Harley Benton RB-612CS Classic Series

I purchased this guitar based on the positive reviews on YouTube and on this site. I have been a loyal Thomann customer since 2006 and have been really impressed by the quality of their service and products. I own three other Harley Benton guitars. When I received the guitar it looked great, felt great and sounded ok. Now here is the catch and it is a big one, for me at least. It took me 4, yes I said 4 hours to change the strings. I finally gave up and removed the Casino tailpiece to gain access to how the string nuts actually fit in. Prior to removing it, you are partially blinded by the view by the Casino tailpiece. Every time you try to mount the string, it just falls out. I was out of my head trying to do so. When I did unmount the tail to reveal how it actually works it seemed apparent. However, I am not sure I will be able to change the strings without disassembling parts of the guitar you should NOT have to. I wrote Thomann asking for a solution and they said they are aware of this problem (not issue....but problem!)

I really want to like this guitar and do, except for this glaring problem. Other things like lowering the action, etc, I can deal with but this...

Here is what I wrote to Thomann:

Thank you! However, and I am not exaggerating, I spent 4 hours trying to figure out the best way to attach the strings. I finally had to remove the Casino tailpiece to gain access to the string ball end mounts. When it is attached you cannot see into where the string is entering, it often enters the wrong opening because you are blind in most cases as to where it is going. In viewing the Casino tailpiece I could finally see how it actually functions. That worked (FINALLY). I do NOT want to have to remove the tailpiece every time I change strings. I have been a loyal Thomann customer since 2006 and this is the first time I wanted to return a product and the only reason I am not doing so is I threw out the box. I cannot believe there isn’t an instruction sheet on how best to change the stings.

Is their a third party solution to change the string mount to 12 separate string holes or just a way to SEE where you are putting the strings. I have been stringing guitars for years, but 4 Hours???? I am so angry!!! This was my birthday gift and what a birthday it turned out to be!!!

Anyways, sorry for this rant, but it is what it is! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I am old. 67 to be precise. I played in a band in high school. Had an electric guitar and a 12 string jumbo acoustic. I love the 12 string sound. Byrds, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Tom Petty…. So I wanted to pickup a guitar again after many years and the 12 string desire was strong. I read a couple of articles about Harley Benton and was impressed with the value they provide. So I started looking at their website and found the RB-612 guitars. It pushed all the right buttons. Semi hollow body, Rickenbacker styling, dual hum buckets, nothing less than a Ricky clone for 10% of what I would spend for an authentic Ricky. So last July, I found the Thomann website and ordered a RB-612BK same guitar only in Black. I didn’t want black but due to supply chain problems the only color available to order was black. After multiple delays the black version was shipped to me in October, to the US. Unfortunately the guitar was lost in transit and the box and gig-bag arrived without the guitar.

I worked with UPS and Thomann and they both were fantastic and a new guitar was placed on order. However none was immediately available but expected to be delivered in 6-8 weeks. Then in mid-December they notified my of another delay of 8-12 weeks. Bummer right? Frustrated waiting so long I got on the Thomann website looking for something else to switch to. That is when I discovered that the RB-612CS was available in 7-14 days. Delighted, it was the color I originally wanted, I had the order switched and now have my beautiful guitar. So far it has been GREAT! I have a Spark practice amp and the sound is fantastic! It has the sound I dreamed of. The finish on the guitar is flawless. Everything is in great working order and I am thrilled with the guitar, Thomann is a great company and responsive to all of my requests. I highly recommend Thomann as a company and Harley Benton as a guitar.

This guitar exceeds all my expectations and sounds/ functions - even better than it looks!
I’m a relative beginner to guitar playing, but can play and know obvious differences, issues and problems. There are no problems I can detect.
I do notice it’s better than any 12-string I’ve tried from friends and in the Music Shops. This excludes Ricky, but includes1,000 dollar guitars, down to 500 dollars.

Most of the very positive reviews mention many details for their positive reviews Believe them. . I’ll mention some things that I haven’t seen highlighted.

1 Body is Sapele Wood; I’ve learned this Wood is used for Taylor Guitars. It’s been described this way by experts:
Sapele’s tonal output is consistent and balanced across the tonal spectrum, making it compatible with a diverse range of playing styles. It’s comparable to mahogany but its higher density tends to produce a slightly brighter sound with more top-end shimmer.”
2. The headstock is very close to that of The Hagstrom Viking 12-string.
3.The body is totally functional, but a bit smaller, but NOT weirdly small or affecting playing or sound. Think Les Paul body size. If that’s not a problem for you.........
4. Maple Neck is awesome.
5. The F-hole DOES have a history with Rickenbacker. We usually see them with no hole, or a slash one. The Who’s Pete Townshend used a Rose Morris model, which features an F-hole. The HB has an F-Hole
6. The Mini Humbuckers have a unique jangly sound and sound way better than any pick-ups I’ve heard on non Ricky 12- strings.

