To all the critics who say you now have the equivalent stock version of a certain brand of guitar - well they're not really paying attention to the details of your mods. These mods are all upgrades to the stock parts. The nut is a bone nut and you won't see that on a stock Fender. The bridge has brass saddles and that is an upgrade over any stock bridge. The pickups are at least equal or superior to any stock pickup on a Fender. The copper shielding is a upgrade/mod that doesn't come stock on any mass produced brand. This all adds up to a better guitar providing the playability of the Harley Benton is up to standards and this is usually accomplished with a good setup. So for $250 you have a guitar that meets or exceeds a guitar that costs $1200 if you can get past the "brand name snobbery" that afflicts some people. By the way you play very well with lots of sweet licks - nice work.
I'd agree except for the pickups. If you don't change the stock pickups, then you have worse clarity than even the MiM pickups. Source: I own the TE-52.
Top class job and great playing , power to you. It's amazing how nobody is interested what's written on the head stock when you're playing and sounding so good.
I bought this Harley Benton TE-52 tele much earlier (when Wilkinson pup's was stock in this model), but modyfications I made was similar to you with ToneRider Hot Classics AlNiCo III pup's (the best sounding pup's for accepted money when I recognized what's interesting on the market then). Another upgrades was to changed all hardware except pickuard, neck back plate and pots plate. I bought Framus locked tuners, Gotoh strings retainers, Framus individual saddles bridge, Harley Benton vintage flat knobs, the nut leaves stock becouse (if you dont know) this is true bone and needs only some cosmetics refinish to fit properly with strings! All copper shilding like you, Fender clothes cables, CTS 250k audio pots (the tone made with greasbucket mod Illinois capacitors/matalized rezistor), HOSCO 4-way switch for another series pup's option and Rean plug. After that, this guitar sounds amazing plugged into my friend's hi-end stack (Friedman Brown Eye 100/Mesa boogie 412 Classic cab which easy unmasked stock cheapness before). So if anyone are currently looking for 'very good cheap' (I know - it's oxymoron) base for modifications, then here we go. That's it - Harley Benton TE-52! ;)
Where you from just wondering what price you paid for gitter before and after and how close sound to real bad boy you think you got thanks Brian from Canada
April 2021 I just got a HB TE 52. I am stunned with how good it is. I have no plan to upgrade mine but the quality of the build makes major upgrades like this very feasible and worthwhile. No question. What I am trying to say is the guitar is so good it deserves the premo hardware and electronics.
That is what i have paid for the parts: - Kluson Bridge 22 € (Thomann) - Tonerider Vintage Plus Pickups 60,75 € (Amazon) - Graph Tech String Tree 10 € (Thomann) - Graph Tech Nut 10 € (Thomann) - Shielding Foil 4 € (Wish) In total: 106,75 € Use my Thomann-Link to support my channel: www.thomann.de/partner_redirect.html?partner_id=74866
I put new fender original tele pickups in my Harley Benton te52. I refinished the back of the neck using boiled linseed oil, it’s the smoothest neck I’ve ever felt. It just makes you smile when playing it because it’s so smooth and feels so good in the hand. I also stained it using cherry and golden oak because when i sanded the finish off the wood was so white colored. Now it looks like a fender amber finish. I know fender puts their color in with the finish but i didn’t have access to that. So I did what I did and it’s perf. Also new pots and bridge with brass saddles. It’s my favorite guitar. Oh and a new bone nut too. And polished all the frets. It plays and feels like very high end guitar
Thanks for not talking. I have this same guitar. I have changed the tuners. The vintage tuners pissed me off. I changed the bridge to brass but only the saddles. This is an excellent guitar.
I did the same except I thought the stock pickups were good if not great. I also twisted The hot and earth wires from each pickup as tight as possible, this helps the shielding even more, plus I ran earth cables from the copper shielding of each cavity to the the back of the tone pot, plus added copper tape to the back of the bridge plate - I think without it it won't work? It's now as quite as a humbucker - amazing the difference it made. These guitars are brilliant value for money. Nice demo of the guitar, sounds great!!
@@JSBroadcast Hello Alek, I learned everything on UA-cam. Look at as many as you can and pick out the best for you. It's just basic DIY skills you need. It's well worth the effort and can be done relatively cheap.
