Harley Benton ST-70 First Take and Upgrades Before/After (Rosewood Stratocaster Copy)

[@skippyi6969]

i almost spit my coffee on the floor when i saw you cut those strings under tension. that woke me up. no need for the 4th cup now.

[@tracyc7813]

I am not a Tele or a Strat girl but I like these rosewood ones a lot. Just something about them is very appealing to me, especially after the upgrades you've done.

[@williammolia4135]

Bought this guitar and put some Fender tex mex on it and now it sounds perfect.

[@justinstratford]

This looks a lot better than on the Thomann website, which looked like it was just black. I might consider this one now

[@si-borg_guitars]

Nice looking strat Nick it looks like a custom shop from a distance, great video full of facts and figures as usual

[@NickintheStates]

Thanks Siborg! I can't remember half the crap I need to for my work but I have loads of semi useless guitar knowledge to share.

[@si-borg_guitars]

+Nick in the States haha know the feeling

[@dalepal]

I like the upgrades you did for not too much money. The P/Us sound better and the chrome covers and knobs are a nice touch.

[@NickintheStates]

Hey Dale! I do like it much better now. It's got a little more balls and style.

[@650thunderbird]

Always an interesting video from the man partially responsible for my recent order of 3 Harley Bentons.

[@NickintheStates]

Haha congratulations and apologies.

[@NickintheStates]

How bad was shipping to Australia?

[@650thunderbird]

50euro or about $70AUD, so about $50USD, I guess? Not too bad, considering it's for 3 guitars. I couldn't wait for the Aussie dollar to make a comeback, it might never happen anyway. The HBs won't be here until the end of March, so I bought a local Les Paul type replica as compensation.

[@NickintheStates]

LOL a hold me over guitar, I like it! That's not a bad price all things considered. That's a LONG journey for those guitars. What did you order?

[@650thunderbird]

TE-80 NT Deluxe Series: Due back in stock on 15.03.2016 SC-550 Paradise Amber Flame: Due back in stock on 07.03.2016 Beatbass VS Vintage Series: Due back in stock on 12.02.2016 Yeah, long trip for sure, but we are a long way from everywhere so we must cop it on the chin :)

[@AMM118Honda]

Looks way better with the new parts bro!!

[@NickintheStates]

Thanks man!

[@WickedFesterBand]

Nice sized trem block and no bathtub route on the body. Nice! Nice upgrade too.

[@NickintheStates]

I was surprised on both accounts. They did a little extra routing to get the guard to fit but all in all a pretty quality body. You'd probably pay $100 for it alone from GFS or RockAudio.

[@williammolina9792]

Does it have a pop in arm bridge. ??

[@mark006868]

QUESTION? Will a real Fender tele neck fit in a Harley Benton Tele body?...thanks

[@note4note858]

Nice video. I actually like the white as an accent color to the overall dark guitar but that chrome looks really good too.

[@williammolia4135]

hey Nick .I noticed that the text wilkinson on the pickups are white on my st-70.But the color are black on the pictures of thomann. What color does youre text have ??

[@NickintheStates]

I think mine were white as well. I've since binned them, but that's my recollection!

[@freocar9629]

Nice demo and swap Nick. I had some GFS pickups in a Mexican strat a while back and they sounded great.

[@NickintheStates]

For the money they're just a great thing. And they're right down the road from me so I get them the next day! Almost instant gratification!

[@jimwalker3808]

I put a hand wired GFS 1959 strat pickguard in my Mexican strat... sounds awesome

[@Waffle-TH3_C00L3ST]

Its actually a really pretty guitar.

[@GetawaysandGuitars]

Nice finish on this! I think I would have done black Knobs and covers that would look cool!!

[@NickintheStates]

+Getaways and Guitars That would have been cool too! For me, I thought this came with these chrome covers from a quick initial look at the photos... so in my head this was how it should look. Plus it's a pretty match for the Tele too!

