Harley Benton TE-80 NT Deluxe Series

362

Electric Guitar

  • Deluxe Series
  • Body: Ash
  • Laminated top made of flamed maple
  • Walnut body stripes
  • Bolt-on neck made of Canadian maple
  • C neck profile
  • Fretboard: Maple
  • Fretboard radius: 350 mm
  • Scale: 648 mm
  • Nut width: 42 mm
  • 21 Frets
  • Black body binding
  • Dual action truss rod
  • Tortoise pickguard
  • Pickups: 2 Roswell Alnico STA-N-BLK / STA-B-BLK single coils
  • 1 Volume knob and 1 tone knob
  • 3-Way pickup switch
  • Hardtail bridge
  • Deluxe hardware
  • Die-cast machine heads
  • Strings: D'Addarío .010 - .046
  • Colour: Natural, high gloss
Available since September 2013
Item number 310672
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Colour Natural
Pickups SS
Fretboard Maple
Tremolo None
Body Ash
Top Maple
Neck Maple
Frets 21
Scale 648 mm
Incl. Case No
Incl. Bag No
179 €
Free shipping incl. VAT
In stock
In stock

This product is in stock and can be shipped immediately.

Standard Delivery Times
Dispatch expected by Thursday, 28.03.
1

Blue blood

One shouldn’t always be bound to tradition. With the TE-80 NT, Harley Benton has taken the first ever mass-produced solidbody electric guitar to be offered, with its unmistakable design, and given it a distinct twist, in a tribute to one of the most innovative songwriters and guitar players to have graced the instrument. Although he was born Roger Nelson, most of us know him as Prince. But you don't have to be a funk guitarist, or even know who Prince is, to appreciate the TW-80 NT.

Time-tested components

The recipe that makes the TE-80 is time-tested and proven: An ash body, with two single coil pickups, is paired with a bolt-on maple neck. But it's the finer details that make all the difference. The body has a gorgeous flamed-maple veneer. A narrow strip of walnut wood going down the centre of the body adds to the striking aesthetic. It looks especially great from the back, as the walnut stripe continues into the "skunk stripe" of the neck, which hides the truss rod. Both body and fingerboard feature black binding, giving the guitar a very distinguished appearance. It has a hardtail bridge, as one would expect with this type of model, but with six individual saddles and without the bridge plate normally associated with this design. The two ST-style pickups add their own unique sound to the mix and are wired via master volume and tone controls as well as a three-way pickups selector switch - that's all you need, really.

A touch of class

The Harley Benton TE-80 adds luxury and its own unique style to the original design, but it’s no wall-hanger. At its heart, it is still a no-frills guitar, and will be a reliable tool, when you need it to be. The layout of two single coils, single volume and tone controls, and a pickup selector is simple and effective. In fact, it could be argued that because you don't have hundreds of sound variants to fiddle between, you can focus more on your performance. For the straightforward musician with a preference for clean sounds, the TE-80 is hard to beat.

About Harley Benton

Since 1998, the Harley Benton brand has been catering for the needs of numerous guitarists and bassists. In addition to an extensive range of stringed instruments, Thomann's house brand also offers a wide choice of amplifiers, speakers, effect pedals, and other accessories. In total, the range includes over 1,500 products. Built by established names in the industry, all Harley Benton products combine quality and reliability at attractive and affordable prices. The continuous expansion of the range ensures that Harley Benton always provides new, exciting, and innovative products that keep players perfectly in tune with the musical world, day after day.

A medicine for motivation

That’s not to say that the Harley Benton TE-80 won’t look good hanging on your wall. It’s certainly good enough for that. But it probably won't stay there too long. Every time you to turn to look and admire it, you’ll want to take it down and give it a play. In that sense, it is the ideal instrument for the guitarist who has a sense of style, but a tendency to be lazy. We’re all to blame for skimping on practice sometimes, but a guitar like this just inspires you to pick it up. That’s also why the TE-80 deserves to be on the stage, where its striking looks and distinct tone are sure to make it stand out from the crowd.

