Harley Benton Telecaster T-Style Kit - Assembly
Вставка
- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- Welcome to the Next Project!
Time for another guitar kit assembly project.
A nice "easy" one, well mostly easy.This will be a very quick unboxing, basically looking for obvious issues, missing parts, and gather my senses. Then put it all together.
00:00 - lights, camera, action
00:04 - project intro
01:07 - brief unboxing
01:40 - step 1 - shape the headstock
02:07 - step 2 - install tuner & "string retainers"
02:41 - step 3 - mount the neck
03:35 - step 4 - install the bridge
04:42 - step 5 - install scratchplate & neck pickup
05:10 - issue resolution
07:47 - step 6 - electronics - plug-n play
09:00 - bonus content - string saver tuner mod
10:26 - step 7 - final assembly
11:21 - project takeaway
15:40 - sound samples
I rate this kit a 3 out of 5. Easily upgraded to a 4 with just a few minutes of "repair" work. And, YOU can easily improve this kit to your liking.It is a very easy kit to assemble, and the resulting guitar isn't all bad. It needs some love and attention to make it enjoyable to play, but that is all good practice and training for being a guitar owner. JUST HAVE FUN!
Please be sure to Ring the Bell and Subscribe so you are notified when the Build Video drops, and leave a comment.
I greatly appreciate feedback.
I will attempt to upload my full description soon. Currently there is a YT bottleneck which is limiting my content to about this much. Gotta love tech~
#diykitchallenge22 #diykitchallenge #harleybenton #telecaster - Розваги
I've always thought when restringing that there has to be some clever use for old strings. Not that it keeps me awake at night, but as someone with a modest workshop there are always those little things you repurpose. So now we have one!
Hey Tom, I hope that little idea comes in handy some day.
Thanks for watching and the comment.
Be safe, take care!
My spouse has a love of blue "painter's tape"! She'll stick any two items together on a moment's notice as an extra set of hands. Must be from a sordid history in art and framing projects!
Your gal sounds like a smart cookie!
The best review ever of a Harley Benton T-Style Kit ! Congratulations and thank you for sharing !
Marioblues, thanks for watching and the comment too.
I try to honestly share the good and the bad, and not every kit is equal.
Some are better than others, some far worse. This kit was somewhere in the middle.
I recently did a review on the HB DC (SG) kit. I was unplayable out of the box.
I do like Harley Benton's in general, but never purchased a perfect HB guitar, or kit. They are very affordable, and I expect there to be some issues. It happens.
Hope you are doing well, take care!
@@theNextProject You are sincere and very professional and this is touching the people watching your videos. I saw so many videos about the Harley Benton T-Style kit because I wanted to order one ( already on the way from Germany to Italy) and I must admit that yours is definitely n.1 ! I will go through all your videos and surely enjoy them. Yesterday I had a look at the Fender-like amp. Very interesting but I'm not so good for this kind of craftmanship. I will look for another guitar assembly, especially if the first trial on the HB T-style will be successful. Be safe and thank you again!
Great video, thank you!
I shaped the body of my kit like in the Strat to make it more comfortable to my arm and chest and to make lighter this already quite light guitar.
I replaced all the screws with higher quality ones, because the ones in the kit are of soft metal.
14:47 I did not mount the black plastic piece to bolt the neck, because I preferred to have a more rigid contact between the wood and the metal plate.
All in all I'm 100% satisfied of this kit and I'm going to assemble two other ones for friends who have been very impressed by its value for money.
Piemmetubo, thank you for watching the video and sharing your build story.
It sounds like you had very good success with your kit and the mods you did to make it your own.
Glad you are enjoying the guitar.
Be safe and take care?
I haven't heard Buddy Holly in a long time. Well done.
TexanUSMC8089, thanks for watching!
I hope to have more of this series in posted soon-ish.
Currently putting together a new workspace.
Take care!
I did a similar ground connection on my modded bullet mustang but instead of leaving the wire alone I put solder on it and then sandwiched it between the bridge and body
Sounds like a good process.
Thanks for watching, take care!
Good morning Sir. Very nice video and the way you describe is calm, clever and fun. Best regards from France.
Stéphane Dondeyne, thank you for watching!
I'm glad you are enjoyed the video, and I appreciate the compliment.
Greetings from Florida, US.
Be safe and take care!
I've built a couple of cheap kits: to improve my skills before I started building my own. Trust me: you're MORE than capable. Next project I uegre you to build one from scratch. It's REALLY rewarding! Love the videos either way.
Jai Stanley, thanks for watching the vid!
I greatly appreciate your comment/compliment too!
I've got a few build ideas either underway, or ready to start when I get to them.
I really need more hours in each day, lol.
Too many interests, not enough time...or money.
Thanks again, be safe and take care!
These kits are pretty good for the price, I've also modded one myself. Look forward to the build series, I'm also working on a ":acoustasonic" type design
@Roel Schouten, I agree, the kits are priced right. Simple fun!.
I will be referencing a few other acoustisonic builds that I've seen on YT, and hope my process will give you and others some ideas. Not saying what I plan to do will be foolproof, but the end result should all work out.
With every kit mod, I test new ideas (to me), trying to learn different ways to do a task. It will be a learning experience for all of us. Maybe some "I saw that coming" moments, and some "WOW, I didn't think that would work" ideas too.
The first video should post in a couple weeks.
Thanks for watching, take care!