Great video I have a TE 52 myself and also made some very similar upgrades. I’m just surprised you didn’t change the tuners as I thought that would be one of the most important upgrades on this guitar
Thanks! Yeah that's right, the tuners are a main part for upgrades, but on my guitar they work very well. So at the moment i have no reason to change them
I have done the same with my Harley Benton Paisley Tele except the nut. The original nut was ok. I changed to a dimarzio super distortion on bridge and a twang king at the neck. Awesome sound. I also changed the pods to cts 250 kohm ones and I placed a .47 nf condensator to cut the hights a little. Check that out, def a cool tunig addition. It sounds like a expensive Fender Telecaster. Greets. Frank
Great mods. Considering doing some of the same to my TE 70 BP, although Im pretty happy with the sound. Just feel I could tweek it a little more. I do like the Roswells and Wilkinson bridge on it so Ill prob just shield the cavities and change the nut as you did. Couldnt hurt!
I would also resolder the control plate to avoid ground loops: shorten the wires, isolate pots from the plate, make a 'star' ground point, connect each piece of shield to the common ground (e.g. under the neck pickup) etc...
I liked how you showed the modifications. The playing and after mod tone is NICE!!!! I've been eyeballing a TE-52 to add to my closet (still very much a noob), but I Love the look of this. Well done video. Also maybe I just don't here it, but what song is this? And to note, you killed it!
I did almost identical upgrades on my Harley TE90 qm except for the bridge. Of course as far as shielding goes I could only do the pickup cavities which I don't think helped much. Even though I got some great sounds out of the original Wilkinson pups the tone Riders were a huge upgrade. Fret level made it play like butter.
Moded three classic vibe 50's teles and they came out great and frankly will beat the Fender Teles I have now. Would love to get a hold of a Harley Benton as I hear the necks are great and the natural ash body is killer. Not twisting any body's arm, just noting the pick up combo that worked best for me was a SD Slash humbucker in neck, Dimarzio Pre B-1 bridge. Reverse the wires on the bridge for a sweet out of phase sound at middle position. Run humbucker low, bridge PU high, either .022 or .015 cap....enjoy, no charge!
Great video. Even better would have been some explanations (even simply as subtext). Another thought is why did you keep the pots and switch and capacitor of the T52? Seems like an opportunity wasted to upgrade it properly.
EXACTLY WHAT I HAD PLANNED FOR TOMORROW, SUPER COOL that I bumped by accident on your video, soooo thank you so much, t is has to be, Thanks Mr. God upstairs, hehe :-) And I checked and listened to a LOT of my friends, checked forums (fora? sorry my English is awfull ) and seems that these HBentons are NOT that bad, even if you modify, upgrade them, other better pickups (not really decided - more a Dimarzio fan because we play more like Danko Jones style rock, if anyone can advise me a perfect set - or just one power single coil - let me know). You really did a GREAT job and I think A LOT of people will be glad if they see you do with a 68$ guitar turning it soundwise next level 1200usd.) Again, sorry for my bad English, I had to put up a BIG shout out to #SRGuitar and will watch the rest of the awesome and very helpful tutorial! Thanks SRGuitar !!!
Hi, I purchaded exactly the same graph tech tusq xl 5000-00 slotted nut for my TE-52, but once installed it is too low and the strings buzzing on first fret. I did only a lateral sand in order to fit inside, but didn't touch the high. how could be possible and what I should do?
I'm surprised with how much of a guitar u got from it, I really wanna get one of the HB vintage DC models but I don't feel like a deserve an extra guitar now, I better just keep practicing.
Good video. I have a 52 as well and considering a couple of the mods you did. Have already changed the bridge saddles to compensated brass, roller string trees and new Wilkinson vintage tuners. One question... Did you have to connect the control cavity shielding to the earth and if so how did you do it. Thanks
These are already good modifications that you have made! The shielding overlaps slightly on the upper side, so the screws, bridge and control plate touch the foil. I think this is the easiest way
Great video, very informative and great playing. I have just bought a Harley Benton TE-70 RW which I'm upgrading with Tonerider Vintage Plus pickups, Vanson locking tuners. Putting in an orange drop 0.47 capacitor and a treble bleed. My question is did you have to modify the Tusq XL nut in any way? And is it ok with a 12" radius fretboard? Cheers.
Thanks a lot! That are some great parts to Upgrade the TE-70! The TE-52 has the same fretboard radius. I just filed down the nut a little bit on the height (but really just a little bit)
@@SRguitar Nice video. I am about to make a upgrade in my 52 with the same pu. Just a question about the nut, there is a little extra material in the botton of the tusq xl, did you file out or just fits right? Thanks
I have a TE-70 on the way. Is the bridge worth changing? The Kluson Vintage looks very similar but I may be wrong. Changing pickups to SD Vintage and tuners to HB locking tuners.
Wow man! Just stumbled onto your channel, amazing demo track! Is there a video talking about your musical background & how you went about learning to play so well? I think I heard some David Gilmour influences? Thanks, definitely subbed, inspiring content...