Mucho Happy with purchase!

As a folk-rocker, I have always envied Roger McGuinn's gorgeous twangy twelve string Rickenbacker, but never came close to earning enough from my music to warrant the price tag on a genuine "Ricky".

So, I was intrigued by coming across what appeared to be Harley Benton's take on the instrument. Intrigued enough to risk buying it, since if it didn't fulfil my expectations Thomann's return policy would be the easy answer.

Well, I never needed to return it! Let me tell you straight out, this is the finest guitar I have bought yet from HB. It's quite frankly gorgeous to look at. The attention to detail from HB is great. Out of the box it was almost in tune (the ratio on the tuners seems superior to a couple of my other "budget" guitars and they work flawlessly). The neck is smooth and the action was fine out of the box. There were no rough fret edges along the neck and not a single flaw could I find in the overall finish.

Ten minutes after taking it out of the box I was already in love with it... but also nervous as I plugged it in. Would it live up to that sound I so desired? Well, yes it did and in spades! My plectrum danced up and down the strings as I formed the chord shapes for "Mr Tambourine Man" - and there was that jingle-jangle I'd have had to pay nearly ten times to get from a Ricky.

In addition, the sound, acoustically, is acceptable for practice or working on songs after our neighbours' 10pm curfew is in place. As a bonus, even unplugged you still get that twang I was looking for.

The other surprise was the strings. Usually, the first thing I do when I get a budget guitar (confession time, all my guitars are budget brands) is snip the strings off and put some decent ones on. I even included a spare set of strings in my initial order, expecting the stock ones to be awful, but I have still not put them on after months of playing the instrument. The supplied strings were fine.

Aesthetically, the instrument hasn't got the headstock of a Ricky. The twelve string Ricky looks like a six string, because the tuners for the other six strings are at a 90º angle to the ones immediately visible. However, in terms of practicality, give me the HB headstock any day. I did once try the Ricky 12 in a guitar shop and I found the Ricky dual-angled machine heads option to be a little confusing and quite frankly awkward to adjust.

Is there anything negative I can say about the instrument? Well, I guess the only thing I could say in that vein would be that if you are wearing a silky textured shirt on stage, then there could be a slight tendency for the neck to slowly dive. But a good rough surfaced strap should soon sort that out.

Another possible negative point that may leave some people puzzled, if not put off, is the two level pickguard. It is a curious aesthetic choice, but one it shares with the Byrds' leader's original. Anyway, that is the least of my worries after getting a sound I had lusted after for 50 years at a more than reasonable price.

Get in touch with the Byrd in you and take flight with this superb bargain guitar.

At over £3000 for a 'Rick' 12 String, this (just over) £200 guitar severely challenges justifying a £2800 price gap. Depending on your taste, this is a fine looking instrument & although purists would give this no chance at all, if you don’t do brand snobbery & do function over style, give this guitar a try: I don’t think you’ll be disappointed... Take time to read some more product reviews or check out you-tube video’s people have done.
It’s a little too early to comment on reliability of electrics & hardware, but initial impressions are that this really does represent outstanding value for your money. … Straight out of the box & like many new (& expensive) guitars, it was obvious the standard factory set-up would not personally suit myself & so … Using the Allen keys provided, I significantly lowered the action (& also bridge pickup height) plus a small tweak to the intonation of the D strings & it was ‘good to go’ … Frets all dressed nicely, with no choking or buzzing & good job on the binding. A small amount of excess glue just visible on the internal bracing through the ‘F’ hole is the only minor issue on finish that I found & this is very easily remedied….
In summary, I’ve owned several high end twin 6/12 guitars & mainly used the 12 string for a few songs, but as seems the norm, due to weight issues when gigging, lack of use & just leaving them in their case, I’ve always sold them. This little gem is the perfect light weight & very affordable alternative, giving a solid & pretty authentic impression of a ‘Rick’. … If you take the plunge & decide to buy, you’ll save yourself a small fortune & I truly believe you won’t be disappointed.

I received this guitar around 2? years ago, so this is a "test of time" review as well.

Starting from The price - very attractive.
I was looking for an electric 12 string guitar and given that it's a niche guitar, the other options available would cost 10 times as much as this one.

Looks - Great, the paint, finish and hardware (looks only) look great.

Sound - pickups are ok, but a 12 string guitar has its own sound, and an electric 12 string - even more, so if you're looking for that familiar sound - you'll get it from this guitar.

So far so good... until the setup and playability:

fretwork - one of the worst fret jobs I've ever seen. buzzing everywhere, uneven frets, untreated frets (no polishing so the frets does not feel smooth) - overall very very sloppy job. I spent a lot of time on leveling, recrowning and polishing the frets in order for this guitar to be playable. luckily - I'm well experienced in that field so I saved myself a lot of money. bear that in mind in case you need someone else to do your setups for you.

setup (out of the box) - terrible and unplayable. the one good thing I can say is that the guitar has a double action truss rod, which means the neck could be adjusted both ways (back bow vs. relief).
the nut also needed serious work, but I chose to replace it with my own custom brass nut.

