My Dirty Mustard SC Special. Did Harley Benton Send Me a B Stock? (AKA TV Yellow)

I truly feel Iike i receive a “b” stock guitar. The first thing I noticed was the original box had a different / replaced bottom section, The original tape on the top section didn’t match up. Kind of seemed strange to get an open box “new” guitar. Also the Weird string buzz by the nut, flat spots on some frets by the bridge and a few weird groves / file marks on some other frets makes me think they worked on it after it was returned. I guess it’s what you should expect when ordering a Harley Benton. None of the issues are terminal, and as I write this I can report I’ve fixed all the problems I’ve identified. It took some time and I had to get the right tools, but what’s life with out an unexpected adventure every once in a while.

[@ronniemurphy2124]

Necks move with the climate. You might need to tighten the truss rod a little. Try putting a good straight edge over the frets. Concaved centers will need a tighter rod tension. Convex needs to be loosened. Truss rod tension is used to counter string tension. But seeing that first fret low, shows a bad nut, as you pointed out. The size of the strings also plays a part in string tension and can allow the neck to bend more or less, but this effect should be minimal. A truss rod adjustment should take that out. It is advisable not to move the truss rod more than 1/8 - 1/4 turn at a time, then let it settle in after it sits for 24 hours before making another adjustment. I like to set mine and lightly strike the back of the neck a couple times with my palm. This allows the rod to equalize faster, but most of the off tension is due to climate changes on the wood and takes a little time to adjust properly.

[@Elveshelves]

Thanks for the info, I’m taking it all in. I was able to fix most of the issues over the weekend. Turns out I had a few fret’s that were out of adjustment. I took the strings off, set the neck dead nuts straight, then used my fret rocker and found the bad frets. I hit them with a few strokes of my fret file till it was all better. Then I used some “wet” style sand paper to make the frets shine. 1500,2000,2500, then 3000 grit. I didn’t have any buffing compound. I put some mineral oil on the finger board. Then I restrung. I ended up only needing slight neck relief to eliminate the buzz. The guitar plays much better now. I was a bit nervous able messing bit up. I took my time and used the internet as a reference. Turns out it was fun working on it. Like a puzzle that needed solved. Next weekend I’m looking over the Ibanez. Good times.

[@ronniemurphy2124]

@@Elveshelves Great!

[@Elveshelves]

@@ronniemurphy2124 So, truth be told, you’ve inspired me to have the confidence to work on my guitars. Thanks.