Harley Benton G212

It is hard to comprehend how this cab costs so little and is so well built. The side handles feel strong, the cab itself is very sturdy, the only part which gives out a little is the tolex, which is a bit soft, but hey, take a glance at the price tag! I use it with my Bugera 6260 120w amp and it really roars. There is plenty of low end that fills up the air and surprisingly the highs aren't sharp and piercing but rather musical and soft, which I enjoy very much. The midrange is also soft, very unlike the popular V30 but much akin to the G12T-75 Celestion. Though many suggested that this cab would be best for heavy types of music, I find that it sounds best on the lighter spectrum since it lacks that pronounced mid range, so sounds which are heavily drenched in distortion can get lost in the mix, get mushy. As for the cleans and light to mid overdrive it sounds great (at least to my ears)! Leads tend to sound very round, lots of clarity, none of which get lost with the increase in volume which is commendable. Clean tones are a steal, at least for me - very pristine, deep and clear, definitely some Bill Frisell there, especially if You throw in a chorus pedal. At the same time, if You put a fuzz into the mix it soars and becomes very raspy and full. The cab moves a hell of a lot of air and is plenty loud, the sheer sensation of the amount of volume it pumps out is incredible - You can feel the vibration of every note! Also, even at very high volumes the cabinet produces a clear, well defined sound that gets neither muddy nor ea- piercing.

Now, for those who want that classic rock sound - this might not be the best cabinet as the sound is a little shallow in regards to the mid range and as a result of which I tend to crank the mid control on my amp to 10 most of the time. While the sound I get satisfies me , it might not suit those who like a naturally raspier sound.

Overall, scolding this cabinet would be very silly as it costs so little and is of such surprisingly fine craftsmanship. The only letdown is that I wish that the speakers had a more pronounced mid range and that the tolex be a little tougher, but then again, at the price given it is more than understandable. Other than that it is pretty much flawless, got exactly what I expected in a sturdier package that I hoped to get!

EDIT: I've now had this cab for over two years, gigging and recording, and I'd like to retract my previous statement that it's not suitable for classic rock. I've been playing through a Bugera 1960 (which is basically a Plexi) for the past year and a half, and it sounds sublime, from Hendrix and Robert Trower to Bill Frisell to Van Halen. As for the midrange, it works great with the plexi-copy, tames those mids and ice-picky highs. Great and reliable cab!

This is the cheaper version of the Harley Benton G212 Vintage 2x12” cabinet for guitar amplifiers. The price is slightly lower and the reason for this is the manufacturer's choice of two 12” generic, Chinese made speakers rather than the more expensive, albeit also made in China by Celestion, Vintage 30 speakers. For what is, I very much doubt there is a better priced guitar cabinet in the market. Anything else available is either a much worse product or simply a more expensive product.
The parcel in which I received the cab was very well packaged and made its journey from Germany to the north of England in perfect condition. The box felt rock solid and the cabinet contained inside the boxt felt really sturdy straight away as well.
The G212 cabinet looked truly professional. It did not look or felt much different from a previous Mesa cabinet I bought a few years ago. To be fair, when I placed the order, I worried about being disappointed when I had the product in front of me but I could not more wrong as the cab that I had received looked as good as I thought and more.
Specs wise, the mono/stereo switch is a really useful addition, the black tolex seems hardwearing enough and handles feel strong and inspire confidence. The front panel is attached to the chassis by some extremely strong Velcro. I could not resist pulling the front grille cloth off and have a peep inside: the 8 ohm speakers look well-built although they carry no logo whatsoever so their origin is unknown. Still, I believe they must be made in China to keep costs to a minimum without compromising quality. The wood is indeed thick, decent looking plywood and there is even some padding inside to improve the tone.
I tried the cab with a JTM45-ish amp head and the tone was powerful and focused. From what I could see from my quick inspection, the speakers themselves are not badly built and the tone is indeed very similar to the new Chinese Celestion G12T-75 speakers. They are brilliant for metal styles for sure. For ‘softer’ styles you might prefer the Vintage version with Celestion Vintage30s, though.
All in all, I am very satisfied with a great quality product that is certainly well-priced.

I was concerned about getting the generic 'no name' speakers instead of the Celestion Vintage 30s. So I bought both versions of the G212 cab to compare and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by the cheaper non-Vintage version. To be fair, I am only using at home at the moment so maybe at concert/rehearsal room volume in a band mix I might have a different opinion. But to me, these speakers sound clearer overall and have more top end than the Celestions which sound a bit muffled and boxy to me (however I think this due to the cab itself, not the speakers). I'm using it mainly clean anyway as the wet side in a wet/dry set up, so these speakers suit my echos and reverbs better than the Celestions in this particular cab. The build quality is excellent. The vinyl covering is more robust than on the earlier version of this cab. And the quality to price ratio is outstanding.

I recently got this cabinet to use with my Jet City 100HDM. I also had a G212V, but for that amp I felt it didn't sound as good. I feel this cab has a more even response than the 212V, not as much mids and no icepick highs. It compliments my amp much better since it may be high gain but not terribly high. The clean tones are clear and defined but the G212V excels in sparkling clean tones. This amp is better suited for distorted playing.

I gave a 3/5 in quality because there are a few aesthetic issues. The wrap in a couple corners doesn't overlap and you can see wood underneath, there are some scuff marks on the exterior.

Otherwise this cab is great. It is a little more well-rounded than the G212V, although the latter does have great tone depending on what you want. I would recommend this cab to anyone. Again, it excels when paired with a high gain amp but the cleans sound beautiful and warm. If I had several amp heads I could give a more thorough review of its overall tone, but unfortunately I am unable.