s
Good, cheap practice guitar
While the world was going to hell in a handbasket, I serendipitously found myself stranded in a beautiful part of Greece and decided to ride out the pandemic living beside a remote deserted beach. But I missed my guitars. Thomann to the rescue! Shipping took about a week - which is amazing really - and the contents arrived well packaged and undamaged.
The Delta Blues O is actually the second acoustic guitar I ordered from Thomann whilst here. The first was a Harley Benton CLJ-503CE WN, which is a stunning instrument. So good that I want to protect it and keep it safe beside my sofa, out of the sun and salty air. So, after a lot of research, I opted for the Delta Blues O as my cheap throw-around beach guitar.
Out of the box it was almost perfectly setup. Just a quarter turn of the truss rod required. The action and intonation are pretty much spot-on. Apart from a few minor cosmetic blemishes - which you would need to look very closely to see - the guitar is a real looker. The frets needed a little polish and the fretboard and bridge needed some oil, then it was ready to rock. The guitar is a real joy to play!
Although billed as a mahogany guitar, I have my doubts. Is it a really thin mahogany top or a stained laminate? I suspect the latter. The body is really light and gives a bold, deep bass response, almost a little too boomy for strumming. I play fingerstyle mostly, and even my boom-chicks were a little too bass heavy, causing the top strings to less prominent than I would like. Overall, it was somewhat muddy and did not project well. It can sound bluesy for sure, but it doesn't strike me as a typical delta blues guitar. Needs more jangle.
Long story short, I fitted a Tusq saddle and brass bridge pins. These 2 changes went some way towards balancing the tone, allowing a more pronounced treble and improved sustain. I was honestly surprised at how much positive difference the brass pins made. They really help to add clarity to my picked notes, however volume is not much increased. I've solved this by learning to use metal fingerpicks and I have finally arrived at a tone that makes me smile. I like my guitars bright, YMMV.
The tuners are just OK, they do their job but can be a little fiddly. Other than that, no real complaints for the money.I spend a lot of time playing this guitar sitting outside and it makes me happy.
I'm not sure that I would recommend this as a first guitar - I would tend to stretch a little more and get a nice sprucetop, but that's just my opinion. But if you want a cheap, decent sounding secondary practice guitar with head-turning looks to sling over your shoulder,and it easy to play, then this should be on your consideration list.
The Delta Blues O is actually the second acoustic guitar I ordered from Thomann whilst here. The first was a Harley Benton CLJ-503CE WN, which is a stunning instrument. So good that I want to protect it and keep it safe beside my sofa, out of the sun and salty air. So, after a lot of research, I opted for the Delta Blues O as my cheap throw-around beach guitar.
Out of the box it was almost perfectly setup. Just a quarter turn of the truss rod required. The action and intonation are pretty much spot-on. Apart from a few minor cosmetic blemishes - which you would need to look very closely to see - the guitar is a real looker. The frets needed a little polish and the fretboard and bridge needed some oil, then it was ready to rock. The guitar is a real joy to play!
Although billed as a mahogany guitar, I have my doubts. Is it a really thin mahogany top or a stained laminate? I suspect the latter. The body is really light and gives a bold, deep bass response, almost a little too boomy for strumming. I play fingerstyle mostly, and even my boom-chicks were a little too bass heavy, causing the top strings to less prominent than I would like. Overall, it was somewhat muddy and did not project well. It can sound bluesy for sure, but it doesn't strike me as a typical delta blues guitar. Needs more jangle.
Long story short, I fitted a Tusq saddle and brass bridge pins. These 2 changes went some way towards balancing the tone, allowing a more pronounced treble and improved sustain. I was honestly surprised at how much positive difference the brass pins made. They really help to add clarity to my picked notes, however volume is not much increased. I've solved this by learning to use metal fingerpicks and I have finally arrived at a tone that makes me smile. I like my guitars bright, YMMV.
The tuners are just OK, they do their job but can be a little fiddly. Other than that, no real complaints for the money.I spend a lot of time playing this guitar sitting outside and it makes me happy.
