Harley Benton Custom Line CLA-15M 5-stars Reviews

Incredible Value

Just received my CLA-15M. Astounded at the value for money. Sounds excellent and as good as guitars that cost 5 times as much or more. Arrived in perfect condition, packaged carefully. Set up is good, no quality issues. Intonation is excellent and there are no buzzing frets all the way up the neck. Highly recommended for experienced guitarists as a second or even main instrument. Look no further to buy this if you are a beginner, you will need nothing more for years to come.

Best guitar for the price

This is a very good guitar for the price. I am a guitar professor and I have bought for a student and its the best guitar I have played in that range of money! I have bought 3 for my students and then I bought for my self the same model with the solid wood and its getting better every month. I am very impressed by all harley benton guitars!

CLA-15MCE // 5 Stars

The CLA-15MCE is a solid wood guitar that sounds and feels exceptional for its price; I highly recommend it for anyone starting out.

The perfect pet

I bought this guitar as I wanted a cheapish acoustic I could have lying around (out of a case). And I have to say it has exceeded my expectations. The neck is absolutely fantastic in terms of action, feel and playability. It has a fairly flat radius (maybe 12 inch) and plays beautifully. I haven't adjusted the action or intonation at all - it was spot on.

The sounds is great, with a nice punchy sound. The finish is really clean and seems to be quite hard-wearing. I have knocked it a few times and it hasn't made a mark. The stock strings are good - I haven't even changed them after 15 months, although they probably need it now. The neck has worn nicely and is now really smooth (it always was smooth but now has a nice polished feel).

I do have one complaint though - the fret markers. Having the double markers on the 9th fret is confusing. My brain thinks it's the 12th. The markers on the side of the neck are fine, with a double dot at the 12th. Fortunately I don't look at the fretboard that much but it can be confusing if I'm trying to learn something new.

For context I've been playing guitar (on and off) since the early 90s and have played many guitars in that time. While this guitar doesn't feel super high end it also doesn't feel cheap. It just feels right and well balanced. I don't worry about damaging it and I don't wish it was better - I just play it.

Nice playing acoustic

I'm an advanced beginner to intermediate guitar player. I'm not a musician or tech, so my assessments are personal and subjective

Finish- really nice. Love the woodgrain and the guitar and neck feel nice in the hand

Sound- I had the dreadnought version of this, and the sound of CLA is more trebly, but that's very subjective. It sounds good to my ear.

Tuners are the weak part, a little hesitant and jumpy. I'd glad pay 20-30 euro more on the purchase price for better ones

Strings need to be changed. The ones that are fitted are good quality but a little aged from sitting in the warehouse.

I'll use it for learning fingerpicking blues, and occasional strumming. I was mostly attracted by the size as I found the CLD-15M dreadnought a little too big for comfortable playing, buy again that's personal. I'm average height so if you're taller you might prefer a bigger body guitar.

The other size advantage of the CLA is in storage. I keep 3 of my guitars in the living room and space is at a premium.

Highly recommended guitar for the price, and even if it cost a little more.

Terrific value

The stars are of course relative to the price point and not compared to a EUR 3k guitar. This guitar is a solid instrument in every sense of the word. Required a bit of adjustment at first but that is clearly expected (action was a bit high). I use it at home. It tunes perfectly, sounds very good and the playability is good. If you are expecting Martin quality at this price then look elsewhere. If you are looking for a beautiful, solid guitar that delivers a nice sound at a very affordable price, this is it.

It is the kind of guitar you can grab and play outdoors without caring that much about dings, etc.

Cons: setup could be better but that is easily fixed in 20 min with basic tools and should not be expected at this price point.

Fully recommended.

Great Value

This is my third Harley Benton and I purchased this for my son after setting up two identical models (CLA15M) in my shop for seasonal set-ups. This guitar required very little adjustment upon arrival in Canada and was flawless in fit and finish. The fretwork was without issues as well. The nut was cut perfectly and the guitar only required a truss rod adjustment to bring the relief within a better range (though the original relief was acceptable). The stained Okoume had a very nice figure to it as well. The guitar sounds very warm and is an excellent value for the price. Anything comparable, in my experience is almost twice the retail cost. I will likely invest in more of these guitars. Even with the cost of shipping to Canada, it is still a very good deal. Shipping is also amazingly fast.

