NGD...and a (mini) old man rant.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Sat Nov 14, 2015 8:28 pm

So... In my Strat's should be black thread I posted that I'd ordered this as a project guitar:

As you see it has arrived and I'm rather shocked by the quality of it. I've played real Stratocaster's that haven't played this well, this isn't a Harley Benton is better than Fender rant - just the bottom end of Fender's quality control is substantially lower than this... Back when I started playing a Â£70 guitar would have been at best fire wood and at worst made of so many sheets of plywood that it would've been toxic if burned. My last Strat was a Vintage V6 and it was also a good cheap guitar but even that would still have cost more than 3 times what this cost when new (I bought it second hand for about the same price as this one).

Oh and Benecol if you're looking for a cheap Strat this is the one for you has a nice neck chunkiest strat neck I've played, they have gone a bit over the top with the gloss but nothing a spontex won't sort.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Sat Nov 14, 2015 8:36 pm

Fat necked strats are my favourite fat necked guitars. But I do already have one. HNGD, though x

vojtasTS29 · Post by **vojtasTS29** » Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:01 pm

It does not look like a Wilkinson tremolo though... Does it hold tuning? I know harley benton tuners are nice, but i also know their allparts tremolos seem shit... I dig Vintage guitars tho. Their strats seem like much better playing and sounding guitars than many many mexican fenders.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:17 pm

The trem is the only bit I'm not overly impressed with it works and the tuning is fine but it feels flimsy and the block is mega thin. It'll probably get a Wilkinson wvc as I like the push in trem arm rather than the bog standard screw in.

vojtasTS29 · Post by **vojtasTS29** » Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:20 pm

Yeah, i think the wilkinson tremolo is the best strat style trem out there for a reasonable price

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 11:57 am

Looks like I ranted too soon the bridge pickup had just stopped working, just hum when I select it. If I select bridge / middle I only get middle with no hum. Would this be a grounding issue?

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 12:33 pm

A grounding issue is the most likely, or a short circuit.

I've bought and sold 30-40 or more cheap strat copies, either fixing them up and selling, or dismantling, and the quality control is absolutely all over the place, its is generally pot luck whether you get a decent guitar, although very view have been unsalvageable.

However, special mention for shitness goes to Starsound, who I am pretty sure rout their cavities with TNT. They can't manage to put a truss rod in straight either, and the necks are fat, but only because they don't bother finishing them completely.

And on the other side, Cruiser by Crafter are the best of the cheapies, better than the Squier Affinity in my experience.

The electrics, and the hardware are generally the same - the cast tuners are almost always from the same factory, and the pickups have identical construction, so if you have something with decent construction, then you've done the best you can.

I have almost never found two scratchplates that fit the same BTW, so be aware if you want to swap the tort out. I wouldn't though, it looks nice.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 12:57 pm

The pickups are Wilkinson's so not bad for a cheap guitar, the the ones that are still working sound good ad did the bridge when it worked. And the routing is pretty neat.

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 1:16 pm

dezb1 wrote:The pickups are Wilkinson's so not bad for a cheap guitar, the the ones that are still working sound good ad did the bridge when it worked. And the routing is pretty neat.

Once you've had a look at the bridge pickup wiring it sounds like you are onto a winner. I've only had one Harley Benton pass through my hands. It was decently routed, but didn't have the Wilkinson pickups. It had a really nice neck as I recall.

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 1:51 pm

Harley Benton stuff is top notch, it's what I recommend to students looking for their first guitar on a budget. The vintage series especially is really great, they come with decent hardware and electronics. Usually the setup can be a little off, but I've never seen a budget guitar delivered from the factory with a great setup and to be fair once the guitar has been shipped anyway the setup will usually need adjusting regardless of how much you spend.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 2:42 pm

Aye, I bought the Strat on the because of how good my HB JB-75 bass is.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 4:42 pm

Sorted, bad solder on the ground wire as suspected. Got a Wilkinson trem on order for it as the block on the one that's in it is made of tinfoil, it works and stays in tune but I like the feel of the Wilkinson, so it shall remain on the work bench until the trem is fitted.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 1:49 am

New trem arrived and only the centre two screw holes line up with the holes from the original, and I can't be arsed filling and re-drilling so the old trem has gone back on.

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 2:04 am

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Solid-Steel ... p_688.html

Maybe try replacing the trem block instead.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Tue Dec 01, 2015 12:42 am

Sent the previous trem back and bought a Wilkinson WV6SB 5+1 Hole tremolo. The one I should have bought in the first place cost Â£2 more but was a drop in replacement, with 5 of the screw holes being elongated to match different spacing (hence the 5 +1). Guitar now staying perfectly in tune for those wobbly shoegazing moments.

cur · Post by **cur** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 10:45 pm

Gabriel wrote:http://www.guitarfetish.com/Solid-Steel ... p_688.html

Maybe try replacing the trem block instead.

These get two thumbs up for the best thing to do to a cheap strat. really makes them come alive, they bridge/block combo that they sell is usually an upgrade for all the parts.