In july '20 I assembled a Harley Benton P bass kit as a Covid-19 shut down therapy here in The Netherlands. I didn't expect to achieve anything comparable to my Fender basses but I did it for fun and learning. The body had a crack in the neck pocket but Thomann sent me a beautiful replacement body within a few days.
Neck fit was perfect and I modeled the headstock after a Fender 51 p bass.
Holes were of the correct size but basically all in the wrong place so I filled them and re-drilled.
Line up of the bridge was not very acurate but since I had planned to replace it with a Fender bridge I could easily position it correctly.
I had planned to replace the pickup also by Seymour Duncan but surprisingly the HB pickup did not sound bad at all. Different, more trebly but ok.
Just like your tele the neck had to be shimmed and I disposed the HB strings and replaced them by Fender flats.
I have finished body and neck with numerous layers of tru-oil and I'm very pleased with the end result.
In the end I did have fun, learned a lot and in addition got a very nice bass which I frequently play on gigs and at home.
Ernest, greetings from the US!
Thanks for watching and sharing your build story. Glad to hear you had a good experience overall, and that Thomann sent you a replacement body. That's good news.
Tru-oil is a pretty good product, glad it worked for you too.
Enjoy your bass, be safe and take care!
Always a pleasure to watch those projects! Thanks for this nice year start and eager to see the mod part. Thanks for the vids!
@Grogg, many thanks! Good to hear you are enjoying the projects.
The mod starts tonight, but the first vid is a couple weeks out.
Stay tuned!
Bone nut, cheap locking tuners, roller string trees, and compensated saddles will turn that into a great guitar. Mine is rock solid when it comes to tuning stability and the mods aren't expensive. Mine was a Solo kit and I had to shim the neck also to get a nice action, but after the mods it plays extremely well and holds tune like it's life depended on it.
Argle Bargle, thanks for watching, hope you enjoyed the video, and check out the MOD series.
I agree, swapping out parts in these kits can result in a pretty nice guitar.
Sounds like you built a killer.
Hope all is well, take care!
@@theNextProject Thanks, you too. You have mad woodworking skills !
Many thanks!
Catching up on your content.
The Tele-Mule was a terrific idea!
As always soothing voice, just enough of a laidback attitude, great montages, perfect mate!
Stefan, thanks for watchin' some of the other projects.
The Tele-Mule is a fun project. I've picked it up a couple times for no good reason other than to have fun with it.
Glad you're liking the delivery, I never know for sure if I'm putting people to sleep...
Take care!
The guitar sounds better than I expected! I look forward to seeing what you do with it!
Thanks Brian, just think if someone who could actually play...was playing it. The mod series will begin in a couple weeks.
Thanks for watching, take care!
@@theNextProject you're too hard on your playing! I've been playing for 20 years and couldn't play some of those chords, of course I'm a big metal guys some mainly I just play the chugs and make the guitar go meedly meedly for leads! Lol! At any rate, as an amateur guitar builder, I find your builds incredibly informational! I'm always amazed at how often I see something on a UA-cam video, where I go, "D'oh! I wish I would have seen this before I attempted (insert portion of a build here)!" Keep up the good work!
Brian, thanks man! I appreciate that!
I'll keep content coming your way as long as I can. If you have a question about anything I'm doing, just ask and I'll do what I can to answer or point you in the right direction. You may have noticed, I don't often do things a "standard" way. I'm always trying to learn other ways if doing things, often not the easy, nor best way. Building a bag of tricks, I am.
Thanks for the comment and compliments too.
Be safe, take care, and - ROCK ON!!!
Sounds like a tele, good job sir 👍🏼
Matt, thanks for watching and the comment too!
Be safe, take care!
Great video, thanks!
I just acted as "brico consultant" to my granddaughter who assembled her HB Telly. It took to her about an hour, plus another half one to perform the setup with me.
We chose to do the "rough" assembly because we were eager to hear and feel this axe.
All the holes were good for the screws and not loose. The neck was perfectly aligned. Were we lucky?
Great guitar for its price! I don't mind the cheap tuners and bridge. They do their job. Only the strings are awful, but we used them only for the preliminary setting, and then they were replaced with good ones.
Compared to your procedure, we chose to test the electric parts "naked" first. And we mounted the neck as the last piece, because we thought it was more practical.
Next month I will disassemble the guitar to shape the body in Strat style and cut the headstock. We will not paint it, but finish with tru oil.
Thanks for the comment.
This sounds like a great project you had with your grand daughter. She will remember it, I'm sure.
I agree with changing up some of the assembly process. If I remember, I was attempting to follow the HB instructions, which may not have been the most natural or logical.
I think I did mention bench testing the electronics before assembly, if not - sorry for that omission and I'm glad you tested beforehand - good catch!!!
Also great news your kit was without issue, I may have just received a lemon.
That's ok, I'm making lemonade out of it now.
Thanks again for watching, and I'm really glad you were able to have this kind of a project to share with her.
Good luck with your future projects.
Take care!
I got this kit 2 years back and it fas definitely a fun build as a first-timer. Also had some trouble getting the action right without a shim and "sitar" at least on the B string, but all that stuff teaches you more about guitars so not a huge deal. My control plate was a bit messed up (just visually, worked fine) and they sent me a new one right away so I'm sure they would send you the missing bits if you ask. As far as I know this kit is the same as the Harley Benton TE-20, just without the finish. I'll probably work on it again this year now that I've figured out the pros & cons - some hardware upgrades, a new finish and other mods like belly cut and arm contour as well as making the neck thinner. Kind of a tele-strat I guess as it already has a strat headstock!
