If I spend €150 on a guitar and I resell it for €75 no big deal. If I buy a guitar for €5000 and resell it for €3000, that is a big deal.

If you are poor - buy Benton, if you are rich - take six Bentons at once!

2:00 Sorry, but if you're in a band and they're giving hard time for your gear brand instead of your playing and sound... you're just in the wrong band!

If you live in the US don't buy a Harley Benton. Most guitar players in the US haven't learned anything about Harley Benton guitars, yet so when I go out to do a gig with a Harley Benton I have other players saying "Nice guitar, what is that?' I say it's a guitar that I imported from Europe. "Wow. Must have cost a bundle." .....So if you live in the US, don't blow my image.

I Died when he said Number 1: YOU ARE RICH! 😂😂

Dear people, buy yourselves some humor. 😂😂😂 this video pushed me to buy Harley Benton products instead of building hate where it's to smile

I'm too old to be cool. Keep your names. I want a new Harley Benton!

watch ' 5 reasons TO buy HB' and more of my HB reviews before you comment.....maybe 😊 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oK2Dfq2knNvDknk.html

Except even slash played a knockoff Gibson

It's so much better to play a Harley Benton branded guitar than to play a 'direct-buy' fake from China.

comments are way too serious for a video thats not very serious. 😂

Just took my HB 25T to a top rated luthier for a pro setup, he said it played as good as any fender tele after he had finished with it.Could not believe how much i had paid for it.

People sometimes forget what inspired them to pick up the instrument in the first place. Well for me anyway, it was the music and that is still what keeps me going. Don't get me wrong, I love gear and I wish I had a PRS etc. but I love music more. Cheers Cory.

The irony is, the big name guitarists aren't playing the big name guitars. Slash plays a Derrig, not a gibson.

if Michael Schenker played a Harley Benton then every fucker would be buying them...

i have 2 guitars, One Epiphone es 339 pro, and One HB resonator... what i like about this resonator is the smooth and silky feel of the laquer

I done some work on it ( removed frets to sand a more rounded radius to the fingerboard, glued the old frets back in.,New pickups and 4 way switch. Sanded the headstock to Fender shape. Now my Harley Benton rosewood is as good as it gets. And i have some far more expensive guitars laying about ! I

I clicked on this video to tell you straight up that you shouldn't talk down on Harley Benton, was amused to hear your 5 reasons ;) I'm currently a happy owner of a Harley Benton BZ-7000 NT (7 string bass guitar) and i'm telling you that 375 € are a ridiculously low price for such an awesome instrument :) Best bass i ever played on! :)

I own a nice Gibson SG but fell in love with the Harley Benton TE-20HH SBK and ordered it yesterday.

Thanks so very much for all the videos that you made! I've seen the guitars but I hadn't looked into it until I browsed Thomann today. I'm completely stunned, they look amazing and sound good too! Thanks again!

The reason why Gibson and Fender became the main two choices came down to 1 thing only. When I started playing there was huge gap in quality and play ability between the two nameplates already mentioned and the garbage that was available outside of those two biggies in 1972. Granted some good guitar names began their businesses in the early 70's but they had a long way to go before they began to reach parity with Fender and Gibson.A Fender US Strat was 500.00 in 1973 a Gibson Les Paul standard about 700.00. The amp market was dominated by Marshall, Fender and Ampeg and of course beyond that was a million really bad quality cheap garbage. Some of the old stuff was actually dangerous (not having a 3 prong plug). I really wish we had the quality and variety back then that we have today. Consider yourself a very man to have all this variety of good quality because it wasn't always that way in this business.

I own 3 Harley Bentons and and an Epiphone...my Harley Bentons sound so much better with the music that I play. I hardly touch the Epiphone..

Really great avenue to take on the HB's. Great job and thanks for sharing

Really like what you did here, I'm looking at an HB TE90 ftl, and have been checking some reviews, sounds really cool. Don't mind the name, it sounds awsome!

The video's down-voters are probably mostly Gibson owners who are suffering "buyer's remorse" and are pissed off with the world.

Great video. I play Harley Benton myself for about 1 1/2 years now. I got the SC Custom Lemon Flame. I have other, higher priced guitars, too but the SC Custom is actually my favorite guitar. I like the neckshape and the fretboard radius a lot. So nice to play. They are not perfect though. But the imperfections are mostly on the visual side. Mechanically the guitar is absolutely fine. Honestly, I would do it like you. I'd buy an arsenal of Harley Bentons before I'd buy a 2.000 EUR Gibson guitar. Not that Gibson is bad, though. I saw someone with a Harley Benton T-Style guitar. He just sanded off the Harley Benton Logo and now nobody asks any questions. :D It's a good guitar, period.

