That Harley Benton looks just like the Hondo guitar I had as a kid (my first pseudo-guitar).  So glad when I dumped that POS for a real '76 Les Paul...

Sheanes
today UPS delivered my Harley Benton Les Paul....it's about 175 usd new.
https://www.thomann.de/nl/harley_benton_sc_450plus_hb_vintage_series.htm?glp=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwruPNBRCKARIsAEYNXIgC0-8jLkbGjVo6DzF7HibvgSNV92sdSR2SZ7_7Zf91lBHkbfJc3JkaAgatEALw_wcB
iic it's made in the Epiphone factory, it has Wilkinson pups and harware.
From the tuners and knobs I could tell it's not a top guitar, and frets were a little rough.
The thing did sound killer though, I'd say it beats an Epiphone.
 
I'm gonna return it because the color of the paint is just awful, instead of a honeyburst it's a almost neon orangeburst....really looks bad imo.
But other than that it's not a crap guitar at all imo.
 

I've got an Ibanez ART LP copy (not one of the rare good ones from the 70/80's... sadly this is the post 2000 release). It's not bad but the machine heads are AZZ. Thing refuses to stay in tune. I have a bunch of Grover (or sumthin') machine heads I raided from a smashed acoustic I found in the garbage years ago I've been meaning to install but the machine heads on both have those little stabilizing pegs sticking out of them (that insert into the headstock) but they are in different positions.
 
If I want to install the garbage score machine heads I'll have to drill out new holes in the headstock to accommodate them. I really should get around to that.
 
There a lots of things I really should get around to though (like mopping my floor, taking a shower, changing my underwear, etc) and my Pacifica has been serving me well so...
 
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

craigb
That Harley Benton looks just like the Hondo guitar I had as a kid (my first pseudo-guitar).  So glad when I dumped that POS for a real '76 Les Paul...

lolololol...
 
My jammin' buddy when I was teen had a Hondo (Explorer copy IIRC).
 
It was the WORST!!!
 
I think the body was made out of particle board and had the crappiest bolt on neck I think I've ever had the displeasure of playing on.
 
Just soooo bad.
 
edit: oh... and it sounded like an old man trying to take a crap.

hey Beeps, usually if a guitar doesn't stay in tune it's NOT the tuners.
have you tried cleani?ng the nut in the carves where the strings sit ?
many luthiers advise to put a little graphite (you can use a simple pencil) so the strings don't get stuck.
you can get great tones out of an Ibanez LP, as with many copies.

It's an Epiphone.
 
Single coils are wrong on an LP of any make.  Unless they're P90s, of course.

It's Les of a Paul than you might think?!
 
 
or
 
 
Pre April ad?
 
 
or
 
 
Finally! Gibson comes down to earth with real world pricing strategy.
"Don't know why we didn't think of this sooner." - Gibson CEO

BobF
It's an Epiphone.
 
Single coils are wrong on an LP of any make.  Unless they're P90s, of course.

to my ears the humbucker on the neck sounded better in split coil mode.
personally rarely hear a nice neck pickup on LP's.
but I haven't heard a humbucker sound good on Fender yet, not saying there aren't any.
I have a Squier with a humbucker that would do great for metal and drop tuning though.

Linear Phase
Gibson is even manufacturing this?  Lol..   likely Gibson is licensing the name to a foreign - Chinese/Korean/Pakistani company that is manufacturing this.
 
The current corporate structure of Gibson leaves a lot to be desired, to say the very least.

Been doing that for years now. Where do you think all the "high quality" cheap knock-offs come from? Same factory - different door.
 
 
just keeding O/C.

Sheanes
hey Beeps, usually if a guitar doesn't stay in tune it's NOT the tuners.
have you tried cleani?ng the nut in the carves where the strings sit ?
many luthiers advise to put a little graphite (you can use a simple pencil) so the strings don't get stuck.
you can get great tones out of an Ibanez LP, as with many copies.

Naw, it's the tuners, dood. They are loose and floppy and generally El Garbage-o.
 
hmm... now that I think about it though I might see if I can pop the buggers open and see if I can tighten them up a bit.
 
hmm...

Saw a bunch of excellent condition used Traditional and Classic Gibson LP's up at GC today at incredible used prices. I wish I had some funds stashed away, I would have walked out with one of them. Maybe if I quit piddling it away on plug ins for a couple of months, it would be within reach.