GK
Amazing for the Money
I am just a casual guitarist and wanted a PRS style guitar to add to my collection. Had it for 6 months now and it is my go to instrument as it playes so easily and with good range of sounds.
PROS: the guitar is stunning, the flamed maple is lovely and understated with the black flame, so to appreciate you have to get close and be interested. Also love the blackness and not faded grey which the original PRS is. Well finish, high gloss, good fittings. Pick up are certainly 'Hot' but you can dial them down to smooth things out. excellent service during the ordering and the delivery stages.
CONS: two main gripes.
First - Out of the Box the nut was hideously setup, with about 3mm play to the first frett, when string held at the second frett! Don't think this had been through Thommans fabled QC, which is a shame as that was something I was looking forward to. Anyway, I set about the nut with some files and finally got it down to acceptable play, at which point everything settled in well and is easy to play.
Second: 2 of the tuners are not as 'slick' as the other 4. They tend to stick and take significantly more effort to move. This was slighly improved when I tightened the locking nuts on the top, that were loose, and lubticated them, but still a long way from my Epiphones and fender tuners on my other guitars.
So overall good, excellent service during the ordering and the delivery stages, just a shame that it appears to have missed the QC and set up stage in the Thomman factory.
PROS: the guitar is stunning, the flamed maple is lovely and understated with the black flame, so to appreciate you have to get close and be interested. Also love the blackness and not faded grey which the original PRS is. Well finish, high gloss, good fittings. Pick up are certainly 'Hot' but you can dial them down to smooth things out. excellent service during the ordering and the delivery stages.
CONS: two main gripes.
First - Out of the Box the nut was hideously setup, with about 3mm play to the first frett, when string held at the second frett! Don't think this had been through Thommans fabled QC, which is a shame as that was something I was looking forward to. Anyway, I set about the nut with some files and finally got it down to acceptable play, at which point everything settled in well and is easy to play.
Second: 2 of the tuners are not as 'slick' as the other 4. They tend to stick and take significantly more effort to move. This was slighly improved when I tightened the locking nuts on the top, that were loose, and lubticated them, but still a long way from my Epiphones and fender tuners on my other guitars.
So overall good, excellent service during the ordering and the delivery stages, just a shame that it appears to have missed the QC and set up stage in the Thomman factory.
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SM
Prs user rates a CST-24T
I have a limited edition Mcccarty rosewood PRS and am quite frankly impressed with the cost and playability of this guitar. Is the finish the same quality as the PRS? No, but its also 1/10 th the price! The feel of the neck is very close and the playability is similar. The neck on the PRS smells like cut grass and its very smooth, a pleasure to play.BUT taking it on a outing to the local bar to play always fills me with dread. The Harley B is a great guitar that you can use as a beginner guitar or for a local gig that wont cause you concern. It is like 75% of a PRS for 10% of the price!
I did order a bass and this instrument and although this one came in flawless, the other one was damaged in shipping.
I did order a bass and this instrument and although this one came in flawless, the other one was damaged in shipping.
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AP
Great cheap guitar
Pros:
-Sound is pretty awesome for the price. Nice hot-sounding rock guitar with useful features at this price.
-Love the slim neck and fast action (without any fret buzz) that it came set up with.
Cons:
-The flame top was far more subtle than the photos on the website. I suspect there's a wide range that comes off the line, and perhaps other colours would show it better, but I was hoping for more.
-One of the tuners is slightly askew, and one of the others is EXTREMELY tight. I have to Hulk out just to make a quarter turn. I've ordered some replacement locking tuners from elsewhere, so I'm up for the $50 it cost me for the replacement tuners at this stage.
-Forget about staying in tune if you're using the trem arm. I blocked it for now until I decide whether to upgrade the nut (in case that fixes the issue).
Other than the issues highlighted above, the setup was great out of the box (making it all the way to Sydney). Needed tuning, then it was ready to sing!
-Sound is pretty awesome for the price. Nice hot-sounding rock guitar with useful features at this price.
-Love the slim neck and fast action (without any fret buzz) that it came set up with.
Cons:
-The flame top was far more subtle than the photos on the website. I suspect there's a wide range that comes off the line, and perhaps other colours would show it better, but I was hoping for more.
-One of the tuners is slightly askew, and one of the others is EXTREMELY tight. I have to Hulk out just to make a quarter turn. I've ordered some replacement locking tuners from elsewhere, so I'm up for the $50 it cost me for the replacement tuners at this stage.
-Forget about staying in tune if you're using the trem arm. I blocked it for now until I decide whether to upgrade the nut (in case that fixes the issue).
Other than the issues highlighted above, the setup was great out of the box (making it all the way to Sydney). Needed tuning, then it was ready to sing!
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R3
The CST 24 line
I find this guitar to be excellent in every configuration. For those of you who prefer special pickups, this is a easy guitar to mod.
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m
Unbelievable, especially at this price
This is my third Harley Benton instrument (I own a great Paisley TE and an amazing BZ5000NT bass), and I have to say it's the best out of the three. Now I understand the hype around this model, and it's worth every little bit of it.
Sure, there are weak points: the nut isn't well cut, especially on the higher E string, the tuners feel cheap, and it might need replacing the pots sooner rather than later. The Wilkinson trem struggles to stay in tune under heavy use (nut issues...), and the trem block could be thicker, but these are all to be expected on a guitar of this price range, and easily fixable if you're willing to spend a bit of money on some upgrades.
What isn't expected at this price point is the sheer versatility and playability: you can go from warm jazzy tones to jangly single coil stuff with the flick and pull of a pot, or add some distortion and pull some seriously chunky rhythm tones or singing leads. The mahogany body adds some bark to the sound, and overall the guitar feels solid and resonant.
