Harley Benton G212 Celestion V30

So let me start by saying that i bought this HB 2x12 because i gigged with Marshall 4x12 cabs for many years and got tired of carrying around heavy cabs.

I needed a 2x12 that could sound big but would be lighter to carry. Ideally i needed something with Celestion V30's or similar.

After looking around the internet, i discovered the Harley Benton G212 Vintage and my first impression was :
"How can they sell a V30 loaded cab for less money than 2 separate Celestion V30 speakers?"

At this point, i immediately placed the order because this is a total bargain. You're basically getting the cab for free when you think about it.

When the cab arrived, it looked fantastic and the overall quality was even better than i had expected.

I plugged it in and A/B tested it against my trust old Marshall 4x12. Here's what i discovered:

The HB 2x12 sounded more defined than the Marshall 4x12. It handled the low end better and actually seemed to be more 'punchy' in those lower mid and bass frequencies.

The HB 2x12 also sounds a little more aggressive in the midrange in comparison. This is likely because the speakers are front loaded, which gives a bit more of that direct sound. This makes it extremely good for rock or metal tones! However, it'll do just about anything you can think of and still sound great.

The top end is clear and cuts through the mix always, but it never sounds shrill or harsh.

I have now owned this cab for 7 years and gigged with it many times and it's still holding strong and performing flawlessly. The tolex is still attached, the grill cloth isn't damaged... This is pretty impressive for a cab that is priced so low!

If you're reading this review and you're trying to decide on purchasing this cab... My advice is just to go for it. I really don't think you'll find a better cab until you spend 3 or 4x more money. And even then, it won't sound 4x better or last 4x longer.

This cab is perfect for me and i will for sure own more than one in future for my new rig!

I own one of the first Vintage G212's, before the "Celestion" logo was added. To start any HB review, you should know already that any product Thomann sells under their own brand is a product you can trust. The quality is absolutely amazing and you don't have to pay for the middle man. The customer service is the best in the world and you should not be worried about ordering it.

I bought this for home use, right now a Carvin X100b series III (carpet) is plugged into it. The speakers bought seperately without this cab would cost more than the cab itself! As You probably know, the Celestion Vintage 30 is pretty much the standard for rock and blues music, being featured in many famous cabs and combos, including the famous Marshall Silver Jubilees. This is a great way to get into some of that magic on the cheap. Buy a Harley Benton Cab, and use the savings for a better head than what you're planning to get.

The sound is very well balanced, with the lows sounding natural and note definition being clear, mids coming through nicely (or not if you tone them down) and the highs being able to almost get a "buzzsaw" tone. It reacts very well to guitar swaps and any character coming from the instrument shines through very well both clean and distorted. It does everything you could ever want it to. What can I say. It's a guitar cab with two great speakers that just... works. I've been using it non-stop for 5 years almost daily for hours without any problems. If the name bothers you, the logo is easy to take off. I wouldn't however - be proud of how smart you are with your money and ears!

It is, like most cabs, pretty heavy, and if you want to take it gigging, it'd be wise to make sure you have someone available to help you unload it and set it up. With a standard Marshall-sized tube head it weighs enough to not be possible to lift it alone.

In the end, this is a great cab for very little compared to so called "brand" ones with absolutely no flaws in the worksmanship and gives you tone you just can't improve on... provided you have a good head, of course.

There's a popular YouTube video that compares this cab to a Mesa version with the UK Vintage 30's, and it is 100% clear to me that the Harley Benton cab had the two speakers wired out of phase, robbing them of all bass. In fact this cab has enormous bass when wired properly in phase. I will leave it to you to decide whether that was accident or intention. But I insist you disregard that video. They wouldn't sell any of these if they sounded like that.

These Vintage 30's are made in China, but they sound excellent. I had a pair of UK Vintage 30's for a decade that were a bit chimier than these in the mids. But I wasn't a huge fan of that chime. The Vintage 30 has become Celestion's flagship speaker. It's full range, well balanced, punches nicely, has decent detail through the mids...sounds nice on virtually any amp. The amp and guitar have controls that some players seem to have never discovered, and they hope somehow the speaker will compensate. No, learn your instrument. The speakers are a fairly subtle component of the chain, typically, and if not, they're tying your hands. The Vintage 30 is a genuinely all-purpose speaker, love it or not.

These cabs used to come front-loaded with the grill velcroed on. Here at the end of 2022 they are back-loaded and you will need to pull the back off to swap speakers.

