“This could well be Harley Benton’s most impressive electric guitar platform yet when it comes to value:” Harley Benton ST-Modern HSS review

Guitar World Verdict

An excellent neck, impressive core build and locking tuners perform above expectations here. The underwhelming humbucker and tone pot aside, there is much to recommend with the ST-Modern at its bargain price.

Pros

+Excellent neck feel.

+Impressive build overall.

+Compound radius, sculpted heel and locking tuners at a low price.

Cons

-Humbucker could do with an upgrade.

-Tone pot quality reflects the budget price point.

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What is it?Harley Benton’s ST series of electric guitars has the familiar curves and newer levels of affordability to make it a winning formula for the Thomann brand, and unsurprisingly it’s proved a consistent hit with players. But in 2024 the company decided to push the envelope of the ST, following its achievements with the Fusion line. It proved an instant hit.

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Ratings scorecardTestResultsScoreBuild qualityExcellent neck feel and general build.★★★★1/2PlayabilityA tuning issue aside, the compound radius impresses ★★★★SoundsSingle-soils are solid enough but the humbucker and tone control are the weaker links ★★★OverallAt just over $150, a strong showing of specs with the potential for even more. ★★★★

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Rob has 20 years of experience writing, reviewing and editing for guitar magazines and websites, including Guitarist and Total Guitar. He’s now the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, heading up our in-house reviews team to give you in-depth and honest tests of the latest guitar gear. He eats and dreams reviews.