Harley Benton SC-Custom III Ocean Flame

I did a lot of research before I picked this beauty, because I wanted to make sure tha I am not going to regret this. I wanted to replace my old guitar that I started out with 10 years ago.
After I watched every possible Harley Benton review on youtube I was a little hesitant. But let me tell you when this guitar finally arrived, it was a love on first sight. Not only the finish was even more beautyful than on the picture, but it was set up and ready to play right out of the box. I did not even ned to lower the strings, and I had zero issues woth the fretwork.
The Tesla pickups have an interesting warm tone, which I like, and the coil split function is suprisingly great feature. I am a big fan of it.
This is a great guitar, even compared to a high end gibson les paul custom that i had a chance to try. The Harley Benton feels lighter, more modern and slimmer.
For this price, it's a no brainer!

I've had this guitar since August, and I'm very happy with the purchase. It looks absolutely stunning and sounds full and warm — the stock pickups perform quite well to my ear. It's a bit on the heavy side compared to my Ibanez RG, but still very comfortable, especially with a wider strap. The neck feels great, and the stainless steel frets retain their polish exceptionally well. The finish and binding are nearly perfect, and it even comes with strap locks!

That said, my particular instrument did have a few minor flaws. There were small tool marks on the fretboard, which didn't affect playability, but were somewhat unsightly. Thankfully a bit of scraping and sanding between the frets got rid of them. Then, after about six months, the pickup selector started acting up — the neck pickup occasionally has very low output after switching. I imagine the warranty would cover this, but it’s not a big deal for me right now, and it should also be a relatively easy fix.

Overall, I think this guitar offers excellent features for its price and, despite a few minor issues, is an absolute joy to play.

I bought the Harley Benton SC-Custom III Ocean Flame 3 months ago..beautiful fantastic guitar, no flaws 100% perfect!
out of the box it needed a tune up, neck was straight with no truss rod adjustment needed and the intonation was spot on.
those Tesla pups know how to sing and sound brilliant 😁
my most expensive guitar i bought/own was a 2024 Gibson SG custom colour Pelham blue burst, price paid £1699..the quality on the HB SC custom III has the same quality for £259 and sounds as good as the SG to be honest..the HB custom is my first choice to pick up and play as home player only..the SC Custom III bats way above what you pay for them..I can't praise the HB brand enough, bought a few and all have been fantastic quality from the TE-20 i bought and up! I have Shecter, Fender, Jackson Gretsch and as stated the Gibson SG..for quality for the money..HB is the only brand you need for killer guitars that are as good, if not better than the big boy brands..dont throw your money away for a big brand name on the headstock like i have done, when you can buy the quality here 😁🤘

This was my second HB guitar. I purchased the SC-550II and quickly noticed it became my go-to guitar for gigs and practice. I purchased this one because of the added push/pull tones, belly carve, and the stainless steel frets. It's been an amazing instrument and I can't help but admire the beauty of it. Absolutely gorgeous guitar that punches well above its price point. Why spend thousands of dollars on guitars with nickel frets when you can buy a HB and upgrade it to your hearts desire for way less than the big name brands? I'm really impressed. I'll definitely be buying another HB guitar in the future. Thanks again!