Last Updated on February 11, 2024 by Chris
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Over the last few years, Harley Benton has made the leap from being a provider of cheap beginner instruments that didn’t always get great reviews to becoming a very well-respected brand, getting loads of positive reviews from pretty much everyone who plays them. Many are quite surprised at how good they are, given how little they cost to buy.
Musikhaus Thomann, who owns the brand, has improved the quality of their instruments while keeping costs super low and offering musicians recreations of many classic and contemporary designs. This includes quite an extensive range of left handed guitars and basses.
So let’s check out the range of left handed Harley Benton acoustic guitars available for us lefties.
Check out the range of left handed Harley Benton electric guitars.
Check out the lineup of left handed Harley Benton bass guitars.
Table of Contents
Who Are Harley Benton?
Musikhaus Thomann is the world’s largest musical instruments mail-order company. They’re based in Treppendorf, Bavaria, Germany and sell everything related to making music; guitars, drums, recording equipment, effects processors, and many others.
Harley Benton is Thomann’s own brand of musical instruments and equipment, which was created by Hans Thomann back in 1997.
They basically get well-known manufacturers, who make equipment for many other famous brands, and put the Harley Benton name on them. These are imported directly by Thomann, and as a result, they can sell them at very low prices.
What Do I Think of Harley Benton?
Harley Benton offers left handed musicians a wide variety of guitars and basses, and while their acoustic range is not as vast as their electric guitar range, there a good number of models on offer.
There are six different acoustic models in the 2023 left handed Harley Benton acoustic guitar range.
Harley Benton has improved on and maintained its quality levels, keeping costs ridiculously low, making these fantastic guitars for beginner and intermediate players, and those on a tighter budget.
The quality and finish of these guitars obviously won’t compare to those of custom shop models and other high-end instruments. They are, however, pretty unbeatable from a bang-for-buck point of view.
Check out these affordable left handed Orangewood acoustic guitars!
Pros and Cons of Buying a Harley Benton Acoustic
Here’s a list of pros and cons when thinking about buying a left handed Harley Benton acoustic guitar.
Pros:
- Some of the cheapest acoustic guitars available.
- Thomann has a generous 3-year warranty.
- Thomann also has a decent 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked policy.
- You can buy as many products from Thomann as you like up to 30kg (or 66 lbs), and shipping is free to the UK if you spend over £149. Shipping is also free to other parts of Europe (if you spend over a certain amount). Check Thomann’s website for details.
- Shipping to the United States is available via UPS Express, again for as many items as you like under 31kg (or 68 lbs). Availability, prices, and shipping times are listed at checkout.
- Set up well and play nicely out of the box.
- Most reviews report that they’re easy to play and have a comfortable neck.
- Generally have a nice-looking finish, with some being excellent.
- Generally nice quality materials, such as wood types and electronics.
Cons:
- Thomann is an online store, so you can’t try before you buy unless you visit their store in Germany.
- If buying outside of the EU, you may have to pay customs duty.
- While many say their guitars play very well straight out of the box, some found that they weren’t fully set up properly, and had to make minor adjustments.
- Some say the Thomann returns policy is good but can be slow, so if you need a replacement, you may not get it straight away.
- Doesn’t necessarily have the prestige of some other more expensive brands.
- Resale value is very low, as they are super cheap bass guitars in the first place.
Update: Harley Benton now has an Official US Reverb shop! They offer free shipping too. At the time of writing, there are a few lefty guitars available. Keep checking back; you never know what might be in stock in the future.
Let’s have a look at the current range of left handed Harley Benton acoustic guitars.
Click here for Harley Benton electric guitars
Click here for Harley Benton bass guitars
Left Handed Harley Benton Acoustic Guitars
Right now, in the 2023 range, there are six different left handed Harley Benton acoustics. Check ’em out below!
D-120LH Standard Series
The D-120LH is a classic dreadnought design, with traditional X-bracing, while having a modern C shaped neck making it easy and comfortable to play.
- SCALE: 650mm
- SHAPE: Dreadnought design with dovetail neck
- TOP: Spruce
- BODY: Mahogany
- BODY FINISH: High Gloss Black
- NECK: Mahogany
- NECK PROFILE: Modern C
- FINGERBOARD: Roseacer
- NUT WIDTH: 42.5 mm
- FRETS: 20
- BRIDGE: Rosewood
- TUNERS: Chrome Machine Heads
Check price/availability at:
D-120CE-LH Standard Series
This Harley Benton model is the CE version of the classic dreadnought, which features a single cutaway for a more comfortable access to the higher frets. It also features an integrated pickup system with a 4-band EQ making this a capable live instrument.
