Harley Benton DC-580 CH Vintage Series

I own several guitars . Vintage and new. The American BIG 3 and (replica) models. I have to say, the HB DC- 580 CH will take it's place, on the GO - TO rack, among the Fender, Gibson , and Electra group. This guitar has a basswood body Canadian maple neck ,the humbuckers are good, good tuners, solid smooth feel. Granted, the electronics and hardware are probably not top of the line, but , they do the job , pretty well. I gigged with it the first week I got it. No one in the band could believe it. They were surprised, with the sound .I used it, to play all 4 sets. The rhythm player says, "he's gonna buy one, now". This is a well made, tight and together guitar. looks good, plays good, and sounds good. This would also make fantastic guitar, for someone to mod. with their own aftermarket parts, if desired. But , as is, it's a great guitar. Mine came, action set up, bridge, neck set up and frets finished, For the price, I don't think you can find another guitar that plays, looks, and sounds, as good as this Harley Benton, for the price. I also think you would pay 2 to 3 times, or maybe 4 to 5 times as much,
for one of its quality. I have another "import guitars", that I purchased new in 1978, (SLM Electra, very good guitar), and I payed , twice as much, then,( in 1978), as I did for this guitar. I will say, I think , they are, very closely comparable. Shipping may take a little longer than usual,(about 6 weeks for mine), had to wait for it to be back in stock. But it's worth it. Every guitar player should own, at least one Harley Benton. I have ordered three more.

I'm not a pro guitarist, I'm learning again from the beginning, having not picked up a guitar for almost 30 years. It started about 6 months ago I bought a strat, and a Epiphone SG. The strat doesn't suit but the SG does, I love SG's.
When I heard from various reviews how Harley Benton had upped it's game on their guitars, I just had to have one. Of course being a SG fan I choose the DC-580 CH. I can say with my hand on my heart that I am blown away by the quality of this guitar for the price. It's finish is absolutely flawless, the feel is wonderful. Of course there is neck dive but that's a minor thing, and common in other SG/SG style guitars. The neck is wonderfully smooth, as are the frets. The sound is very pleasing too, these pickups do a great job, not the best on the planet, but very capable for what I need, an AC/DC sound.
What do I use the DC-580CH for?? Well , my Epiphone SG is in standard tuning for the newer AC/DC stuff, and the DC-580 is half a semitone down for the older AC/DC stuff, saves time retuning all the time!
If I am totally honest, I prefer to play the older DC stuff, which means I have the Harley Benton guitar plugged in more than the Epiphone, which suits me fine 😁
To finalise: I am blown away that such a guitar exists for such a low price point, I love it! Don't be a brand snob, so many people who know what they're talking about, love this guitar!
Next step: I'm definitely getting a Harley Benton DC Custom in the next week or so.

This is very good for the price. Here are some general observations. My opinions are subjective, they're simply what I've found with what I received.

Fretwork seems very good. No sharp fret ends or sprout. The binding is very neatly done

Body appearance- the painter is darker and a littlee duller than the web photos. The finis is slightly transparent. The Body is three piece and because of the transparent finish you can see a centre piece with very different wood grain. It looks ok but might bother some. It would be better imho to make the paint opaque unless the grain/matching is attractive. But again that's just an opinion.

Sounds- neck pickup is warm and pretty fat. Not as good as the Roswells in my other HB guitars, but this guitar is 139 euro!!

Tuners are ok. They work but are not very smooth or precise. They will be replaced eventually.

Comfort. It exhibits pronounced neck dive. I play sitting as I'm a hobby player. but you may not.

Nut:- well seated, will need a little filing as there are plastic burrs left in some of the slots. No biggy.

Overall:- I bought it to mess around with. I don't own any high end guitars, my most expensive is a Harley Benton Fusion T (299 euro) which is markedly better quality than this guitar, but that's ot be expected. I will use it for occasional use in my garden office, some blues noodling, rock power chords and won't worry too much if I damage it.

Good for:- a complete beginner- a great starter guitar. Maybe as a living room guitar. With better tuners and pickups you could probably use it on stage, but I can't comment specifically because I'm not in that world.

Overall a very nice guitar for the money. It costs 139 euro and has a set-in neck.