Harley Benton Telecaster Kit Build

andyp

Hi folks.

I just wanted to share my wee project guitar, a Harley Benton Tele kit from Thomann. I'd been looking into Classic Vibes and Bajas, but with prices climbing and some ideas in my head I opted for a cheap kit Tele. It was only £75 delivered and turned up 5 days after ordering perfectly packaged.

I've only been playing since January 2015, but have always had an interest in guitars and with my old man's help (he loves this sort of stuff and has built Partscasters, amps, pedals etc. for his own amusement for years) we should be able to make something decent from it. I quite like a wee project too and am really keen to learn how guitars "work" and how to set them all up, so a kit build seemed the perfect way to do it.

It was very well packed and all neat and tidy, so I emptied all the fixings out and followed the basic instructions and assembled it last night, which took less than an hour. The instructions are fine, but they're pretty vague although a lot of it is pre-assembled, so it's pretty much just screwing it all into the right places and connecting the wires.

Unpacking...

http://i.imgur.com/VxmrTg8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/QT4PVQC.jpg

Nearly there already...

http://i.imgur.com/1ZarZy9.jpg

Done and playable... of sorts. The way I'd done it, the action was mega high but it was enough to get a feel for it all.

http://i.imgur.com/9Ot4cnX.jpg

I spent zero time on setup, all I wanted from last night was to assemble it and see what it was all like, which was achieved remarkably easily. There are a couple of things I want to tweak when I do set it up, but the next step now is to strip it back down, cut the headstock to shape, sand it down, paint it (going for Wudtone in a satin orange colour), reassemble then set it up. Ok, that's  a few steps but should be doable in the next 1-2 weeks hopefully.

From there I'll look into modifications, but so far the only one that I really want to do is replace the white plate with a black one. The bridge and saddles are quite cheap looking so they are probably the first on the list to replace. Sound-wise, I think it's pretty damn good. I've certainly no complaints on that front at the moment and I really like the feel of the neck and body shape.

It's very early days, but It's looking like a promising project to be honest.

Andy

andyp

Just got this pic from my old man... Headstock in progress.

http://i.imgur.com/zhKsFR9.jpg

thumpingrug

Please keep posting pics.  Ive had my eye on one of these kits for myself and Im interested in how this works out for you.

Whats your dad using to shape the headstock?

andyp

Sure thing, will keep this up to date as best I can.

I know I'm not exactly trailblazing here, but it's all new to me so I figured I'd share the "experience".

He used a pillar drill - well, it's a gadget / vice thing that you fit a normal hammer drill into and it allows it to be used like a pillar drill. He made a cardboard template based on a Suhr outline (we agreed that was our preferred starting shape), sawed the majority off then sanded it using a sander attachment on the pillar drill setup. He told me the name of the sanding attachment, but I can't remember what it was... I've found a pic he sent me this morning as it happens.

You can just hold the headstock and work away against the sander, rather than move the sander around the headstock.

It's coming in handy having a retired father.

http://i.imgur.com/ERbEl20.jpg?1

BigMonka

That's a decent looking bit of wood for a relatively cheap kit - nice score!

thumpingrug

Looking good and I have a feeling my old man has something a bit like that buried at the back of his garage.  I may have to borrow it.  

andyp

Headstock... before, draft version then agreed final version. It's still to be tidied and stuff but this is the shape we've gone with. It's not as wide as it appears when the neck is on the body.

http://i.imgur.com/g0E2k1y.jpg

I used the Halo guitars designer thing this morning to try and show a ballpark idea of what I'm aiming for in time. Hardware is a wee bit down the line, but I'm going to try and source a black bridge for it asap as the stock one jumps out as the weakest link of the kit by quite a way.

http://i.imgur.com/ZnaiZAo.png

andyp

Ordered a black Wilkinson bridge with compensated saddles this afternoon, seems it's already on its way here!

