Harley Benton Custom Line CLD-41SE WN

*This review is on the current version with Walnut body with Ovangkol fretboard/saddle*

After seeing countless reviews on YouTube about Harley Benton guitars and especially the videos done by Henning and Eikejun, I felt I compelled to check out their top acoustic. I waited a few months after receiving the guitar to leave a review.....
This guitar is heavily inspired by the Martin D-41 (Hence the model #)
Shipping:
The guitar was packed very well. It was shipped (from Germany to USA) double boxed with plenty of bubble wrap protecting it on its journey to the US. Shipping was 16 days.
First Impression:
After taking it out of the box, it took about 5 minutes to tune the guitar. It was like any new guitar with a new pair of strings. I stretched the strings and tuned it a few times. Once that was done I was able to start jamming. The setup was really good and fully usable right out of the box. I just had to make a slight adjustment to lower the action just a bit to my liking. Better than any setup I've experience in a music store.
Quality:
The guitar looks fantastic. I looked it over several times and couldn't find anything wrong with the build quality. There were no clue marks or blemishes on the wood. The frets are smooth with no fret sprouting (no sharp edges). The tuners hold tuning as well as my higher-end acoustics.
Playability:
You would think that a guitar at this price would have poor playability but it is surprisingly one of the most comfortable & best playing acoustics I've ever picked up. Whether playing chords or leads, this guitar does extremely well with no buzzing or dead spots on the fretboard. I also love the smooth satin neck. My hands don?t stick to it like my acoustics with the gloss necks.
Sound:
The sound is big with amazing punch & clarity. It has the perfect amount of highs & lows. It was as pleasing to my ears as any top end Martin guitar I've picked up. I use Martin as the standard for acoustic sound quality. I've been recording with this miced (miked) up and love the results I'm getting. The Fishman Isys is a good basic preamp. I never record acoustics plugged in even with higher end Fishman or Aura preamps, but if I had to play live with it plugged in that the Isys preamp would work.
Cons (if any):
The only con i had was cosmetic. The pickguard/scratch plate came already heavily scratched. I contacted Thomann support and they compensated me for it. This was something that was overlooked in the factory. Thank you Thomann for the great service.

Final Thoughts:
This guitar feels, plays, sounds, and looks like a professional acoustic guitar. I did not find that the Ovangkol fretboard, saddle or walnut body in place of rosewood diminished the sound quality in anyway. Many have said it's a great guitar for the money. I feel it's beyond that and I surprisingly find myself playing and recording with the HB more than the others I own that cost much more. Because of the cost, I kept trying to find things about the guitar I didn't like and I couldn't. Part of me is considering selling my high-end acoustics. This guitar is proof that high quality acoustics can be made at a great price. The quality of the CLD-41SE WN has me curious about several other Harley Benton acoustic models. I have probably 5 in my wish list that I may buy. I love this guitar so much that I?m going back and re-recording my acoustic parts on a symphonic metal song that I did on one of my higher end acoustics. Cheers Harley Benton & Thomann!