Harley Benton HB-35LH BK Vintage Series

63

Electric Guitar

  • Left hand model
  • Vintage series
  • Build: Semi-hollow with mahogany sustain block (Entandrophragma cylindricum) and F-holes
  • Body: Maple
  • Arched top
  • Set-in neck: Canadian maple
  • Fretboard: Amaranth
  • Fretboard radius: 305 mm (12")
  • Dot fretboard inlays
  • Cream binding on the body and neck
  • 22 Frets
  • Scale: 628 mm
  • Nut width: 43 mm
  • Double action truss rod
  • Pickups: 2 Vintage-style humbuckers
  • 3-Way pickup selector
  • 2 Volume knobs and 2 tone knobs
  • Hardware: Chrome
  • Tune-O-Matic bridge
  • Closed die-cast machine heads
  • Stringing: Harley Benton .010 - .046
  • Colour: Black high gloss
Available since September 2015
Item number 362659
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Shape, Design Hollowbody
Colour Black
Soundboard Maple
Neck Canadian Maple
Fretboard Amaranth
number of strings 6
Frets 22
Scale 628 mm
Pickup System HH
Tremolo No
Incl. Cases No
Incl. Gigbag No
Top Maple
B-Stock from $138 available
$179
The shipping costs are calculated on the checkout page.
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In the most classic tradition

The Harley Benton HB-35 BK LH is a semi-hollow electric guitar for left-handed players that instantly calls to mind classic guitars of the past - albeit without the hefty price tag. It features a maple body with an arched top that is adorned with elegant f-holes, and the combination of a high-gloss black finish and chrome hardware completes its authentic vintage look. The guitar's construction incorporates a solid block of wood that runs through the centre of the body, which together with its set maple neck ensures plenty of sustain and helps to prevent unwanted feedback when playing at high volume. The latter in turn features a 22-fret amaranth fingerboard with white pearloid dot inlays that provide a visual contrast and easier orientation when playing, and both neck and body (front and back) are adorned with cream-coloured binding, a feature usually reserved for much pricier instruments.

Pure retro charm

To ensure that the Harley Benton HB-35 delivers a retro feast for the ears as well as the eyes, the guitar features a pair of vintage-style humbucking pickups, and its combination of a Tune-o-Matic bridge and stop-bar tailpiece together with the internal centre block mentioned above provide a full, sustaining sound. At the opposite end, the headstock is adorned by a set of sealed diecast machine heads that promise many years of reliable service. The neck features a comfortable C profile and is equipped with a double-action trussrod for optimum adjustability, and both the 628mm (24.7") scale length and 42mm (1.65") nut width are also typical for this style of guitar. The same is true of the HB-35's electronics, which comprise a three-way toggle switch and dedicated volume and tone controls for each pickup, so players can easily dial in any tone they desire.

Back to the '60s

The Harley Benton HB-35 is an excellent choice for left-handed fans of the classic guitars of the 1960s, and its retro looks and typical hollowbody sound also make it a great instrument for the stage. Its vintage-style pickups deliver the perfect sound for live performances and studio recordings too, so players who can do without a tremolo will have everything they need - and the superior tuning stability provided by a fixed bridge will doubtless be a bonus in both situations.

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.

Chuck Berry sends his regards

From Blues and Jazz through to Indie, the Harley Benton HB-35 will be a guaranteed eyecatcher on stage. It represents a great choice for live players with much more expensive guitars who are looking for a suitable backup instrument as well as for studio musicians looking to unleash their inner Chuck Berry with catchy double-stop riffs, power chords, and full-sounding melodies. To authentically replicate the sounds of the era, the HB-35 should of course be combined with a suitable tube amplifier with sufficient headroom. Those who are looking to expand their palette of sounds with splittable pickups or would prefer an attractive flamed maple top, however, should instead take a look at this guitar's big sister, the Harley Benton HB-35Plus.

63 Customer ratings

4.7 / 5

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49 Reviews

KW
Great affordable semi-hollow
Kieran W. 06.11.2015
Affordable left-handed semi hollow guitars are not easy to come by so I was excited to see Thomann offer the HB-35 LH.

The HB-35 is a semi-hollow inspired by classic designs with maple body, maple neck and mahogany sustain block. Arched top and back of course. I really wanted the shape of their previous E-35 model but that was discontinued a few months ago. This latest design has sharper horns, jack on the outside edge (a la Les Paul) and pickup toggle switch on the upper horn (also similar to Les Paul style). The only one of these design changes that concerns me is the position of the toggle switch. On my LP style guitar I often accidentally hit the switch.

