Harley Benton GS-Travel Mahogany

I originally ordered this as a secondary cheap guitar I could take out and about and not worry about it getting bashed around. I had a much more expensive (£600-700 price range) acoustic which I have now sold because of how much I love this guitar.

It sounds great, it's a small body so it isn't mega bassy, but I've had issues with boomy acoustic guitars whilst recording in the past, and this thing records better than any other acoustic I've ever used. It plays amazingly well, especially for the money. The action and feel is very light and easy to play, contrary to my "proper" acoustic.

If I had to be super picky, the only thing about it I don't like is the neck profile feels a little weirdly shaped, but that is me TRYING to find fault with it. A neck strap nut would've been nice too.

My friend tried mine and ordered the electro-acoustic version, which also plays and feels awesome. I regret not getting that version myself. If this guitar got damaged, I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

Just received my GS travel mahagony to replace an Epiphone AJ220 which was too bulky for travel and camping. I also did not like the sound and feel of that guitar.

The GS travel generally looks nice, but closer inspection showed
- finish around the saddle a tiny bit different (effect of saddle glue?)
- some imperfections in the wood at the back (a small discoloration under the finish)
- poorly drilled holes for the bridge pins (looks like the drill wasn't very sharp).
- frets were allright, a bit sharp at the edge of the fretboard, and they could be smoother. Easily remedied. They look to be on the soft side, time will tell.
- some machine heads (tuners) were very poorly seated, with some nuts not tightened down at all. They feel serviceable, no more no less.
- the finishing inside is a bit rough here and there (bracing, neck joint block, ...)

Sound is loud and not bad at all for the size. This was even better for me after I put a medium-light strings on. Nothing fancy though, it's still a small laminate guitar ...

The action of the strings was 3 mm at the low E 12th fret, which is a bit on the high side. The neck bow was also more pronounced than I am used to. Adjusting the truss rod feels a bit weird, not smooth. Still, the neck straightened a bit after 1/4 turn, resulting in a more acceptable bow (0.2 mm on the 6the fret when fretting 1st and 14th fret). The resulting action was now 2.7 mm. No buzzing, even when digging in.

Intonation, while not perfect is certainely ok.

All in all nothing unexpected at this price point, except maybe for the loose tuners which should have been noticed by whatever simple QC is in place.

All in all, this guitar plays and sound like a guitar that costs much more (and I own several). It satisfies my requirements of a cheap small travel guitar that sounds decently perfectly. As an all laminate construction it should be quite robust, I hope it survives many a trip ...

Great job, great value for money!

... Look no further!
This is an absolutely fantastic little travel guitar - for the money - I've tried a Martin mini, Taylor Mini, Takamine ... all exceptional sound for a small body ... but they will lighten your wallet and for that price you'll be scared to bring it on a beach or throw it in the boot of your car.

This little baby offers all that and some - in a acoustically treated room you will be able to tell that this is not a high end travel guitar ... but don't feel that this sounds like a plank, far from it.

The finish is good - frets sprouted a bit on my one, bridge needed filed a bit - an afternoons work with some sand paper and cup of tea - well worth it.

Changed strings and would possibly suggest investing in a set of decent machine heads to keep the tuning accurate. But for the price it is totally worth it. It smiles at me and I find it irresistible to pick up.

The neck has a chunky feel ... which may not be ideal for a small child wanting to learn on, but that is just a personal preference.

If you want a cheap great sounding traveller - do yourself a favour and check this out.

Finally - if you do some home recording - Hi-string this guitar - the sparkle you get on your recordings are really dynamic.