Гитарный конструктор harley benton
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Specifications
- Complete do it yourself set
- Bolt-on neck
- Body: Rengas (wood colour may vary)
- Neck: Maple
- Fretboard: Amaranth
- Fretboard inlays: DOT
- "Double Action" truss rod
- Neck profile: C
- 22 Frets
- Fretboard radius: 350 mm (12")
- Scale: 648 mm
- Nut width: 42 mm
- Truss rod
- Pickup: 2 Single coils
- 1 Volume control and 1 tone control
- 3-Way switch
- Chrome hardware
- Die-cast machine heads
- Stringing: 009 - 042
- Finish: Natural@+@+*Note:* Body and neck have been primed with pore filler, and are therefore suitable for direct painting - for staining or other form of finish, the primer may need to be sanded again@+@+@+*Note:* A certain degree of skill in craftmanship is required for successful assembly@+@+
Videos
by the Next Project / 6874 views · 513 days ago
by the Next Project / 7727 views · 503 days ago
Customer reviews
"I ordered this kit because I have recently became interested in guitar diy kits, I enjoy the whole process of finishing and setting up a guitar right from the beginning and have good experiences with Thomman (sic!) in the past."
- Banjo Ganjo / Review by thomann.de
"The kit arrived well boxed up and contained every part required and you'd be surprised what goes missing in some other kits! This one from Thomann was excellent."
- Radders / Review by thomann.de
"The guitar is a doddle to put together and the whole thing could be done in under an hour easily."
- SamD / Review by thomann.de
Also Interesting
Harley Benton Frequently Asked Questions
Want to find out more about Harley Benton? Here are the most frequently asked questions.
1. Where can I order Harley Benton products?
All of our products are exclusively sold at Thomann, Europe’s largest online retailer for musical instruments with over 20 years of experience. Thomann is located in Germany, Europe but ships worldwide. Every order at Thomann comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 3-year warranty.
2. How much is shipping for one or more instruments?
Shipping costs vary depending on your location. In many cases, Thomann offers flat rates. The flat rate applies to the whole order (up to a certain weight limit), no matter how many products you order. Please visit the international shipping info page to see rates.
For example, as of December 2020, shipping to the US for up to two electric guitars is €60, while shipping costs for a guitar and a case are generally around €80. These are guideline prices only and may vary.
3. What are the delivery times to my location?
Delivery times vary, depending on your location as well as the size of the parcel. Please see the international shipping info page to find out the average delivery time to your location.
For example, the average delivery time to the US is 6-9 working days.
4. I’m ordering from the UK, what has changed since January 1st 2021?
Now that the UK has left the single market and customs union with the EU, we’ve updated our procedures for orders placed from customers in the UK. Based on the feedback we have received so far, Government Charges will be collected by UPS and they consist of the 20% VAT plus a small amount for the paperwork involved (usually around 2.5%). There is also an additional amount to be paid to UPS for their service, which is a minimum of 11.50 GBP. As not every order has the same customs requirement, for further information we advise that you check the costs and procedures in advance with the courier locally. Please check the Information for non-EU countries.
5. When will my order be shipped?
If your desired products are in stock, most orders are processed the same day and shipped within 24 hours after you’ve placed it.
6. What happens after my order is shipped? Do I get tracking information?
When your product is shipped, you will receive a confirmation email including tracking information. If you have a Thomann account, all this information is available in your personal customer centre.
7. What happens if I receive a damaged instrument?
All our parcels are insured for loss and damage in transit. If you receive a damaged parcel, please fill out the “return product” form to get a free return label. Take it to the office of the package delivery company stated on the return label and Thomann will replace it as soon as possible.
8. How do refunds work if I’m not satisfied?
As with every order at Thomann you can take advantage of their 30-day money-back guarantee without any questions asked. If you’re not satisfied, simply fill out the “return product” form and a return service will be arranged for you.
9. Do I need to worry about CITES?
No. Since we don’t use wood that underlies the CITES regulations for any of our products, you don’t have to worry about contravening any regulations while importing a Harley Benton instrument into your country.
