Harley Benton Guitars

Basic Asian import level for most with a few a little higher quality and/or gaudier. I believe they're on par with most Squier models we're more familiar with here. I wouldn't be afraid to try one.
 
They are cheaper than most other comparable guitars for one reason:

Thomann orders them container-wise (1200-1500 pieces each model) from the factory in Asia who does it cheapest,
no $/€ for distributor/shop

Some years ago I had one, basicly entry level Squier Affinity/Bullet guitars
Not my preference at all

Recently Thomann puts a shitload of money in advertising the Harley-Benton brand
and it seems to work for them

Thomann pays for the servers of the biggest German guitar-forum
the forum once was independant - now not so much...
well known brandnames are hotlinked to the thomann website
meanwhile if any user is asking for advice, it takes 3-5 posts until the first recommendation is Harley-Benton
regardless if it's useful or not
 
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PeteR said:
They are cheaper than most other comparable guitars for one reason:

Thomann orders them container-wise (1200-1500 pieces each model) from the factory in Asia who does it cheapest,
no $/€ for distributor/shop

Some years ago I had one, basicly entry level Squier Affinity/Bullet guitars
Not my preference at all

Recently Thomann puts a shitload of money in advertising the Harley-Benton brand
and it seems to work for them

Thomann pays for the servers of the biggest German guitar-forum
the forum once was independant - now not so much...
well known brandnames are hotlinked to the thomann website
meanwhile if any user is asking for advice, it takes 3-5 posts until the first recommendation is Harley-Benton
regardless if it's useful or not
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Please enlighten me as to what's not to like about Thomann.
 
RWilke said:
Please enlighten me as to what's not to like about Thomann.
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Well, it’s like any other MIC low priced brand. You’re gonna get a lot of bang for your buck, but you aren’t going to walk away with top American Fender or Gibson quality for a few hundred samolians. I’ve recently purged myself of most of my budget guitars. I’ve decided that there is a lot of truth to the ole saying “Buy once, cry once.” However my buddy @Strummer did get an awesome Squier CV 50’s Telecaster for around $300.00. It’s the best Tele I’ve ever played, well after a little work. He did get an exceptional one perhaps, but when I am ready to fill my Tele niche once again, I am going to look seriously at one of those first.
 
PeteR said:
A market-dominant situation for one provider has never been good for the customer

I was a Customer there since the beginning 80s....
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When my son was stationed in Germany, I begged him to get me an HB. But he said the drive was too far. There are other brands I could get for less after the shipping is figured in. He was there for 3 years and never went to check out Thomann.
 
3bolt79 said:
When my son was stationed in Germany, I begged him to get me an HB. But he said the drive was too far. There are other brands I could get for less after the shipping is figured in. He was there for 3 years and never went to check out Thomann.
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I was there multiple times over the last 4-5 decades,
sure it is impressive how the store went from a mom&pop shop to one of the biggest stores worldwide in a village with less than 200 inhabitants

meanwhile I prefer smaller independant stores

thomann-city-2009-19.jpg
...................................................................................................................^^ here is the entrance
thomann-schild-2.jpg
 
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PeteR said:
meanwhile I prefer smaller independant stores
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So would I, if they only existed any longer. I was born and grew up in a very small village in the Düsseldorf area, and when I started playing in 1972, there were music shops in every bigger town around us, just a 30 minutes bus ride away from us at most. Today, that has changed dramatically.

When I started playing again about three years ago, after a 35 years or so hiatus, it was only then that I realised that they were all gone, but then there was the Internet, and then for sure, Thomann kept popping up in all places. Being the typical critic and sceptical of anything monopolistic, so, as an example, I have never ever ordered from Amazon and am determined never to do so, I was also a bit hesitant to start dealing with Thomann, but then I did, and I have never looked back.

My overall customer experience is just top-notch. Their customer service is impeccable. They have a 30 day money back guarantee, no questions asked, with shipping returns at their own expense, and handling them in almost no time, and on top of that, a three year warranty on every item that they sell. It also happened that, if and when I wasn't happy with one particular, perhaps smaller item and wanted to return it, they passed it on and refunded me without requiring me to return it, which seemed quite odd at first.