The old man sanded down the body today, which he said was hard going. Not quite sure how it will take the finish to be honest, it's very smooth and there's not much of a "key" to the grain... Hopefully the Wudtone arrives tomorrow and we can get going with it, as it's a week or so for this stage we reckon.

andyp

Some photos of the body now it's been subjected to some more sanding...

http://i.imgur.com/Pu1LGiN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Z4FnAaU.jpg

I think it's looking pretty good. The edges and in around the cut-out are a bit awkward though. We've been wrestling with a name for it and have settled on this. Whether we actually 1. call it this or 2. fit the decal, is another thing.

http://i.imgur.com/nL4QsHB.jpg

No sign of the Wudtone kit arriving yet, it was ordered on Monday evening so I guess it'll show up tomorrow.


edit - most of these pics are from my old man's mobile, which isn't exactly new. They give a decent enough picture of what it's looking like though.

DeeTee

Looks interesting, keep us updated! I'm especially interested in what the Wudtone does to it.

andyp

So am I!

It's the biggest unknown to be honest, I've not done anything like this before in any shape or form and it's pretty much the make or break of the whole thing.

andyp

Sorry - I've re-jigged my Photobucket so I'll need to re-link these now. I'll fix it today.

The Wudtone hasn't turned up yet and we've not anything from them about it being dispatched yet either. It was ordered on Monday evening so I was really hoping it would be here on Wednesday or Thursday so it looks like the project will be sitting still now for nearly a week as we've no idea if it's even posted yet. My old man is trying to find out what's happening.

andyp

Some better photos of the body now that it's been sanded down a wee bit further. Just waiting for the Wudtone now...

http://i.imgur.com/NJxHawK.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/9qNP0ao.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/bjyzY3X.jpg?1

andyp

Bridge has turned up... 48hrs after ordering from North West Guitars, and it looks great.

http://i.imgur.com/y4HlJ7t.jpg?1

Roland

Does the bridge fit the pre-drilled holes in the guitar body? When I built the same HB kit I used a modern 6 saddle bridge, and had to drill new mounting holes

andyp

I don't know yet to be honest. I figured I'll just drill new holes if need be. I'll be sure to post about that once I know the answer though.

The Wudtone got sent out today after my Dad chasing it up. It's been posted first class but as it's being delivered to Aberdeenshire, it may well be Monday until it lands.

Andy

TTony

To work well, Wudtone needs the wood to be free of any sort of finishing or preparation.

I've no idea what the HB kits are like, but you need to make sure that there's no sealant or grain filler (or anything) on the wood before you start applying the Wudtone.  The surface doesn't need to be perfectly smooth either.  IIRC, Wudtone recommend 240 grit rather than anything smoother.

It's difficult to describe the application technique too, but I've found - to get a good deep colour - you need to really "push" the Wudtone into the wood.

andyp

Thanks for the pointers Tony. It's been sanded pretty extensively and it shows moisture if you damp it with a finger or something. I reckon it's about as good as it's going to be for applying a finish. My Dad did a Strat body a few years ago with Wudtone and he's happy that it's ready, but I'm still a wee bit apprehensive about how it'll go...

Fingers crossed!

andyp

Well...Mr. Postman was a busy little dude this morning.

Today he dropped off the Wudtone kit, the scratchplate and the decal transfer for the headstock. My working arangements mean I'm only around up North Monday-Thursday so I've entrusted the first few coats of Wudtone to my Old Man.

Reading the instructions online has shed a fair bit of light on what to expect. A fair few of the kits come with a Deep Coat which is to be applied first to bring out the colour a bit more. One of the Deep Coat kits is the Carmine Gypsy that I've opted for.

http://i.imgur.com/S1vJij1.jpg

Colours are here...

Instructions here... 

http://www.wudtone.com/forum/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Wudtone-finishing-kit-instructions-Oct-15.pdf

andyp

Sorry, double posted somehow.

impmann

Thomann state that these kits have a sealing coat and they are not suitable for stains - you really need to sand right through that for Wudtone to work. 

Good luck