Harley Benton Guitar MAX Fusion Signature HO

As a traditional and faithful Tele / Strat / Les Paul player, I felt like I had to scratch the itch of the famed 'Super Strat'. Without knowing if I'd like the concept or not, I went for this 'budget' MAX fusion model; based on the impressive specs and overall value for money.

Upon delivery, the guitar was perfectly in tune, which is the whole idea of locking tuners! The overall fit and finish is impeccable with no sharp edges or imperfections. The only downside was that the frets were desperate for a polish as they felt very dry. Otherwise, the guitar was good to go.

I love the C profile neck, which is unusual to have such a chunky neck on a shredder. Moreover, the Tesla pickups have so much attack and depth, but at the flick of a switch, they're a pair of delicate, snappy, single coils.

It doesn't like to be moved around on its initial factory set up, so between home and studio, it likes to drop its tuning. However, this will be down to a 'poor' set up. The Dragon Skin strings are meaty but still allow for plenty of movement up and down the neck.

For this price point, you cannot be disappointed. I'd compare this to a sub £1000 Ibanez / Kramer or indeed any other of a similar nature.

The guitar is an amazing bang for your buck. I bought it shortly after it was released and out of the bag, it needed a small truss rod and string height adjustment for my liking, which took 3-4 minutes. Other than that the finish is amazing. Everyone I show it to is blown away.

I was surprised by how good the pickups were, especially the neck one, it's way heavier (a bit more bassy perhaps) than I expected and I love it, where as the bridge one - I initially had mixed feelings about, but it's grown on me and I enjoy it just as much.

It's my first Floyd rose guitar, hence why I decided to buy it. Apart from it taking me forever to change the strings, I have no complaints. The trem works fine and the guitar stays in tune.