G
Anyone call for a cab?
Edited after using the cab live a lot :-)
There are many better cabs out there, but none for the money. If you aren't a gear snob or tone hound and have realised that probably 99% of your audience really don't give a monkey about the nuance of sound but just want to dance like loonies and don't want to wince with any harshness in the sound.
Welcome to my world. Boutique cabs cost more before they start earning. My gear has to earn. I needed to reinforce our sound. Not 'make louder' but reinforce.
Combo on a beer crate behind me, extension cab on the other side of the stage on a beer crate. I'd been borrowing a Marshall 50watt combo + 1x12 which sounded no better. If we need louder, we mic up.Seems gear snobs and thieves like Marshall. I'm HB-80R+ this cab now and we still sound AWESOME! for less than the cost of just the stolen cab.
Construction wise, it classes as adequate. It's an MDF chassis and mine had a footprint on the inside...Who cares! It is adequate. Interesting to note how the audiophile hi-fi lot used to witter on about how much better the sound from MDF cabinets compared to ply was, yet in the guitar world, MDF is treated as a joke. There's MDF and mdf I guess. This passes muster for MDF as opposed to barely compacted wood dust in glue.
The speaker has no identifying marks on mine. It makes a sound. Not a very nice one at first, but run full power for 10 minutes and it smooths out.
EDIT
It has now spent some hours making some very high volume levels indeed, and those volume levels have been unperturbed by unwanted cabinet colouration or speaker distortion. Think of it as running the cone in, like you'd an old engine that'd been reconditioned. As it has softened up, so has any brittleness about the edges of the sound. The speaker is a good match for the Celestion Seventy/80 in the combo. Less bass and perhaps a little harsher but nothing of consequence. There are no strident overtones or pockets of missing frequencies, just a damn fine sound. No nasal honkiness when chunking and chopping either.
The cab is open back and reflex ported. There are no tubes, but is ported. This is a hint. You can place the cab near a wall or even gaffa stiff card at a pinch to make it a closed back. Bass beefs up as a result.
Same with open back combos. Make a closer for tighter bass.
The corner guards aren't fitted too neatly, but really, it makes a nice sound so who cares?.
For playing with amp heads for practice. As a cab, as an amp extension speaker, you'll not get better without spending big coin. The Vintage model may be more refined, but this has cojones. If you sip tea from a cup, go vintage model. Me?, I gulp from a mug
There are many better cabs out there, but none for the money. If you aren't a gear snob or tone hound and have realised that probably 99% of your audience really don't give a monkey about the nuance of sound but just want to dance like loonies and don't want to wince with any harshness in the sound.
Welcome to my world. Boutique cabs cost more before they start earning. My gear has to earn. I needed to reinforce our sound. Not 'make louder' but reinforce.
Combo on a beer crate behind me, extension cab on the other side of the stage on a beer crate. I'd been borrowing a Marshall 50watt combo + 1x12 which sounded no better. If we need louder, we mic up.Seems gear snobs and thieves like Marshall. I'm HB-80R+ this cab now and we still sound AWESOME! for less than the cost of just the stolen cab.
Construction wise, it classes as adequate. It's an MDF chassis and mine had a footprint on the inside...Who cares! It is adequate. Interesting to note how the audiophile hi-fi lot used to witter on about how much better the sound from MDF cabinets compared to ply was, yet in the guitar world, MDF is treated as a joke. There's MDF and mdf I guess. This passes muster for MDF as opposed to barely compacted wood dust in glue.
The speaker has no identifying marks on mine. It makes a sound. Not a very nice one at first, but run full power for 10 minutes and it smooths out.
EDIT
It has now spent some hours making some very high volume levels indeed, and those volume levels have been unperturbed by unwanted cabinet colouration or speaker distortion. Think of it as running the cone in, like you'd an old engine that'd been reconditioned. As it has softened up, so has any brittleness about the edges of the sound. The speaker is a good match for the Celestion Seventy/80 in the combo. Less bass and perhaps a little harsher but nothing of consequence. There are no strident overtones or pockets of missing frequencies, just a damn fine sound. No nasal honkiness when chunking and chopping either.
The cab is open back and reflex ported. There are no tubes, but is ported. This is a hint. You can place the cab near a wall or even gaffa stiff card at a pinch to make it a closed back. Bass beefs up as a result.
Same with open back combos. Make a closer for tighter bass.
The corner guards aren't fitted too neatly, but really, it makes a nice sound so who cares?.
