Harley Benton CST-24T Ocean Flame Reviews

Nice guitar!

Sounds good (In its price range). The build is good. Looks great. The neck is nice, even and not scratched. Slightly tight tremolo. Playing this guitar is fun

Great but missing the finishing touches

Amazing features and sound for the price. where the price is definitely noticed is the setup. The intonation is off, the action is quite high and I have some string buzzing on the A & D string.

Many issues with this guitar - quality control appalling

Crack in fingerboard scrapes in fingerboard, nut poorly fitted so much so that the gap between nut and headstock would accommodate a guitar pick, scrape on body, paint splotches in finish, paint all over binding, very shoddy. I suspect this must have been a b stock guitar that they tried to pass as new because it was terrible. Returned for a refund, do not believe all the video reviews etc, these guitars are poor. Buy a vintage instead

It's a sound I have been looking for, for a long time, and finally found it.

This is my third Harley Benton guitar. After I bought the first one, I knew I had to have more. It makes it possible to fill out your collection with models that you normally couldn't afford, and now have.

First and foremost, review after review out on You Tube etc. the number one comment is that it plays and sounds better than any other guitar in my collection. This is met with several comments that they thought the pickups were a little dark, and wanted to swap them out. That's the irony of the situation. You can either get low output pickups which are very bright, but lack some extra depth, or you can get full humbuckers and then add the coil split option which gives you the best of both worlds.

I play this guitar through a Blues Deluxe 40-watt tube amp with a single twelve, and the tone is beautiful. I crank the treble back some and actually prefer the sound coming from the split coil option. It is like having an ultimate Strat but with just the right depth of tone. Then when I want to achieve that magic tone that I have long been looking for, I go full humbucker with just the right pedal settings.

What took me over the top was hearing this on You Tube by Jonathan Koh titled, "Harley Benton CST24T Black Flame with Helix LT" Listen to that. Turn it up. Notice he has the same setting, and only adjusts the volume level.

So now onto the guitar. This guitar was setup beautifully right out of the box. I think they take the extra 70 dollars or so and put every dime in the guitar.

The fit, the finish was all beautiful. If I had to get critical it would be that I wish the flame maple was done in such a way that it would shout from the rooftops, rather than being a transparent blue. I love the color, have been longing for a blue guitar, and I stared at the photos for a couple of weeks waiting for it to come back in stock.

This guitar has the HAF pickups which are high gain. If you want a guitar with the old PAF sound then the LAF pickup models are for you. I love them both. It's not yey this and boo that, but rather yey this and yey that. I’m staring at the LAF pickup models now ready to make a choice.

Now here is the crazy thing. This guitar not only stays in tune, it does so with a tremolo bar as long as it is setup correctly. In the past I skipped the tremolo feature on my other guitars because they would not stay in tune. When I saw so many reviews saying this one stayed in tune, I decided to dig in, and go for it.

It stays in tune even under the precision of a Peterson Stroboscopic tuner which is accurate to within a tenth of a cent, which is equivalent to a thousand segments between frets, and accurate to within one of those segments.

Okay so here is the key. You have to tweak the tremolo bar in the back of the guitar until it is just right. After getting the guitar in perfect tune, use the tremolo bar, and if it comes out a little sharp afterwards, the tremolo bar is tightened up too much, if it comes out a little flat it is not tight enough. So, go through the motions to get it just right. You know you are close when for example the first three strings are spot on, but the top three are a little flat or sharp; then snug up that sides adjusting screw accordingly, and get ready to experience a guitar you can do dive bombs with, and it comes out perfectly in tune. Nothing is more important than maintaining perfect tuning. It's like listening to a singer who sings off pitch. On the other hand, having something in pitch so well it sounds like an orchestra. Be sure to set the intonation perfectly as well.

I go up to beyond the 12th fret, and play a cowboy A chord leaving the 5th and 6th string open, fret the chord, and top it off with the high A fretted on the first string. Listen to it carefully, and experience an orchestra like experience as it fades out; this guitar is totally capable of that.

It's lighter than a Les Paul, and heavier than a Tele. The tuners work well, although they are not an 18-gear ratio. You may need to do a little tweaking when tuning with these, but no need for replacement, they hold tune impeccably, mostly due in part to the fact that the strings go straight through the nut, instead of veering off to the sides which causes binding. I don't even use Nut Sauce, which I used to use, and is a great product, I only now use a little dab of Vaseline on the nut, and bridge contact points using a toothpick.