10. Why is Harley Benton so low priced? Is it a scam?
Of course not. You, as a customer, benefit from the fact that we sell exclusively through Thomann and therefore we don’t need to establish and maintain a huge and expensive distribution network. That brings us closer to our goal of crafting great instruments and bringing them to you at the best prices possible.
11. What is the difference between A- and B-stock products?
A “B-Stock” is a product which has been returned by a customer within their 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee or replaced under guarantee and can no longer be sold as “A-Stock”. These products are offered at a special, reduced price, are fully functional and come with a full 3 year warranty and 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. Customers may find that these products show traces of use or scuffing and may not come in their original packaging but will always be checked prior to shipment.
12. Do you have any shops where I can buy Harley Benton products?
Yes, there is a big variety of Harley Benton products at the Thomann shop in Treppendorf, Germany. You can also use Thomann’s live video chat to talk to an expert and get personal advice, almost as you would when visiting the shop in person.
13. I’m an influencer and I would like to use Harley Benton products in my videos/stories/posts. Who should I contact?
Our community manager will handle your request. Please use our contact form to let us know your personal information and your ideas on how you would like to present Harley Benton products.
14. I would like to suggest a new Harley Benton model. Where can I write feedback to?
The opinion of our community is important to us. We are always active on our social media platforms and if you leave constructive feedback, we will take care of it. In addition, you can also use our contact form to drop us a note.
Got any questions regarding buying and shipping Harley Benton products?
Specifications
Customer reviews
"Building this guitar was very straightforward. The instructions came in both English and German (which is ideal as my native tongue is English but I live in Austria) and were easy to follow. All the holes were in the right places, all the components were there, and the wood was more interesting than I had expected for a guitar of this price."
- John8954 / Review by thomann.de
"The back of the neck, I left as it came. The fine smooth varnish finish is perfect to play."
- jianwhite / Review by thomann.de
"In summary, this is a fantastic kit, giving you the perfect foundation for an excellent quality guitar, especially considering the price."
- Jrdragonetti / Review by thomann.de
Also Interesting
Harley Benton Frequently Asked Questions
Want to find out more about Harley Benton? Here are the most frequently asked questions.
1. Where can I order Harley Benton products?
All of our products are exclusively sold at Thomann, Europe’s largest online retailer for musical instruments with over 20 years of experience. Thomann is located in Germany, Europe but ships worldwide. Every order at Thomann comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 3-year warranty.
2. How much is shipping for one or more instruments?
Shipping costs vary depending on your location. In many cases, Thomann offers flat rates. The flat rate applies to the whole order (up to a certain weight limit), no matter how many products you order. Please visit the international shipping info page to see rates.
For example, as of December 2020, shipping to the US for up to two electric guitars is €60, while shipping costs for a guitar and a case are generally around €80. These are guideline prices only and may vary.
3. What are the delivery times to my location?
Delivery times vary, depending on your location as well as the size of the parcel. Please see the international shipping info page to find out the average delivery time to your location.
For example, the average delivery time to the US is 6-9 working days.
4. I’m ordering from the UK, what has changed since January 1st 2021?
Now that the UK has left the single market and customs union with the EU, we’ve updated our procedures for orders placed from customers in the UK. Based on the feedback we have received so far, Government Charges will be collected by UPS and they consist of the 20% VAT plus a small amount for the paperwork involved (usually around 2.5%). There is also an additional amount to be paid to UPS for their service, which is a minimum of 11.50 GBP. As not every order has the same customs requirement, for further information we advise that you check the costs and procedures in advance with the courier locally. Please check the Information for non-EU countries.
5. When will my order be shipped?
If your desired products are in stock, most orders are processed the same day and shipped within 24 hours after you’ve placed it.
6. What happens after my order is shipped? Do I get tracking information?
When your product is shipped, you will receive a confirmation email including tracking information. If you have a Thomann account, all this information is available in your personal customer centre.
7. What happens if I receive a damaged instrument?
All our parcels are insured for loss and damage in transit. If you receive a damaged parcel, please fill out the “return product” form to get a free return label. Take it to the office of the package delivery company stated on the return label and Thomann will replace it as soon as possible.
