I've got 2 new guitars and I got one for my son.
I only meant to get myself one, and it was this one that arrived today:
https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_custom_line_cla_28ve_wn.htmThey made a mistake when the order originally shipped and they sent me this one by mistake the first time around:
https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_custom_line_cld_41se_wn.htmThen they told me to keep the one above at no charge and they sent the one I actually ordered at no charge. I got a "twofer"!
I also ordered this one for my son:
https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_hb_35plus_cherry.htmHe loves it and so do I.
Thomann owns the Harley Benton brand. They also own the brands that supply the parts to the manufacturers of those guitars. The end result is very good guitars at very reasonable prices. They take out one layer of markups by going from the manufacturer - thomann - end user.
I'll try to write a full review later but I wanted to share my good fortune with you guys. Now is that customer service or what?!
Not too different from Guitar Center’s house brand, Mitchell.
Woopie!! I love it when a freebee comes along.
Scott,
If you get a chance, check out the reviews on youtube. These are head and shoulders above Mitchell, Epiphone or any Mexican Strat I've ever played.
Bob, was your son's guitar playable right out of the box or did he have to have it properly set up?
Also how does it sound for jazz?
I'm looking for a new guitar that these look like the are fantastic guitars, especially considering the price!
Thanx in advance for your time.
Mario,
His guitar was set up perfectly right out of the box. I checked the intonation and it was spot on. Neck was perfect. Action was just right.
I've owned several ES-335's and this one would give them a run for their money.
Another thing this one has that the ES-335 doesn't is coil splitting. Both humbuckers can be played as single coils. You have push/pull switches on each volume knob. You can even have one as a single coil and the other as a humbucker together. The fretwork is also very good. The pictures don't do them justice. The flame tops are beautiful.
This thing would be great for jazz, blues, rock, country or anything else you might play.
I plan on getting an HB-35 Plus in a lemon as soon as they get them back in stock.
I don't know how they make these at the quality level they do for the price they're charging.
You won't be disappointed if you get one. Just check out the reviews on them online.
I plan on getting an HB-35 Plus in a lemon as soon as they get them back in stock.
That lemon sure is beautiful!
How long did your order take to get shipped to you?
John,
Both orders were pretty similar. They shipped out immediately, then sat in German customs for 4-5 days. It showed up in New York a few days later. Cleared US Customs a couple of days later. Then sat in limbo in New York for about 10 days. Two days after that I received the shipments.
Shipping cost is $33. You can actually get 2 or 3 guitars shipped for that. Their prices on Gibsons, Fenders and Taylors are about $33 less than Musicians Friend, Sweetwater, etc.
They actually keep high end Gibsons in stock, i.e. Gibson Citation $24,799, Gibson LeGrand, $11,939. They probably only keep one of these and reorder when its sold. I'm not aware of any other dealer that does that.
So far I'm very impressed. I plan on ordering 3 or 4 more Harley Bentons.
Since both of these orders were shipped during the pandemic, I expect the delivery would be better during normal times.
I've always wanted an ES-335. Maybe one of these will be the ticket! I was in eastern Europe last year and bought a 3/4 size classical guitar with a brand I'd never heard of for about $80 USD. Didn't expect much but have been blown away at the quality!
John,
Get you one of the Harley Benton HB-35 Plus. Make sure to get the Plus, ... it makes a difference.
Really nice guitars.
Man! I wasn't going to buy any more guitars but that 335 looks sweet!
And at that price ... they are practically forcing me to buy it
Man! I wasn't going to buy any more guitars but that 335 looks sweet!
And at that price ... they are practically forcing me to buy it
I feel your pain! I'm really don't need another guitar but at that price, even with a case, I think I will get one anyway.
Many Congrats Bob, nice looking guitars.
I did have a HB classical that I got from Thomanns, posted about it a few months ago with pics as the bridge came totally away.
Eventually they sorted it out for me, but did take a bit of chasing up to get there, returning it etc but that was easy enough as I had kept the package it came in.
As they didn't have any of mine in stock at the time, I couldn't do a like for like switchover, but did notice the one I returned to them was soon for sale again in the B stock section. As it was a fairly serious bridge lift, taking some of the top wood with it, I do hope the new owner has better luck with it than me.
My experience with Thomanns as regards HB guitars is luck of the draw I think, when I got the guitar initially the strings were all covered in what looked like guitar paint, as if they had put the strings on first before they did all the paint work, not a big deal putting a new set of strings on, but still not the quality control I would have expected.
In telephone conversations with their customer services though they could not have been more helpful.
Enjoy your new guitars.
musiclover,
Hope your new guitar works out for you.
All 3 of the ones I got were of exceptional quality and that's without even taking the price into consideration.
I communicated with them strictly by email so I would have everything documented. No reflection on them, ... I'm just not a trusting soul. LOL
I'm used to high end guitars like Martin, Taylor, Fender and Gibson but the prices on American made instruments has gotten into the range of a decent used car. I don't think I'll ever buy another American made instrument after discovering Harley Benton. I just can't afford them anymore.
You can buy 3 or 4 high end Harley Benton's for less than a thousand dollars. You'd be hard pressed to be able to even get one USA guitar for that. The American manufacturers have priced themselves out of the reach of the average player. The high end USA guitars have become the domain for the wealthy folks.
That's sad.
Have to agree with you about the prices Bob, I read the digital copies of a a few guitar mags Guitarist etc and some of the prices are just crazy, 4-5k for a guitar, with most of the least expensive £1000 or more.
I have never owned or even played any of the guitars you mention and probably never will, I just don't see the point taking into consideration my guitar musical ability, or dishing out the dosh for a name.
I do have a few Washburn guitars that I got from Amazon that I like, well made quality finish, I believe the name anyway is USA.
I don't know about Amazon in us but Uk Amazon is the pits for sending a guitar just in one cardboard box, no bubble wrap whatsoever, they never seem to learn that a guitar needs protection.
What a difference with Thomanns, well packaged with two boxes and lots of air bubble wrap protection.