I'm building my You Tube channel, have a studio with an RME Fireface UFX interface and Pro Tools, and plan on doing a You Tube presentation of this magnificent instrument. I really do love it. It's up there with the best in my collection. The mahogany grain on the back reminds me that this thing is built for tone, and performance. No messing around.

Blown away

This is my first electric guitar, though I have been playing borrowed electrics for a while. This completely blows away the competition in what is available in my country (India). The finish is flawless. The fret work is good although not very highly polished but I wasn't expecting it to be. It has some issues with tuning stability and it's because of the nut not being cut properly as I have already installed locking tuners. After doing a good setup, this guitar is as perfect as it can be. Shipping left something to be desired as the box was pretty dinged up when it arrived. Did not receive the Allen wrench or truss rod wrench in the box. Still on the whole a great instrument that is definitely recommended.

Damaged in shipping

Top of head stock damaged and large scratch on side.

Shipping to USA can been poor from Germany.

Fantastic guitar for the money

I own a lot of guitars in a large range of prices. Some budget guitars just don't give you that pleasure when playing, too many things missing, especially lack of quality in the tone. Some very expensive ones are just what you need, but the price is hefty. This guitar has a great tone but does not break the bank. Great value.

Would be good at twice the price

I honestly couldn't find anything wrong with it out of the box. Fret work is good. Heck, it was almost in-tune. Action is just a tad high, but well within the personal preference range and easily adjustable. Intonation was on. I really like the coil-split. The single coil clean tones sound awesome. The hardest part is picking a color. Is it on par with $2000+ guitars? I don't know, I don't own any. Is it on par with $500 guitars? Easily. If I had to pick a con I would say the ocean flame top is not as distinct as the photos, that's about it.

Very good guitar for the price.

I'm sorta guitar hobbyist so cannot say professionally, though playing for more than 10 years already so think my review can be of value to someone.

This guitar neither have a feeling nor sound of PRS SE Custom (which I played), but it works and sounds better than all cheap chinese guitars I played before. Split coil sounds not really well to my taste but humbuckers sounds great for the price.

Once I got it, I had to tweak tremolo system to remove fret buzz. Didn't have to do anything other to make it work as expected.

If you want PRS - my advice would be to go for it. If you want an all-round good budget guitar - this one is 100% fit.

Fantastic!

A custom 24 fret guitar with set neck for under £200...wow.

Sounds and looks great. Flattish fretboard, but suits the style of guitar.

Pros...Price, flametop and playabilty.

Cons...a couple of paint defects and oversprays, but I've had them with Gibsons costing 5 x the price of this guitar.

I'm really enjoying this guitar and my full fat original, Tele. Strat, Les Paul and PRS are back in their cases.

Surprised on quality for the price

Great looking guitar. With a couple mod updates, this guitar will rock

Harley Benton CST-24T Ocean Flame

I had not played a PRS style before; so had no expectations on feel or playability. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this guitar. It's certainly different to my Strats/S-Styles; but is easy to play and sounds very capable. The neck is a bit chunkier than I'm used to; but I like the feel, just wish the back had a less polished finish.

Amazing Guitar for the money.

I've played for 30+ years, and this is one of my favourite guitars. Initial set up 80% there ( trem springs need slackening, action lowering). Finish is beautiful. Neck (c shape) is a little unusual..but that's more a "taste" thing...I'm growing to really like it.

*after a week of playing* Still very happy, but the tuners are terrible. I ordered a replacement set of Kluson MS33C and the guitar is much more playable now

Amazing guitar

unboxed the Harley Benton CST-24T Ocean Flame tuned it .played a bit , stretched the string and re-tuned . Played well right out of the box , set up from factory great, went to a gig that night and played for a couple of hours . This guitar not only plays well but it looks fantastic ,. The finish is superb, the set up was great and the sound is terrific. My band mates were very impressed . I was blown away especially for the price i paid. the tremelo bar so so could use some design improvement . delivery was fast and customer service excellent. Over all very impressed so i bought another guitar being delivered today. march 11/2020 the Harley Benton DC-600 VI Vintage Series. . ill post a review once i get it . but as far as the Harley Benton CST-24T Ocean Flame i would say buy it now! Its worth it!!

For the money, this is the best product.