8. How do refunds work if I’m not satisfied?
As with every order at Thomann you can take advantage of their 30-day money-back guarantee without any questions asked. If you’re not satisfied, simply fill out the “return product” form and a return service will be arranged for you.
9. Do I need to worry about CITES?
No. Since we don’t use wood that underlies the CITES regulations for any of our products, you don’t have to worry about contravening any regulations while importing a Harley Benton instrument into your country.
10. Why is Harley Benton so low priced? Is it a scam?
Of course not. You, as a customer, benefit from the fact that we sell exclusively through Thomann and therefore we don’t need to establish and maintain a huge and expensive distribution network. That brings us closer to our goal of crafting great instruments and bringing them to you at the best prices possible.
11. What is the difference between A- and B-stock products?
A “B-Stock” is a product which has been returned by a customer within their 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee or replaced under guarantee and can no longer be sold as “A-Stock”. These products are offered at a special, reduced price, are fully functional and come with a full 3 year warranty and 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. Customers may find that these products show traces of use or scuffing and may not come in their original packaging but will always be checked prior to shipment.
12. Do you have any shops where I can buy Harley Benton products?
Yes, there is a big variety of Harley Benton products at the Thomann shop in Treppendorf, Germany. You can also use Thomann’s live video chat to talk to an expert and get personal advice, almost as you would when visiting the shop in person.
13. I’m an influencer and I would like to use Harley Benton products in my videos/stories/posts. Who should I contact?
Our community manager will handle your request. Please use our contact form to let us know your personal information and your ideas on how you would like to present Harley Benton products.
14. I would like to suggest a new Harley Benton model. Where can I write feedback to?
The opinion of our community is important to us. We are always active on our social media platforms and if you leave constructive feedback, we will take care of it. In addition, you can also use our contact form to drop us a note.
Harley Benton
TE-20 BK Standard Series
Harley Benton
TE-20 SB Standard Series
Harley Benton
DC-200 CH Student Series
Harley Benton
DC-200 BK Student Series
Harley Benton
TE-30 BE Standard Series
Harley Benton
TE-70 Rosewood Deluxe Series
Harley Benton
TE-80 NT Deluxe Series
Harley Benton
TE-90QM HH Trans Blue
Harley Benton
SC-400LH SBK Classic Series
Harley Benton
R-457 BK Progressiv Series
Harley Benton
HB JA-60SB Vintage Series
Harley Benton
HB-35 CH Vintage Series
Harley Benton
HB-35 VS Vintage Series
Harley Benton
HB-35 BK Vintage Series
Harley Benton
EX-84 White Progressive Series
Harley Benton
EX-84 Modern BK
Harley Benton
TE-90QM Trans Red
Harley Benton
SC-1000 VB Progressive Line
Harley Benton
DC-580 CH Vintage Series
Harley Benton
SC-400 SGT Classic Series
Harley Benton
SC-500 WH Vintage Series
Harley Benton
RB-612CS Classic Series
Производители
Телефоны
Время работы
Пн - Пт: с 11 до 20
Сб - Вс: c 11 до 19
Адрес магазина
Санкт-Петербург,
ул. Казанская улица, дом 7
Метро Невский проспект
Rock on!
Harley Benton Club / Музыкальные инструменты запись закреплена
Harley Benton Club / Музыкальные инструменты запись закреплена
Алексей Ержанов
Harley Benton Club / Музыкальные инструменты запись закреплена
Всем привет! Многие спрашивали по поводу доставки гитар Harley Benton в РФ. Сейчас мы налаживаем канал поставки из немецких магазинов Thomann и Musicstore. Надеемся в ближайшее время возможность заказа появится. Следите за новостями!
Евген Попов запись закреплена
Всем зашедшим привет, может кто-то подскажет где найти схему подключения темброблока с активным/пассивным режимами именно для баса серии Pro Harley Benton Enhanced MJ-5MN Natural, в пассиве фонит, в активе фон есть, но гораздо меньше, провода припаяны везде, деревяха внутри прографичена и отсутствует масса на корпус, только на бридж, возможно и из-за этого тоже.