For playing with amp heads for practice. As a cab, as an amp extension speaker, you'll not get better without spending big coin. The Vintage model may be more refined, but this has cojones. If you sip tea from a cup, go vintage model. Me?, I gulp from a mug
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B
Drummer-proof
I watch many YouTube channels and some serious people review and recommend Harley Benton.
I'm a hobby guitarist moving up from a Vox Pathfinder amp to an Orange Micro Terror, and so I need a cab. On a budget.
The G112.
Dear god, I had no idea how big this thing was, no idea how loud this thing is, no idea how many of my neighbours would be moving out. It's so loud.
Ok, first thing is the cosmetic issue. This cab is beautiful. Matte black tolex with a charcoal grille and a very discreet HB logo. It is stealth, it lurks. I pray every night that Thomann don't change the design before I can buy another one (and I will be purchasing another one).
I may be a guitar noob, but I do know what sounds good and every new piece of audio equipment I buy is given the 'Jungle Boogie' benchmark test. That piece of music has a lovely balance of frequencies to allow comparison over devices.
The G112 is, of course, dominant in the mid-range whilst delivering rounded bottoms and perky tops. Plump would be the word. (So you don't think I'm buttering your bread, I own a HB-20R amp and the speaker in that is very muddy in comparison, the aforementioned Pathfinder has much more clarity. Sorry Thomann.)
It has a solid construction without any flaws I can find. If you are a working musician you could fling this into a van and not worry about it falling apart. For the price, and I paid £69, you never need care about the drummer falling over it when he's drunk. Again.
Did I mention how loud it is?
I'm a hobby guitarist moving up from a Vox Pathfinder amp to an Orange Micro Terror, and so I need a cab. On a budget.
The G112.
Dear god, I had no idea how big this thing was, no idea how loud this thing is, no idea how many of my neighbours would be moving out. It's so loud.
Ok, first thing is the cosmetic issue. This cab is beautiful. Matte black tolex with a charcoal grille and a very discreet HB logo. It is stealth, it lurks. I pray every night that Thomann don't change the design before I can buy another one (and I will be purchasing another one).
I may be a guitar noob, but I do know what sounds good and every new piece of audio equipment I buy is given the 'Jungle Boogie' benchmark test. That piece of music has a lovely balance of frequencies to allow comparison over devices.
The G112 is, of course, dominant in the mid-range whilst delivering rounded bottoms and perky tops. Plump would be the word. (So you don't think I'm buttering your bread, I own a HB-20R amp and the speaker in that is very muddy in comparison, the aforementioned Pathfinder has much more clarity. Sorry Thomann.)
It has a solid construction without any flaws I can find. If you are a working musician you could fling this into a van and not worry about it falling apart. For the price, and I paid £69, you never need care about the drummer falling over it when he's drunk. Again.
Did I mention how loud it is?
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LD
Surprised by the quality
I bought this to use at home with my Mooer Little Monster AC, expecting to replace it at a later date and use the cabinet to install a home built 18 watt tube amplifier, and I fully expected to get the quality of sound I had paid for.
Well I am really surprised at how good this sounds just as it comes. There's plenty of dynamic range, transients are handled gracefully and the bottom end is tighter than I would have expected, especially in an open-backed speaker.
Yes, the cabinet is made of a composite (so are Marshalls) and yes it is glued, rather than screwed together. There is some untidiness in the finishing of the glue inside the cab where it can't be seen, and you only get one jack socket so you can't chain speakers together, but this costs less than many speakers without a cabinet.
From the outside the finish is fine, has reasonable corner protection and tidy grill cloth. Overall this is a bargain, and has the added bonus of being roomy enough to take an amplifier inside AND a long Accutronics reverb tank (if you felt inclined to do a little woodwork).
I think I might get another to build my Bluesbreaker home-brew amp into.
Well I am really surprised at how good this sounds just as it comes. There's plenty of dynamic range, transients are handled gracefully and the bottom end is tighter than I would have expected, especially in an open-backed speaker.
Yes, the cabinet is made of a composite (so are Marshalls) and yes it is glued, rather than screwed together. There is some untidiness in the finishing of the glue inside the cab where it can't be seen, and you only get one jack socket so you can't chain speakers together, but this costs less than many speakers without a cabinet.
From the outside the finish is fine, has reasonable corner protection and tidy grill cloth. Overall this is a bargain, and has the added bonus of being roomy enough to take an amplifier inside AND a long Accutronics reverb tank (if you felt inclined to do a little woodwork).
I think I might get another to build my Bluesbreaker home-brew amp into.
