An excellent electro-acoustic guitar at a low price
I bought the Harley Benton Custom Line Nashville-Nylon on Thomann website two months ago, more or less. As I said in the video, I hesitated a long time to buy this guitar. I was very wary about the brand, given the incredibly low price, combined with the negative reviews I have read online. I thought it was mediocre instruments, the type of first-price you could find in the 70s. Like Echo, Vantage and other obscure brands …
But after scrutinizing pictures on Thomann website, and also being reassured by their 30 days refund policy, I finally decided to give it a try.
There is also absolutely no demo about the Harley Benton Custom Line Nashville to check on the tube, mine being the first. This has not helped me to make up my mind.
Finally, I am really satisfied with my purchase. The Harley Benton Custom Line Nashville Nylon is a great guitar and the price has nothing to do with this decision. I would say the same thing if it cost three time the price. Although today’s instruments are extremely cheap compared to the ones we could buy ten years ago, 175€ for a new electro-acoustic nylon guitar is just hard to believe.
Finishing is superb, the neck is extremely fast and fun to play. The mechanics hold the tuning really well, after several days of stabilizing Alvares strings which are factory mounted. The guitar is extremely light and very well balanced. The tone controls are very effective, particularly the bass knob. (See video)
I composed a song, Funkystic, to put this guitar highlighted. You can listen in the video demo below it.
If you do not want to listen to my blah-blah, just forward the video to 3.20 …
Harley Benton is a sub-brand of Thomann. The mega-selling site online has created its own brand of first-price instruments and musical equipment. As I already mentioned, all the online reviews about this brand are very negatives. I would like to believe them because I do not tested any Harley Benton products and nobody has ever posted any criticism concerning the Harley Benton Custom Line Nashville-Nylon. But personally I have another Harley Benton guitar and some other items, and I am satisfied with them all.
The net is a very dangerous tool, people complain quickly, demolishing brands or products behind the anonymity of their keyboard, but they almost never post their positive opinions. We must, therefore, be wary of negative reviews by saying that the person is perhaps not qualified to judge this way.
I am personally an electric guitarist and I play very little classical guitar. This guitar is for me and for any guitarist in the same situation the ideal option. If after you have sided with the nylon guitar using this model and if this becomes your main expression, or at least crucial to you style, it goes without saying that you should buy a better quality instrument. But again, considering the quality of this guitar, the price difference is not justified.
Detail of Harley Benton Custom Line Nashville-Nylon
- Solid-Body Acoustic/Elctric Series
- Solid Spruce Top
- Solid Mahogany Body
- Creme Bindings
- Nato thomann Neck
- 648mm Scale
- Rosewood Fretboard
- 22 frets
- Pearl Dot Inlays
- 48mm Nut Width
- Rosewood Bridge
- Deluxe Gold Tuners
- Integrated Piezo Pickup System with Volume, Bass and Treble Control
- Hi-Gloss Natural Finish
Get your Harley Benton Custom Line Nashville-Nylon
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Testing the Harley Benton Custom Line Nashville Nylon
This post is also available in: French
Hi Herve!My name is Dimitris and I live in Athens ,Greece.I stumbled upon your review and I want to ask you a couple of questions.How is the acoustic unamplified sound of the guitar?How would you rate it?Is it worth useing an external microphone?what you think? What about its playability? how high are the strings?is the intonation proper?is it possible to low the strings more if necessary?could you please do a measurment of the guitars’ action and tell me?(remember bottom of E strings-top of twelfth fret).Sorry for bugging you with all these questions,but you’re my only hope. There is no other review of this benton nylon online and I’m completely in the dark.I play electric guitar pick style.Sometime ago I started playing fingerstyle again and I’like to continue with a nylon string guitar, so I want an instrument that I can play with the less effort possible,and not “brake” my hands!
Thank you for your time,kind regards Dimitris.
HI Dimitry,
I covered most of these questions in my review and in my video.
The sound unamplified is ok to practice alone, but quite lower than a regular nylon guitar.
As I said the guitar is really good. I only review instruments I own and like…
using a microphone?… it’s an electro-acoustic. You need an amplifier to amplify the guitar. You plug it like an electric guitar. 🙂
In my video I plugged it into electric lamp amps and it works really good.
No you can’t lower the string but action and intonation is great. It’s a nylon guitar, not an electric one. You can’t set action on most nylon guitar, except setting the truss rod.
As I said in the video. It plays well and it is easier than a regular nylon guitar.
check out the Thomann link above. links are geo-targetted so it leads to Greek website of Thomann.
I don’t know about measuring string’s high. It plays perfect.
Remember, you are protected during 30 days and you can return the guitar no question ask.
Since this article is quite popular, I’m going to do another review about it, answering all the questions I’m getting and also demoing the guitar using an acoustic preamp ( Zoom A3) and also playing with a pick made out of Delrin from Dugain.
Stay tune
HI Herve! Thanks for your answers and your time mate! Looking forward for review pt2 that you announced.
My best wishes, Dimitris.
Hello.
This guitar, Have a solid body?
I need a guitar for practice in the night.
His sound is very low or enough for disturb to my children?
Sorry, I don’t speak english
Thanks
it’s an hollow body guitar, but the sound is really low.
It’s made to be amplified so, even if the acoustic sound of it sounds good, it’s really low compared to a “real” nylon classical guitar.
Especially if you play finger picking style.
Thank you for your review.
I’ve been looking for an electric concert (nylon stringed) guitar für years, but since these kind of guitars are very expensive, I couldn’t afford one.
Now I’ve seen the Harley Benton, I was curious whether it was crap or at least a playable guitar. Your review tells everything I need to know, I guess I’m goping to give it a try.
Thanks again!
Happy to help. Please, give us your though if you decide to buy it.
Nice avatar! 😉
Tks for your nice reviews and comments.
I´m considereing this item or the Stagg model EC3000
I have 2 questions.
Does the finger board have any radius or is flat?
What kind of amp would be more suitable (Electric guitar or Acoustic)?
Happy new year.
I don’t know the other guitar you’re talking about.
First question: The fingerboard is flat, like any nylon guitar.
Second question: Both types of amp are fine. As you can see in the video embed on this post, I’m plugin it into electric amps. I made another video where I’m playing it plugged into a Zoom A3 acoustic preamp.
Check it out in this post:
http://sennimusic.com/new-review-of-the-harley-benton-custom-line-nashville-nylon-using-an-a3-zoom/
It really depends on the type of music you’re playing and the importance of the nylon guitar in your set. If, like me, you are an electric guitar player that play some nylon guitar here and there, using an electric amp is good enough. Maybe not a Marshall or Soldano kind of amps… I’m using Bugera amps and they sound really good.
But if you are into heavy classical guitar playing…. this is not the guitar you need. This is really an electric guitar with nylon strings on. I don’t think a real classical guitar player will like it at all. The neck is smaller, action is much lower…. But if you are into acoustic music, then an acoustic amp is of course, better. I like the A3 plugged directly into a board or a sound card. This is what I’m using now since I bought the Zoom.
Happy new years to you too.
I have a good roland acoustic amp-would this sound right -or do I need a proper electric guitar amp?
No it’s perfect. It’s a nylon guitar, so an acoustic amp is the best solution for it