Harley Benton Fusion-III EMG HT Roasted SBK

While choosing various guitars to be purchased, I always ruled out Harley Benton ones automatically. I did not expect any good from a guitar in this price range. One day, I watched (accidentally) a video on You Tube regarding this guitar. The reviewer's opinion was very positive, also the sound seemed to be quite nice. I decided to give it a chance.
The guitar is very nicely shaped. The body is ergonomically designed indeed. Very comfortable to play. Very well balanced instrument – no neck diving at all. The weight is just right. The neck is easy to play, smooth, satin finished. The frets are even, no buzz at all, although I lowered the string action quite a lot. The guitar stays in tune well, both during playing and while resting in the case. The sound is good enough – this is my metal guitar. I like these pickups. I tried some active EMG humbuckers before, including 81, 85 and Fat 55. And I did not like any of them – finely sold that guitar. This is not the case.
I am not entirely happy with the reversed head-stock, but this is just a personal liking. And I can live with this. Also, I did not like the black inlay dots – I did not see them good enough in a darker environment. Finally, I painted them white – now they are perfectly visible.
The guitar is definitely worth its price. But not just that. I would say, this is a decent guitar in any price range.

I was looking for a long time for a stealth-looking, modern, Super ST metal guitar and this has it all. 10/10 looks and the inverted headstock are the cherry on top, makes it stand out and feels more premium.
The specs are great, absolutely zero sharp frets and the pickups are quite warm and not so hot. This is probably the first guitar that I feel comfortable soloing with the bridge pickup. Also, the neck pickup doesn't sound so 'nasal' like they usually do.
My only remark is regarding the bridge.
Ideally, I would have preferred a non fixed bridge of any kind, quite possibly a Floyd, but perhaps the price would have gone up quite a bit. My bridge came a bit damage, with very tiny scratches on the paint, but it is the kinda thing that only I will ever notice and it doesn't affect the looks or playability.
In short, I'm extremely happy with it and would definitely buy again.

Ordered this after watching a blazing YouTube review. Shipped to me in Canada. I paid more for it in the end (due to shipping and duty), compared to someone in Europe.

Guitar was a bit rough out of the box. Neck pickup was installed crooked (honestly, how can someone not line these up?) Frets were very rough. Tuning pegs are a little shoddy. Input jack needs to be replaced (its shorting out when the cable moves around).

After a full setup (used fret erasers, Ernie Ball fretboard conditioner) the neck really came to life. Just insanely beautiful flame.

I think the guitar itself sounds VERY good. I am happy with the tone - the pickups feel great to me.

In the end, would I buy it again? Probably not - if I was in Europe - yes. But not in Canada. I would have rather put the money towards a real Charvel or something. With all the extra shipping/duty, needing to buy a new input jack, fix crooked pickups, etc. I don't think it was worth it in the end.