It really is beautiful...finish is perfect, binding front and back is flawless to my eyes. No rough edges in the f-holes.

The only flaws are - a roughly cut pick-guard, a small dent in the neck pup cover and a nut that's cut slightly too deep on the low E.

Oh..and in common with all Harley Benton leftys the tone pots are reverse wired righty logarithmic pots.

Action out of the box was okay.. about 2mm on low E at 12 fret. I've lowered it but am getting some fret buzz on low E open string, neck is dead straight so some truss adjustment probably needed. Frets are level but could do with a polish. Fret ends are smooth as any I've seen.

Intonation on most strings was perfect out of the box. Exception was the low E with the catching nut slot - I need to put some pencil graphite into the nut slots and will probably replace it entirely at some point.

I haven't weighed her but it feels about the same as the L400 les paul style. Hefty enough.

As regard how it actually sounds...well it's much brighter than expected. I was kinda hoping to be able to easily dial in some BB King tones but what I have been able to dial in fairly easily are some Tom Petty/early REM type tones. I'd imagine it would be perfect for rockabilly sounds too.

Also it has really great sustain to my ears...better than the L400. That mahogany center block really does the job.

It's very comfortable (much better than LP shape when seated) and has great upper fret access..about a fret better than a Tele or Strat ...about a fret less than the SG style. The tuners feel pretty solid too.

In summary, this is an excellent guitar for the money. Harley Benton's still deliver the good in terms of price/quality ratio.
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VK
First and beloved guitar
Vadim Kozhukhov 31.01.2022
This is my first guitar and I like it a lot! I was specifically searching for a semihollow guitar and chose this one. I have never played a string instrument but this baby made me love it and practice every day for 2 months now on - this I think is the most important, if you like the instrument and enjoy playing it then you made the right choice.

The guitar looks and feels gorgeous but has some flaws:
- You have got to fully set it up before you start, and I don't mean just tuning.
- The wiring isn't properly hidden and can be seen in the holes which spoil the view a bit if you don't do something about it.
- My guitar didn't have the knobs that are shown in the picture and their color was a bit out of place, so I bought new ones.
All this can be explained by one thing - this is a budget guitar and this negates all its flaws. For this price, it is amazing and worth every penny.

P.S. Going to buy a bass too, all thanks to this guitar)
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A
Brilliant
Anonymous 03.12.2016
Firstly I?m a beginner that has been playing guitar for less than a year and before my Thomann order (HB-35LH & ST-62 RW SB LH ) I owned 2 guitars; a Epiphone G 400 (SG) and a Yamaha C Series Classical. During the week I play rocksmith and on weekends I play through a Blackstar HT5.

My order from Thomann arrived in less than 2 weeks, which is excellent considering that it sometime takes 2 months for me to receive an international package in South Africa. While there was some damage to the outer box, everything was received in perfect condition.

I have being playing the HB-35LH for a week now and I love it. The set up out the box was good (a bit a fret buzz on the low E string) and it is well made.

As a beginner, my definition of a great guitar is one that inspires me to play, and the HB-35 does just that. I have trouble walking pass the guitar without wanting to pick her up and play. Sometimes I don?t even plug her in, and while she is not an acoustic she is loud enough to practice with out an amp.

While I love this guitar she is not perfect, but then for the price I was not expecting it to be. The pickguard looks like it was cut in the dark, the binding on the F holes was a little ?furry? (easily fixed with a sharp blade) and the tuners while they hold tune are not the greatest.

In summary, this guitar is great and I love playing her but I think Harley Bentons should come with a warning label ?might be addictive?, I own 2 and am already trying to decide on the next one or two or maybe I should collect them all.
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W
Absolute delight
Woogie 21.05.2020
Im an older beginner and a night shift worker who bought this to have a guitar I can toodle about with on my nights off without waking the entire neighbourhood or faffing about with headphones and amps. Its an absolute joy to play and makes me want to pick it up whenever I glance in its direction.

Pros; see above. I pick it up often enough that Im practicing multiple times a day. The intonation is solid. It holds a tuning without any complaint. The action is delightful.

Cons; fret fuzz from the low E string. I think that's easy to fix though if I were brave enough to try. No access ports so no real possibility of upgrading the pots and pickups at some future date but the ones that are in there serve my needs so admirably that I simply dont care.
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