Harley Benton JA-Baritone BK

100

Baritone Electric Guitar

Vintage series
Body: Poplar
Bolt-on neck: Maple
Fretboard: Purple heart
Block fretboard inlays
Neck profile: C
Matched headstock
Scale length: 762 mm
Nut width: 42 mm
21 Frets
Pickups: 2 P90 AlNiCo Vintage Style Single Coils
Volume and tone controls
3-Way switch
Black deluxe hardware
Solid bridge
Kluson style machine heads
Factory string gauge: .014 - .068
Colour: Black high gloss

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

3-Year Thomann Warranty

Available since September 2022

Item number 528005

Sales Unit 1 piece(s)

Colour Black

Body Poplar

Top None

Neck Maple

Fretboard Purple Heart

Frets 21

Scale 762 mm

Pickup System P90, P90

Tremolo No

Incl. Case No

Incl. Gigbag No

$175

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$194

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Offset baritone with P90 pickups

Guitarists who are on the hunt for an unconventional baritone guitar that won't set them back a fortune need look no further than the Harley Benton JA-Baritone model, which combines an offset-style poplar body, one-piece maple neck, and 21-fret purple heart fingerboard with a pair of P90 AlNiCo Vintage Style single coil pickups, resulting in a distinctive sounding that oozes character. The guitar's slim-taper "C" profile ensures a comfortable playing feel, while the robust hardware, which includes a set of Kluson-style machine heads and string-through-body bridge, promises a highly resonant sound with plenty of sustain - making the JA-Baritone perfect for Stoner Rock and Surf music. And to ensure that it has the looks to match its sound, the guitar's body and headstock are finished in high-gloss black that is complemented perfectly by the black hardware.

Baritone guitar with P90 single coil pickups

Plenty of low-end punch

Baritone guitars have thus far found only a niche market, but that is changing as more and more players grow to appreciate the expanded range and new sonic possibilities that these instruments give them. Compared to a regular guitar, the Harley Benton JA-Baritone's 762mm (30") scale length provides a tighter string tension at a lower tuning, which gives the sound a tight response and plenty of clarity that definitely come across when it is amplified thanks to its two P90 pickups. The electronics in turn have also been kept simple but effective and comprise a three-way selector switch together with master controls for volume and tone - all within easy reach on the guitar's pickguard, which provides an attractive visual contrast to the body finish thanks to its three-ply (black-white-black) design. The JA-Baritone's fixed bridge and high-quality machine heads promise reliable tuning stability, while the "strings-through-body" design will also deliver an extra dose of power - something that will always come in handy.

From Stoner Rock to Surf

The Harley Benton JA-Baritone is sure to find particular favour among fans of Stoner Rock and Surf music who are on a restricted budget but still want a guitar that combines excellent sonic versatility and a high level of playing comfort. That is precisely what players can look forward to here thanks to the JA-Baritone's twin P90 pickups and deep cutaway, which provides unrestricted access to the upper registers, and as players have long grown to expect from Harley Benton, the build quality on display here is on a par with that of much more expensive instruments and promises many years of reliable service. Players can additionally rest assured that the guitar's striking black finish and contrasting pickguard outline mean that it will always grab people's attention, whether it's on stage or at home in the sitting room.

Harley Benton headstock with Kluson-style machine heads

About Harley Benton

Since 1998, the Harley Benton brand has been catering for the needs of numerous guitarists and bassists. In addition to an extensive range of stringed instruments, Thomann's house brand also offers a wide choice of amplifiers, speakers, effect pedals, and other accessories. In total, the range includes over 1,500 products. Built by established names in the industry, all Harley Benton products combine quality and reliability at attractive and affordable prices. The continuous expansion of the range ensures that Harley Benton always provides new, exciting, and innovative products that keep players perfectly in tune with the musical world, day after day.

For clean, rhythm, and lead

As mentioned above, baritone guitars are tuned significantly lower than their standard counterparts, with perhaps the most popular tuning being B1–E2–A2–D3–F#3–B3 (low to high). The powerful-sounding tone that this produces is enhanced by the Harley Benton JA-Baritone BK's fixed bridge and strings-through-body design, while the versatile P90 pickups ensure that when amplified, the guitar can deliver everything from clean tones with plenty of warmth and dynamics through to powerful chunky riffs and even singing leads, making this a guitar that will capably handle the whole range of Alternative Rock styles and more. A suitable amplifier that will handle the guitar's impressive low-end response is of course recommended if players want to exploit its full sonic potential - and not surprisingly, Harley Benton has a range of high-quality, budget-friendly amps on offer that will fit the bill perfectly.

