Harley Benton BM-75 Trans Red Deluxe Series

As a long time fan of Queen (and Brian!) I bought this budget version of his guitar. Unfortunately this is not an "exact" copy, as the microphone selector switches are different (but I was aware of that and bought this despite of it). This means that You don't have all the options for different sounds like the original RS has.
Thats the reason I gave 4 stars for features. You still have more sound options than a stratocaster, because of the phase switches.

I'm very satisfied with the sound of the guitar, though. You get wide variety of sounds and with phase switches, some extra tones (for Bo Rap solo etc.). Tremolo works fantastically and the guitar stays in tune very well.

Build quality of this guitar is very good! Neck and all are well finished and therefore there are no problems with the sound and playability. It looks good and is in the best place in our living room (with no complaints from other family members).

I highly recommend this guitar. You'll get a great looking guitar for a small price with bonus tones You'll not get out of "traditional" models (strato,tele, etc.) .
My son has a own stratocaster, but he likes to play my BM-75 more than his own strato. That tells a lot about this guitar.

First things first: congratulations Thomann & Harley Benton! This guitar rightfully deserves every single one of the five-star reviews it has received.

I had to wait for my guitar for almost two months, but that’s just how it goes sometimes when you order an out-of-stock item. However, the estimated delivery schedule held up until the end. The guitar arrived six days after leaving Thomann, well-packed and cushioned, with no shipping damage whatsoever.

The first impression after opening the box was stunning—what a color, what lines! The factory tuning was a bit off, but the Grover tuners made tuning up the D'Addario 10s really easy. It also came with three Allen keys and a tremolo arm. The arm screwed into its threads quite nicely, once I just dared to use a little more force. I might tighten the three tremolo springs in the back cavity a bit, though, so the floating bridge wouldn't be quite as sensitive.

The guitar is surprisingly lightweight; there should be no problems holding it up with a wide strap. At first, I was a bit concerned about how the fairly thick neck would pair with the sleek body and whether the whole thing would stay balanced while sitting down, but there is no imbalance in this playing position either. However, my floor stand might need an upgrade, as one of the padded support arms on my Thomann stand gets dangerously close to one of the guitar knobs.

The action was a tiny bit high, so I checked the neck straightness first. The truss rod did need a slight adjustment, which straightened the neck pretty easily, and the action dropped nicely low without any extra fret buzz. The intonation is also pretty good out of the box, but I will check it properly during the next string change anyway. The plastic(?) nut does need a bit of extra filing in its slots, though, to get the tuning spot-on even at the first fret. It doesn't get in the way of general strumming or soloing on the upper frets. This filing job will go on the to-do list to wait for the next guitar workshop visit.

The frets on the fretboard are wonderfully finished. Not a single fret end is sticking out sharp, and most of the frets are already really smooth with no factory dents. The fretboard is perhaps exceptionally flat, with very little radius, and in this regard, it resembles a classical guitar rather than its electric relatives. It doesn't bother me at all; it allows even a Sunday guitarist like me to pull off faster-than-usual solos and smoother finger vibratos.

The pots and switches operate smoothly and firmly without any interference or crackling noises. However, I think it's a bit of an overkill to have individual phase switches for all three pickups. After all, this BM-75 model doesn't even have ON/OFF switches for all pickups anymore, unlike the old BM-70 back in the day. But maybe someday I'll manage to mod all three pickup switches into this one?

The pickups seem to be single-coil Burns clones, but very good ones at that. I couldn't get any extra buzz or hum out of it in any position during a quick test. You can easily get numerous different Strato and Tele sounds out of this. I'm still searching for the actual Brian May tones, but then again, that already requires the right effects between the guitar and the amp.

Summa summarum:
If you don't mind minor flaws in the final setup and can handle at least some basic DIY maintenance, this is an absolute steal! This guitar is such a beauty that it's a treat for the eyes, even according to the prettier campfire guitarist in the family. Apparently, there is no rush to clear it away from the armchair, as it doesn't ruin the overall look of the living room!

The guitar is good and at this price there is not much to complain about. The fretwork and the neck is ok. In my opinion, playing on the lap is not the easiest due to the shape, so a beginner should think about it.

You might end up with a guitar that doesn't need much adjust. However, you should be prepared to adjust the guitar yourself or pay for maintenance. E.g. the bridge was screwed in crooked. Tuning and intonation are difficult to adjust, partly due to the plastic saddle. The notes of the first fret were also blocked, the strings had to be raised too high.

For some reason, the microphone settings are made differently (parallel) than in the original and but not all features can be used this way. Does not bother me too much.

After extra adjusts i can use string height without too much rattle about low-E and A for 2mm and others about 1,5mm on the 12th fret.

Excellent guitar in its own right!!
Whilst some may mark this down a little as it does not do everything Brian May’s guitar does, at a fraction of the price what it does do is terrific. Judging it on its own merits.

Features 5 out of 5 (here’s why)
In its own right the amount of different sounds/tones you can get out of the 3 pick ups, 5 way selector, tone knob and of course phase switches is really incredible. Soooo many guitars around this price point you struggle to hear a difference between pick ups, Not the case with the BM-75. Each option sounds distinctly different from the last which gives this guitar one of the largest ranges of sounds you could possibly ask for. Also there is a quality Floating tremolo which you can use and the guitar keeps its tuning really well. The way the neck is shaped means reaching those very top frets is easy.

Sounds 5 out of 5 (here’s why)
As I stated above the range of distinct sounds is incredible. Each pick up sounds great. The Mahogany body was a great choice as I was really blown away by just how much the guitar resonates. Tone control is impressive as from 0-10 you can hear the sound changing as you roll the tone off or on.

Quality 5 out of 5 (here’s why)
Again as stated above the guitar resonates incredibly well. It is surprisingly light. The finish had no flaws or imperfections, the binding looked great and the fretwork was very smooth, no sharp fret edges or even lumps/raises. Fretboard was flawless. The tuners held tune surprisingly well. Out of the box tuned it up and played away for 20-30 minutes without having to do any substantial re-tune (this was using the tremolo as well). Switches, 5 way selector, volume control, tone control all well fitted with nothing loose or lacking quality.

Summary
Great job Thomann with the set up. Right across the board this is a great guitar. Does it compare to £1000 guitars, probably not. But it certainly holds it own with guitars 3 times the price. If you, like me, think strats sound great but you don’t like the body shape, this is a great guitar for you. The range of different sounds alone is worth the price but with the overall quality being this good, it makes this a great deal!
If you are tempted by this ….. get it! You will not be disappointed.