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youcancallmebetty .

Joined: 25 Jun 2016 Posts: 6 Location: Stowmarket, Suffolk, U.K.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 5:56 pm Post subject: New guitar day. Well, it should be. |
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Except parcelfarce won't deliver on a Saturday. Meh !
It's a classy Harley Benton mustangish, a lefty, just like me, and it's currently resting at the local delivery depot until Monday. I bought it as a "cheer up, it's only an apocalypse" present to myself.
As I can't yet play it, I reckon I should explore how to set up the trem. It's my first short scale.
Any recommendations for strings ? I play loud, sloppily and with a fair amount of gain. |
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Nick Y'SEE!?

Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 8618 Location: Albany, NY
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome, congrats, start with 11's and go heavier/lighter from there, and this thread should be in the short scales section. |
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serfx ss.o bastard son

Joined: 15 Jan 2008 Posts: 6407 Location: Edmonton Alberta
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2016 7:35 am Post subject: |
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ditto on all the above.
enjoy the new guitar, something to make monday worth showing up for. |
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euan partynerd!

Joined: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 27156 Location: People's Republic of Irnbruikstan
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2016 7:49 am Post subject: |
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Didn't realise Harley Benton did left Mustangy guitars... _________________
euan |
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NickS .


Joined: 14 Jan 2008 Posts: 10418 Location: Nr. Basinggrad, UK
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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This.
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George .


Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 20945 Location: UK
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 12:16 pm Post subject: |
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fender super bullet 10s, imo |
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youcancallmebetty .

Joined: 25 Jun 2016 Posts: 6 Location: Stowmarket, Suffolk, U.K.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 1:16 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you all for your kindnesses !!
Still bloody waiting though. It left the depot at about 7.30 this morning, seemingly on an extended (and prolly extra bumpy) tour of Suffolk. The suspense is killing . . . |
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youcancallmebetty .

Joined: 25 Jun 2016 Posts: 6 Location: Stowmarket, Suffolk, U.K.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 4:27 pm Post subject: It's here !!! |
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.... and, it's a bit crap really.
Set-up is on a par with other left handed guitars I've bought/handled. Neck, action and intonation are all way out. Pickups are miles away from sounding good, and in the case of the neck pickup, a short bus ride away from the strings ..
I think one of the pickups is in upside down too, as they have identical staggered pole pieces, although the lowest bridge pole is under the A string, and the shortest neck pole piece is under the b ?? (Comments most welcome).
The neck is really poorly finished, the satin finish is lumpy and grabby, with small splatters of no finish between the octave and the heel, and it 'sitars' on the open a string. Bastard. The rosewood is thirsty, but that's about the least of my woes. The People who made the Tom bridge decided to err on the side of caution whilst adding a little manufacturing tolerance.
The body is poorly edge-routed, which shows through the finish, as does the lack of detail sanding, along with a few under surface dings.
The d'addario strings are lifeless and dead sounding. The low e has been bashed in transit, and is kinked where it (used to) pass over the saddle.
The colour's nice though ! And the pickguard is also way better than I've learned to expect from Thomman (I bought their 335 copy; it"s pickguard was (as any fule kno) some sort of 'jobs for the blind' social enterprise. I like the trem too, although I haven't really had much of a chance to put it through it's paces, as I've so far spent most of he last hour attempting to wrestle it into playable condition.
Ooh, the strap buttons seem ok so far, and the knobs haven't broken or fallen off yet. Although I will most certainly remove them at some point and throw them into the woods at the bottom of our garden. The tuners are all stiff and hurty on my fingers when I attempt to use them.
I made the last bit up. Sorry Thomman.
I have a pair of chrome pickup covers in stock. This affords me the will to continue. I'm going to have a nice cup of tea, then I'm off to my workshop with a set of fender nickel tens (heaviest I have in) a couple of tuners, some knobs, lemon oil, and sonic youth/pixies cd's.
Wish me luck Homies. Homo's ..lol. X |
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paul_ .


Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 9753
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 5:06 pm Post subject: Re: It's here !!! |
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youcancallmebetty wrote: |
I think one of the pickups is in upside down too, as they have identical staggered pole pieces, although the lowest bridge pole is under the A string, and the shortest neck pole piece is under the b ?? (Comments most welcome). |
Mustang pickups and Strat pickups have the same v-shaped baseplate and one of the routes on a mustang is "upside down" as it were... the pickups are reverse orientation to each other. Because Mustang covers are solid and their poles non-staggered, I'd be willing to put this down to an oversight/compromise of this guitar. Copied the Stang routes but used cheap Strat pickups with staggered poles. _________________
Aug wrote: |
which one of you bastards sent me an ebay question asking if you can get teh kurdtz with that 64 mustang?  |
robertOG wrote: |
fran & paul are some of the original gangstas of the JS days when you'd have to say "phuck" |
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youcancallmebetty .

Joined: 25 Jun 2016 Posts: 6 Location: Stowmarket, Suffolk, U.K.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you. |
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youcancallmebetty .

Joined: 25 Jun 2016 Posts: 6 Location: Stowmarket, Suffolk, U.K.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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Meh. Three hours later, decision made; it's going back. Every time. Look at it, I see another blem, it plays in an unacceptable fashion, and sounds crap imho. Guess I'll have to parts-cast one instead. I have requested a refund. |
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Bacchus Whatever's handiest

Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 20707 Location: wandering
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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Surprising. I got a Harley Benton Tele a few weeks back and I'm a bit stunned at how good it is. _________________
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youcancallmebetty .

Joined: 25 Jun 2016 Posts: 6 Location: Stowmarket, Suffolk, U.K.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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I'm gutted too. I too bought their tele, it was ace, as was their 335 once upgraded. |
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dezb1 The Oppressor

Joined: 01 Mar 2009 Posts: 7738 Location: glasgow
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:27 pm Post subject: |
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I too am surprised, I have a HB JB-75 bass that is frankly phenomenal, and a ST-6? Strat copy that after I swapped out the tinfoil tremolo is all the strat I need, nice chunky neck Wilkinson pickups well finished.
You might have just go a bad one. _________________ "Stop fucking about and get an SD-1" |
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George .


Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 20945 Location: UK
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 9:37 pm Post subject: |
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yeah cut your losses and send it back. i've dumped too much money into guitars that i never play and never recoup money on. fuck it. |
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Bacchus Whatever's handiest

Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 20707 Location: wandering
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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youcancallmebetty wrote: |
I'm gutted too. I too bought their tele, it was ace, as was their 335 once upgraded. |
I suppose a tele is exactly the type of guitar to buy a cheap one of, and a Mustang is exactly the type of guitar not to. Teles are easy to make, like. _________________
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benecol Best Poster 2010

Joined: 25 Jan 2011 Posts: 7531 Location: Westcountry
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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Bacchus wrote: |
Teles are easy to make, like. |
DULL DIY/MANUFACTURING FACT: strats are easier still. |
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singlepup .


Joined: 10 Dec 2010 Posts: 4151 Location: San Diego
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 1:24 pm Post subject: Re: It's here !!! |
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youcancallmebetty wrote: |
Wish me luck Homies. Homo's ..lol. X |
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