Looking forward to your build!
JTD, sounds like our kits had a few similar issues.
I agree that Thomann customer support would have taken care of the issues with my kit.
Couple reasons I won't call them, first I've had this kit for some time and wouldn't feel right asking at this point. Second, I'm going to cut this guitar up, so no need to get parts that I won't use. As for things like the tuners, Thomann may have sent replacements, and my kit definitely needs better tuners, but I'll be upgrading to a better product, so again I won't ask for the parts.
I have a TE-20 from 2016 (?), it's been a very good guitar for the price. I've since modified it heavily. It may be in a future video as I have another mod idea for it. Hmm.
Thanks for watching and the comment too.
Hope all is well, take care!
@@theNextProject I also had one tuner with obvious issues, other 5 were okay. Those TE-20 mods would definitely make a great video, probably good views too with HB in the title!
Great post. I built one of these last autumn, huge fun, but like you, I had some issues. The bridge holes had to be plugged and redrilled as they misaligned, as did a couple of the tuner screw holes. I also had to resort to shimming the neck by about 0.8mm to get the right action. That said, I love this guitar and all its faults, can't wait to see what you do with yours.
@wiretwanger3, sounds like you have the right spirit when it comes to kit style guitars. Work with what you get, make it better, mod to taste and just enjoy the guitar.
The first mod video should post in a couple weeks. Templates and initial routing, would be my guess at this time.
Thanks for watching, be safe and take care!
Good vid, cheers. I bought a HB Tele Delux in December, only £140, and it is very well made, sounds really good. I love building and modifying, but I think if you're getting a Harley Benton you may as well pay a little more and avoid the self build. Better tuners, better pickups, better materials and finish. Cheers from West Wales.
@Ian Wright, sounds like you got a great guitar!
I agree, starting with a complete guitar will likely give a better starting point for mods. I have a TE-20 form years back, a good guitar right out if the box. Then I changed it ( it's what I do, lol ). I may do one more mod to it soon. Hmm, another video.
Thanks for watching and your comment too!
Be safe, take care!
Thanks, and you - all looks a bit bananas across the pond at the moment! Lock yourself in your workshop 👍😉
LOL, that's a great plan. There's only one crazy fella in the shop...and he is me. All is well.
Take care!
You sound great on guitar, you have you own style!!!
Hahahah, thank you very much!
My own style...we'll just go with that!
You are too kind.
Be safe and take care!
Really enjoyed that build!
Grant, thanks for watching! Glad you got enjoyed the project. It was fun.
Take care!
Sounds and looks great 😊
Adam, thanks for watching!
I see you have a lot of great content on your channel, I'll be checking it out.
Take care!
Hi!
This is nice video, thank you so much.
It was much fun watching.
Thank you for watching!
Glad you enjoyed the video.
Another fun video! Happy new Year 🎊
Hey Mitch, thank you.
Happy New Year to you. I hope '21 is better for everyone.
Be safe, take care!
Cool video ! The tip for the tuner edges is actually genius 👍 always happy to check one of your vids !
@Candalot Guitars, many thanks!
Glad you are enjoying the videos,
The wound guitar string "flexible file" has been working for me recently. I do expect there will be some cheap strings that will still give up the fight and break regardless.
Not entirely sure where the idea came from, possibly from a forum friend mentioning that he uses old guitar stings to open up string slots in a nut... similar process, yet a bit different.
The acoustisonic mod project will start in a few days, probably a couple weeks before a new video.
Be safe, take care!
@@theNextProject are you gonna enter the GGBO 2021 with the acoustasonic ? Would be cool to see you there this year too 😁
@Candalot Guitars, are you building again for the GGBO '21?
I won't be using the acoustisonic kit mod, but I do have two scratch build ideas in planning at the moment.
One is a Cheap Trick - Uncle Dick guitar inspired build - Not an uncle dick guitar, but something along those lines.
The other idea is a Rat Rod Gretsch hollowbody 6120-ish build, but with some rather major deviations at the neck. This project is well outside my wheelhouse, but I like a challenge that may guarantee a failed prototype build. A lot to learn that way.
That's why I build a lot of my stuff, to challenge myself and to hopefully learn a new trick or two along the way.
Still not sure if I'll take on the '21 GGBO build process, I really expect I won't have enough time to finish.
But, that didn't stop me in '20, did it. LOL
Thanks for watching and the comments too. Take care!
@@theNextProject yeah I'm joining the scratch build too ! And with the new organisation, you can start as soon as you are registered, leaving you potentially 3 months to complete it 👍 Sounds great man, can't wait to see you there 😁
Can't wait to see how you chop this up. I was planning to build a stratacoustic so I'd be interested in your approach to modifying a kit instead of building from scratch. Great vid as always, take care mate.
@ Mick Carr, thanks for watchin!
I like figuring out how to build some things by modifying something that is close to the end result ( a kit ) rather than starting from scratch and having accidents happen... I'll be making templates during this mod to help me "build from scratch" in the future. Reverse engineering, or something like that.=.
Some of the ideas I'll be using may work for just about any mod of this style. If you have a router, and a few select bits... the sky is the limit.
The first vid should post in a couple weeks. It will likely be a lot of template prep, and initial body gutting.
Be safe, take care!
