Another thrift store find

[laurie]

This is a "Harley Benton". I only vaguely knew of them. Made in Vietnam. Quality seems very good. Not a mark on it, and no wear of any kind. Set neck. I really like the colour. USD$50.

Needs a full set of hardware, but I have a lot of that in the parts-bin. I think the only thing I'll need to buy is the tremolo bridge - it takes a standard strat bridge.

It seems to be a bit of happy hunting around town at the moment.
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[Pepe]

These are very common in Germany, since "Harley Benton" is the own-label of the big music shop "Thomann". Normally they cost a fraction of the famous guitars they copy.

[laurie]

Thanks pepe! Designed/engineered in Germany, made in Vietnam. That seems good to me!

I have *no* idea why someone would have stripped all the hardware off and donated the body to the thrift store. All that was left on the body was the nut and strap buttons. Perhaps they used it as a donor for a parts-caster or something.

Whatever the story, it has never been used. It is like new.

[laurie]

Decided to order all new hardware rather than raiding the parts-bin.

Have some vintage-wound zebra pickups plus all the other stuff coming. Had to order a sheet of pickguard material to let me fabricate the cover for the controls cavity. Everything else looks to be standard.

I use these guys for parts. 100% positive feedback and everything I've ever bought from them has been very good quality.

https://www.ebay.ca/str/musicalaccessorieswholesaler

[laurie]

Here it is with all the hardware installed. The acoustic tone and sustain are very good.

Just needs a full setup and the fabrication of the plastic covers for the back and it will be done.

Hmmm... pepe - do you know if you can buy parts for these (the covers) from Thomann?
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[laurie]

The zebra pickups I bought from China were supposed to be "vintage spec". They weren't ... very (very) hot. Would be good for metal/shredding I suppose, but they weren't what I was looking for.

I picked up a used pair of Seymour Duncan PAF spec pickups here and installed them. Very happy with it now. I have two guitars out in the everyday-player rack - my USA strat and the Harley Benton as the humbucker loaded guitar.

A big thanks to pepe who helped me get a set of covers for the back of the guitar from Germany.
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[Pepe]

Great to see that they fit!

[laurie]

One year on...

It came from a thrift store with all the hardware stripped. My intent was to rescue it with inexpensive hardware and electronics and then likely pass it on. With the upgrades, it now owes me about USD$350.

It doesn't hold tune perfectly, it has "idiosyncrasies". Personality. But... You know when you have an instrument and you just can't explain why it is "the one"? This is that instrument for me, at least for now. It is my go-to. Above all the others, including the genuine Gibson's and Fenders.

[Pepe]

Interesting! I hadn't thought that this would happen.

[Mesjoggah]

One year on...

It came from a thrift store with all the hardware stripped. My intent was to rescue it with inexpensive hardware and electronics and then likely pass it on. With the upgrades, it now owes me about USD$350.

It doesn't hold tune perfectly, it has "idiosyncrasies". Personality. But... You know when you have an instrument and you just can't explain why it is "the one"? This is that instrument for me, at least for now. It is my go-to. Above all the others, including the genuine Gibson's and Fenders.

Do we have to wait another year for an upgrade now?