Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Today I’m joined by guitar virtuoso and all-round top guy Krenar Cilku to check out the affordable Hartwood Guitars range by Gear4music!
Hartwood Guitars at G4M: tidd.ly/4mAO0SS
Hartwood Guitars have been around for a few years now, but recently they’ve upped their game, with a series of new and improved models that seem – at least on paper – to rival the big boys like Squier by Fender, and Harley Benton (the Thomann in-house guitar brand) while also offering a few original design tweaks.
At the 42 Gear Street 7 event in summer 2025, Hartwood brought their entire stable of electrics. And, as Krenar was totally new to them, and I’ve only tried the Deytona before, this was the perfect chance to try out these budget guitars.
First up is the €199 Drifter, a P90-loaded Metallic Blue offset that looks like a cross between a Fender Jaguar/Jazzmaster offset, and the iconic Harmony Silhouette. For a guitar this cheap, it has some pretty cool touches, like a satin roasted maple neck… but how good can it be for that price? Time to find out!
Next is the Revival, a Gibson 335-esque semi-acoustic guitar, complete with a Bigsby-style vibrato! The Revival is a more expensive guitar than the Drifter, at around €340, but you still get plenty for your money here (like a bone nut) – and this specific model is finished in a wonderful Tealburst colorway.
Up next is the Charger, an Italian vintage-inspired offset with bundles of mojo and a beautiful Peppermint finish! The Charger simply looks like loads of fun and, with its alder body and set roasted maple neck, locking tuners and a bone nut, you’re getting plenty of guitar for your €280. What’s more, the humbuckers on the Charger feature a coil tap, so you’ve got a huge range of tones to play with here too. You can also choose a Charger with a hardtail bridge, or a Bigsby-style option for the same price.
Also very much Italy-inspired – or perhaps Italia Maranello inspired – is the semi-hollow Speedway model, which is a Lipstick Red single cut with a racing stripe, lashings of pearloid binding, and a Bigsby-style bridge. This lavish beast of a guitar is also €340, but you get coil splits here too, so it’s another great – and different – option.
The final guitar is the Gibson Firebird-inspired Deytona II. I loved this guitar when I had it for a few weeks – it’s a true rock and roll instrument, and its mini humbuckers (with phase switch!), ebony fingerboard and bone nut make it a great option for the €280 asking price.
This Hartwood quintet are great value for money on paper, then, but how good are they really? Well, join Krenar and me as we find out (supported by some wonderful Mad Professor pedals and an exquisite Tube WorkShop amp!), and do let us know which is your favorite Hartwood guitar in the comments!
Here are some links to the various parts of the video:
00:00 Introduction and what we’re doing today
02:24 Drifter: tones and discussion
08:56 Drifter price reveal
09:45 Revival: tones and discussion
14:44 Revival price reveal
16:22 Charger: tones and discussion
23:17 Charger price reveal
24:11 Why it’s great to learn how to set up guitars yourself
25:42 Speedway: tones and discussion
31:13 Speedway price reveal
33:41 Deytona: tones and discussion
39:52 Deytona price reveal
40:20 Which is Krenar’s favorite?
41:30 Rich’s favorite
Be sure to check out Krenar’s channel here:
youtube.com/@KrenarCilkuGuitar
Enjoy!
-----
Backing music from the YouTube Audio Library: Controlled Distress – Biz Baz Studio.
#Hartwood #HartwoodGuitars #Gear4music #KrenarCilku #KrenarCilkuGuitar #RichWordsMusic #42GSSeven #MadProfessor
*Note: certain links in the description are affiliate links. If you click said links and purchase anything as a result, I will receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it does help to support the channel. So, if you do that, thank you very much!*
@KrenarCilkuGuitar
@gear4musicguitars
@eytschpi42
@MadProfessorAmplification
@tubeworkshop
Today I’m joined by guitar virtuoso and all-round top guy Krenar Cilku to check out the affordable Hartwood Guitars range by Gear4music!
Hartwood Guitars at G4M: tidd.ly/4mAO0SS
Hartwood Guitars have been around for a few years now, but recently they’ve upped their game, with a series of new and improved models that seem – at least on paper – to rival the big boys like Squier by Fender, and Harley Benton (the Thomann in-house guitar brand) while also offering a few original design tweaks.
At the 42 Gear Street 7 event in summer 2025, Hartwood brought their entire stable of electrics. And, as Krenar was totally new to them, and I’ve only tried the Deytona before, this was the perfect chance to try out these budget guitars.
First up is the €199 Drifter, a P90-loaded Metallic Blue offset that looks like a cross between a Fender Jaguar/Jazzmaster offset, and the iconic Harmony Silhouette. For a guitar this cheap, it has some pretty cool touches, like a satin roasted maple neck… but how good can it be for that price? Time to find out!
Next is the Revival, a Gibson 335-esque semi-acoustic guitar, complete with a Bigsby-style vibrato! The Revival is a more expensive guitar than the Drifter, at around €340, but you still get plenty for your money here (like a bone nut) – and this specific model is finished in a wonderful Tealburst colorway.
Up next is the Charger, an Italian vintage-inspired offset with bundles of mojo and a beautiful Peppermint finish! The Charger simply looks like loads of fun and, with its alder body and set roasted maple neck, locking tuners and a bone nut, you’re getting plenty of guitar for your €280. What’s more, the humbuckers on the Charger feature a coil tap, so you’ve got a huge range of tones to play with here too. You can also choose a Charger with a hardtail bridge, or a Bigsby-style option for the same price.
Also very much Italy-inspired – or perhaps Italia Maranello inspired – is the semi-hollow Speedway model, which is a Lipstick Red single cut with a racing stripe, lashings of pearloid binding, and a Bigsby-style bridge. This lavish beast of a guitar is also €340, but you get coil splits here too, so it’s another great – and different – option.
The final guitar is the Gibson Firebird-inspired Deytona II. I loved this guitar when I had it for a few weeks – it’s a true rock and roll instrument, and its mini humbuckers (with phase switch!), ebony fingerboard and bone nut make it a great option for the €280 asking price.
This Hartwood quintet are great value for money on paper, then, but how good are they really? Well, join Krenar and me as we find out (supported by some wonderful Mad Professor pedals and an exquisite Tube WorkShop amp!), and do let us know which is your favorite Hartwood guitar in the comments!
Here are some links to the various parts of the video:
00:00 Introduction and what we’re doing today
02:24 Drifter: tones and discussion
08:56 Drifter price reveal
09:45 Revival: tones and discussion
14:44 Revival price reveal
16:22 Charger: tones and discussion
23:17 Charger price reveal
24:11 Why it’s great to learn how to set up guitars yourself
25:42 Speedway: tones and discussion
31:13 Speedway price reveal
33:41 Deytona: tones and discussion
39:52 Deytona price reveal
40:20 Which is Krenar’s favorite?
41:30 Rich’s favorite
Be sure to check out Krenar’s channel here:
youtube.com/@KrenarCilkuGuitar
Enjoy!
-----
Backing music from the YouTube Audio Library: Controlled Distress – Biz Baz Studio.
#Hartwood #HartwoodGuitars #Gear4music #KrenarCilku #KrenarCilkuGuitar #RichWordsMusic #42GSSeven #MadProfessor
*Note: certain links in the description are affiliate links. If you click said links and purchase anything as a result, I will receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it does help to support the channel. So, if you do that, thank you very much!*
@KrenarCilkuGuitar
@gear4musicguitars
@eytschpi42
@MadProfessorAmplification
@tubeworkshop