362 Customer ratings

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305 Reviews

A
Not QUITE an Anderson Madcat ...
Anonymous 08.07.2015
I'd been thinking about getting one of these for some time, always been a bit of a Prince nut, and spurred on by the total lack of bad reviews I bit the bullet and ordered. I'm glad I did ... This is probably the best bang for your buck that I've ever seen, and just so you know, I'm a trained luthier. I did 3 years at MANchester College of Arts and Technology so I sort of know what I'm talking about.
I have to say that ideally I'd like to sit down with 10 of 20 of these and compare them. A bit of internet research seems to indicate that Harley Benton Guitars are made by Saein Guitars who market as Shine but I also have a Harley Benton MS-60 Mustang-ish copy and they don't feel like the same factory to me but really that's just a guess.
The body on this thing is great ... a bit on the heavy side but it is a solid Ash 2 piece with a maple veneer on the top with a Walnut centre stripe. The neck is more C than D. Maple with a skunk stripe but it is a 2 piece (separate fretboard) though this makes no difference at all to the tone or playability and from more than 2 feet away you couldn't tell. The frets are fairly level and even (I had a bit of a buzz on the top E string at the 10th fret but a single tap with my fretting hammer cured it completely.
The pickups are Wilkinson Strat type alnico V's which I've never used before, good output, really chimey and give a Stratty-ish quack with the selector switch in the centre position. I have to say at this point that if you want a traditional Tele sound then don't buy this guitar, it is what it is, and that's more of a Tele/Strat hybrid than a Tele.
The pots are little 16mm things and I can't see the impedance marked on them but I suspect 500k (I will measure the values when I restring it) and the cap is the cheapest green poly that money can buy. Cap makes no difference at all other than altering the rate of treble cut when the tone control is turned but I am going to try some full size 250k pots because I'm a bit analy retentive. No one will be able to hear the difference at the moment but in a years time they may be less crackly and a bit warmer sounding but unless you buy 2 guitars and set one up with 500k and one with 250k no one would be able to remember any difference.
I own a 59 Gretsch, a 62 Danelectro, an ex Jo Strummer/Kate Korris mid 70's SG, a late 50's Burns Vista sonic and a late 50's Framus Grand Star as well as assorted far eastern hacks .... and since I got this guitar it's the only one I've played.
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HG
Fantastic for the price with a few caveats to consider.
Hollbeck Ghyll 30.09.2022
I've been craving a T style guitar for a while but wanted something that sounds more akin to a strat than a traditional tele. Lo and behold I spied the TE-80. In person the guitar is even more gorgeous than the photos, the one I received has the wood grain matched really well on the front and back. The binding on the neck and body has a few blemishes and are the only part of the finish I have any issues with, but with a bit of tactful wearing in these areas they will be hidden over time. Out of the box the guitar played ok but not well enough for anyone with a feel for how a guitar should play herein lies the caveats to this guitar. I lowered the action myself as it was a bit high out of the box and this improved things but as expected with a guitar of this price it required a visit to my luthier to set up properly. The guitar required the following issues rectifying:
-Full fret levelling and removal of sharp fret ends some of the binding had got onto the ends too so this was filed off. Some of the frets weren't seated properly introducing buzz as well.
-Truss rod adjustment, the neck was concaved out of the box- expected
-Intonation was out but only slightly would have been done regardless as the truss rod adjustment was essential
-The nut fitted on the guitar was rubbish so I had this changed out too
-Electrics all cleaned properly
-Action set nice and low (personal preference)
All in this cost me around £100 extra but with these adjustments the guitar now plays like something triple the £266 I spent on it. It sounds amazing and I'm still experimenting with different tones with some fiddling I have got some nice punchy strat tones and you can get the twingy twangy tele sound with the selector switch on the bridge or middle position. Also really nice for funk sounds as expected for a prince copy. I'm using 0.8's on it again this is personal preference but they sound very nice. Finally as it has an ash body it is really heavy (almost 3x the weight of my epiphone les paul) I'm in my early 30's and have a couple of shoulder/back issues and it's right on the cusp of being too heavy for me for long periods so if you are playing on using a strap its worth considering.
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M
Telecaster with a Twist!
Mr.Gandalf 24.03.2021
After trying out various Harley Benton guitars (Sc custom II, Dc600IV, ST62DLX) I had to get a telecaster shape guitar. The Harley Benton TE-80 NT Deluxe Series is not the average Telescater you might expect. Personally I found out it sounds nothing to a traditional telecaster but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. The sound is closer to a Stratocaster and the only time it sounds like a telecaster it’s when you play the pickups in the middle position.