I'm not sure that I would recommend this as a first guitar - I would tend to stretch a little more and get a nice sprucetop, but that's just my opinion. But if you want a cheap, decent sounding secondary practice guitar with head-turning looks to sling over your shoulder,and it easy to play, then this should be on your consideration list.
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s
good entry level steel string
first up: just be mindful that it's an entry-level steel string, and sounds like one. this was exactly what I was looking for though, so I'm happy. nice and light, has some nob-thingies so you add a strap, and the hardware feels solid. it's taken a couple of knocks which didn't leave any permanent (or noticeable) marks or drop out of tune, so it's probably a good guitar to travel with.
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v
Ridiculously cheap, yet playable enough
At the point of ordering, this guitar cost me € 89 in total, including shipping. It's ridiculously cheap for a guitar.
The good:
- honestly it looks great
- sounds good
- plays reasonable well
The meh:
- strings are as bad as you'd expect, but for this price I can't count this as a negative
The bad:
- action is high, need to alter the bridge a bit to get it lower
Overall it's a perfect campfire guitar.
The good:
- honestly it looks great
- sounds good
- plays reasonable well
The meh:
- strings are as bad as you'd expect, but for this price I can't count this as a negative
The bad:
- action is high, need to alter the bridge a bit to get it lower
Overall it's a perfect campfire guitar.
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M
Very good acoustic for a few bucks
I must admit that i was pleasantly surprised with acoustic so cheap, yet it has everything you need for guitar to go. Give it a chance you will not regret it.
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TM
Great Cool Guitar
I got to be honest, I wasn't expecting a great deal with this guitar, but it completely blew my mind.
Unfortunately I had to sell my previous acoustic guitar, which was a Washburn Festival Series Limited Edition, a great guitar with great sound and finish, 17 years old, and this Harley Benton had/has the difficult job of replacing it.
And so far it has! Granted, it's not as good in terms of aspect and finish, but it has a great sound and it's really easy to play, with lower action than most acoustic guitars I've played. If you examine or just take a closer look at the guitar you can see some minor issues in the finish, but nothing extraordinary, even less at this price. The wood doesn't seem like great quality, but fear not: this guitar has a great sound for it's price, and it's really easy to play.
Unfortunately I had to sell my previous acoustic guitar, which was a Washburn Festival Series Limited Edition, a great guitar with great sound and finish, 17 years old, and this Harley Benton had/has the difficult job of replacing it.
And so far it has! Granted, it's not as good in terms of aspect and finish, but it has a great sound and it's really easy to play, with lower action than most acoustic guitars I've played. If you examine or just take a closer look at the guitar you can see some minor issues in the finish, but nothing extraordinary, even less at this price. The wood doesn't seem like great quality, but fear not: this guitar has a great sound for it's price, and it's really easy to play.
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JC
Great Beach Guitar, but beginners be careful.
For the price, it's a great guitar. It sounds much better than I expected, it's just a bit smaller than my dreadnought which makes it easy to haul around, and it is very beautiful.
I am not a beginner, I have 5 guitars. This one looks almost exactly like my Tanglewood guitar, but I wanted a cheap one to take to the beach and country side. The guitar came with some aesthetic imperfections and the action is a bit high for me. Actually, I had to put extra light strings on it to make it playable. For that reason I think that a beginner will need to get this set up or put light strings on it.
I am not a beginner, I have 5 guitars. This one looks almost exactly like my Tanglewood guitar, but I wanted a cheap one to take to the beach and country side. The guitar came with some aesthetic imperfections and the action is a bit high for me. Actually, I had to put extra light strings on it to make it playable. For that reason I think that a beginner will need to get this set up or put light strings on it.
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N
Great for leaving out and picking up around the house
I ordered this guitar to leave on a stand in my living room to just pick up and play more often. It's great and for the money I really cannot complain. Sounds full and rich. The finish has a few small blemishes but they do not bother me at all. Overall a very good guitar for the price. It was my first Harley Benton guitar and it will not be my last.
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