Amazing review You have a fine and amusing use of the English language. Thinking of getting Harley Benton Tube 15 Celestion As my first tube amp for Blues Harmonica We have similar needs when it comes to vintage tone and breakup

Love your accent Bro! Especially when you said,"Reeelly Sheety"! LOL

Kirk Hammet told me one time(yes, we had a conversation while drinking in a bar) that he loves ALL guitars for their individual qualities. Some very expensive, custom shop guitars have flaws all over them and don't sound good. Then on the other hand, some beat up, pieces of crap, under $300 dollar guitars sound awesome and hold up well to frequent gigging. Its all about the hands of the player. Not the wood, metals, and plastics in the hands of the hands of the player.👍😊

Reason nr 4: I had Greg Bennet fb1 as my first e-guitar, it was around $150-200 new in 2003. I sold it to my friend for 100 (with s-duncans installed). Nowadays it costs around $600 on e-bay О_О

I just got a HB TE 52. I am stunned with how good it is. Also have Gibson ES 125 (think George Thorogood) my dad bought new in 1963!

love the video sir, love the humor, and love me some Harley Benton. Thanks again friend.

I always wanted something 335'ish. I couldn't justify big bucks on an indulgence. (I'm a bass player. What do I know about guitars anyway?) That HB-35+ was just the ticket. Once I'd removed the "pig guard" she looked lovely. She played nice enough out of the box. A little fret dressing and she plays sweet now. 8^)

100% correct. I am way past the "headstock envy". After 40 years of playing regular gigs...been there, had the big ticket items and still have a few (both Fender and Gibson's) but now I go with what sounds good and plays well not what name is on the guitar. I own two Harley Benton's and two Agile's and I think they play and sound excellent.

great video ! Which model is this Thanks

I acquired a Taylor Baby traveller last year, turned out to be the worst guitar I've ever played. Now that put me off buying another travel guitar until I saw this Harley Benton traveller, I just couldn't understand how they could make it so cheaply as it looked good quality. When it arrived I knew it had something, it felt better than any acoustic I've picked up previously. I've actually had it under a week and I've been playing longer each time I pick it up! It's really helped to change things around. This video just proves the point further. A+ ✌

I don't see a problem with crossing out "Harley Benton" on the headstock and writing "GiBsoN" in white crayon on the headstock. No problem whatsoever.

My only reason not to buy an Harley Benton? Well, I would already have some and I would like to get something else. I have PRS guitars (including 3,300+ Euros ones), I have Fender Strat, etc... and to me, they are all good and unique... but just like would a Harley Benton, a Vintage JHS, a Squier, Epiphone or a Made in China copy. If it sounds good, it's all that matter. Of course, I want a real Fender Strat because that's the guitar I always wanted, it has the sound I like and many of the guitarist I like used one (Jeff Beck, Clapton, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, etc...), and yes I want a real Gibson Les Paul because I loved Gary Moore, Slash, etc... And even if I'm not rich, I still like to save money to be able to buy this nice piece of art, even as a collector. But I will not snob cheaper guitars or brands. I can definitely appreciate the quality and nice finishing of some high-end guitars, but I can also "not care much" when it comes to some guitars... that's also why I like used guitars, or even relic and distressed guitars. I bought a 1994 Fender Strat, Made in Japan... for 350 Euros. And honestly, the guitar is awesome and have nothing to be shame in comparison to the 1996 John Cruz Masterbuilt Fender Strat I played at the studio. Are they the same? Nope... they are different. But not good and bad... just different. Are all cheap guitars awesome? No... they're some lemons, just like there was some lemon in the '50s and '60s... but people just didn't care about them and they end up in trashland after decades (just like it can happen with some lemons today). But sometimes, we can find guitars that are just "awesome", regardless the price. Let's not forget that the Peter Green Les Paul that were sold later to Gary Moore and finally bought lately by James Hetfield for $2M... was nothing else than a $300 "standard Les Paul" bought in store. Nothing "custom built", or "custom order", etc... just a regular guitar out of the production line like we can find today. Sure, some construction methods were different back in the days... and mass production today can also lead to some inferior material sometimes. But let's also not forget that production heavily progress with robots, CNC, and knowledge over the years. The quality of "entry price" guitars today is way way better than the quality of "entry price" guitars we could get decades ago. We only have to look at some blindtest to see that if we can read the headstock, sometimes it could be hard to tell apart a Squier Classic Vibe Strat to a Custom Shop Strat. It just shows how great the low end guitars are today. And no guitars on earth have for more of $900 of material. Everything else is only labor, knowledge and branding. However, we can be assured today that if we buy a guitar in the $1,000-$2,000 we can be sure it will be a perfectly capable guitar. At this price range, we can expect quality control is good and generally avoid to have "lemons". And generally guitars in the $500-$1,000 might be slightly different and it's better to try before to buy to be sure. Depending the brand, we can find some "lemons" in this price range, so it's better to try... but most of guitars made in far east asia generally are good quality for this price. Under $500, we can't expect perfection, and we can't expect a very high quality control... but it doesn't mean it won't be good!! just that we can expect some shortcuts to cut the cost... it could be in material, in finishing, quality control, or even in distribution model (such Harley Benton). If Harley Benton would be distributed like other brand (by importers to resellers, etc...), we can easily guess they would be close to the $400-$500 price range for most that are in the $200-$250 price range now. That's why brands and high-end or expensive guitars could be great if you're a collector (and if you have the money)... and yes not all cheap guitars are awesome... we can expect some shortcuts. Some could be lemons, but some could be great. Therefore, don't judge a book by its cover :) My 2¢

