The Harley Benton JA-20HH Project (Cheap Guitar + Good Parts) - Part 3
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- čas přidán 22. 02. 2023
- In part 3 of the Harley Benton JA-20 HH Project, we are finally installing the electronics and getting it tuned up and ready to play. Will it end up being worth it or has this project just been a waste of time and money?
Refer to Part 1 for a complete rundown of everything we'll be doing to this guitar. - • The Harley Benton JA-2...
Refer to Part 2 to see the teardown, installation of the new hardware and the fix for the grounding/noise issue that plagues this model of guitar. - • The Harley Benton JA-2...
#HarleyBenton #GuitarUpgrade #guitarproject - Hudba
Really enjoyed the series. So glad to see these guitars get the service they needed -particularly that bridge grounding issue.
I’d strongly recommend a HB baritone jazzmaster x
Thanks, I appreciate you checking it out. Yeah, it's a shame that these guitars shipped with the grounding issues they had...once you get past that, the other issues were really minor. It really is a decent guitar for not a lot of money. Now that I've given her some love, she's outstanding.
Really nice, helped me figure out what I'll do, to a degree. Question: what is the original nut material? I have bought several HBs that have bone or graphite or Tusq.
It was a cheap plastic nut.
The only thing about the schaller bridge is that you can't go above .052 gauge strings. I regularly use .062 and schaller doesn't seem to make bigger roller saddles for it.
Interesting, I didn't know that. This guitar generally lives in and around Drop D so it's strung up with a 10-52 set. If I needed thicker strings for lower tunings I've got other guitars for that.
@@SwedeStudios i’ve been hearing in reviews that the newer JA-20HH models don’t have the grounding issue. I really want to pick one of these guitars up and I hope that that is the case.
Wow, what a difference. Awesome job, awesome guitar
Thanks! Yeah the difference was huge. I'm happy with the way she turned out.
Excellent job Brother world of difference
You got that right! Night and day.
Great Job! Greetings from the country of Thomann
Thanks for checking it out. Hope you enjoyed.
Cool project! I have two Harley Benton’s (single cut and double cut juniors) that I modded I think they are a great guitar for projects. Love me some single pickup guitars!
Thanks for checking it out. Definitely a good platform for projects.
Looks awesome man. Can you tell me the order number of the graph tech nut you used? Thanks!
So sorry I missed this. If you're still looking, the one I ordered was PT-5042-00
I know for consistency's sake it makes sense to play "Unsung" again, but it would have been funny if you played something like "Quiet" by Smashing Pumpkins lol. I just ordered a chrome bridge because the noise is the biggest turn off. I still can't believe HB is just ignoring it.
Yeah, it was all about consistency...same amp/settings, etc...even down to the song, that way the only difference was the changes to the guitar. As for HB, yeah, it's a shame these guitars have been shipping in this condition, because once you get past the noise issue, they really are decent guitars...lots of bang for your buck.
Did you swap the input jack? Also, I think the shipping cost should be included in the total price; so add another $85 to the total.
I did swap the input jack with the one that came with the Fishman pickup.
As for shipping, I don't include shipping when I talk about prices of my other guitars, so it's an apples to apples comparison.
What Graph Tech nut model fits, 5042-00?
That's the one I used
Do you use a noisegate ?
Yes, I normally do use a noise gate. I didn't in this video for the purpose of showing the difference the modifications made.
$678 for a guitar that Fender would have wanted $2k minimum for.
Yep...if you like (or don't mind) doing some work yourself, it's possible to get a good quality instrument for far less than the big boys will charge you.
Hipshot tuners are just as good and half the price
No argument, but I just prefer the GraphTechs. The different gear ratios for each string just makes tuning changes more consistent. Half turn=half step...full turn=full step...on every string. For me, that convienience and consistency is worth the extra $.
@@SwedeStudios not remotely worth double the price difference, you could have done the bridge and tuners with hipshot for half the price with equal quality, or you could have just sanded a lil paint off the bottom of the stock bridge, seem many guys fix the grounding issue for free, most people buying these guitars don’t have the money to spend an extra $500 on top of the price of the guitar
@lowtunedg9211 the Ratio tuners maybe not worth it for you...but for me, it is definitely worth it.
As for the bridge...yeah, I even said in the video you could sand the bridge...but then it looks like crap.
You're missing the entire point of my video...it wasn't to do the cheapest "fix"...it was an experiment to see if good quality components could make a cheap guitar play/sound better. I chose these components because that's what *I* wanted to use...you (or anyone else) are free to use whatever components you wish in your own guitars.
I think i'll just buy the real deal, the cost is almost the same. This would cost $1000 including the labor.
Agreed, it's definitely easier to just spend the money on something thats ready to play. This was more about the journey. I do all my own work on my guitars so the labor isn't a factor for me. I enjoy it. This is more for the people that like DIY projects.
I honestly don't understand why you would spend that kind of money on a guitar like that... you could have bought something better with a better resale value with that money..
This was a project (and an experiment)...sometimes the journey is more memorable than the destination.
If he's not gonna sell it the resale value doesn't matter but he did get to spec a guitar just the way he wanted it.
Exactly...I don't buy guitars (or any other gear for that matter) for resale value...I buy them to use them. Also, "better" is a subjective thing, but I'd challenge someone to find a "better" guitar than what I built here (Fishmans, locking tuners) for less than 7 bills. I've got a $1300 guitar hanging on my wall that doesn't feel as good as this does.