Firstly lets get the usual out of the way. Thomann delivery. The guitar arrived in the UK within 2 days of ordering, it then sat at DHL for 3 days (Weekend) before delivery. Six days total, who can fault that? Arrived in perfect condition.
Right. Stratocasters, I've always played Gibson copies, big fan of the Epiphone SG, my 2012 Junior was one of my favourites. Was.
Strat-wise I've had mainly superstrat types, Washburn, Jackson etc but kind of steered clear of the pure copies. In 2006 I bought a Fender Highway One, I hated it and sold it on after a week. It sounded flat and felt just wrong.
Feeling the urge to play again after a too long lay off I looked at reviews for ideas. Harley Benton kept coming up, I've played Squire's, so-so, and thought if I disliked the Highway how could a no mark be any good? How wrong was I. This is a honest comment, the HB is better than the Fender. I may have had a bad one but that's the cold hard truth. £85 Vs £675 (I think).
Finish wise, it's perfect. A thick coating but it resonates well. The colour is different to that shown, my monitor shows a beige tint, its a creamy vintage white.
Neck, fantastically playable and chunky. The maple looks aged slightly and the finish is fast and slippery like a hot buttered slug.
Tuners were on my change list. No need. They are smooth enough and hold tune all night.
Pickups were also down for binning if the body was worth keeping. No need. From Blues through Punk to Grunge. They are good. I played through a Peavey Transtube last night and it was in overdrive. I sat with a massive grin on my face. This is an £85 guitar!
Pots are smooth, do what they should, and the 5 way switch is solid & clicks into position well.
I cant comment on Tremolo durability as I keep it locked, never use them, and set up needed a quarter turn to bring it in but who can moan at that. The frets are level but could maybe do with a stone over the edges, I'm talking very very minor here.
The only downside for me is that now I have another 3 HBs in mind but worry that they cannot be as good as this.