Harley Benton CG200CE-BK

I can only review this with reference to the price - it's so cheap that it's impossible to say anything without adding "...for the money". With that said - it's a cracking little guitar that plays well enough and once the strings were stretched, has stayed fairly well in tune (for a nylon-strung guitar, that is). Construction is fine - actually, I can't find anything about it that is flawed. The neck is true, frets are absolutely fine and the tuners are smooth and up to the job. The pickup and preamp are better than I expected - it sounds like a classical guitar should (it doesn't get piezo zingy unless you set the treble stupidly high). I brought this because I didn't have a nylon strung and wanted one for occasional use when recording. Am really pleased with it - better than expected.

I was expecting a shiny gloss finish, instead the surface of the body (Back and front) looks like it has been polished by a rough cloth causing surface scratches!. Small brow mark on the cream binding and binding not even all round the body. The strap button on the back of the guitar was loose and will not tighten. The instrument was very dusty. Im actually wondering if it was checked at Thomann when received from the factory - There was no checkers note or no label attached to the headsock! Plus points reasonably low action, no high frets/buzz, only wo slightly rough fret ends overall it does play well but very disappointed in the scratched dull surface.

I have owned this guitar since late 2019, and it's held up fantastically.

First off I have to say I'm not an expert in classical guitars so I can't nitpick too much. To me however it sounds great, a nice full sound. Plugged in it can sound a bit thin however I find that most classical/acoustics I've played sound thinner when plugged in anyway.

The electrics are good although the display is a bit on the cheap side but I mean... It's a cheap guitar! It does the job and that's all I ask for.

The guitar looks fantastic, love the black finish and white binding. The binding came perfect on my guitar with no blemishes and all of the finish has held up nicely over the 3 years I've owned it.

Again I'm no classical expert but I bought this guitar to dabble in flamenco every now and then and it's been a fantastic tool for that, it's lovely to smash out a rumba on this thing.

Overall if you are after a budget electro-classical guitar I would 100% recommend this one. I've bought a number of Harley Bentons over the years (waiting for another to arrive right now) and I have no idea how they put out so many great guitars for the price!

What's on offer here far outweighs the guitars diminutive price tag. It's first job was to play a rehearsal after a friend's guitar string broke en route. This instrument held its own when up against far louder and more expensive guitars. It's a testament to how the quality of cheap/budget guitars has improved since the 80's/90's, when you couldn't even change chord without the guitar going out of tune. There are some small issues with the finish (general untidiness in the finish - paint smudges on the binding) but really the negatives are few. I'd recommend it highly as a beginners guitar or for a first classical in your guitar collection (like me).