What can I say - awesome start to finish!
Starting with Thomann, order placed and 5 days later (with a holiday weekend in between) guitar was delivered to UK. Not only that but the communications and order tracking was second to none! Highly recommended!
OK, the Harley Benton DC-Custom 612... I was skeptical about Harley Benton being cut price copies but, YouTube research and chats with friends who own put my mind at rest. This is one truly beautiful guitar both in looks and sounds. Looks, a beautiful well finished cherry glaze on a solid mahogany body & neck, quality pups and hardware. In terms of sound, everything you'd expect from a Gibbo but at a tenth of the price! The 12 string is crisp, clear and jangly and the 6 string equally so but gutsy as hell when you kick in an overdrive amp setting!
The one downside, stating the bleeding obvious, this is one hell of a head / neck heavy guitar. Well duh, it's got two necks! This is not a negative, just need to adjust your playing style a bit to hold the neck up - or rest it on your knee for a VERY comfortable play. Overall, for the chunk of wood and hardware, it's surprisingly light.
Final thing, it comes with a custom hard case which, in itself, would be worth £60 - £100 to buy.
Any doubters should give this, or Harley Benton in general, a real chance - a LOT of instrument for your cash!