In the follow-up email conversation about it, which also manifested without any delay, they explained to me that this policy is based on ecological considerations, as it doesn't make sense wasting resources on shipping and dealing with return items where the margin just doesn't justify doing this. As an example, I recently ordered a foot rest for €14, thinking it would help making my Epiphone Les Paul easier to play in sitting position. But after I unboxed it and give it a try, it looked like it didn't cut the mustard, so about 10 minutes later it had been back in the box and the "Return" button had been pushed. This time, I did not receive the usual return ticket via automated email within a few minutes as usual, which started me worrying, but then 1 or 2 days later, my PayPal account had been refunded €14. So what's not to like about that?

And as an aside, I've taken some liking to the foot rest meanwhile, although that wasn't planned really, but what else should I do with it?
 
When my son was stationed in Germany, I begged him to get me an HB. But he said the drive was too far. There are other brands I could get for less after the shipping is figured in. He was there for 3 years and never went to check out Thomann.
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Assuming that your son didn't do his service in Germany under the Truman administration, but some time after, he might as well have used the Internet to order from them. :)

In March or April this year, I decided that it's finally the time for me to get a Les Paul of some sort. So I went to Thomann and it didn't take too long to find some really cheap Harley Benton Les Paul copies, and decided to order one of these. After it arrived, it again didn't take too long for me to decide that it is just an excuse for a guitar, so quite immediately I sent it back, for a full refund, no problems involved doing so.

But if truth be told, if I had had that kind of guitar in my hands in about the early 70s when I first started playing, I would never have dropped it, but kept on playing the "you know what" out of it no end because, during that time, I just kept picking on everything with 4 or more strings attached to it, and then some more things even without any strings involved. :)

My overall estimation as regards Harley Benton guitars being, therefore, they are truly for beginners, but might be worthwhile checking out if this is what you're looking for.
 
3bolt79 said:
When my son was stationed in Germany, I begged him to get me an HB. But he said the drive was too far. There are other brands I could get for less after the shipping is figured in. He was there for 3 years and never went to check out Thomann.
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Ungrrrateful son he is.
3bolt79 said:
I’ve decided that there is a lot of truth to the ole saying “Buy once, cry once.”
Click to expand...
I don't believe that saying. If you do your homework thoroughly, there are really nice instruments to be had for not much dinero. A fine example is the Squier Classic Vibe series, as you just realized.

I had a Fender Standard Tele and a Squier Vintage Modified Tele side by side for a few months, and the Squier was easily the best of the two.

-180219-2.jpg
 
RWilke said:
So would I, if they only existed any longer. I was born and grew up in a very small village in the Düsseldorf area, and when I started playing in 1972, there were music shops in every bigger town around us, just a 30 minutes bus ride away from us at most. Today, that has changed dramatically.

When I started playing again about three years ago, after a 35 years or so hiatus, it was only then that I realised that they were all gone, but then there was the Internet, and then for sure, Thomann kept popping up in all places. Being the typical critic and sceptical of anything monopolistic, so, as an example, I have never ever ordered from Amazon and am determined never to do so, I was also a bit hesitant to start dealing with Thomann, but then I did, and I have never looked back.

My overall customer experience is just top-notch. Their customer service is impeccable. They have a 30 day money back guarantee, no questions asked, with shipping returns at their own expense, and handling them in almost no time, and on top of that, a three year warranty on every item that they sell. It also happened that, if and when I wasn't happy with one particular, perhaps smaller item and wanted to return it, they passed it on and refunded me without requiring me to return it, which seemed quite odd at first.

In the follow-up email conversation about it, which also manifested without any delay, they explained to me that this policy is based on ecological considerations, as it doesn't make sense wasting resources on shipping and dealing with return items where the margin just doesn't justify doing this. As an example, I recently ordered a foot rest for €14, thinking it would help making my Epiphone Les Paul easier to play in sitting position. But after I unboxed it and give it a try, it looked like it didn't cut the mustard, so about 10 minutes later it had been back in the box and the "Return" button had been pushed. This time, I did not receive the usual return ticket via automated email within a few minutes as usual, which started me worrying, but then 1 or 2 days later, my PayPal account had been refunded €14. So what's not to like about that?

And as an aside, I've taken some liking to the foot rest meanwhile, although that wasn't planned really, but what else should I do with it?
Click to expand...
All corporations should be that ecologically responsible. Here in the land of unsatisfied greed we seldom see such a gracious attitude. However, Amazon has arranged for several drop off locations like Whole Foods or a UPS Store who will process returns. But.....there's still the time and fuel spent driving there to drop the return off.
 
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