[@GetawaysandGuitars]

Yeah! twins ;0)

[@Terry3Gs]

great job & those pickups do sound better in it !! =)

[@NickintheStates]

Thanks Terry!

[@adrian_V99]

Bravo, Nick! Pretty good guitar at any price after the mods.

[@pbj9270]

Did you find a chrome tip for your whammy bar? That white plastic one will stick out like a sore thumb.

[@thedude4872]

Hi Nick. Somewhat new to your channel and like what you do. What GFS pickups did you put in the Strata? Thinking about upgrading my Squire Affinity and not sure what I want to put in and how much I want to spend.

[@NickintheStates]

They're the loaded pick guard "huge improvement" alnico set. It's not one of the hand wired guards, rather just one of the $40ish ones. It was a big improvement on this guitar.

[@williamnormandomolinadearm575]

Does the guitar stay in tune after using the tremolo ??

[@sfatie]

The strap things are the same on my HB Les Paul,there too small and my straps popped out a few times,luckily I've not dropped it

[@NickintheStates]

I swapped them out after recording this. Didn't want to risk even though I play mostly sitting down.

[@rickeyryan303]

By strap locks fuck it's 2018//

[@heyhuey4429]

TIP and Ring are the original telephone company terminology that modern instruments and recording studio gear kept as they evolved the designs that were originally "Ma Bell".

[@MichaelQuinlan207]

Great video, nice job on the guitar. Just spotted the advert for the master built series rosewood strat for just under $7000. I thnik I could live with myself (and be allowed to live by she who must be obeyed) if I 'settled' for the $200 Harley Benton. I can't remember, did you modify the rosewood Tele?

[@NickintheStates]

Me too man! No way I could justify spending that on a new guitar. Maybe vintage after coming into a bunch of money but not new. I haven't done anything to the Tele yet, she's stock. I may swap in a 4 way switch and perhaps swap pickups at some point. Time will tell!

[@darrinroberts7530]

Pls send a link for the chrome goodies!

[@sfatie]

That's one nice finish

[@NickintheStates]

I agree. Love it!

[@DiDeChannel]

Where did you buy that loaded pickguard?

[@NickintheStates]

+Daviid Chaves Guitarfetish.com. It's the hot alnico loaded guard MAJOR UPGRADE (that's how they describe it).

[@TheTrollFace101]

Could You do someday a Review of the Benton Te-20/30?Im very interested in one of that guitars,But i cant find any Good Videos of that guitar.

[@NickintheStates]

I almost bought the TE30 for a friend recently but they were out of stock. If he still wants one next order I'll grab it to do a video for sure! I did just get an ST20 in which will have a review shortly.

[@colintraveller]

ESP ...based copy . Also the CD has yet to arrive, If you were upgrading the Pups what would you're replacement choice be ???

[@NickintheStates]

Hey Colin, sorry man I keep forgetting to burn it. I'll try and push it through today. These were swapped for the loaded Alinico MAJOR UPGRADE set (their emphasis, not mine) from GFS. I like them quite a bit!

[@colintraveller]

Sound no worries , I've yet to buy my pups ..Dimarzio HB SD , 2 S.Duncans Mini HBs i'll get them from Thomann [ that's my plan ] , Order a new trem from warmoth and need to locking tuners to replace the crap ones already on my guitar . One of the screws also needs replacing as the head has gone very poor quality metal [ soft metal ] wrong kind for screwnails as i removed the old trem On and upwards ...

[@nikkisknix]

Checked mine in terms of the screws in the pickguard/plate, there is ten screws in the newer ones so they've reduced it to 10 from 11. on newer models of this guitar. Just so you know ;-)

[@DerEchteBold]

My online dictionary says the 'bass' part of basswood is pronounced like the fish.

[@NickintheStates]

Thank you my friend!

[@allenyeong4771]

Is the ST-70 an imitation of the Fender Strato caster or a replacement? almost everything is similar

[@RorysIrishTour]

looks like a good strat, especially for the price. wilkinson parts are solid, the tremblock looks like a full size one. if the setup is acceptable, i will give it a shot.

