Harley Benton Custom Line CLJ-412E NT

I bought this guitar for very occasional use. I already had a second-hand Freshman 12 string guitar which developed a twisted neck and needed a replacement.

It arrived safely in the usual safe Thomann packaging and in perfect condition. It is jumbo sized so it is quite a size if you are smaller in stature. Fortunately I'm over 6 feet tall so it is no problem! It is a very attractive guitar and the spruce top and mahogany sides and bottom smell wonderful.

On my guitar there is scope to shave off some of the saddle slightly to lower the action but as it stands the string height is probably as low as any 12 string guitar I have seen. The machine heads do their job well, the neck is what I would call a shallow C, and the Fishman pick-up system has a built in tuner to make life a bit easier. The frets needed a slight polish but the fret ends were fine.

Not surprisingly for a 12 string it is a bright sounding guitar and, in my opinion, when I first played it it was a bit harsh sounding. But I have owned it for 9 months now and already it is getting a bit mellower and feels like it is taming down. For anybody who needs an occasional 12 string or even if you just want to experiment on a 12 string, I don't think you will be disappointed with this. And at this price it is very good value.

Actually this is my second 12string guitar.
The first one was some Ukraine made with all the problems 12stringed can have. So I can compare.
So now I have played HBCLJ412 for a month and I must admitt it is well made and good sounding guitar for excellent price.
The neck and fretwork is excellent! (I just lowered action a little bit) And during a month action has not rised, so trussrod is great, and guitar also stays in tune for long time.
At first moment guitar seemed to sound a little bit to bright, but when strings and soundboard adjusted, it sounds rich and warm while decent and juicy.
(Yes, I also took of that ugly plastic pickguard, so the soundboard can breathe uninterrupted, and guitar also looks greater. It is good, that pickguard is easy to remove, and there is rosette under pickard too, so no risks of cosmetic deffects if you do it carefully)
Speaking about rosette, it is not abalone as on youtube videos, but plain black circles. They have changed the design of saddle too as seen on picture, and they are great.
Tuner is very basic, but if You are musician, it is good to use ears too for clean intonation. At least tuner helps to save time quite a lot for basic tuning of any 12string beast. And it is very handy if You have imbuilt tuner.
Preamp has very limited tonal regulation, but anyway any amplifier offers additional controls. It is just a minor issue compared to the great acoustic performance this guitar offers.

Guitar is great and Thomann quality control is great!
You will love this guitar!

The last 12-string guitar I owned was a Guild F-512 that I bought in 1980 and was forced to sell in 1989 because of financial needs. I've been looking for an affordable 12-string for a couple of years and always been disappointed in the quality and playability of those that I tried. That is, until now!
The Harley Benton Custom Line CLJ-412E NT is exactly what I was looking for.
The sound is deep, rich, and rings out as a 12-string should. The included pickup reproduces the acoustic sound accurately without adding its own "voicing" to the guitar.
The playability of the guitar is exceptional. I can play an F barre chord on the first fret without excessive effort, almost (but not quite) as easily as on a 6-string.
Cosmetically, there are no problems either in the finish or the inlays, bindings or purfling.
As always, Thomann Music shipped the instrument quickly and safely. It was well packaged and protected from damage.
I would definitely recommend the Harley Benton Custom Line CLJ-412E NT to anyone looking for a 12-string that gives value equal to 4 or 5 times the price!

Honestly this thing is amazing.
Thomann has done good with this product.
The build quality and sound are amazing and the content that follow with all very good.
The strings are still the original set that guitar came with, crisp and clear sound out of them.
The guitar also came with a battery for the inner electronics.
The keys and nubs are all well screwed and functioning.
The best part is that the machine heads are holding the tun perfectly, I can play as much as several hours every day or nothing for weeks and they don't drop tune at all(a step down tuning, no 12 string should be tuned standard anyway).
The action is a bit high but I will fix that eventually, it is not a deal breaking issue.
All in all this instrument has impressed me a lot and I am very happy with it.
If you are looking into a 12 string do not look any farther.