Harley Benton CLC-650SM-CE VS Solid Wood

I waited nearly 6 months for this guitar and all I can say is it was totally worth the wait. It is easy and very comfortable to play, and the sound is incredible!

Having owned it for a month or so now, there are 1 or two niggles. The side fret markers are black and in subdued lighting, they are almost invisible. I have replaced them with white markers and they have greatly improved the playing experience, as has also giving the neck a light sanding to reduce the friction of the glossed finish. These modifications will have invalidated my warranty I am sure, but they are very well worth it.

Now it is simply sublime and a wonderful instrument to hear and to play.

Don't hesitate (like I did for 18 months and then waited another 6 months for it to be in stock)... Just order it, you won't be disappointed!

Having problems playing since I had carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists, I passed my rather superb Japanese Takamine onto my son, convinced my playing days were over. The playing bug didn’t go away unfortunately so I thought I might buy a cheap guitar that wouldn’t break the bank if I couldn’t manage to play again. I tried a few acoustic guitars but could find nothing to suit my reduced wrist flexibility. Finally, I discovered that Harley Benton made a small range of relatively low priced all solid wood acoustic guitars. Knowing I could return it if it was too difficult for me to play, I ordered this amazingly priced guitar. Wow, what a find. Excellent build quality, lovely finish but what about the sound? I needn’t have worried. The sound is rich and detailed. The solid mahogany top produces a slightly more mellow sound but it is open and warm with just the right amount of bass. Light and well balanced, this guitar rests nicely in the seated position. If you prefer to stand, it accommodates a shoulder strap fitted between a standard button at the base of the neck and the usual button at the back end. The tuners are smooth in operation and secure stable tuning. For my difficulties the neck is the most important facet of the playing experience. To me it feels very similar to the Gibson 1960’s Les Paul neck ie a lot slimmer than most acoustic necks, it works well for me. The onboard tuner is quite accurate and made me smile when I saw how it indicates correct tune. The electro facility won’t be used by me but I was pleasantly surprised how nice it sounded plugged in. I could see it working well onstage. I had to reduce the bridge height quite a bit to make it playable for me, which can reduce the sound quality but for most players that would probably not be necessary as it was quite well set up for fully able players. I look forward to practicing now. Thank you Thomann. Fantastic service as usual.

I received this beautiful guitar today and it is absolutely breathtaking!!! It plays well and sounds great, so what makes this guitar not perfect? The frets are very sharp, I actually thought I was going to cut my hand. It definitely needs a Set-up by a professional. The Saddle needs to be a little lower. The pick-guard could have been made a little smaller so it doesn't cover the beautiful Mother of Pearl on that side. But for the money and with a few tweaks, this is going to be a love affair :) I really wanted to give it a 5 Star rating.

Update!!! After getting it professionally set up, this is a 5 Star guitar now. My favorite guitar to play. The frets are great now, the Saddle is perfect and she plays like a dream. As I said, the love affair has begun. A must-have guitar!!!