what is the deal with point N°5? All I care is good playability, mechanical reliability and stability. Do I get this on a H&B ? I don't care too much if the paint is scratched or the binding is not perfect. If it doesn't fall apart it's good enough. I would like to buy one to record guitar tracks in the studio and occasional gigs.

jetzt mal unter uns kann man so eine Harley Benton CST-24T sound wise durch picks ups usw.. an eine PRS ran bringen?

I bet that when Thomann stays on course with the development of Harley Benton, one day (several years later) the perception will change. Several of the then older stuff will be collectors items.

My top reason why I don't buy another Harley Benton guitar: I have got to stop before getting really addicted ;-) (..but I may well fail when I see this great 335..)

Wie laut ist die HD35 Gitarre eigentlich im Vergleich einer E-Gitarre, wenn die nicht an einer Box angeschlossen ist?

I've got a Harley Benton EX76 which I bought in a bit of a panic last year (my Epiphone was stolen). Even though they're on the noisy side, I've still not swapped out the pups because it sounds and plays so well. The neck is set perfectly and the balance is far better than the Eppi. It's a shame they've been discontinued (I heard rumors of a lawsuit) best £95 I ever spent.

the level of sarcasm is absolutly awesome

Is this video ironical?

Absolutely spot on. I don’t own one but I play in a Lizzy band and my band mate plays a white custom HB. Changed the pickups and tuners and it rocks!!

I've got an ESP & Ibanez and they are 7 times more expensive but i really like playing my benton 62-mm a lot more than the other two. I do think my benton pickups are just a little bit too bright so maybe i will swap out the pickups and have superb instrument for me? I'm blown away at how good this guitar is for the price i paid.

I've seen some on youtube that look great and others that look like firewood. I spent 3 years making guitars back in the 80's and am a trained and qualified luthier. There's wood and there's wood, there's pots and there's pots and there's frets and there's frets. Now if for example you buy a Gibson or even an epiphone you get a lifetime warranty, the pots will be of a consistent quality and the wood will be well seasoned meaning the guitar should last a lifetime and beyond. Using Cheap woods to make a cheap pretty looking guitar might work in the short term, but we won't be seeing any vintage harley bentons in 50 years I expect. I might buy one for a learner, but then again probably not I'd rather buy a used Ibanez or Washburn for the same money. Not being a snob I just don't see the point in buying cheap mail order guitars when you can get a cheap used guitar you can play before you buy.

