Disclaimer: Harley Benton provided me with the guitar, and I got to keep it as compensation for my efforts. However, the company has no say in the things I mention in the video/post.
Specifications
- Arched “Modern Comfort” body shape
- Body: Mahogany
- Top: Quilted maple veneer
- 5-piece neck-through-body: Maple/Mahogany
- Fingerboard: Macassar ebony
- Fingerboard inlays: White offset pearloid dots
- Glow-in-the-dark side markers on the fingerboard
- Neck profile: Slim modern C (thickness at 1st fret 21 mm – thickness at 12th fret 23 mm)
- Wooden body binding
- Matching headstock
- Fingerboard radius: 355.6 mm
- Scale: 686 mm (27″)
- Nut width: 42 mm
- Graphite nut
- 24 jumbo Blacksmith stainless steel frets
- Dual-action truss rod
- Pickups: EMG Retro Active Hot 70 ceramic (bridge) and EMG Retro Active Hot 70 Alnico-5 (neck) humbuckers
- Master volume and master tone control
- 3-way switch
- WSC HPS-6 Custom hardtail bridge
- Jinho JN-03L Locking machine heads
- Black hardware
- Strings: .013 – .063
- Color: Black Red Quilted Burst Satin
- Made in Indonesia
What Is the Harley Benton Amarok BT?
The Harley Benton Amarok is a budget-friendly baritone guitar aimed at metal guitarists. Besides great build quality for the money, it features professional-level hardware like EMG Retro Active Hot 70 pickups, a graphite nut, 24 stainless steel frets, and glow-in-the-dark side inlays.
This guitar is designed as an excellent choice for guitarists looking for their first baritone guitar for heavy rock and metal.
First Impressions
Unboxing the Amarok BT, I felt a little nervous: would I immediately like it, or would the different scale length be hard to manage? The answer was: both.
Every guitar I’ve owned has either a 24.75” or 25.5” scale, so with the Amarok BT, I had to move my fretting hand further to reach the next fret. It took me a few minutes of jamming to get used to the longer scale length, but after that, the guitar started to feel ‘normal.’
The overall build quality feels great, the hardware seems solid, and while the guitar is heavier than any of my other electrics, it’s still within the ‘normal’ range for me.
Next, it was time to plug in and hear how it sounds.
How Does the Harley Benton Amarok BT Sound?
I ran the Amarok BT through my studio setup, which consisted of a large studio pedalboard and the REVV D20 head.
The EMGs with the REVV amp’s clean channel gave me exactly what I expected: bright, clear tones suited for gain. No surprise—high gain is where these pickups shine. There’s great definition and clarity, even on the low B string. The REVV G3 pedal seems made for tones like this, and recording the heavy jam at the beginning of the video was a blast.
The three pickup positions provide some tonal variation, but it’s more subtle than on, say, an HSS Strat (obviously). Overall, I’d say this guitar sounds exactly like you’d expect when you buy it. It does what it’s supposed to—and does it well.
Is the Harley Benton Amarok BT Good?
For a one-trick pony, this is a very good pony. The guitar does exactly what you hope it does, and for many, that’s more than enough. The build quality is solid, and everything feels well put-together.
I did experience some noise issues, especially with high gain. I had a poorly wired studio setup at the time, so I can’t confirm if this was a problem with the guitar or just my studio’s wiring.
Overall, I found the Amarok BT to be a great budget-friendly option for a first baritone guitar for metal. It’s built well, the pickups sound great, and the instrument feels solid without being too heavy. With budget instruments, quality can vary a bit, but with Thomann’s 30-day return policy, there’s no risk in trying one out.
►►Get Your Amarok BT here: https://thmn.to/thoprod/479380?offid=1&affid=394
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