Shootout + Opinion: HARLEY BENTON GS-TRAVEL-E vs. TAYLOR GS MINI-E [MAHOGANY]

[@Still-Braind]

I bought the Harley Benton in the summer. I love it for all the same reasons, I took it to the cottage played it at the beach at the bonfire, I'm no pro and while I can appreciate finer things, you are right sometimes just not worth it, and lets face it if you like guitars 1 is never enough. I came to the same conclusions as you they have copied a great shape yet cheap enough to upgrade the nut and saddle pegs to bone. It is valid to note that while the guitar only cost $150 so did the shipping to Canada. I'm very happy with it and happy that I am not the only one who thinks so . Thank you for your effort

[@andyhannon4963]

I recently bought the Harley Benton and I I'm honestly astonished by how good it is! I own a few lovely guitars but the Harley Benton is now definitely my go to guitar. Excellent review,👍

[@alexandervetter1194]

Thank u Mike, you're the 2nd one who does a comparisonvideo on These 2 models at KZbin, and what is very cool: you make a Camouflage at the Sound test, the 1st one who does that and so everyone can make up his mind what Sound example sounds better without a Look just with the eyes. From me u get 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@Levi-ef7cn]

Thank you for that awesome shootout. Very good job, go on and enjoy what you are doing :) that was bloody helpful

[@User51813]

Wow! What an awesome review and comparison this is. I was really waiting for this. Looking forward for more such reviews. Thank you very much. New subscriber here 🙂.

[@kristinspirek7616]

This video helped me make my decision! After watching, I bought the HB for my first guitar. I had been thinking really hard about saving up for a GS Mini (never having seen any other budget close competitors for that model). I'll now be playing months sooner, and won't worry about my kids trying it out - in fact I hope they do.

[@MadebyMiike]

Congrats, it's an awesome little guitar! PS: if you are interested in a great but bigger guitar that won't break the bank, definitely stay tuned! I am working on a big shootout between some acoustic guitars atm, at there will be one budget-friendly guitar there you might like! Thanks for watching and all the best for you and yours!

[@kristinspirek7616]

@ thanks so much! Can’t wait to see your future videos!

[@MAX96MENDES]

Thank you for the great review and demos. Now I know what I will buy for my Christmas gift this year ! :)

[@soulsailor2660]

I own the Harley Benton, I bougt it for exactly the reasons you talked abaout. It´s a travel guitar. And I love it.

[@christiangoll8731]

Thank you very much for your great review. Very well made! And very sympathic. You've got a new follower. Greetings from Germany! Chris

[@MadebyMiike]

Thank you so much Chris, have a good one! 🙂👍

[@glennstrangemagic]

Great review. I own a Taylor Mini GS, Maple, and a Taylor Mini GS Koa. I love their size, volume, and ease of play. I'm very impressed with your review of the Harley Benton. It's hard to justify the high cost of the Taylor. Again, great review.

[@MadebyMiike]

Thanks for the kind words Glenn!

[@malaguitarista5266]

Your Taylors will last longer and most likely be taken better care of because to the investment and the experience that is had from playing a superior instrument.

[@OkBuddy-o3t]

Great video, thank you. Convinced me to order the HB…but then I came across the HB Custom Line CLGS-10S which is the same thing but with a solid spruce top for just a little more. So I went for that!

[@MartinJG100]

I have the HB mini mahogany. Totally agree with your comments. Great little guitar with, as you say, 'character'.

[@terencehsu9576]

Your video helped me decide, and I just ordered a Harley Benton GS-Travel-E Mahogany for 159 euros at the Thomann website. I actually broke the neck of my expensive Takamine last week without knowing what happened. I wanted to get a Taylor GS Mini and watched many KZbin videos. If the two guitars do not make a significant difference according to your professional review, I do not see any bad reason not to get a HB. I can save 600 to 800 euros depending on which Taylor GS Mini model that I would buy. Thank you so much, Miike!

[@MadebyMiike]

Make no mistake, the GS Mini IS the "better" instrument! But if you are searching for an easy-to-play, good sounding travel/practice guitar, the GS Travel E might be the ticket!

[@weedaviec]

I enjoyed this video. Good to have the 'blind' sound samples to confirm there is very little difference between the HB and the Taylor. I have owned 2 of the HB ones and I now miss my last one. Now they have upgraded the HB to a new proper pickup system makes me want to buy yet another. Great guitars.

[@zayed9186]

Great video bro!!

[@alexandervetter1194]

Thank you also for predicting the net "Taylor Test", I am looking forward❤. Thx also for your honest opinion, I play and own both guitars and I can't get along with u in some points, but thats not important here.

[@루루박-r9r]

I have the HB. But the Taylor sounds better I have to say. Easy to recognize on every sample without any doubt even watching the video on my phone without headphones. HB did amazing for the price but if you can get one for free have no hesitation ahah

[@brunod.2047]

Great review! I appreciate your onesty. I think it's not nice to pay just for a brand when with this kind of test we can realize there not such a huge difference as the price should suggest....I loved the comparison and i must confess... in every blind test i always preferred the HB! Sounded warmer to me. This little guitar could be a great choice for me... I was just looking for a small guitar with good playability with a good price/value and this seems to be what i need... Thanks guy!

[@malaguitarista5266]

take in to mind the work conditions and fair pay the ethical harvesting of wood and the time and energy put into research and development. The GS mini was a breakthrough in design and has revolutionized the acoustic guitar market. All that Thomann did was copy someone else's design. It would be like you saying you scored 100% on your final exam after copying your neighbors work.

