Harley Benton

Harley Benton is the house brand of Musikhaus Thomann, the German retailer that sells more guitars online than almost anyone else in Europe — the instruments aren't built in-house so much as specified by Thomann and manufactured across roughly twenty factories in China, Indonesia and Vietnam. What sets the range apart from most budget lines is which corners it declines to cut: heat-treated necks and stainless steel frets, features usually reserved for guitars several times the price. It's the brand we point beginners toward most often on a tight budget, and we've used it as the benchmark in more than one budget-versus-vintage comparison. Here's everything we've covered.