CST-24T Black Flame : 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!