Harley Benton Electric Guitar Kit T-Style

Брал, чтобы в коллекции появился Телекастер. Разница между этим комплектом и уже готовым телеком от HB составляла 600рублей, и если вы не хотите заморачиваться с кастомизацией, то лучше выбрать уже целый. Однако, в пользу DIY играет дерево корпуса - это индонезийский палисандр. Телекастеры из красного дерева это, как минимум, не обычно.
Из плюсов: цена, нестандартные материалы(корпус: палисандр, накладка: амарант); достаточно нестыдная фурнитура(не ждите чуда за эти деньги), приличный звук.
Минусы: надо заморачиваться со столярными работами; выпиливать голову, сверлить корпус для сквозной протяжки струн; наколки под саморезы для крепления пикгарда нанесены неточно, сам пикагрд надо подрезать в районе крепления грифа, струны сразу отнести на кухню - резать коржи, желе и другие мягкие продукты.
Но это, прямо скажем, мелочи.
Что в итоге? По факту вы получаете очень нестандартный телекастер из неплохой древесины за смешные деньги и фурнитурой, которую можно со временем поменять на более дорогую. Но даже в варианте из коробки это будет инструмент по уровню превосходящий SQUIER AFFINITY, а ценой в 4 раза дешевле.

Firstly, I am not a gigging guitarist. I play mainly in the bedroom and occasionally at local Jams. I use a Boss Katana amp with an ME-80 and a few other pedals.
I’ve wanted to do a self build for a while now, but was sceptical about a) whether I would be able to do a half decent job, & b) more importantly, whether the materials supplied would be any good.
When it arrived I was immediately impressed that the body was (externally) very smooth and had a nice grain. ( The workmanship on the pickup pocket routing and the control switch routing was pretty poor really, but at least is out of sight). The neck looked really good and the fret edge finish was way smoother than I was expecting for the price.

First off, I checked the neck for straightness and found that it was convex in shape by quite a bit. Easy enough to adjust with the supplied truss rod adjuster. The frets themselves were actually quite smooth at the edges, but after checking with fret rockers, seven or eight of them needed to be filed down a bit.

Now I’m no woodworker or electronic wizard so this area really concerned me. The headstock shape I chose to cut with a jig saw. On reflection a hand saw with a fine blade may have been more useful. That said, after about 3 hours hand sanding with 5 different grades of sandpaper made it nice and smooth.
The electrics were easy to connect with the supplied connectors but I first lined all the cavity’s with copper self adhesive tape.
One major flaw is that the tone pot does not work. Or, if it does, it really isn’t noticeable. (This is something I have seen in other reviews). For me it isn’t a big issue, I have plenty of pedals and effects that can overcome this.

From the outset, I wanted the finish to remain a natural (ish) wood Finish. So I was really happy that the grain on the guitar body was looking very good out of the box. I applied four coats of mid oak wood wax. This deepened the colour somewhat and I am really pleased with the finish.

The tuners seem to be of a pretty good standard, but a couple of the pre drilled holes were slightly off. The string trees look and feel a bit cheap. Most of the supplied screws and holes were ok. The neck fitted the body really well and the strings, when put on, were aligned straight down the neck. The nut is plastic I think, but experience has told me to file the back edge of the slots, just a little bit and apply some lead pencil to the slots. Once the strings had stretched a little and bedded in, it holds its tune really well.

My biggest and best surprise, was when I plugged it in. I think the sound of this build is superb for the money. I have owned far worse guitars that have cost me hundreds of pounds. The pick ups needed a small tweak to get the volume balance right, but other than that, I am really pleased with the volume and general tone of the guitar.

For £75 (from my experience) I doubt if you will find much better. Really chuffed!

I ordered this along with a JA kit and two concert Uke kits. This was my first attempt at a kit but I have gotten comfortable setting up guitars and I'm fairly handy and have some tools. This Tele was going to be a Christmas gift for my son after I finished.

