Harley Benton TE-62DB LH LPB

Harley Benton TE-62DB LH LPB review

The TE-62DB LH LPB is a left-handed, T-style electric guitar with a high-gloss Lake Placid Blue finish and white double binding along the top and back of its body. At a listed price of 149, its appearance is a major part of the appeal. Owners repeatedly describe the finish and binding as striking, with several reporting clean paintwork and no obvious cosmetic flaws. A few individual guitars arrived with minor finish marks, so inspection on delivery is worthwhile.

The body is made from basswood, and the neck is maple with a laurel fingerboard. It has 21 frets, a 648 mm scale, a 305 mm fingerboard radius, and a 42 mm nut width. The neck profile is a modern D shape, attached with bolts. The guitar has two Roswell Alnico 5 single-coil pickups, separate volume and tone controls, and a three-way selector. A fixed bridge, Kluson-style tuning machines, and chrome hardware complete the specification. It comes without a case or gig bag.

Build and playability

Feedback on the neck and general setup is mostly positive. Players praise its comfortable feel, good fret polishing, and clean fretwork for the price. Several received instruments that played well straight out of the box, with usable intonation and no troublesome fret buzz. Others needed a basic setup, and reports include occasional sharp fret ends, a high action, or a nut slot that left the sixth string sitting higher than ideal. These are not universal complaints, but they point to some variation between individual instruments.

The body has a slightly thinner feel than some traditional T-style guitars, and its edges are not contoured. One owner found the shape notably angular, while others were comfortable with it. Weight reports also vary: some describe a manageable instrument, while others find it solid or a little heavy. The supplied information does not give a confirmed weight, so buyers should not assume every example will feel the same.

The vintage-style tuning machines drew mixed comments. Many owners found them reliable and perfectly functional; others thought they felt stiff or less precise than preferred. The strings are listed as D'Addario EXL-110,.010,.046, although one buyer reported receiving oxidized strings. A few setup details, such as fret-end smoothing or fingerboard conditioning, may be worth checking after delivery.

Sound and controls

The two-pickup layout delivers the familiar range associated with a T-style guitar. Owners describe the bridge pickup as bright and cutting, while the middle selector position gets particular praise. The tone control can soften the bridge pickup when it sounds too sharp. Other players found the guitar's overall voice thin, harsh, overly bright, or uneven between pickups. Opinions on the stock pickups are sharply divided: some are happy to keep them, while others replace them, often because they find the neck pickup too bass-heavy and the bridge pickup too piercing.

There is also a specific consideration for left-handed players. One owner reported that the controls use right-handed potentiometers wired in reverse, resulting in an unsatisfying control sweep. This was not mentioned by every reviewer, so it may not describe every example, but it is worth verifying if gradual volume or tone adjustment matters to your playing. Reports about the selector and pots are also mixed. Some owners found them solid and functional; others encountered a faulty switch, a loose volume control, or a broken tone control. No shielding is listed, and one owner noted that the guitar was not shielded and chose to add it.

What to expect for the price

The TE-62DB LH LPB makes a strong first impression, especially for left-handed players who want a blue, double-bound guitar rather than a more common plain or sunburst finish. Its neck, finish, and general playability earn consistent praise, and several owners consider the value excellent compared with substantially more expensive instruments. Others have made upgrades, including replacing pickups, changing the nut, shielding the electronics, or refining the frets. Those modifications are personal choices, not requirements for every player.

At this price, some variation in setup and hardware quality is part of the buying risk. Check the controls, selector, tuning machines, fret ends, nut, and finish when your guitar arrives. If those details are in good order, the Harley Benton TE-62DB LH LPB offers an attractive left-handed T-style platform with a comfortable maple neck and a useful range of familiar tones. If you want guaranteed consistency or already know that you dislike bright single-coil pickups, budget for a careful setup or consider trying one before committing.