I was trying to resist this purchase. I found a review on YouTube and after digging deeper I saw that these were getting great reviews across the board. The only complaints I found were from those who didn’t think the pickup was hot enough and others who didn’t like the Badass bridge. I got it in 3 days. I ordered a pedal at the same time and shipping came to $58. I know they were charging $30 for up to 3 guitars, but those shipments were hanging up in customs for up to a month, so it appears Thomann found an alternative. It would have cost that for a domestic guitar shipment, so I didn’t really care.
Once tuned, it had fairly low action and no buzz. The nut slots need to be lowered slightly. No finish flaws and a little bit of grain shows. Fret ends are smooth, no high frets rattling the strings. Tuners are Kluson style with white tips.The fret board is quite nice. Dark chocolate colored with no blems. Amaranth? The A5 P90 sounds good. It’s a little bright, but it should be closer to the strings. Pickup measures at 7.05k. I actually like low output P90s. I think if just needs to be shimmed up closer. Fralin makes some shims that I ordered tonight. The pup has a vintage style braided lead. The control cavity is shielded with full sized Alpha pots. The bridge posts are not offset like a vintage Jr., so I don’t think a vintage stop bar bridge would work here. I only mention that since I’ve seen others bring that up. Nice medium profile neck. QC is WAY better than the first Bentons I tried years ago. Made in Indonesia.
If you’re thinking of pulling the trigger, it’s a no-brainer.
