Show Full Spec Comparison
| Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK | Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Harley Benton | Fender |
| Year: | 2019 | 2020 |
| Strings: | 12 | 6 |
| Made in: | China | China |
| Series: | Custom Line | Fender Alternative |
| Colors: | Black | Black |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | No |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Hollowbody | Hollowbody |
| Body Material: | Spruce | Laminated Agathis |
| Sides Material: | Sapele | Sapele |
| Back Material: | Sapele | Sapele |
| Bridge: | Pau Ferro | Walnut |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Set | Set |
| Tuners: | Chrome-plated die-cast | Die-Cast |
| Fretboard: | Pau Ferro | Walnut |
| Neck Material: | Okoume | Nato |
| Decoration: | Dot | White Dot |
| Scale Size: | 25.5" | 23.3" |
| Shape: | Acoustic C Shape | Acoustic C Shape |
| Frets: | 20 Medium Nickel Silver | 18 Vintage Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | 15.748" | 11.81" |
| Nut: | Plastic | Synthetic Bone |
| Nut Width: | 48mm (1.89'') | 42.9mm (1.688'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Pickups: | Fishman Presys-II preamp with built-in tuner (Preamp / Active) | |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Chrome | Chrome |
Reasons to Get
Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK over Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
Reasons to Get
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel over Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK
Other Key Differences
Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK vs Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
Shared Features
Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK vs Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
Common Weaknesses
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- Expensive Wood
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK favors large hands more than the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel.
Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK:
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel:
Beginner Friendliness
The Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
Sound Quality Comparison
The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .
Woods Used in Both
It's similar to Mahogany in both color and tone. It can produce warm tones, and it's known for its beautiful figured grain patterns. Find out more about Sapele.
Woods Used in the Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK
Okoume is an affordable wood and one of the first to replace Mahogany when the prohibitions started. It's generally softer than Mahogany and the tone has warmer lows.
Pau Ferro has a dark, chocolate-like color with straight dark grains that is being used as a replacement to Rosewood due to the regulations. It produces a warm tone that is somewhere between Mahogany and Rosewood. Find out more about Pau Ferro.
Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.
Woods Used in the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
Nato a hard and dense wood similar to Mahogany, but cheaper and not quite as hard. Tone-wise, it's also similar, but it doesn't have quite the same attack as Mahogany.
It's a hard wood with a chocolate color that is often used to give an elegant finish. Since it's quite expensive and rare, it's mostly used for guitar tops. Find out more about Walnut.
Agathis is a softwood similar to Mahogany. It's more affordable, which makes it popular as a way to reduce production costs. People believe it to produce a warm tone with good punch and sustain.
Winner: Tie.
Electronics
The Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK comes with a preamp that allows you to connect it to an amp, unlike its competitor. This allows it to have more versatility and sound quality if you want to record with it or play live.
Winner:Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK compares to the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in China.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
Winner: Tie
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel comes with a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.
Winner: Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK's are Chrome-plated die-cast while the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel's are Die-Cast
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- Low-Quality Material Saddle
- Laminated Top Wood
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel
- Synthetic Bone Nut
- Synthetic Bone Saddle
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No Expensive Woods
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Electronics
- Laminated Top Wood
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK has the wider nut with 48mm (1.89'') vs 42.9mm (1.688''). This is a 5.1mm (0.202'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK has the longest scale: 25.5". The Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel is only 23.3" long. This is a 2.2'' (55.9mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
Both the Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK and the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK.
Fret Size
The Harley Benton CLD-10SCE-12 BK has Medium frets, which should be taller than the Fender FA-15 3/4 Steel's Vintage frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