LOL, first I clicked thinking some ass was going to tell us all how it has to be Gibson and all others are crap. I am so glad I came here thanks. I don't have a Harley Benton yet but am going to order 3 in a week or so hopefully. I bought my first Gibson in '72. WHite pearl SG with a 50-watt amp for 89 dollars. From the Gibson dime store. Today its worth a lot and it did sound amazing, still does sound good but IF I am honest it sounds no better than some generic sg's out there today. I don't waste my money on Gibson anymore. WHY? Because the price is stupid. Some are now going to say but made in America costs more... Well, that is true. But not hundreds or thousands more, in fact, a Les Paul classic costs them a whole 139 dollars to build including all labor, materials, and shipping. 139 dollars. and you will pay 2500 and up because you bought the scam of tonewoods and how much better the wood selection is compared to let's say Epiphone.... ITS ALL A LIE GUYS> A Solid Body Guitar sounds the way it does from the strings, pickups and nut/bridge setup. It has ZERO to do with some magical tone wood... Now accoustics are another story but a solid body is just that... a chunk of wood. The only help it may give is sustain but even that is questionable....... Now after roughly 45 years of playing I buy Epiphone, I build from nice kits myself, Gretsch, PRS... OKOK I have two PRS and no they are not expensive they were both SE's. a Zach Meyers which needs different pickups and an awesome AE20 acoustic all mahogany. Now after trying some lower priced guitars like Harley Benton, I am thrilled that I can spend 200 dollars or buy 3 of them for less than an Epiphone custom.... Wow too much writing sorry... went a bit off track. Anyway thanks, and for you, sheeple Spending your hard earned money on Gibson and Fender instead of squire..... I feel for you fellas you were sold a bill of goods and Gibson has gone so far downhill that my Epiphones perform better, look better and just feel..... better.... and no... your Gibson will not outlast a less expensive guitar and chances are youll kill yours by breaking the headstock....

thank you for the video. I have a question. Do you know if they sell Oatmeal Quaker Oates in Walmart?

Contrats man!! The world needs honest people like you are. The majority of the people (and musicians) can't say which is a very expensive or cheap guitar only by listening. Thank you.

thank you! Now I`m sure I buy a second Harley Benton

Harley Benton will be my next guitar. I have a Fender already.

I’ve had Gibson Lp &fender strat both went back to manufacturer for fret work, they were terrible . Recently bought 2 HB both played perfectly out the box.

Great video - loved the humourous angle you took. People with more sense than money need to educate themselves and support the smaller brands that really care, and which provide much better guitars for a given price-point. Solar Guitars are a classic example - Ola is a legend!

I love my cheap Squier P-bass so much more than my 1300 € Lakland!

Reason #3 is so common nowadays :(

Mal ne Frage...arbeitest Du bei Thomann oder wirst Du von Denen gesponsert ? Nichts gegen HB Gitarren ..habe selber welche ...alles super...und klasse preisleistungs verhältniß...teilweise besser als manche Squire by Fender Klampfen.Obwohl ich jetzt postiv überrascht wurde von der preiswerten Squire Bullet Mustang...die ich mir dann auch gekauft habe. Humbucker klingen schön hell und wenn es sein muß auch rotzig aber lange nicht so dumpf wie bei einer Paula...diese Gibson Humbucker waren nie mein Fall.Die nächste die ich auf dem Kieker habe ist die HB RB600 die Ricky Copie..genau das richtige für meine Oldieband...Sound of the 60's.

Reason n° 6: Currently the LP Rocktile is the best Gibson imitation. (my first guitar was a Vox model Brian Jones, yellow color)

Absolutely spot on, some people are so brainwashed. Brilliant video Corey.

Kommen sie aus Deutschland ?

What do u think about the Prince tele copy from HB Harley Benton TE-80 NT Deluxe Series

Hi from Spain again. I had a lot of other problems so I wrote to Johann Thomann and got a very positive response, they replaced the "B" stock model with a normal stock model. Kind regards, John.

It can be that the 'feeling' of an expensive guitar also makes you play better! However, I own a few guitars and only 1 is a big named guitar and that is a MIM Strat! Looked at a ton of Strat type guitars and this one stood head and shoulders tonally above the rest... It was just 'chance' that it's got Fender on the headstock! I play my 140 euro Cort differently to the Gibson Standard that my friend has but as far as playability and tone is concerned there is very little difference! At the end of the day, play what you want... Don't pay any heed to those big names! Harley Benton? No, I don't own one but have played one... Awesome guitar! Build quality? hmm but then seen Gibson's worse! For me, I bought my Cort CR200 GT after trying and rejecting a Gibson LP Studio... I do NOT need a Gibson... My Cort has it all AND more! :-)

Good video. Very convincent. Excellent job.

Great (and funny) video! I got a big brand guitar but also a Harley Benton. Love both. Harley Benton are a bang for the buck and are really to be taken seriously.

