Harley Benton Custom Line CLA-15MCE Reviews

A great all purpose guitar.RGM

I sold my Martin

I sold my Martin when I received this guitar. Excellent. Action is a bit high but this guitar is excellent. I just put humidifiers (a lot) cuz it seems very dry. sounds great, feels great, looks great. What more can you ask? Nice!

Workhorse guitar

I really like this guitar, it came with a few blemishes but it sounds great and is so comfortable to play.

Piezo pickup gave me issues my last gig, sound became intermittent and I had to end with a different guitar. I've yet to fix that.

Even so, I still love this guitar and will fix that issue one of these days.

Fantastic guitar

I bought the Dreadnought version of this guitar to keep at my GFs place previously and ended up liking it so much that I decided I wanted something similar for the studio as well. And in all honesty the Auditorium model is even sweeter. The unit is an absolute beauty with no imperfections to catch the eye and the sound crisp and clean. I've mostly been a strummer previously but as this guitar is so extremely well suited for fingerstyle I find myself doing a lot more of that now, and my skill is improving just because playing it is so much fun!

As the strings that came on the Dreadnought were downright awful I put a fresh packet in with the order and expected to re-string the guitar first thing. However, to my surprise I found the default strings to be totally fine on this unit and I'm still playing the original string a couple of months after purchase.

As for cons, the only thing I've noticed is a tiny amount of vibration/buzz which I think originates from the cables of the pre-amp running on the inside of the guitar body from the tuner to the jack. when I re-string the guitar I will put some tape over this to keep it fixed in place.

All in all a lovely guitar at an unbeatable price and I highly recommend it!

Brilliant--10/10

What a guitar, beautiful sound/action, connect to an amp and again, everything is excellent.

The finish and feel are unreal. Lovely crisp clear sound.

Cant find any complaints, I'm a semi/beginner with only 8 months in but after 2 second hand decent guitars, and they were 100% working fine. I decided to spend more and get a higher quality guitar.

I thought it might be novelty factor, its not, its just easier to play and everything just does what I'm trying to do.

Best investment I've made in long long time, I wanted to make a step up in a decent guitar. Delighted I chose this.

Considering I was going to spend approx €500 on a new one from a shop. This is nicer, better quality, and a great price tag to match.

Much more experienced musicians tried it and loved it.

Ill be buying more of this brand. the quality of the build is unreal.

Well packaged and got it really fast. Great service.

Highly recommended as you can see in all the other reviews.

best guitar at low cost

best guitar at low cost money can buy. Amazing Guitar. Unbox it and ready to go.. It sounds very good and as if an very expensive guitar

Great Guitar

Amazing guitar, with quality build and great pickup sound. Had to tweak a bit the neck since there was a big gap between the strings and the fretboard, but otherwise, can't really complain, especially with the inbuilt tuner.

This is a lovely sweet wee guitar, well set up out of the box

I have several acoustics, mostly Canadian like Seagull, Simon & Patrick, La Patrie, Faith, Wasburn but have had many more including Martins, Taylors etc. I think right out of the box and tuned up this is a beaut.

I nearly bought the guitar it is a copy of a few years ago while working in a music shop but can't remember why I didn't so when I saw the HB one I decided to give it a try with the intention of stringing it for Nashville tuning, but after my initial test I may leave the tuning as is and even get another one of these for nashville tuning as it is a lovely player and I can see myself gigging it a lot.

I had no doubt the quality would be good as I bought a Harley Benton PRS 24 electric copy in green a while back and though it need fret dressing and setup it plays as good if not better than some of my more expensive guitars (lovely neck which allows lower action when setting it up than some).

This is a great acoustic guitar for fingerstyle (thumb pick or thumb) cause it's more middy than a dreadnought, projects more mids with less low end and not as jingly / toppy as some due to the woods used if you get me, it's nice and mellow. Strummed it is the same, more focused. I imagine while recording with a nice condenser like a Rode NT5 or 55 or a stereo pair it would record really well on account of it's nice focused projection. It would be a great wee guitar if you play in a band and you need a guitar to sit nice in the mix without competing with some of the bass guitar's area of the frequency spectrum but you could stand up solo and gig with it no bother, it won't be as full sounding as a jumbo or dreadnought for strumming (it is a different sound) but will be better for finger picking. If you play with a person who plays a jumbo or dreadnought in an acoustic band one of these for your end of things would be a good option, good for acoustic lead.

I used the built in tuner and checked it against the one I use in studio and live a lot and it is spot on. Didn't record with the fishman pickup or run through a PA yet but I'd say it will be grand, I will know soon and will add that end of my findings.

The way I look at HB instruments is they are good value. If there is a very obvious problem send it back and try another. You WILL get a good one. I had a Gibson here that was the worst instrument I ever had (from another online supplier) so all companies get it wrong sometimes or let one slip through the net.

This acoustic is fine as it is but I will probably lemoil the fingerboard and smooth the fret edges a wee bit when I do first string change but I do these things - setups etc on a very regular basis and have the tools to do so, but believe me it's fine as it is, I could take it to a gig right now (I only took it out of the box 3 hours ago) . I only intend doing a wee bit of work on it as I have the means at my disposal and would tweak a big brand a bit to for my liking the same way. The reason I say this is if you did happen to get one with the odd sharp fret etc, but otherwise the guitar is great it is worth taking it to a local repair guy or some person guy who plays in a band etc you know who can do it for you.... you will end up with an even nicer playing experience.........but........I would be very happy to take this one out and gig it right now if a gig came in.... it's ready to play like........ Try one!

Best acoustic guitar for the price

Best acoustic sound for the price. Nice clear hights and full bottom.

