A 2015 mod a Harley Benton guitar challenge?

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  • Hmm I think I mat partake in this here challenge. I have been wanting a strat for a while without wanting to pay for one because I'm a Les Paul guy and my next bit of real gas is either a Wolfgang or a mockingbird. But £55 for a strat is just dumb.

    Question/seeking opinion. There is a bog ordinary strat for £55 or one with Wilkinson pickups for £72 which truth be told will be probably good enough for me. I prefer the finish options on the £55. Worth spending the extra for the pickups?

    Check out my band Coral Snake if you like original hard rock!

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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16543

    The pickups have been the biggest let down on the 3 HB's I have had so far.     Not matched very well, and severely underpoowered.

     

    but I would go with the finish I liked best and plan to upgrade the p-ups anyway.

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  • NomadNomad Frets: 549
    Watch out for plastic imitation-effect finishes that look like wood but aren't. The cheapest teles aren't solid wood.

    Nomad
    Nobody loves me but my mother... and she could be jivin' too...

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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    It really depends what modifications you are thinking of making.  The more you want to change then the less it's worth paying for in the first place.  That's why I went for a kit as my starting point.  From the blurb the differences are the pickups, and the word "Canadian" for the maple neck.  In practice there could be other construction differences.  If you are not thinking about swapping pickups then what about going halfway and getting the B stock with Wilkinsons, and swapping the pickguard for a white one?
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • Hmm possibly.. I do agree about worrying about finish foremost... That's the hardest the change. Problem is I want a maple fretboard but the only one with a maple board is in red. Ideally I'd want white with a maple board. So I'm torn between white and rosewood or red and maple...

    Interesting that the cheapest teles aren't solid wood. Any experience with the basic strats? I was originally going to pick up a vintage (brand) strat until this thread inspired me

    Check out my band Coral Snake if you like original hard rock!

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  • cacophonycacophony Frets: 385
    i know a few people have bought the HB `les-paul` honeyburst alike, and i heard nothing but good things about them,but  has anyone actually decided to mod one of these?. i haven`t seen any feedback to that effect yet, which must speak volumes for just how good the `honeyburst` LP`s are as they arrive straight out of the box!. :)
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  • GizmoGizmo Frets: 1073
    cacophony said:
    i know a few people have bought the HB `les-paul` honeyburst alike, and i heard nothing but good things about them,but  has anyone actually decided to mod one of these?. i haven`t seen any feedback to that effect yet, which must speak volumes for just how good the `honeyburst` LP`s are as they arrive straight out of the box!. :)
    I just removed the plate & 3 way switch plastics and replaced the pups apart from that i think i might replace the tuners and the nut if i decide to keep it (im not massive on fixed bridge guitars) as they are super cheap plastic'y things (i'll grab a few pics when the suns up)

    Over all they are great guitars for the money and punch well above there weight cost/finish wise,my dad got the Prince Tele at the same time as my HB LP and that is also a great guitar for not much dosh and a super mod platform.
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  • GizmoGizmo Frets: 1073
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    How many of us have entered this challenge? Can we guess how much Thomann have made from us in guitars and parts?
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • Dagga36Dagga36 Frets: 11
    Interested in joining the challenge..but how do they do these HB guitars so cheap?
    Some are swamp ash or mahogany bodies!
    Are they same size and spec as the guitar they are copying?
    I.E could I buy a swamp ash strat & fit a fender neck (or warmoth) on it?

    Can't really tell by the pics but are the body dimensions correct?
    I'm assuming they just use a different headstock shape
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  • ab2014ab2014 Frets: 89
    I'm modding a te-30 (the white one). Its pretty good stock for a b-stock with a couple of dings. Its going to be an esquire with modded wiring. Stock hardware will be getting upgraded. The bridge pickup was ok but the neck pickup was very muddy, both were ceramic around 5.5k n and 5.9k b.
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  • olafgartenolafgarten Frets: 1648
    The "big gee"? What's the gravitational constant got to do with it?
    Sorry. Physics joke, I'll get my coat.
    (I use the term "joke" loosely).
    The Gravitational Constant is a little g!
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  • wrxmaniawrxmania Frets: 0
    Just ordered a TE-20 (black) as did not want the veneered sunburst and guessed the wood behind it would be plain but hopefully not 75 pieces!!!

    Anyone know if a standard Wilkinson ashtray bridge will fit or if it is like a Squier Affinity and the bridge plate is longer?

    Brian
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  • lamf68lamf68 Frets: 850

    Anyone bought one of these know if there's enough wood on these headstocks to reshape into the obvious style of what it's pretending to be?



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  • wrxmaniawrxmania Frets: 0
    Any threads of projects actually started yet?
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  • wrxmaniawrxmania Frets: 0
    Thanks. Had a good look through. Hopefully my TE-20 comes soon.
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  • ab2014ab2014 Frets: 89
    Looks like HB / thomann are changing the specs. Les Paul's and 335 are starting to look a little nasty now on recent pics. Wonder if Gibson intervened
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  • SargeSarge Frets: 2370
    This is why I just bought a HB gold top, I just don't fancy the chances of them improving the headstock / body shape. Plus the inlays are to be crowns rather than trapezoid.
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  • GuitarMonkeyGuitarMonkey Frets: 1883
    I think I might prefer the body shape of this to a Gibson ES. Headstock is an ugly paddle mind.

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