Разобрались сообща, проблема оказалась в гнезде, датчики на удивление оказались великолепны по звучанию.
Harley Benton Club / Музыкальные инструменты запись закреплена
Harley Benton Club / Музыкальные инструменты запись закреплена
NIKANON
Вы таки можете меня поздравить, после долгих поисков я нашел подходящую гитару
Я смотрел разные варианты стратокастеров и телекастров, но, в итоге, остановился на вот этом бомбическом телекастере от Harley Benton. Да,Китай,но зато какой Лучшее соотношение цена-качество что я видел. Второй день из рук не выпускаю
Ну круто, только в Россию то поставок нет
Harley Benton Club / Музыкальные инструменты запись закреплена
Денис Плебейский
Сын выразил робкое желание научиться на гитаре. Ну мы радостно пошли на встречу, особенно я. Купили ему Harley Benton от китайского трудолюбивого производителя. И всё бы хорошо, но печалит меня то, что его китайский страт Harley Benton звучит лишь немногим хуже чем мой. При разнице в цене в 20 (двадцать!) раз. А по играбельности-удобству, так вообще без разницы. Вот как так-то? За что же мы боролись, за что же мы страдали? я так не играю.
так быть и должно, это просто палка из дерева. невменяемые ценники за бренд, как может встратый страт стоить 1200 долларов, там все примитивно и копеечно. а эти мифы про отборное дерево и сушку. кароче как то так
Ну, как вариант сжечь этот Хари бэнтон, чтоб не выебывался. И купить бу японца за 500, чтоб сын почувствовал на себе всю боль начинающего музыканта.
Harley Benton Club / Музыкальные инструменты запись закреплена
Harley Benton Club / Музыкальные инструменты запись закреплена
Егор Жуков
Harley Benton Club / Музыкальные инструменты запись закреплена
Harley Benton Club / Музыкальные инструменты запись закреплена
Студия МИ | Уроки музыки в Калининграде
Рубрика "Успехи учеников"
Мы с Арсением занимаемся с начала учебного года. Решили освоить классические приемы, необходимые для любого соло. В качестве материала выбрали учебное соло Троя Стетины из школы "Соло гитара в стиле Heavy metal". Те, кто учились играть в конце 90-х и 2000-х должны вспомнить эту книжку с зеленой гитарой на обложке.
Считаю, что характер произведения Арсений передал точно. Для первого опыта игры соло результат выше всяких похвал!
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Electric Guitar Kit SC-Style
Note: A certain degree of skill in handiwork is required for successful assembly of the guitar.
Harley Benton E-Gitarrenbausatz Single Cut Electric Guitar Kit SC-Style * Complete DIY (do it yourself) kit * Neck attac.
Gibson Les Paul Modern Pelham Blue Electric guitar * Body: Mahogany * "Ultra Modern Weight Relief" - reduced body weight.
Gibson Les Paul Deluxe 70s CS Electric guitar * Mahogany body (Swietenia macrophylla) * Maple top * Mahogany neck (Swiet.
Gibson Les Paul Modern Graphite Electric Guitar * Body: Mahogany (Swietenia Macrophylla) * Ultra modern weight relief - .
Gibson LP Standard Adam Jones ASB Electric Guitar * Adam Jones (Tool) Signature model * Body: Mahogany * Top: Maple * Ne.
Gibson Les Paul Modern Burgundy Electric Guitar * Body: Mahogany * "Ultra Modern Weight Relief" - reduced body weight * .
Gibson Les Paul 68 Gold Top Reissue Gloss Electric Guitar * Custom Shop * Top: Arched maple * Body: Solid mahogany (Swie.
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Related Products
982 Customer ratings
698 Reviews
I purchased this kit, as I wanted an LP style guitar for the tone produced for recording some backing tracks, but had a limited budget. The result really surprised me. The veneer on the body is thin, so use minimum pressure when sanding. The finish is amazing. I am into natural finishes and so after a light sanding, just used thin clear varnish applied with a cloth. The result is quite stunning. A natural butterscotch with a light catching grain. It literally reflects light on stage in places.