Which one is a better left guitar for a complete beginner? te-52 or Yamaha Pacifica 112j?. Rhythm blues, classic Rock and why not something little more heavy occasionally? Thank you.
good video, and really nice tune, at the end, man ;) thanks for this. was it easy to remove the original nut ? i was thinking of going with this one too, but i am considering a 6 saddle bridge approach, and drilling for a 3rd/mid pickUp. on the 2nd video you say that the tuners have been doing their job...so i assume you haven’t had any tuning stability issues.. Yes? thanks again. ;) cheers from Portugal
Thank you! Yeah it’s very easy to remove the nut, it’s just a little bit glued. The tuners never really made problems, so I didn’t changed them :). No tuning issues. But that can be different on other TE-52‘s
@@SRguitar yeah...sure, these cheap guitars tend to sound a lot different between samples.. i was thinking of further modding it also with a FreeWay 5 blade switch..and probably drilling in a 3rd knob on the plate, for that 3rd mid PUp. Do you think there will be enough room, for a 3rd Pot ? thanks again ;)
Awesome video!!! Two questions 1) Are you gonna upgrade the rest of the electronics (pots switches etc)? 2) How heavy is yours? Every review I’ve seen say they are very heavy...
Thanks a lot! 1. Maybe i will do that in the future, but that's more just for fun. I don't think it will make a huge difference. 2. I don't know how heavy it is, but yeah, the guitar is pretty heavy 😉
Ottimo lavoro, solo che ti sei confuso per un ottimo switch, un condensatore ottimo e magari 2 pot cts da 250 Hom. In ogni caso grazie per il tuo video. Io ho fatto una upgrade sulla mia squire vibe 52' butterscotch in questo modo: pickup texas special custom, 2 pot cts 1 condensatore orange da 250 hom, cavetti telati, switch fender 3 vie, ponte ptend fender, meccaniche fender vintage. Oggi suona una bomba. Provata in rec con la mia fender tele butterscotch custom shop. La differenza è percettibile su alcuni suoni, poi è uguale. Dimenticavo una lucidatura ai frets.Così quando vado a suonare in posti un po' "strani" non rischio, mi porto la squire, tanto suona simile ed agli altri appare una "chitarrina da 4 soldi". Poi quando accendo il valvolare, cambisno parere e qualche curioso mi pone domande sullo strumento English by google translate: Great job, you just got confused for a great switch, a great capacitor and maybe 2 pot cts of 250 Hom. In any case, thanks for your video. I upgraded my squire vibe 52 'butterscotch as follows: texas special custom pickup, 2 pot cts 1 250 hom orange capacitor, wire cables, 3-way fender switch, ptend fender bridge, vintage fender tuners. Today a bomb sounds. Tested in rec with my fender tele butterscotch custom shop. The difference is perceptible on some sounds, then it is the same. I forgot a polishing to the frets.So when I go to play in a bit "strange" places I don't risk it, I take the squire, it sounds so similar and to the others it appears a "4 penny little guitar". Then when I turn on the tube, I change my opinion and some curious people ask me questions about the instrument Regard Modesto
the copper foil pieces, although overlap, do not connect, cause only the top side is conductive... so, basically, you have many pieces of a Faraday cage without continuity... but it works :) which is the point
Needed Oak Grigsby switch and CRL Audio potentiometers, don't forget the Grease Bucket capacitor on the tone pot........then it will talk like it should !!
Are those pickups better sounding than the fender “originals?” I just bought the fender original tele pickups so I’m wondering now if I made the right decision.
Maybe a dumb question - why did you get the TE52 instead of the TE20, if you were going to do these upgrades? Tyring to decide myself. If its just about the Natural - i get it...
Nice job man, im going to buy the guitar soon and do the same mods that you did! I have just a question, I bought the same nut you replaced but you just showed when you put the glue...is there something that i have to do to the new nut, like polishing?
I just got my TE-52 and I’m thinking about upgrades on my ST-57DG; but I’ve seen where HB guitars are just a bit different size than “standard” guitars so replacement parts won’t fit. Did you have any problems with the fit of the new parts?
Hi SR Guitar. I'm looking to buy a TE-52 and stumbled across this video. Can you perhaps explain the upgrades and mods you're making? For instance, what is that copper shielding for? Anyways, thanks for the interesting video :)
@@SRguitar one thing I don’t like about the tuners is the buttons are plastic that’s made to look like metal. I actually like the old vintage style tuners but the old ones either had white plastic (that was a different type of plastic) or all metal ones
Im confused. In some mod videos of the TE-52 i see the neck pickup entrance available for humbucker and others i only see for single coil. Can someone shed some light on this?
