Thomann sells its own brands next to the famous ones: Harley Benton guitars beside Fender, the t.bone microphones beside Shure, Millenium drums beside Roland, the box speakers beside JBL, and Thomann pianos beside Yamaha. We compared each pair on October 19, 2026: how many models, what they cost, and how often they reach the top 10 of a category in our rankings.
House brand vs big name
| Category | House brand | Median | Models in a top 10 | Big name | Median | Models in a top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric guitars | Harley Benton | $280 | 14 of 253 | Fender | $2,643 | 29 of 304 |
| Microphones | the t.bone | $134 | 44 of 259 | Shure | $528 | 64 of 113 |
| Electronic drums | Millenium | $213 | 13 of 35 | Roland | $697 | 48 of 77 |
| PA speakers | the box | $335 | 1 of 35 | JBL | $742 | 18 of 26 |
| Digital pianos | Thomann | $662 | 1 of 10 | Yamaha | $1,997 | 8 of 26 |
Medians are over all listings, models count color versions once, and "in a top 10" means the model placed in the top 10 of its category in AudioFu's rankings that day.
What the numbers say
The house brands cost from a tenth (guitars) to under half (PA speakers) of the big names. They make the most sense where a beginner needs something that simply works: a first guitar, a practice e-kit, a mic for the rehearsal room. The big names dominate the top of our rankings, especially in PA, microphones and electronic drums, where Roland, Shure and JBL put more than half their models in a top 10.
House-brand products that rank well
Harley Benton TE-20, $99
A Telecaster-style guitar with a poplar body and maple neck for about $100. #12 of 185 T style guitars.
Millenium MPS-150, $278
A complete starter e-drum kit with a headphone output. #8 of 87 electronic drumkits.
Thomann DP-275 GP, $2,228
A digital grand piano with 88 weighted hammer-action keys and 256-note polyphony, the highest-ranked digital grand we track: #1 of 5 digital grand pianos.
Questions
Are Thomann's own brands any good?
For beginners and budget setups, often yes; some, like the Harley Benton TE-20 and Millenium MPS-150, rank well. At the top end, the big names lead.
Who makes Harley Benton?
It's Thomann's own brand, made by contract manufacturers and sold only through Thomann.
How we measured. Every product of each brand in stock at Thomann on October 19, 2026, in the category shown, converted from euros at the European Central Bank rate. Top-10 counts compare each model's best version with its category in AudioFu's rankings. Products show today's price and rank, updated every night.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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