The electrics are wrong. If left unchanged, the tone pots do not work. Five minutes with a soldering iron chnging one wire on each tone pot to the correct lug cured the problem. The cure is detailed on several reviews, so I won't bore you with repeating it hear. Once done, the volume and tone controls work very well indeed.
The back of the neck, I left as it came. The fine smooth varnish finish is perfect to play.
The only other problem was the nut. It came with the high E slot cut too near the edge. A replacement for under 2 euros cured the problem and allowed me to file it to the ideal depth.
The Frets were surpisingly good. After fitting the new nut, I set the neck to Gibson Les Paul specs and it plays perfectly. No buzz, surpringly low action. Can't ask for more.
The pickups are very acceptable, producing the rich creamy sound I was specifically after on the neck pickup, with the tone pot turned fairly down and very capable of the typical LP scream on teh bridge pick up if required. Sustain is amazing. In my opinion, a far superior performer to the Vintage/Revelation LP copies that cost 3 times the price.
The bridge is an obvious copy. Typical of a Chinese ebay replacement. I was lucky with mine, it works and I have left it on.
If I add the price of the nut and a set of D'addario 10's strings to replace the ones that came with it. I got the bargain of the century for under 100 Euros. I have played live, recorded 7 songs with this guitar and a professional performer (an ex-guitarist from Mott The Hoople) asked me if it was for sale. It isn't!
The wiring, bridge and the nut brought the quality rating down to Okay for the price. The rest is good.
So in short, if you want a good LP copy and are willing to spend 5 minutes resoldering, maybe a new nut and reasonable time setting up the neck carefully. go for it, you will not be disappointed. I reckon I would have to pay at least £500 to buy a ready made of equal playability. In fact, it has turned out to be a far superior performer to the Gibson Studio.
I have been as honest and detailed as I can. I hope this helps you.
Do you believe this rating to be inaccurate or unacceptable for some reason? Please give us the reason for your assessment in the following text box and – if possible – your e-mail address for further questions.
i bought this kit several years ago, and intended to delay the review as i wanted to see if this guitar can stand the test of time, and frequent use. so i indeed bought one, and then assembled it, and kept it in its default configuration, including the finish, since after assembly. played the guitar for years on a daily basis for hours.
okay, fast forward three years, and here's what's happened to it.
1. the frets wore out. i had to refret it using harder frets.
2. the neck bowed a bit. i was rather baffled by this because i was only using standard 10-46's. it was made more evident when i used 10-52's. so i adjusted the truss rod while there was tension on the strings, and that fixed it, but then it had a bit of back bow with the strings removed. i just surmised that probably the neck was too soft.
3. the pickups sounded muddier. this was, more or less, a perception issue, and only got resolved when i replaced them with stock epiphone pickups that i had on hand. not to say that the stock pickups were bad, but for me, i felt that they weren't good either.
4. bridge saddles wore out fairly quick. this must've been caused by my hands as they keep rubbing with the saddles as i do my palm muting. i swapped the entire bridge with an aftermarket roller bridge, and bought a harley benton tailpiece to complement it.
5. pots started becoming scratchy after a few months. since they became so, i chose to buy log pots and replaced the linear ones installed in the kit. i recycled the stock capacitor, but i also intend to replace that down the line.
6. stock tuners went all over the place. you can't make the guitar stay in tune for too long with the stock tuners. there were also dead spots when turning the pegs, and that greatly affected the tuning. i replaced them with an old set of taylor tuners that i had on hand, and that worked wonders on the tuning.
three years on, the guitar is still working, and is still in its default unfinished state. i've never laid any paint or refreshed the sealer on the wood, as i liked how it looked as a barely finished guitar. my hope is to see it work for more years to come, hopefully outliving me too.
to sum it up, it's a very good starter kit for those who want to learn how to build, play and maintain guitars. for those seeking something more robust or something that requires less maintenance, then this might not be for you.
Do you believe this rating to be inaccurate or unacceptable for some reason? Please give us the reason for your assessment in the following text box and – if possible – your e-mail address for further questions.