I think I saw you put a ground wire under that bridge, that was fast forwarded. Those HB guitars are okay. I prefer Tonerider Classics but hey- it's your guitar.
wow!!! im just so jealous !!! .... great vid ... great mod .... great playing .... really cool !!!! would you think that it could fit a humbucker on the bridgr+e??!!! i would love to try to do an JOnny Greenwood from Radiohead ... style Tele ... and after seeing this amazing video of yours .... i think im inspierd in do a similar adventure ... eheheh ... Thanks so much for this vid .... greetings form Portugal ...
VERY interesting. If you compare the sound of the guitar with the original pickups and original bridge - how did the sound change after the modifications? Was there a big change in all 3 selector positions? Also read a lot about how heavy this guitar is. Is it noticeably heavy when you play standing up?
Thanks! The sound now is more dynamic, it has more details. Yeah the guitar is pretty heavy, i mostly play this guitar in sitting position so i can't tell if it's noticeably when you play standing up
Great guitar, man. Why did you put so much foil on the pickguard? It's enough just to cover cavities, you don't have to foil everything. It's my only yelling, don't take it seriously, I'm just jealous :) great job and great playing, too. I wish I could do the same
I'm about to replace the string trees on my te-52 and I was wondering if you adjusted the height of the new tusq ones on the lower strings as they are about 1mm higher than the stock ones
Get the TE-52: redir.love/thoprod/223985?offid=1&affid=398
Where did you buy the bridge ?? It's hard to find in Europe!! It fits properly without mods?
To all the critics who say you now have the equivalent stock version of a certain brand of guitar - well they're not really paying attention to the details of your mods. These mods are all upgrades to the stock parts. The nut is a bone nut and you won't see that on a stock Fender. The bridge has brass saddles and that is an upgrade over any stock bridge. The pickups are at least equal or superior to any stock pickup on a Fender. The copper shielding is a upgrade/mod that doesn't come stock on any mass produced brand. This all adds up to a better guitar providing the playability of the Harley Benton is up to standards and this is usually accomplished with a good setup. So for $250 you have a guitar that meets or exceeds a guitar that costs $1200 if you can get past the "brand name snobbery" that afflicts some people. By the way you play very well with lots of sweet licks - nice work.
I think I would have just went one step further and put some locking machine heads on it. Might as well.
I could not agree more with this. These mods are the kind of stuff you see on guitars costing well over $1000.
I'd agree except for the pickups. If you don't change the stock pickups, then you have worse clarity than even the MiM pickups. Source: I own the TE-52.
Top class job and great playing , power to you. It's amazing how nobody is interested what's written on the head stock when you're playing and sounding so good.
I bought this Harley Benton TE-52 tele much earlier (when Wilkinson pup's was stock in this model), but modyfications I made was similar to you with ToneRider Hot Classics AlNiCo III pup's (the best sounding pup's for accepted money when I recognized what's interesting on the market then). Another upgrades was to changed all hardware except pickuard, neck back plate and pots plate. I bought Framus locked tuners, Gotoh strings retainers, Framus individual saddles bridge, Harley Benton vintage flat knobs, the nut leaves stock becouse (if you dont know) this is true bone and needs only some cosmetics refinish to fit properly with strings! All copper shilding like you, Fender clothes cables, CTS 250k audio pots (the tone made with greasbucket mod Illinois capacitors/matalized rezistor), HOSCO 4-way switch for another series pup's option and Rean plug. After that, this guitar sounds amazing plugged into my friend's hi-end stack (Friedman Brown Eye 100/Mesa boogie 412 Classic cab which easy unmasked stock cheapness before). So if anyone are currently looking for 'very good cheap' (I know - it's oxymoron) base for modifications, then here we go. That's it - Harley Benton TE-52! ;)
Where you from just wondering what price you paid for gitter before and after and how close sound to real bad boy you think you got thanks Brian from Canada
April 2021
I just got a HB TE 52. I am stunned with how good it is. I have no plan to upgrade mine but the quality of the build makes major upgrades like this very feasible and worthwhile. No question. What I am trying to say is the guitar is so good it deserves the premo hardware and electronics.
That is what i have paid for the parts:
- Kluson Bridge 22 € (Thomann)
- Tonerider Vintage Plus Pickups 60,75 € (Amazon)
- Graph Tech String Tree 10 € (Thomann)
- Graph Tech Nut 10 € (Thomann)
- Shielding Foil 4 € (Wish)
In total: 106,75 €
Use my Thomann-Link to support my channel: www.thomann.de/partner_redirect.html?partner_id=74866
Brilliant job and really nice playing.
Thank you!
Mine is ordered. I wish I could order the ability to play too.
