DISCLAIMER: I am not great at writing reviews, but I really wanted to let Thomann know that I am disappointed with their quality control. I used ChatGPT to help me generate this review, but not before I have thoroughly laid down all of my pros, cons and observations. Therefore, the review represents my opinion 100%, it's just that I used AI to help me generate a satisfactory wall of text. :)
THE REVIEW: The guitar is aimed at musicians seeking a budget-friendly way to explore extended-range playing. While the initial look and feel of this guitar are impressive for the price, my experience reveals that this model has some significant quality control issues.
Unboxing and First Impressions
The guitar arrived well-packed, which was reassuring. However, I noticed that an Allen key was left loose inside the box. Fortunately, it didn’t cause any damage to the guitar’s finish, but this detail set the tone for some of the other issues I’d encounter with quality control.
Build Quality and Setup
While the overall finish of the guitar looked clean and stylish in white, I encountered several setup issues that required immediate attention:
* Loose Bridge: Out of the box, the bridge wasn’t properly screwed down, which significantly affected the intonation. I only discovered this once I removed the strings, and securing it correctly was crucial for proper playability.
* Ground Wire Issues: The ground wire for the bridge wasn’t locked down adequately and had come loose, either in transit or due to poor assembly. This created additional setup work to ensure proper grounding.
* Conductive Paint: Disappointingly, the conductive paint in the control and pickup cavities was insufficient and, frankly, ineffective. I had to line the cavities with aluminum tape to reduce noise, as the paint did not provide the necessary shielding.
Electronics and Hardware
The stock electronics and hardware were, unfortunately, another area where this guitar fell short:
* Pickups: The factory pickups sounded muddy and lacked clarity, which was a major letdown. After replacing them with inexpensive Chinese pickups (which only cost me around $30), I immediately noticed a significant improvement in sound quality and clarity. Upgrading the pickups is practically a must for any player looking to get a usable tone from this guitar. I also added coil-splitting with push-pull tone potentiometer, which greatly enhances the possibilities.
* Pickup Cavity Size: I also discovered that the pickup cavities and frames were unusually large for an 8-string guitar. They seem to be sized more for a 10-string guitar, which makes standard 8-string pickups fit poorly. This issue required custom work, like using black foam and tape to fill the extra space.
* Tuners: The stock tuners couldn’t hold tuning reliably, which was frustrating, especially for a lower-tuned, 8-string setup. I replaced them with Guyker locking tuners, which resolved the issue entirely. Again, this was a necessary upgrade for tuning stability.
Playability and Feel
Once I addressed the hardware issues, the guitar actually felt comfortable and quite enjoyable to play:
* Neck and Frets: The neck was surprisingly smooth, with well-adjusted sides that felt nice in hand. However, I needed to polish the frets, as the surface was rough straight out of the box. This isn’t a deal-breaker but adds to the maintenance requirements.
* Fretboard: The fretboard itself was dry upon arrival, but after conditioning it with some coconut oil, it looked and felt great. The inlays were cleanly done, which was a pleasant detail considering some of the other quality control issues.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
* Stylish, clean finish and a very-comfortable neck profile (one of my favorite necks despite being an 8-string, which is not something I am used to).
* Great potential for customization for players who are willing to put in some work.
* Inlays and overall neck finishing were done well.
Cons:
* Poor quality control is an understatement of the year: loose bridge, inadequate shielding, and improperly set ground wire, and an Allen key loose in the box that could've really damaged the finished...
* Low-quality pickups and tuners require immediate upgrading for satisfactory performance.
* Oversized pickup cavities make standard replacements difficult without custom modifications.
* Frets needed polishing and overall setup out of the box was insufficient.
Conclusion
The guitar offers decent value only if you’re prepared to invest time, effort, and some additional money into upgrades and setup. For a musician with the tools and knowledge to make these adjustments, it can be a good platform for experimentation in 8-string playing. However, beginners or those without setup experience may struggle with the out-of-the-box issues, which could be discouraging. But then again, a beginner should never touch an 8-string guitar as their first instrument. But then again... not every guitarist is willing to invest some time to learn how to properly set up guitars on their own. Pick your poison.
Given the extensive modifications I had to make, I would suggest Harley Benton re-evaluate their quality control process. This guitar has potential, but the amount of initial work needed makes it more of a DIY project than a ready-to-play instrument.
Rating: 2.5/5 as-is after Thomann's "quality control". After my maintenance I'd rate it 4.5/5 as I plan on replacing the cheap pickups with something a lot better in the future.
