The Harley Benton L-400 gold top LP

 L-400 single cut model from the all new Harley Benton GT classic series. It's produced in China to Thomann's specs and this one's finished in gold. The finish is satin and it looks a bit aged and pretty classy. It's like looking at an older Les Paul that's been played for a few years but it's got no marks and dents whatsoever.

This is the new L-400 series LP model by Harley Benton. The old hbl-400 models had a bolt-on neck... This one's got a proper set-in neck joint!

The L-400 model has the following original specifications:
- Harley Benton L-400 GT Classic Series, Gold Top electric guitar, 
- basswood body with arched top,
- maple set neck, Thomann rosewood fretboard, 
- 22 frets, trapezoid inlays, 628 mm scale, 43 mm nut width,
- double action truss rod, die cast machine heads, 
- chrome hardware, 2 x classic humbucker pickups, 
- 2 volume- and 2 tone controls, 
- 010-046 string gauge, 
- finish: satin gold top

Price : ~105 Euros(!)



Now let's talk about its specs:
 First of all the gold top is nicely finished and it's got a traditional arch radius. The rest of the guitar is finished in a kind of see through dark brown color to imitate  natural colors of the mahogany. Nevertheless, its body is made out of basswood which is a pretty fine tone wood for this kind of money and it sounds good too. It's pretty resonant when unplugged.
Sound:
The combination of a basswood body, a maple neck, a rosewood fretboard and the pair of high output ceramic humbuckers makes this guitar sound more open, brighter and less muffled than many other single cuts out there. It's capable of delivering well defined clean and mild overdriven bluesy sounds but it could also put a smile on a shredding player's face due to these ceramic pickups. The sustain is ridiculous thanks to the set in neck joint and once again: the pickups.
Playability:
This guitar came in with a pretty lousy setup from the factory. Then, I put a fresh set of 0.010" strings on it and set it up right. The dual action truss rod is a very useful feature as you can put whatever string gauge on that thing and you will still be able to set the relief just right! It's amazing. Once I lowered the action, adjusted the truss rod and set the intonation, the guitar become highly playable and there were no dead or buzzing notes throughout the fretboard!
The electronics:
The only problem I had with its electronics is that the 3-way toggle switch was not at all tightened when bolted on the body but that's something I fixed by placing a new washer on the switch. I also removed the treble/rhythm plastic plate (just because I liked it better that way).
Verdict:
This guitar is a decent musical instrument and it's got some very nice features. The sound is good but it needs a fresh string set and a full setup even when bought brand new. Other than that, the price tag is ultra low. You know, a lot of people say "For this kind of money, I couldn't complain" but I must say I really can't complain about something as I kept the guitar totally stock (a rare thing for me) and I would buy this guitar even if it cost twice as much!

Check it out:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_l400_gold_top_classic_series.htm

Pics:

Video review (for listening to its sounds):

Cheers,

Thanos