I’ve found this really useful, I’ve got one of this kit on the way! I’ve already got some upgrades in mind and already have some parts, a better bridge (with separate saddles) heavier and with through body stringing holes plus I’ve got the ferrules. I shall probably swap out the pickups for Irongeear Alnico 2 or maybe 5, probably use roller string trees and locking tuners. I’m also going to do comfort cutaways in the body, I like that idea! Finally maybe add a 4 way switch so I can have the two pickups in series, sounds like a lot to do but it’s going to be a great guitar when it’s done!
@Darrell W, that sounds like a great project you have lined up. Good luck and keep me posted.
Be safe, take care!
Sounds like a winner and going to be a great guitar👍😊
Love the Tuner Floss
👍✌😎
Nickel flavor, yum!
@@theNextProject LOL
Good to see you back in the saddle (pun fully intended).
LOL. Aerosmith just flooded my mind.
I'm starting on a similar project with a telecaster kit soon - five-string telecaster for slide/open tuning. I also get to have bigger string spacing for my giant hands. Just figuring out the bridge and headstock has been challenging. Really looking forward to seeing how you do this. I have a fraction of your kit, but I really would like an acoustasonic...
@PDP, a 5-string - that sounds like a cool idea! I can see how the change to a re-spaced string arrangement would be a challenge, hmm. Good luck with your project and keep me posted, I'd like to see pics as you progress.
Thanks for watching and the comment.
Take care!
I too, like blue tape. 😀
Ah, hahahahah!
Blue tape is my friend!
Thanks for watching and the sense of humor. We all need that.
Be safe and take care!
Another Spark user. Great little amp. Anyway, cool video, and hi from Wales in the UK!
@John Hill from Wales, thanks for watching! I hope the New Year is off to a good start for you.
Yep, I bought myself a gift (spark), sadly I'm no better a guitarist for it. LOL. Someday I'll start practicing.
Be safe and take care, from Florida!
I have seriously thaught about getting a pair of those kits but I haven't seen the left handed kit on HB websight. I would like to build and put quality components in a make a pair of matching guitars for my wife and I 😁. Thank you for the video.
Craig, thanks for watching.
I haven't seen any left hand HB kits, but I could be wrong.
Solo does have a kit or two in left hand setup. You could give them a look. There is a YT personality (Brad Angove) who has put a bunch of Solo kits together, if you haven't already checked his channel out:
ua-cam.com/video/R4w8RZJHkOk/v-deo.html
Solo Left-tele kit:
www.solomusicgear.com/product/solo-tele-style-diy-guitar-kit-basswood-body-left-handed/
Also check out Guitar Kit World, here's a link to a lefty-tele:
guitarkitworld.com/collections/left-handed/products/lefty-te-guitar-kit-ash
I haven't built a GTW kit, but they have a bunch of kit assembly videos, so you could get a pretty good idea of what their products are like.
There are many others out there ( I haven't built ):
thefretwire.com/collections/left-hand-kits/products/diy-electric-guitar-kit-tele-style-build-your-own-guitar-lefty
Google is your friend, helps you spend money. Hmm, not a very good friend perhaps.
Good luck with your future project(s).
Take care!
@@theNextProject yes I've found a few on Amazon and EBay but haven't pulled the trigger on them yet. I'm looking for the original finger board style with the maple. Thanks 👍😊
In all honesty, I wish these were around when I started back when we were all in black and white, instead of corrugated paper necks and case hardened cheese hardware
But for the price of an overdrive, they're a good base for butchering/ modifying
Hey Glenn, so true. I never feel bad cutting into one of these. Rather fun!
I hate to say it, but some of these "cheap" kits aren't much worse than the store guitars of 20 years ago.
The manufacturers of these cheap kits really have the process down, and it is the components that keep the kits cheap. If the box was full of better parts: body wood, tuners, strings, pickups/pots and such, this would likely be a great guitar. As it is, it's pretty good and I'll just mod it to be what I want. Most of it will end up on the floor, hmm.
The fingerboard really does remind me of a compressed corrugated paper product. It's not Richlite, but maybe some other similar thing, just a guess. I've used Richlite, and I honestly like it, although a lot of people don't.
Thanks for watching, and the great comment too.
Be safe and take care!
Cool. These kits are as cheap as chips but ideal for someone with basic skills to put together. As long as the neck is straight and the body is good it is perfect for you to modify. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do with it to turn it into an Acoustasonic clone. I foresee a big ass forstner bit and a router in its future.
Hey Brian, thanks for watching! I hope all is well for you and your's.
I completely agree, cheap kits are ideal and just fun to mess with.
This kit has a very nice body and neck. Not sure what the fingerboard material is, but it is flat, the truss rod works well (forgot to mention that). The nut kinda sucks, but an easy fix or replacement. The neck pocket (depth) and bodly holes drilled for the pickguard were the only real issues (for $75).
I have a big forstner bit, and if I remember to use it... I often forget the obvious. The router is ready to shred some timber. I need to check my MDF stash and prep for a bunch of template making.
I'll be starting the MOD project in a couple days and the next video will likely be a couple weeks out.
Take care and be safe!
Tuner floss!! Great idea! Although I've personally never had any issues with E strings breaking at the machine head with any guitar (acoustic or electric) I've ever owned. Guess I just don't bash 'em as hard as you...
@d roses, thanks for watching!
I'm guessing you may have better quality guitars than I do, or maybe I am a bit of a caveman. Hmm.
Could just be HB guitars ( I have too many HBs ), I think I've broken every "e" out of the box.
You may be right, I could be the cause (operator error).