What surprised me the most was the weight on this guitar. I think it easily weights around 4.5 kg but if you have a solid strap the weight gets distributed.

Tight out of the box the guitar presented itself spot on perfect. It’s actually a first for me, since all the previous Harley Bentons I bought required some work or at least a small upgrade.

Proceeding with the PRO’s and CON’s:

PRO’s:

- the guitar has a superb flame finish and no bangs or flaws are present. It really looks like a boutique instrument;

-The fretwork is nicely done and you can bend for days on it;

- the electronics are nicely done, nu hums or scratchy noises;

-the nut is just fine, but I might change it in the future;

- the tuning keys work okay, but you need to tighten with a screwdriver for better results when tuning, although they will most likely be changed with Kluson tuners;

- strap buttons are alright.

CON’s:

-I would like if Harley Benton would put the actually weight of their guitars in the description. Not that I have a problem with a guitar being heavy but it might help in the future.

- the guitar neck has the right size (personally I like chunky necks) so I can’t tell if the neck should be thinner, but I dislike the unfinished feeling. Feels like somebody rushed the process. The ST62 DLX has a much better finish on the neck.

- string trees are kinda flimsy and they look cheap;

-rather than putting just a simple single coil int he bridge Harley Benton should consider adding from t he factory humbucker single coil style pick-ups, I think more people would appreciate that.

- on the Thomann website when scrolling thru the The Harley Benton TE-80 NT Deluxe Series photos I noticed on the back of the headstock that is made in Indonesia, mine has MADE IN CHINA. I understand it’s all about production cost but please be HONEST WITH WHAT YOU SELL. Personally China or Indonesia makes no differences to me as long quality control does their job.

- this guitar passed QC on the 2020-12-26 LGQ. It takes them a while to get shipped.

All in all this guitar is cool and I will keep it as it looks fantastic! Harley Benton did a good job and for 185 euro's you get an instrument that puts to shame a lot of more expensive brands. Keep it up team Benton!
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JR
Unbelievable Bang for the Buck. Right out of the Box, TE-80 NT
Jim Roberts 05.10.2023
This one's got it all. Looks, Play-ability, Build Quality and more.
I've always liked Maple fretboards' but could never find one with binding on the neck. I ended up buying Gibson's & Epi.'s Just for the binding & shorter scale length. I started with a E Series American Standard Stratocaster back in the 80's, after 20 years I sold & stuck with set neck electric's only. Upon seeing the TE-80 w/a Tele appearance and Strat type pickups I was intrigued upon closer inspection of pix I noticed not only did the body top & back it had binding on the neck too. That was my WOW point. I Ordered. Upon receipt, the weather was not extreme so I anxiously did the Box reveille. DANG, this thing was almost perfectly in tune. Upon looking it over closely I could NOT find a thing that I didn't like. With 1 exception. The string tree's are basic. But Not bad enough to change right away. Love the matte finish on the neck back. The finish on the high gloss body was very impressive Nice Top and Back, the Walnut stripe going thru the middle of the body is a nice aesthetic plus & probably improves the sustain. All Electronic's work as they should. I've been mostly a humbucker guy but with the right settings on the amp & guitar's tone knob you can get some pretty Phat sounds especially with 3 way switch in middle and neck positions. The Bridge Pup has really got the Strat Twang but can be fattened up by boosting the Middle & Bass EQ on amp. I'm only 3 days into this one and am absolutely in Love. I'm Just a hobby player used to play in garage rock bands in the way back days. I must also note that I have had GAS syndrome for over 30 years and have owned at least 250 electric guitars. American's, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian & Chinese, probably more. Gibson, PRS's, Michael Kelly, Epi's, Ibanez, Dean. Fender USA & MIM, And More. I am currently at 7 electric guitar's, 1 Bass and 1 Acoustic. The way I'm feeling after getting this Harley Benton TE-70 NT I'm thinking all I need is 1 Bass, 2 electrics and 1 acoustic. I'll be selling off my collection with just a few exceptions. But My TE-80 NT is now my #1.
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