Examining the headstock of the Harley Benton

Most focus always goes to the body, so one may easily overlook blemishes or imperfections on the headstock. That would be a mistake since the headstock is where the strings are held and brought in tune. If the headstock and/or its gear are not up to speed, the guitar will likely be no good.

I had already noticed the A string's tuner shaft protruding a little. Anything else?

So far I've been rather pleased with the body, how lucky am I with the headstock?

Does the Harley Benton have a real maple top?

Maple capping a mahogany body serves a number of purposes, it defines the tone and general acoustics of the instrument, it helps protect the body against warpage, and it does offer superior aesthetic options such as flamed and quilted tops among others. On many guitars, the quality and look of the maple top alone suffice to shift the guitar into premium category, and/or to inflate its price by anything between a hundred and several hundred bucks. So what you get a full mahogany set neck guitar for €158 with a maple top that looks like bookmatched flame (one of the most expensive outfits of maple), you start to wonder:

• Is there truly a cap or was the shape of the top carved into the mahogany instead, like on the very first cheap Chinese guitar kit I bought a few years ago?
• If there is a cap, is it real maple, or something else, a softer and less noble timber?
• Is the flaming part of the massive top (it never is in this price range), is it veneer, or is it photoflame (a picture of a flamed top glued under the coating)?
• If it's veneer, how thin is it? Usually as thin as they can make it.

That certainly looks like a flamed top.

It does look bookmatched alright (i.e. symmetric along the axis of the guitar).

And it's evenly figured all across the surface.

So what's the truth of it? Only one way to know: