Harley Benton ST-20HSS SBK Standard w/Cable

Harley Benton ST-20HSS SBK Standard w/Cable review

The Harley Benton ST-20HSS SBK Standard w/Cable is a matte-black electric guitar bundled with a 6-meter instrument cable. Listed at $109, it has a poplar body, a maple neck, a laurel fingerboard, and an HSS pickup arrangement. The model has been available since June 2025 and is identified as a the retailer 70th Anniversary exclusive edition.

The available information supports a specification-based assessment, not a report of playing impressions. There are no customer reviews supplied, so claims about tone, setup, tuning stability, finish quality, or long-term reliability cannot be verified here. Buyers can, however, judge the instrument's layout and hardware from the stated specifications, and consider whether the included cable suits their setup.

HSS electronics and controls

The pickup configuration pairs a bridge humbucker with single-coil pickups in the middle and neck positions. A five-way selector offers access to different pickup selections, while one volume control and two tone controls provide the listed onboard adjustments. This is a familiar, flexible format on paper, but the specifications do not identify pickup models, magnets, output, switching details, or control values. Those omissions mean it is not possible to predict specific tonal results from the listing alone.

The guitar has a synchronized tremolo, described in the general specifications as vintage. No information is provided about the bridge's materials, adjustment range, or setup. The instrument ships with.009 to.042 strings, a useful detail for anyone checking string gauge compatibility or planning a replacement. Whether the supplied setup is suitable for a particular player will depend on the individual instrument and its adjustment.

Neck, scale, and dimensions

The maple bolt-on neck uses a Modern C profile and carries a laurel fingerboard with dot inlays. Its 648 mm scale length is approximately 25.5 inches. The fingerboard radius is 305 mm, and the nut width is 42 mm. These measurements give shoppers concrete points of comparison with other electric guitars, although they do not describe the feel of the neck in the hand.

There are 22 frets, and a double-action truss rod is specified. Die-cast machine heads complete the listed tuning hardware. The product information does not state fret size, neck finish, nut material, fret-end treatment, or the type of bridge saddles. As a result, those details should be checked with the seller if they matter to a purchase decision.

Body, finish, and package

The body is made from poplar, with no separate top. The finish is matte black, and the hardware is black. No body dimensions or weight are provided, so the listing does not establish how heavy or balanced the guitar is. A bag and a case are both explicitly excluded. Buyers who need storage or transport protection should account for that separately.

The bundle includes a black, 6-meter cable with a flexible PVC outer sheath measuring 5.9 mm in diameter. It has a pure-copper conductor with a stated conductor diameter of 1 x 0.22 mm. Both ends use Neutrik NP2 X-B 70 6.3 mm TS plugs, and a hook-and-loop fastener is included for storage. The listing describes the cable as suitable for live and studio installations. It does not provide electrical performance measurements, so noise rejection or durability cannot be assessed from the figures given.

What the specifications establish

At $109, the package combines a defined HSS guitar layout with a full-length cable, which may reduce the need to buy a basic connection lead separately. Its clearest points of comparison are the 648 mm scale, 42 mm nut, 305 mm fingerboard radius, 22 frets, and vintage-style synchronized tremolo. The pickup arrangement and five-way selector also make the control layout clear before purchase.

The limits are equally important: no case or bag is included, and the supplied information does not establish the guitar's sound, factory setup, weight, or build consistency. The product is best judged as a specification-led option for shoppers who want a matte-black HSS electric guitar and an included 6-meter cable. Before ordering, check with the seller for any details that are not listed, particularly setup expectations and included accessories beyond the cable.