Harley Benton HB-35Plus Black

Bought this after seeing so many good reviews and can honestly say that it's even better than I expected. It's not "good for the money" - it's good, full stop.

It looks amazing - went for the glossy black over the brighter, flame-topped versions as I liked the single colour all over. Glad I did - it looks classy with the ivory binding and gold hardware. I know it's not always easy with a new guitar and that honeymoon period but I haven't spotted any issues at all with construction or finish - it's very. very tidy all round. The nearest I'd come to a criticism of the cosmetics is that the internal wiring is visible through the f-hole but I knew to expect that and plan on tidying that up later myself. The frets definitely need polishing but again, that's something I expected from the many in-depth reviews and is just something I take as part of buying a new guitar anyway. Fret ends will benefit from a bit of rounding-off and polishing but there's no sprout or overhang.

The set-up is better than "adequate" - intonation is spot-on as is neck relief. Action is fine for me - pretty much the same as I have on my way-more expensive Gretsch equivalent. It was down-tuned about a semi-tone and tuning it up to pitch gave another pleasant surprise - the tuners are fast and accurate and the guitar has stayed in tune after about an hour of playing. Some reviewers had criticised the tuners - mine feel and work extremely well. There's absolutely no fret-buzz and no rattles or sympathetic resonance. Weight is around 7.8lbs - about 3.5kg - which is pretty much "perfect" for a 335-style guitar. Balance is not an issue - there's no neck-dive or whatever the opposite of that would be.

The pickups sound good without needing immediate adjustment (in fact, if I do tinker with the heights later, I'll want to note these positions as I suspect they may already be ideal). The bridge pickup is bright and the neck is dark without getting too muddy. The volume controls are superb - there's no tone-sucking as you lower the volume and the taper is perfect. Tone controls are equally well done. The individual pickup coil-splitting is brilliant and gives a huge range of tones - right up to a passable impression of an acoustic. Played unplugged, it's resonant enough that you could practice or strum away and still get a decent sound. Through a clean amp, it's chimey and rings out but it also sounds great with more crunch. Played through a Pod Go, the pickups really work well and sound good.

Overall - I think this is one of those rare occasions where I'd tell anyone - just buy it. There is simply no down-side here - it's a gorgeous-looking 335 clone and and an excellent guitar in its own right. The construction quality alone means you'll be getting a terrific base on which to play around with alternative hardware if so inclined but as a playable guitar - it's 100% ready to go without spending more. I've got guitars that cost many times as much and none of them feel that much better, if at all. This isn't some cheap and nasty "beginner's guitar" - it's an extremely good guitar that's incredibly good value.