Harley Benton Custom Line CLD-16SCE

Couch guitar

Perfect couch guitar, came well set up and spotless.

Different strings and endpins impact the sound greatly.

For the money

Stays in tune action is really low i think i will have to change the bridge but its my taste ! Otherwise all good no bad wood ect. I did not find any flaws. Way basier and pronounced than my older acoustic guitar. Im no big acoustic player, but i think for the money you cant buy better guitar than HB.

A real Western guitar

Good neck, good mechanics. A pleasant satin matte finish. Not very bright sound. The guitar is well tuned. There is a slight defect on the front surface of the soundboard.

not my guitar but my friend says for the money its unbeatable

Good guitar

I really like this guitar, it is my first steelstring acoustic guitar. I have now been playing on it for 10 months or so. It is quite loud which is good in my opinion, and has a great sound to it.

You get far more than what you pay for. I also like the electrical features on it like the tuner and a insert for a cable that allows for recording.

I would recommend this guitar!

Excellent guitar for the price, not the best in Custom Line imho

Harley Benton CLD-16SCE has the most "standard dreadnought" sound (well balanced, not boomy or dull) and look in HB Custom Line (personally tested against CLD-15MCE and Superior-E). It easily holds it's own against similar solid top guitars from Fender and Yamaha I tested (those sound slightly different but not necessarily better or worse) with the added benefit of being cheaper while also featuring a very good pickup system. CLD-16SCE is definitely a solid buy.

That said, I tested it against HB Custom Line Superior-E VS and found the latter to be a notably better sounding guitar - richer fuller sound, better projection, deeper bottom end and sparklier highs, more punch and swag to the sound, really impressive.

The action on all three guitars HB Custom Line guitars I tested was too high (I filled down the nut to bring it down), but the neck relief was set up correctly. Be prepared to put in some time into guitar setup if you chose to buy this or other guitar in HB Custom line.

Rough start, happy ending

At first I was quite disappointed. The action was pretty high and the sound lacked this brightness, volume and life. I made some truss rod adjustments and it lowered the action a bit. The sound tho. Normally first thing to do when you get a new instrument is to change the strings, but I thought the factory strings are decent and seem fresh ... so yeah. I considered sending the guitar back, but thank god I did not.

(few months later)

I took off the old strings, sanded the bridge a bit lower and put on 80/20 11-52 set. And WOW! Now we`re talkin. This thing sings! Its all there. It was like taking the first pill in Limitless. I like really bright and crisp sounding acoustics and with these strings, it definitely is that.

So kids, change your strings right after unboxing.

Finish, intonation, neck, frets, preamp all are lovely.

Fretboard looks like it is painted darker. not 100% sure, but I?ve seen it on other acoustics too.

Oh, and the thickness of a pick has a huge impact on the sound.

More than awesome for the price!

Cosidering the budget I thought this could be used just for strumming open chords and some fiddling in the lower part of the neck but boy was I in for a suprise! The guitar sounds fantastic! I wish I didn't have to install the strap knob by myself though. The tuner isn't the best but it gets the job done, and the preamp is pretty decent, but it's nowhere near a high quality one. All in all, for the money, I can't recommend it enought!

Great Beginner Guitar

I bought this guitar as a Christmas gift for my old man. As he has recently retired and approaching his autumn years I thought it would be apt to get one thing off the bucket list for him - that being learning the guitar.

As a guitar player myself I find this excellent value for money, sturdy build, great broad sound and the built in tuner is a massive advantage (especially for a novice).

My only advice would be to buy some strings along with your purchase and restring it on arrival - the stock strings leave a little bit to be desired.

All in all a great piece of kit for beginners to intermediate players alike.

A decent guitar for the price

I bought this guitar to bring with me when I travel. I needed an inexpensive guitar for this purpose. The guitar is light but well constructed. It projects its sound well and stays in tune.The Fishman pre-amp works well. This in no way sounds like a quality acoustic (rather hollow in sound) but it does sound good for a guitar in this price range and better than most double in price. If its sound opens up as it ages it will be even better. The neck is very comfortable and playable. I have had only one problem with it. I was playing it hard and suddenly there was a terrible buzzing from the 3rd and fourth strings located at the what appeared to be either the bridge or the top wood of the guitar below the bridge. To make the story shorter, after a half hour of checking the guitar (were the bridge pins loose, was the bridge separating from the guitar, did I have bracing coming unglued) I took the battery out of the preamp and the buzzing stopped. This will be an easy fix, either the battery will need to be shimmed from the bottom or its sides or a new battery might make the difference or the springs in the battery compartment compressed during shipment. Don't let this put you off from this guitar since it is something so easy to fix if you experience it.

Overall this acoustic guitar gives you good value for your money. I am very happy with this purchase.