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sr
BUY it!!!!!!
Ok first of all, I have been a guitarist for 30 years, and play professionally electric AND classical guitar, and keyboards. I owned TONS of gear, because I also used to sell it. Nowadays I record my albums in my home recording studio: just a room. I was using a Laney oversized 1x12 shut into a closet with a mic to record with my tube amps. Then I switched to tube amps recorded with IRs through the excellent Harley Benton PA100, which I use solely as a LINE OUT to get the whole amp signal into my IRs. I was pretty happy with that, but I somewhat missed the interaction with a real speaker. I also learned to equalize (but advanced stuff, not basic), so with my new skills I can make a 1x12 sound more like a 4x12. I bought this Harley Benton cab without much expectations, but I found the weight interesting, because I can't have too much weight in the 'closet' or it could break (I keep the cab off the floor to kill the rumble). I was also expecting a smaller cab than the LANEY cab. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this HB cab is NOT smaller, this IS a proper oversized cab, and is much lighter than the Laney. Which is interesting, as the Laney was made of marine grade plywood blah blah, but this one of MDF. But I don't care, because it's lighter, and wood is just wood! If you take care, it should last as long as the Laney or any other expensive cabs. But then I plugged in my beautiful Bugera amps, and WOW. I was expecting a mediocre sound, but the speaker sounds really good, it has nice crisp mids. With the eq, now I have a super responsive, killer 4x12 cab tone. I am definitely using this setup to record my new tracks. I am always pleasantly surprised by the quality and price of Harley Benton gear. I'd be dumb to spend 4 times more on a cab when I can get THIS. It's really excellent! I am a celestion V30 guy but I might actually leave the HB speaker in there, with my EQ skills I can get a killer half stack tone! Once again, bravo, Harley Benton!
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update: interestingly, after swapping the HB speaker with an EMINENCE MADE IN USA speaker, I ended up liking the HB speaker more, believe it or not. The Eminence sounded too scooped (it was taken out a Hughes & Kettner combo, not a cheap amp). The hb speaker has more mids, it's easier on the ears. Pretty incredible!
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update 2: after fitting a V30, my fav speaker, I am even more impressed by the stock speaker. It's a nice speaker, with lots of warm mids. It's a pro level speaker, it's not a cheap piece of junk. You don't have to change it if you want to save time and money.
AND this cab is ported. Nice low end.
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update: interestingly, after swapping the HB speaker with an EMINENCE MADE IN USA speaker, I ended up liking the HB speaker more, believe it or not. The Eminence sounded too scooped (it was taken out a Hughes & Kettner combo, not a cheap amp). The hb speaker has more mids, it's easier on the ears. Pretty incredible!
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update 2: after fitting a V30, my fav speaker, I am even more impressed by the stock speaker. It's a nice speaker, with lots of warm mids. It's a pro level speaker, it's not a cheap piece of junk. You don't have to change it if you want to save time and money.
AND this cab is ported. Nice low end.
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G
Just what i needed
I bought this when i joined a band and was in urgent need of a cab but i needee a small one plus being poor i needed a good price , this cab was the cheapest i could find, it came in good time and did exactly what i needed enabling me to shred in a new band. The sound is a little thinner than other cabs but nothing in couldnt compensate for with my setting
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CP
Brilliant, Bargain Cab Solution for a Guitar Multi-FX Set-up
This is my single review covering 2 specific Harley Benton bits of gear:
: the GPA-100 (~100W class D power amp)
: the G112 (1x12 Cab)
.. plus I have a whole bunch of HB guitars .. my current fave is an ST-25TH Firemist ‘Strat’ (another fantastic HB product from Thomann!)
So I’ve mainly been a valve amp plus pedals guy since forever (i.e. since 1978 with several Marshalls & Peaveys over that time); then, relatively recently, I went ‘digital’ by changing my amp to a very nice Blackstar ID:260 TVP 2x12 modelling combo .. but .. the price I’ve always paid during any gig for having this typical Amp+pedals set-up is :
A) time (setting up & breaking down all my pedals during a gig either with or without the use of a pedalboard or MIDI)
B) my poor old aching back (due to the weight of such amps; and they only get heavier as you get older!)
So, for Christmas, I treated myself one of these new-fangled floor ‘multi-FX’ units everyone talks about these days … in my case, a NU-X Trident (due to it being the right price = cheap; and having plenty of foot-switches for use live with my band). The Trident certainly helped with replacing all my pedals & I was pleasantly surprised with how good it sounds when running in 4-cable method through my old Marshall 25th Anniversary 25/50 1x12 combo … but that amp is still quite heavy to lug around (never mind the fact that it is now worth a few bob so somewhat risky to take out on the road!).