I put new fender original tele pickups in my Harley Benton te52. I refinished the back of the neck using boiled linseed oil, it’s the smoothest neck I’ve ever felt. It just makes you smile when playing it because it’s so smooth and feels so good in the hand. I also stained it using cherry and golden oak because when i sanded the finish off the wood was so white colored. Now it looks like a fender amber finish. I know fender puts their color in with the finish but i didn’t have access to that. So I did what I did and it’s perf. Also new pots and bridge with brass saddles. It’s my favorite guitar.
Oh and a new bone nut too. And polished all the frets. It plays and feels like very high end guitar
Thanks for not talking. I have this same guitar. I have changed the tuners. The vintage tuners pissed me off. I changed the bridge to brass but only the saddles.
This is an excellent guitar.
I did the same except I thought the stock pickups were good if not great. I also twisted The hot and earth wires from each pickup as tight as possible, this helps the shielding even more, plus I ran earth cables from the copper shielding of each cavity to the the back of the tone pot, plus added copper tape to the back of the bridge plate - I think without it it won't work? It's now as quite as a humbucker - amazing the difference it made. These guitars are brilliant value for money. Nice demo of the guitar, sounds great!!
@@JSBroadcast Hello Alek, I learned everything on UA-cam. Look at as many as you can and pick out the best for you. It's just basic DIY skills you need. It's well worth the effort and can be done relatively cheap.
Great video I have a TE 52 myself and also made some very similar upgrades. I’m just surprised you didn’t change the tuners as I thought that would be one of the most important upgrades on this guitar
Thanks! Yeah that's right, the tuners are a main part for upgrades, but on my guitar they work very well. So at the moment i have no reason to change them
@@SRguitar AS IF IT AIN'T BROKE ??
I have a HB Telly too and for me its tuners are enough satisfactory for the level of this axe.
They keep it in tune very well.
I have done the same with my Harley Benton Paisley Tele except the nut. The original nut was ok. I changed to a dimarzio super distortion on bridge and a twang king at the neck. Awesome sound. I also changed the pods to cts 250 kohm ones and I placed a .47 nf condensator to cut the hights a little. Check that out, def a cool tunig addition. It sounds like a expensive Fender Telecaster. Greets. Frank
At last a decent review without some knob head playing through a wall of cheap distortion.
Loved the playing afterwards! Sounded great!
I like the mods - I love your playing - nice original song.
Very good choice of the upgraded parts. You did a great job and it sounds very good 👍
Great mods. Considering doing some of the same to my TE 70 BP, although Im pretty happy with the sound. Just feel I could tweek it a little more. I do like the Roswells and Wilkinson bridge on it so Ill prob just shield the cavities and change the nut as you did. Couldnt hurt!
Love the playing and the tune. You should release it. Very inspiring.
I would also resolder the control plate to avoid ground loops: shorten the wires, isolate pots from the plate, make a 'star' ground point, connect each piece of shield to the common ground (e.g. under the neck pickup) etc...
Thanks SRguitar, nice video! You inspired me do to the same modifications on my Harley Benton te-52. All new for me, learned a lot during the process.
Thank you! I'm glad you like it
You did a great job! I was considering the same type of mods to HB. You have a new subscriber!
Even before mods it is an exceptional value guitar. Great video, thanks.
I liked how you showed the modifications. The playing and after mod tone is NICE!!!! I've been eyeballing a TE-52 to add to my closet (still very much a noob), but I Love the look of this. Well done video. Also maybe I just don't here it, but what song is this? And to note, you killed it!
Thank you! It’s i tune that i wrote 😉 I am glad you enjoy it
I love this telecaster
I did almost identical upgrades on my Harley TE90 qm except for the bridge. Of course as far as shielding goes I could only do the pickup cavities which I don't think helped much. Even though I got some great sounds out of the original Wilkinson pups the tone Riders were a huge upgrade. Fret level made it play like butter.
Moded three classic vibe 50's teles and they came out great and frankly will beat the Fender Teles I have now. Would love to get a hold of a Harley Benton as I hear the necks are great and the natural ash body is killer. Not twisting any body's arm, just noting the pick up combo that worked best for me was a SD Slash humbucker in neck, Dimarzio Pre B-1 bridge. Reverse the wires on the bridge for a sweet out of phase sound at middle position. Run humbucker low, bridge PU high, either .022 or .015 cap....enjoy, no charge!
Nice job, and REALLY nice play ;)
Great video, thank you. That is what I am going to do to my guitar
Great video. Even better would have been some explanations (even simply as subtext). Another thought is why did you keep the pots and switch and capacitor of the T52? Seems like an opportunity wasted to upgrade it properly.
Hi! Really enjoyed this vid. Wish you could deep dive and make a tutorial on how to play and jam around the section 5-6min in, love that section!!
Awesome build up just really enjoyed it.
