Harley Benton CST-24 Paradise Flame

This review is for the previously made in Vietnam model I bought in November 2019. Can't say if the current Indonesian build is similar or as I would imagine better based on the other Indonesian made guitars I use & love. Very keen to try out this new model & see if it's better than the last, because the one I have is awesome & a steal at the price! If you're thinking about it, do it. You can always return it if you don't like it. Thomann is great like that!

Like I said above, it's an awesome guitar for the price. Well worth a look as a beginner or an established player.

Pros:
The price!
Great looking guitar! In some lighting angles it dazzles.
Came reasonably well setup in standard tuning & handled being dropped into C# DADGAD with not too many intonation issues.
Pickups handle some nice cleans & heavy tones through my amp & amp sims in the studio, split sounds good too.
Frets were of a reasonable finish, no cut fingers or other issues.
Comfort cuts & shape of the body are really nice.
Great mod platform but also really fun to riff on as it is.

Cons:
For a guitar in this price range you have to adjust your expectations despite it looking incredible on the website it probably won't come as nice as you see it here. The one I received is a looker don't get me wrong, but not as good as the one pictured. So keep that in mind & you will be very happy when yours arrives.
The overall finish is a bit rough.
Binding is not super neat. Painting on headstock was poorly taped in places. To be expected in some instruments in this price range.
There are a few marks & dust spots in the wood under the finish in 3-4 places. These cosmetic flaws are only obvious if you look really closely.
Frets were good but needed a little polish to play optimally, an easy fix.
Single coil sounds are a bit weak, but sound great with a volume boost in the mix.
Tuners aren't great, you can get by with them but worth looking at a replacement set at some stage.

Overall a solid instrument for the price. One of my favourite guitars despite it being one of my cheapest! Has some cosmetic flaws & needed a little love to get it to my liking but very happy with it. Most new guitars will need a setup to your liking, worth the time if you know how to do it yourself or spend a little extra at your local guitar tech to get it running nicely. As always with a Harley Benton, get your hands on one & see for yourself