Harley Benton CST-24 BK

Since I bought this guitar I've also purchased an actual PRS guitar (which cost three times as much). Now, the actual PRS has the best pickups I've ever heard, but apart from that the quality of these two guitars is very similar, and the Harley Benton is by far better looking (it's inspired by an even more expensive PRS than what I have...). So, this Harley Benton looks amazing, but is it a good guitar ? Yes, I think so! I have tuned mine is C# standard with Ernie Ball Skinny top heavy bottom strings (10-52) and I have no fret buzz problem. It stays in tune just fine (I've had to change the tuners on another Harley Benton guitar, but the ones on this model seem very good) and it sounds very decent, although the pickups are very high gain and not very subtle.... but that is ok for the kind of music I play with it. You can always swap them for better pickups and have an absolute beast of a guitar for much cheaper than what it looks and sounds like. One little hardware flaw: the pickup selector has a tendency to flip back into the middle position at the slightest touch. It's not really been a problem while playing (it's out of the way), but that's not the way a pickup selector should behave and it might get worse with time and not stay on other positions... In conclusion, this guitar plays great, looks great (I even prefer its headstock design to the PRS one!), sounds fine (not bad at all, but nothing special) and it is incredible value for money. This is my second Harley Benton guitar and certainly not the last one.

I'm a hobbyist so I'm not looking for top tier instruments, however I do like instruments to feel good to play and to sound pleasing.

This guitar checks those boxes well enough. for the price its outstanding, but you get what you pay for so dont expect a miracle.

It feels lovely to play and has a really bulky neck if you're into that sort of thing. The pickups sound good in a high gain lead setting but I find them to be muddy and dull when played clean. The clean sound is marginally better with the coil tap engaged but don't expect any strat sounds, just a bit more clarity.

It weighs more than any guitar I've ever owned except a Greco Les Paul from the 70's (the heaviest object in the universe) so I hope you have a strong back. This weight however, paired with the set neck and lump of metal that is the bridge gives it excellent sustain.

The finish is adequate but not without its flaws, there are many tiny blemishes but nothing a good polish wouldnt fix. I was expecting as much as this is one of several Harley Benton guitars I own and it's well known that finish is where the price point of this brand is made obvious.

If you can deal with a few minor issues and arent looking for a bright, clean sound, then this guitar is good bang for the buck

I've had it for a few years now. Firstly, expect to get backpain with this one because it's heavy - great wood I guess?

Pros
Fixed bridge with a selected piece for intonation.
10 and 11 gauge strings sound amazing on this one
you can go from blues to metal in an instant
the push/pull function for coil split
the sound is as full as it can be, very rich and warm
stays in tune!!

Cons
gets heavy if you're playing standing up for long periods of time
the finish isn't perfect, specially with the outline
I recon newer models aren't made with rosewood which can be a preference for some

I own a PRS McCarty and Hamer CSPS/FM.

PROs:
1) This guitar is pretty nicely built.
2) I was surprised to find that it's shielded against electromagnetic fields.
3) Looks and sounds good.

CONs:
1) the wood is very bright, it's not the same mahogany that I see on other my guitars.
2) the strap holder is connected with two very thin screws.
3) roasted jatoba fretboard feel weird at first, but I guess it's not a big problem.

Overall, would I trade my PRS for it? No.
Is this a cool guitar that I enjoy playing? Yes.

This is my 4th Harley Benton guitar, the previous 3 have been incredible value for money and this one is no different.

The specification is similar to a PRS SE guitar: wide neck with what I would call a medium thickness, 25" scale, dual humbuckers, mahogany body with maple cap and black gloss finish with wood grain binding.

I bought this guitar mainly for the 25" scale which allows you to down-tune while still remaining tight and responsive.

It arrived with a few blemishes in the finish and a very dry fret-board which soon moistened up from my fingers once played. It came set-up nice and low and has stayed that way upon installing my own Elixer strings (09-52). The compensated bridge although not entirely adjustable can be tweaked forward or back and intonates well when set-up.

This guitar is very thick sounding and sonically reminds me of an Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty that a friend owns.

The only real issue I've had is that the B string can buzz against the frets when struck hard. Normally this is an easy fix. However, because this guitar features a PRS style compensated bridge you cannot change the height of a string individually. So the only way to fix this would be to raise the entire bridge, therefore raising the action which I wasn't prepared to do. So I have just lived with it as it is not audible through an amp.

At this price point, the only competitors rivaling this guitar are other Harley Bentons. If you want a guitar that looks this classy and has a branded name it's going to cost in excess of £500. The one thing I would change is to give it a normal bridge with a whammy bar, as individual string adjustment would be a great feature.

I love the playability and the sound of these guitars.
They are not perfect by any means right out the box, but If you are willing and able to do a fret-job, leveling and polishing sometimes adding fall-off to the higher frets ..
They are playable without adjustments but can be exceptional with some work.
I would even go as far as saying that after some hours of work I prefer these guitars to my PRS custom 24
The finish is far from perfect but not really bad either.
after some work with a buffing wheel most surface scratches can be removed.
With my guitars there have been some other minor issues but everything besides the frets is just appearance.
The Pickups produce a rather pleasant sound
the sustain is comparable or better to my PRS and I prefer the neck shape of the CST

I will probably one or 2 more CST in the future.

Sounds great, looks great, lovely finish, lovely feel, good action, great tone.

It only fails to make 5* because my example arrived with minor, annoying cosmetic problems, a few small dings in the body and a few specks of missing finish.

Don't whether it was manufacture or transport that did it. But the outer box arrived looking like someone tried to put their foot through the front of it, and the end was slightly squashed in a concertina like fashion, suggesting the box had been dropped.

The packing is generally very food, with internal padding in the guitar box, and the outer box, where it seems to fall down sometimes is that all the air padding can be on one side or end of the box, leaving a side or end butted up agains the inner wall of the transport box. It seems like a few more minutes on the packing side would make a difference, hey ho.