Harley Benton RB-612CS Classic Series 5-stars Reviews

Some New Things To Know About This 12-String Guitar You May Not Have Read About, Yet.

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!

Outstanding value for money

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.

unbelievable

what a beautiful guitar.....sounds great, looks great, needs a little set up for my personal use but not bad at all......... Ive been playing for 58 yrs and owned every brand made and this is well worth 5xs the cost!!!! this is my 3rd Harley Benton and will not be my last

Great guitar

Great guitar, but order new string at the same time you order the guitar.

I know the strings that come on guitars are not always the best, but these were absolutely shit. Kind of a shame. Once restrung with new Daddarios it sounds great. Should be some instructions on the tailpiece. Kind of a bear when re stringing.

Too small

Unfortunately, I found this guitar a bit too small so I will return it.

Great 12-string for any collection

I was looking to get a 12-string for a few songs I was working on. I looked at some other models from other brands, and found this model through YouTube. After watching pretty much every review I decided to take the plunge. After about 6 days (shipping to US), it finally arrived.

I've been extremely impressed by this guitar; it definitely rivals much more expensive guitars I own (or have tried) in terms of sound, look, and build quality (both acoustic and electric). I was pleasantly surprised at how well it plays not just for chords but also lead parts (limited bending ability but that's expected).

I did have a few issues. The lower G string was broken when it arrive, but fortunately I had ordered extra strings so it wasn't a major inconvenience (and there were no other issues from the shipping). It did take me about 30 minutes to figure out how to install a new string, so some instructions would be helpful there. There is also a plastic film on the pickguard that I just cannot fully remove, which is a bit of a poor design choice. Lastly the balance seems to be a little bit off (quite a bit of neck dive) but I'm working around that.

All in all I would highly recommend this for anyone looking to get that great 12-string sound at a VERY reasonable price! I was so impressed I just bought two more Harley Bentons.

This replaced my long lost Ricky and now the pain is healed.

I recently bought this to replace a much beloved Rickenbacker 360/12 WWB that I had to sell a few years back, and ya know what? I really don't miss the Rickenbacker now and wish you guys had these way back then. You guys did a REALLY nice job of this; all the chime of a Rickenbacker is there with these pickups, and I especially love the fact that you made the nut width nearly 2"! Far wider than the Rickenbackers and that makes all the difference in playability! I haven't had to change the strings yet, but I can tell that that is going to be a vast improvement on having to change the strings on a Rickenbacker - especially with that "R" tailpiece (Grrr!). You needed a team to get that done. Again, you guys do a truly great job on this one!

Cons: NONE

GR8888888888

whats to say but GR8888888 even the pickups sound great ;. even the strings are gr8 .; i think the time has come we dont have to pay a fortune for a Quality instrument . thanks HB

Amazed by quality

I had huge doubts about buying this guitar but I wanted a reasonably priced 12 string and so I thought I would try this.

This finish on the guitar is perfect and the only fault I could find was that the two top e strings have been twisted around each other.

I was trying to achieve a Byrds sound and although not perfect the sound is really quite close and good enough for my needs. The guitar achieves a sixties feel and look.

Despite concerns that the neck was much wider than I am used to, the profile and curve make for easy playing. Tuning is relatively easy and the guitar holds tune much better than much more expensive guitars I own.

Since I received it I haven't been able to put it down and I am spending my time playing a more folksy style rather than the Cream and Hendrix stuff I normally play.

Overall this is an excellent guitar and I am absolutely delighted with it.

BYrds time!!!!!

Guitar was delivered safely. It arrived with a single ding near the neck pickup and some marks on the neck pickup itself. But no big deal.

Pros:

It's a beautiful looking guitar! What a color splash! Looks better in real life than in pictures!

The guitar sounds great! Love that simple 12 strings electric sound that it churns out. Very useful for rhythm work!

Guitar is very well balanced so it's a breeze to play with.

Tuners are very responsive..12 strings are a pain to tune so that helps!

Cons: Apart from some of the dings and scratches..I have no other unfavourable things to report. :)

The review for this guitar is @ my youtube channel.

Jonathan Koh

Big, solid and punchy guitar

Cannot compare this to other 12 strings as I don?t own any, but this guitar got me suprised.

I actually bought 5 Bentons (recieved 3) and this was absolutley superb. Finish was good (not great) but 4,5 stars. The sound is big and warm.

Very cool guitar for the Birds sound that I want sometimes.

hi I got my Harley Benton RB~612cs in December Last year and have to say I am delighted with it! If I could afford a Ricky I would still go with the Harley! It,s at least a grand cheaper and plays and sounds great! I lowered the action a bit and a guitar tech I know has told me that its lower than a Ricky! I like the long headstock as apposed to the Rick shorter one. You can get a good mix with the 2 pickups an you dont really need the Ricky blender Knob! Obviousely this is a budget guitar so things like the knobs are a bit cheap looking I,m getting vintage Ricky ones am I an anorak? lol! Again delighted! yours sincerely Howie Allan.

electric 12 string

lovely 12 string guitar arrived promtly guitar was perfectly set up great tone exellent value for money great customer service

Ric look and sound for 1/10th the price!