Hope all is well for you and your family.
Be safe, take care!
Being dreaming of doing this kind of projects, but i simply don't have the tools or the skills.
Got myself an HB 7 strings fanned frets. It's got plenty of issues and i would love to address them myself. Actually one of the reasons i got this guitar... Some day...
Avi, as for tools and talent, gather them each as needed.
"Some day" will suddenly arrive and you'll have a great time, right after a few choice words and a couple bandages. All part of the glorious experience.
Thanks for watching, take care!
It'd be nice if they scrapped all the hardware and electronics in these kits, and put that money back into quality control so these necks and bodies are more consistent and fit better. People are gonna upgrade the rest of it anyway.
Joe, thanks for watching!
It would be nice to have bare-bones kit options. A few other companies do have bodies and necks we can get separately, or build-a-kit type parts.
I have a bin full of cheap "kit parts" that I'll probably never use as the parts just aren't good enough. What to do.
Hope all is well for you, take care!
Aye! She jus' might werk Ser!
Ah haha, it'll all come together, peacefully, or with force!
@@theNextProject GR8!
"and new tuners as these tuners are one step away from being bad... They're almost bad ... They're just ..." < this made my day !
Nice video with chapters (is this the first one with these?). Really like one full video for this projet, full of tips, etc.
Just because I don't know : why using soap on the screws?
Do you plan on doing the same type of video on other kits ? (like a comparison project ?)
Have a good day !
Hey Bob, thanks for watching.
Yes this is the first vid to have chapters, I learned something new and that was it!
LOL, the tuners are bad, but I was trying to be nice. Ha.
As for more kit comparison videos, I don't know what will happen. I have one more kit on hand, it's an SG style. Not sure when that one will happen, probably last half of 2021, just a guess.
I may be doing another scratch build for the 2021 GGBO, not committed yet.
The soap works to lubricate the screw threads. Works best on harder woods like the neck, but I used it on the bridge screws too. I probably should have ran some thin CA in those holes. Oops.
I hope you and your family are doing well, be safe, take care!
Thanks for posting. I always learn someting from your vids. I'm thinking of one of their LP style kits. Has anyone put one together ?
Hey Daryl, I did an assembly and mod project of the HB DC (LP) Kit. It then turned into a mod project. Check my channel the series will be in there. Overall it was a good kit, a few little things to tweak, bit that's to be expected to some degree.
Thanks for watching, good luck with your project.
Take care!
@Daryl Porter
Here is a link to the assembly video for the LP style kit:
ua-cam.com/video/NATHxdAlMts/v-deo.html
And a link to the first step of the mod project for the LP kit:
ua-cam.com/video/38BihtBXeWc/v-deo.html
WARNING: in case you haven't already noticed, I don't always follow conventional wisdom, I often make things up on the fly... I just try to learn and have fun.
Hope you enjoy the videos and the process.
Take care!
Bar soap or paste hard wax. Cool, going through your video's.
You've been busy watching a lot of videos. Be careful, I don't have that many posted, you'll run out soon.
Wax is probably a better choice to use.
The downside is that some soaps contain glycerin which can attract moisture...and the potential for rust. I still use soap, and haven't noticed any problems, but I don't keep my guitars in a barn or outdoors either. But you can't be too careful either.
So, I should use wax.
@@theNextProject, haha, used one for my afternoon nap. 🤣 you do offer a lot of insight. What I look for. Nothing like rusty screws. Lol
Yeahhhhhh!
H3LL Yeah!
thanks alot, mayber next time you build a tele with an evertune system ? :) greetings from germany :)
Sebastian, thanks for watching and greetings from Florida, US.
I think the Evertune system is way beyond my needs (and my budget).
It's an interesting bridge mechanism, a lot of engineering in there.
Be safe and take care!
Did you sand down the body and varnish it as it looks glossy in the sound test?
Shelly, thanks for watching!
The guitar had no finish added other than the sealer it came with from the factory at the end of this video.
I did a bunch of sanding, and a lot of mods after this video...all uneccessary stuff, but that's what I do.
As delivered, the kit wasn't bad, but needed a few little things, the neck needed a shim to get the string action in the ballpark, the pickgurad holes needed to be plugged as they were oversized. The tuning machines worked, but just barely. No string trees were included, but the kit needs them.
A fun project for the price. Plenty of room for mods and improvement.
Be safe and take care.
wonder if the truss worked on the neck ?
@DLoganFoster, good question, and sorry if I didn't mention that in the video.
The trussrod works fine, in both directions.
The biggest issues were the neck angle being off ( fixed by a shim ), then the oversize holes in the body for the pickguard and control plate.
OH, and the less than desireable tuners ( they really are cra_ ).
Otherwise, for ±$75, it's a fun project and a good starting point for a frankentele project.
Thanks for watching, and the question. Sorry about the omission.
Take care!
Is the guitar balanced when a strap is fitted and your standing up?
@Pastel Man, that's a very good question, but I can't answer at this time as the guitar has already been disassembled.
I have an HB TE-20, which is nearly identical, and it seems fine with a strap.
Maybe another individual will respond to your question more directly.
Thanks for watching and the question. Take care!
Hi, thanks for the video, it's great.
I got the same kit but it seems like neck is not straight or something, because high e is really close to the edge as you go to the bridge.
Can I ask you if there's any way to fix it?
Thanks in advance.
J. Dominguez, thanks for watching!
I checked your channel, very nice playing!
