LESS CAN BE MORE

It’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world reckons Dave Burrluck (via Ray Davies). When did cheap guitars get so good? We put one under the Mod Squad microscope…

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It wasn’t too many years ago that brands like Harley Benton had a bit of a laughable reputation, not least to guitar snobs. A rather good local guitarist, bassist and indeed drummer began turning up with a supply of Bentons and plenty of positive things to say about them. We chuckled. Who the heck is Harley Benton?

Conceived by the gigantic gear supplier Thomann, the Harley Benton range is massive and includes not only electric guitars but acoustics, ukes, banjos, basses, amps, and a whole host of parts and accessories. In the high-end, the Amarok-7 seven-string gets up to a whopping £539. The lowest-priced full-size electric appears to be the Strat-inspired ST-20 at £69 in black or white. Adding a pound – yes, just the one – gets you a sunburst finish. Cough up another whole pound and you’ll get one with a humbucker at the bridge. How is this even possible, you cry?