Harley Benton RG-Junior BK Rock Series

They arrived quickly and well packaged.

There are some minor cosmetic issues (some marks on one fretboard, a tiny and shallow hole (toothpick diameter) on the other, a badly angled strap-pin on the top of one.

That said, they play brilliantly. I tuned them both to E Standard (not the recommended 4 steps higher tuning) and they played with a nice low action and stayed in tune decently. I adjusted the neck slightly and lowered the bridge a tiny bit using the included tools but it was decent as is. Now it's really good.

Tuners are decent. A bit fiddly and definitely not as good as Harley Benton's fancier guitars but they hold tuning well. Possibly I've made things fiddlier for myself by using a lower tuning than that recommend by Thomann... (see edit below, yes, tuners are now better with higher gauge/tension strings on it)

I had a lot of fun playing around with them myself.

Then I set them up as Open-D (D A D F? A D) transposed to be a better match for their string tensions, so Open-E (E B E G# B E). That means that if the boys strum the guitars they get an open E, and I can solo over them in the E pentatonic! An easy and fun way to make music with some 6 year olds :)

I don't know if the boys will keep up the guitar, hopefully; but at 75 euro I am not worried about them being broken as kids may well do, and if they don't keep playing them then I'll use one as they're so fun. It also keeps them away from my own guitars!

Note: I've given them a 5 for quality despite the cosmetic flaws. I can't believe how good they are for the money. They ain't perfect but if it was from anyone but Harley Benton I would not expect to get this quality for twice the money.

[edit] couple of months later and I feel even more positive about this guitar. My 6 year old twins are having weekly lessons using them, and really enjoying it. They are also playing Rocksmith 2014 computer game with it, which is getting them to practice guitar with enthusiasm. They get really competitive with each other and always want better high scores and would play for hours at a time if I didn't stop them for fear of repetitive injury.

Initially the boys had a little trouble with accidentally bending notes sharp when fretting them - because the string tension is so low when using the included 10-46s tuned to E Standard (5 half-steps below manufacturers recommendation, so not Thomann's fault). That caused Rocksmith to think they were fretting a fret higher sometimes. That problem went away over time as the boys became more skillful and didn't accidentally bend the low tension strings. However I recently replaced the included 10-46s with 11-49s to increase the string tension when in E Standard. This has made the guitar even better. The tuners work better as it's closer to their normal tension range. I was able to lower the action even more as the strings are less floppy - compensating for any increased fretting strength required. They are still incredibly easy to fret and the boys haven't even complained about finger discomfort after a 90 minute rocksmith session!

Note: all of this is if you're tuning to E Standard instead of A, which is the manfacturers recommended.

Crazy good guitar for 75 euros. It's a real guitar, not some kid's toy.[/edit]

After looking online for what seemed like far too long, I came across this item for my big 6-year old. It seemed to fit the bill across all the desirable features for a child who?s been talking about starting a rock band with his buddies "when we get to be teenagers" for a couple of years now.
Straight to the point:
- Looks: "Bad ass." At least as damn good looking in reality as it is in the glossy photos online. Just watch the pointy head, which kids could easily forget about when they?re moving around the room, whether quietly or in hot rhythm.
- Features: more than one could hope for for a child. Most importantly, the build is super solid. Don?t forget to remove the plastic that covers the pick guard. To complete the job, pop the two control knobs with your fingers if they?re strong, or with two picks from both sides at once slipped through the space between the knobs and the body, pulling gently but steadily straight up (so as not to have your knob fly over the other side of the room). That way you can remove any excess plastic that might hinder the free movement of the knob. I also had to sand a small pointy plastic bit at the base of the pick-up toggle switch. Took all of 30 seconds.
- Sound: out of the box the tuning needed work. I replaced the strings with Ernie Balls, did some work on the bridge to improve the action, and a bit more fiddling around. I hadn?t changed strings since I was a teenager, so that brought back good memories. For the rest, I had to learn on the fly. I must say that I really enjoyed working on the boy?s guitar while he was sleeping, One of those deep-seated pleasures of being a dad I guess.
Summary: If you are willing to be hands on, I certainly recommend this guitar to any parent who has a budding rock-oriented musician, from a big 5 or 6-year old up.
There is an excellent vid on YT by an entertaining German vlogger and guitar teacher, where he covers the details of the guitar pretty thoroughly and honestly.