CST-24HB TOL Tobacco Flame : Oh, what's the point ...

... just buy it!

Another absolute HB classic.

It was the best packaged Harley I've received (presumably because it's pricier than my others?). The box had polystyrene lining the inside of the entire box - all four sides, bottom and top pieces - not just the usual corners and neck bit. The guitar was wrapped in the white, polystyrene-like fabric and that was then wrapped in a clear, plastic bag. A bit like triple-cooked chips and we all know how great they are.

Fit and finish was totally flawless. The Tree of Life neck inlays were perfectly, err, inlaid. No gaps or glue or misalignment which some older reviews have mentioned. The body binding was perfect. It has the standard issue "perfecto necko" (I'm trademarking that) for which Harleys are becoming known.

For the first 15 minutes of playing, I was a bit uncertain of the neck as it's a 350mm and most of my others are 305mm. Thirty minutes later and I'd decided you'd have to prise it from my cold, dead hands before I was letting this go.

The DC-DLX Tesla pickups are really great but these seem equally good but have a much more vintage character which suits the vibe. I think the coil split is more effective on these in terms of changing the character rather than just thinning out the sound. They also don't seem to drop the volume as much as the DC. The range of the tone knob seemed wider on these pickups as well.

I'd never experienced this body shape before and they never looked like a particularly comfortable guitar to me but with the hollow body reducing the weight and the curvy shape, it's VERY comfortable. I thought it had a belly cut but when I checked, it was nowhere to be found, making the comfort factor even more amazing. It seems a little bit slimmer than most so maybe that's what makes you feel so at home.

Regrets? I've had a few but then again ... anyway, personally I would have preferred the fretboard to be a bit darker but only to show off the Tree of Life inlay better. I'd also have liked the neck to have had cream binding to match the body. I'd prefer the coil split to be on both knobs so you could independently split the neck or bridge but this is rarely done and my DC-DLX Gotoh is the same. Anything else? Um, it didn't come with a guitar cable as has started happening (and strangely on the more expensive models). The Allen keys were in a clear bag whereas some of their guitars now come with a little black plastic pouch. As you can see, I'm struggling and I really had to push myself to mention these.

Yes, it's on the more expensive side for HB. It's twice the price of my TE62CC SFG. I love my TE62 so is it really worth the extra? Ab-so-lutely.

This review took longer than it should as I wanted to check something mid-way and couldn't put it down. Like I said at the beginning - just buy it already!