Machines could be a bit better.

Comfortable to play, good Fishmann electronic.

A real gem

I love this guitar.

The price, the action, the sound, the build, the pickups.

If you want a really top guitar but don't have '000s to spend, then a couple of hundred will get you one.

I'm sure the top players will know the difference, and I am sure there are differences but for me, it feels like I am playing a guitar that cost 4 figures and not 3.

the fretboard is not so good as i supposed it was.So it s a little difficult for someone who begins to play guitar to learn with it.

Beautiful all round guitar that over delivers on any realistic expectations.

Out of the box, the first impression was how attractive this guitar was. Mine had a lovely "tiger stripe" to the grain on the solid mahogany top. The tuners are solid and similar in appearance to the ones on my Martin. The nut and bridge are well made, the electrics sound great when plugged in with a really handy built in tuner. As I tune my guitar a semi tone down I didn't expect to be able to tune it with this, but it does handle #'s.

The sound is more mellow than my Martin (solid spruce top) which I really like. If I was picky I would say the base is much weaker but it is not fair to make this comparison given the price point and it still sounds really well balanced and pleasant to listen to.

As I have smaller hands, the really great thing I liked was the profiled neck. It is quite a slim profile and I have no trouble getting my thumb over onto the sixth string. Also I really like this size guitar (Goldilocks...not to big, not too small) which sits comfortably on my lap and easy to get my hands into position.

The frets and pretty smooth, and the intonation is great. It seems to play really well with a capo and stays in tune as I move it about (some of my other guitars need to be re-tuned each time I move the capo!)

In summary and taking into account the price point, in my opinion there are no negatives. On a blind test I would say it would retail for 2-3 times more than the asking price. Tone, play-ability, looks, components and craftsmanship are all fantastic for the price. If you are not sure but feel it is the type of instrument you are interested in...take a punt and I doubt you will be disappointed.

Goes in to the guitar hall of fame "Guitars under 1000¤"

I have had many acoustic guitars in the price range just under 1000¤ and all have had their "issues". Most issues have been high strings and of course neck changing with the weather. I got this, opened the box and it was already perfect in my hand. Has a low action and easy to play neck. Intonation is perfect and the sound is just awesome. I highly recommend this guitar even to so called professionals.

Incredible value for money

Bought this as it was the most affordable electro acoustic on the market.

Straight out the box its perfect..nothing to complain about.

Very light and beautifully made.

Now I have my sights set on a HB ST-62

Nice! Great!

I must say this is a great nice little guitar,

I am not a professional but also not anymore a beginner,

This guitar meets my expectations of a good sound and action and at an affordable price.

It is beautiful and sounds very nice.

Shipping was all perfect and safe package.

I want already to buy another HB guitar damn it!!!

Cheers

Great Guitar foe whatever price

It is a great guitar. I bought it as a backup for my Martin, Taylor, and Breedlove guitars.

Expensive guitars may sound mediocre, and cheap guitars may sound like heaven. So forget about it and talk about the guitar itself.

The guitar played well out of the box with a little fret buzz. After adjusting the action, it became a perfect guitar. My impression is that it looks like a Martin cutaway acoustic electric but sounds like a Taylor.

Pros: good tone; beautiful color; easy to play

Cons: fret buzz de to the very low action; it is very easy to fix.

Whoever made this guitar in a factory in China, you may not read this review, but I salute you.

Huge bang for your buck

This is one of those I don't normally leave reviews review. By that I mean this guitar is so much bang for your buck that I just had to leave a review to let people know the guitar can compete with many others at a much higher price. For ages I have been looking for a GA size electro and tried pretty well everything in the price range up to a £1000. Other than the Faith Venus (the neck profile and body shape didn't suit me) I could not find a guitar the anywhere near seemed to justify the asking price. I took a chance on this HB based on the reviews thinking I had little to lose and at least could use it as a knockabout guitar. How wrong I was, the build quality is frankly amazing and just as good as many of the much more expensive guitars I tried, and the sound quality is as good as anything I tried up to £1000. Full and well balanced, very articulate and complex sounding, frankly I cannot believe how good this guitar is regardless of price. You won't be disappointed.

A PLEASANT SURPRISE

I have been playing guitar for almost 30 years ..A lot of that time as professional in many bands.Having had a few Harley Benton models before I decided on the ClA-15MCE based mainly on past experience and the many reviews.It arrived yesterday and I gigged with it last night.This is rare for me but the quality of tone and finish was excellent.It has a lovely round dark tone which I adore and the added bonus of the Fishman pickup...Yes, A very pleasant surprise

NIcely crafted mahogany auditorium guitar

Great value guitar from HB which caught my eye with many positive reviews. The action is set-up a little high for my liking but easily adjustable with the alan key provided to adjust the truss rod. The guitar has a matt finish and is very good with a real attention to detail but it is smoother that I"d prefer, I like a natural finish on my instruments that's just personal preference. The guitar comes with D'Addario EXP-16 .012 - .053 which give the guitar a lovely tone and warm sound. overall I'm very happy with the guitar and extremely impressed how much guitar I got for ¤199. I will be purchasing more HB affordable beauties in the future.

Harley Benton Custom Line CLA-15MCE

Like most budding guitarists, Martins are our of my league.

Having read the reviews, I hoped this little guitar would get close to the real thing.

They were right. It hits all the right chords, is great value for money and sounds and feels fantastic.

I cannot rate this guitar highly enough. Don't be put off by the price, its a gem.

I have a Harley Benton TE 80NT Deluxe on order, I cant wait to see what they have done to emulate the Tele sound.