Hi from Spain. I enjoyed your video. Reason number 6 ! I received my SC550ii PAF in June 2022, unplayable, the nut slots so high even simple chords on the first three frets resulted in intonation problems which I had fixed by a local luthier at my cost. Both volume controls did not function, both tone controls did not function and finally the selector switch did not work. Sent it back on the 11th.July got it back 1st.August...and still the volume and tone controls don't work.They did replace the selector switch! Now I have to send it back again their quality control is poor. This SC550iiPAF however is potentially a great guitar, from a construction point of view the neck is perfect, the frets perfect and the balance of the guitar exceptional,I just hope they finally fix it!Kind regards,John.

Yeah, I mean I got a HB SC-500 for a friend's birthday and he was totally 'yew' about it. I mean, the action was low and boring, he felt like he didn't even have to try hard enough, plus intonation spot on, totally no 'character'. It would also not stop ringing, who would want a guitar that rings out forever? He never talked to me since, I believe he has developed some kind of masochistic syndrome, he just plays it for hours whenever he gets the chance despite the fact it's such a horrible guitar, much worse than Epiphone, let alone a true Gibson. I totally regret cheaping down to 80 EUR instead of 800. It has cost me a friend, so others beware! So, I totally agree with these reasons, I mean, you'll never get your credibility back after being spotted at a gig wielding a HB. And the CS-24T series, who would even touch that? Why have to upgrade all that crappy hardware and pickups to your liking (cause yeah, it totally sucks out of the box, won't even make a sound by default) when you can get a genuine PRS and... well, do the same? Not to mention the stupid telecasters they're making. They look awful without Fender across the headstock, why even pick them up? It's such a disgrace.

Buy What you want.....

Love this list man. Pure satire and snark. Brands get in the way. It's wood and wire for Christ's sake. Who cares what it says, as long as you dig it? So many people just can't get this. Right now I'm considering between Agile and a Benton guitar. Something to do some pup comparisons and have a good beater 7 string when I wanna keep my top tear Schecters and such at home. Cheers!!!

Hi Corey could help me find a HB white pearloid telecaster im in the UK many thanks and keep a rockin i enjoy your videos.

Big Mäh!

90% of the sound comes from the player, the rest is divided among guitar, effects and amp. But if you do look for details, you will get disappointed by cheap guitars. In my case, among my US made guitars, I have a Korean one (PRS SE). It sounds fine, but I had to change the nut and the tuners. Something that I didn't have to do with my others (just to make an example)

I dig my harley with scallop and brass not now it stays in tune keep it up man

I just bought a SC 450 Vintage. Nice video, thank you

Gibson? Fender? PRS? No Thanks...i love Bc Rich and Dean Guitars :D

I think the biggest problem is that Harley Benton guitars are simply cheap copies of some classics, nothing less, nothing more (and sometimes they are cheap ugly copies, which is very bad). They try absolutely not to create something new or different. These instruments are made to let students get their first instruments, and then buy something better when they become more skilled. There's nothing wrong in doing so, but it is a bit limiting for them, they are condamned to the entry level instruments. That said, if they do a copy of the Yamaha Pacifica I'll buy it instantly ;)

I thought seeing the title, wtf!? Loved it...Too funny!

i have a harley benton acoustic for 5 months now the headstock has fallen off the guitar two times until now but it sounds great and i love the guitar

Hi cory great vid subed

One of my old bandmates bought a Gibson Flying V when they came out as an anniversary reissue 30 years or so ago and took a beating when he had to sell it. Even though it was in near mint condition, he didn't even get 50% of what it cost him.... This turned out to be a much different vid than what I expected. Very common sense suggestions instead of nit-picking. A big Thumbs Up from me!

I like how this video got so much more attention than the other one you posted the same day.

Very funny video! 😄 thanks for posting. 👍

I'm waiting months to get my Harley Benton DC-Custom Cherry (Gibson SG type) guitar delivered in the USA. My order will say 4-5 weeks, then weeks later it will say 4-5 weeks. ?They keep moving the goal post.

Hey brother Cory: is that 335-looking model a full size 335 or more like a 339, smaller body?

I bought a Harley Benton short scale bass. It had a slight problem with neck dive and for me the tone was OK but. Simple upgrades: Found a set of Alnico 5 real bobbin hand wound pickups for £5, new, from China - they are simply MINT and, they are hand wound, bobbin alnico pickups and a straight swap. How to cure neck dive - buy a HEAVY solid machined brass bridge made by (for) Mighty Mite for $12 with $6 shipping in a sale and then fit Pyramid flat wound strings. Absolutely stonking. Ignoring the string price, it set me back around £100 finished, £130 with the strings. Do I want to swap it or change anything - nope.