I thought the quality of the kit was fine. The neck was really nice. Great profile for me and smooth. The body had a couple of small dings which I repaired with wood filler. Routing was fine. Neck to body fit was kind of meh as I expected it to be a bit tighter but it ended up fine.

I hydro-dipped the guitar body which turned out just awesome. I cut the headstock in a modified tele shape and fashioned my own logos. I wanted to get the color of the neck a bit darker but there was so much sealer on the wood I couldn't get it sanded down enough so just basically went with the natural maple color which is fine.

I think the hardware was all adequate other than maybe the plastic nut which seemed very "plasticky" and looked too high. Despite the hardware seeming ok, I replaced almost everything. Nut, locking tuners, Alnico V pickups, brass compensated bridge saddles and the pots. The included white pickguard looked good but I went with a clear one instead to show the paint swirl underneath. Had to relocate the pickguard mounting holes but that was easy. The clear turned out great. Be careful of the screws as they seem to be made from Chinesium which strips easily.

Took quite a bit of work to get it set up and playable. Ended up having to shim the neck a bit to get the action and intonation to cooperate but it is now very nice and stable.

The end result was fantastic and my son loves it. I also have a HB TE52 which is much heavier with a chunkier neck. This one has a somewhat different tone which is hard to describe. It sounds great and is very playable. I would recommend this is you want a cool project and want to create something truly unique. I wouldn't recommend it if you are trying to save money though :) There are other kit providers out there. I haven't tried them but I would think this Harley Benton compares favorably, particularly at this price.

Pros:
Price (Obviously)
Wood - I loved the feel of the neck and decided to leave it as it was. Didn't have any issues with the frets or the nut. I used a water based stain to colour it after a lot of sanding as it comes with a sealed finish I had to sand off first. If I'd left it alone it would have been fine as a natural finish but I wanted a specific colour and look. The body had 3 different sections but it looked decent.
Playability - Needed a setup but once I was happy it really does feel smoothe and I love the feel of the back of the neck it's just right for me.
Headstock - Ability to shape it as desired. I admit I had a luthier pal do that for me I don't have the heavy equipment for that it was worth a tenner.
Weight - Feels solid without being too heavy.
Pickups - even though I am replacing them the stock ones aren't that bad at all especially for a beginner.
Controls - no issues at all nice and sturdy without being too stiff. Not planning on replacing those any time soon. The jack socket is rigid too (as are the strap buttons.)

Pro tip - don't do it in the order of the manual. Test the neck and body fit first before trying to apply any finish. Then take it apart again and work them separately when building and finishing before putting it back together.

Cons:

Tuners - had to go I replaced them with Wilkinson ones and now they are great.
Screw holes - not 100% but workable - the wood is quite soft too if you need to adjust.

Overal it's ridiculous what you get for the price. I've now got an aged looking Tele in the colour I want with some upgrades that has cost me less than around £200 even with the finishing items and tools I bought such as a soldering iron and new pickups and tuners. Could never get this anywhere else for even double that at the very least.

Also it's taught me more about how to set up a guitar - I couldn't even play some strings when I first put it together but I've learned how to adjust the saddles etc. Even the intonation out of the box is as close as dammit.

I got lucky here. I've taken 2 stars off because I am comparing it to a much more expensive instrument and the tuners are really poor but in reality I'd rather this instrument now after changing those anyway.

Cheers Thomann.

It's hard to review this kit because as a finished guitar it has some flaws: notably the body is too light and the guitar headstock pulls towards the ground on a strap. This can ruin the feel of a guitar and it's such a dopey thing to lose out on. Also, the pickup selector switch is ridiculously stiff - a point that others have noted in their reviews. And that's all the bad points summed up in one go.

I set up guitars for my business and I bought this kit to see just how good it is given the amount of great feedback it gets. I also wanted to see just how good a guitar this could be with the addition of a really good set up (including precision fret-levelling) and some quality pickups.

The good points start from the moment you order the kit. First off, the price. It's cheap for a decent-sounding electric guitar but it's ridiculously cheap for a great learning experience in a box for your son, daughter, husband, wife friend etc that also ends up with a playable guitar.

