O
A decent guitar for the price
Pros:
The guitar is a solid body guitar for a great price. That's the main selling point here. It also looks good from a distance.
Cons:
- The finish on the guitar has many dust particles under it, making the surface a lot less smooth to the touch. This is to be expected for an instrument at this price, as it is difficult to keep the guitars dust free in a factory environment.
- The tuning pegs are cheap, and they have a bit of dead space in them.
- The nut is cut poorly, and the strings are both too high, and there the slots are too narrow giving a lot of binding. Some pencil will help with the binding, but really the guitar needs professional work for most players.
- Harley Benton uses the same saddles for everything it seems, and because this has an under-saddle pickup, the string height came in at a mile-high 3.25 mm. Now, you always expect the guitar to come in with slightly too high action from the factory, but 3.25 mm. will be unplayable for most. I sanded it down to spec 2.25, and the guitar plays a lot better.
- However, there is now some minor buzz in the upper registers of the guitar, as the fretwork also isn't perfect.
- The fretboard gives off grey residue on fingers. This is likely the result of the fretboard having been painted darker. I'm not a hundred percent sure of this is the reason, but nevertheless your fingers will be grey after playing. This should alleviate on its own in time.
The conclusion is that this guitar will work fine, and has a nice sound for the price, but you will need to do some work to make it playable, and if you're not able to sand down your saddle and cut the nut, it will probably need some professional work which will add significantly to the price. In the end, the guitar is fair for its price, but has a lot of minuses, which frankly any guitar at this price is likely to have.
The guitar is a solid body guitar for a great price. That's the main selling point here. It also looks good from a distance.
Cons:
- The finish on the guitar has many dust particles under it, making the surface a lot less smooth to the touch. This is to be expected for an instrument at this price, as it is difficult to keep the guitars dust free in a factory environment.
- The tuning pegs are cheap, and they have a bit of dead space in them.
- The nut is cut poorly, and the strings are both too high, and there the slots are too narrow giving a lot of binding. Some pencil will help with the binding, but really the guitar needs professional work for most players.
- Harley Benton uses the same saddles for everything it seems, and because this has an under-saddle pickup, the string height came in at a mile-high 3.25 mm. Now, you always expect the guitar to come in with slightly too high action from the factory, but 3.25 mm. will be unplayable for most. I sanded it down to spec 2.25, and the guitar plays a lot better.
- However, there is now some minor buzz in the upper registers of the guitar, as the fretwork also isn't perfect.
- The fretboard gives off grey residue on fingers. This is likely the result of the fretboard having been painted darker. I'm not a hundred percent sure of this is the reason, but nevertheless your fingers will be grey after playing. This should alleviate on its own in time.
The conclusion is that this guitar will work fine, and has a nice sound for the price, but you will need to do some work to make it playable, and if you're not able to sand down your saddle and cut the nut, it will probably need some professional work which will add significantly to the price. In the end, the guitar is fair for its price, but has a lot of minuses, which frankly any guitar at this price is likely to have.
18
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j
Great build quality
This solid wood parlour guitar is just so well made. I've been playing since the 60's, mostly electric guitar but the last few years I've changed tack and play ragtime and slide guitar using parlour sized guitars with 12th fret body joints. I use a Gretsch boxcar, an Alvarez MPA66SHB Masterworks parlours mostly and needed another parlour to maybe play slide on.
Out of the box the Harley Benton CLP-15ME SolidWood is set up really well, the action is just right. The nut is a tad high but perfect for slide playing, If you're into finger picking then having the nut slots lowered a tiny bit would be a good idea, that's not a criticism of the guitar as most players learn how to tweak guitars to their playing style and it's best to have the nut slightly high rather than low so adjustments are possible. The 45mm nut width is much better than the cramped 43mm nuts used on most other guitars, a real plus in my view.
The build is just so good, the kneck is set into the body perfectly flat with no asymetry, often a killer fault with even big name guitars. With all new acoustic guitars that I check I apprehensively look at the neck heel joint first! The quality control is amazing, all the edges are smooth and very well done, bridge and headstock are very nicely finished. The tuners work smoothly and hold pitch. I've not plugged in the Fishman Presys II as it's not something I need but the tuner fuction is very handy.
I've made quite a few guitars over the years and have done re-frets for other people and this guitar is seriously good and at a bargain price too, half the price of my Alverez and Gretsch guitars. Normally at around the £250 mark you get ply construction with a spruce top, not a bad thing in itself and there are some great ply guitars out there, think early black label Yamahas, but I do like all solid wood guitars.
This Harley Benton is just so good, looking at Youtube the brand is starting to get a very good name for itself with its high build quality. It's a pleasure to play and I really recommend this parlour guitar, go for it!
Out of the box the Harley Benton CLP-15ME SolidWood is set up really well, the action is just right. The nut is a tad high but perfect for slide playing, If you're into finger picking then having the nut slots lowered a tiny bit would be a good idea, that's not a criticism of the guitar as most players learn how to tweak guitars to their playing style and it's best to have the nut slightly high rather than low so adjustments are possible. The 45mm nut width is much better than the cramped 43mm nuts used on most other guitars, a real plus in my view.
The build is just so good, the kneck is set into the body perfectly flat with no asymetry, often a killer fault with even big name guitars. With all new acoustic guitars that I check I apprehensively look at the neck heel joint first! The quality control is amazing, all the edges are smooth and very well done, bridge and headstock are very nicely finished. The tuners work smoothly and hold pitch. I've not plugged in the Fishman Presys II as it's not something I need but the tuner fuction is very handy.
