NGD: Harley Benton Mustang

op4blushift · Post by **op4blushift** » Fri Feb 17, 2017 11:55 am

Hey all, I'm kinda new around here (been lurking for about a year though) and I've been wanting a mustang/shortscale for quite a while but being a student with basically no income makes buying guitars and stuff pretty difficult

I heard about these cheap-ass stang copies with jag/JM vibratos and I was hooked so I scraped some money together and here it is.

My first new guitar in about 5 years and my first shortscale after playing a telecaster since forever.

Looks pretty enough, although I'm not a huge fan of the pearloid on white look. Needs a control plate too.

Mine is a b-stock off thomann and it's got a few issues.
First off the fret ends are a bit on the sharp side; not unplayable but I'm probably going to file them down later. There's also a couple of black spots in the finish and some crap on the back of the neck in a few places, and the pickguard is cut pretty rough around the neck joint but that stuff is pretty all much cosmetic.

Body cavities are really rough and basically completely unsanded, and only the bit around the controls is shielded (as well as the trem cavity)
Here are some shots of the insides (sorry for the shit photos):

It came with 9 gauge d'addarios which felt pretty terrible, but after sticking some 11's on it it plays pretty solid. The trem seems okay even though it is the cheap import version, and as long as I only go down it more or less stays in tune. Tuners feel pretty much the same as the ones I have on my MIM tele neck, so more than useable enough for me.

Pickups sound okay-ish, a bit thick/muddy for strat pickups imo and they feel low output to me since I've been using P90s for ages. The bridge pup feels pretty weak compared to the neck pup as well.

Definitely going to mod the shit out of this when I get the time and money. I've already got a wilkinson roller bridge on the way cause I hate TOMs and I kinda doubt they're any good for trem use. Probably gonna get some lace sensors and replace all the electronics at some point too. I also want to replace the pickguard with a black mustang one + control plate and get it looking like those mid/late 70's mustangs cause I think they look fucking cool:

That's about it I guess. It's nice to finally get my hands on a mustang even if it is a copy. I'm hoping to get a more legit mustang like a CIJ Fender sometime in the distant future but this will do for now.

gusman2x · Post by **gusman2x** » Fri Feb 17, 2017 12:10 pm

I think these look cool as fuck. I'm a headstock snob though, so would prob put a Squier Jag neck on it, or something similar.

Let us know how you get on with it once you've finished modding.

op4blushift · Post by **op4blushift** » Sat Feb 18, 2017 1:04 am

Yeah, these are 24" scale length according to the specs so a jag/mustang neck should probably fit. I think the headstock looks pretty decent as far as knock offs go, but if ever get my hands on a jag/mustang neck I'll try sticking it on for sure.

op4blushift · Post by **op4blushift** » Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:05 am

Nothing super exciting, but the roller bridge finally arrived a couple of days ago so I stuck it on along with some 12's which feel a bit nicer than the 11's which were just slightly too floppy for me.

It feels really nice compared to a TOM or a hardtail strat bridge which is what I'm used to. I think it holds tuning a little better but I can't tell if it really changed the tone or anything like that. Mostly it just feels really nice under the hand and it looks a lot cooler than a TOM imo. I also greased up the insides of the vibrato assembly and stuck the arm fully in so it doesn't swing about or make any noise.

Pretty happy with how it's turning out. Next step is replacing the pickguard and electronics but that'll probably have to wait a couple of months.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Mar 19, 2017 12:38 pm

I've got that same roller bridge on my Gretsch, good stuff!

These look like fun platforms, good luck with it

George · Post by **George** » Sun Mar 19, 2017 1:04 pm

I think these are great from a configuration point of view.

That routing and sanding isn't far off from some Mexican Fenders I've seen, to be honest. And the wiring is tidier. Many more expensive guitars come off the shelf with no (or substandard) shielding anyway. It's fun to get the copper tape out, but be careful because it can cut your fingers to ribbons.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Sun Mar 19, 2017 2:49 pm

Looks loadsa fun. 10 years ago we'd have been all over these.

Like Gus, I'm also a headstock snob, but that is the only thing I don't like.
The new bridge looks good too

vojtasTS29 · Post by **vojtasTS29** » Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:45 pm

Bros?

op4blushift · Post by **op4blushift** » Mon Mar 20, 2017 6:23 am

George wrote:I think these are great from a configuration point of view.

That routing and sanding isn't far off from some Mexican Fenders I've seen, to be honest. And the wiring is tidier. Many more expensive guitars come off the shelf with no (or substandard) shielding anyway. It's fun to get the copper tape out, but be careful because it can cut your fingers to ribbons.

Yeah, I wasn't really disappointed at the lack of shielding inside, and I plan on shielding it myself when I replace the pickups and stuff.

vojtasTS29 wrote:Bros?

Haha, I said it before but your mustang looks killer. Looking at it again definitely makes me want to hurry up and replace the pickguard on mine and stick a control plate on it.

Noirie. · Post by **Noirie.** » Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:23 pm

Neat. I like their blue comp Mustang copy a lot.

op4blushift · Post by **op4blushift** » Tue Mar 21, 2017 12:37 am

Yeah, I would've gone with the blue one but it's hardtail and I really wanted a vibrato. I guess you could stick a Bigsby or a Duesenberg trem on it pretty easily though.