- SCALE: 650mm
- DESIGN: Dreadnought with cutaway
- TOP: Spruce
- BODY: Mahogany
- BODY FINISH: High Gloss Black
- NECK: Mahogany
- NECK PROFILE: C
- FINGERBOARD: Roseacer
- NUT WIDTH: 42.5 mm
- FRETS: 20
- BRIDGE: Roseacer
- TUNERS: Chrome Die-cast
- ELECTRONICS: Preamp with volume control and 4-band EQ
Check price/availability at:
CLP-15ME LH Custom Line
The 00-12 Harley Benton CLP-15ME is a parlour guitar featuring a Fishman Presys-II preamp system with a built-in tuner, and is a small, easy to play guitar at a small scale of 62.8cm.
- SCALE: 628 mm
- DESIGN: 00-12 with Dovetail construction
- TOP: Solid mahogany
- BODY: Mahogany
- BODY FINISH: Vintage Sunburst Satin, Natural Matte
- NECK: Mahogany
- NECK PROFILE: Modified oval C
- FINGERBOARD: Pau Ferro with Snowflake inlays
- NUT WIDTH: 45 mm
- NUT TYPE: Bone
- FRETS: 18
- BRIDGE: Pau Ferro, with compensated saddle
- ELECTRONICS: Fishman Presys-II preamp system with built-in tuner
Check price/availability at:
CLA-15MCE LH Custom Line
The Harley Benton CLA-15MCE is a bit of an all-rounder; equally good for campfire strumming, but just as good for more intricate fretwork due to the handy cutaway. The Fishman Presys-II preamp system with a built-in tuner also ensures it can be played in an acoustic or live setting.
- SCALE: 643 mm
- DESIGN: Auditorium 000-14 with cutaway and Dovetail construction
- TOP: Solid Gabon Mahagony
- BODY: Gabon Mahagony
- BODY FINISH: Natural matte
- NECK: Gabon Mahagony
- NECK PROFILE: Modified Oval C
- FINGERBOARD: Pau Ferro
- NUT WIDTH: 43 mm
- NUT TYPE: Compensated Bone
- FRETS: 20
- BRIDGE: Pau Ferro
- ELECTRONICS: Fishman Presys-II preamp system with built-in tuner
Check price/availability at:
CLD-10SCE-LH Custom Line
Another dreadnought with a cutaway; this time it’s Harley Benton’s Custom Line model. The CLD-10SCE has a Fishman Presys II preamp system with a built-in tuner, ensuring it’s suited for both acoustic and live performances.
- SCALE: 648 mm
- DESIGN: Dreadnought with cutaway
- TOP: Solid Spruce
- BODY: Mahagony
- BODY FINISH: Matte Black
- NECK: Mahogany
- FINGERBOARD: Pau Ferro
- NUT WIDTH: 43 mm
- FRETS: 20
- BRIDGE: Pau Ferro
- ELECTRONICS: Fishman Presys II preamp system with built-in tuner
Check price/availability at:
CLD-1048SCE-LH Custom Line
The Harley Benton CLD-1048SCE-LH offers players a wider neck, so if you’ve got bigger hands than your average guitar player, then this is for you!
Also features a Fishman Presys-II preamp with built-in tuner, great for live performances.
- SCALE: 648 mm
- DESIGN: Dreadnought with cutaway
- TOP: Solid Spruce
- BODY: Mahagony
- BODY FINISH: Natural Matte
- NECK: Mahogany
- FINGERBOARD: Pau Ferro
- NUT WIDTH: 48 mm
- FRETS: 20
- BRIDGE: Pau Ferro
- TUNERS: Diecast chrome-plated
- ELECTRONICS: Fishman Presys-II preamp with built-in tuner
Check price/availability at:
Final Thoughts
As with Harley Benton’s bass guitar range, there are a few, but not loads of good quality, yet inexpensive lefty acoustic guitars available. The choice is not as wide as their electric guitar range.
Definitely worth giving a go; they are a perfect place to start for beginner players, as they’re excellent for the price, and many players who try them really seem to rate them quite highly.
Do you have any left handed Harley Benton acoustic guitars? What’s your opinion of them? Do you recommend them? Please comment below.
Image credits: harleybenton.com