Harley Benton SC-400 SBK Classic Series

Like a lot of other reviews I think this is a hard guitar to beat, for the price. I bought it to use at home and as a back-up third guitar for gigs. I'm playing 17 years and play everything from rock, blues, country, pop and everything in between. I've owned many guitars over that time and this is hands-down (for the price) the best value. Genuinely.

I've had it around 3 months and it gets played regularly. Overall the guitar sounds very good. I was going to swap out the pickups at some stage but honestly don't think I'll bother, Neck & Bridge pickups both sound fantastic as they are.

I will be changing out the tuners though. The factory ones feel a bit flimsy, as if a turn too quick and they might snap off in your hand. But this is a minor job and personal preference.

Out of the box the intonation was near perfect but there was a nasty fret buzz on the E & A strings all the way up the fretboard. Nothing that wasn't fixable handy enough, again a small job. Strange as it sounds, this wouldn't be a terrible thing if you're not used to fixing these kinds of issues as it is good practice.

Tuning stability is good, generally doesn't fall out of tune like I was expecting it to, given the price tag

The best thing about the SC400, by some distance, is the finish. The matte black is simply beautiful. There was no blemishes or scratches on mine. It's not out of place beside my other guitars on the rack.

If you're looking for a guitar that looks the part and can back it up (after a little bit of a setup) and you don't have the budget for a Custom Shop, its very hard to argue against the HB SC400. If you're just starting out and not sure if you'll keep up playing, it's a great choice. If you're a seasoned veteran and need a backup for gigs or recording or just jamming at home, it's still a great choice

Pros:
The matte finish
Pickups are fantastic
The price!
Versatility
Great for beginners and veterans alike
Good for modding (if that's your thing)

Cons:
Tuners feel flimsy, will be swapping them out
Arrived with nasty fret buzz on E & A strings

Use - Just for messing about at home.
Fancied a LP as I was interested in a guitar with humbuckers.

For the money this is just amazing. Matt finish looks cool and is very smooth to the touch. There seem to be some light scratches on the back of the neck in the wood before the finish was applied. You can barely see it but you can feel it, this does not however have any negative effect when playing. No big deal. Fret board is fine. inserts are a little untidy in places. Frets seem to be level and no sharp edges. Could do with a polish as they are just the slightest bit 'grainy' and can be felt on some frets more than others when bending. Pick guard was sharp in places and could do with a sanding. Apart from these niggles It is amazing what just over £100 will get you from Harley Benton.
Order placed on Friday, delivered Monday. Well packaged and unbelievable delivery again from Thomann. Thanks guys.

Im not really a pickup snob , I usually find I can get the sound Im looking for with a bit of fiddling on the Amp (Vox VX1), so yeah, pickups sound fine to me.

Everything is well put together and seems to be built like a tank, a heavy shovel for sure.

Will prob change the strings at some point but what is there are fine. I am HUGELY impressed with my first HB and will def be purchasing again if I can hide them from the wife lol.

Anyone looking for a usable, 'wallet friendly' instrument , you will not find better in this price bracket.

Usage: Home music making, amateur group.
Good quality and price guitar. It's comfortable to play. I liked the beveled lower part (heel) of the neck very much, it is convenient to play after the 17th fret. Nice (vintage) matte black body and fingerboard. You can play right after unpacking. The frets are even, the neck is straight. The guitar is well done. The pickups produce quite normal sound, the difference with premium pickups can be noticed when playing through a tube combo, but most amateurs play through a guitar processor and guitar emulators (where you can wind any sound) or a transistor combo.
among the disadvantages: The switch switches too noisily
Modifications: I immediately lowered the strings, grinding off the fretboard nut, and slightly polished the ends of the frets with a file, changed the Harley Benton strings 0.010 - 0.046 to Elixir Nanoweb Light 0.010 - 0.046.
Even with the cost of delivery, tools on THOOMAN are much cheaper than ours in Russia. Delivery is very fast, managers are sociable.

