Those following this ramshackle plunge into instrumental chaos will maybe be wondering 'wasn't there mention of
another guitar?'.
Well, yes there was and here it is:
This was a spur-of-the-moment purchase - unlike the Volgoa headless that I spent ages researching. It is a Harley Benton TE90FLT VW (no, not Volkswagen, 'Vintage White'). Colour is a creamy white and the website photos had a semi-transparent finish that you can see the wood-grain through. This doesn't have that, which initially disappointed me.
Checking out some YouTube films on this model, one thing struck me; hardened reviewers who have had hundreds of 'budget' guitars in their hands all got this big, satisfied smile when they started playing one of these. Must be something special ....
It's an odd beast. The reversed headstock gives it a punky, idiosyncratic look but at the same time it has a classic, understated simplicity. A 'love it or hate it' look.
The design is a take on the Fender Cabronita Tele-style model. A chambered body that makes it fairly lightweight and comfortable. Retro-look 'Filtertron' pickups and a rather thick neck.
So, it arrives in a beaten-up box with a big 'B-Stock' sticker. This ain't a new one - but that's why it was so cheap. Pulling it out, the pickguard shows signs of some intensive playing and there were some fingermarks on the lacquer although I didn't see any serious dents or scratches.
I really had doubts straightaway as to whether I wanted to keep it.
The positives: there is a set of really nice DR strings on this, very similar to the Regular Light D'Addario's I've been using. Setup and action are perfect, it was even partially in tune!
Time to plug in and the neck feels like I'm holding a baseball bat, but it is really smooth and solid. Anyhow, strum one of the handful of chords that I know and immediately a shocking thought hits me - I am simply not good enough to play this guitar!
It feels and sounds like an expensive axe. There's this sensation of 'rightness'. The pickups are clear and powerful, doing delicate picking and dirty powerchords with equal ease. The TE90FLT invites you to just play and enjoy yourself. All I can say is - what a beautiful guitar!
Two Harley Bentons, both with the same TE90 prefix but totally different in sound. The red QM 'flatline' is a joy to play and the 'Cabronita' as well.
My intention was; get the Cabronita, try it out and send it back. But every time I pick it up I get more attached to it. Also, where else could you get s guitar this good for that price?
So I'll be hanging on to it and it's probably going to be my main instrument. Certainly it will be hard to beat.
Ordered a new pickguard on AliExpress (really, you can find absolutely anything on there). And this guitar definitely gives me a push to learn more chords and styles.
Rock on!
(I miss the 'Banana Guitar' emoji from the old forum)
