Harley Benton R-457FFB Roasted MultiScale

I bought this to see if 7 strings was for me or not. The price is really nice. I knew I was going to have to fix some things if I wanted to keep it. And yes, there are things that are really bad.

What is good?
- The neck is great. It's very playable and has a nice finish. I really like it.
- Fan frets were surprisingly easy to get used to.
- The color is beautiful.
- I love the overall feel of the guitar.
- It was very well set up with regards to neck adjustment string height and so on.

What is bad?
- The frets. Fret edges are very sharp, actually to the point that you could cut yourself on some of them. The frets also needed some buffing up.
- Tuners are really bad...really bad. The guitar would'nt stay in tune. This could also in part be because of...
- Strings. Didn't like them at all. They felt flubby and wouldn't stay in tune.
- Pickups. Just awful, no definition. Everything sounds dull.

I have replaced strings and added Schaller locking tuners so now the guitar stays in tune just fine. I'm going to get the fret edges fixed and finally I will replace the pickups with a set of Fishman Fluence Tony Abasi pups.

Would I buy it knowing it's limitations? Most definately! Yes, modifying it will cost more than the guitar itself so if money is an issue, buy something else. I looked at it as buying a template to build upon.

For months I have been asking myself, do I really need a few more multiscale guitars? Then one day this beauty showed up on the Harley Benton Instagram and made the decision for me. I ordered this along with the R-458FFB on the day they were released. That was on a Tuesday, and I had them in my hands in Canada the following Monday, excellent service as always from Thomann.

The chameleon finish on this guitar is my all-time favourite guitar finish, so I might be a little biased due to that. The look isn't for everyone, and if it's not for you, that's ok, but I happen to love it. The satin finish on the neck of this guitar feels great to play and looks great on the roasted maple.

Fretwork and setup were fantastic out of the box. Action was a little high for me but was easily lowered without running into any fret buzz.

I won't say much about the sound of this guitar. I'm of the mind that pickups don't really matter and the only difference expensive brand name pickups make is a bigger hole in your wallet. These pickups are not microphonic, and they aren't noisy, that works for me. It sounds like a 7 string.

Hardware is on point. Like every guitar I buy, I swapped in some locking tuners before putting on some fresh strings. I don't see any need to change anything else.

Now, all that said, is this a perfect guitar? No. There are some minor finish flaws around the edge of the body and on the back of the neck. Do they bother me that much? No. It's important to remember that you can buy 5 of this guitar for the price of a similarly spec'd guitar from one of the "big brands"

Overall, Harley Benton knocks it out of the park again with an instrument that punches well above it's price point. I have over a dozen HBs now and will not hesitate to buy a dozen more.

I own a lot of 7 string guitars but I didn't have a fan fret yet and the color on this is very unique so I figured I'd give it a try. I am glad I did, it looks SO much better in person and the fretboard is so nice as well. I actually ended up really liking the way fan fret feels and I want more guitars with that feature now! Out of the box the set up is very good, the only thing that I can say was off is that the frets are a little scratchy when you do any bends but a quick polish with some fine steel wool will do the trick just make sure to use masking tape to protect the fretboard. Anyway great guitar at an insane price, do yourself a favor and get this instead of a muddy sounding ibanez if you are considering a guitar in this price range. Pickups on this are actually pretty good just adjust the height and you're set.