Harley Benton CG-400CE Thinline BK

Is it the best nylon string guitar I've played? Nope. Probably not in the top 10 either. But wait, how much was it?
I wanted a nylon string acoustic and I didn't want to spend a lot, just to play around the house and for demos etc. Having had very positive experiences with other Harley Benton instruments I thought I'd try this: it has a built-in preamp with 3-band EQ, and a tuner, and I liked that it is slightly thinner body than normal. It didn't disappoint and I cannot put it down since I received it. Not sure what kind of woods are involved as everything is coated in black, and the fingerboard looks like some kind of synthetic material, but it feels good. The sound lacks the resonance of a good classical guitar (costing many hundreds more!) but it has a sweet sound. Yes, there are some little internal rattles, but very subtle and hard to notice when playing. The frets are well seated without sharp edges and plays beautifully. The preamp/piezo system is, as you'd expect, not top quality and it can sound a bit harsh when plugged in directly to a recording interface, but the built-in EQ helps sweeten it, and if you use an external decent preamp and a touch of reverb it can sound surprisingly good. I prefer to use a microphone for quick recordings as its natural sound is pretty nice, just lacking a bit of body, but with some minimal processing its built-in piezo system can give very nice results. Overall, I am very happy I bought it. If you want a serious classical instrument this is not it, but then you can't expect that for only 100 euros. If you just want a nylon string guitar that plays nicely amplified or not, I find it extremely good value.

I bought this guitar for two reasons: I wanted to get a comfortable classical style guitar and because it was really inexpensive.

First let's talk about the comfort. The neck feels roughly similar to other nylon's I've played and is shaped kind of similar to those too. It's comfortable to play on and the satin feel of it is nice. It's comfortable to play sitting on the couch, which is exactly what I wanted.

The "thinline" for this guitar is not very thin. It's about 8cm deep or maybe about 2/3 the size of other classical guitars I've played. It's noticeably less cumbersome than those, but don't expect it to be the size of a semihollow electric or a "hybrid" guitar.

On the value side the guitar is great. It does feel a bit like a plywood box, but all the parts look neat, there are no faults in the paint job, the builtin tuner is convenient and easy to read, and it even comes with set of Hannabach strings. The string alone cost around 15€ so as a value proposition it's a great package.

The one part that is not so great is the tuners. While they do hold tune and work properly they feel a janky and one of them makes weird noises when tuning.

The sound of the guitar is... Not amazing but not terrible. I'm guessing the undersized sound box is not doing it any favors. I do like the sound but compared to even my inexpensive Alhambra it doesn't have much depth. The volume it puts out is low, which is either a downside or an upside depending on the situation. At home you can play without bothering your neighbors or family, but even at a children's guitar recital something else would be better.

I didn't really care about the built in pickup on this guitar, but for what it's worth it seems fine. I got a lot of string noise while testing it, but it worked well and it didn't seem to have any hum issues. It's there and it gives you some options to play around.

It's a nice guitar. Not quite a replacement for a good classical guitar, but as long as that isn't the expectation, you will likely like it.

i bought this guitar mainly as a little experiment, Harley Benton have impressed me with their steel string acoustics and their electrics.
A friend bought one of the low level telecasters and i have to say the quality really (pleasantly) surprised me.

The way i saw it at the price the CG-400CE Thinline BK would either be a useful tool for my studio (NEMIX STUDIOS LTD) or a fun toy for myself at home, i am happy to inform you it has turned out to be both.

The onboard electronics are sharp, well fitted and easy to use, the tuner is fantastic, way better than i have ever seen on a 'cheaper' guitar and the wood work is perfectly adequate. I have tested it through several acoustic amplifiers and also my PA system and have had no issues achieving the sound i wanted.

The string spacing is perfect for beginners or perfect for an electric player who wishes to transition and it is very, very light.

It sounds great whether fingerpicked, flat picked or thumb picked and is the perfect affordable addition to your collection. I highly recommend this guitar to anyone looking for , as i said, a useful tool or an enjoyable toy!