Harley Benton RB-612BK Classic Series

Looking for a decent electric 12 string guitar, i had Gretch in mind, knowing they are excellant quality guitars, but my budget was not enough to buy one. So i visited Thomanns online store, Looking through Thomanns list, the Harley Benton RB-612BK Classic series electric 12 string came up, so i checked all the information and feedbacks and made the choice of buying one, the price being in my budget zone. I received the guitar, unpacked it, checked it all over for any damage, and it was perfect, so i tuned it in and started to play it, wow i was really surprised at the sound unpluged , it had some excellant sustain and sounded really nice. So i fired up my Bugera V22 plugged into my Bugera 2 x 12 cabinet on the clean channel, and plugged in the Harley Benton 12 string, i was blown away by the clean sound of this guitar, it was set up perfectly straight out of the box ! Intonation, string height was perfect. The sound of this guitar was stunning, lovely clean sound and sustain and the usual 12 string ringing sound when you play hard. I do not understand how Thomann can get a guitar produced at such a low price that has so much quality built into it. The finish on the guitar with the bead edging is perfect, nice smooth finish on the paint job, and quality hardware, the bridge, saddle, neck, tuners etc all are excellant quality assembled to make a superb product with a sound to match the quality. This 12 string is going to be one of my favourites in my collection now, no need to spend thousands on a guitar that may not sound as good as this Harley Benton. Thomann have provided me a excellant quality guitar at an excellant price. Thankyou Thomann. :)

I've always wanted the sound of a 12-string electric guitar (think The Smiths, REM, The Beatles, The Byrds...), but could never justify going full price on a 'real' Rickenbacker or even a mid-price Danelectro or Italia. This is always bound to be an extra guitar purchase for people who already have a one or more six strings. So... I figured for the low price that this Harley Benton RB-612BK might be something of a risk. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's an amazing guitar. The first thing I noticed was how solid it feels. It's doesn't feel 'cheap' in any way. Well built, compact, and nicely balanced. And the neck and playing action... just blown away to be honest. I have the black and white one and it looks superb too. I've been using it for recording and just jamming around, and I can't get enough of it: it's just so much fun to play. The pickups probably aren't the best around, but they sound absolutely great both live and recorded. Put a compressor and a bit of phaser / chorus on, and you're in a world of psychedelia. Add some overdrive and you've got a great Indie rock sound. My only slight quibble - and it is slight - is that it's a bit untidy inside the f-hole. But for this price I don't care. I simply don't know how they make and sell such a solid, brilliant instrument for such a low price. Really recommend it if you want to treat yourself to a new toy :-)

Minor blemishes, here and there.

Sound is ok and useable, but the pickups are a little dull sounding, compared to higher end pickups. The pickup size is not standard, so it'll be tricky to find replacements. Bear this in mind, if you're looking to replace the pickups.

Pots feel good, for the money. Jack socket plugs in nice and solid.

12 string tuning stability can be a nightmare, so I replaced the tuners for locking ones to help tuning stability. I'd recommend getting some cheap locking tuners - note you'll need 6 a side version, 1 normal and 1 lefty.

The tailpiece is a nightmare for restringing. Not a great design at all. Very finicky and hard to get the strings to sit in. I'll be looking at replacing this.

For the money, I wasn't expecting anything amazing, but it's ok and useable.

Fretwork/nut cutting isn't great. Could do with a professional setup to just take it to a gig-able level.

Case wise, this fits the Thomann Guitar Case Single-/Double Cut perfectly - item number 129350. If you want a hard case with this, but this one.

I would rate it as four and half stars - if you do not mind a bit chunkier neck, than this 12stringer will do the trick at all fronts. The visual appearance is next to perfect, I like the sound of all three pickup positions, actually find it hard to decide which I like best (-: Fret edges could have been smoothed a tad better, but the action was fine right out of the box. The only caveat concerns tuning stability (obviously, it is a 12 string so you have to pluck and finger with more care). I got around it to a degree by replacing the thinner G string (which happened to be the thinnest strings of all the ones used) by a regular G, so the Gs are actually doubled now and the tuning feels more solid. Another small problem is that you cannot fine tune octaves per each string separately, as mentioned by other reviewers, but the sound of a 12 string is not all about perfect intonation, it is the magic chime that comes first... What an inspirational music instrument this guitar is!

