Harley Benton R-446 Flip Flop Blue

If you have trouble with the guitar staying in tune, start by replacing the strings. The strings that came with the guitar I got were replaced within three weeks with a set of D'Addario EXL110 because of tuning issues. After that I tuned the guitar maybe twice a week instead of twice a playing session.

Other than the stock strings there's not much else to complain about. The frets started poking out of the fretboard a bit after a month in its new home's environment but that's just normal life of the wood and nothing a gentle filing won't solve. The string spacing is wider than what I've seen on other guitars of this style but the wider spacing made it easier for me to play as I have thicker fingers. The flipside is that both of the E strings are easier to slip off the fretboard as they're closer to the edges. This was an issue for me only a couple of months before my muscle memory updated itself.

The string action was set as low as it can on my example, which makes the guitar easy to play with very slight fret buzz on the first fret, but the intonation was way too sharp out of the box. Again, that's nothing a bit of patience with a tuner and a screwdriver won't solve.

I absolutely love the flexibility of the pickup setup. The lower gain single coil configurations between higher gain humbucker configurations offer an easy way to switch from a softer rhythm playing sound to crunchier tone for a solo. I've often found myself adjusting the tone more from the guitar's controls than meddling with the amp (or the amp sim).

The following observation may not be evident with all of the guitars manufactured due to tolerances of the electrical components and/or the input impedance of the device the guitar is plugged into: In the middle position with both humbuckers, the tone control turned all the way counter-clockwise, the pickups go resonant with the tone control capacitor which offers a nice fuzz effect to the sound when overdriven. In my case the guitar was plugged to a Line6 POD v2 to get this effect.

The iridescent colour of the guitar is dominantly dark green that turns to purple. My unit arrived with perfect finish. No dents, no scratches, absolutely nothing to complain about the finish.

Overall, for the price it's been perfect for the casual playing I bought it for, and now I actually play more than I used to with the previous almost playable "Stratocrapster". The hardtail bridge was an obvious choice for me after fighting with a constantly drifting cheap tremolo. However, before giving one of these to a beginner to learn to play with, have it checked and adjusted properly to make a happier learning experience.

The guitar arrived in two boxes — one containing the guitar box itself and another for the bundle (since I ordered it with a bag and additional accessories).

The outer shipping box was partially ripped open on one side. It honestly looked like someone had tried to peek inside and then just left it like that. Not the best first impression.

The actual guitar box inside was in better condition. It wasn’t perfect, but considering the price range, the packaging was decent overall.

Now, about the guitar itself:

The flip-flop blue finish is absolutely stunning. The color shifts beautifully depending on the light, and visually the guitar looks amazing.

There are a few small cosmetic details worth mentioning. Around the bolt-on neck joint, you can see some unpainted areas inside the screw holes. It’s only visible from the back, but it does catch your eye. Also, where the neck joins the body, the fit isn’t perfectly even. On one side, the body flows smoothly and sits flush with the neck, while on the other side (the lower side when holding the guitar), it feels slightly thicker and not perfectly aligned. It’s not a structural issue, just a finishing detail that could have been cleaner.

The neck itself is smooth and comfortable. It feels slightly unfinished and could benefit from a bit more polishing for an even silkier feel, but for this price range, it’s still very good. It’s slim, fast, and comfortable to play.

The frets, however, could use more attention. The fret edges are somewhat sharp, and a few frets seem to stick out slightly near the edges, which can cause fret buzz. A proper fret dressing would significantly improve the overall playability.

The tuners feel solid and reliable. I was pleasantly surprised that the guitar arrived almost perfectly intonated and nearly in tune. Only the D string needed a small intonation adjustment, and after that, it plays very well.

On high gain, the guitar doesn’t produce any unwanted noise when turning up the volume, which is great. The overall tone is slightly brighter compared to some of my other guitars, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing — just something to be aware of. For this price range, the sound quality is impressive.

The finish overall is very good, the neck is slim and comfortable, and both the volume and tone knobs feel solid and responsive. The only minor issue electronically is the 5-way pickup switch. In some positions, the tonal difference is very subtle and hard to notice.

For a beginner shred-style guitar, this is an excellent choice. I would definitely recommend it to anyone starting out. It truly offers great value for the money and is a real bang for the buck.