Harley Benton Custom Line CLA-15M Reviews

its a beautiful sweet little thing.

ok so i want to be totally honest with this review, first off the guitar is very well made and looks beautiful, straight out off the box the guitar was down tuned with nice but not my usual strings , i'm used to elixirs 12s nano phos , after a good look around her i tuned up and my initial thoughts were not great as there was quite a bit off fret buzz in the middle off the neck, but with a little patience and one or 2-3 adjustments to the thrust rod we seemed to sort that problem , now two the only let-down i think the guitar really has , after a few tuneups and TR adjustments and a few days for settling, i'd become aware the tuners were slipping on multiple strings & not holding tune, there simply not good quality , fairly disappointing considering the rest off the guitar stands up to my taylor's which are more than 15 times the price, now that's a fairly big statement considering this guitar cost 185 euros including delivery (WOW) does come to mind wondering did i get lucky but after reading reviews i don't think so , bit the bullet only one thing to be done, pulled the tuners off and replaced the with a fairly good quality set made by boston which i picked up in the local music shop , all considered after new tuners fitted, new elixir 12s and a few adjustments, this Chinese made guitar is an absolute whopper, and for the money you will not get a guitar anywhere that is this well made and sounds as good for less than a grand if your lucky , two put it short this is simply unbelievable, this guitar is a five star diamond and would highly recommend it to anyone on any level, i brought the guitar with me two a break away in co longford with friends over new years and had a listen two her in other peoples hands and she sounds great BIG WARM tone which really stands out while being finger picked, my advice get one straight away and change the tuners happy new year from irishboypickin.

Overall good quality guitar

I like that the bass sounds are quite big although the guitar body is "smaller" size.

Build quality is amazing for the price in my opinion!

Guitar comes with quality set of strings. (Daddario EXP-16).

First impression on machineheads is maybe not that well although the guitar can be tuned quite well and also stays in tune for good amount of time.

Great guitar for amazing price

I have several acoustic guitars, including legendary Martin D-28, but none of them cuts well enough through the mix of a rock band in studio recordings. That is why I decided to buy a small folk guitar and chose this one. I was truly amazed after unpacking - the guitar was ready to play, felt very nice, sounds and looks great. I only set the strings a little lower and have played it for about six months. In studio recordings it appears to be more specific than D-28. This guitar is my true love and what really fascinates me is that instead of D-28 I could have bought 16 such guitars.

After reading positive reviews I decided to order one and I would say it is a good purchase for the price . Everything is good except the frets level which need an extra work.

Lovely, sweet well made guitar - just get one

Ok, first off I love this guitar.

In the early 90's I went into Andy's guitar shop, London, and tried a Martin 150th anniversary all mahogany 000-15 (or 00) and a '68 Gibson hummingbird. Both gorgeous guitars, the Martin was the 2nd best acoustic I've played (the best being a 60's Martin 00/000 made with Brazilian rosewood and spruce or cedar top). I loved it but it was £950, which I didn't have back then - to put that into context the '68 hummingbird was £100 cheaper. Fast forward to now and Martin had reissued the all mahogany 000-15s a few years ago, which I didn't realise - at a bargaintastic £1200. Post Brexit vote however and they are now £1500 or more, due to our devalued currency and exchange rate. So while I'm waiting for Sterling to improve, I got this Harley Benton version.

Straight out of the box, this guitar was in tune and immediately playable. I mean seriously playable. I immediately recognised the tone from that old Martin I tried. It doesn't have all the complex timbre of the Martin, or quite the sweetness of the notes - but It was instantly in that tonal family. I recognised the tone; not just that, it has warmth but also a surprising punch to it - out of the box it blew me away.

Set up, out of the box, is excellent. This is the first of my Harley Bentons to actually come with a set up card. It's really easy to play, excellent action. The strings sing out clearly and evenly (the Martin is probably a bit clearer) - it's really well balanced like that across the whole guitar, nothing jumping at you or hiding away. The intonation is pretty much spot on, across the fret board, straight out of the box. Impressively precise. Construction is simple and clean. No extra heavy bracing added by accountants worried about warranty periods (like certain acoustics have had). This is a really light guitar. The bracing is scalloped to reduce weight and allow the guitar to vibrate and resonate. And boy does it do that. A lovely warm, rich tone with it's own complexities and resonances and timbre - and plenty of punch if you drive it. This is so much lighter than my other acoustics (which are worth a good bit more). I can't remember playing a lighter one.

The one thing that surprised me a little was that mine is a little headstock heavy - no more so than my other acoustics but a lot of HB's a very well balanced this way - the old Martin sat perfectly balanced on my leg. To be fair - it's so light it would need a very light weight set of tuners to counterbalance that lovely resonant body. Also, I suspect the nut was cut for strings a gauge lighter - as this is strung with 12's and only needs 11's to drive it. A couple of the strings catch on it - but it's no biggy, a bit of graphite will probably fix it - the nut is well cut for the string heights - the tuners do their job well. The strings had also been bedded in properly - no tugging on them required.