I wanted to take a Harley Benton SC-450Plus, but since the neck is glued, I was afraid for the integrity of the guitar during transportation - it was a bad experience, I decided to take a Harley Benton Electric Guitar Kit Single Cut Electric Guitar Kit SC-Style for experiments and training to play the guitar.
Before starting to build the Guitar Kit, I had to do an additional polishing of the guitar body, so. it was sanded poorly, I found 3 small defects - furrows from the grinding tool. I do not understand why the manufacturer covers the guitar body with a sealant (as it is written in the description, in fact it is some kind of varnish ), and then
finish polishing, spoiling the coating at the same time? I wish he hadn't. I had to finish polishing small defects myself. After that, I wanted to soak the stain under the mahogany, but this was prevented by the sealant applied by the manufacturer, it would be very long and difficult to remove it until the end, so I covered the guitar body in 3 layers with a transparent polyurethane varnish matte - silky. It turned out very well.
The neck was in good condition, very smooth, only the edges of the frets were sharpened so that they did not cut the fingers. Without modification, only by adjusting the anchor, it was possible to adjust the height of the strings above the 12th fret of the 1st - 1.8 and the 6th - 2 mm.
The color overlays of the Fretboard is different from the pictures on the site - it came to me in black.
Tuners have small heads, and have a backlash, to adjust the tone of the string in one movement will not work. they were disassembled and stuffed with thick silicone grease - they began to work a little better.
The upper bridge has insufficient cuts, they had to be deepened a little to adjust the height of the string above the 1st fret.
The strings were immediately put by Harley Benton Value string sEL 9-42, the strings are normal, no worse than the d'addario from the set on the HB-35 Plus, the winding is tight, the sound is pleasant, the mood is kept. I haven't put the strings from the kit yet, I can't say anything about them, but they look the same as HB EL 9-42, only the
lower ball of the string holder with a hole diameter is slightly larger.
Humbuckers disassembled and brought out the ends wire with a shielded wire, for coil split.
The total resistance of the each Humbuckers is about ~ 10.6 kOhm, each coil is ~ 5.3 kOhm.
The volume controls should be A500K and the timbre B500K-they are mixed up in places, just like on my other HB-35Plus guitar (the Chinese assemblers do not understand this).
The Volume controls were replaced with the A500K with push/pull function for coil split, and the Tone controls with the B500K with push/pull function for change phase.
The frames of the humbuckers do not correspond to the curvature of the top, their bottom had to be polished.
After completion finishing KIT's "file", the assembly of the guitar was no longer particularly difficult, except for soldering the electrical part of the humbuckers, regulators and switches. Here I had to turn on the brain and check different options for turning on the pick-up coils.
The following coil switching modes were made: - humbucker, split-coil, parallel-coil, change phase-coil.
The result is a Les Paul type guitar, in a natural wood color with a very interesting sound.I like the sound, you can do any timbre like on a Stratocaster with singles like on a sitar, or Les Paul, or a muddy 60s sound. Sustain is surprisingly good for neck bolt in. The guitar is not heavy and comfortable. Playing the rhythm and solos on it is a pleasure, bends and vibrato are easy to do.
I want to thank the Thomann team for the pleasure they gave me when assembling the Guitar KIT, the kit turned out to be quite good for self-assembly, but somewhat expensive
against the background of the finished Harley Benton SC-200 BK Student Series guitar, which became even cheaper, which is very strange, given the shortcomings of the kit:
insufficient quality and precision of manufacturing the components of the set, the need to refine and self-assemble the guitar. Please take this into account and draw the right conclusions.
Do you believe this rating to be inaccurate or unacceptable for some reason? Please give us the reason for your assessment in the following text box and – if possible – your e-mail address for further questions.
Harley Benton SC Guitar Kit.
This kit was purchased to review the quality, fit and finish of the Thomann HB kits, then to use the kit as a platform for and extreme modification project.
The kit arrived a few months ago, and has now been opened, reviewed and initial assembly completed.
Please keep in mind, this is a ± $92 US, guitar KIT, it is not a finished guitar and likely has a different QC process than does a finished guitar.
A few examples of QC would be attention to the fret ends, the fit of the neck plate, potential electronic wiring issues, and some discrepancies in the parts bags.
