r/harleybenton

I'm seriously considering buying a Harley Benton SC-Custom III, and I really like what I've seen and heard from it so far.

However, I have one concern: is this guitar too oriented towards metal?

I know it can obviously handle high-gain and metal tones, and I will definitely use it that way sometimes. But my main goal is actually rock and hard rock — things like classic rock, 80s hard rock, heavy rock, etc. I don't want a guitar that only really shines with modern high-gain tones.

For those of you who actually own an SC-Custom III:

How does it perform with rock and hard rock tones? Do you find the pickups versatile enough for rock, hard rock and metal?

I'd especially appreciate opinions from people who have owned the guitar for a while, rather than just general reviews.

Thanks!

Hey there!

I dont play metal, i like Jakob(the band) which plays ambient music. I used to own a PRS SE 277 a few years ago, but i definitely cant afford anything like that now.

I ordered this one. Is it a good experience for cleans and ambient? I wont go into high gain and that type of crunches. More like jazz, clean, finger picking etc.

For a while I wanted to get a Fender Telecaster. That desire ended fairly abruptly a couple months ago and was replaced by a desire to buy a Harley Benton TE style. I'm having a very hard time finding what I want and shipping and import taxes add about $120 or more to the cost of buying from Thomann. Does anyone know of a retailer or resaler that has a decent stock of HB guitars in the US?

For a while I wanted to get a Fender Telecaster. That desire ended fairly abruptly a couple months ago and was replaced by a desire to buy a Harley Benton TE style. I'm having a very hard time finding what I want and shipping and import taxes add about $120 or more to the cost of buying from Thomann. Does anyone know of a retailer or resaler that has a decent stock of HB guitars in the US?

For a while I wanted to get a Fender Telecaster. That desire ended fairly abruptly a couple months ago and was replaced by a desire to buy a Harley Benton TE style. I'm having a very hard time finding what I want and shipping and import taxes add about $120 or more to the cost of buying from Thomann. Does anyone know of a retailer or resaler that has a decent stock of HB guitars in the US?

"The Aged Series, Harley Benton’s first foray into the world of relic guitars, came out in summer 2026. It was a long process – the guitars had first been teased way back in September 2024 at the Guitar Summit, when we were led to think they might even come with nitro finishes. In the end, not even Harley Benton could manage that for €249 – but they packed loads in anyway! The guitar’s relic finish here is matt poly (in a beautiful, sparkly Lake Placid Blue here), and thankfully they’ve not thickly lacquered over the reliced areas, as some brands tend to do, which means the dings and dongs actually feel pretty real. I also decided to go with the Light Aged version of the guitar, as opposed to the more beaten up Heavy Aged, because I feel that the more pre-aged a guitar is, the less realistic it looks. Beyond the relic job, though, we get an American alder body and a vintage caramelized (or roasted) Canadian maple neck and fingerboard. The neck is a modern C shape, and has been aged too, so it’s really smooth and slinky. The scale length is the Telecaster standard 648 mm/25.5”, the fingerboard radius is 305 mm/12”, and you get 21 medium jumbo frets to play with. The pickups are a pair of alnico 5 Isola Telecaster-style (Isola is a newish Thomann/Harley Benton house brand) and you get a TB01 Tele-style ashtray bridge with three brass saddles. Most of the hardware has been aged, including the bridge, control plate, scratch plate, and the tuners. On first glance, the €149 TE-62CC looks like a very similar guitar for €100 less. Looking at the specs, though, there are some differences. For starters, there’s no relic job here (and yes, this will affect the price) and the fact that Harley Benton have obviously learned how to nail Lake Placid Blue since the TE-62CC came out – the Aged Series guitar looks deeper, richer, and generally much more expensive. The TE-62CC has a basswood body and a roasted maple neck and board, but the neck shape here is a thinner Modern D shape compared to the Aged Series guitar. Otherwise, the neck measurements and specs are the same. Pickups-wise, the TE-62CC is rocking a pair of Roswell T-style alnico 5s. The three-saddle ashtray bridge and the rest of the hardware are Harley Benton’s own – no aging here. So, is the TE-62LA really worth the extra €100? It’s time to find out! Here, I put the two guitars through their paces in as many different musical styles as I can, from country, folk and indie, to pop, rock, punk, metal, and more, so hopefully by the end you’ll be able to decide which one is right for you."

Hi all,

I bought a Amarok back in February, great guitar that needed a little work, nothing serious just a set up (nut cut etc) anyway, issue I'm having now the E & A saddles keep unwinding/snapping new strings (week old) At the moment the guitar is only been played a hour a day maximum. Could the saddles have a burr? Have any of you had similar issues? I have some knowledge how to remove the burrs, but would it be easier to just change the saddles and if so which ones would you recommend?

Thank you.

to get that sweet electric wizard dopethrone guitar tone

Did you see this video? I did and found it interesting.

My immediate thought is that I would like this same test to be done on Tele style guitars from HB and Squire to see if there is a difference.

Secondly I think Les Paul style guitars are a bit more complex to build compared to Tele or strat style, so I think it should not be a problem on those guitars.

Still, it is worrying a bit, because you can tell the quality of the body wood is abysmal

Thoughts?