Harley Benton BM-75 Trans Red Deluxe Series

Excellent guitar in its own right!!
Whilst some may mark this down a little as it does not do everything Brian May’s guitar does, at a fraction of the price what it does do is terrific. Judging it on its own merits.

Features 5 out of 5 (here’s why)
In its own right the amount of different sounds/tones you can get out of the 3 pick ups, 5 way selector, tone knob and of course phase switches is really incredible. Soooo many guitars around this price point you struggle to hear a difference between pick ups, Not the case with the BM-75. Each option sounds distinctly different from the last which gives this guitar one of the largest ranges of sounds you could possibly ask for. Also there is a quality Floating tremolo which you can use and the guitar keeps its tuning really well. The way the neck is shaped means reaching those very top frets is easy.

Sounds 5 out of 5 (here’s why)
As I stated above the range of distinct sounds is incredible. Each pick up sounds great. The Mahogany body was a great choice as I was really blown away by just how much the guitar resonates. Tone control is impressive as from 0-10 you can hear the sound changing as you roll the tone off or on.

Quality 5 out of 5 (here’s why)
Again as stated above the guitar resonates incredibly well. It is surprisingly light. The finish had no flaws or imperfections, the binding looked great and the fretwork was very smooth, no sharp fret edges or even lumps/raises. Fretboard was flawless. The tuners held tune surprisingly well. Out of the box tuned it up and played away for 20-30 minutes without having to do any substantial re-tune (this was using the tremolo as well). Switches, 5 way selector, volume control, tone control all well fitted with nothing loose or lacking quality.

Summary
Great job Thomann with the set up. Right across the board this is a great guitar. Does it compare to £1000 guitars, probably not. But it certainly holds it own with guitars 3 times the price. If you, like me, think strats sound great but you don’t like the body shape, this is a great guitar for you. The range of different sounds alone is worth the price but with the overall quality being this good, it makes this a great deal!
If you are tempted by this ….. get it! You will not be disappointed.