Harley Benton G212 Celestion V30

I was looking for a closed back cab with v30s in my search for a better metal tone. This thing shipped really fast and I had it in 3 days. This was faster then most things I order on Amazon. I live in the west coast for reference. That cab seems sturdy and sounds way better and alot less fizzy then my open back with 2 70/80s. I am very happy with the sound and the speakers aren't even broke in yet. My only complaint is the packaging and quality. The cab came in a single layer box with foam on the corners. When I took it out there was two dents in the front of the amp. They are not super noticable, but still annoying. And probably the worst part is both top front metal corners are dented. This does not seems like it would have been shipping damage like the other dents. All the corners on the shipping box where still in good shape and with the foam on them it makes it seem like it happened before shipping. I would probably buy again because of the price point for a casual player. Just beware it may not come in perfect condition. For 100 in shipping some extra foam or better box would have gone a long way.

It’s easy to find reviews on both and I even found a review on youtube putting a Mesa 2x12 against an HB G212. I was able to play both using my Soldano mini amp head and a Les Paul standard. Honestly the vintage Celestions on the Mesa roared. The HB G212 was not bad though and definitely had a slightly different roar. Construction of the HB G212 was great and felt sturdy. I saw that the price difference between the two was quite significant but Thomann has put out an amazing and decent sounding cabinet here at an incredible price. I knew the choice was obvious. Since I have using this cabinet for a few months I am very pleased at how it sounds as the speakers start to settle in.

Features: A bread-and-butter guitar cab. Two Celestion V30 speakers, which are pretty much the standard for heavier tones. Two handles by which to pick the cab up, and a control plate, with two inputs switchable 8-16 ohms. Closedback, without a hatch. The cab is rigid enough to sit or keep your amp on without damaging it.

Sound: What you might expect from a 2x12 with V30s. It has a slight frequency spike in upper mids as expected, and just as expectedly it gets smoothened out when you break the cab in for some time. I throw sounds ranging from country to death metal through this, and can't complain. It performs just as well as most other similiar cabs.

Quality. Here I have a few points to nag on. First of all, my control plate came in upside down, and I had to take it off to check if the speakers were wired correctly, or if the 8 and 16 ohm modes were inverted.
Secondly, the tolex with which the cab is covered, is not all that great. It's pretty thin, and thus takes damage easily. The gluing is not top notch either, as on mine the tolex is "bubbling" a bit on a few places. The corner covers are made of pretty soft plastic, and have worn out on mine to a point that I'm considering changing them out for more durable ones.

As you see, the problems I have with this cab are mostly cosmetic, and don't effect the sound. That being said, this cab is pretty hard to beat for the price. You can barely buy the speakers for the same price, not to mention a whole cab. So the bang-for-buck is excellent.

Overall a fun entry level cab with great value for money to get you started or as a backup for your primary cab.

I bought this cab to go with a 50 watt EVH 5150 as a last minute purchase as we didn't have room for a 4x12.
I was on a tight budget at the time so this cab really jumped out due to its affordability and the celestion vintage 30's that the vintage version comes with.

Pros:
The sound and build quality stand up really well in a gigging environment with lows standing out really well in a mix, particularly in a rock/metal geared band like mine. Proper carry handles help with dragging the thing around as well and its held up well to the various drops/knocks we've thrown at it.

Cons:
At low volume it lacks clarity compared to other cabs i've used. I'm not a fan of the finish used to cover the cab, it marks very easily and is sometimes sticky when its hot enough. Its also quite large compared to other 2x12 cabs that I've seen.