Harley Benton is continuing its trend of Fender-inspired releases with its ST-Modern Plus HSS Series, which it says is bringing a “brand new range of tones and ergonomics” to its roster. The firm, owned by German retail giant Thomann, has stayed close to the template for the new release, but keeps one eye on affordability, and the other on a spec sheet that approximates the kind of thing you'd expect from big-name boutique builders of Strat-inspired instruments. All at a fraction of the price, of course.
For a start, you get an American alder body and a bolt-on roasted Canadian flame maple neck and headstock for a “resonant and sharp attack”. It sees its tonewoods out with a choice of laurel or maple fretboards. The neck offers a Smooth D-profile, while its fretboard has classic dotted inlays and glow-in-the-dark side dots, which isn't always a given on lower-priced guitars.
There’s a fresh emphasis on playing comfort with the guitar, too. Harley Benton says the body shape is ergonomic, and it has sculpted the guitar’s heel joint and rolled its fretboard edges. Its 22 stainless steel frets and compound radius – a rarity at this price point – further smooth out its playability.
In terms of hardware, there’s a Babicz FCH tremolo system – which promises increased sustain and stability over traditional designs – plus Sung-Il ML-55 , and a series of Tesla pickups: Vr-Nitro (bridge), TV-S1M (middle), and TVS1N (neck), which all have Alnico 5 magnets. Deviating.