If I understand your question, the high treble "e" gets closer to the edge of the fingerboard the close you get to the bridge.
If the spacing of the treble "e" to the side of the neck is good at the nut, you may be able to slightly loosen the neck screws, grab the neck at the nut and push it toward the bass "E" side. This should "realign" the high treble "e" string inward on the neck closer to the bridge.
Basically, you are adjusting the centerline of the neck from the nut to the center of the bridge. The pivot point is where the neck screws to the body. If the neck pocket is SOOOO tight that the neck can't be adjusted in this manner, you may need to gently sand a little of the pocket the bass "E" side to allow for the neck to move.
I would attempt to simply push the neck at the nut toward the bass side first, sanding away material is harder to fix if something goes wrong.
If you can improve the alignment by pushing the neck, find the place you like it and re-tighten the neck screws.
Sorry if that was confusing, it's really simple to do, hard for me to explain.
Let me know if you understand my rambling, or if you need a better explanation.
Be safe and take care!
@@theNextProject Thanks a lot for answering and much more for the compliment about my playing, although I know I'm only learning and there's a long way ahead.
I really understood what you explained perfectly, I will try later if my daughters allow. Lol. I read again my explanation and it's not that good, my bad. English is not my first language so, I will try to improve as well as guitar playing.
Thanks a lot for your closeness and everything else. You got a new follower.
@@jrdominguez1980 I'm glad you understood my reply.
I expect pushing the neck should fix the alignment issue.
If you are a beginner at guitar...I should just quit now, I've been a beginner forever and I stink at guitar.
Keep up the great playing.
Be safe and take care!
@@theNextProject Hi. Thanks again for the good wishes. I tried what you said and it worked, simply. Now it's much more playable. I even bought some Wilkinson machine heads and (how do you say it in English?) the 3 offset saddles from the same brand (all for less than 20€). I hope it makes it a bit better also.
Thanks for everything, it's been a great help.
Hi, I discover your channel looking for hb t-style as I recently bought one, and I really like your videos. I’d like to ask your opinion as I found on my kit that the neck doesn’t perfectly fit the housing in the body, but a small gap of about 1 mm remains in the upper side. Is it a big issue (I’m going to paint the body so maybe I’ll gain some thickness) and I have to message the costumer care or is it fixable/negligible? Thank you in advance
Daniel, glad you found the channel and thank you for watching.
If I understand correctly. With the neck in the neck pocket, there is about 1mm gap along the top edge of the neck (low E), at the pocket.
Personally, I don't think is a function issue and should not hurt playability or "tone". It is more of an aesthetic issue. It's just not as pretty to see.
For me, the bottom neck needs to fit flat against the pocket, and flat and tight against the back "wall" of the pocket (near the neck pickup).
Often, with bolt on necks, I will string them up, tune up, stretch everything, play a bit, then slightly loosen the neck screws. This allows the string tension to "pull" the neck as deep into the pocket as possible. I will check the neck/string alignment and tighten the neck screws. Good to go!
If you are going to paint, you could glue a thin veneer/shim to the gap area of the pocket wall. Sand and finish accordingly. Often there is little, or no finish in bolt on necks pockets. Reasons vary, but... A given finish may be prone to crack or fail, it possibly stick to the neck. It really depends on the finish used, how it is used, dry time... A lot of little things. So, adding a veneer/shim, would help "fill" the gap. The top would get paint with the rest of the body, but probably not much finish on the pocket side of the veneer/shim.
I hope all that makes sense, good luck with your project.
Take care!
@@theNextProject Thank you! I’ll try with the shim and I see what happens, this is my first approach to guitar assembling so these little issues are all good to learn something new! I’m very curious to see how the acoustasonic mod project will come to an end, keep it up!
That is cool, a great first project!
As you say, learn from it.
No stress, have fun and figure out how to improve any imperfections there may be. That's what I'm doing, learning something new every day.
Good luck and take care!
I'm thinking about buying the SC-Style kit and refinish it with some stain, but have never done any woodworking before, and accordingly, have no tools whatsoever, so I was thinking of just hand sanding and finishing everything .
Do you have any tips that could help?
Pedro, thank you for watching!
A stained finish can be really nice, but the final look depends on the type of wood, the quality of wood, the preparation, and application of finish materials.
This kit would not have been a good starting point for stain. The wood is soft and maybe not the prettiest.
If you do plan to get a kit and stain the body. You will need to do a LOT of sanding. This kit has/had a thick sealer applied, and it is actually some tough stuff. It sands reasonably well on the flat surfaces, but was very thick on the sides and especially in the cut outs around the neck. If any of the sealer is left on the body wood, the stain won't apply evenly. You may get spotty application. Also, you may need a apply a new pre-stain sealer coat after you sand the body, just so you can get an even stain application. This is something you will need to research depending on the product you choose to use, the wood species of the body.
Also, this body wood is medium in color, and any stain will be affected by the wood color.
WOW, sorry for the long reply, and there is a bunch more to consider.
I don't want to scare you off the idea of stain, it could be great. Just be prepared to do a lot of prep sanding, some new sealing and know the stain color will shift due to the wood color.
Good luck with your project, keep me posted.
Take care!
@@theNextProject Thank you very much for the detailed info.
I already knew that I would have to deal with the sealer, and was prepared to do a lot of sanding, I was actually considering just getting some very abrasive sandpaper, like 60 or 80 grit to remove the bulk of the hard sealer and then use finer grits to remove the leftover marks.