As for how it looks: on close inspection it's easy to find a few minor flaws, and the flame top doesn't show a lot of depth. But take a step back and it looks simply stunning.
Overall, I'm so satisfied with it that I'm going to get another one for my daughter so she doesn't feel tempted to steal mine!
Sure, there are weak points: the nut isn't well cut, especially on the higher E string, the tuners feel cheap, and it might need replacing the pots sooner rather than later. The Wilkinson trem struggles to stay in tune under heavy use (nut issues...), and the trem block could be thicker, but these are all to be expected on a guitar of this price range, and easily fixable if you're willing to spend a bit of money on some upgrades.
What isn't expected at this price point is the sheer versatility and playability: you can go from warm jazzy tones to jangly single coil stuff with the flick and pull of a pot, or add some distortion and pull some seriously chunky rhythm tones or singing leads. The mahogany body adds some bark to the sound, and overall the guitar feels solid and resonant.
As for how it looks: on close inspection it's easy to find a few minor flaws, and the flame top doesn't show a lot of depth. But take a step back and it looks simply stunning.
Overall, I'm so satisfied with it that I'm going to get another one for my daughter so she doesn't feel tempted to steal mine!
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A
Great sound, great looks, not so great build
This is my favorite guitar. It plays great, it feels great and it looks great, but the jack is messed up and after two weeks of playing everyday, when I plugged the guitar it just broke and went inside the body. So, keep in mind that you may have to deal with that.
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P
Smooth with a Groove
[Pro ] all the way
Uses ... my go to G-tar
in recording [ very clean ] playing at my church , has a great appearance ..
no problem with hums or crackle sounds.. when changing pickups or using toggle switch...
all good [craftsmanship , electronics , attention to detail ]
Cons ...
**after a few weeks of playing**
had to adjust neck bow midway in neck 8th to 12th fret.
intonation was sharp made adjust
all good now.
Uses ... my go to G-tar
in recording [ very clean ] playing at my church , has a great appearance ..
no problem with hums or crackle sounds.. when changing pickups or using toggle switch...
all good [craftsmanship , electronics , attention to detail ]
Cons ...
**after a few weeks of playing**
had to adjust neck bow midway in neck 8th to 12th fret.
intonation was sharp made adjust
all good now.
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J
Amazing for the price, could use a couple improvements
Pros:
The main feature of most inexpensive guitars is that the pickups suck, and the first order of business is to replace them.
For the price of this guitar, the pickups are fantastic. They have a good balance of range, warmth, and clarity. They might not compete with top of the line pickups, but they sound GOOD.
The coil split gives a lot of diversity.
The neck and fretboard of this guitar are a pleasure to play.
Tuning heads and nut are decent quality
Cons:
The Wilkinson trem isn't the greatest. The curved top of the body doesn't mix well with the trem, and you end up having to jack the saddles way up at an angle in order to get everything to sit right, which makes everything slightly awkward. I'd opt for the hard tail next time for this model.
The flame maple top on mine is pretty dull. Does not compare to the photos, which is a bit disappointing.
The main feature of most inexpensive guitars is that the pickups suck, and the first order of business is to replace them.
For the price of this guitar, the pickups are fantastic. They have a good balance of range, warmth, and clarity. They might not compete with top of the line pickups, but they sound GOOD.
The coil split gives a lot of diversity.
The neck and fretboard of this guitar are a pleasure to play.
Tuning heads and nut are decent quality
Cons:
The Wilkinson trem isn't the greatest. The curved top of the body doesn't mix well with the trem, and you end up having to jack the saddles way up at an angle in order to get everything to sit right, which makes everything slightly awkward. I'd opt for the hard tail next time for this model.
The flame maple top on mine is pretty dull. Does not compare to the photos, which is a bit disappointing.
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NL
Best in Quality-Price
Will be perfect if tremolo could keep in tune.
Really enjoyable guitar
Really enjoyable guitar
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FL
Pretty Good Value
I took the plunge on this a few weeks ago after reading reviews & watching YouTube vids on it
I am not disappointed !! Delivered in 3 days from ordering
The flame top is stunning, the workmanship is good & all of the parts are of a decent quality - My only issue is that there is a black mark on the binding of the lower horn, but I'm not fussy on that
The pickups are bass heavy (which I like a lot), & very powerful
The guitar itself is a lot heavier than I anticipated, borderline Les Paul weight, but I'm used to that
The action was too high for me when I got it, so I lowered it straight away - Intonation spot on - There was too much tension in the neck which caused the first fret on G B & E strings to not play at all
Truss rod adjusted & all is good
Finally, I did not want the tremolo but wanted the Black Flame finish - WHY OH WHY do Harley Benton not do the Black Flame in the wrap over bridge model ??
Anyhoo, if you have the money, & are not sure whether to buy this........Do it - You wont be disappointed
I am not disappointed !! Delivered in 3 days from ordering
The flame top is stunning, the workmanship is good & all of the parts are of a decent quality - My only issue is that there is a black mark on the binding of the lower horn, but I'm not fussy on that
The pickups are bass heavy (which I like a lot), & very powerful
The guitar itself is a lot heavier than I anticipated, borderline Les Paul weight, but I'm used to that
The action was too high for me when I got it, so I lowered it straight away - Intonation spot on - There was too much tension in the neck which caused the first fret on G B & E strings to not play at all
Truss rod adjusted & all is good
Finally, I did not want the tremolo but wanted the Black Flame finish - WHY OH WHY do Harley Benton not do the Black Flame in the wrap over bridge model ??
Anyhoo, if you have the money, & are not sure whether to buy this........Do it - You wont be disappointed
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