The digital tone revolution has given us new ways of playing live using great tones without having to lug around a lot of analogue gear. Harley Benton has just introduced a new combo amp designed for guitarists using digital modelling rigs like its recently announced DNAfx floorboard modeller. And it packs quite a punch, too, given the low price point…

Harley Benton G212A-FR Active Cabinet

First, the specs. Harley Benton’s G212A-FR Active Cabinet is powered by two custom-voiced 12” speakers and dual 1” HF compression drivers, all made to provide a clear, uncoloured reproduction of your virtual rig tones. The frequency range covered is 90 Hz to 20 kHz, so it should reproduce faithfully the guitar sounds you’ve spent ages getting just right.

Harley Benton G212A-FR Active Cabinet

Enough power, enough versatility?

This combo should have enough power under the hood for most gigging situations, with ​200 Watts RMS available at 8 ohms. The onboard XLR outputs let you run it straight to a front of house PA system or desk, while the useful mono/stereo switch means you can handle all sizes of stages. The G212A-FR can also be run in either mono or stereo modes, as both A and B channels feature independent Volume, Resonance and Presence controls. There is also a Mute switch with an LED indicator for darkened stages, so no accidental silencing.

Harley Benton G212A-FR Active Cabinet

As you’d expect from a Harley Benton product, the G212A-FR Active Cabinet is competitively priced. At £272, (or $361 plus shipping), this is a great-priced setup for players using modelling hardware to create their live tones. It has plenty of power on tap, and there’s enough flexibility to make it viable as the main amp setup for your rig. And it only weighs 22.5 kg, making it relatively portable for an amp this size.

Competitors include Line 6’s 212 Powercab Plus, which has more grunt at 500 Watts as well as built-in speaker modelling, but costs four times as much.