I had already bought a couple of things at Thomann , a guitar case , a small amp and was quite satisfied with the quick delivery, but never an instrument.
So I play mainly an old battered Yamaha FG which is just a perfect workhorse, neck never moved, perfect action and a good balanced sound. Only slight downside , the guitar is a bit heavy. So as I am playing Folk/ Folkblues and I am mainly picking I wanted a lighter more Folkier guitar, with a Martin auditorium 15 series as model. Having not the budget for a Martin I tested a couple of Sigmas but was not really convinced.
Then I saw an offer for a B Stock auditorium by the Thomann Housebrand Harley Benton which looked quite similar to the Martin with a solid mahagony top and went for it. First good surprise when the guitar arrived , it looks gorgeous and the finish is perfect. While on the website they just mention solid mahagony top on the box the origin of the wood is mentionned. Itīs actually Gabun Mahagony also known as Okoume, which looks great but has not the same density as regular Mahagony and is far cheaper, which explains why Thomann can sell these guitars at such a low price.
So first contact really nice , very balanced and light , exactly what I was looking for , the action perfect. First little downside, the tuners are a bit on the cheap side, but once in tune they stay put. First strumming, sounds good, but nothing more. I played a couple of times on a Taylor and the Harley Benton has far less presence, even my Yamaha has a warmer overall sound. Then I played the guitar with fingerpicks and the sound is more interesting, clearer with more punch. Last try in open d with a bottleneck and again quite nice.
Under the line I donīt regret, but I am not sure I would really recommend. For a beginner I would always recommend a Yamaha I would be interrested to know if any of you have bought or tried out Harley Benton acoustics.
Bookmarks