Gift from a friend - NGD - Harley Benton TE-90QM

  • Thread starter Thread starter GuitarGuy08
  • Start date Start date
GuitarGuy08

GuitarGuy08

Well-known member
Hello all,

Title says it! I received a Harley Benton TE-90QM as a gift from a friend. I do all of his guitar work/setups for free/cost of strings. I much appreciate this showing of thanks.

Now, onto the guitar!

I just received this after being gone all day and catching the UPS guy just in time. Hardly any time to really check it out yet but even with the old aged strings on it, it feels good out of the box to play.

Surprised that it looks as nice as it does. The quilt does have some movement to it as well. Not the deepest or most but it's there and looks nice.

The nyatoh body looks good as well. Really into this color of red. I did find a few very minor cosmetic things but they are very minor and not really a bother or noticeable at all while playing.

Really shocked at how good this initially looks for the price point. Made in Indonesia as well? Nice!

Here are some pics. Further thoughts and assessment soon to come.

IMG_20250123_195535498.jpg
IMG_20250123_195659463.jpg
IMG_20250123_195615729.jpg

IMG_20250123_195559652.jpg

IMG_20250123_195710928.jpg
IMG_20250123_195736338.jpg
 
VonBonfire said:
That is a beautiful PRS 10 top. Congrats bro!!!
Click to expand...
Of course, ordering without being able to see it is always a gamble. Sometimes it is even when you can.

Very happy with how the top on this looks!

It has more depth than I actually originally thought, which is always a win. They really nailed the color as well. The red is deep and beautiful.
 
GuitarGuy08 said:
Of course, ordering without being able to see it is always a gamble. Sometimes it is even when you can.

Very happy with how the top on this looks!

It has more depth than I actually originally thought, which is always a win. They really nailed the color as well. The red is deep and beautiful.
Click to expand...
It's a great looking axe. I'm a sucker for quilted maple. Congrats Guitarguy08. My Viper is Indonesian made and has a quilt maple veneer also. It's quickly becoming my favorite player.
 
VonBonfire said:
It's a great looking axe. I'm a sucker for quilted maple. Congrats Guitarguy08. My Viper is Indonesian made and has a quilt maple veneer also. It's quickly becoming my favorite player.
Click to expand...
Yeah I love some quilted maple as well. Thanks!
 
Just got to test run it. Pickups are better than expected but nothing wildly amazing. That being said, this thing works really really well with pedals and gets raunchy with the gain! They are balanced and clear. The neck pickup actually sounds pretty darn nice! The bridge would be better if it just had a bit more oomph. It doesn't sound bad at all, it just need that little bit of a push.

I have them set as close as I can to the strings with it making sense and remaining balanced/not tugging in the strings magnetically etc.

I would like to upgrade them eventually but not in a huge hurry or anything, which is nice!

Really nice surprise here.
IMG_20250123_185857111.jpg
 
GuitarGuy08 said:
Just got to test run it. Pickups are better than expected but nothing wildly amazing. That being said, this thing works really really well with pedals and gets raunchy with the gain! They are balanced and clear. The neck pickup actually sounds pretty darn nice! The bridge would be better if it just had a bit more oomph. It doesn't sound bad at all, it just need that little bit of a push.

I have them set as close as I can to the strings with it making sense and remaining balanced/not tugging in the strings magnetically etc.

I would like to upgrade them eventually but not in a huge hurry or anything, which is nice!

Really nice surprise here.
View attachment 383798
Click to expand...
I'm not a big P90 guy but the Lollars sound pretty rad in demos if you decide to hunt down a different pickup or two. I just looked up that model. That's a lotta guitar for that kinda money Perfect for mods IMO.
 
I love it!! I'm a sucker for teles in the first place, but add p90s? Shiiiit

It's always a crap shoot with HBs, good to hear you do setups and work - that means chances are you won't have any big issues

If you got a good one, without any structural issues, it's always an insane value
 
DanTravis62 said:
I love it!! I'm a sucker for teles in the first place, but add p90s? Shiiiit

It's always a crap shoot with HBs, good to hear you do setups and work - that means chances are you won't have any big issues

If you got a good one, without any structural issues, it's always an insane value
Click to expand...
I’m 2 for 3. The one that sucked was really cheap. Like $149.
image.jpg
This Explorers type is killer right out of the box. Set up is great and the pickups are killer as well.
 
DanTravis62 said:
I love it!! I'm a sucker for teles in the first place, but add p90s? Shiiiit

It's always a crap shoot with HBs, good to hear you do setups and work - that means chances are you won't have any big issues

If you got a good one, without any structural issues, it's always an insane value
Click to expand...
Yep! The frets seem to be leveled and everything. Nothing sharp, nothing popping up....SYou are absolutely correct - value is out of the roof.

VonBonfire said:
I don't even want to look. If I found a red semi like Guitarguy's with humbuckers it'd cause trouble at home. :LOL:
Click to expand...
I will say that though this has F holes, it is like, less of a semi-hollow than a standard one with a center block like an ES or somehting. Fairly shallow but still a bit of depth and width to them. I may even have in mind the bit they used to accomplish the task lol It still has that bit of harmonic richness added but not a ton. Not a bad thing. Sounds good!
 
headlessdeadguy said:
I’m 2 for 3. The one that sucked was really cheap. Like $149. View attachment 383807This Explorers type is killer right out of the box. Set up is great and the pickups are killer as well.
Click to expand...
That and the baritone look appealing to me as well. All of my other boxes are ticked. Nice to know it was nice. This tele is a damn good price. Like sub $200 before shipping.
 
GuitarGuy08 said:
I will say that though this has F holes, it is like, less of a semi-hollow than a standard one with a center block like an ES or somehting.
Click to expand...
You must've been reading my mind cause I love a good ES type. Thank you for tempering potential GAS with this honest statement. :LOL:
 
I was wrong. I’m 3-4. Forgot about this one. Smokes the Gibson Tribute SG I had.
image.jpg
Not trying to hijack your thread. That Tele is sexy af.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top