Pro: Matte black finish is so nice and with a swap of the tuners to a black version it looks even better. Set up was great, no fret sprouting. Inlay work is all fine and no dead frets.

Cons: Tuning keys feel cheap but swapped them out with some black ones that are a bit better. Pickup toggle switch seems a bit loose but seems to function without falling out of selection. The nut seems a little rough and is plastic but seems to function fine.

Overall: The bridge seems to be a standard setup and functions fine. The finish is nice, no binding but that's fine with me. Fret work was fine out of the box, no sprouting and no dead frets. The action isn't the lowest but is completely playable. Overall I would totally buy again and recommend to anyone either starting out of looking for a solid second, third, fourth or fifth guitar to add to the collection.

I read a lot of reviews and tests because I really liked HB’s cheap LP series. I was a little afraid that his voice or design might not be good enough because I’ve only played Fender and other similar mid-range instruments in the last couple of years. I have been playing electric guitars for over 15 years.

At first I wanted a gold color but finally, since there was no black I ordered. I ordered it on Friday, it was sent on Saturday, it was already here at noon on Wednesday.

When I unpacked and tried it, all my fears are gone! :) This matte black paint looks very good and the design of the guitar is flawless. The neck is straight, the frets are nicely polished, they don't hang out and they are polished, better than my Squier CV 60 custom Telecaster, which cost three times as much! The fretboard looks good and you like it to the touch. The switch and knobbs working fine. The only non-quality detail is the white scratch plate, which is slightly but not dangerous and easy to remove. :)

The design of the whole guitar is well beyond the price in my opinion, the instruments that cost twice as much are similar.

I think the pickups sound good, much better than one would expect in this price range! :) Only ceramic pickups but I think they are very good, it won't deter anyone from buying! :) The factory set-up near perfect out of the box, just a little bit high but very good playable.

The factory strings are not very good, they need to be replaced but after that the guitar is a gift for so much money because it sounds good, looks good and the price is very good! Absolutely recommended!

wishing i could give a very detailed review about this product in terms of sound, and features, and playability, and build, and etc... the truth is i am but a bedroom rockstar, with not so much disposable income who just want to play some backing tracks at the end of the day. ..

it arrived safe and sound, but i wish there was a bit more padding inside the box to protect the guitars.. the torture they go through while being shipped can do some damage. ..

upon first inspection, one of the volume knobs was slightly loose ... tighten it up and was happy with it. .. also, there's a bit of buzz coming from guitar jack, needs some wiggling to go away.. but i can't really hear it while playing..

i play this through some behringer pedals, fender cabled, connected to an m-audio duo and into my garageband ... i load up some of my favorite backing tracks, and play away for an hour . .. .

there's a bit too much action, but once i become a little more comfortable with adjustments, i'll give them a go. ... and maybe over xmas time i'll treat myself ( and the guitars ) to a proper luthier tlc. ... for now, i'll just use ( and abuse ) them as much as i love them..

because i don't play through amps, i don't care so much about the tones, as i do all that digitally ( maybe that doesn't make much sense ) - i rarely record anything, i just mess around with 100quid worth of cheap plastic pedals ( that's 4 pedals + chromatic tuner) - either way, i wouldn't be that knowledgeable to comment on it ... i was told to change strings every 2-3 weeks given how much i play it, but i'll do so when i snap one ( or three... ) ..

i've seen ( and heard ) a lot of bashing on these guitars. .. about built quality, and tone, and features, and copying, and whatnot. .. but what really matters to me is that a complete guitar noobie such as myself, has access to a really decent electric guitar, with an affordable price, to just blow off some steam at the end of the day, playing along my favorite artists. ..

bottom line : if you're a seasoned, veteran, very skilled and professional guitarist maybe don't throw away the packaging boxes - give it a try and use your skills to decide if you want to keep it, or return it -- if you're a new player ( or a veteran noob such as myself, ) you won't be able to tell any better, and i believe you'll be super happy with the purchase..

this guitar ( and brand ) whole package makes it possible for me to enjoy the gift of music and, for that, i'll always be thankful...