Harley Benton Custom Line Superior-E VS

Delivered within 4 days well packaged and undamaged. but with faults the action is very high, I hope I can get it down enough by getting someone to take something of the bridge.
Whoever did the faux mother of pearl markers on the neck must have been a completely untrained amateur none of them are level they look atrocious they are so far out and at such an angle that where it is level with the string at the bottom the top part has over an eighth of an inch showing, and you can see through some of them where so much has been gouged out that you can see the indentation through the marker and there are black bits of glue or something on the edges as well and even the sizes and shade don't match.
The tuners seem firm enough but they turn and nothing happens and then suddenly they start to catch, once in tune they are ok but they make tuning awkward and more time consuming, something I can live with as they stay in tune once set, but a niggle all the same.
The action and the markers are the two really disappointing things, hopefully I can get someone to improve the action, but I can do nothing with the inlays on the neck, they look really stupid, how they got through quality control I don't know, they stand out like a sore thumb, which is a shame as the guitar otherwise looks and sounds really good.
I can't send it back, at the price it is not worth all the trouble of re-packaging and sorting out post, but someone needs to be told about the workmanship on the inlays, no professional could have done those, even an apprentice wouldn't have done work so bad, I would be interested to know how it occured and who did it.

After a couple of weeks, here my thoughts on the Harley Benton Superior E-VS.

This guitar looks quite good. At first look, it's beautiful: the woods are nice, the binding around the body and neck is flawless and overall doesn't look like a cheap guitar.
I think that the sunbutst looks awesome (the photos don't do it justice) and i love the headstock logo and shape.
Nontheless, if you pay attention to the details, then you can find some minor flaws. The blocks are a bit asymmetrical and there were some traces of glue around them (but it was esay to clear It).
The pickguard is very ugly and i think i will replace It as soon as possibile.

The construction is solid and i don't have any complaint about it.
The neck is straight and the frets are perfect, there are no sharp edges, dead spots or buzzing even if the action is quite low.
The neck is also very comfortable to play, even if i have small hands.
I love the vintage looking tuners: they are pretty decent, not the best in the world, but they do their job quite well.

And now the most important part: this guitar sounds very very good.
Like the real thing, it has a lot of attack, with a very brillant sound and balanced bottom (to be honest, it lacks a bit of it to really sound like a gibson hummingbird).
The strumming is where this guitar really shines, but it does a very good job also with fingerpicking.

Overall this is a very good guitar, far better than its Epiphone counterpart.
And of you think that i paid it 220 euros (including shipping and a gig bag) this is an incredible deal.
Once again Harley Benton proved to be a very good brand, and maybe the one with the best value for the money on the market.

Well done HB!

I must say right away that the guitar was delivered to me in excellent condition. Oftentimes I am afraid to risk buying such things for delivery. I had no complaints about the build quality.
The guitar very quickly became the mainstay in my arsenal. I very often heard only good reviews about Harley Benton guitars, so I was not surprised by such a gift.
In general I use this guitar on recordings at home. I may not be entirely happy with the pickup, but many other guitars are even worse for this price. However, all problems disappear when you record it on the line and on the microphone at the same time (however, as it should be). In general, this is more of a niggle than a flaw.
Personally, I think this guitar is great for strumming. With such a deep sound, she perfectly plays along with my girlfriend's vocals.
Before that I mainly played Epiphone ej200ce among acoustic guitars. It may sound strange, but Benton overshadowed it.
From Russia with love
Thank you so much for giving me something that finally satisfied most of my musical needs.

Lately, I've been learning songs in alternate tunings. Having only one each, 6 and 12 string A/E's, re-tuning got old fast! I needed to find a quality guitar(s) for an affordable price. I've grown quite used to playing guitars with great actions and didn't think I could find something of a similar quality without paying more than I really wanted.... Then a friend suggested Harley Benton Guitars. And after researching them as best you can without playing one, I decided to give one a try. Ordering the Harley Benton CLJ-412E 3SB 12 string, I found that one would be on back order. So I ordered the Custom Line Superior-E VS as well, to get one sooner, and I'm totally blown away! I see quality. For starters it catches your eye with its great looks. Then after playing it, I can say it has a very similar feel and play-ability to a guitar I have that would cost more than 10 times the price of the Superior E VS. Again.... I'm blown away! Now it will be difficult waiting for that back ordered 12 string. I just might have to order another one in the meantime. I highly recommend giving a Harley Benton a try. I've already passed the word onto a friend and now he's getting the buyers itch. It won't take long before he scratches it. Just as it won't be long before I place another order. Way to go, Harley Benton!!!

Comes with a Bone nut & bone bridge ,sounds amazing I fitted bone bridge pins to keep the theme , I wasn't impressed with the built in tuner maybe my one was a faulty one ,most important it sounds amazing it's loud has plenty of sustain ,the neck is thin and easily playable ,action is sweet no buzz the neck seems to be one piece no scarf joint ,it's a beautiful guitar visually small flaws with the inlays ,but all is forgiven it sounds amazing and that is what counts ,thank you Thomann it's the second acoustic Harley Benton I've purchased and I'm so impressed ,amazing value as this guitar sits up there with the big guns ,this one could be a future classic .

I have had my custom line Superior now for about 2 weeks and and am getting to like it more and more every day. Ok, for the purists, it is obviously a clone of the Gibson/Epiphone Hummmingbird, but quite frankly I cannot see how Thomann can produce this guitar for the money. I have an Epiphone Hummingbird (also purchased from Thomann) and it is a nice guitar but in no way better than the Superior. In fact, unplugged, the Superior is vastly Superior. Also, maybe not as important, but the finish is perfect. I have looked very hard to see if I could find any kind of flaw and failed. But if you have two or three grand to throw away, then by all means buy the big brand, but to a degree that's all you are buying; a big brand. Once again Thomann have managed the almost inpossible; to create a guitar of this stature for an almost unbelievable price. One very happy customer.
Regards,
John Hall.

My two Harley Benton guitars came to me in flawless condition. And the fact that the prices are so reasonable, explains why Thomann in Germany has so many world wide customers. You cannot find a better guitar within Harley Benton price points. The Superior E-VS is a really fine sounding dreadnaught shaped acoustic guitar, with a solid Sitka spruce top. and comes with the Fishman Presys pickup system, you won't find anything like it for what I paid for this instrument. The Paradise Flame CST-24 T, is far beyond my expectations for what I paid, I cannot say enough about how well this guitar is built....
Thank you I will soon be purchasing at least 2 more models.

This guitar was not as good as I expected when i ordered it. Normally I suppose Harley Benton Guitars are nice for what you pay... Mine came with a hump on the 13th or 14th fret causing buzzing sounds while playing from the 12th fret and upwards. I think that if you want some low ends in a guitar this is not the one to chose. The setup/action was ok but that hump totally ruined the guitar. Otherwise I suppose the building-quality is ok. I did not have the time or lust to send this back so I sold it. Instead I went for a Recording King RD318, twice as much in money but I hope it will be a more solid guitar in it´s construction without any neckproblems. I would say that this Harley Benton may serve well for beginners that comes without any cravings about the guitar, just something to learn to play on. For me that have been playing a while it was not what I expected from seeing reviews etc about the guitar.