Hence, I’ve been looking for an alternative amp set-up to use live with the Trident, that meets my needs & budget. After looking into the many possible (& expensive!!) amp solutions out there, I came across Harly Benton’s GPA-100 & G112 listed on Thomann … for just .. How Much!!!!!! … a total of £145!! … so, at that price, certainly worth a punt!!
I was a little concerned if the GPA-100 would be loud enough for my band’s typical gig level as several players in-the-know have reported it to be perhaps somewhat lacking in volume. However, when tested at home though the G112 up against my Marshall, in 25W mode, the GA-100 showed itself to be very capable (at least in my back room).
I had my 1st gig (at a medium size club) with this new set-up last Saturday => ST-25TH Firemist -> NU-X Trident -> GPA-100 -> G112 (yes, I know, I’ve become a bit of a HB fan-boy 😊 ).
It was just BRILLIANT!!
I am very pleased with the sound I got from this set-up. I was like a kid a Christmas & could not stop smiling though the whole gig. Plus setting up & breaking down my gear was a total doddle …in fact, it was the 1st time I’ve ever beaten the bass player when packing up our gear after the gig.
The amp weighs literally nothing & the cab not much more than that .. my old back said thank very much you all the way home after the gig!!
Ok, I might tweak some of the sound patches that I’ve set-up on my Trident a touch but with regard to the GPA-100/G112 I’m 100% happy.
And yes, the GPA-100/G112 ‘combo’ was plenty loud enough even with the G112 sat right next to our drummer; it certainly coped very well in the mix with the Drums & back-line Bass/Keyboard amps (note: only our vocals go through our PA)
So I heartily recommend both the GPA-100 amp and/or G112 cab for anyone looking for a bargain but perfect solution for making some noise with their, otherwise silent, guitar multi-effects unit that they also might have got for Christmas 😉
This is also a great solution for home use as the output of the GPA-100 stays consistent throughout its full range from a whisper to a roar.
I say, forget those other more expensive bits of gear that are appearing on the market these days for use with multi-FX such as FRFR combos & the like … the GPA-100/G112 ‘combo’ is IMHO a perfect & terrific bargain solution.
OK, yes, it’s early days for my use of both items so I can’t talk to their reliability but from the hardware reviews I’ve seen there is nothing but good reports in that regard.
PROs:
GPA-100: light-weigh; Clean, powerful sound output with no colouration & includes a peak level indicator for peace of mind & during set-up; handy & effective EQ (if needed); crazily inexpensive!
G112: light-weight; open back for wide sound distribution, Nice sound IMO (might even sound better once ‘broken in’ as folks talk about); looks attractive & really quite nicely finished; crazily inexpensive too!
CONs:
GPA-100: none that I can think of .. apart from not containing any valves … if that counts for you.
G112: none that I can think of … apart from not containing a well know brand/type of speaker .. if that counts for you.
: the GPA-100 (~100W class D power amp)
: the G112 (1x12 Cab)
.. plus I have a whole bunch of HB guitars .. my current fave is an ST-25TH Firemist ‘Strat’ (another fantastic HB product from Thomann!)
So I’ve mainly been a valve amp plus pedals guy since forever (i.e. since 1978 with several Marshalls & Peaveys over that time); then, relatively recently, I went ‘digital’ by changing my amp to a very nice Blackstar ID:260 TVP 2x12 modelling combo .. but .. the price I’ve always paid during any gig for having this typical Amp+pedals set-up is :
A) time (setting up & breaking down all my pedals during a gig either with or without the use of a pedalboard or MIDI)
B) my poor old aching back (due to the weight of such amps; and they only get heavier as you get older!)
So, for Christmas, I treated myself one of these new-fangled floor ‘multi-FX’ units everyone talks about these days … in my case, a NU-X Trident (due to it being the right price = cheap; and having plenty of foot-switches for use live with my band). The Trident certainly helped with replacing all my pedals & I was pleasantly surprised with how good it sounds when running in 4-cable method through my old Marshall 25th Anniversary 25/50 1x12 combo … but that amp is still quite heavy to lug around (never mind the fact that it is now worth a few bob so somewhat risky to take out on the road!).
