C
A real pleasure
My HBO-850 came when promised and has been a real pleasure to play the last 2 weeks. This guitar really does look good and the finish was great. A real close inspection showed 1 teeny-weeny-weeny blemish under the lacquer but I need my reading glasses on to see it! The frets were prepared well, the neck was setup perfectly with just the slightest amount of relief in it. The guitar does get you close to that Ovation sound from my experience of playing them in shops. It perhaps lacks a little depth compared with the real thing but this gives you a powerful sound for a shallow bowl body. I didn't buy this to use through a PA or a DI but can tell you the pick ups work and the preamp gives a good degree of control but the default sound of the piezo pickup is BRIGHT so you will be taming it with a heavy cut to the mids. All the pros I have listed here make this a clear winner I am happy to recommend.
The cons are small and should not put you off unless you believe you can get a truly perfect guitar for less than a ton. Firstly the string action at the 12th fret was well over 2mm from 1st to 6th strings. Bar chords from 7th position up were therefore a bit tiresome and solo playing required some good technique! An hour working on the bridge with some 120 grit paper and refitting it to the guitar a couple of times to try it out has resulted in a perfectly fine setup for what I want with no rattles/buzzing and could go lower if needed. An upgrade I will try is a quality bone bridge (a Tusq bridge might make this even brighter and that may not be a good thing), Strings are fine and having played them in have lost some of the sharpness but I will invest in some coated strings for its next set. The finger board is just the slightest bit 'rough' on some fret positions so you feel the grain resisting the string if/as you bend it. Over time that raised grain will wear down naturally but I will see what some lemon oil after a light brush along the grain with steel wool will do to this.
My first experience of Thoman's in house brand has been good and I have since ordered a GS Travel mini for my daughter and had it delivered to her Uni abroad rather than take her Taylor equivalent (at 7 times the price!) with her.
The cons are small and should not put you off unless you believe you can get a truly perfect guitar for less than a ton. Firstly the string action at the 12th fret was well over 2mm from 1st to 6th strings. Bar chords from 7th position up were therefore a bit tiresome and solo playing required some good technique! An hour working on the bridge with some 120 grit paper and refitting it to the guitar a couple of times to try it out has resulted in a perfectly fine setup for what I want with no rattles/buzzing and could go lower if needed. An upgrade I will try is a quality bone bridge (a Tusq bridge might make this even brighter and that may not be a good thing), Strings are fine and having played them in have lost some of the sharpness but I will invest in some coated strings for its next set. The finger board is just the slightest bit 'rough' on some fret positions so you feel the grain resisting the string if/as you bend it. Over time that raised grain will wear down naturally but I will see what some lemon oil after a light brush along the grain with steel wool will do to this.
My first experience of Thoman's in house brand has been good and I have since ordered a GS Travel mini for my daughter and had it delivered to her Uni abroad rather than take her Taylor equivalent (at 7 times the price!) with her.
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At
Roundback is unexpectedly awesome
I used to play dreadnought and I was always surprised what is the roundback guitar able to provide. So, I decided to try the HBO-850 and I was very surprised. It is really loud and provides very interesting tones. Of course they are different from dreadnought ones but it is interesting. The playability is awesome and I am fond of playing this guitar.
I have found only one minor lack - one of the decorative leaves is broken, but still the guitar looks beautiful.
I have found only one minor lack - one of the decorative leaves is broken, but still the guitar looks beautiful.
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LC
A Favourite
This guitar is fast becoming my favourite, it's comfortable to play as a solo performer, but recently I joined a blues band and this gorgeous guitar is so cool to play. It gives utter confidence, the action is amazing. Even other musicians want to borrow her...all my guitars have female names, this is Claudia. She stays in tune more than any other semi acoustic instrument and is always with me even if I'm using another guitar. I like to know she's a good standby. I tell everyone who wants to borrow her....buy from Thomann!!
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I
Unbelievably good for the price.
I ordered this guitar for acoustic recording to my soundcard.
The guitar looks and plays very good.
Neck is nice and thin, but needs a little fret filing.
Changed the strings immediately to .10 and holds tune very well soon after.
The sound from the pickup is also very nice.
I would recommend this guitar to everyone.
The guitar looks and plays very good.
Neck is nice and thin, but needs a little fret filing.
Changed the strings immediately to .10 and holds tune very well soon after.
The sound from the pickup is also very nice.
I would recommend this guitar to everyone.
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Bf
I am quite suprised and very impressed!
I ordered this on a whim, added it to an order I had planned and at the last minute, $93 more, why not?
It's been a long time since I pulled a guitar out of the box that was this playable, this pleasant to hold and has quickly become a favorite.
I looked at some of the older reviews and honestly, I have none of the 'scratchy frets' that are the principle complaint. It's light, very playable with a 'good' sound on it's own, but sounds great through an amp!
Clip a tuner on the headstock and no onw will know it's not an Ovation!
It's been a long time since I pulled a guitar out of the box that was this playable, this pleasant to hold and has quickly become a favorite.
I looked at some of the older reviews and honestly, I have none of the 'scratchy frets' that are the principle complaint. It's light, very playable with a 'good' sound on it's own, but sounds great through an amp!
Clip a tuner on the headstock and no onw will know it's not an Ovation!
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S
Bright sounding, great performer
Bought: March 2019
It was already tuned straight out of the box, and hasn't required much tuning since.
It sounds 'bright' with flat/0 eq settings, and has sufficient low end for rich-sounding chords. Barres are no problem and everything sounds good. Easy access to the battery compartment.
Action was a little high but didn't affect fretting, and QC was good all round, with no bad frets or imperfections in the body/neck.
The bowl back feels comfortable
This is my new 'go-to' acoustic out of my set. I know I can pick it up and trust it's good.
It was already tuned straight out of the box, and hasn't required much tuning since.
It sounds 'bright' with flat/0 eq settings, and has sufficient low end for rich-sounding chords. Barres are no problem and everything sounds good. Easy access to the battery compartment.
Action was a little high but didn't affect fretting, and QC was good all round, with no bad frets or imperfections in the body/neck.
The bowl back feels comfortable
This is my new 'go-to' acoustic out of my set. I know I can pick it up and trust it's good.
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L
Harley Benton Ovation
I read reviews and some are great some bad, but now I have 5 HB instruments and i can only tell they built great instruments for the price! This one is so good for strumming, solos... feels almost like you play electric hallow body guitar! Ovation tone and feeling for 100€. It looks so beautiful so if you wanna have it on your room its better choice than some decoration picture.
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g
Extremely good cheap acoustic
Im not much of an acoustic player, but i enjoy playing this guitar. For the money i cannot complain. Sounds great and has no sharp edges.
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M
This guitar it's comfortable to play as a solo performer
Both the action and the sound are just perfect
The design of the guitar is extraordinary, which makes it very beautiful !!!!
I could not be happier with this purchase
buy from Thomann!!
(:
Both the action and the sound are just perfect
The design of the guitar is extraordinary, which makes it very beautiful !!!!
I could not be happier with this purchase
buy from Thomann!!
(:
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S
Great Guitar, Great Value!
I purchased several guitars from Thomann last year. This guitar was among my favorite. It was both affordable and fun to play. I think the tone and clarity are exceptional. The finish is good and the action on the neck makes the guitar easy to play. I also like the ability to be able to play the guitar acoustically as well as through an electric amplifier. I would highly recommend this guitar. I am amazed at how affordable these guitars are from Thomann. As I said, I purchased several guitars from them and could not be more pleased.
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