[@shaunm1983]

i think its just the pickups that are Wilkinson

[@RorysIrishTour]

i purchased the rosewood tele last week. the bridge is wilkinson, too. dont know about the tuners and the rest of the electronics, though. still, a really solid guitar. espescially for the price point here in europe.

[@williamnormandomolinadearm575]

Whats the name and model of the original Pickups that came with the guitar ??

[@arlo_court]

Hey Nick, do you know if chrome pickup covers reduce hum from single coil pickups?

[@NickintheStates]

Not these plastic ones. If they were metal perhaps... but better off lining the cavity with the copper shielding... and you could also add an anodized pick guard (the brushed gold looking one) which apparently helps as well.

[@prelovedguitarsni1436]

Hey Nick, Thomann site says the body is basswood.Nice video.

[@NickintheStates]

Thanks Brian! At least I had it as an option lol. Would have sucked if I said definitely not basswood or something lol

[@jumpingman8160]

I love the veneer.

[@NickintheStates]

Me too. Some think it looks like living room furniture at your grandparents. Maybe that's why I like it lol

[@jumpingman8160]

Nick in the States it sure looks different.

[@NickintheStates]

It's a pleasant break from a Sunburst or black strat. It's a keeper!

[@jumpingman8160]

Nick in the States or "reliced". lol

[@NickintheStates]

What are your thoughts on reliced? I have one shell pink strat that is reliced... professional quality job. I was obsessed with reliced guitars for a bit but after having one, I think I'm good.

[@HikaruGunner]

So I ended up buying this guitar and I have it hooked ujp toa a peavey vypyr VIP-1, but I'm having a problem. It hums really loud, even on a clean channel- Any tip on how to reduce the hum?

[@Waffle-TH3_C00L3ST]

start off simple. make sure its not the cable. from there check all the ground solder joints and make sure that the bridge is actually grounded. good luck

[@HikaruGunner]

+Sean Loughney thanks for the help. i think i found the culprit. i went to a friends house and brought the guitar and amp, and the sound didnt have the hiss. i guess the eletrical power in my house interferes with the sound ofvthe amp :(

[@guitarbear3844]

Hi Nick, great video. I'd like to know how the frets are on this one. Did it require any levelling to play well?

[@NickintheStates]

I didn't have to do any work to them. Surprisingly they were pretty darn good out of the box.

[@guitarbear3844]

That's great news. Thanks a lot!

[@williamnormandomolinadearm575]

Im going to put on fender tex mex pu set on the harley benton st-70 rosewood deluxe series.And put on a super vee mag-lok for better tuniing.What do you think about it ??

[@NickintheStates]

I think that should be killer. I have a strat with tex mex in it and at first I didn't like them... then I played out of a Fender ish amp and was blown away. They're a lot of fun!

[@williamnormandomolinadearm575]

Thanks Nick.What do you think about the super vee mag-lok ??

[@NickintheStates]

I've never tried those...but I've heard good things!

[@nablicman]

Hy I'm gona get me one of those strats just wondering where you got the chrome pickup covers n knobs from as I have had trouble with pickup covers not fitting pickups in the past. Great vid by the way you convinced me that I have to have one.

[@danmarshall3089]

you should try warman pickups they're great cost very little but are at least as good as duncans or dimarzios

[@CJ-rf9jm]

What I been seeing n hearing is a heavier block helps more with sustain than anything. Would be good to see more research n valid explainations on that subject.

[@NickintheStates]

We'll give it a whirl. The nice thing is that you can swap a block pretty quickly, so going from small light to medium to brass can be done in an hour or two with demos in between. I'll get it on the video list!

[@CJ-rf9jm]

Nick in the States that reminds me I've gotta get Valkyrie finished. I'd thought a few times I could get it done n there were various disruptions but this time it looks to be for real.