This whole question comes down to individual circumstances. Are you a beginner, are you a pro, are you professional? And so on and so on. If you ever played top quality instrument for a period, you'll be reluctant to go by with cheaper guitars after that. And I don't mean unreasonably expensive instruments. Take an Ibanez RG550 Genesis for example (I have one), that is priced around 1000 EUR, and it's essentially a prestige line Ibanez, it doesn't get much better than that. 2000-3000 EUR Ibanez guitars are not really better, maybe have slightly better pickups and more expensive finishes. But every cent of that 1000 EUR on that RG550 is worth it. I've had Ibanez guitars for 300 EUR, for 600 EUR, and the difference is quite significant. The build quality, the playability, the components, all the small details, everything on that guitar is top notch. There's a certain level of quality, when you know it won't really get better than this, and it doesn't need to get better than this, but also you don't want any less neither. If you can justify spending the amount to get this quality (depending on the manufacturer this amount can hugely vary), then you should spend that money and won't be disappointed. Yes I understand that the quality/value ratio can be quite good nowadays even on very chep guitars. But depending on who you are, what your aim is, and what phase in your musical journey you are in, you might be going for a bit more than money/quality ratio. So don't come telling me I'm playing a quality instrument because other famous musicians played one, that's just stupid. If you can justify buying the quality, you should buy the quality.

Well I haven't owned a Harley Benton, but I played the 8 string fanfret and it feels much better than Ibanez's that cost 3 times as much. Probably sounds worse, though, but you can always change the pickups. I'm seriously considering buying a HB tele/strat just to have a single coil 6 string to goof around with.

I even made a cheap Strat from one of those Chinese kits, it sounds like a Strat to me-good pups, I am looking at HB's too

I bought my first second hand HB jazzmaster a few days ago for 80€. I just replacing strings e play. Also I got an Amazing fender american tele and some other no-big-branded guitars and as far as the most important thing for me is getting better as musician and fun.

Hi Cory ! i'm buying My HB R458 last year ,because i'm would a 8 strings guitar for a good price ,and i'm very surprised about the sound ,Very Loud !! i love it .Anyway for the price ,you have a good instrument with a good sound ,but for sure it's a not very perfect finish but it's not bad at all ,i have no problem about this brand ,i have an another good Brand guitar ,it's Vintage Guitar from Trevor wilkinson ,it's a level up but the price is very affordable ,try it !!!I have the Vintage V6 fillmore (like Hendrix guitar ) with wilkinson pickup (like HB) ,this guitar are awesome !Thanks for all videos you make ! you rocks !!

Simply delicious video i laughed my heart out and now i am going to buy a Benton

thanx i liked your video speaking for me, i tried Harley Benton guitars once or twice, & i didnt like it BUT I MUST CONFESS : i didnt try long enough & i have to tell u : i bought a Cort bass, i fell in love for the first second a put my hands on i also bought some Chibson guitars ;-)

I see a bugera v22 or v55 head in the background, how is the combination of a hb with a bugera?

I'm laughing so much that I'm pounding my feet!! The truth is sometimes funny!

The question I ask is would you rather have two or three phenomenal guitars or 15-20 not so phenomenal guitars?

Is that a Bugera HD55 back there ? I have a Bugera Trirec and it is a phenomenal amp in every regard.

There's a LOT of guitar 'snobbery' though ....... I use a USA strat (HSS) as my main guitar, BUT my back-up guitar is a humble Yamaha Pacifica - and I'm sorry to say that it's overall playability is equal to the strat, at a FRACTION of the cost. Guitar 'snobs' go by the name on the headstock, and NOT the guitar's playability. I just don't get it ............

You are quite right. Harley Benton is pretty decent, particularly some special models. I own white "falcon" version of HB and it is pretty decent guitar, with some tweaking (string angle at the bridge) it plays very nice and sounds nice. The rest is solid built. Then I have acoustic gibson/epiphone Jumbo king CE NT, that is surprisingly good guitar with splendid tone. Also a cheap acoustic orchestra made from plywood is great guitar with great tone if you consider 70€ price. No other guitar for that price comes close. But, considering many reviews by owners, that own also much more expensive and original models, HB is very good for the price.