Harley Benton ST-Modern Plus MN HSS SP

I am mostly a metal dude that plays superstrats, but always wanted a clasic strat, not necessarely for metal, but for blues, indie, rock, stuff that I only play sometimes. Never wanted to bust the bank for one though, so I was searching for strats under 500€, under 400€ preferably, and optionally pink, always wanted a pink guitar. And I wanted to find the perfect one for me, since I doubt I'll own more than one classic strat given my metal player profile.

So I came accros HB and the ST-modern plus series (after long researches for all the other classic strats on this price range). Never actually owned a HB, and never really did much research of them, only knew they are the "budget option". But then I did the research, and I did it extensively. Found out that some models are meh, others are top tier, like this series. Also found out that there are QC issues, and it's a gamble if you get a perfect one or a bad one.

Since this guitar was likely the perfect strat for me and there is a bigger chance that I won't get a classic strat anytime soon (or ever), I wanted to NOT get a bad one. So I asked Thomann to use their services to inspect for QC issues, and why not, also to set it up. The service costed me around 60€.

The guitar came in PERFECT condition, and perfectly set up. Amazing services.

Stainless steel frets and top tier fretwork, beautiful neck that you only find in very expensive guitars, great colors on the guitar and neck (my neck came in darker than in the photos, and I actually like that more), perfect weight for my preferance, interesting bridge.

The biggest con are the pickups. BUT, if you don't plan to record or to play live with this guitar, but instead you plan only to play it at home and rehearsals, I see no reason to swap them. They are good enough for that. Second biggest con are the saddles of the bridge if you want to palm mute. They are not flat with the strings, they are fat and rise above the strings, making you to shift the palm to the left, giving you effectively less space for the mute. I find that it's harder to play a slight palm mute, and mostly play a more obvious one (but can be just an adjusting thing that will solve itself with time). But I can see that being a true problem only if you need precise palm mutes like for metal, think Master Of Puppers riff. Since this is not exactly a metal guitar, it's not the end of the world. Third biggest con are the tuners, which are not great, but not terrible. Might change them at some point, but at least they are locking.

What can I say, IF you get one in perfect condition with 0 QC issues (either by luck or paying Thomann to inspect it), it's a steal. It's at least comparable to a guitar double the price, if not a bit more. I think that if you are serious about getting one, pay Thomann to pick a good one. I'm looking forward to have a great life alongside this gem.

Got mine two weeks ago and I like it a lot, but there were some quality issues that made me disappointed. The bridge wasn’t installed properly, luckily it was an easy fix, but it seems like pivot screws are not inserted properly inside the body, they are a little bit loose and can be easily pulled up. The fret buzz is also a thing on my guitar but I guess it could be fixed with proper set up. Overall I really like this guitar, it plays wonderfully, but there’s a room for improvement quality wise.

I missed the first run, and by the time I placed my order the lead time telescoped out to 6 months. I thought about cancelling at various points, but I'm glad I didn't. This is the nicest playing instrument I've ever owned. There's no comparison between this and the similarly priced Squier Classic Vibe 50's strat. The classic vibe had terrible tuning stability and intonation, and the neck finish had to be sanded to be playable - all areas where the modern plus really shines. As a side note, one benefit of missing the first run is the string trees have been upgraded to the roller type instead of vintage style. In fact the modern plus is nicer in every meaningful way than my USA made Highway 1 strat. The only thing I preferred about the Highway 1 is the nitro finish.

I anticipated swapping the pickups, but after testing, I like the Tesla's that came in it and I will probably leave them. I don't really like having the brand name on the pickups, but I can always change the covers if it continues to bother me.

On the Babicz trem - some reviews I saw online highlighted it as uncomfortable for resting your strumming hand, but I find no problem with it, plus I love the fact it is floating.

The finish and frets are flawless and the pots and switches seem fine. I haven't taken anything apart to see what the electrics are like under the hood, but going back to the Squier Classic Vibe, the 5 way switch on that guitar was crackly from the moment I got it and needed contact cleaner sprayed into regularly. No such issue with the modern plus so far. The modern plus has just one tone control, but I don't miss the 2nd tone.

The coil split is fine, but I don't think I'll use it so I might re-wire it as a phase switch instead, or as a way to use the bridge and neck pickups together. I think those are both more useful options.

This is my first experience with locking tuners, and these seem good. I don't know how they compare to others, but they are certainly an upgrade on vintage style tuners.

All in all, I highly recommend this guitar, but I can see it's already out of stock again with long lead times. That should tell you something.