Out of the box:
With the instrument you do receive a card with signature of the person that checked the instrument before shipment.
There is no checklist of what they actually do, but mine was perfect out of the box.
I did not have to adjust string height or intonation, just tune up the string and that's it !
Finish:
If you like how the guitar looks on the photos you will love it once it arrives. The unique black/brown design of the body with silver accessories and a light neck makes it one of the best looking Tele's I have ever seen.
Sound and pickups.
Without even plugging in the guitar you can already tell the characteristics of the sound of the guitar. It's bright and articulate. Very pleasant sound of the wood that already says you are in for a good time.
Same pickups are used in the bridge and neck position, but it doesn't seem like that is a problem. The sound of both of the separately as well as combined is completely different giving you a perfect control of the tonality.
Bridge is very bright - works great for any riffs and rhythmic parts - the tone knob will be your friend with this one to get the sound you like. I suspect the very bright characteristic of this pickup might sound disappointing on solid state amps, but if you have a tube amp it does what it's meant to be doing great.
Middle position and neck will be your go to for any clean sounds and solos. And as far as the bridge pickup is just fine, the bridge + neck and neck solo are delivering a top notch sound.
Tbh the versatility here is so vast that you don't need any other guitar - doesn't matter if you like metal, blues or country. You can get any sound you like out of this guitar.
The only consideration is that the pickups don't provide a lot of distortion on their own. So if you have a mellow amp you will need a pedal to play some heavier stuff. If you have a more versatile amp or a full pedal board for your needs, you are all set.
Tbh I was blown away by how great this guitar is. 2 weeks earlier I purchased a PRS SE Standard for 4x the price of this guitar and I sent it back, because I was completely disappointed. Truth be told - PRS standard and a Tele-like guitars are completely different in every possible way, but I'm just saying - price tag or brand means nothing.
So huge thumbs up, and thank you Harley Benton for making incredible instruments at those prices. I can tell you that I won't be looking at any other brands in the future.