Next the box when it arrives. Neat, well organised, everything in compartments.

Then the discovery that the kit has printed instructions!?! That's a first! And the good stuff keeps coming - namely:

? Clean, well-cut body
? Excellent neck with remarkably few uneven frets and no sharp edges. Pretty rosewood
? Everything there, nothing missing
? Snap together connectors so no soldering needed
? All holes where they should be
? Perfect neck body fit

The guitar is a doddle to put together and the whole thing could be done in under an hour easily. In my case, I cut a Fender-style headstock, put on my own brand logo and lacquered the neck with some vintage amber. I put some waterbased ink stain on the body and finished it off with Tru-oil. Very very easy. However, I found that the basswood not only doesn't take the stain very well it also doesn't seem to have a very pronounced grain, making the end result look like a slightly flat and dull colour but to be honest, I didn't expect much more for the price.

I also installed Tone Rider pickups before putting the guitar together which did require a tiny bit of soldering as I added the HB 'snap together' connectors to the Tone Riders. Because of that, I didn't test out the stock pickups but I've no reason to doubt they're perfectly acceptable, given everyone else's comments.

Joining neck and body together is extremely easy. I performed a precision fret levelling and full set up on this guitar to get the best possible action from it but before I did, I tried it out in 'out of the box' configuration i.e. after only adjusting the bridge saddle heights - which anyone can do. The result was impressive - a very playable guitar with a pretty good action.

I didn't need to use the instructions but I did read them and they ARE very well-written with some really concise general set up advice - another real plus, Thomann.

Once together, does the guitar work for me? No - because the neck-heaviness is something I can't personally live with. Is it a superb package for anyone wanting to get into guitar building or to have a playable guitar for very little money - hell, yes.

There's no doubt about it, building a guitar from a kit leaves you feeling very attached to it which is great. Because of that, this guitar would have definitely been a 'keeper' for me - if only it wasn't head-heavy. If Thomann could get the manufacturer to measure the balance and add the necessary weight at the body end (even if cost a couple of quid more) it would make such a difference.

So sadly I'm left with a guitar I probably won't play unless I can find a way to add some lead shot to the body to cure the neck dive. As I didn't need the experience of putting the kit together it's real value was to learn that it's not something I'm going to do again.

Having said that, I still give it 5* because for a young person or a newcomer to the guitar it's a superb learning experience - one that's worth far more than the £57 price tag.

SUMMARY: Very impressed with the HB TC-style kit. I?ve been able to take a £70 guitar kit, spend £36 on a vintage bridge plus ashtray cover then build myself a lovely custom copy of a 1962 Vintage Tele. Extremely rewarding, including all the research to decide what I wanted to do with the kit. Plenty of guidance on fitting bridge, painting etc., available on YouTube etc.

My objective was to replicate a Surf Green 1962 vintage Telecaster with the chrome ashtray cover I?d seen on the ?net. Firstly, I carefully measured the kit body to ensure the Vintage T-Style bridge (available from Thomann) would fit without affecting the scale length/intonation. I used a scale cardboard template for this and guidance from the Internet. Turned out everything would still be fine even though I needed to re-drill the bridge mounting holes slightly further forward. The ashtray chrome cover is also available from Thomann, best idea is to order as a job lot with the kit!
Colour: Fiat Smooth Mint is an almost exact match for Surf Green; I easily got it mixed into an aerosol by a local auto body shop supplies.
The kit itself was very good quality, neck perfect. Personally, I?m not keen on the stock Tele headstock shape and use my own based on the Fender Swinger which is easier to cut with a fretsaw. I carefully measured/drilled for the new bridge, fitted a set of brass compensated string trees and intonation/action height was spot-on once tuned and adjusted. Important to do this before any painting etc. was started.
All the body holes (pick guard, jack plug mount) were then filled with cocktail sticks/wood glue and filler as I like to start afresh with new holes. Some tend not to line up too well in these kits but its not a problem if you fill/redrill. I won?t go into detail of painting, its lots of rubbing down, priming, painting, lacquering and polishing. Personally, I like to see a little of the wood grain showing through so didn?t go mad with grain filler. I was very happy with the smooth, high gloss finish. All parts were then mock fitted to the body; pick guard gaps carefully aligned in relation to the bridge, I found I needed to relocate the holes to get the fit perfect so was pleased I had filled them before painting. The control plate fitted perfectly into the pick guard cut-out but again the holes were in a slightly different place.
All the electronics were fine, guitar played noiselessly with kit strings etc. Acid test was to compare my guitar with the one I saw on the ?net ? I had reproduced it pretty well exactly and was really pleased with the result.

