HARLEY BENTON MR-MODERN
F
ast becoming the place to find a bargain, Harley Benton – a house brand
of online giant Thomann – seems to release new models on a monthly
basis. The latest is a dual-level MR (as in Mosrite) range with hardtail
‘Classic’ models at £209 and this rather more pimped ‘Modern’ version at a
lofty £295. And when we say pimped, we get jumbo stainless-steel frets on a
Macassar ebony fingerboard, a Wilkinson VS-50 II vibrato, Graph Tech nut,
rear locking tuners, and a pair of coil-splittable Artec humbucking soapbars.
We’re probably not alone in saying we’ve only played an original Mosrite
for moments. To be honest, it’s likely the same for Harley Benton’s designers.
Yes, the MR-Modern sort of apes the reverse body style, but it’s noticeably
more bulky – not least the over-large treble horn – than this writer’s Eastwood
Sidejack that’s awaiting a makeover in The Mod Squad. As a result, this chunky
chap weighs in a 4.01kg (8.8lb), the 45mm thick alder body completely hidden
by the well-applied and very glossy Candy Apple Red finish, one of five offered.
The neck feels pretty generic, the colour-matched headstock is spliced
under the 2nd fret, and the neck back is a pretty smooth-feeling satin. But the
craft is tidy, those big, tall stainless-steel frets are well installed, and the ebony
is a deep chocolate colour. Barring a slight setup tweak, it plays well. The neck
actually feels a bit bigger in your hand than its more Fender-like dimensions
suggest, but it’s a big ringing sound, particularly with a little waggle from the
excellent Wilkinson VS50, which needs little introduction.
While the ‘Classic’ model uses standard single-coil soapbars, these Artec
pickups retain the footprint but are conventional humbuckers. They certainly
support the punk/surf lineage of the original brand, although the bridge
pickup actually seems a little under-powered and could do with a firmer foam
support to allow you to raise it closer to the strings. But kick in some dirt and
the voicing isn’t bad, retaining a little more ‘single coil’ than ballsy humbucker.
The neck voice is fuller with a little woody chop, while the coil-splits get you
into surf territory, especially with some dollops of reverb and slapback echo.
This is quite a Fender-rooted instrument that’s very tidy for the money,
even though that shape does seem a little bulky. An affordable offset with a
difference and plenty of modding potential.
Words Dave Burrluck Photography Olly Curtis
The latest range from Harley Benton is based on the rare
Mosrite brand. A viable cheapie or a clone too far?
Surf’s Up
FIRST PLAY
HARLEY BENTON MR-MODERN
8
PROS The build is pretty tidy for
the price, with good hardware and
acceptable pickups and circuit
CONS Fairly weighty; might need
a setup tweak; rmer foam under
the bridge pickup would raise it
4
3
1. Artec is a Korean-based
manufacturer, but pickup
info is scant aside from
their use of Alnico V
magnets. The humbucker/
single coil DCRs measure
10.96/5.53kohms at
the bridge and a more
vintage-y 7.58/3.86k at the
neck. In single-coil mode
the outer coils are voiced
2. The Wilkinson vibrato,
nicely cut Graph Tech nut
and ‘HB’ logo’d rear lock
tuners mean that (after
the usual string stretching)
this is a rather good light-
travel vibrato system
3. It’s hard to argue with the
big stainless-steel frets on
a Macassar ebony ’board
at this price. The neck
pro le is an okay ‘D’ shape
(20mm deep at the 1st fret,
22.7mm by the 12th) and
the neck seems very rigid
4. The basic circuit has a
simple master volume and
tone and three-way toggle,
but the wiring is neat and
uses a .047 microfarads
(473J) tone cap and
an Alpha Korean large
volume pot. Keen modders
could upgrade easily,
plus you can unscrew the
scratchplate without even
detuning your strings
21
SUMMER 2022 GUITARIST
HARLEY BENTON
MR-MODERN
PRICE: £295
ORIGIN: Indonesia
TYPE: Offset double-cutaway
solidbody electric
BODY: Alder
NECK: Maple, ‘C’ profile, bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech
Tusq/42.1mm
FINGERBOARD: Macassar ebony,
pearloid dot inlays, 305mm (12”)
radius
FRETS: 22, medium/jumbo
Blacksmith stainless steel
HARDWARE: Wilkinson VS-50 II
vibrato, Kluson-style Wilkinson
locking tuners – chrome-plating
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52.5mm
ELECTRICS: 2x Artec AHC-90
soapbar-sized Alnico-5 humbuckers,
3-way toggle pickup selector,
master volume and tone (w/
pull-switch coil-split) controls
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 4.01/8.8
OPTIONS: Not this model
RANGE OPTIONS: MR-Classic
(£209) has standard frets, hardtail
wrapover bridge, 2x P-90 style single
coils, basswood body, roasted jatoba
’board; the baritone version (£295)
has a 686mm (27”) scale length
LEFT-HANDERS: Yes, in both the
MR-Classic (£209) and MR-Modern
spec (£295)
FINISH: Candy Apple Red (as
reviewed), Black, 3-Tone Sunburst,
Pearl White and Metallic Blue –
colour matched headstock with
satin natural neck back
Harley Benton
https://harleybenton.com
www.thomann.de
GIT488.rev_harley.indd 21GIT488.rev_harley.indd 21 07/07/2022 12:1307/07/2022 12:13