OH My GOD🥇 REAL GREAT MASTER SKILS 🎩 AND MASTER MUSICIAN TOO.🎸 SUPERB INSPIRATION. GOD BLESS YOU SR
The mods on mine were almost the same. But most important was a fret leveling job.
Yes the Frets and the Neck angle was pure Horror, also on the HB Tele Rosewood.
cool vid man I have a HB TE52 and have just upgraded the tuners
EXACTLY WHAT I HAD PLANNED FOR TOMORROW, SUPER COOL that I bumped by accident on your video, soooo thank you so much, t is has to be, Thanks Mr. God upstairs, hehe :-)
And I checked and listened to a LOT of my friends, checked forums (fora? sorry my English is awfull ) and seems that these HBentons are NOT that bad, even if you modify, upgrade them, other better pickups (not really decided - more a Dimarzio fan because we play more like Danko Jones style rock, if anyone can advise me a perfect set - or just one power single coil - let me know). You really did a GREAT job and I think A LOT of people will be glad if they see you do with a 68$ guitar turning it soundwise next level 1200usd.) Again, sorry for my bad English, I had to put up a BIG shout out to #SRGuitar and will watch the rest of the awesome and very helpful tutorial! Thanks SRGuitar !!!
Just bought a TE 70 The one that looks like George Harrison telly, gonna pop some fender 64 pick ups in it. gonna do the same as you
Now you have got my brain ticking away.... Great stuff....
You made a squire classic vibe 50's tele. good job
Not exactly !! SQ CV has pine body. This one is ASH.
My newest CV50,,,Purple Danish Pete one...is ash...lighter....also uses the circuit board switch.... love it with Lollar Special Ts. @@restertester
I believe changing out the pots and selector switch would have been prudent.
I thought the same. Would have been just as simple and not so expensive.
I actually preferred the Roswell pickups!
I’d upgrade the control panel too! And the tuners, for Vanson or similar, locking versions.
Oh, and I’d ditch the ‘Kiss’ tee!😬
Very nice job! I also own a HB '52 and want to do a simular upgrade. Definitely will also replace the tuners... they are crap
Awesome job, Sasha. And I LOVE the KISS shirt.
no nice tuners ?
This makes me second guess building my own telecaster. I could buy this and replace the parts.
Nice work on the guitar, really enjoy the video. Cheers.
Thank you! :)
Hi, I purchaded exactly the same graph tech tusq xl 5000-00 slotted nut for my TE-52, but once installed it is too low and the strings buzzing on first fret. I did only a lateral sand in order to fit inside, but didn't touch the high. how could be possible and what I should do?
I'm surprised with how much of a guitar u got from it, I really wanna get one of the HB vintage DC models but I don't feel like a deserve an extra guitar now, I better just keep practicing.
Rafael Lima we deserve as many as our pocket book(not credit cards, imo)will allow.
Muy bueno!!! Gracias gracias Gracias
Por fin buena música en uno de estos videos de checkings!
Nice demolition and modification, You just doubled its price!
Beautiful solo dude 👍
A set of cts pots and a large orange drop and fender 3 way switch would also be needed if fitting the toneriders
The pots, man, the pots and selector switch. You're kidding yeah.
hey there ! nice video ! is the xl tusq nut a must or the smaller one is ok too ?
Good video. I have a 52 as well and considering a couple of the mods you did. Have already changed the bridge saddles to compensated brass, roller string trees and new Wilkinson vintage tuners. One question... Did you have to connect the control cavity shielding to the earth and if so how did you do it. Thanks
These are already good modifications that you have made! The shielding overlaps slightly on the upper side, so the screws, bridge and control plate touch the foil. I think this is the easiest way
@@SRguitar Thanks. Good point, I saw the overlap and forgot that would cover the earthing
Great video, very informative and great playing. I have just bought a Harley Benton TE-70 RW which I'm upgrading with Tonerider Vintage Plus pickups, Vanson locking tuners. Putting in an orange drop 0.47 capacitor and a treble bleed.
My question is did you have to modify the Tusq XL nut in any way? And is it ok with a 12" radius fretboard?
Cheers.
Thanks a lot! That are some great parts to Upgrade the TE-70! The TE-52 has the same fretboard radius. I just filed down the nut a little bit on the height (but really just a little bit)
@@SRguitar Nice video. I am about to make a upgrade in my 52 with the same pu. Just a question about the nut, there is a little extra material in the botton of the tusq xl, did you file out or just fits right? Thanks
Hi, I can’t really remember but i think i filed a little bit down. Just try it and see if it fits to the slot. If not, you can still file down :)
Dang, Awesome.
I have a TE-70 on the way. Is the bridge worth changing? The Kluson Vintage looks very similar but I may be wrong. Changing pickups to SD Vintage and tuners to HB locking tuners.
