Harley Benton TE-62CC SFG

Overall 5 *. Some very minor visual flaws, but nothing to worry about. I'm no expert, have owned various HB guitars

Looks- colour matches the website, looks great. The slightly toasted neck looks great

Neck-feels really nice to play. Slimmer than the the TE-52

Fretwork is really good, no pokey or sharp frets. No scratchiness when bending, so the frets seem to be polished well.

Tone and volume knobs are a little stiff, hopefully will loosen with use.

Tuners work, they're not very precise but hold tune and do the job

Sounds- I have owned the TE-70 and TE-52, so the roswells sound the same. Better ears than mine may hear the difference because of the wood and weight vs the TE-52, but I don't have high end amps to notice the subtleties and I'm a hobby guitar player so, nothing majorly different in the sounds to the aforementioned models.

So, to review, a really nice playing and looking T guitar for very little money. Down the line I may replace bridge/saddles, tuners and put in some slightly better pickups (tonerider or similar), but I am absolutely happy with the guitar for the money, and for even slightly more money

Just got this today, arrived in less than a week after ordering (EU area) which was impressive given it was over Easter. Nicely packaged, so there was little risk it being damaged in transit.

Out of the box it felt really great, once the strings were tuned up I was playing away quite happily. Intonation was pretty much spot on, only the G is a little out but I'm talking a miniscule amount, to the point where I probably won't even adjust it. Action set up was perfect too, no fret buzz and clear notes when playing up the fretboard.

Fretboard itself is satin finish so if you're used to a gloss finished you may find it a bit dry. I've yet to play it for a few hours so will see what it feels like after that. It may need a little oil. No sharp edges on the frets, and they all seem the right height. Tuners feel solid too and so far are holding the tuning.

Plugged in and run through pedals and an amp, it sounds great. I compared it to my G&L Bluesboy and it's very similar on the bridge pick up, in fact a little brighter, with a fair bit of bite. It doesn't have the beefiness of the G&L on the middle or neck setting, as the G&L has a humbucker in that position, but even still the Harley Benton holds up when using fuzz and distortion. I'm looking forward to getting in the room with my band to see how it sounds.

Looks-wise, it is perfect - the colour is fantastic and the lime green pickguard really shines. The neck is a dark roasted maple which is really set off nicely by the colour. No imperfections as far as I can see, paint work is perfect, and the whole thing is solid and feels good.

Only negative aspect so far is the plastic used to cover the neck pickup, controls, and pick guard - I had to take the pots off to fully remove the plastic, and even at that there's still a bit stuck under that I can't get rid of. I've had that problem with other guitar brands so it's not particular to Harley Benton.

In total, for the price it's a no-brainer. I've owned Fender and Squire telecasters, as well as G&L, and so far this stands up to them in terms of initial feeling and sound. Be a perfect guitar for travelling, or throwing in the back of the van when touring without having to worry too much about it. Definitely suitable for beginners, but I would also encourage experienced guitarists to try this brand - you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I only ever played Epiphone Les Pauls, given that humbuckers always best matched my musical taste in terms of sound (KISS, Aerosmith, AC/DC, etc.).

Over the years, I started to listen to artists like Tom Petty and John Mayer, and even though my Les Paul Tribute can coil split, the sound just wasn't what I was looking for when I wanted that brighter tone. My Les Paul is equipped with Classic 57' Humbuckers, which are known for an even warmer tone compared to other humbuckers. I decided to take the plunge and buy a second guitar, so I could always choose between humbuckers and single coils.

I always liked the look of telecasters and I didn't want to spend too much. The idea was to explore single coil sounds without busting the bank. I was already familiar with Thomann, so naturally I came across Harley Benton. I ordered the TE52, as I always liked the look of guitars like Springsteen's Esquire and Keith Richards' Micawber. The TE52 was also the most popular model of the T range.

The TE52 and I didn't click. It sounded alright, but it weighed a ton (it was heavier than my Les Paul) and it turned out in reality I didn't like the transparent wooden look of the body. I just didn't enjoy it. Upon further investigation, I stumbled upon the TE62, which was not only available in an awesome Seafoam Green colour; the body was also made of a lighter tonewood. To top it all off, it was even a little bit cheaper.

I returned the TE52 and got the TE62. The TE62 sounded just as good, was more comfortable to play, looked way cooler and the neck felt more like the Les Paul I was used to (modern D vs the C profile of the 52). All in all a perfect match.

Setup was great right out of the box, I only lowered the action half a screwturn on the saddles. The neck was dead straight without any fret buzz - even after lowering the action. Paintjob looks great, as well as the metal hardware. Tuners aren't great, but considering the price point that's not a huge negative. For the money, it has incredible value overall. It's a simple guitar, but that fits both a Tele and the price point of this particular Tele.

The one thing I really had to get used to is that a Tele sounds very harsh and not pleasant at all when you open volume and tone all the way. On my Les Paul I never use the knobs and do all tone adjustments through the amp, but on a Tele you really have to dial in a tone on both the guitar and the amp. It's a little more work but it's very rewarding when you hit that sweet spot and get that Tele twang you're looking for. The TE62 does exactly what I hoped it would do in terms of creating a tone I could never get from my Les Paul.

The TE62 has been my go-to guitar for a few weeks now. Except for the tuners, it gives my far more expensive Les Paul a real run for its money in terms of playability. I'll probably replace the tuners soon and might experiment with brass saddles in the future, but for now it's a great guitar and amazing for the money.

This is an edited review, I include the original post below, and include a brief review of the replacement guitar issued by Thomann.
I have bought over 10 HB guitars over the past few years, mostly great, some not so great, but this one was a bit of a lemon. Where to start?
1. Two sizeable cracks on either side of the neck pocket. 1.5cm on the upper joint. Not acceptable really, not sure if it had a fall, as the cartons were apparently undamaged.
2. The neck felt rough, completely unfinished all the way along the neck, horrible QC, the top of the headstock was atrociously finished.
3. The switch is horrible, it wiggles and waggles all over the place and feels broken.
4. The machine heads are awful.

All in all, a poor example of a guitar that others are (understandably) raving about.
On a positive note, it's *unbelievably* resonant, in fact, it reminds me of an 80s MIJ Tele Custom I once owned.
The pickups are really quite decent.
So, some bad, but not all bad.


Thomann offered to replace the original guitar, I had to wait a while until back in stock, but it arrived a few weeks later.
*This* guitar, hand on heart, was flawless, every thing wrong with the 1st was perfectly executed here. I'm gobsmacked at this quality, at this price. I was afraid the replacement wouldn't have the same resonance as the 1st, but I was wrong. Acoustically, this guitar SINGS! which as you should know, is a great thing in an electric guitar. The colour is gorgeous, the neck is stunning, and ridiculously stable.
All in all, a sweet playing experience, that puts an affordable, quality instrument in your hands.
First class customer service must also be mentioned. Thanks Thomann!