profile - not to skinny and not too thick. The rosewood fretboard and has dot markers and decently sized well dressed frets. The tuners are on the small side but seem to get the job done Without fuss or bother.

The electrics seem fine though perhaps just a bit lightweight. The pickups have a hint of the old school sound and shimmer and work great clean or with some gain. They are lower output - but hey - that's what amps are for right? Right.

All in all this is a wonderful guitar and a great price so I say why not give something just a little different a try.

Ok so I have have always wanted a Rickenbacker Guitar like one of my heroes used. This fits the bill perfectly.
Lets start with the sound quality. The pickups are absolutely fantastic. Very clear and glassy not what you would expect from a Mini Humbucker. Providing very classic rock tones. Very airy and crisp without the harshness of Single Coil or P90. No they are not good for a growl, but if you grew up with the Rolling Stones, Beatles, CCR this is perfect.
The body and construction are spot on. Good solid joints and solidly built. The body of the Guitar is slightly small than a real Rickie and is ore the size of a Strat size it still gives off that very light almost acoustic tone like the early Beatles recordings and that is what I sought after to get, think Please Please Me, A hard Days Night and I Wanna Hold Your Hand and you've got it.
I am using mine through a Vox AC/10 Amp. I am truly able to get that sound I sought for so long.
I really don't see any Cons and am thoroughly pleased with this guitar and thankful for Harley Benton/Thomann for reproducing a true Classic Rock & Roll Classic!

This guitar is a beauty and is fantastic value for money. I like to keep instruments standard if I can as upgrading a cheap instrument with pickups that exceed its value is going to usually end up with a louder squeeling pig! Not so with my Harley Benton Rickyesque . The way it feels is fantastic and the intonation and tuning are stable. I am no expert on Rickenbackers I cant afford to own one yet but I think I got the next best thing. The jangle tones just inspire you to play something different and many things just fall out of this guitar when doodling. Dont get me wrong you can make this growl rock grunge and roll but give it some clean bell tones and you will be in 7th heaven. It came with one knob missing the silver disc insert. The guys, actully the Gal got this replaced for me PDQ. The rest of the guitar is perfect and has a quality feel. Its not so diverse in tones but it does have a shed load of tone to play with. This is a gig worthy instrument and maintains its lust appeal well after purchase.

I ordered the RB-600CS because it was visually different from the run-of-the-mill Strats, Teles, and LPs. I was skeptical about how good it could be for the very reasonable price. Boy was I wrong! This is a fantastic value! Absolutely one of the best necks I've ever played. Fit and finish of the guitar is very good; frets seem to be level, with no sharp ends. The electronics are adequate; the pickups are especially good through the clean setting of my Fender Vibro-Champ. The machine heads (tuners) are adequate, as the guitar stays in tune. Physically, this is a small guitar; light weight (I'd guess between 6-7 pounds) and it balances well on a strap. So far I haven't had any feedback problems that often occur with semi-hollow bodied guitars. If this guitar were lost or stolen, I would definitely buy another: it is that good. Thanks to Harley Benton and Thomann for providing a great guitar at a great price.