I never dealt with wood like this before, only metal, so while I'm completely green in the woodworking department, I have some metalworking knowledge that, with some luck, might be able to help me, even if a little bit.
Regarding the stain, even if doesn't look good, I can always straight up paint the body with some opaque paint and give it a glossy finish ;)
Anyway, thank you very much for the time and the tips, I'm sure they will come in handy when I decide to tackle this challenge.
Hey hi! What's your impression on body material? I mean is it made out of natural pieces of wood or it more like engineering stuff? It's because a wierd description on manufacturers site, like we are using solid wood, coated by wooden filler
Georgiy, the body wood is uniform and cuts well. It is not a manufacturer composite, but I believe the fingerboard is.
The body wood is rather soft, will dent or gouge easily. Routing and shaping are very easy to do. It sands well, but I have not tried any grain sealer or such on it yet. I'm guessing it will be absorbent and drink up whatever I put on it.
There is some sealer on it from the factory. Rather thin in the front and back, and possibly some grain filler added to the edges to fill the end grain a bit. All sands easily.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks for watching and the question.
Take care!
@@theNextProject cool, thanks! Well I got some concerns watching conserns from russian users of this kit. Where I'm belong 😄 . Now will order it defenetly!
The body in the kit I received is not one piece of wood. Possibly 3 pieces joined together, not a plywood or laminate build. If the other reviews are saying it's multiple pieces of wood, I agree. Just not a composite / laminate.
Sorry for any confusion.
Good luck with your kit!
I see those kits as mod platforms, change at least the bridge saddles to compensated, replace the PUs for decent ones. Do they sell Roswell PUs in the US? Roswell is actually not a Thomann brand, many Harley Bentons come with Roswells, but Thomann don't sell them seperately, Musicstore Professional in Colonge do. Musicstore Professional is the biggest competitor of Thomann.
My next project will the next upgrade of my hardtail St-style guitar. I first replaced the original PUs, (HSS) then I replaced the entire scratchplate for one with AlNiCo-5 SSS, I like the sound of those PUs, but I'm not happy with the pots, so I will order Vintage Taper pots, a Fender 5-way and I already ordered two 33nF-caps to arrive on monday. I'm curious how the tone controls change when I use 33nF instead of 47. Thomann don't sell other caps than 22nF and 47nF, too bad.
Unfortunately I don't have a shop to do other changes than electronic upgrades.
I have a modded Harley Benton TE-20, I like how it turned out.
@Achim DG, completely agree, mod platform! Just a fun thing to mess with.
I don't know where to find Rosewell pickups, outside of an HB guitar.
Sounds like you have a great project planned out. Should be great!
I order most of my caps and resistors in bulk packs from amazon. If I need 2, the pack includes 20... rather silly, but the cost ends up being about the same.
I have a TE-20 that I modded a few years back. I'm actually considering doing one more mod to it as a project video, then maybe selling it off. I need the room.
Good luck with your project, keep me posted.
Be safe, take care!
@@theNextProject musicstore.de or Amazon.de, you also find them on eBay, but I don't know about the US, around here in Germany, it's pretty easy to find Roswell PUs, I really like the sound of the Roswells on my SC Custom II.
Just as a note of information - Harley Benton used to use Wilkinson brand pickups but they discovered the supply chain in China had become contaminated with fake Wilkinson's and so they abandoned them and found Roswell's. Roswell has a site where you can buy direct.
@@nrich5127 and Wilkinson Humbuckers have brass base plates, Roswells seem to have nickel silver, which is better.
@@nrich5127 that's good to know.
Thanks for sharing, take care!
I have just finished building one and I have to say I was very lucky! Everything was right, the holes in the right place, neck angle and even bridge intonation almost didn't need adjustments. The action is pretty low. No fret but (I bought a $500 squire CV base witch came unplayable due to fret problems). Only issue is the missing knobs! yes, the pots plate came without the knobs. I thought it would be somewhere inside the screws bag, but no knobs found. I asked Thomann to send me some, and am waiting for the reply. Overall, a very nice first experience. Even cut a nice headstock, the wood is very easy to work (my first wood work at 43).
Pepezoomba, thanks for watching and WOW! Glad you got a great kit, even with missing knobs.
Sounds like you had a really good experience with your kit build and luckily the only issue was just the knobs. That's great!
I hope Thomann gets back to you and sends something nice your way.
My kit was good, but not great as you've seen. So I'm kinda jealous of your good fortune ; )
Now you're ready to build something else, or start modding...yep, it could happen.
Thanks again for watching, be safe and take care!
the six holes on the bridge plate are made for a thru-body string system? drilling the body of course.. Am I right?
Jarno, thanks for watching!
Yes, the "6-holes" in the base of the bridge plate could be used to drill for a string-through set-up.
This bridge also has 6-holes in the rear flange of the plate and the body is not pre-drilled, nor did they supply ferrells for that style assembly.
But, you could drill and add your own ferrells.
This body is a very light and soft wood however, so I'm not sure if there would be any benefit tonally from a string-through set-up, other that it would look cool.
Be safe, take care!
@@theNextProject thanx a lot! I'd like to have strings through body but yes maybe I'll wait to have the kit I'm my hands before and take a decision. Cheers!
You may want to upgrade to a better bridge plate. But that's up to you. So many options, it gets maddening.
Good luck with your project!
