The new family of six-strings, which is composed of Grand Auditorium, Dreadnought and Parlor-sized guitars, boasts a choice of koa, flamed koa or java tops and integrated Fishman electronics
(Image credit: Harley Benton)
Harley Benton has unveiled its latest line of affordable six-string offerings, the all-new Exotic Wood Custom catalog of acoustic guitars.
The models, which the guitar giant says are suitable for beginners and practiced players alike, promise "sumptuous looks, rich tones and phenomenal value for money".
Arriving in Grand Auditorium, Dreadnought and Parlor body shapes, the ornate new additions to the Harley Benton lineup boast a choice of either koa, flamed koa or java tops.
As well as aiming to serve up sophisticated aesthetics, the variety of top woods aims to deliver distinct tonal qualities between models. While the solid koa and flame koa versions are said to offer more vibrant sounds, the laminate java top seeks to provide snappy, crisp tones with rich sustain and "vivacious response".
Aside from the different body shapes and wood tops, the guitars share a series of similar features, including a mahogany body with scalloped x-bracing, a mahogany C-shape neck with a dual action truss rod, and a pau ferro fretboard with acrylic pearl inlays.
Other universal features include a pau ferro bridge, subtle black binding, a Dovetail neck joint and black die-cast quality mushroom knob machine heads.
The specs deviate on frets, scale length and nut size, with the Parlor model sporting a smaller 628mm scale length, 45mm bone nut and 18 frets, in comparison to the other models, which carry a 643mm scale length, 43mm bone nut and 20 frets.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Under their ornate wooden hoods, each new model in the Exotic Wood Custom line comes equipped with an integrated Fishman Sonicore pickup with a Presys II preamp, which seeks to reproduce "every nuance of the guitar's sound for PA systems, amps, mixers or recording setups".
The new Harley Benton Exotic Wood Custom acoustic guitars are available now, with each of the java models costing $254, and the koa and flamed koa models listing for $358 and $564, respectively.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