Always wanted a 12 string Ric, but theyre too expensive. Saw this & watched some YT reviews & ordered it. Took 10 days to get to PA, USA from Germany. Was amazed at the quality. Finish was flawless, nice binding. Strings were kinda crappy, but once changed the thing played and sounded amazing, especially through my Vox AC-15! Setup and intonation was perfect right out of the box. Although prolly cheap, the pots and switch feel really good. Tuners hold tune well. Surprised how small and light it is. Played a real Ric 360 12 at GuitarCenter the other day, & while it's obviously better, the differance in play and sound were minuscule. Buy one! Seriously, best $250 I've ever spent!

Great 12 string for the price

I received my RB-612 the other week and wanted to spend some time with it before writing a review. After playing it for a bit I now feel that I can write a somewhat insightful review. I have been wanting an electric 12 string for a number of years. Unfortunately it is a market not well served by most budget guitar manufacturers. Over the years I have acquired many Chinese made guitars. Out of all of them, this is the best finished example. I couldn't find any major flaw in the finish or construction. The body style has a great retro feel to it. If there is one thing I would change, its the pick guard. Some of the edges are a little rough. The mini-humbuckers sound nice and clear. Not quite as bright as a single coil, but enough high end to maintain that 12 string sparkle. Out of the box I found the guitar to be perfectly playable. The frets all appear to be level, and there are no sharp ends. The action is a little higher than I would like, but I have not been bothered by it enough to perform a setup. Overall, I am very happy with this guitar and am now tempted to pick up the 6 string version!

Return of the Jangles

What is there to say about this guitar?

Superb quality, regardless of the price, but amazing value for money when taken into account.

Well set up out of the box. Great action, fast enough neck.

Whack up the treble and then you're in full Byrds mode... Roger McGuinn eat your heart out! That said, reign in the treble a bit and you have that very cool Mersey Beat sound! And to raise the stakes even further, it does sound really chimey through my cheapo Boss compressor dupe.

Impossible to find anything even remotely comparable to this fine guitar at this price.

Cannot recommend highly enough.

Harley Benton RB 612 CS Classic

Only discovered this guitar through a friend having one and recommending iit. As a big Beatles fan I always fancied a Rickenbacker 12 string but could not justify the cost so when I found out about the RB 612 Classic i ordered one and was not disappointed. Plays well nicely set up, great sound bringing the 60's to life. This is a great guitar at a great price and for anyone like me who cannot afford the real thing. Sure it's a bit neck heavy and the pick guard is not the most great looking but come on for a 12 string electric at this price who's complaining, certainly not me!

Harley Benton RB-612CS Classic series 12 string Guitar

I already have a 12 string electro-acoustic and wanted a semi solid 12 string for different types of gigs. I ordered this and although not expecting too much it did get fairly consistent reviews from others. How wrong I was. It looks brilliant.

Firstly it arrived extremely quickly, well packed and when I examined it was perfect - no sharp edges no shoddy workmanship no paint runs etc just perfect. I then tuned it up played a little tuned again. The action was set superbly, nice and low with no fret buzz at all. Tones all fine everything worked as it should.

If this did not have the name ''Harley Benton on the top it could easily be mistaken for a guitar of much much better quality. Next day was still in tune perfectly. I have played it a lot since it arrived.

Through an amp there are a good range of tones and you can get a nice '12 string' acousticish sound as well. I have tried through a range of amps, Fishman loudbox,, Fender twin, HH single 12 50watt and all sound excellent. I will probably use the standard guitar amps for this.

It is loud enough to practice 'acoustic' being semi solid and I find it easier to play than my true 12 string acoustic.

It is slightly neck heavy as opposed to a true solid guitar but not enough to break your arm.

In Short if you are thinking of a 12 string semi-solid or acoustic and you may want to amplify it seriously give this a try I don't think you will be disappointed.

12 String - Harley Benton RB-612CS Classic Series

Really surprised with everything, the quality, the looks and the feel are real good, but... the sound IS EXCELLENT, i have a Rick' and to be honest sound is so very close, that tingle melodic sound, is perfecto.. I love it.

Feels great , plays great so much guitar for the money, yes i recommend, BUY ONE!!

Excellent !

Was half-expecting a cheap knock off for the price, tbh. How wrong could I be. This 12 string plays very well, action and intonation perfect, even with a capo on. Slightly neck heavy, of course, but not too bad. My main guitar is a Rickenbacker 330, and if i could afford it, I would have purchased a "real"620/12 to go with it, but for a sixth of the price, this is more than fine.