@@theNextProject I will start just to practise in guitar making "let's see what happens" and I'll finish when I 'll be old after 60yrs of upgrades, money and tears 😅😂😂😂
Nothing should be missing. Was this a "B" stock return. The tuners, pots and nut are low quality.
xxx yyy, thanks for watching.
This was not a "B" stock item, just a very affordable (cheap) guitar kit.
The tuners in this particular kit are/were very poor quality, the string trees were missing if I recall, as was the plastic shim that goes between the metal neck plate and the body.
The pickups, pots and switches all function as good as can be expected for a ± $70 guitar kit.
It actually sounded pretty good for a $70 guitar, but it's a $70 guitar.
Probably the worst things were the holes in the body for the pickguard being oversize and the neck needing a shim to obtain correct string height.
You can say that everything in a $70 kit is low quality, but it's a $70 kit. Fun to mess with.
Take care!
"Didnt realise it was a snap together kit"..😄😄😄
@Forest Fifer, it was such a shock to me. Hehe
Will you be entering the Great Guitar Build 2021 ?
Hey Chris, I want to say "yes".
At the same time, the project I have in mind will likely run me out of time - again.
I have been sourcing materials, working on some sketches and planning some fixtures and hardware that I'll need to make, just to build the project.
That being said, (If) I have a project in the 2021 GGBO, it will be another prototype style build as I haven't built "that" guitar before, and it will likely not finish in time, LOL.
I also want to keep other content heading your way during that time, so I'll be overbooked once again, Hmm.
Thanks for the great question and you may have just pushed me into officially-unofficial building along.
Hope all is well, be safe and take care!
@@theNextProject I nominated you
@Emil Helm, LOL - thank you!
I'm not completely sure if I will build-along in '21. I have a couple ideas I'm kicking around, sourcing some material and such.... time will tell.
Thank you for your interest.
Take care!
Do not use soap to lubricate the screws. Soap rusts iron. Better to use wax.
PatoJMA, thanks for watching and a good comment on soap and rust.
From what I recall, it's the glycerin in some soaps that draw moisture, followed by rust.
Since I don't know what soap I was using, I'll just guess there may be glycerin in there.
I'll have to find my bar of wax for future threading - good call.
Take care!
This is a nice kit guitar if you can work on it. I have no tools and of course no passion for DIY.
@18 Cats Sat, cool name!
Well, no tools and no passion for DIY, you could turn it into art.
Mark it, spray bomb it, ink it, tattoo it... bedazzle it... IDK.
Or, spend your time and money on better things, it's all good.
Have fun whatever you choose to do.
Thanks for watching and the comment too.
Be safe and take care!
You sounded so hilariously downtrodden when..”doesn’t look like they used a template...buuutt...🤨” lol
LOL, I wonder how some of the factory steps are taken, as some parts are really well produced, then other are... Well, done by a child. It all worked out. Not a bad kit if you can fix a few little things, and replace some stuff. I'll just cut it up and turn it into something else. Party time!
Thanks for watching, the comment too. Be safe, take care!
I believe that the kits are made somewhere and then inspected somewhere else. At the very least, that is what the do with their pre-assembled guitars. Who knows, but I am sure you’ll have this thing looking and playing great by the end!
My man's got a Spark ! How cool is that! Please checkout my Spark vids. Let me know what you think !
Avi, thanks for the note. I checked out your channel...I'll be back for more.
I need to learn more about recording from the spark to a computer interface, looks like you have a few good vids on just that! Be safe, take care!
These kits cost the price of a decent meal for two at an average restaurant, what are people expecting for that price. Lets buy a cheap kit then spend another 2 or 3 hundred to make a decent guitar? I really enjoyed the build and I got a fun guitar out of it.
I think you hit the nail on the head.
These kits are for "fun", at a very affordable price. Some will argue to just buy the completed guitar for the same price, but that takes away the fun.
I enjoy "kits", and turning them inside out.
Thanks for watching, be safe and take care!
The pick guard holes being pre drilled to large is unacceptable poor quality. Also the neck angle requiring a shim is pretty bad too. Not every kit builder is aware that a 1.2mm shim is required - they should include some shims and instructions. It's quite normal that the tuners are sub par at this price point. Personally I fail to see the value of the kit version since you can get an assembled guitar for the same price with basically the identical parts. You can go on to mod it from there. I've seen your completed project and it is amazing.
nrich51, thanks for watching!
I agree, this was not the best kit to start with, and it seems the issues very with each individual kit. Others have commented that the holes were correctly sized and some other issues were not present on their kit. I would guess the issues were caught and corrected as an in-line manufacturing change, but no effort was taken to weed out the bad work already done. These are cheap kits after all, they can't throw away all the bad parts, lol.
I have purchased a completely assembled HB TE-20, it was a pretty good guitar out of the box too. I think it was $1 more than the kit, at the time.
So, yes, why not buy the completed guitar?
The reason I purchased the kit was to see what the quality of the HB kits are like, and to cut it apart. I think my purchase was worthwhile, I was able to show others what they could expect from this kit, and give them an idea of what they could do to correct given issues. As you mentioned, not everyone would know how to shim or fix something, but if they watch this video, they may get an idea.
Shimming a neck isn't isolated to kit builds either. I've shimmed a number of completed guitars to correct factory issues. It happens.
So, yes you are correct, buying the completed guitar is a better value, period. Unless you want a project (that's me).
Thanks for watching and I hope you come back to watch other projects.
Thank you for the comment too, it is good to hear everyone's point of view, and we agree, differently.
Take care, be safe!