Wow man! Just stumbled onto your channel, amazing demo track! Is there a video talking about your musical background & how you went about learning to play so well? I think I heard some David Gilmour influences? Thanks, definitely subbed, inspiring content...
Hey, thanks for the nice words! I haven't made that kind of videos yet, but i will do this in the future ;). Thank you for subscribing too :)
Which one is a better left guitar for a complete beginner? te-52 or Yamaha Pacifica 112j?. Rhythm blues, classic Rock and why not something little more heavy occasionally? Thank you.
If you are a complete beginner and want to have flexibility, i would take the Yamaha. You will have more different sound options with that
@@SRguitar Thank you.
Hi. I wonder what action do you have on this TE52? Did you change the nut to make a lower.action without string buzzing?
Nice job kid
Does copper shielding really help that much for noise?
good video, and really nice tune, at the end, man ;)
thanks for this.
was it easy to remove the original nut ?
i was thinking of going with this one too, but i am considering a 6 saddle bridge approach, and drilling for a 3rd/mid pickUp.
on the 2nd video you say that the tuners have been doing their job...so i assume you haven’t had any tuning stability issues.. Yes?
thanks again. ;)
cheers from Portugal
Thank you!
Yeah it’s very easy to remove the nut, it’s just a little bit glued.
The tuners never really made problems, so I didn’t changed them :). No tuning issues. But that can be different on other TE-52‘s
@@SRguitar yeah...sure, these cheap guitars tend to sound a lot different between samples..
i was thinking of further modding it also with a FreeWay 5 blade switch..and probably drilling in a 3rd knob on the plate, for that 3rd mid PUp.
Do you think there will be enough room, for a 3rd Pot ?
thanks again ;)
Sounded like Baseball bat not an axe I just love the TELE in any form & shade
Awesome video!!! Two questions 1) Are you gonna upgrade the rest of the electronics (pots switches etc)? 2) How heavy is yours? Every review I’ve seen say they are very heavy...
Thanks a lot! 1. Maybe i will do that in the future, but that's more just for fun. I don't think it will make a huge difference. 2. I don't know how heavy it is, but yeah, the guitar is pretty heavy 😉
Ottimo lavoro, solo che ti sei confuso per un ottimo switch, un condensatore ottimo e magari 2 pot cts da 250 Hom. In ogni caso grazie per il tuo video. Io ho fatto una upgrade sulla mia squire vibe 52' butterscotch in questo modo: pickup texas special custom, 2 pot cts 1 condensatore orange da 250 hom, cavetti telati, switch fender 3 vie, ponte ptend fender, meccaniche fender vintage. Oggi suona una bomba. Provata in rec con la mia fender tele butterscotch custom shop. La differenza è percettibile su alcuni suoni, poi è uguale. Dimenticavo una lucidatura ai frets.Così quando vado a suonare in posti un po' "strani" non rischio, mi porto la squire, tanto suona simile ed agli altri appare una "chitarrina da 4 soldi". Poi quando accendo il valvolare, cambisno parere e qualche curioso mi pone domande sullo strumento
English by google translate: Great job, you just got confused for a great switch, a great capacitor and maybe 2 pot cts of 250 Hom. In any case, thanks for your video. I upgraded my squire vibe 52 'butterscotch as follows: texas special custom pickup, 2 pot cts 1 250 hom orange capacitor, wire cables, 3-way fender switch, ptend fender bridge, vintage fender tuners. Today a bomb sounds. Tested in rec with my fender tele butterscotch custom shop. The difference is perceptible on some sounds, then it is the same. I forgot a polishing to the frets.So when I go to play in a bit "strange" places I don't risk it, I take the squire, it sounds so similar and to the others it appears a "4 penny little guitar". Then when I turn on the tube, I change my opinion and some curious people ask me questions about the instrument
Regard Modesto
the copper foil pieces, although overlap, do not connect, cause only the top side is conductive...
so, basically, you have many pieces of a Faraday cage without continuity...
but it works :)
which is the point
my god!!! great playing!!
Pardon my ignorance, but what is the benefit of, was that copper foil tape, used for the house of the electrical components?
Needed Oak Grigsby switch and CRL Audio potentiometers, don't forget the Grease Bucket capacitor on the tone pot........then it will talk like it should !!
Nice job! Was the bridge replacement needed? Can you use stock one with new bridge pick up replacement? I have read some having fit issues. Thanks
Thanks! You can change the bridge pickup without changing the bridge. I just wanted the brass saddles
Sounds awesome after modifications!!! How do you see/fell a neck? Isn’t it too flat (radius)?
Great job man! But the question is: are the previous demo recorded with the original guitar or it was already modded?
Thanks, all previous Videos are without the mods!