I've made quite a few guitars over the years and have done re-frets for other people and this guitar is seriously good and at a bargain price too, half the price of my Alverez and Gretsch guitars. Normally at around the £250 mark you get ply construction with a spruce top, not a bad thing in itself and there are some great ply guitars out there, think early black label Yamahas, but I do like all solid wood guitars.
This Harley Benton is just so good, looking at Youtube the brand is starting to get a very good name for itself with its high build quality. It's a pleasure to play and I really recommend this parlour guitar, go for it!
10
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B
Incredible value
I honestly can’t believe how good this guitar is for the money, I’ve played guitars around £1500 that weren’t as good. I honestly can’t find anything to criticise
11
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H
Hard to put down
Its the size of a classical guitar, light (no surprise here) and easy to play, probably because of the smaller scale size.
I don’t really know how to describe the sound.. warmish? Not bright and not muddy.. fun! Its a parlor guitar, thats what it should be.
Did not try to plug it in but the tuner works fine.
Bottom line its a fun guitar. Maybe I got lucky but for me it fits like a glove. Pure fun
I don’t really know how to describe the sound.. warmish? Not bright and not muddy.. fun! Its a parlor guitar, thats what it should be.
Did not try to plug it in but the tuner works fine.
Bottom line its a fun guitar. Maybe I got lucky but for me it fits like a glove. Pure fun
6
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J
No compromises with the Harley Benton CLP-15ME SolidWood Parlor Guitar
I've been searching for a solid wood Mahogany parlor guitar with key features that are important to me. But there always seems to be a compromise to be made somewhere.
Some of the deal breakers for me are...Not all solid but solid top only with laminate back and sides. Or, no pickup which leaves me finding an appropriate pickup and installing it myself or finding a good Luthier to do it. Or, the nut width is too narrow for the style of playing I do. Or, the price will require marriage counselling.
One guitar stood out from the pack. The Harley Benton CLP-15ME Solid Wood.
Being in Canada I had some concerns ordering online from Europe but any worries I had were non issues. Thomann's has an extremely smooth ordering process that never left me feeling anxious. I selected DHL and Canada Post for shipping and hit the BUY button. Just over two weeks later my new guitar was delivered to my front door. There was a small charge for taxes and duty but I knew in advance exactly how much it would be through the Canada Post tracking website after it cleared Border inspection.
The guitar is a beauty! Very similar to some very expensive alternatives. From the quality control check list in the box it's evident that the guitar was set up prior to shipping with 1st and 6th string heights noted at 1st and 14th fret. The strings are then slacked off for transport. The neck is beautifully smooth with no sharp edges or fret sprout. Not one blemish or mark on it. Perfect!.
Thanks Harley Benton and Thanks Thomann's
JPH
Some of the deal breakers for me are...Not all solid but solid top only with laminate back and sides. Or, no pickup which leaves me finding an appropriate pickup and installing it myself or finding a good Luthier to do it. Or, the nut width is too narrow for the style of playing I do. Or, the price will require marriage counselling.
One guitar stood out from the pack. The Harley Benton CLP-15ME Solid Wood.
Being in Canada I had some concerns ordering online from Europe but any worries I had were non issues. Thomann's has an extremely smooth ordering process that never left me feeling anxious. I selected DHL and Canada Post for shipping and hit the BUY button. Just over two weeks later my new guitar was delivered to my front door. There was a small charge for taxes and duty but I knew in advance exactly how much it would be through the Canada Post tracking website after it cleared Border inspection.
The guitar is a beauty! Very similar to some very expensive alternatives. From the quality control check list in the box it's evident that the guitar was set up prior to shipping with 1st and 6th string heights noted at 1st and 14th fret. The strings are then slacked off for transport. The neck is beautifully smooth with no sharp edges or fret sprout. Not one blemish or mark on it. Perfect!.
Thanks Harley Benton and Thanks Thomann's
JPH
3
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k
the perfect value for money guitar!
I bought this guitar after I tried a Harley Benton acoustic guitar for 88 euros. I couldn't believe how good it feels on hand and sounds for the price. So when I wanted to buy a parlor style guitar, I immediately went for this sweet harley benton solidwood model. I am completely satisfied with it. I even played a festival concert with it, absolutely no flops happened. The sound is good and mid centered (as a parlor guitar) , it feels good on the hand and the fishman pre amp makes it reliable for live playing.
Big plus: It comes with a quality control, so that means that the guitar is set up and ready for instant playing. Well done Harley Benton!
Big plus: It comes with a quality control, so that means that the guitar is set up and ready for instant playing. Well done Harley Benton!
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G
It's just amazing
I love this parlor guitar... It's of course made for picking... The single notes ring with a warm, beautiful tone.
0
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K
Best guitar deal on the planet
I absolutely love this guitar and because friends have tried it out two of them so far have ordered the same model guitar.
3
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A
What a bargain
I'm a beginer and treatment myself to a big baby taylor and wanted another with electro features. After reading reviews I choose this as a second guitar to record with. The quality and construction is fantastic and tone and playability is on par with the Taylor. Ne knis slightly wider and I find that easier to play. In all honestly if I'd got this first I wouldn't have bought the BBT.
2
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M
Great Starting Point
I replaced the original tuners with 18 to 1 ratio Grover Sta-Tite Tuners H97-18NA. I liked the end result so much that I ordered a second identical guitar and I plan on replacing those tuners as well. The Silver Creek classical hard shell case fits fairly well. I have two of these guitars because I'm a snowbird and I didn't want to travel with a guitar. North in the summer months and South in the winter months. Thanks for a pretty decent and comfortable 00 body guitar.
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