Harley benton pro series prototype

Gear
#1

Hi everyone !
Did someone is enthusiastic waiting for the HB pro series prototype ? I recently discover (as it just happened e very few days ago) the Cory Mura videos about this incoming new model.

Though Harley Benton is suffering from bad reputation, I am completely amazed by what the brand is doing. Especially with this model, which seriously looks like Charvel Guthrie govan’ signature model, just fifth of the price …

The trem seems to be qualitative, so sounds the pickups, the guitar is very good looking (for a protanope like me) and the neck is even featuring stainless steel frets … This models really kicks, announced for around 400 euros (don’t know how about shipping to USA and dollar price) this definitely worth it for me.

What do you think guys ? :slight_smile:

1 Like
#2

The list of features considering the price and the history of what Harley Benton has been able to propose is great and not too far-fetched… except for one thing: stainless steel frets sounds too good to be true. :confused: Stainless steel frets are hard to work with, so the guitar needs to have a near perfect fretjob when it comes from the factory as your local guitar tech will definitively ask you extra for a fret job on such frets. And needless to say, near perfect frets jobs are hard to come by at 400€…

I want to believe but I remain somewhat sceptical.

2 Likes
#3

What if the guitar is a great success ?(Which I think would be true regarding all the specs) Maybe Harley Benton is going to prove to the world that cheap doesn’t mean sloppy or bad quality, even with such a goal. (Who ever did a guitar for that price featuring similar specs?)

At least, It’s allowed to dream about it. :blush:

#4

Well, you know the famous saying - “Fast, quality, cheap: pick two.”

I share Lukhas’s concern with stainless frets at a low pricepoint. They’re expensive to install (they wear tools rapidly) and very difficult to work with once installed, so at this price from a fairly budget-oriented brand, I’d honestly rather nickel, simply because they’re a lot easier to dress if they’re not 100% perfect.

#5

I see, It’s all or nothing. Spend extra money in a luthier to refine the frets would’nt be budget friendly at all.
That said, I am sure they could be send back and refunded in case like this. To me, it worth the risk. Otherwise, it would be a very bad move to communicate on a stainless frets guitar if it’s botched.

Here is the interview with one of HB mastermind. Regarding the success this prototype would make (in my opinion) if they don’t make it as it is planned, they know it would be too much bad publicity for them trying to do this stupeying model … And finally break the promise. I think they know what they do and what they risk.

However, I could be wrong. He says in the interview they sometimes do mistakes and have to rectify a model on the fly … It depends on how you understand it.

#6

Well, I don’t know if it’s that, so much, as the fact that you need to know you ARE taking a chance, and that furthermore stainless frets are a LOT harder to “fix” than nickel. If I wanted stainless I’d probably spend a fair amount more than that just to be sure, and I don’t really see this guitar shipping with stainless as necessarily a “premium” or “value add” feature, because fretwork on budget guitars is so inconsistent.

#7

Oh no, that’s not what I wanted to say. I mean, shipping is not an added value in any way. But sending back the instrument and get refunded is a warrantly to not risk such money without knowing what’s in your hands.

Edit: This is the answer I got from Cory Mura (who reviewed the guitar and interviewed the Headmaster of HB):

“thomann got 30 days money back and 3 years warranty which means they always have to deliver a good instrument!
if you send it back then they loose money.
dont get me wrong but i am a little bit annoyed by people (not you) that say “too good to be true” or “cheap shit”
because they dont understand in ANYWAY where the price does come from.
could be pretty possible that these guitars come from Ibanez Premium factory or similar…why do we pay just 399euro for these specs that would cost you easily maybe 900euro or more somewhere else?
Its because you pay just thomann…JUST them. no endorsers…no advertisements AND very important no distributors in between.
this guitar should cost from a different brand 800euro+…i mean the neck alone…come on.”

Yes, he was a bit upset :frowning:
But I sincerely trust in what he tries to mention: This is such a amount of money, that HB would certainly not take the risk to announce a model if big issues like that might occur.