For this absurdly low price, we can't have any other complaints. The cabinet is solid enough, the tolex not terrific but acceptable. They assemble these so fast the glue wasn't dry when they put the back on mine, and taking the back off required taking off the handles and using a soft hammer to tear the glued tolex (which even a razor couldn't reach). The grill cloth has waves in it. But no big deal, I already have the tweed and oxblood replacements ready to make this a much nicer look. They did the sawing for me for free, thanks.

The stereo/mono switch is handy not just for stereo but for easily converting this into your choice of 1x12's. If you load with different speakers, you can instantly hear just one of them, and swap to the other just with the jack. Great for recording versatility. Or you could do a fake Leslie if you have a stereo amp to run a plugin through.

I can understand the video as a desperation tactic to keep the cabinet industry going in light of this absurdly good deal. But go ahead and get this deal. And get the nifty Laney 2x12 as an open back option as I did. You have all the cabs you'll ever need then. And a nice set of speakers to start with.

I bought this Cab because I sold my old solid state 2x12 combo amp looking to upgrade. When it arrived the box looked like it went through hell, the chassis had a few dings, but I forgive it since it traveled from Germany to the US and I don't mind if it looks a little road worn even though it stays in a practice room ..also when it arrived the UPS guy literally dropped it taking it out of the truck, that is in no way in fault of Thomann but they did reimburse me with a discount for the damages and we're quite helpful. I've had it close to a month now as I separately purchased a JOYO Meteor ll XL to run through the cab. My first impressions was that it sounded a little thin out of the box ..don't worry, after a few days the sound opens up a little and sounds a little less boxxy, normally speakers improve with break in time so have patience. I tend to play various genres but I mostly play hard rock to metal and everything in between. Cleans sound better than I expected and are articulate and defined, adding a bit of reverb really opens this thing up. My amp head doesn't allow me the full range of Hi-Gain, but I can tell this cab has the potential to handle it. I find my sweet spot for modern punk and post-hardcore with the JOYO Meteor ll through this cab to match what I wanted out of it (sound preference varies by player).

The build quality is surprisingly good, a bit on the hefty side tbh so make sure you have someone give you a hand lifting it, thank God for the side mounted handles. Now for the V30's inside. They're good, they take some time to break in so don't expect that classic V30 voicing from way back when or the Mesa signature curve, these are a little more focused on the mids. Some might find the curve a little aggressive but it surprises me how well it actually cuts through with a band during practice. For the price it's hard not to recommend when you look at other similar cabs with a big name slapped on the front that are easily 2 or 3x the price with similar specs. All I have to say is give it a try, give the speakers a little time ..if not, keep it and swap the speakers out. Personally I only wish it looked a little more like a mesa or hesu 2x12 aesthetically. But, I can't complain at this price range

Exactly as advertised. Two Celestion Vintage 30's, in a poplar plywood cab. The poplar plywood is decent enough for its intended purpose, no cracks or warping. The V30's are made in China but if that bothers you than dont buy this cab. They sound perfectly fine in my opinion and I play a little bit of everything from metal to funk, and have no issues with any of my tones. The black tolex is no different than any other cab same quality as a "higher" end cab, though can be damaged in shipping. (blame ups not the manufacturer ) Mono/Stereo input which is a welcome addition, as well as the metal carrying handles on either side of the cab. The front grill is as expected no issues.

Pros: As advertised, good build quality, sounds great.

Cons: Only one I can think of is how UPS decides they want to treat it during shipping.

If your debating, why? Two Vintage 30's in a well build cab housing for $230 USD with mono/stereo selection , amazing deal.

I bought this cabinet several years ago because in Chile they were charging up to 3 times more for cabinets with similar features. Later, I bought a Mesa Boogie Recto Verb 25 head for the cabinet. Currently, I own a rehearsal studio in San Pedro de la Paz (Chile) called @staraprende. The cabinet is used every week, sometimes with a Marshall head as well.
I'm writing this review because I'm making another important purchase for the rehearsal studio and the pending review popped up. I think that after enjoying the cabinet all these years, it's only fair to write this review praising the quality of the product, which can be seen and heard on the studio's Instagram.
For the younger ones and not so young, my advice is not to be swayed by the brand, but by your ears when choosing something. Thanks, Thomann, for the reliability, because if it weren't for you, I would be forced to buy products from less committed and less transparent sellers on Aliexpress.
Sebastián, CEO @Staraprende San Pedro de la Paz Chile