Harley Benton ST-62DLX VW Vintage Series

I am writing this short review after almost six months of having this guitar so I think I know know what are its pros and cons. The truth is that you cannot buy a better stratocaster for that price (we are talking about new guitars, not used ones). I've had almost all Squier guitars in my hands and, really, the only Squier that could be said to have been equal to this HB would be the Classic Vibe - which is now 3 times more expensive. But straight to the point
- The neck is probably the best part of that guitar. It is rather thin than thick, yet the fretboard is quite wide which makes it overall very comfortable to play. Not to mention, that the neck comes with a great glossy finish and a real-bone nut.
- Roswell pickups are also great in terms of sound. This is just as close to that bright, stratty sound as you can get. Really no need to replace them, they sound great, especially some dirty clean/crunch presets.
- Very good tremolo bridge. The block is much thicker than in other strat guitars. The tuners are OK. The guitar stands in tune most of the time and you can do some tricks with the whammy bar but you have to be careful. It's good overall but a divebomb is to much for the tuners to handle - but it was to be expected.
- The strings were quite high above the frets when I unboxed the guitar so bear in mind that before you start playing - the hardware needs to be set up.
Overall it is a great Stratocaster guitar. I am very pleased with it.

It was a bit of a gamble getting this guitar, considering that I was not familiar with playing Harley Bentons. Having read the reviews I was happy to go out on a limp and get it, and I am very happy with this decision.

Basically, if you're looking for a 400-500 EUR Fender stratocaster but can't afford it, this is as close you can get for 200 EUR.

Pros:

- Really fat neck
- Pickups were better than expected.
- Looks much better in real life than in the pictures as the pick guard is like a faded gold.

Cons:

- It required a little bit of tweaking before it reaches ''full potential'' to play on, but this can be done within 15 minutes and is fine for me considering the price.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this as a starter guitar, a modest expansion of your current guitar collection or even as a gift. Great value for money.

Wanted strat-style guitar, after reviews on Youtube considered ST-62 VW MN (or something like that, White with maple neck). At the moment I was going to make a purchase this variation was completely sold out. Luckily found this Deluxe and ordered.
Delivery to Estonia was quite long, not 3-6 days, as advertised. Customer service informed me that guitar is on Quality Check stage.
When guitar arrived I was surprised by quality - it is really decent. I have also Cort electric guitar and frets are somewhat pointy at the sides and scratch hand while playing. But not on HB. The only flaw I noticed immediately is that fret were nicely leveled, but not polished and tool marks were noticeable at closer look.
So I polished the frets myself with dremel and put new strings and this was all I did before start playing.
Also there is one thing in description at Thomann: single piece maple neck. Which, in reality, is maple neck with glues maple fretboard.
Sound is nice, also nice is handling - guitar is very comfortable. Neck is more thick (D) then on my Cort (C) and it feels better to me. Really happy with the purchase.

I'm mainly a hollow-body/humbucker jazz guy but I recently landed a gig that required an s-type guitar that was specifically requested from the MD of the band. I had one already and needed a backup. This was that guitar.

Build:
In terms of build quality I was pleasantly surprised by how well this guitar felt. I can't say it can compare to my more expensive pleked guitars but I won't deny it, this thing can hold up against any of my Indonesian made guitars! No sharp fret ends, leveled frets and came set up well (slightly high for my taste). Fit and Finish is good.

Sound:
These Roswell pickups are better than any pickups in any other guitars by any other manufacturers at this price point; big or small. I was certain I would need to upgrade them at some point but I'm honestly happy enough to keep 'em. They aren't noise cancelling or anything to write home about but if you're seeking that s-type sound, this'll do it. If you're interested in hearing the guitar, I've played it on my Instagram account. @chrismedinamusic

All in all, this guitar is well worth the price tag and I can recommend it!

I have bought this guitar mainly because of the positive reviews I have read (and the fact that it looks great). I have since used it for everything, from home practicing to small gigs.

I am extremely pleased with the product and have recommended it to all my friends.

The guitar arrived very nicely set up. I only lowered the action a little bit, because i prefer it low, tuned, and that was it. The frets were a little rough, which is to be expected, but they smoothed about a half hour of playing.
The two things I like the most is the beautiful looks and the beautiful sound of the guitar. I play it mainly through my BOSS Katana 100 and with this combination I can achieve almost any tone I want. It's really amazing for a guitar in this price range. The guitar almost never goes out of tune, and the tuners feel like they are very decent quality. I only have to tune it maybe once a week, even when I play quite a lot.

Overall I am extremely pleased, and will definitely buy Harley Benton again.

I bought this guitar expecting to have to do a lot of work to it. My intention was buy it, review it on my youtube channel, do the work required, sell it, then start the process again with another guitar. However, I won't be selling it. It's absolutely phenomenal. Fret-job was as good as my US Strat, nut was cut perfectly, and apart from some minor personal set up work I didn't have to do a thing to it. Absolutely unbelievable quality for such a small amount of money. Go check it out at All Things Guitar if you don't believe me...I've done an unboxing a review, then just playing it and having fun...I genuinely can't put this down, and I have a house full of expensive instruments here. Just a brilliant guitar regardless of price point.
PS - I have no affiliation with Thomann or anyone who works there, as you will see from my channel reviews.