[@NickintheStates]

+CJ99 W get on it man! Project are always difficult for me. This silly channel actually helps me finish things. I always stop at the 90% mark! Somewhere there's a psych paper waiting to be written on that one! My next project is to finish my flame maple Tele that I've been building for 4 flipping years! It just needs final wiring and a setup.

[@CJ-rf9jm]

Nick in the States For my guitar project I've had troubles dealing with paint. Both paint manufacturers couldnt provide any info other than the crap they printed on the back of the can in 2 point type n that was off by a factor of 1000 at least. Ditched 1 of them midway n had to redo most of it again n it's still not properly cured. Right now thats closing in on being finished at last, gotta mini amp project I'm doing for someone who provided some technical information on the Valkyrie project.

[@NickintheStates]

+CJ99 I've had similar issues with paint. It's maddening. Nice to hear things are progressing though!

[@sickb2200]

Nice looking guitar. I would have chosen a tortoise shell guard.

[@NickintheStates]

Not a bad option. I bet it would pop on them.

[@keeprockingq467]

This frets are same as prs style Hb?

[@CJ_YT.]

Is that a white Randall head in the back ?!? That looks AWESOME !

[@NickintheStates]

Sadly, no. It's a boutique amp from the company Phaez in Windsor, ON Canada. Really cool little head but decidedly not Randal-like. I need to get me a Randall though one of these days!

[@HikaruGunner]

is there any difference between ST-70 and ST-62? Trying to choose a strat to buy.

[@NickintheStates]

+João Maia I think they are very close in spec... just finish as a difference. The new ST-70 with paisley finish has improved pickups that are supposed to be pretty great... but it has a HB in the bridge position which is a turn off for some people.

[@HikaruGunner]

+Nick in the States i like the finish of the st-70, but dont know if its worth the extra money in comparison with the st-61 decisions, decisions...

[@paulsummerside]

Nice vid. I'm very much a Telecaster man, but this very nice budget Strat', is a tempting proportion. Of course being a bit of a Beatles and George Harrison fan I'm biased as love the idea of a Rosewood Tele' anyway.

[@bigmazinthedesert]

Where can I buy these??? I can't find them anywhere.

[@NickintheStates]

+Motherboy XXX Thomann.de in Germany. They ship globally for prices that are usually pretty inexpensive.

[@bigmazinthedesert]

+Nick in the States thanks so much!

[@clark3830]

Nick, the Wilkinson pups are just as good as EMGs or Fenders, the pots are 500 does not matter that they are smaller..

[@williamnormandomolinadearm575]

Great.Thank you

[@NickintheStates]

Any time!

[@williamnormandomolinadearm575]

👍

[@hadeseye2297]

Maybe a skunk stripe, or stocking stripe. To each his own. ;) They have Black Paisley model. Did you made, or will you eventually be doing review of one of them?

[@The1stSnap]

I think the best place to get a good strat is slick from guitarfetish. The best place to get a good prs or Ibanez style is Harley Benton!

[@Stikibits]

I think plenty of people buying a cheap guitar, like a Harley Benton, then they're probably thinking about upgrading it a bit, anyway, or learning how to upgrade it, so I'd just worry if the thing is worth some basic upgrades or not.

[@NickintheStates]

Very true. This one is quite nicely done and an excellent platform for mods. You couldn't buy a body and a bridge for this price never mind the neck and other hardware.

[@alainvey]

Not sure I would equate perceived output with quality of pickup, but otherwise good video.

[@MrTrenttownrock]

Please tune the guitar. I guess it matters. thanks for all your videos brah!

[@holdenwill]

kills it for me

[@NickintheStates]

+Bryan Hopkins sorry gents!

[@sh4969]

You should try the te70 black paisley tele HB a great traditional guitar great sounding. My guitar teacher thought it was better han his 800 pound music man.

[@squierjoshyt]

Are you sure that's a pot metal trem block? Almost looks like brass.

[@tallthinkev]

Just thinking (sorry about that) you could shield the inside and then tell everyone it's solid rosewood!

