Harley Benton SC-550 II FTF

I like sound, colours and how neck feels in a hand. But there are some issues too. Biggest one is that fretboard is not very well made. To make string action playable luthier had to file the nut really hard near strings G,B,E. To be honest I dont know if it was the fretboard issue or neck as a whole. Now string action is just ok. Another thing is fterboard edges, especially near highest frets, those edges are rough and not finished almost at all. Also some paint issues at the back of the neck - around 7cm long difference in colour but visible only under bright daylight or similar warmth of artificial light. After 2 months I had to replace switch as it started cutting of the signal and adjust the socket as it started to rattle. Except all those bad things this guitar feels nice to play.

Instrument wykonany bardzo starannie, prezentuje się pięknie, nie ma żadnych niedoróbek. Gryf prosty, stalowe progi równiutkie. Akcję strun ustawiłem bardzo nisko na E1-1mm, E6-1,3mm. Przetworniki TESLA bardzo ładnie brzmią. Może tylko klonowy top ma nieco mniej kontrastowy wygląd niż na zdjęciach w thomann.de, ale wg. mnie wpływa to korzystnie na wygląd instrumentu. Bardzo dobry instrument za przyzwoite pieniądze - POLECAM!

I bought this guitar just to have an LP type/style in the collection for occasional use. I have yet to put this guitar down since it arrived. Out of the box it only required a bit of tuning. Intonation was spot on, the neck was perfectly straight & the build quality, set up and QC are top notch. Beautiful top, great feeling comfortable neck and good hardware/electronics made the introductory impressions pleasing. Even after seeing several positive reviews and recommendations I was still pleasantly surprised with this guitar overall. The Tesla pickups are quite versatile and provide great tone. The neck pickup does not have the ultra dark or muddy tones of many other neck pickups on guitars of this type. Both pickups are very dynamic and offer plenty good tones. The neck is very comfortable and a joy to play. The improved body shape and neck heel lend to great comfort, upper fret access and playability. Although I’ve heard a few complaints on the tuners, I find them quite serviceable and have had no issues with operation or with them holding tune. They are a bit odd visually but not absurdly so. Hardware and electronics on this guitar are impressive at this price point and exceeded my expectations based on other reviews. The only “flaw” I was able to find was the binding is less than perfect in some places but is minimal and hardly noticeable outside of close scrutiny.
My point of reference and comparison for this particular HB model are several Epiphone LP Plus, Tribute and Custom models as well as a few Gibson LP Studio models. The SC-550 II provides an experience and quality on-par with or better than those guitars in my experience.
This one has been immediately promoted from an occasional use stand-by/backup to having a spot in the main rotation for studio/session work and most likely in my live rig as well. The chambered weight relief makes this a very comfortable and useable live instrument for long gigs. I will definitely be recommending this guitar to my peers and students. This one along with my Harley Benton TE-70 BP (another phenomenal HB guitar) will soon get their public debut here on the stages around the Home of the Blues & Birthplace of Rock n Roll (Memphis, TN US)!