This was my first attempt at a build and it was really fun. The kit, for me at least, was more than i expected for that price. I replaced most of the hardwear so can not really say anything good or bad there, but the most important parts, neck an body, does the job. The neck fitted well in the pocket and all the slots for tuner, pickups and all was routed nicely. The frets were so much better dressed than expected. Not much work needed at all. The wood on the body actually looked quite good. The thing I am not so sure about is the fretboard material. Do not know, but it felt not as good as my other guitars. But again, for that price the kit i just great.

For the price it deserves 5 starts. Fretboard could be better though. Will probably buy again and would love for these kits to also come with maple fretboard!

Never tried drugs. I don't have the nature of a puritan, I was just never interested. But I'm addicted. Plucking these strings produces a sweet sound that lets me know. This is what those addictive drugs must feel like

I can't keep my hands off it! It took three days to build and now we might as well have a new member of the family. It goes wherever I go

Just holding it has a sort of calming effect. Here's what it looked like just after the assembly:

finish looks better now, fully dried out)

Painted the body, drilled holes for through-body strings, shaped the headstock, put varnish on the wood, put aluminium foil in to reduce noise, assembled the electric components (installed Fender Tex-Mex pickups instead of the included Chinesium ones) and then just a few screws... wait, why doesn't it play? My heart sank. Turns out that EQ knobs at 0 cut out all sound, and my soldering job is fine, but boy did I sweat a few that moment

I'm not a particularly handyman-person. I've been told before that I am technically adept - - as in I can read, understand and execute a manual. I can even do better than the manual, sometimes. People seek me out, trusting me to understand and explain poorly translated technical lingo. In contrast, I'm just barely good enough working manually. I'm no craftsman, no tradesman nah that ain't me

What my two left hands (apologies to left-handed sons of the devil) achieved is quite impressive (to me). So as far as he build complexity goes, if the guitar came in a Lego package, I'd rate it 9+ years

I guess the reason why I ordered the kit instead of one of the many assembled guitars on offer was that I wanted to make it more personal. This is after all why people buy these, isn't it? If I wanted to cheap out I'd probably have gone with one of the assembled pieces. I lost much more than the difference just on sunk time

Even though I've been advised to shy away from the pre-assembled guitars if they come in shipping. Store-bought is fine, so I've been told. At least for the cheap ones, the story goes that they may have issues during shipping and that the required luthier visit might cost more than the guitar itself

I recommend it as a personal project. It was an anxiety-ridden mess (characteristic of me, likely not for you), but boy did the payoff make it worth it.

To keep it long :- We have a family musician, a person deeply acquainted with the musical world. I'd rather not reveal too much, point is I respect her opinion a lot. She doesn't have a collection of guitars, she says one is more than enough. I think she has three
(Two loud black concert acoustics and a classical spanish nylon guitar that she doesn't show off for some reason. I've seen her play more but these are the ones at her house)
I excitedly showed her my creation (well, not *entirely* mine) once it was done aaand I got blank stares. Five minutes and a few chords later "it's okay I guess". "you messed up on the finish" (I did to be honest). "why did you do that to the headstock?" (I had to, I'm sorry, I would've hated the rectangular look) "the tuners look cheap" (had no issues w/ them, but I assume they are cheap?) "the fretboard has a great finish" "the neck is really nicely done, why did you do that to the headstock again?" "the frets need a little playing, maybe smooth them with a file"
And so on and so on... she didn't give it back for 4 hours, more actually. She's not a very direct person, but she implied that I "built a good guitar" (sic) and that's probably the best I can ever get out of her. Oh and when I said how much it cost her face quickly turned a shade of red, like rose red. She gave it back, I played it for a while and was told to practice rhythm and strumming. This is irrelevant to the review I just wanted you to know I suck at playing the guitar

