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.

THOMANN HARLEY BENTON RG-JUNIOR BK ROCK SERIES

Excellent guitar!

This is a long review, for parents that have children, despite the fact that adults can equally have a lot of fun with this guitar.
I bought this model because I can no longer lift a full size solid bodied guitar, and my hands don’t have the strength or reach they did when I was young. (I’m 75 years old, but still love to play.)
Out of the box, it was still almost in tune but rather warm, (I live in Spain), so I let it acclimatise for an hour or so.

On close inspection, and for the price, there was very little wrong with the finish throughout. The satin back of the neck had some rough areas, and lacked a final smoothing. This being a matt finish, I chose not to add polish to it, to avoid it becoming sticky later. So I used some cardboard to ‘rub’ the surface flat. This is a carpentry trick I learnt many years ago, that when you have finished sanding something, to add a soft patina to the surface, turn over the sandpaper and use the smooth side. Of course any thick paper or thin cardboard will do, but making sure it has no print on it that would mark the wood. (*) I then applied Dunlop 65 lemon oil, to the fretboard, after taking off the factory strings. It needed two applications as it was very dry, from both its storage and journey to me on a hot day. When dry it was polished to a natural wood sheen with a dry cloth.

(*) I recommend taking the supplied factory strings off straight away, and using a good brand of strings, like D’Addario, or Ernie Ball. I bought a set of Ernie Ball 9-42’s, the same weight as those on the guitar from the factory.

This guitar then needed what is technically called a “setup”.

For this you will need to go to a luthier. The price will vary, but it will be worth it, if A) your child continues to play and keeps the guitar and B) if not, the value of a setup will mean it is immediately acceptable and easily playable to any future buyer.

The guitar pickups have a reasonable sound throughout, and all the controls worked well.

Leaving the best to last, this was one of the best made fretboards I have seen, and at this price I was really surprised. There were no sharp fret ends, and the fretboard edges were ‘rolled’, making it extremely comfortable in the hand.

Fantastic buy for young players, or those like myself who need a smaller guitar that is less cumbersome.

Finish: Excellent. Really impressed. Really hoped to see availability in other colors...

Neck: Fast, well shaped for small hands and stable

Action: Came with a little higher action than normal but was able to lower it with no buzz whatsoever

Strings: Came with 10s. Replaced with 11s and tuned to standart E with perfect results.

Tuners: A bit stiff under tension (considering that this is for a kid) but they hold the tune quite well

Sound: Thick and nice! Clean and high gain very impressive considering the cost of this guitar! Can hit some awesome metal tones too....

Weight: Just right for a kid (or just a lazy player on a couch....)

Electronics: Seem to do the job just fine and look durable. pickups output enough for any style.

Conclusion: 75 bucks + 10 Bucks for a good set of 11s =85. At this price you get an instrument that plays and tunes better than ANY short scale I have ever seen.
I don't know how they did it but they did.

Highly recommended.