Harley Benton JA-20HH Active SBK

Another kick@$$ entry in Thomann's series of Jim Root-inspired metal guitars with everything you need & nothin' you don't! This is my Mean Metal Jag!!

I've bought literally dozens of Harley Benton electric guitars & basses over the last couple years. I've rarely been disappointed. You just can't go wrong here. I love this 'dark mode' aesthetic and prefer fretboards to be clean with no inlays. Mine arrived with an extremely dry fretboard and drank in copious amounts of lemon oil. I applied it, scrubbed it in and let it soak for a good long time. Once that was done, she played smooth & sweet and I encountered none of the grounding issues I've read about with these models due to the painted bridge preventing grounding.

The 2 HBZ Active humbuckers absolutely weaponize this guitar! While I'm not going to say they're the equal of EMG's 60 & 81 or EMG 85 (or 89) & 81 sets but they're damned close! Especially for the price of entry. If you find yourself unfulfilled and cannot abide these HBZ 'alternatives' to the real thing, simply pay for the guitar now and start putting cash aside for the upgrade, which will likely double the cost of this guitar. Even then, this guitar would come in among the least expensive metal guitars worth owning & still be a smoking deal!!

In the long run, my recommendation would be to do just that: Buy one of these fine instruments, get it setup professionally (or learn to do it at a professional level yourself), install a set of locking tuners (perfectly good sets can be had for under $50. Less if you know where to look.) Buy your preferred brand/set of active pickups whether they're OG EMGs or Fishman Fluences, Duncan actives, etc. and you're good to go. Go play the hell out of it & soak it in the sweat of a million chugs.

Personally, I also installed a brass nut, a momentary kill-switch a la Buckethead and a second battery box to be able to run @ 18V. To each his own. Unleash your imagination. Doowutchyalike. (RIP Shock G.)

It's an excellent instrument & an excellent value, ESPECIALLY at this price-point! It makes a great mod platform. Make it yours! Remember the Metalman's Creed: 'This is my Mean Metal Jag. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. My Mean Metal Jag is my best friend. It is my life.'

I saw the ad for this guitar on social media. Clicked the link and really the way it looked. The specs show that it has active pickups and I was sold. Placed the order. Thomann was incredible for getting this beauty out the door so quickly. I received the guitar within 3 business days! I was worried that it was going to be in pieces when I received it since I forgot to order a case, but Thomann took great precautions to pack it safely. After tuning the guitar, I plugged it in and was in awe of the sound and tone coming from the Harley Benton JA-20HH Active SBK. No buzz from the humbuckers, but they were LOUD. Loved it. I have to say this is the most satisfying purchase I've made recently. I am very impressed with the Harley Benton brand and equally impressed with Thomann. I will certainly buy more.

The build quality is alright, neck and frets are acceptable. The hardware is cheap, but not bad. My biggest gripe is that the pickups are REALLY noisy. I checked the wiring and grounding on my guitar, based on previous reviews, and I might have managed to slightly reduce the noise in the pickups, but any noise gate will get the job done. Really fun guitar if you want to build a budget guitar with other active pickups!