One could change the tuners I suppose, I don't have issues with turning them like some other reviewers. They are not perfect but they hold perfectly, there is no jank/"pre-turn" before they start tuning at least for me, after 3 weeks of having it. And I tuned it a *lot*... Jesus christ has it only been 3 weeks? Feels like it's been part of my life forever

Also, installed a different bridge than the one that came in the box. I think it looks more musical and less "manufactured" that way. Also I trust the material the new bridge is made of a lot more. It just feels sturdier, but it's probably just a superstition of mine

As far as the sound goes, now I'm no expert but I feel like the sound quality is mostly electronics and pickups, with setup and pedals taking 2nd place and guitar neck/body last. I put in different pickups and didn't even try the ones that came with the guitar. I also immediately put on some strings whose manufacturer I know the name of. So I'm not sure if my experience with the sound will be same as yours so I'm not going to clarify much further. But obviously, I love it
I'd include a play sample if I could but alas. Basically it sounds like a fender, which is kind of expected (?)

Other things I've read/heard from other reviewers:
- the nut is fine, I put in some graphite to "grease" it
- the neck feels great in hand
- the maple body is light and easy to dent. luckily I've no visible dents as of yet
- it's neck heavy. it's not that bad though, and one can probably think of a DIY solution for it, like re-positioning the strap holders
- tuning stability is great! I had to take the saddles aaaall the way back though
Oh and now that I remember - use both string trees! I read somewhere that "cheap chinese guitars" are better off using only one of the trees, that there ought to be enough string tension as it is. I tried to follow this advice and it most certainly did not apply for me. My tuning stability was totally whack on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th string! I couldn't figure out why, was almost starting to think of sending it back when I decided to just for the kicks of it try both string trees and I was set-up with nigh-perfect intonation across the fretboard in 3 hours! Then again, I might've been doing something wrong, who knows

I have also been told these kind of guitars built of kits have a low re-sell value. I was flabbergasted, I mean I still am. To me the value is uncountable. And despite my busy schedule (made even more busy through my tendency to waste all of my free time on playing the damn guitar) I'm trying to find a way to cheat in another build to my calendar as soon as possible (let's see, no sleeping, no eating, there that _might_ work out)

10/10 would do again

From other reviews and YouTube builds I was expecting something fairly useable and upgradeable. The end result is much better than my expectstions. Not missing any parts, all pre drilled correctly. Fret finish excellent and neck did not require any adjustment. Keeps tune after initial stringing and stretching. Only two minor issues, the jack plug socket solder connections were bent and would not initially push through the body cavity. Secondly the build order is incorrect. If the neck is mounted at the beginning it is not possible to insert the pickguard at the end. Leave the neck until last. Had expected to have to consider various part upgrades straight away but other than changing the strings I am very happy with the outcome.

I bought this as a distraction from coveting guitars that I liked but didn't really need. In fact, what I got was a practical and useful insight into the construction of a the body and the electronics of an electric guitar. Plus I have a new tele style machine that is enjoyable to play and is pleasantly distinguishable from my other shop bought guitars. I would recommend the process to anyone, simple as it is both for the benefit of the process and the quality of the result. I liked the ease of the build. I discovered I had a lot to learn about wood staining and wood finishes generally. Even if you were set on purchasing a more expensive guitar with all its brand related dependability, I would try to build a kit guitar beforehand not alone do you get a simple look at what goes into guitar basics but you end up with a very playable instrument that you can continue to work on and improve over time.