[@NickintheStates]

I thought I smelled something burning! Lol I could... I really like this silly guitar now. I'm not much of a strat guy but this will make my bend my style to it a bit.

[@tallthinkev]

+Nick in the States Again thinking, do you know if the Goldo PU01c chrome covers will fit over the Wilkingson pickup that are on the ST-70?

[@jamesmcdonald3798]

Hmmmmm. Dont they make a lovely pair. Would look nice in my cave. Lol. Great video as allways my friend

[@NickintheStates]

Thanks James! You can get them both for less than a nice Squier strat. What a world we live in!

[@jamesmcdonald3798]

+Nick in the States why yes it is. I think im going to start with a tele style. But the prices r so good i might also add the sg and 335 styles to the order. Save on shipping

[@NickintheStates]

+James McDonald I like your style right there!

[@jamesmcdonald3798]

+Nick in the States I meen in theese tuff economic times it only makes sense to save the money on shiping costs. Plus its a selling point to the boss. If u get my drift. Lol. Im afraid youve awoken a sleeping HB monster.........

[@NickintheStates]

+James McDonald haha well happy to help the cause in getting another one (or three!) by the goalie!

[@patrickbateman726]

Nice

[@NickintheStates]

Thanks man!

[@williamnormandomolinadearm575]

on youtube it seems quite good.Greetings frome Spain

[@NickintheStates]

Thanks William! Have a great evening man!

[@MrGavinspoppop]

Nick , Have you ever bought a 12 string from China ? I might ifI find someone who has ... Ali. has fake Rick for $ 300 + ... thx for your input . Brian

[@NickintheStates]

+Brian Donnelly Hey Brian, I haven't. I do know a couple of people that bought the Benton Ric inspired one and liked it a lot. Squazzoo68 has one I believe that he likes a lot. The fake Rics always look a little weird to me though...

[@MrGavinspoppop]

Yeah , but 3k is too much for this old rocker .. Thx for the info

[@NickintheStates]

+Brian Donnelly haha you and me both. I don't play nearly enough jangly music to justify $1000 for it never mind $3k! Also take a look at an Agile Harm. Might be able to find one used. Same mojo 1/10 money and well built.

[@MrGavinspoppop]

was just looking at that ... nice ax

[@biglog6402]

Also bends come from the wrist not fingers.

[@jamessenuta8931]

that's the first thing I would do electronics,tone pots,pick ups,locking tuners,new trem bigger block, new pick guard, new knobs,strap locks and we can call it a day....guitar fetish is definitely a good place to get pick ups GFS pick ups awesome....you could always go with mentally challenged....lol I don't think anyone would get pissed....ol

[@dmcq7271]

Not a fan of the heavy gloss look. I don’t get covering rosewood with a plastic pick guard. Rosewood body should be a rear route for sure. What a shame. The white color pickup covers are a huge disservice as well. I hope it plays better than it looks. I just made a Stratocaster from a rear routed, chambered roasted alder body with a nice rosewood top. Warmoth doesn’t offer bodies in rosewood, only the tops come in rosewood. It matches a solid rosewood neck also from Warmoth. The entire build is finished in boiled linseed oil. The body has BLO mixed with thinner and polyurethane. It has a nice satin look. The hardware is all been rubbed on until the chrome is gone. It has a classic antique look.

[@countvond233]

Is it the Benton guitars? The Tele video and this one have very out of tune guitars. I can't play for crap but I'm super pitch sensitive - to the point my eyes water.

[@jakeellison5008]

Count Von D it isn't the guitar. He just needs to tune.

[@teamforlosi]

my next guitar. i thing i will keep it "original"

[@nonrevnosnibormetalbeerrev6251]

keep the H.B flag flying brother 🙋

[@NickintheStates]

Thanks Vernon! There's choppy waters in the horizon though. Had a couple turds sneak in. No worries though... Details to come in upcoming videos!

[@nonrevnosnibormetalbeerrev6251]

Oh! Look forward to that man....

[@soulagent79]

No need to buy an expensive tremblock, just get one from GFS for 20 bucks.

