Harley Benton T-2000

I bought this guitar from www.thomann.de and paid approximately £132

Put simply, this is the best guitar I've ever owned. Everything about it is unbelievable quality for the money I paid. It sounds great, is beautifully balanced, plays like a dream with an action to die for.

My only complaint, tho' that isn't really fair, were the pickups. As single coils, they were a touch noisy when used to record to my pc with even the slightest amount of distortion. All single coils have this issue, so as I say, it isn't really a complaint.

It has a basewood body, flame maple top with a oil/wax finish. A very, v-e-r-y slim 22 fret thro' neck with rosewood fretboard with dot markers and the usual tele style hardware. Unknown diecast machine heads. All in all, it looks stunning, and the overall finish is near flawless. There's one small niggle, re the finish, but at the price I paid, it doesn't warrant a mention. Only time will tell on the durability, but I'd hazard a guess that correctly looked after, it will last a lifetime as it appears to be well built.

I changed the stock pickups for a set of Fender Vintage noiseless, they've turned a already great guitar into something special for a total cost of just over £200. Compared to a genuine mid 50's tele I owned some years back, this guitar is superior in every way possible. It seems I was lucky enough to get one of the last of this model produced, as Thomann/Harley Benton no longer stock/make this guitar. A real shame, as it a fantastic guitar, lacking only a 'famous name' on the headstock to turn it into a classic guitar. A mate (he'd never heard of/tried this brand) who works in my local guitar shop looked at/tried it and guessed that, going by the build quality/playability, I'd paid anywhere between £500 and £800, and this was before I'd changed the pickups. The bottom line is, this guitar was an absolute steal and out of three guitars I own, is my pride and joy. If anybody see's one for sale, don't be put off by the 'unknown make' buy it with confidence. Highly, highly recommended.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Guitar neck-type tlcaster!
probably made in Asia, the biggest seller of Internet SPECIFICATIONS German "thomann" and sold them directly (o a staggering price of 199 euros! ... not even 1300 dollars).
tl is a "amliore" is to say:
neck-5 part (3 more clear between each of rebates), then through the whole body,
trestle type bridges tl individual harmonics and adjustable height.
one volume, one Tone (including the handling inspires confidence) and pretty buttons mtalliques chrome, two microphones and a type tl slecteur classic three positions.
22 frets properly handle trs poses (one more than the old tls) thinner and flatter than the tl most comfortable in accajou rosewood brown (or wood equivalent?) pretty.
but it is not the bne, either ...

UTILIZATION

Handle more enjoyable and comfortable as tl (flatter, less fat in hand, more current).
So you can "shred" with ... but we realize it's not really Designed for the base (a is a better tl).
Access in acute is royal!
no neck-heel because ... is the strength and the particularity of this guitar.
especially since it is an asset for guitars "industrial" to have a handle 3 or 5 parts.
as no party (if she wanted to twist) would work in the same direction than another, they all s'quilibrent and reduce the risk of kinking.
the weight is more lightweight than a fender, so comfortable, but tend to remain horizontal lgre (qd I like and I stick up a bit more ...).
beautiful wood (alder as the rear fender, and Rabl (or more exotic wood color?) "ondquot, 6 mm thick on the table.
aspect huil circumstances (but in fact it is a matt varnish. it is better for protection, especially industrial guitar which is known about the Schager, but I prfr circumstances. .. do not care ... matt varnish j'cirerai !!!).
the face is trs class.
the rear is a little "yellow" ... but with age has a risk of "honey" good vintage!
(Actually did a little yellow "mat", so I pass the car polish (pink) with the super fine steel wool, then polish with a cotton cloth, and idem (poliosh pink) with a cotton cloth and then polished wool (an old sweater!).
Rear shot of the shiny, deep honey!
trs is beautiful and has class.
I left the front and "Saddle ond matte appearance cirquot;.

the sound ... is a tl!
customizes well with Duncan is probably better, but ... the sound is nice trs (once RULES) and I feel that the output level of the mic is acute suprieur a fender, which allows the distortion really nice.
(Be careful it's not the bang, the emg 81 or large Marzio, either ...).

SOUNDS

Tl J'voulais a long time.
is that the atypical class, original and ... give!
I prfre on my music man amp lights on my old peavey transistor (which is however nice distortion in large scratch on my teams in S. Duncan) and rings.
but it is a tl.
not super versatile, what ...
and you can find us fenders with better pickups (of course ...).
an asset: it looks good blind.
I have known fenders who snored more or buzzer.

OVERALL OPINION

Here I will speak honntement, even if I put a 10 seen the violin and the chosen price.

CHRE is not a guitar, a book at home, no problem with the choice of violin that would justify a price four times more expensive.

but four times as much, I Tolra least small "attention" to do it (while the overall finish is correct trs)

is to say: stick the plastic bitoniau slecteur which was the first barr nerve!
pass the rear of the handle steel wool soaked hyperfine beeswax (and cotton cloth), because the lightweight granite polish silent amliorable my opinion (once this Indeed, the handle becomes bcp faster and easier).
rgler harmonic heights strings and pickups or neck (very beautiful, trs law, may be a little too ...) etc ... because the guitar from the factory and not RULES.
change the strings (which seemed to mean, not good in tie homognes little or adapt my game).
the saw cut down the small mtal bolt net supports the low E saddle, which I plowed hands qd I plastered my palm on the bridge (but it's all tls except those with test strips THREADED of smaller bridges for both mi).
oil the key.

That said it's not the cat, new, it is made playable.
but has it better.

this is done, we can also cover the black plastic plate that conceals the electronic the rear, a bit of veneer color of the handle (available at casto) to more class!

all this is ... ben is clear that it is a great value qualitprix, an original guitar, a violin that is a base class and funny customize if you wish.

I would do well on this choice!
I want my nephew !!!...