If you're like me and you might want to use an electric 12-string on a couple of songs but you're not fronting a Byrds cover band, this is a purchase you won't regret. It's certainly not the exact same sound as a real Ric - you can ascertain this from any number of YouTube reviews of this product. However, it definitely still has an inimitable chime that you can't get without a real second course of strings. I would also say that with some compression and EQ, you can actually get this sounding VERY close to the classic RIc sound. JangleBox has a whole line of products combining compression and treble boosts, but I got the same effect from a cheap Danelectro compression pedal and a Harley Benton "British Sound" amp simulator. Low level, high sensitivity for the compression, low gain but high treble on the amp sim = great 12-string tone at a tenth of the price of a Rickenbacker.

Aside from the great 12-string sound and the insane affordability, the guitar is easily playable, came well set-up, and has solid, responsive electronics. The only negatives I can think of are that tuning is tricky as it is for all 12-strings (stability is good - just dealing with 12 strings is not ideal) and that accessing the bridge for intonation adjustments seems hard. These are both complaints I think you'd find with a real Ric, though, and they're very minor.

Given the price, my expectations were low as to the build and sound quality of this instrument. I am thoroughly impressed with the guitar I got-- it could cost 3 times as much and still be a great value. The wood seems well seasoned and sealed, the setup was acceptible and a great starting point (I always need to make some fone adjustments, even to big name instruments) for playability. The nut slots ran a bit high for my taste but I planned on insyalling a zero-glide nut anyway so no big deal. The frets seem level and well-crowned, and the neck relief adjusts easily with the double-acting truss rod. The tuning machines seem stable and are finely-enough geared to make precise tuning (a must for a 12-string) quick and easy.

Plugged in, the pickups sound good in all three positions and have the kind of tone I was expecting for a semi-hollow 12-string, so no need for me to swap or upgrade them.

The hardware all seems solid and has a good finish quality, far better than expected.

The headstock is actually quite compact for a 12 which makes this guitar seem comfortably smaller than I was expecting for a Rickenbacker-style 12. The neck is a fairly thick c-shape that I find pretty comfortable and the overall finish is excellent-- a black mirror. Better than a few Gibsons I've owned for sure.

You likely will not find a better quality instrument at twice thia price or more. Get one and see for yourself.

i fell in love with this guitar before i even plugged it in.............coolest looking one by far.......tuned it up and it was in tune all the way to the 15th fret .....a great deal....i watched videos and read reviews first...and i was sold......shipping was the fastest i have ever seen in my life from anywhere...........2 days from germany to texas !!!!! didn't have to do anything it was perfect right out the box....string height you name it......plays great, sounds great,looks great,....only thing i did at all was poured a little black paint in the f-hole and sloshed it around to cover the inside ....worked perfect........i record songs all on my own at home and i get released on cd's and played on internet radio all over the world..........this will be used on my next album......

Despite having a few 'Big Name' guitars, this was my first HB guitar and my first 12 String.
I've been a fan of The Mission for years and have always loved the sound of Wayne Hussey's 12 string.
I had been interested in a few HB guitar models and figured I couldn't go wrong at the price and would write it off if it turned out to be a dud. Watched a lot of reviews online and took the plunge and ordered.
When it arrived safely I was pleased. When I unboxed it and all it needed was tuning up I was over the moon with it! The set up was great and the finish was perfect. And it looks so gorgeous, and nails the wonderful Mission/Gothic Jangle sound I was looking for.
Was a bit worried how I cope with playing a 12 string but within a few minutes of getting the feel of it I was so happy I'd gave it a go. It feels and plays really good. It sounds lovely and punches way over it's weight.
Was a bit worried about 'Neck dive' with the headstock, but it's fine due to the absolutely beautiful body shape.
Extremely pleased with the overall quality and service and would happily recommend it. Having experience how good HB guitars are for the money I intend getting one of their Telecasters.

Bought as a backup 12 str. Lowered action to almost nothing. I own or have owned Fender, Ric, Hofner, Douglas, Ibanez, Taylor, Dean, Yamaha. I play in a working band and I use it onstage regularly. Like all 12's the neck is slightly wider but no overly so. Guitar has a good balance and feel. No problems staying in tune, at least for a 12. Thought about stringing it like a Ric but actually I prefer the sound it already has to a Ric. The thing I like about it is the same as my Ric. I can hit the switch for an instant change in toner. I did replace the bridge with a Ric trapeze angle bridge, but just for looks and coolness.