Harley Benton CLG-650SM-CE VS SolidWood

This was my 8th HB guitar ordered from Thomann, and certainly the most expensive. That being said, I had high expectations that this guitar would my best purchase yet, and would require very little “correction” right out of the box. Other HB purchases usually needed small adjustments in intonation, string height, fret end dressing, or truss rod adjustment. Let me first say that the delivered CLG-650-CE VS is an absolutely beautiful guitar, with wonderful tone. It is well crafted with above average HB hardware. It does, however, have one glaring flaw- as delivered it had the absolutely worst fret treatment that I had ever seen. When trying to perform even a minor string bend, the strings actually catch on the frets, and the sound emanating when trying to bend a note sounds like fingernails running across a chalkboard.
I will have to turn this over to an experienced luthier because I think that trying to polish frets that are in such poor condition is beyond my capabilities. I had considered returning the guitar, but frankly, I’d rather not go through the hassle, and I believe that once the fret issues are resolved by a luthier, I’ll be completely satisfied.

Summary:
PRO- Beautiful guitar, great woods, fine craftsmanship, better than average hardware, and good initial setup.

CON- Terrible fret work- should have never passed QC.

Note.... I also need to mention that you must remove the guitar strings to replace the battery for the preamp. Ughhhhh!

A lovely sounding guitar with a a comfortable armrest built in. The action was lowered by me by sanding the saddle and the action plays great.
Only 2 little niggles. The first was that the fret marker dots were black and indistinguishable from the fret-board in low light. I painted some white dots with acrylic artists paint to get around this. The second is that the battery compartment is inside the sound-hole and is Velcroed to the base of the neck Not only is it a real pain changing the battery as the all the strings need to be loosened to get my hand in, but also the Velcro has become unattached, (presumably I didn't push it back on tightly enough), and the battery is now hanging loose inside the sound-hole and I can't be bothered to loosen the strings to put it back. To cure this, I've ordered a battery compartment that will fit on the base of the guitar, although it will need cutting a hole into the guitars base near the strap pin.
It's a well made guitar with a good clear and mellow sound. Well worth the money.

I ordered this as a backup guitar for my Taylor cedar top which I adore. Everything exceeded my expectations in regards to the fret treatment, sound, etc. The only thing that confused me was the battery in the velcro pouch thingy inside the guitar which I had never seen because I was used to the little plastic cases that pop out. Thus, that's the only reason why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars on the features. Other than that, I'm ecstatic. The action is actually a bit lower than my Taylor making it somewhat easier to play; however, these are different guitars. One has more clarity in the midrange while the CLG has a really nice bass range and resonance. In a way, the resonance reminded me of my old Seagull S6. The finish on the back of the neck more like the Gibsons I have played in that the finish was more "sticky" than the Fender maple necks I prefer. However, that is a matter of preference, and it is easily remedied to match my needs. I can see myself playing this guitar for many years.

I had been looking at this guitar for some time but because it was one of the more expensive HB models I held off buying until I could comfortably afford it. I'm so glad that that I did. This guitar is one of the best I've played and I've played some costing three or four times the cost of this one. The tone is what you'd expect from an solid mahogany guitar, warm and well balanced throughout. When amplified the guitar retains the tone of the acoustic very well without sounding too electric if that makes sense. The guitar is a joy to play with a light and easy action even with the 12s it's strung with. Its sustain is excellent and the intonation was spot on out of the box. The arm rest is a big plus. You can play for long periods without having the top edge of the guitar digging into your biceps.
This is definitely a guitar that I will keep. The more it's played the better it will sound as the solid woods bed in. Buy one. You won't regret it.

Excellent guitar. Sounds great, with perfect workmanship. The only reason i gave i 4 stars, is that the tuners dont feel great. Theres quite a few dead spots when tuning (maybe mine are faulty). Reminds me of cheap bog standard tuners found on much cheaper guitars. Will probably change for a set of Grovers. But apart from the tuners, I am very happy with this guitar. The tonal range that this guitar is capable of producing, is usually only found on upper end acoustics, (and this guitar certainly fits into that category )costing a lot more. So well done Thomann!, just put Grovers on in future, then the guitar would be perfect, and well worth the money.
The only other thing, which is a bit strange, is that in order to change the pickup battery, you have to take the strings off. as the battery compartment is inside the guitar, and only accessible through the sound hole.

Hi all)
I would like to comment on the guitar.
The guitar arrived in perfect condition, which I am very happy about)
The guitar sits very nicely in the hands. It is a pleasure to play on it.
I managed to perform with this guitar at my university, they checked it in practice. It justified itself 100%, both in pure sound and in connection.
The only hindrance was the tension of the strings, at first the fingers hurt a little. (Playing experience 6 years)
The frets cut your fingers a little, but that's normal for guitars from the factory. But this problem is very easily solved, take the guitar to the master and he will rebuild it for you. You can safely buy this guitar, you will not regret)