Harley Benton HB-35TL Tesla LH Pelham Blue

Harley Benton HB-35TL Tesla LH Pelham Blue: Technical Review

The Harley Benton HB-35TL Tesla LH Pelham Blue is a left-handed, semi-hollow electric guitar with a maple body, a sustain block, and two Tesla Alnico 5 humbuckers. Listed at $329, it has a 24.75-inch scale, 22 frets, and separate volume and tone controls for each pickup. Its specification points to a conventional, flexible electric-guitar layout, with several details that are useful to assess before purchase.

The available specifications do not include customer reviews or hands-on test results. This assessment is therefore based on the listed construction and hardware only. It does not make claims about the guitar's sound, setup, finish quality, tuning stability, or playability in practice.

Body construction and finish

This model is semi-hollow, not fully hollow, and includes a sustain block made from okoume. The body, arched top, back, and sides are listed as maple. That construction identifies the guitar's basic design, but the specifications alone cannot establish how it will sound or how much it will weigh. No body-depth measurement or weight is provided.

The Pelham Blue finish is described as high-gloss, and the hardware is chrome. The appearance is therefore specified clearly, although there are no details about finish thickness or production tolerances. The guitar is offered as a left-handed model, an important distinction for players who need the controls, bridge, and string layout configured for that orientation.

Neck, fingerboard, and scale

The set neck is maple, and the fingerboard is rosewood. Its C-shaped profile measures 22 mm wide at the first fret and 23.5 mm at the twelfth. Those dimensions provide a useful point of comparison for shoppers familiar with neck measurements, but they do not describe the feel in the hand. The fingerboard radius is 305 mm, or 12 inches, and the listed scale length is 628 mm, or 24.75 inches.

The fingerboard has 22 medium-jumbo nickel-silver frets, each listed at 2.7 mm, with rolled edges. Rolled edges are a specific feature of the fretboard's perimeter and fret ends; they should not be taken as evidence of fret leveling or factory setup quality. The inlays combine diamond and dot shapes. A double-action truss rod allows adjustment in either direction, while the graphite nut is 42 mm wide.

Pickups and controls

At the bridge, the HB-35TL uses a Tesla VR-60B Classic Alnico 5 humbucker. The neck position has a Tesla VR-60N Classic Alnico 5 humbucker. The two-pickup arrangement is paired with a three-way selector, two volume controls, and two tone controls. This gives each pickup its own volume and tone adjustment rather than a single shared set of controls.

Both volume controls have push-pull functions. The specifications do not explain what those switches activate, so the exact wiring behavior should be confirmed with the seller or product documentation before purchase. In particular, the listing does not state whether the function splits the coils or provides another switching option. Without that detail, it would be misleading to promise a particular range of tones.

Bridge, tuners, and included items

The bridge is a Deluxe Tune-O-Matic design, and the tuners are Sung-Il ML-55 locking machine heads. These are identifiable hardware specifications, but the listing does not provide adjustment range, gear ratio, or test results for tuning stability. There is no tremolo system. The supplied strings are Elixir Coated in.010 to.046 gauge.

No case or gig bag is included. Buyers who need protection for transport should account for a separate purchase. The listed item number is 580745, and the product has been available since September 2026. The sales unit is one guitar.

What the specifications establish

At its listed $329 price, the HB-35TL Tesla LH brings together a maple semi-hollow body with an okoume sustain block, a set maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, two named Alnico 5 humbuckers, and locking tuners. The left-handed configuration is central to its appeal for players seeking this style of instrument in that orientation. Its 24.75-inch scale, 42 mm nut, and 12-inch fingerboard radius also give shoppers concrete measurements for comparison.

The main uncertainty is practical performance. The specification sheet cannot confirm how the pickups respond, whether the guitar arrives properly set up, or how its neck and rolled fretboard edges feel. It also leaves the push-pull switching function unexplained. Buyers should verify those points and check whether the instrument is available from a seller with a suitable return policy. The published details provide a solid outline of the design, but they are not a substitute for an in-person test or a documented review.