Blue Dream

I am only a hobbyist not a gigging musician, so I cannot give a detailed technical review. However, the CST-24T I received needed only tuning up before it was eminently playable. In appearance the blue is much darker than I expected, though still very attractive. The tremolo arm hung loose, but after some research I discovered that it could be tightened via a tiny screw under the bridge using the.

small allen key supplied. It was quite tricky to do, like keyhole surgery, but I managed it. As has been mentioned by another reviewer, the Telecaster type knobs do not look right on this guitar, and would ideally be replaced by speed knobs. That aside, this is a beautiful guitar which plays like a dream.

I was very careful about this brand, but it turned out to be in vain. Having pulled the guitar out of the box, I was pleasantly surprised by its beauty. Upon careful examination, I did not find any flaws, it really looks more expensive than it costs. My guitar was completely weakened anchor rod, so I had to make a complete detuning. And I was once again surprised that the frets are smooth and do not require polishing, as is usual with guitars of this price category. The guitar sounds great, replacement of pickups is not required. I did not find any disadvantages for myself. I really liked the guitar, the low price does not affect its quality in any way, but comes as a pleasant bonus. Thanks to everyone who is involved in creating such great guitars.

Я был очень осторожен к этому бренду, но оказалось напрасно. Вытащив гитару из коробки, я был приятно удивлен её красотой. При внимательном осмотре ни каких изъянов не нашел, она действительно выглядит дороже чем стоит. У моей гитары был полностью ослаблен анкерный стержень, поэтому пришлось сделать полную отстройку. И был еще раз удивлен, что лады ровные и не требую шлифовки, как обычно у гитар такой ценовой категории. Звучит гитара замечательно, замена звукоснимателей не требуется. Ни каких минусов для себя я не нашел. Гитара очень понравилась, низкая цена ни как не сказывается на её качестве, а идет как приятный бонус. Спасибо всем кто участвует в создании таких замечательных гитар.

Great guitar, with great personality and a really strong sound

This guitar is really awesome if compared with the low price that costs.

First of all, let me say that this is not a PRS. I already owe a PRS and that's another instrument... but it has a totally different cost too.

For this CS24, we can say that:

1. it comes with a fantastic top, much more reflecting and lively coloured than it appears in the images posted here

2. the pickups are very loud and strong, and they hold a good sustain even at lower volume

3. the mechanics are solid, the guitar stays in tune

4. the bridge is strong and does not make the string lose the tuning

5. the strings are D'addario .10 very good

6. the feeling it gives to me is very similar to a PRS sensation

anyway, for the sake of truth we must point out some very little drawback:

1. the wood of the neck is similar to rosewood but the neck came wet with a dark colour paint, that in the beginning remained attached to the fingerprints; however, after a little cleaning with oil and wood polishers, it has disappeared

2. the action of the strings was initially too much low and needed to be easily adjusted with the truss rod

3. there are some flaw o paint at the edges of the top, in the point of attach to the neck, but almost invisible and negligible

4. the tremolo bar lacks of a stopping pin (PRS had one behind the bridge) so it can fall out if we pull up (but this is not a defect, since the original design of this guitar is just made as this)

Definetly not a perfect instrument, but very very impressive!

My advice is to buy it without thinking so much!

Love the look of this guitar and the SC-550 that I bought. The body on the CST-24T has a couple of spots under the finish where the wood wasn’t smooth and the frets need to be polished on both guitars. Other than that I love these two instruments.

Can't fault it

A little tune up and it sound great straight out of the box. Nice change in tone switching through the pickups and the option to split the coils with the tone switch is a great feature for a guitar at such a low price point. Handles blues, rock and metal with ease, nothing about this guitar feels budget. The finish is spot on with no blemishes, the fretboard might like a dab of oil but otherwise is spot on. The action is a little high for me so I'll address that but it would definitely not bother a lot of people at all. Tremolo works fine, guitar could really benefit from locking tuners which I'm sure people wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for.

-Pros

Quality feel and weight

Beautiful colour

Great tone

Very playable out of the box

-Cons (I'm reaching but I had to find something!)

Would be great with locking tuners on the tremolo models

Tone can be improved (always) but looking online some very reasonable mods can be carried out on these to elevate it a bit more

Really wanted the Charcoal Flame finish but on a solid body rather than hollow...sort it out HB and I'll buy one!