Harley Benton HBO-850BK

Looks good but...

Looks really good but to many issues with it. Horrible setup, fret buzz, strings are worthless and I needed pliers to remove the 6th string, with new strings sound improved a little. Machines are loose and of low quality. Pick up is very silent. I'll take it to my luthier and see if he can do something with it. My 3rd Harley Benton and 1st that doesn't get 5 stars.

Tuner

They could include a tuner next to the volume pieces. Otherwise I like the sound.

Great buy for 1st acoustic

Bought this guitar to enter the world of guitar . Very happy , sounds great and easy to play . Slight buzz on low e string but nothing to ruin the overall quality and build . Highly recommend to anyone thinking about purchasing this guitar .

Poor mans Ovation?

You ain't getting Ovation at this price, but, what you get is a beautiful crafted low end electro acoustic with a twist... resonation... resonation.... it isn't in the ovation sound league, but sounds as good, if not better than you're average starter guitar... a lot of product for ridiculously low price 👍 hot chocolate ' everyone's a winner'

Cracking wee guitar

I have quite a few high end signature guitars and some Harley Benton guitars also.

I'm Very impressed with this guitar. I have an ovation already and to be honest, this is probably up there with it.

Firstly, the over all quality is very good. There are no blemishes to the bodywork. Paintwork is like a mirror finish, neck is very smooth & comfortable, the action is lovely and low which makes it super easy to play.

The sound is refreshingly bright & crystal clear - intonation is perfect!

I bought as a package and got a gigbag with it which is also good quality and fits well.

I added the black Harley Benton signature strap to my order which really dresses off the guitar beautifully.

You won't find better for the price - it's a total gem & a bargain - I genuinely can't fault the guitar or extras... Well done on this one Harley Benton!

You get what you pay

This is my first Ovation style guitar. Ordered the black one and received in August 2022. Delivery worked quickly - less than 5 days as far as I can remember.

The instrument is made of exceptionally cheap materials and components that began to break even before I changed the stock strings.

First of all, a piece of decorative lining around the holes broke off - it is glued pointwise and in some places "hangs" above the surface. In the same way, the wooden parts are glued to the plastic inside the case. In my case, this was not critical and did not affect the sound.

Very soon, the wire inside the case (from the EQ to the output) began to hang out and rattle with almost any movement. The output jack nut spins simply from vibration, even if you do not connect the guitar. In the end, it got lost during the play.

The pegs fundamentally refuse to keep the tune. After six months of use, almost any touch to them breaks the tune. Just like any bend. It looks like the teeth just wear out quickly and start to slip. Had to change.

The neck is glued in incorrectly - with a classic production defect - a hump at the 14th fret. You can even see how the edging cracked and was re-glued. Also, the freeboard is not 100% even along the entire length. I'm trying to do fretworks now (in the moment of writing), but this definitely the defect, so I do not expect much more...

In general, trying to perfect this guitar can easily cost more than the cost of the instrument itself.

Electronics - little use, but it definitely works. Because of the disgusting connection, there is a lot of extraneous noise, but it works. The equalizer is working.

The best thing is the body. It's plastic and seems to be unbreakable. In general, the guitar looks good from a distance.

Conclusion: Only if you're in extremely tight quarters and need a camping guitar. But it is by no means a serious instrument.

Good but needs work

It needed the following to get it right:

Underside of bridge filed down to sort the high action.

Light filing to nut as high E string snapped at nut when tuning out of the box.

Change of strings as the ones they come with are poor.

Filed the edges of the fretboard as sharp.

Treatment applied to fretboard.

One piece of the inlay at fret 12 was slightly raised and had to be sliced off with a blade.

French polish applied to decorative wood work. Looks unfinished out of the box. Also had to chip away bits of glue residue and lightly file the decorative wood work.

Pros:

Price

Good sound

Cons:

QC/finish of the guitar.

Worth the price but be prepared to do some work on it to get it right. Once the work is done it looks, plays and sounds great for the price.

Excellent guitar

Excellent guitar. I used for almost 8 years.

I am not able to adjust the action now. It's high but still you will be able to pay it well.

Great value for the cost!!

Never in my years of music have I had such a variety of great instruments at such a great value. The tone of the tone of the Harley Benton HBO-850BK is just what I needed for my recording, and the electric capability is outstanding! 5 star on this item!!

Happy for the purchase.

Good enough if you can't afford an ovation guitar