Does the isolating shield folie affect on 1:28 time? Does it make a difference?
Good job! But can someone explain to me what's the purpose of that metalic tape?
Nicely done wish you did a before n after
be way cooler if you talked and told us the how's and why's of what your doing
You did all of those nice upgrades, which I'm sure made a huge difference. Why did You keep the old pots and switch? Jus' sayin.....
I think the Pots and the switch are okay and at that time i had no need to change them. I will maybe to it in the future :)
do you think it´s possible to add a humbucker on the neck hole without any extra work ? Thanks.
Are those pickups better sounding than the fender “originals?” I just bought the fender original tele pickups so I’m wondering now if I made the right decision.
Maybe a dumb question - why did you get the TE52 instead of the TE20, if you were going to do these upgrades? Tyring to decide myself. If its just about the Natural - i get it...
At the time I got the TE-52, the TE-20 wasn’t available. The TE-52 was the most affordable HB Tele at that time ;).
Nice job man, im going to buy the guitar soon and do the same mods that you did! I have just a question, I bought the same nut you replaced but you just showed when you put the glue...is there something that i have to do to the new nut, like polishing?
The only thing i've done was that i filed the nut down a little bit (length and high).
SRguitar since I don’t have tools to make measurements, is it okay If i sand until it become like the original One?
@@DandoGB Yeah i think you can do that, but be careful! File down step by step and always compare it to the original
SRguitar thank you very much!
What? The stock guitar isn't shielded? The neck pickup route is for a humbucker or a p-90?
I just got my TE-52 and I’m thinking about upgrades on my ST-57DG; but I’ve seen where HB guitars are just a bit different size than “standard” guitars so replacement parts won’t fit. Did you have any problems with the fit of the new parts?
Gr8 job, earned you another subscription! 👍.
Thank you very much!
How is the bridge upgrade?
Is it worth it?
Or just change saddles?
Hi SR Guitar. I'm looking to buy a TE-52 and stumbled across this video. Can you perhaps explain the upgrades and mods you're making? For instance, what is that copper shielding for?
Anyways, thanks for the interesting video :)
The shield is for reducing the noise that single coils usually do
Hey great vid on this, did you swap out the tuners? From what I remember on the vid I didn’t see if you did or not. If so which did you use??
Hi, no I didn’t changed the tuners. The stock tuners just work fine :)
@@SRguitar okay thank you.
So should I not change mine then?
That depends on how you like them/how good they are :). If they work fine, you don’t Need to change them
@@SRguitar yeah they are seem to be just okay. One is a little tight but maybe I can oil it or something
@@SRguitar one thing I don’t like about the tuners is the buttons are plastic that’s made to look like metal. I actually like the old vintage style tuners but the old ones either had white plastic (that was a different type of plastic) or all metal ones
What kind/brand of tape do you use to inslutate the pickup and scratch guard
That's just some cheap shielding foil wich i ordered at Wish ;)
Hi. What did you find is the most noticeable change after modding? Playability or difference in sound quality? Thanks
I think the pickups made the biggest change
Im confused. In some mod videos of the TE-52 i see the neck pickup entrance available for humbucker and others i only see for single coil. Can someone shed some light on this?
My TE is an older version, maybe the newer models have the size for a humbucker
I think I saw you put a ground wire under that bridge, that was fast forwarded. Those HB guitars are okay. I prefer Tonerider Classics but hey- it's your guitar.
wow!!! im just so jealous !!! .... great vid ... great mod .... great playing .... really cool !!!! would you think that it could fit a humbucker on the bridgr+e??!!! i would love to try to do an JOnny Greenwood from Radiohead ... style Tele ... and after seeing this amazing video of yours .... i think im inspierd in do a similar adventure ... eheheh ... Thanks so much for this vid .... greetings form Portugal ...
VERY interesting. If you compare the sound of the guitar with the original pickups and original bridge - how did the sound change after the modifications? Was there a big change in all 3 selector positions? Also read a lot about how heavy this guitar is. Is it noticeably heavy when you play standing up?
Thanks! The sound now is more dynamic, it has more details.
Yeah the guitar is pretty heavy, i mostly play this guitar in sitting position so i can't tell if it's noticeably when you play standing up
Great guitar, man. Why did you put so much foil on the pickguard? It's enough just to cover cavities, you don't have to foil everything. It's my only yelling, don't take it seriously, I'm just jealous :) great job and great playing, too. I wish I could do the same
I'm about to replace the string trees on my te-52 and I was wondering if you adjusted the height of the new tusq ones on the lower strings as they are about 1mm higher than the stock ones
Hi, no I didn’t made any adjustments on the string tree
I think if I replaced everything except the wood on a guitar I would use a custom name on the head stock to make it my own.