Harley Benton R-458FFB Roasted MultiScale

For all the Harley Bentons I've owned over the past couple of years, I've owned all the available seven string models, and they've been pretty great - but I had yet to own an eight string. I've been wanting the Multiscale-8 for a while, but every time the money was available it was out of stock. When HB announced this guitar, the timing was just right with my finances, and the roasted necks I've played in the past left a great impression, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

The shipping box had virtually zero padding in it - a single sheet of the butcher paper was stuck at the very bottom, protecting basically nothing - but the guitar box was unharmed, and the guitar arrived in pristine condition. The finish is *phenomenal*, and the pictures simply don't do it enough justice. It's one you may already be familiar with, as it's been on a bunch of guitars over the years - most notably the Music Man John Petrucci signatures under the name Mystic Dream . The color shift looks great in lighting, and it gives this guitar a really unique character.

The real secret of this guitar, though, is the incredible roasted neck. The neck on my guitar is immaculate - the fret ends are perfect, with not a sharp end to be found, and the feel is excellent. It's a very natural feeling neck, with a really gentle satin finish, and most importantly the fretboard ISN'T BONE DRY FOR ONCE! The profile is thin and pretty flat, but not an overexaggerated kind of flat, so it's comfortable for extended periods of playing. The fan of the frets isn't super wide, so it doesn't take long to get used to, but if you're not used to a multiscale neck you may want to try one first.

The electronics, unfortunately, are a weak point (as has been noted about the regular neck R-458 in the past). Despite being described as "hi-gain", the pickups are pretty moderate in output, and don't nail the modern 8-string metal crunch as much as they do an early djent kind of tone. They're not noisy or anything, but kind of underwhelming depending on your expectations. Fortunately, they're the same size as regular 8-string soapbar pickups, so they can be easily replaced. The 3-way switch is also kind of disappointing, considering the R-446 managed to pack in a 5-way switch, and those split-coil tones would be a nice addition on a guitar like this.

The rest of the hardware is quite good - even the tuners, which I usually have an issue with. The mono-rail bridge is comfortable, with no sharp edges and a pretty easy-to-adjust layout. Aside from the pickups, I don't really see anything that needs immediate replacement, but that always comes down to preference.

While it's not perfect, the R-458 Roasted is an impressive guitar with a gorgeous finish and an amazing neck. At this price, it's pretty hard to beat if you're in the market for an affordable eight string that stands out from the usual "blacked out" appearance.

If you are interested in this instruments its probably because of the paint job and the roasted maple neck so I'll start by detailing those. The finish looks just as great in person as in the pictures, if not better. I tend to avoid glossy finishes since they are a real fingerprint magnet. I dont mind wiping off the body every day if it looks this great tho. I have found a small scratch under the bridge and on the back of the guitar, faults that I decided I can live with. They are not visible during regular use. You might get less lucky tho in which case you might have to return it.

This is my first roasted maple neck and fretboard so I can't comment on how it compares to the same wood on a different guitar but compared to what im used to it feels smooth and fresh. The caramel-like colour is great and the fretboard is easy to maintain. My fingers tend to be oily so I have to clean the fretboard often. This one is super easy to wipe clean thanks to the treatment on the wood. I haven't found any sharp edges whatsoever. The neck profile is comfortable for me but thats up to preference. Not super thin but its not chunky either, probbaly in the safe zone for most people.

A new set of strings is a must as with any new guitar but its even more important in this case since I found the gauges to be a bit light with 65 on the lowest string. Went with 09-80 and it made a great difference.
The frets are definitely a bit scratchy. Havent gotten around to polishing them but it shouldnt be too hard to fix. I wouldn't say it's unplayable but the scratches are audible which is annoying.

The pickups are ok. If this is your first 8 string and you just want to get your feet wet the tone probably won't matter that much. They sound exactly what you would expect for this price. Not great but they get the job done. If you like modding and you bought the instrument for its looks and roasted maple neck you can just put some new pickups in it anyway.

The hardware nice. This is the least exciting part of any guitar for me so there's not much I can say. I like that it's black since I think chrome on budget guitars can look kinda cheap sometimes. Black always looks premium. Everything sits in its place robustly. The switches and knobs are not easy to turn. I prefer it this way. Harder to mess with them accidentally and they give better feedback.

Lastly, the build quality of my unit is great. To put it shortly, nothing in the materials or the way the instrument was put together makes me think it was cheap.

Overall, I'ts hard to beat these looks and features at this price point. If it came with stainless steel frets I wouldn't even think to spend my money on something else. Amazing for your first 8 string, especially if you want something that differs from the usual metal colour palette.

This is not a guitar for serious work, at least not right out of the box. Keep in mind that you're going to have to pour at least 350 EUR or more into it to get it fit for recording/playing. For starters, the tuners are absolutely awful, inaccurate and with a ton of play - my favorite is hearing that 'click' sound while trying to tune and having the string drop/raise a half *semitone* or more. I have replaced the stock tuning machines with Hipshot locking tuners (80 EUR) and the difference is notable.

Pickups are basically useless and have to be replaced at once. The challenge with this is the multi-scale setup, which will either require a custom-made, staggered coil pickup or one of the few options (Fishman Abasi, etc.) that slot right in as a stock replacement. I have a set of the Abasi Signatures (300 EUR+) in the guitar, and they sound fine (although a nightmare to solder). If you can afford Bare Knuckles, go for it, they will be even more of a step up and an easier, battery-free install.

If you're tuning lower than standard F#BEADGBE, you will have problems with both the nut slots' width, height and consequently, with intonation. Nut slots have to be filed down so thicker gauge strings (.80 etc.) fit. Nut itself is nothing special, so if budget allows, a replacement is also an option. I tune to EAEADGBE and have had to do significant widening/lowering of the nut slots for the first two strings.

Otherwise, playability is good, build is solid and the wood sounds nice, even unplugged. Electronics cavity leaves plenty of room for mods, which helps when adding a 9V if replacing with active pickups. Frets on this copy were fine, no sharp spots or unevenness and bridge seems OK, as well. On the moral front, not having a "Made in" notice anywhere on the instrument makes for an uneasy buy if trying to avoid buying products made in certain countries.

Overall, this is a guitar that is good for beginners or those just starting out with 8-strings. For anyone else, with a few hundred euros worth of mods and an armful of patience, it could eventually turn into a solid backup guitar.