Harley Benton D-120CE NT

OK, so I have one issue with this guitar so let's get that out the way. On inspection I ran my thumb and index finger down the edges of the neck (gently) and sliced open my index finger. These were the worst fret ends I have ever seen on a guitar, ever. Now don't let this put you off, this takes seconds to remedy with a fine grain sanding sponge. Just be aware that the frets are quite weedy and probably couldn't be re-crowned when they wear, there's not a lot of material there. So, this isn't a 'keep for life' guitar unless you are prepared to spend twice what it's cost for a refret at some point down the line. However, for a beginner or low usage player (electric guitarists, bassists who like an acoustic hanging around) this shouldn't be an issue.

Now onto the good stuff. Generally this is a pretty nice guitar, nice wood, surprisingly good tone for an inexpensive guitar, tuners aren't high end but have a pretty decent ratio and it stays in tune. I hear of so many people who plan to swap out tuners on Harley Bentons before they have even received the instrument but I now have 3 HB guitars and 1 bass and I have had zero tuning issues.

I had very low expectations of the preamp given the price point, and was pleasantly surprised when I plugged it in. Obviously it isn't as good as a more expensive guitar but it is entirely usable if you had to take it on stage or into the rehearsal room and plug into an amp or PA.

Any beginners reading this - you need to understand that pretty much any new guitar you buy will probably need an initial setup. Higher end more expensive guitars will often need to same tweeks as budget guitars, so don't fall into the trap of thinking I only paid so much so its not worth spending almost as much again on a setup. A good setup is worth every penny on any guitar, and this guitar is no different. This could make the difference between learning to play and having a lifetime of pleasure and giving up because it seems too hard.

So to conclude, excellent value for money, invest in a setup, and if you wear the frets out in a few years then it's done its job, you've learnt to play and will probably want something better anyway.

Bought it as an afterthought, just to have an acoustic guitar. But oh boiiiii!
For that low price... It's a hell of a guitar, especial soundwise.

Pros:
This guitar sounds good, really good. It resonates as a good guitar should, I had a Fender CD-60, and... well i think i'd prefer this guitar over fender if you don't have a need to plug it using jack.

Cons:
- Well it's a cheap guitar, so the tuners are doing their jobs, but that's it. I had one tuner that has a sharp edge and I hope I won't cut myself. And 3rd fret tuner is a clicky one (still works though)
- String holders are cheap. And I can't wait to change them for something more aesthetically better looking
- There's a lot of painting errors, like uncentered dots at the edge of a fretboard and everything, but hey it's a guitar under a 100 euro.

Conclusion:
For less than a 100 eu it's a really good guitar. yeah the paint job is flawed
and tuners are average at best but the sound of it... at least for me is making it a hell of a deal.

I'm happy with it, and hope this review will be helpful to ya!

Honestly speaking, I would never look to buy a new acoustic guitar for under £100. It would just not be worth it. Having bought several HB guitars from Thomann in the past however, I decided to take a plunge and buy the cheapest thing I could find on the Thomann site and order it to leave in our holiday house in Portugal. I could not believe how good this guitar is. Of course, it doesn't compare to my Taylor 810e. But neither does the price - £2k for my Taylor or £75 for this. AND it has a pick up! It's crazy!!

If you are looking for a guitar that you can leave and not worry too much about it, you won't find much better than this.

I like having a guitar wherever I go so this was a great option for me.

Not sure what I was going to get from this but took a punt anyway. Not much money if it was going to turn out to be rubbish. When it turned up it was well packaged and there was no damage. The guitar itself was almost in tune from the box and it plays quite nicely. It's my first acoustic (electric player for 19 years) so don't have a reference point for the sound quality, but I think it sounds great and the action and neck relief was excellent. The intonation was also perfect.

If you were a beginner it would not really need much doing to it to get learning some chords. As I'm going to be doing some lead work and bending strings it could do with a fret polish and fretboard oil but these are minor points really. I'd expect to have to setup a cheaper guitar anyway. Strings are a bit junky, but what do you expect for no-name factory ones. When I strip it down I'll be putting some better ones on.

Tried out the electric interface and all works as expected. Not sure on the sound quality as I find all electro acoustic (on recordings) to be a bit "plastic" sounding. Sounds like the aforementioned others I've heard so can't complain. Also came with the battery for the pre-amp!

Overall very happy indeed.

Playability:
Enjoyable and generally easy. The string height could have been a bit lower. Frets feel nice. Tunning stability - not perfect.

Pros:
Good Price
Good Sound
Ability to plug to an amplifier

Disadvantages:
The strings some times are caught in nut as you tune and make a cracking sound (make me nervous that their going to break. Maybe nut needs to be lubricated or carved smoother.

Overall:
Good for the money, although i haven't played with other accoustic guitar in the same price point in order to have a reference point.