5 reasons why the Harley Benton EX-84 Modern is the perfect budget metal guitar

Ad feature with Harley Benton.

There’s no shortage of budget options for aspiring metal guitarists, and these days a few hundred quid goes a long way. That said, with the abundance of contenders out there, where do you start looking?

Allow us to conclusively answer that question and save you a bunch of time; if you’re someone with a penchant for thrash metal, the Harley Benton EX-84 Modern might just be the perfect budget metal guitar.

I’ve had the pleasure of having this guitar across my desk for the last few weeks, and with its EMG active pickups, comfortable body and unmistakably thrash metal aesthetic, to say it feels like it belies its price point would be an understatement.

To make it simple, here are five reasons why the Harley Benton EX-84 Modern is the perfect budget metal guitar:

1. Active EMG pickups

As far as metal pickups go, EMG makes some of the best in the biz, as proven by some of the genre’s top artists being lifelong EMG endorsees. So to have the widely popular active 81/60 set installed on a guitar which clocks in well below £400, feels like you’re somehow cheating, but we’re not going to complain…

This EMG set consists of the 81 in the bridge position – offering up that perfect biting sound for those high-gain metal riffs – and the 60 in the neck position, delivering a mellower tone ready for both luscious cleans and smoother-sounding solos.

The 81/60 set has been used by top artists for decades, including by Metallica frontman and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield, no less.

2. Streamlined controls

Let’s face it, it’s nice to have a guitar loaded with all the bells and whistles in theory, but in practice – particularly as a beginner or intermediate guitar player – you’ll spend more of your time playing than messing around with controls. And when the tones are this good courtesy of the aforementioned EMG 81/60 pickups, why complicate things? The EX-84 Modern features singular volume and tone knobs, as well as a three-way selector switch for choosing between bridge, neck or both in combination.

3. Explorer-style thrash metal aesthetic

Guitars marketed toward aspiring metal players often fit the Superstrat blueprint, but chances are, if you’re a fan of heavier music, you’ll have seen your heroes sporting pointier six-strings than that…

So if you’re going to go for a metal-friendly budget guitar, why not go for one that looks the part? The EX-84 modern has that classic Explorer-style aesthetic which, when combined with its EMG pickups, means you’ll not only sound great, but you’ll look ready to rock, too.

4. Slim-taper neck profile

Solid tones and killer looks are great, but the guitar has to be comfortable to play, too, right? Well, fortunately, the EX-84 scores top marks in this department, too. With its slim-taper C-shaped mahogany neck, and a thickness of 22.5mm at the 1st fret and 25mm at the 12th fret, the guitar is comfortable to play the length of the fretboard. So whether you’re smashing out open root-note chugs or soloing in the higher registers, you’ll be comfortable doing both.

5. Comfortable, ergonomic body

And finally, it’s important for a guitar to sit comfortably, as you’ll probably be spending many hours practicing with it in your lap. The EX-84 Modern’s body contours mean it’s comfortable to play seated for hours, and a deep cutaway means you get uninhibited upper fretboard access, too.

So why not update your guitar collection with a new metal workhorse? The Harley Benton EX-84 Modern is priced at £339, so you won’t be breaking the bank, that’s for sure.

Find out more at Thomann.