Harley Benton Custom Line CLA-15M

The dreadnought version wasn't available at the time (which is a shame, since I'm a dreadnought kind of person - but seems like it's back in stock again!), so I decided to order the auditorium counterpart, and, I actually placed two separate orders for two of them, since I'm skeptical about guitars from this brand.

Turns out...

Both guitars sound better than what I was expecting, well, at least for an auditorium. We all know that this design will give you a much thinner sound, but on this particular one, it's rather balanced, not too dark, not too bright, which is what I like. The bone nut and the bone saddle do have a significant contribution to the sound amplification: it's clear, natural, and even loud (including harmonics). The only difference is, that the second one seems to have a better setup than the first one, both out of the box and after minor adjustments. Other than that, great smell (I'm not even kidding), great design (I can tell the guitar's heavily inspired by the Martin 000-15M, but hey, this is more like saying "when you want an expensive guitar but your budget is too tight so you ended up getting an inspiration instead, and it's very, very good, no exaggerations."). No sharp fret ends, smooth fretboard and bridge (even the bridge feels smooth!), decent tuners (at least for now, though I'll swap the tuners in the near future).

Yeah, I already returned the first one on the day I received the second one, which I'm happy with. Highly recommended, but always inspect your new guitar before actually playing.

Now, should I get the CLD-15M too?

Don't hesitate just buy it!

The quality, finish and sound of this little guitar is top drawer. Ive got a Martin 000-18 which I love, but this comes close. If you're on a budget (or even if you're not) this guitar will more than fit the bill.

Totally amazing!

In the beginning I was really sceptical on this... But then there was the Harley Benton CLA-15M. I have tested a various number of mahogany type of acoustic guitars, but this one I have myself, came out of the winner... This guitar became the one, I really saw myself playing, somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

I really love the warm and brilliant tone of the sounds. And also I am amazed by the fact it has a massive top. And a lovely punch of sustain. The bone nut on the headstock is really a feature witch pays some bills either.

The heavy feel of the neck was also a great and pleasure to me. And the refinements of this great guitar shows a powerfull content, packed into a appearance of modesty.

Next to that, I use an magnetic soundhole pickup by DeArmond Toneboss and using D'Addario strings. All of that all... a great recipe for a long lasting pleasure of playing and sounds.

I feeling very happy right now! And I really would recommend to consider this guitar to check out!

Amazing Guitar

I got this guitar to get me through the quarantine, and I love it.

Really comfortable to play for a beginner, great sound and very beautiful finish.

Nice for the price

Sounds great as a guitar with a mahogany solid top - woody, warm sound, with quiet basses. It needed some fret-works. Some of the frets were bumping, the action was pretty high, fret edges were pretty sharp. I gave it to a luthier and for 40EUR I got a new guitar that plays like a dream. The luthier was surprised by how good it sounds. He also said it's a cheap guitar - fretboard is painted with some dark paint for design reasons. The tuners are fine. The body Is a bit heavy. For the scalloping, they used some fat wooden sticks. For that price is very very good.

Amazing Guitar

I own many high end Martins and Taylors and will never sell them but - this is my 10th HB guitar in 3 weeks - Im Hooked. the quility of these guitars is saving me in the long run because i am not sure i can bring myself to buy another 3k guitar for a while - WOW - Having Fun!!

Incredible deal

This is one of the best acoustic guitars I've played. No exaggeration.

The build quality is great, the only hint of a blemish that I can find is that the bridge is a tiny bit rough in one place. Literally makes no difference.

It sounds great, plays great, the action is nice and the neck is comfortable. And then there's the price; this is basically a gift.

Don't hesitate, this is possibly the best deal you can find.

great guitar

Do not let the price fool you, this is a great guitar,my 1400 hundred dollar marten has a little better tone, but not 1200 hundred dollars better

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.

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.

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.