Harley Benton HBO-850BK

Used it for home playing, so I have to admit, I never plugged it into an amp, so can't really judge the quality of the pickup sound, but as a purely acoustic instrument it had a great, bright sound.

Had some slight cosmetic flaws, like the leaf detail on the top of it was a bit rough and not completely glued in one part, but otherwise the build quality was excellent. And I think the guitar overall looks beautiful.

Feels great to play, even with the roundback design, which is known to be a bit unstable when placed in your lap. So I would recommend just putting a strap on, even when playing sitting down, so it's kind of held in place.

Did not have any issues with how it was set up out of the box.
Great, inexpensive alternative to the Ovation roundbacks.

FEATURES :
every thing is there from this iconic copy, all thats missing is the long haired wig, bandana, rip kneed jeans or spandex pants if you really must and a arm held aloft with the lighter burning.

SOUND :
after a string change the sound is very impressive for the price if a little shrill (only a little though). the volume is all there it projects its sound acousticlly wonderfully loud and proud. plugged in its not quite so good the volume is noticlbly unballanced with the middle strings alot louder than the outer strings. the sound is still good and clear just makes you play a little differntly to compensate for thr unballenced sound.

QUALITY :
paint job is good the 'Leaves' around the sound holes need a very good oiling as they are very dry and brittle. the tuners are adequit for the job. the neck feels lovely with the frets dressed superbly. the back shows a few ripples in places where its been moulded noticebly around the cutaway and neck, no big deal just with the fit and finish of this guitar and other harley bentons ive had its a shock to find a blemish at all.

CONCLUSION :
overall a good guitar that will be played alot.. no wheres me bandana and spandex :D

I received my HB)-850 BK a few hours ago and can easily compare it to my 1987 Ovation CC-11 for playability (and bear in mind the CC-11 has a deep bowl).

I especially like the super shallow bowl. came out of the box well intonated (no changes there from me) and the action is well set. Normally I would have to do a full set up on any new guitar, but this is the one rare exception where I have done nothing to it whatsoever.

If I had to be really (and I mean REALLY) nitpicky about it, there was a tiny bit of excess adhesive on the binding near the neck on the high E side... and you would really have to go looking for that. All in all an excellent guitar value. I love the black with the wood appliqués on it. I may have to order this is blue as well, but maybe the classic with nylon strings.

Long story short, an excellent value for the money and will be seeing a lot of use in my home recording studio. Thanks, Thomann. Another great product.

I've had my eye on these guitars for years and was hesitant to buy ,being put off by some poor reviews ,but I finally succumbed,
So what did I get?
A guitar that punches way above its price,I've owned a solid top guild dreadnought that didn't sound as sweet!
The set up was perfect sub2mm string height,super level fretwork,
Immaculate Finnish,
Slick machine head's,plus a nice sounding preamp.
I've only dropped 1star off this guitar for the sharp unfinished fret ends ,which was an easy fix,.
The only thing I would advise anyone buying this guitar to do is don't judge it's quality until you get rid of the weird strings it come fitted with! 10s my ear! I fitted Harley Benton coated 10s ,and gave the nut a quick dress with one of those small welding nozzle cleaning file kits you can pick up for 5 euros!.
Was I just fortunate to get a good one ,seems not because I bought my wife the blue one and it's just as good,if only I'd tried one before I'd have saved myself a fortune .

This is my first Ovation style guitar. Ordered the black one and received in August 2022. Delivery worked quickly - less than 5 days as far as I can remember.

The instrument is made of exceptionally cheap materials and components that began to break even before I changed the stock strings.

First of all, a piece of decorative lining around the holes broke off - it is glued pointwise and in some places "hangs" above the surface. In the same way, the wooden parts are glued to the plastic inside the case. In my case, this was not critical and did not affect the sound.

Very soon, the wire inside the case (from the EQ to the output) began to hang out and rattle with almost any movement. The output jack nut spins simply from vibration, even if you do not connect the guitar. In the end, it got lost during the play.

The pegs fundamentally refuse to keep the tune. After six months of use, almost any touch to them breaks the tune. Just like any bend. It looks like the teeth just wear out quickly and start to slip. Had to change.

The neck is glued in incorrectly - with a classic production defect - a hump at the 14th fret. You can even see how the edging cracked and was re-glued. Also, the freeboard is not 100% even along the entire length. I'm trying to do fretworks now (in the moment of writing), but this definitely the defect, so I do not expect much more...
In general, trying to perfect this guitar can easily cost more than the cost of the instrument itself.

Electronics - little use, but it definitely works. Because of the disgusting connection, there is a lot of extraneous noise, but it works. The equalizer is working.

The best thing is the body. It's plastic and seems to be unbreakable. In general, the guitar looks good from a distance.

Conclusion: Only if you're in extremely tight quarters and need a camping guitar. But it is by no means a serious instrument.

I used to own a high end Ovation and this guitar performs just as well for a fraction of the price! I paid $183 U.S. WITH shipping! I don't know how you guys do it, but I'm glad I found you! The guitar is solid and there does not appear to be any areas that are loose, unglued, etc. I'm really glad I took my chances. Granted, this guitar sounds best plugged in, with a preamp in front of it, so don't expect it to sound like a Martin, or Taylor out of the box and you'll probably want to change the strings to your liking. However...that's the point of this little beauty....if you're looking for something to play live and you only need an acoustic for a few songs then this is perfect. The ultra slim shell gives it more of an electric guitar feel as well.

Awesome guitar for the price point.
I wasn't sure what to expect for a guitar at this price, but i was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box .
The finish overall was very good , there were a few spots around the neck / body joint where the finish is not perfectly straight but you have to be really looking and be a nit picker like me .
The action was ok but all I had to do was switch from the .011's to 10's and the action is nice and low.
A real pleasure to play .
I had an issue with the bridge piece where the high E string had cut into it and was sounding flat.
Thomann was quick to send out a replacement free of charge I was very pleased with their customer service !
so to summarize this guitar sounds great and the finish is on par with the comparable but much more expensive alternative .
Trust me when I say you cant go wrong with this guitar !

It needed the following to get it right:

Underside of bridge filed down to sort the high action.
Light filing to nut as high E string snapped at nut when tuning out of the box.
Change of strings as the ones they come with are poor.
Filed the edges of the fretboard as sharp.
Treatment applied to fretboard.
One piece of the inlay at fret 12 was slightly raised and had to be sliced off with a blade.
French polish applied to decorative wood work. Looks unfinished out of the box. Also had to chip away bits of glue residue and lightly file the decorative wood work.

Pros:
Price
Good sound

Cons:
QC/finish of the guitar.

Worth the price but be prepared to do some work on it to get it right. Once the work is done it looks, plays and sounds great for the price.