This guitar sounds great, feels great, and is extremely light weight. The Fishman pickup is really good. Now, I wish that was it, but unfortunately, that's not the case.
1) The black finish is very thin, and it is possible to see the wood grain through. It is also very sensitive to finger-prints and other sweaty parts of your body - like your right arm. Why not make one in natural finish?
2) The battery lasts 100 hours, according to the manual. It is held in a little pouch and stuck to the inside of the guitar using velcro. Why? Was this method invented by a 7-year old? Maybe I expect too much, but on guitars costing way less, I am able to change battery without having to remove the strings and start digging around inside. Really a bad solution to a very simple problem. Also, the wires are held in place using double-sided scotch-tape. Can't wait for those to rattle lose.
3) The neck is dark and lacquered, and usable. The fret-markers are black on a dark back-ground. Why? White fret-markers exists.
So, all in all, I feel that Harley Benton should have put a little bit more effort into the development of this guitar. They are so close! A proper battery holder, white fret-markers and a less finger-print prone finish (preferably in a natural colour), and it would have been perfect.
If I had known that I would have to do my own wood-working to install a usable battery compartment, I would have bought another CLG-414CE NT WN instead. It also has a less sticky neck.