Hence, I’ve been looking for an alternative amp set-up to use live with the Trident, that meets my needs & budget. After looking into the many possible (& expensive!!) amp solutions out there, I came across Harly Benton’s GPA-100 & G112 listed on Thomann … for just .. How Much!!!!!! … a total of £145!! … so, at that price, certainly worth a punt!!
I was a little concerned if the GPA-100 would be loud enough for my band’s typical gig level as several players in-the-know have reported it to be perhaps somewhat lacking in volume. However, when tested at home though the G112 up against my Marshall, in 25W mode, the GA-100 showed itself to be very capable (at least in my back room).
I had my 1st gig (at a medium size club) with this new set-up last Saturday => ST-25TH Firemist -> NU-X Trident -> GPA-100 -> G112 (yes, I know, I’ve become a bit of a HB fan-boy 😊 ).
It was just BRILLIANT!!
I am very pleased with the sound I got from this set-up. I was like a kid a Christmas & could not stop smiling though the whole gig. Plus setting up & breaking down my gear was a total doddle …in fact, it was the 1st time I’ve ever beaten the bass player when packing up our gear after the gig.
The amp weighs literally nothing & the cab not much more than that .. my old back said thank very much you all the way home after the gig!!
Ok, I might tweak some of the sound patches that I’ve set-up on my Trident a touch but with regard to the GPA-100/G112 I’m 100% happy.
And yes, the GPA-100/G112 ‘combo’ was plenty loud enough even with the G112 sat right next to our drummer; it certainly coped very well in the mix with the Drums & back-line Bass/Keyboard amps (note: only our vocals go through our PA)
So I heartily recommend both the GPA-100 amp and/or G112 cab for anyone looking for a bargain but perfect solution for making some noise with their, otherwise silent, guitar multi-effects unit that they also might have got for Christmas 😉
This is also a great solution for home use as the output of the GPA-100 stays consistent throughout its full range from a whisper to a roar.
I say, forget those other more expensive bits of gear that are appearing on the market these days for use with multi-FX such as FRFR combos & the like … the GPA-100/G112 ‘combo’ is IMHO a perfect & terrific bargain solution.
OK, yes, it’s early days for my use of both items so I can’t talk to their reliability but from the hardware reviews I’ve seen there is nothing but good reports in that regard.
PROs:
GPA-100: light-weigh; Clean, powerful sound output with no colouration & includes a peak level indicator for peace of mind & during set-up; handy & effective EQ (if needed); crazily inexpensive!
G112: light-weight; open back for wide sound distribution, Nice sound IMO (might even sound better once ‘broken in’ as folks talk about); looks attractive & really quite nicely finished; crazily inexpensive too!
CONs:
GPA-100: none that I can think of .. apart from not containing any valves … if that counts for you.
G112: none that I can think of … apart from not containing a well know brand/type of speaker .. if that counts for you.
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M
Harley Benton G112
First cab for myself and a bargain at that. Being my first cab i cant compare it to anything but i have ran my joyo firebrand through it and its a gret sounding cab.
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PD
No complaints, great value.
I have been using this cab for quite a while now with a 5w tube head and have absolutely no complaints. Bought with Intention of upgrading speaker at some stage but see no need to now as I don’t find myself missing anything in the sound. I play for my own pleasure so cannot comment on use for gigs etc. Having played for 30 years plus I try not to be seduced by the badge on a piece of equipment but to trust my ears and if it works it’s a keeper. This is a keeper.
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g
A decent can on the cheap.
The price of.this can is unmatched. It is really cheap. I bought this not to be the best sounding unit but to be something low cost that I can leave at rehearsal spaces.
It does the job really well. I've mostly used it with Orange 15w heads, but I find that the speaker is not the best speaker. The cleans are serviceable, but as soon as you add gain (or a distortion pedal) it starts to fall apart. I've broken in the speaker to remove harshness but still it does not sound that good. For me it is good enough (and.i intended to swap the speaker with something else I already have).
The size is smaller than something like Orange 1x12. It's.makes it lighter and easier to carry, but might change the tone.
It does the job really well. I've mostly used it with Orange 15w heads, but I find that the speaker is not the best speaker. The cleans are serviceable, but as soon as you add gain (or a distortion pedal) it starts to fall apart. I've broken in the speaker to remove harshness but still it does not sound that good. For me it is good enough (and.i intended to swap the speaker with something else I already have).
The size is smaller than something like Orange 1x12. It's.makes it lighter and easier to carry, but might change the tone.
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m
Perfect for such price
The sound is not what I would like. The assembly is also not the best, you can see a lot of glue inside. But, try to find an another cab of this size for the same price.
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