Harley Benton Fusion-III EMG HT Roasted SBK

Ordered this after watching a blazing YouTube review. Shipped to me in Canada. I paid more for it in the end (due to shipping and duty), compared to someone in Europe.

Guitar was a bit rough out of the box. Neck pickup was installed crooked (honestly, how can someone not line these up?) Frets were very rough. Tuning pegs are a little shoddy. Input jack needs to be replaced (its shorting out when the cable moves around).

After a full setup (used fret erasers, Ernie Ball fretboard conditioner) the neck really came to life. Just insanely beautiful flame.

I think the guitar itself sounds VERY good. I am happy with the tone - the pickups feel great to me.

In the end, would I buy it again? Probably not - if I was in Europe - yes. But not in Canada. I would have rather put the money towards a real Charvel or something. With all the extra shipping/duty, needing to buy a new input jack, fix crooked pickups, etc. I don't think it was worth it in the end.

I was pleasantly surprised with the overall good build quality and finish of this guitar compared to other major brands with a much higher price tag. The components on this HB Fusion III guitar are top notch with great looks to match. The EMG active pickup sounds great in both clean and heavy gain tones. While the roasted Canadian maple neck is smooth and comfortable in hand even after long play sessions. Guitar was well inspected and packed before shipping and only very minor tweaks had to be made to get everything setup perfectly. Overall i would definitely recommend this guitar and buying from Thomann is always a great experience. ImI

This is a really great guitar for the cost. You get a lot of sweet features you’d only find in more upper priced brands for sure.

I have a few dings for the quality but it’s not even that big of a deal. Some minor things. That’s what prevents the full 5 stars however. There’s a bit of tooling marks in the fret board. I have seen this with custom shop guitars even, so no big deal.

The bridge pickup is installed slightly crooked, lots of the Facebook page have minor complaints of this as well. No biggie to me, you have to really look to notice.

There’s some tooling marks by the nut. Again no biggie.

Finish is good. I can’t find any flaws. I have some more expensive guitars that have way worse issues than this thing. So all in all, an amazing buy. It’s just not perfect, but damn near close. I still say buy it if you’re eyeing it. If you’re into a total super strat this is it.

Cons:
- Headstock stickers are crooked
- Lumed inlays lasts nothing and when not charged it is impossible to see them in low light
- Bridge came with paint chipped off
- Tuners are Gibson style instead of the pictured Strat style
- Flames on the neck are barely there
- Input jack was faulty, no sound came out

Pros:
- Retroactive Hot 70's sound amazing, a little microphonic but amazing nonetheless
- MATTEBLACKEVERYTHING
- Neck is thick and super comfortable
- Frets are perfect, no buzzing throughout
- It plays amazing

The only thing this guitar needs to be absolute perfect for me is a Floyd Rose.