Did I mention how good this guitar sounds, feels and plays?

I was hoping for a good guitar but was taken aback by it and by the set-up and the simple quality and precision of the construction (ok, the nut wasn't cut for this gauge of strings but I really don't care, the strings sound great on it and are surprisingly easy to play).

Mine looked pretty much like the pictures on the site - I thought it might have a closer grain but it sounds great (and looks great) and it will only get better. It already sounds like it's opened up so how good will it be when it does.

This will suit a variety of styles from quiet, introspective fingerstyle to punchy strumming and anything in between. I'm sure this will be a good recording guitar. (I'll be recording with it)

I have it in an open D tuning at the moment - it loves lower tunings.

Forget all the stuff about this being a good guitar for the money - this is a good guitar.

And an absolute bargain.

Get one - while they still can do them in mahogany.

(Makes me feel unfaithful but - my new go to acoustic)

HB CLA-15M

Very pleased with the guitar didn't expect this quality of performance, sound is very good, came for two weeks in Russia, paid by paypal, sent very quickly, arrived safe and sound, appearance very much, although I had to work a little with the height of the strings above the fingerboard was about 5mm in 12 fret: to reduce by 1mm the nut, just polishing off the plane, the grooves for the strings are not touched also by 0.5 mm shortened rear nut, in the end has made over the 12th fret the height of 2mm, the neck is very smooth, the anchor is a bit tightened, very easy to play frets zapolirovat very well, no other operations do, all very happy especially for such a large amount of money

Love it

I'll be honest, I made it more custom, I changed tuners (gotoh 510), lowered strings action, I found that it was too high for me and I put pick up system (Fishman Infinity Matrix). Yeah I know that I put upgrades more expensive that this guitar, but now I have an awesome guitar.

Wow!

I can't fault this guitar! Wow!

The finish is amazing. The action spot on. The neck is thin and fast. It sounds superb. Feels good. My friend recently bought a Taylor for $4,300. This cost me $200 and sounds just as nice. I'm smiling!

I don't know how they do it! Wow!

Highly recommended!

Can't go wrong with this one.

To be honest,I was aware that most "Custome Line" instruments are excellent value for money.

Cla-15m is no different.

1)Construction:What strikes you first is how light that guitar is.As a plus CLA-15m looks gorgeous.The bracing and finishing are almost flawless.No uneven frets.Tuners are REALLY good,something that doesn't normally happen with guitars of that price range.Not to talk about the SOLID wood top.That's even rarer for such an inexpensive instrument.

2)Playbality:A pretty thin neck,one of the most comfortable I've played.Action is not bad,but I ended up suiting it to fit my preferences by sanding around one mm off the saddle.Daddario Strings felt harsh on my fingers,so I replaced them with old good elixirs custom light.

3)Sound:It's rediculous how good that 170 euro guitar sounds.If I had to describe the sound,I'd call it dark (which I always look for) and woody with excellent string seperation and more emphasis on the middle frequencies.Of course it doesn't have have the complicated timbre of a Martin OO-15,but the Martin costs around 1500 dollars.

Overall:I own a dreadnaught three times more expensive than CLA-15m.Cla-15m makes my dread sound like a 30 dollar toy.

Absolutely amazing

I wanted a guitar similar to the Martin 00-15 and this guitar looked very good and sounded amazing in the videos as well, so I ordered it and I couldn't be happier now. It even sound and looks better than in the videos. The quality is amazing, and the mahagony sounds unbeliveably nice , especially when strumming. The neck is comfortable, the tuners hold very good also.They could even ask 300 dollars for this guitar . The only thing I had to do when I got it out of the box, was just a little bit action adjusting. Fantastic product for this price !!

Astonishing instrument regardless of the price.

This guitar feels, plays and sounds like a professional instrument, not as a beginner guitar.

It comes with great action, great finish, beautiful inlays, perfectly polished frets and the sound you expect from an all-mahogany guitar.

I've tried several Harley Bentons, mostly electric in the past, and they were all very good, but this particular instrument is way, way better.

The sound is very balanced, not too boomy and not too sparkly, perfect for recording.

The size is very comfortable and the guitar is very lightweigh, making it very good for travelling and/or touring.

Tuners do their job, intonation is spot on.

I don't like acoustics with electric-like action so the default setting was perfect for me.

I really cannot find any cons on this guitar, regardless of the price. You'll find more bass response and more loudness on more expensive instruments, but this one is just right on.

Kudos to HB.

Absolutely incredible

I was expecting it to be good based on the reviews, but it largely surpassed my wildest expectations. It feels like 3 times the price at least.

Great build quality, great settings out of the box, and what a wonderful sound: full, loud, rich and very clear, precise. The D'Addario EXP16 strings that came with it were a bit too boomy to my taste though. I went on to try Elixir Nanoweb PB but the volume loss and lack of life made me go back to D'Addario, but 80/20 this time, EXP11. To me, these are the perfect strings for this guitar, adding that little bit of sparkle and clarity that the EXP16 were missing.

