The Harley Benton Dullahan-FT 24 Roasted is one of those guitars that makes more sense to talk about now as a used-market curiosity than as a normal product review.
As far as I know, this model has been out of production for a while. So this is not really a “should you buy this new?” kind of article.
Instead, this is more of a first impressions look at a discontinued Harley Benton headless guitar that you might come across second-hand.
And because this is me, the whole thing started with a failed unboxing.
The Unboxing That Did Not Happen
I originally had this great idea to do a proper unboxing video for the Harley Benton Dullahan-FT 24 Roasted.
I technically did unbox the guitar.
The problem was that half of my cameras were not actually recording.
By the time I noticed, the guitar was already out of the box. And I was not going to put everything back in just to fake the whole thing.
So instead of pretending, I decided to just do what was actually useful: talk about the guitar, how it felt straight away, and whether this discontinued headless Harley Benton still seemed interesting.
Why I Wanted to Try the Dullahan Again
I had already had one Harley Benton Dullahan in the studio before.
I used that one in an unboxing video and in another video as well, but I never ended up doing a proper review of it. Harley Benton asked me to return that guitar, because they were apparently making some changes to the model.
One of my biggest issues with that earlier Dullahan was the weight.
For a headless guitar, it felt surprisingly heavy.
And that kind of ruined the whole idea for me.
The whole point of a compact headless guitar is that it should feel convenient. Smaller body, no headstock, easier to move around, easier to keep in the studio, maybe even easier to travel with.
But if the guitar still weighs around the same as a full-size instrument, then what exactly are we doing here?
Thankfully, this one felt better right away.
The Weight Makes More Sense This Time
The Harley Benton Dullahan-FT 24 Roasted still does not feel like some ultra-light boutique headless guitar.
But it is definitely lighter than the previous Dullahan I tried.
I would describe it as light-ish rather than super light.
And honestly, that is already enough to make the concept work better. This version actually feels like it has a reason to exist. It feels compact. It feels manageable. It feels like the smaller format has a practical purpose.
That was not really my experience with the earlier one.
The Gig Bag Is a Nice Addition
Another obvious difference is that this guitar came with a gig bag.
It is not a fancy gig bag, but it is decent enough. It gives the guitar some protection, and there were also tools in the pouch.
There was also a barcode you could scan for tips about string changes and setup.
That might not sound like a huge deal, but with a headless guitar, small practical things matter. These bridges and tuning systems can feel a little less familiar if you are used to normal guitars, so anything that makes the ownership experience easier is welcome.
The gig bag does not suddenly make this a premium package.
But it is a nice touch.
Specs and First Feel
The Harley Benton Dullahan-FT 24 Roasted has an alder body, a roasted flamed maple neck, a roasted flamed maple fingerboard, 24 stainless steel frets, a Graph Tech TUSQ nut, and a modern C neck profile.
That sounds very modern on paper.
But the neck did not feel as thin as I expected.
Whenever I see “modern C,” I automatically think of something quite slim, but this neck actually had a little more chunk to it. Not huge, not vintage baseball bat, but definitely not super thin either.
I liked that.
The fretwork felt mostly good, though I could feel and hear a little bit of scratchiness when bending. Nothing too dramatic, but enough to remind you that this is still a budget-friendly guitar.
And with any affordable guitar, I think that is the correct mindset.
You might get a great one. You might get one that needs some work. You should probably expect to do at least a basic setup.
Budget Guitar Reality Check
This is where I always want to be fair.
A budget guitar does not need to be perfect to be good.
But it also does not help anyone if we pretend that every affordable guitar arrives perfectly dialed in.
With this Dullahan, the overall feel was better than I expected. The finish looked good, the neck felt nice, and the guitar felt smoother than I remembered from the previous version.
But it still needed adjustment.
The action was fairly high, especially for lead playing. The intonation also needed work. I could play it, and I could get sounds out of it, but I would not judge the guitar fully before giving it a proper setup.
That is especially important if you are looking at one of these used.
A discontinued budget headless guitar could be a fun find, but I would definitely check the setup, bridge condition, fret ends, and tuning system before getting too excited.
Clean Sounds
For the first sound test, I plugged the guitar into my Line 6 POD Go using a clean amp sound.
The pickup switching gives you a decent range of tones. You get the bridge humbucker, combined single-coil-style sounds, both humbuckers, parallel neck humbucker tones, and the neck humbucker.
That gives the Dullahan more variety than you might expect from a compact headless guitar.
The clean sounds were good enough right away.
Not mind-blowing, not magical, but usable. And the split-style positions gave it a bit more flexibility than a simple two-humbucker rock guitar.
Again, the setup was holding it back a bit. The intonation was not quite there, and the strings were higher than I would like.
But as a first impression, the clean sounds were totally fine.
High Gain Sounds
This was the part that surprised me more.
In the past, I have not always been a huge fan of Roswell humbuckers. I remember liking the Tesla pickups in the Harley Benton Aeolus more than some of the Roswell humbuckers I have tried.
But in this guitar, they worked better than I expected.
Maybe it is the combination of the alder body, the bridge, the headless design, and the overall construction. Whatever the reason, the high gain sounds were actually pretty cool.
The guitar had enough bite and clarity to make riffs fun.
And that matters.
A guitar can have nice specs, a cool finish, and a clever design, but if it does not make you want to keep playing, none of that really matters.
This one made me want to keep playing.
The Finish Is Excellent
I also have to mention the finish.
I love it.
I specifically asked for this version, and visually it was exactly what I hoped it would be.
Headless guitars can sometimes look a little too strange for my taste. This one is definitely modern, but it still looks like a guitar I would actually want to pick up.
The roasted maple also helps. It gives the guitar a more finished, slightly more premium look than you might expect at this price point.
Looks are not everything.
But they are not nothing either.
If a guitar looks cool enough that you want to grab it from the stand, that is part of the experience.
So, Who Is This Guitar For Now?
Since the Harley Benton Dullahan-FT 24 Roasted is discontinued, the real question is not whether you should order one new.
The real question is whether it is worth considering if you find one used.
And based on these first impressions, I would say yes — but with some caution.
This could be interesting if you want an affordable headless guitar, something compact for the studio, or just something different from the usual Strat, Tele, Les Paul, or superstrat shapes.
It could also be a fun guitar for modern rock and metal players who want something lightweight and practical without spending Strandberg money.
But I would not buy one blindly unless the price was really good.
Check the bridge. Check the frets. Check the neck. Check the tuning system. Check whether the previous owner has done a proper setup.
Because with a discontinued budget guitar, condition matters a lot.
Final Thoughts
The Harley Benton Dullahan-FT 24 Roasted left a better first impression than I expected.
It felt lighter than the earlier Dullahan I had tried, the gig bag was a nice addition, the neck felt good, the finish looked great, and the high gain sounds were surprisingly enjoyable.
It was not perfect.
The setup needed work, the action was a bit high, and the intonation needed attention. But those are not dealbreakers if the core guitar is good.
And this one seemed like it had a good core.
So no, this is not a current production guitar you can just go and buy new.
But if you see a Harley Benton Dullahan-FT 24 Roasted on the used market for the right price, it might still be worth a look.
Just make sure you know what you are getting.
And maybe budget for a setup.
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