NECK & BODY:
In general, the body and neck are very well made for a "semi-raw" wood kit. The body has an initial sealer coating applied, it is a clear coating only to control the wood fibers slightly. It is not a filler, nor level coating, just a sealer of some sort.
The neck is coated with a satin finish, but is far more refined than the body. The neck could be used as delivered on a completed guitar. The body is rather rough, and should be refined through sanding and other sealer and finish methods.
The dual-action truss rod works well.
FRETBOARD & FRETS:
The fretboard and inlays look good and well manufactured, however it appears a final sanding set was skipped. The fretboard has a slight coarseness to the feel, like the final sanding was done with 100 grit material. The frets are reasonably well set, and this is the first HB guitar that I have seen some sort of glue used with the frets. The fret ends should be addressed before doing any assembly work on this kit, as the guitar I received will slice your hands to pieces. The jagged fret ends are everywhere, nearly every fret. The fret wire will also need to be cleaned, and polished. There is some fine gritty coating on the wire, with fretted notes or bends this coating, or film, will be evident.
When the frets are leveled, crowned and polished this issue will be moot.
TUNERS:
These are rather low quality items. The only reason I say this is because at least one of the 6 in my kit are bad. In general the others function well, there is some slop in the string post, but otherwise the tuning button shaft works well, except for that 1 tuner. The one bad tuner is bound up and will barely turn. I will be replacing the entire set of tuners.
PICKUPS:
The pickups are wax potted, and marked N, for neck, and B for bridge.
Both pickups have single, two wire leads which include the plug ends. The Neck pickup has a "white" sheathed lead, and the Bridge has a "black sheathed lead (on my kit). The Electronics have matching coloring - so it should go together intuitively - It should.
ELECTRONICS:
The supplied switch has a good positive feel and is prepped with Plug-n-play connectors. Of course the plug-n-play feature fails as the kit can easily be connected incorrectly. So, some shuffling of connectors may be required. This kit is likely intended for someone who may not have soldering equipment, and the presumed "ease" of plugging components together will likely help sales. I expect some purchasers to experience frustration if they connect the switch leads in the wrong pairing - they may get NO sound…
The pots volume and tone all function as they should, and once I swapped a couple connectors all components worked properly.
The wiring feeds easily threw the routed passages in the body. There is ample wire length on each component. In fact, there is almost too much wire included.
BRIDGE & STOP TAIL:
These are typical low cost TOM style bridge components. The quality is average, and some "repair" may be needed on the bridge. My bridge had an issue with the retainer springs that hold the saddle screws in place. 2 of the 4 springs needed to be removed, slightly bent to improve tension, and reassembled. Not a big deal, but the bridge would be a serious issue without this adjustment/repair.
This is not the first HB TOM bridge that I've had to adjust in this way, it seems to be a rather typical issue, but easily resolved.
VARIOUS HARDWARE & COMPONENTS:
As the kit comes, there are a few little bags containing all the bits and pieces. You should do an inventory of all the screws, washers and parts that you receive in the kit before beginning assembly. My kit arrived a couple washers short, but has a few extra trim screws.
FLAW:
Even for a $92 US kit, the biggest flaw I can't overlook is the poor fit of the neck mounting plate. At a glance it looks nice and appears to be contoured to match the cut of the body, but that is NOT the case.
It seems like it is the wrong neck plate for this guitar. The holes all align with the body and neck, the screws all seat properly, but the end of the plate doesn't follow the body shape. The neck plate protrudes beyond the body contour slightly, but obviously wrong.
Perhaps Thomann/Harley Benton changed a template at one time and this was overlooked, or the Mfg just shipped the wrong part, I don't know.
It works, but looks - wrong.
TAKEAWAY:
The overall collection of "parts" is pretty good, there are some flaws in the bits and pieces, but this is an affordable/ cheap kit. It is honestly better than any kit I've worked on at slightly higher prices. So, I have to give Thomann and HB credit for a good attempt, it's almost right.
This may not be a great kit for someone with NO tools or troubleshooting ability, but it can be turned into a decent guitar. It will just take some work.
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