I cannot fault this guitar: amazing playability, rich sound and just a joy to play. I would have expected to be much more for this level of quality.

Awesome acoustic for the price

I dont really have anything to complain about with this guitar. Plays great and sounds great. For the size it is punchy and loud. I honestly would highly recommend this guitar to a friend.

Great Deal

Great price. Well built and finished, easy to play. It's not a high end product but for the price its quite hard to find an instrument that is so well made. I've played many with a more appealing headstrock brand that weren't on par with this one.

Excellent for the price

From my experience with this guitar, everything about it (playability, intonation, finish, feel) is very good, even tuners although noname are also of good quality. As for the sound quality, I would describe it as punchy and woody but not as harmonically rich as an all solid woods insturment (comparing to the sound of Epiphone Masterbilt). With time, to my ears it only sound better and better. If you're looking for all hog guitar or even just this shape of guitar within a price range of about 250 eur, in my opinion You can't really do better. Definitely recommended :)

Fine Quality Mahogany Concert size guitar!

Practice/home use ...less bulky than dread. guitar to handle. Sanded saddle to lower action although not bad originally. Pleasant..easy player..good sound..fair bass ..mid and treble ..though slightly less bass than my dread......It is a well made and finished guitar..no sharp fret ends etc.Guitar is good for blues styles and looks worth far more than the asking price! An efficient company to buy from...good communications re delivery etc.

Superb guitar

I don't normally write reviews, in fact I think this is my first 'proper' one!! Just had to share my views on this guitar....

Having read many reviews and watched youtube videos I decided to take the plunge and see what all the fuss was about with these Harley Benton guitars, so I sold a couple of 'big name' guitars to help finance / justify some new toys and bought this guitar an a TE-90QM HH (see other review).

Given how highly others had rated these HB's I was pretty excited about getting them in my hands and seeing how they performed but this was tempered by a level of 'realism' given how affordable they are and the fact that others had reported some quality and initial set-up issues.

Maybe I was just lucky, but this little Martin 00-15M clone is a really superb guitar in any company and for the price paid is simply incredible.

Right out the box the set-up was exceptionally playable, the neck may need a little relief added and the action could probably be dropped a touch but I will let it settle down and re-evaluate this in a week or so. Don't get me wrong, the action is very very acceptable and is one of the most comfortable acoustic guitars I have played - this is aided by the nice slim and comfortable neck (I am always a little worried about purchasing guitars without getting my [small] hands on them first!!). The guitar really does play every bit as well as my Breedlove that was ~10x more expensive ;-).

If I were being super critical .... the neck has a couple of TINY imperfections that you would never notice and the single strap button would look better in metal rather than plastic but in reality I will be unlikely to play this with a strap anyway...

This will now be my 'acoustic of choice' for regular playing / practising. At this price you shouldn't really be too bothered if it gets a little bit damaged, but I already know that I will get pretty upset if this sweet little guitar comes to any harm......

Worth every cent!

Honestly, this guitar sounds really good without any touches from the buyer, however, if you shave the bridge saddle slightly to correct the action & restring it with extra light (0.10 - 0.47) strings, it will sound magical!

Overall, I'm very pleased with my purchase, this guitar is worth every cent!

great budget martin-alike

When it arrived with the action pretty high. When I removed the bridge saddle to shave it down, I was pleased to find there where several shims inserted, meaning I only had to remove a couple of these then restring it.

Tuners are adequate and hold tune well. I may well upgrade in the future, but they are fine for now.

The matte finish is really nice and the snow flake markers top the look off nicely. I own a vintage gibson all mahogany acoustic and its not a million miles away tone wise.

Stopped me from wanting to spend 10 times as much to satisfy my Martin 0015m craving.

Unschlagbares Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis

Als Gitarren Anfänger habe ich eine Gitarre gesucht, die nicht all zu teuer ist - sollte es mir doch keinen Spaß machen - aber an der ich gleichzeitig nicht sofort die Lust verliere, dadurch dass der Klang zu schlecht ist, etwas mit der Qualität nicht stimmt oder sie schlecht verarbeitet ist. Ein Freund hat mir alle Gitarren von Harley Benton empfohlen und so habe ich den Versuch mit der Custom Line CLA-15M gewagt. Nach dem Auspacken ist mir als erstes aufgefallen, dass sie unglaublich hochwertig aussieht. Keine Leimnasen, keine Kratzer, alles plan. Sie ließ sich ohne Probleme stimmen, die Mechanik reagiert einwandfrei. An Qualität und Verarbeitung gab es schon mal nichts auszusetzen. Restlos begeistert war ich dann allerdings vom Klang. Schön dunkel, kein Schnarren, leicht bluesig. Man kann sie problemlos mal für eine Woche hinstellen und sie klingt immer noch großartig. Ich bin restlos begeistert.