Any opinions on Harley Benton guitars? In particular the CST 24 and the Cabronita Tele.

MalCox

I'm intrigued by these guitars, they seem to generally get good reviews and I'm tempted to try them. Any users out there? Pros and cons? 

skunkwerx

Never played one, but there are lots of advocates on here for them. 

Some even say they rival R8's... with a pickup change.. 

Kittyfrisk

Ridiculously cheap to try, can be good or bad & may or may not have faults, but will not break anyone's bank & can be great fun. Your mileage may vary, but don't make all your decisions on opinions expressed here (even mine).

thumpingrug

I must say the CST is a very nice looking guitar and Ive been tempted myself in the past.   I have a  HB-35 which is a remarkably good guitar for the price and if an indication of the quality I would have no hesitation.  They also have a very good 30 day returns policy

dazzajl

We are in such a golden age of cheap guitars and there are wonders out there to be had for very few ££s

I know a lot of folks are still having a good chuckle at the HB with new pickups vs CS thread but it's not all that laughable. No, I'm not saying they're even remotely the same guitar but I will say that you'll sound largely the same. So if you can find something for a few hundred pounds or less that you like and that plays well, you can make music every bit as wonderful as you can with a custom shop instrument.

OilCityPickups

I really love the look of the Cabronita one in blonde.

I'm actually a fan of cheap guitars. To start with, at some of the gigs I've played in the past I've been distinctly nervous about subjecting one of my more pricey guitars to beer and stumbling punters. Secondly they are excellent modding platforms.

I currently have a couple of Harley Bentons, a 'Jazz Bass' and a resonator. The JB is highly modified, with upgraded pickups, new pots, a nicer aftermarket scratchplate etc ... but the basic instrument was extraordinarily well made for the money.

martinw

I had a HB 335.

The wood itself was great, but I had to change literally everything else, including the frets and nut. The hardware was another level of cheap, below Epi and Vintage.
Once I'd done that it was a great guitar, resonant and full of life.

Also had an SG style that was similar, although that just had a fret skim, pickups and electronics.

So, bit of a gamble and a project.