There is a forum dedicated to Harley Benton guitars, where a lot of the posters get absurdly geeky about the pickups, headstocks and all the details. Post your question there and I'm sure you'll get plenty of advice and opinions: http://theharleybentonclub.proboards.com I've had my eye on the Harley Benton 12-fret-to-body, 45mm nut width mahogany-top parlour guitar for a while - keep meaning to give it a go. It's only about £150. They do quite a few acoustics with wide nut-widths, which is a big plus for me. The nice thing about Thomann is they do a no-quibbles 30-day money-back guarantee. So if you don't like the guitar you buy, you can return it. Sadly you do have to pay return postage, which to Germany is presumably something like £20–£30 if you include insurance. Still, it's a lot less risk than buying any other guitar blind. Thomann's own-brand cheap mics are very good value. I bought the T.bone EM800 and it is a very good instrument microphone for the money (£30). Good on acoustic guitars and stringed instruments in general. I also have the t.bone SC400 which is an acceptable vocal condenser mic (£40).
|