[@malaguitarista5266]

Henning Pauley did a great video on tone color. ie the experience of playing the instrument. This video leaves out several things to consider. I have a 13 year old GS mini and a GS Travel E Bass. I would say for the price the GS Travel is very well made, but there is the experience and connection with the instrument that you can't put a value on. I have bought 5 Harley Bentons of which two were entirely trash and a third is in pieces in my basement. I have an American made Taylor and two Mexican made Taylors and two Mexican Fenders. The Harley Benton CST24T P90 is great for the price, but I play my two fenders 95% more then the HB and I play my Taylors 99% more then the HB. Taylor is very active in conservation and preserving forests for future generations. I am fairly certain that Thomann isn't making sure the wood for the HB guitars is ethically sourced. Then you have to take the longevity of the instrument. The HB guitars will end up in the trash bin long before the tayor and fender guitars. Then there is the unseen aspect of build quality. The Harley Benton guitars are made with inferior materials and will not last as long.

[@fugalibrana]

Thanks for sharing! I think giving a 4.5 to the HB for the string action is unfair. The player touch differs a lot from one to another.

[@HankHopeless]

I find that the Harley Benton GS travel E is really good for songwriting. I can get a really big sound, and it really takes up next to no room, and sounds like a fullblown westernguitar. When I put it through the mixer I can mold the sound to almost like I want. Oh, and the Harley Benton GS travel is sooooo easy to transport

[@Oldcarsandstuffsweden7645]

Great !

[@rmzzz76]

Just as you can buy a nice all solid wood Asian built Martin D28 copy for around 1/3 of the price, you can do the same with the GS Mini. Keep in mind, Harley Benton just copied what Taylor built. They carefully stepped around any patent or trademark infringements, so it's a legal copy, but it's not an original invention none the less. The action being lower on the Taylor out of the box is a big deal... I know how to shave a saddle, but most people do not and would end up paying $60-$80 for a setup, even a fraction of an inch can change the play experience considerably. The much nicer gig bag also worth quite a bit.. and you miss a very important point. The Taylor GS Mini uses Taylor's unique NT neck system and comes with a lifetime warranty on the neck system, meaning in 5, 10, 30 years down the road when the angle gets offset, the neck can be very easily reset back to original factory spec. That would be a $300+ job on a traditional neck joint... Taylor's support is excellent. How is Harley Benton's? There is a premium on brand prestige as well. Certain brands earn a reputation and that enables them to charge more, because customers are not just buying the product, but also buying confidence in that brand reputation. Their history and likelihood of future availability to provide support and warranty. These are not little things. So those are some additional things to consider for someone looking at these two. It's not always just point-assigning the spec values.... I would not buy the GS Mini with electronics or the HB with electronics. For most travel guitar scenarios I would bet most people do not need electronics... I would buy the $499 GS Mini model without electronics but negotiate a dealer discount, which is easy to do in the United States and get about 15% knocked off the asking price.

[@malaguitarista5266]

Don't forget the work conditions and ethical harvesting of wood.

[@fenixfp40]

Presumably, they both had the same strings on?

[@imdaroger]

One thing that the gs mini has over the benton is the bolt on neck which makes neck resets 10x easier.

[@Doggepe]

A neck reset is still more expensive than the harley lol

[@imdaroger]

@Doggepe its not more expensive if you know how to do the taylor ones. All you gotta do is order neck shims pop off the neck and replace the shims.

[@BJJandBS]

Do you own these both? I would be curious if you have tried the Yamaha CSF3M for comparison

[@Oldcarsandstuffsweden7645]

Are both guitars using the same strings..?

[@julirichmond3]

Omg. The benton had a magic the Taylor doesn't

[@anthonynewcomb1069]

That doesn’t sound like fret buzz to me, it sounds like the string vibration is making something rattle in the guitar, possibly a truss rod in the neck? Electronics in the body? Something is vibrating for sure. I’ve experienced something like that before, and it was loose hardware.

[@oneball1926]

Is it just me or does the Harley Benton have a deeper and more woodsy tone?

[@superjarri]

I wanted to like the Harley Benton but it just sounds muddy, compared with the Taylor.

[@derPaul76]

Put on some good strings;

[@fenixfp40]

If you take the fact that you rated the gig bags, then the guitars are even.

[@Patrick.Kopytowski]

J'ai possédé les 2 en même temps. Honnêtement, la Harley Benton est sympa, mais la qualité n'a vraiment rien à voir avec la Taylor, ni la sonorité, mais pour le prix, pour jouer sur le canapé, l'emporter en vacances, elle vaut vraiment le coup. J'ai aussi commandé la version spurce, le son était vraiment mauvais comparé au mahogamy. Concernant la Taylor, elle est bien plus lourde, on sent qu'elle est bien plus solide. Les mécaniques de la Harley Benton font cheap, en plastique, peur des les casser en mettant les cordes en tension... Mais je le répète, pour le prix, elle fait vraiment l'affaire

[@nicopoppe4838]

Man a set of african mahogany for acustic guitar ist like 20 bucks... a 1 piece neck maybe 50... I can't understand why harley benton always use shitty woods... maybe they should make a corksniffer Serie and end the competition...

[@pituq129]

The sound goes through speaker. Ad sound can still sound good. Play in plain