Harley Benton Custom Line CLP-15M

Very happy with this Harley Benton Parlor

I was after a smaller-bodied, shorter scale acoustic to add to my collection and this CLP-15M 00-12 Parlor caught my attention. To my mind it harks back to the vintage, cheap and simple small-bodied acoustics sold in the USA pre-Second World War. I own a 1937 National Trojan Wood-Bodied Resonator similar in size. I was impressed with the 24.75 inch scale, solid wood top construction, bone nut and saddle, and slotted headstock, along with the positive reviews. Also this guitar (albeit the models with a pickup) has some reviews on YouTube.

However as I live in Australia I hesitated at the expensive shipping offered: $251 Australian Dollars for a what was a $269 Australia Dollar guitar. Despite the cost associated with my geographical location I went with it as there seemed to be nothing comparable in quality and features to buy locally.

The guitar shipped to my home in about seven days and the package arrived in good condition. The guitar came in its own box inside a larger box. There was even a cardboard sleeve covering the neck. There were no visible defects in finish and the action was spot on. The inspection tag attached to the guitar was signed off in 2019 so this guitar must have been sitting in the warehouse in Germany all this time.

I immediately removed the pick guard to enhance the aesthetic and it peeled off easily without residue or damage. Love the guitar’s simple lines, lack of binding, and the shiny, decorative tuners suit the vintage vibe of this guitar. The solid Okoume top has a very nice mottled grain. The “snowflake” fret marker inlays are nice.

The sonics are fine. “Boxey” in tone I suppose if that refers to the midrange tones produced by the smaller body. The forty five millimetre wide nut facilitates finger placement, while the shorter scale enhances playability. Love the feel of this guitar in my lap.

I am well satisfied with this Harley Benton CLP-15M. Recommended!

Superb value for money.

I bought this on a bit of a whim after hearing a few friends raving about how good HB electric guitars are. I wanted a cheap acoustic to take to a festival with me this summer. I'm blown away by how good this feels and sounds! I have more expensive and more refined sounding guitars but at the price this is incredible value.

5 Stars in terms of value

I have owned this guitar for a few months or a year, or longer. I don't remember. It's definitely worth getting. The tuners are remarkably stable, the sound is pleasing. But has a lot of low end. Got to put some brighter strings on there to find balance. Good frets and neck, action is a little high. Of all my acoustic guitars this looks the best and its size is very comfortable. I don't want to play big acoustic guitars anymore after this one.

Lovely guitar.

After strumming an old cheap laminated Jumbo acoustic guitar for a couple of months, I decided to buy something decent to learn on, I didn't want to spent too much money in case I lost interest, or failed to learn.

I ordered the guitar on Monday, it arrived UK early on Thursday, well packaged.

First thing that hits you is the lovely smell of mahogany wood, then the solid build as you lift it,, man, I was already impressed, I tuned it up and played a few simple chords, lovely rich tone and well balanced sound, lovely action, and just enough base, and clear ringing bottom strings without any harshness. I strummed and picked until my fingers were sore. Picked it up after breakfast on Friday and already learnt my first ever song The Beatles "And I love her" simple note picking and the guitar does it's job beautifully, with clear ringing 10th fret to take you back up the neck for the finishing touches on the base notes .

No set up needed, frets are fine, good overall construction, lovely Matt finish, great value for money.

Stunning guitar

For the prince, this guitar is brilliant. Sounds absolutely terrific. The body and neck feel great. The strings that come with it are a little on the heavy side. Hope the quality sees though and outlives it's intended price.

The wood can feel a little plasticy at times. Can always upgrade the tuners etc. but no real need it's that good out of the box.

a great guitar!

if you are looking for a great sounding, comfortable to play steel string guitar, it's great. Especially for fingerstyle. I had to tighten the truss rod to flatten the fingerboard. the tool and instructions for doing that were included with the guitar, so that was easy. it really looks beautiful too! The guitar got here quickly in good condition and i was kept up-to-date with the progress of the shipment, which was delivered when promised.

Nice little parlor guitar.

I bought it for playing the Delta Blues and it mach perfect for that. 45mm nut width is quite good for fingerpicking.

Playability is good and intonation is very sharp. Guitar sounds very authentic to old fashioned delta players like B.B.Broonzy, Mississippi John Hurt, Son House and others.

Not to mention, this guitar is loud, louder than my jumbo Takamine. Could you imagine - so little and yells like an animal!

Building quality is exellent, just one thing I didn?t understand, why to complete so nice instrument with cheap plastic bridge pins and tuners from totally another fairytale. Does not mach the style at all. Gear ratio 1:14 does not fit to steel strings. I changed these details not to spoil a original look of AP-66 which rip-off this guitar probably is.

And the label ofcourse, it?s UGLY. Is there too hard to find a better paper? Wiped off with wet cloth by me!

But generally it is a top qualty instrument and strongly recommend it!

Unbeatable at this price

Got this as an armchair strummer, just something to noodle on when watching TV. Seemed good value with the solid top and it really is.

The finish overall is pretty much flawless, it is understated, but looks a lot better than the site pictures, smooth frets, nice action after adjusting the truss rod and taking a bit off the saddle, this is more personal preference as it was perfectly playable as was. The tuners hold tune very well and the nut is cut properly, really no complaints.

Sound wise it is really a lot better than the price suggests, finger picking and bluesy style plucking is what this little gem excels at, but it doesn't sound awful if you can't be bothered to sit with your Dreadnought in the front room and want to do some strumming, boxy as expected, but projects quite well for it's size.

You really can't go wrong with this little beauty, and the 45 mm nut is a bonus for finger pickers.