[@blackfender100]

+soulagent79 I have used several of theirs I like the brass ones the best . good quality for 20 bucks.

[@NickintheStates]

+Joe Dov I have one on order. Thanks as always!

[@soulagent79]

Nick in the States Actually I'm surprised how big the stock tremblock is, that came with the rosewood strat.

[@blackfender100]

If that's A Wilkinson they usually put full steel blocks.

[@NickintheStates]

+Joe Dov it is.... Can't complain about that in the least!

[@AndrewAHayes]

Why the running water, had me running to the little boys room

Zfunny' but I don't really like the chrome covers as they remind me of Tri Sonics...

[@NickintheStates]

I could see how that could be. For some reason they just jive for me.

[@CoryMura]

nice guitar! you need to work on your pinky ! :-P

[@NickintheStates]

+NAppel am Tach I know, right??? Working on it. I'm finally taking lessons again after years and years of degenerative noodling. The piny is getting more involved!

[@AMBowers29]

did I hear something about string cheese? now in hungry. lol

[@NickintheStates]

+MicroGroover29 LOL Yum!

[@BadMotivator66]

pickups look decent. the cheap ones have a ceramic magnet on the back and look like fridge magnets lol. these are obviously a cut above!

[@NickintheStates]

They weren't dog poop. I think they'd be good in an ash bodied guitar. Maybe?

[@BadMotivator66]

i think if they were good you could probably tell, even in the wrong guitar

[@NickintheStates]

Quite true. I did have an experience once with a set of custom wound humbuckers. They sounded off in two guitars that I had but when I put them in a mongrel of a Jackson guitar they suddenly came alive. Sometimes they just need the right guitar to match with. And other times they're just shit lol.

[@BadMotivator66]

yeah, that's often the way. i'm researching a new set of 'buckers for my epi flying v. got it with paf clones and it's such a dark guitar i can't get it to come to life! it needs brighter, hotter pups :/ ah the endless tone persuit...

[@NickintheStates]

+Bad Motivator honestly man, go find Buddha pickups on reverb. Tim is the owner and he's revered on one of myfave forums for taking requirements like you have and making you up a custom set for about $100.

[@Heriberto975]

look sir been playing for 25 plus years these sound great..but yeah dont apologize ...TUNE YOUR GUITARS btw did order a harley bento....we will see

[@guitarmuso1]

it might look pretty but even with the mods it sounds horrible ,my crafter strat sounds better and i only paid £30 used price ,paid a luthier to do the set up for another £30 and it sounds great.maybe its your amp not doing it justice i dont know

[@maxlethe3973]

So the knock is that is doesn't have a great "great Tone wood" which isn't real.....sounds good

[@motooilermotooiler9597]

Geez... with all that talking you managed to put out one cord and the git was not even in tune. Good you have all the stuff in there just in case.

[@jerryfurr814]

The Original was A Tokai

[@stephencorfield7720]

Im from England and there dosnt seem to be a rosewood ban. I ,ive bought guitars recently with rosewood fingerboards no problem. Is it just the U.S.A thats doing this. Whats all this stuff about having a certificate for a guitar with rosewood bits. I thought obama was a fruitcake did he agree to this nonsense. Regards from England.

[@williamnormandomolinadearm575]

?????

[@motomotoe5123]

Man you ruined that lovely strat BIG REGRET

[@rockhard2654]

you do not what you're electric guitar to be acoustically "resonant" THATS TONE LEAKING FROM THE GUITAR WHAT YOU HEAR WITH YOUR EARS WHILE YOU'RE PLAYING THE GUITAR IS NOT GOING DOWN THE CABLE TO THE AMP GET IT? ITS ENERGY LEAKING FROM THE GUITAR, ITS BAD

[@williamnormandomolinadearm575]

Does the guitar stay in tune after hard bendings ??

[@williamnormandomolinadearm575]

Does the guitar stay in tune after using the tremolo ??

[@NickintheStates]

I've had really good luck so far!