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100 Customer ratings

5 65 Customers 4 26 Customers 3 5 Customers 2 3 Customers 1 1 Customer

4.5 / 5

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80 Reviews

Amazingly Versatile Baritone

PavlosP 23.01.2023

After waiting a few months for this to arrive and frantically watching videos about it online, it finally arrived today!

I was worried about possible QC issues and/or electronic issues since rumors about HB guitars have been coming forward a bit more the last year or so (my personal experience with HB products has been only positive), however I am extremely excited to say that the neck and frets feel as smooth as my most expensive guitar, the stock pickups being house-brand sound surprisingly good.

Only minor points, if you can even call them that, are the plastic tuners (which personally do not really bother me for the price and feel sturdy enough), the glossy neck (this is personal preference and I had no issue running up and down the neck) and the fact that the fretboard does not seem to be oiled (which is a 5 minute job).

Overall, I cannot recommend this guitar enough to the baritone lover. I actually wanted it for low-tuned metal which it can absolutely do (with some extra gain and stuff) but nevertheless have caught myself being sunk into its expressive cleans, so I do think this guitar has a lot of possibilities and its p90 pickups have an interesting character. For 199 euros and these features I didn't even care to examine it for dings and scratches and so far I have seen none, plus I have not checked the intonation but this can also be easily remedied. Absolutely great instrument!

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Stunning value for money

KuangEleven 29.04.2024

I'm going to start by saying I've never been so impressed by any instrument relative to its price tag. The build quality is great, the neck is fantastic, the bridge is solid and adjusts smoothly, the pickups are clear and punchy and the whole instrument looks like I paid five times as much. the frets could do with a tiny polish but I'd be pleased with the shaping and ends on a guitar costing far more. The pots are smooth and clean, and the tone control is probably the most useful I've ever had across its entire range.

I've brought the action down to 1.5mm bass side and 1mm treble, and there's not a hint of buzz anywhere, which is astonishing. I did have to put a bit of extra tension on the truss rod and discovered that it's already cranked to the max, which is worrying but hopefully something I won't have to touch further.

I haven't had any issues at all with microphonic pickups or grounding so I presume that was an early thing. The only things I would note are that the selector switch feels very notchy (even though it works perfectly) and the tuner heads don't inspire confidence, especially with this amount of tension. No problems as yet though.

Get one, but book time out because it's hard to put down.

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Very pleased with this Baritone guitar.

Wimmel62 04.10.2022

I bought this guitar to just try out some other sounds. This guitar inspires you to try other things. I think the jazzmaster is a beautiful model and especially if it is completely black. I haven't actually been able to find any shortcoming. Everything is very well finished and adjusted. We're going to throw ourselves into The Ballad of John Henry and other songs with the band. I am impressed by the quality of Harley Benton guitars and the service of Thomann

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Outstanding value

Steve Ranger 28.01.2023

This was a bit of a punt as I wanted to try a baritone but didn't want to spend big money. The guitar was back ordered and I nearly forgot about it until it arrived and, all in all, I was pleasantly surprised. Fit and finish is outstanding for a sub £200 guitar, no sharp fret ends, no dodgy paint and the neck is beautifully finished. Machine heads look cheap and cheerful but this thing just stays in tune regardless. Action is a little high but perfectly playable. Pickups are a bit raspy but otherwise sound OK and are not unpleasant (the middle position is rather nice). The guitar is very light but there is no neck dive whatsoever. Being a full scale baritone you can get some pretty good hybrid bass/six string vibes and it really makes you play in a very different way. I am really happy with this guitar and I literally cannot put it down, I'll change the strings for some Ernie Balls and may think about upgrading the pickups at some point but, for the money, this is a great guitar if you are looking at adding a baritone to your armoury without spending big bucks.

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Harley Benton JA-Baritone BK

Baritone Electric Guitar