Harley Benton keeps the good news coming for southpaw metal players as it unveils left-handed Amarok models
Active EMG humbuckers and available in six, seven-string and baritone formats, these aggressive S-styles come hot on the heels of HB's left-handed EX metal models
Having just unveiled three awesome and affordable left-handed EX-76 and EX-84 models, Harley Benton has doubled down on its commitment to southpaw metal players with the Amarok LH series.
Boasting a super-aggressive S-style silhouette, the Amarok models come loaded with a pair of active EMG retro active Hot 70 ceramic humbuckers, and are three very attractive, high-performance electric guitars at the very competitive under-£500 price point.
Available as a six-string, seven-string and six-string baritone, the Amarok LH models have a five-ply maple/mahogany neck-through build, with mahogany bodies and flamed maple tops. Those necks are carved into a very shreddable slim C profile and if you check out the pictures below you will find a neatly sculpted heel that should usher you up the dusty end of the 'board with no delay.
The 14" radius fingerboards are Macassar ebony with 6mm offset pearloid dot inlays and are topped with 24 jumbo stainless steel frets. For the money, Harley Benton is stacking the features high here, with a Graph Tech Tusq XL nut, Grover locking tuners and tidy-looking WSC hard-tail bridges.
But it's the pickups that seal the deal here. Voiced for tight high-gain sounds, these EMGs really are a gift at this price, and are controlled by a simple master volume, master tone and three-way pickup selector switch. The 9V battery compartment is found on the rear of the instrument.
Other nice touches include mounting the dual-action spoke wheel for truss rod adjustments at the top of the fingerboard, making it easy to apply quick tweaks without reaching for a screwdriver. And let's not overlook the glow-in-the-dark fret markers running up the side of the fingerboard – invaluable on a darkened stage, and also the sort of feature we see from the likes of Jackson, Charvel et al.
The Amarok LH models arrive in Black Natural Flame Burst, with natural binding around the body applying an extra touch of class. Both the Amarok-6 LH and Amarok 7 LH have 25.5" scale lengths, with the baritone Amarok-BT slightly longer at 27".
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All three are available now via Thomann, with the Amarok-BT LH priced £389, the Amarok-7 LH priced £425 and the six-string model priced £369. See Harley Benton for more details.
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.