Tuners - bad quality, they slip sometimes and generally do not hold tuning very well.

Electronics - so far, working great after 2? years. no noises, nothing falling apart (pots, jack etc.) so good job in that area.

The main reason for this lengthy review is because when I ordered this guitar, I was told that the delivery is delayed because my guitar is being inspected and set-up... so this is either a lie or the inspector doesn't know how to do his job...

Overall - for the price and sound - worth it, just keep in mind that you might have to spend more money on setup and tuners if you really intend to play this guitar on a regular basis.

I bought this knowing it was a budget 12 string guitar. It was half the price of the closest electric 12 string and less than a Tenth of the price of a Rickenbacker, so you get what you pay for right?
The good - The construction of this is very good. It's slightly neck heavy as you'd expect but not any problem. There are a few flaws on the finish but you'd have to look hard to find them. My nightmare would be if there were would be buzzes or rattles with the strings due to the budget nature. On mine though, there's not. It's nice and straight, the nut fitting is good. The neck is really playable, the tuning is very stable and I find myself picking it up to play it all the time.
The Bad - The pickup wiring failed almost straightaway. On inspecting behind the scratchplate, the soldering was really poor, the wiring was bad and the quality of the pots was terrible, even for a cheap guitar.
I kind of expected this though and I ended up replacing all the pots for CTS ones, tidied up the wiring and resoldered etc.
It was easy enough to do and the resulting jump in sound quality made it more than worthwhile. I had thought of replacing the Pickups too but actually they're not too bad for now and I can always do that in the future if necessary.
The ugly - In copying the Rickenbacker style control panel. The makers stuck two bits of plasticcy looking scratchplate material together roughly. It had sharp edges and looked bad. As I had the scratchplate off to fix the wiring anyway, I made an attempt to replace the scratchplate with a piece of white Pearliod material I had left over from a hobby project. The result turned out great and really improves the look of the guitar. It was easy to do and the guitar now looks and plays so well that people comment on it all the time.

I would recommend this guitar but would just put a warning that the wiring and quality of the pots is poor and you may have to rectify that.
Overall though, I'd buy one again. Even with the cost of parts etc this guitar is €150 cheaper than the nearest 12 string electric I've seen and I'm really happy with it.

The guitar is excellent value for money - let me rephrase that, outstanding value for money.
I do not play professionally so performance use will be limited to small gatherings and fun events. Sorting and other injuries have taken their toll on, my left hand in particular, which causes tiredness to set it after half hour or more of playing one of my acoustic 12 string guitars. I needed a guitar with a lower action that is possible with most acoustic 12 string guitars and this is the cheapest (that is low cost) that seemed worth looking at and playing.
I have had the instrument for 6 days and letting it settle in plus making small adjustments to accommodate my playing. These are going just fine and should be about right after the guitars acclimatisation - probably another week or 10 days.
There are no obvious flaws, in fact the guitar looks much like you would expect for 4 or 5 times the price. The pickups are good enough for what I want and, having put it through two different amps, more than satisfied with the sound. A bit of experimentation will find the exact sound I want, though getting there is an enjoyable process.
Others have made their comments on their experience of the guitar so I will keep this brief and say that I have acquired a 12 string semi-acoustic 12 string guitar for a little over £200 that could justify itself against those many times more that price.
It is not a Rickenbacker and is one tenth the price of an equivalent and it would be unrealistic to think that it compares directly. However, what you get is a very acceptable compromise against the Rickenbacker.

I was looking for a single neck electric 12 string guitar, but didn't want to spend a small fortune. After watching many videos on you tube comparing this model to the Gretch 12 string, I decided to purchase the Harley Benton.
From Germany to New York in less than a week, I was pleasantly surprised when I recieved it at how well it was packaged. The guitar is beautiful. It plays superbly. The pickups sound perfect. The roll off on the volume and tone knobs is noiseless and effortless. It is such a beautiful playing and looking guitar that I ordered a second and had it sent to a family member in Ireland as a Christmas gift. I own a few handful of "top of the line" brand guitars, but I can honestly say, I would buy a Harley Benton model before buying another Gibson, Gretsch, or fender. Doing business with Thomanns is a pleasure, the tracking updates as well as their customer service answering questions.

I, urgently, needed a 12 string for several recording projects I have going. Bought the Cherry Burst RB612 and it arrived very quickly.
It is an excellent instrument, and a steal at the price. Beautiful "Rickenbacker " aesthetic- really cool.
It plays well, and didn't need a set up.
Rich sparkly tones, with a lot of variation- bridge, neck or combined.
My concern was having Artec ceramic pickups, but I need not have worried - they are great.
Through my amps (Hiwatt and Orange) as electric, or through an acoustic simulator pedal - the sound delivers.
Bravo! Harley Benton & Thomann.