Harley Benton G212Plus Unloaded

I needed... well, at least wanted, to replace my MDF 2x12" -cabinet with a better quality cab. I stumbled across the Harley Benton Plus -series cabs only a couple days after the release of the series, and pretty quickly pulled the trigger on the empty horizontal 2x12" cab. For the price I thought I'd check one out, the specs were good. Even if just for s*its and giggles. Boy was I in for a surprise.

Incredible value. I've seen a lots of cabinets, and to see this kind of workmanship and quality control is rare. If you want significantly better, you need to go boutique and pay multiple times the price. I love Marshall gear, but this Harley Benton puts every Marshall cabinet I've seen to shame quality-wise, except the handwired series, which I'd say are on-par with the HB. Stunning. Also, Tube Town Cabinets in Europe have a good reputation building quality cabs. The Harley Benton rivals those easily.

I think Harley Benton has realized, that if something is manufactured in the far east (Indonesia), it's can still be made with quality materials and good quality control. Sure, this has an affect to the price, but still we're far from boutique stuff. One little example, Harley Benton has corner pieces, control plate, input jacks and carrying handles all made from metal. No plastic to be found. The control plate and handles are neatly recessed. How many cabinet makers offer this, and at which price point?

I loaded mine with Celestion G12M-25 Greenbacks. The tone is clear, articulate. No disturbing coloration, resonances or rattles. Just great tone.

One minor annoying detail, which takes one star off the features: The speaker mounting screws are M4. Majority of, if not all, guitar cabs I've had over the years have had M5. Not a big deal, but please be aware of this when purchasing, as the screws are not included.

I'm sold. I would buy again in a heartbeat. Most likely will buy another later to build a 2x2x12" rig. I recommend highly.

EDIT: After my review the cabinet material has changed. My review was based on the early baltic birch made cabinet.

I'd start by stating upfront that Harley Benton does a priceless job by offering these unloaded guitar cabinets. Many of us have their preferred speakers at home that they ordered separately, it is a pointless waste to buy a new cab with a speaker they won't use. What is missing from the series is a large closed back 1x12, IMHO. And maybe different finishes, like cream tolex or tweed :)

I own a number of 1x12 cabinets which sound good themselves, but I could not find the tone I was looking for with them, in particular because they sound too boxy, including the Thiele. Because I tried everything and also I have two speakers that I prefer, I decided to pull the trigger on a 2x12. Although with a larger footprint, I picked the horizontal because this variation normally sounds fuller than a vertical, and I believe this one is more appropriate for a pair of different speakers: you don't want one to overcome the other depending on the position of the listener.

I could not be more happy about the tone! The cabinet resonance doesn't stand in the way. It's neat, smooth and clear, maybe a bit on the fuller side. I only used it fully closed back so far, but it has the option to open 1/2 or 2/3 from the back - one could not ask for more functionality.

In terms of build, this cab is quite large, makes the others I own look like toys LOL! Despite its volume, it is fairly light, even with the speakers mounted in. Its design is classy, its finish is sexy. The front panel is slightly slanted, projecting the sound towards the player and not to their feet.

I only found two small issues with the build. The tolex edges on the inside are peeled, here and there. Nothing visible on the outside, though. The other thing is, when I screwed the speakers in, I could not reach a stopping point with the bolts. I am not sure if they are holding on a metal nut or directly in the plywood. I was afraid to stretch it too far, to avoid drilling the holes loose, so I stopped at a certain point, but I must say that the drivers stay fixed quite well to the baffle.

Now it came the time to state that Thomann's services are top notch! It was a bit of a ride to find the gear I needed in respect to cab and speakers (and not only), and I had to test and return a couple of items. It was painless, 'nuff said. Even in the conditions when the normal postal service returned cabinets from the customs, Thomann always offered a solution and they did it fast. Actually, they consistently offered great services for years, not changing with the wind, building trust with their customers. Much appreciated!