Harley Benton ST-57DG Black Tribute

Update: As mentioned below, I have contacted Thomann and submitted a photo of the issue. to their credit, they have given me a £50 credit on my account, which I have used towards another purchase.

Not sure if Thomann will publish this review, but I will write it anyway. Received this guitar on 29/03/2021. It was not in stock at the time of ordering, so was placed on back order, with an arrival time of late February. The QC label has a date of 05/01/2021, so I am assuming the the QC happened at the place of manufacture. This guitar looked like it had been preowned. The black gloss finish has numerous fine scratches all over it. The neck is not properly sanded, and is quite rough in places, and certainly does not have the fine satin finish shown on the Thomann web site. In fact the neck looks like untreated bare wood. I'm not sure why Thomann have allowed this guitar to be sent to a customer, particularly one that has spent alot of money with them. Prior to this guitar, I had purchased 3 others, all of which had no QC issues, and were all of excellent quality. So I am very disappointed with this guitar. I have emailed Thomann about these issues and await there response. Given the price of the guitar, it is not worth the hassle of having to sent it back. So I suppose I will probably have to accept it. As mentioned, I have other HB guitars, and one thing which is very apparent, is that the guitars made in Indonesia are much better quality in finish and built quality, than the ones made in China. I'm not sure why this is, but it is certainly the case. If this review is published, I will update it in due course.

I’ve been a Pink Floyd fan since I was a kid in the 70’s, I bought the DG model because it’s The Black Strat, and I have some outdoor gigs that I’m a bit squeamish about taking my more valuable guitars out into the heat or rain.
The quality of this one is ok. It arrived very quickly - I was shocked how soon I got it. The truss rod needed adjustment and the neck needed a shim. The nut needed replacement, but I was going to do that anyway. The pickups are next, and maybe sanding and repainting the body - there is a definite line along the contour of the body.
Pros: best value around. Cons: will need a setup from a very good luthier.
Neck feels great. Pickups a bit thin compared to a “real” Strat
A player’s guitar. Most screw holes were stripped
Buy this one, and one or two more - they’re great for everyone from beginners to weekend warriors in a bar band.

I was very excited ordering this guitar after watching and reading the reviews.
However when i received it a was extremely disappointed.
The fingerboard has a dent in it on the 8th fret, the shaft on the first tone pot is bent and the selector switch is very noisy. This may have happened during transit as there was a hole in the box exactly where the selector switch is. The finish on the guitar is also very poor; there is a very visible joint where the wood was glued together for the body during manufacture.
Seems quality control by inspector 1593 didnt do a great job on my guitar