Harley Benton GS-Travel-E LH Mahogany

Pozitíva:
- Skvelý zvuk, ako akustický tak cez combo
- Ladička je super
- Posun fázy je výborná funkcia. Jednoduchý tool na odstránenie spätnej väzby. Samozrejme, nefunguje v každej situácii, ale u mňa väčšinou áno
- výborný krk
- solídna mechanika
- dobré nastavenie už z fabriky
- mäkké puzdro v cene

Negatíva:
- chýbajúci pripojovací bod na pás na pätke krku, keďže nemám rád pás priviazaný k hlave krku, ale to je subjektívna preferencia
- kapsa na puzdre je príliš malá. Nezmestí sa do nej ani formát A4

Celkovo je to veľmi dobrá gitara so solídnou elektronikou a krásnym zvukom. Hrateľná okamžite po doručení a rozbalení. Po malých nastaveniach je to ešte lepšie :D

I (try to!) play both acoustic and electric guitar. I few years ago I had a really nice Crafter D8, but had to sell it due to a frozen shoulder which made it difficult to play, so I had to find something smaller. I had a conversation with Gordon Giltrap who has used several smaller guitars for both live performance and recording over the years. He kindly recommended the Vintage LH-VTG100N travel guitar which he was using on stage at the time (fitted with a Fishman pick up). I love this guitar and still have it so I was looking for something of a similar size with a pick up, but not another spruce top. I found that Adam Black made a Taylor GS Mini copy, but with no pick up and then came across the Thomann site and this guitar. For just over £100 I thought I’d take a punt!
When the guitar arrived by UPS it was very well packaged. After unpacking the guitar came with a decent gig bag, a cheapish jack lead (but still a nice touch) and of course the truss rod allen key.
Onto the guitar as it came out of the box. Positives were it wasn’t damaged, came with decent bronze strings (unusual for a budget guitar to come with good strings) and is a really nice looking guitar. Minor downsides were I think this should have been a B stock model and said so to Thomann, but I didn’t ask for a price adjustment because the guitar is such good value for money anyway! The issues were white tape marks on the body, a few dings and the tuners were a bit skew. Also, the finish of the bridge is poor, but will be easily rectified when I change strings.
How did it play out of the box. Well as I hoped the size was ideal for me, although it is towards the large size for a travel guitar. However, this means that the neck dimensions make it easy to play as opposed to a smaller guitar. I found the arched back and v-neck comfortable, and the action good for me, although it’s always good to let the guitar to acclimatise to its new home before making a judgement. The intonation is also good. I found the fret finish to be a bit rough, but again fairly minor and what you usually get with a budget guitar.
Onto how it sounds. Well for such an inexpensive guitar I think it has an excellent tone and is quite loud for its size. Of course it sounds different to my spruce topped Vintage guitar, but then you would expect that. The Bellcat AP-55 Active Powerjack is a bonus and while the guitar has no onboard controls I bought a Behringer V-Tone ADI21 preamp which inexpensive and works well, particularly to eliminate some of the piezo harshness. I can get some really nice tones using the Beringher and a Roland Microcube GX, particularly with chorus.
So what is my overall verdict? Well I absouluty love this guitar and try to play it most days. Everything about it is ideal for me and I’d be just as happy if I’d have paid a lot more for it! Would I make any changes? Well probably a robust pick guard if I wa gigging, and possibly a new pins, bone saddle and nut. Again all minor improvements to what is a really enjoyable guitar to play. Thanks Thomann and I look forward to my next purchase!