Harley Benton TE62 - Major Modifications

Stripping the finish, adding a belly cut, arm cut, thinning out under the neck pocket, routing under the pickguard, staining the wood, and making a custom aluminum pickguard.

[@Vicos]

He wasn't kidding when he said "Major Modifications." I was expecting the typical tuners and pickups video.

[@bofeity]

You’ve convinced me to value these cuts lol

[@thehonestguitarist6543]

A labour of Love! Surely the sound became woodier, more acoustically-pronounced. Thanks for uploading.

[@Chimp_No_1]

Incredibly interesting ! Thanks for sharing !

[@dragan4658]

This is the 2nd video of yours I have seen so far and both are commendable! 1st was stainless steel frets you put on an Sg sparkling burgandy.

[@briandevitt6903]

Lots of work. I would have started with a HB kit body to be honest. Removing all that finish is torture. I did a kit build, milled 8mm off the top with a router sled, filled all the routs, rerouted for p90s. Glued on an 8mm Maple cap and made an aluminium pickguard for it.

[@philippeb8665]

Magnifique guitare, très beau travail, mes sincères félicitations, bravo

[@PeteMOBie1]

Great to see I'm not the only one using Gotoh In-Tune saddles, Tusq XL string trees and Vanson/Wilkinson locking tuners on tele upgrades. I don't have the balls or the skill to route a belly cut, so kudos to your sir.

[@lazvt8469]

Lovely. Got my TE-52. a few days ago...so heavy!! Neck is as well made as any USA from fret ends, polish, level, etc. So impressed!! Ash body is also a beautiful thing to look at. Rest of guitar is standard budget guitar quality...Roswell's are not bad...ain't gonna lie. Gonna drop some Bootstrap pups for giggles. Glad they make lefties. Might get the TE62 with the double binding.

[@ThomasMoore.1]

Excellent video

[@Kevin.Hearty]

Very enjoyable video. The newer TE62s have basswood bodies which make them a lighter guitar. I believe yours was poplar which isn't super heavy either. 8.3 lb isn't heavy for a Tele type guitar, but the lighter the better for me too.

[@mannydecastro8604]

Great job! I have the TE 52 HB . It’s heavy. I hollowed under pick guard only. Still heavy

[@guyincognito320]

If a guitar isn't basswood, I'm not buying it until I know the weight of the instrument. Ash Fender style guitars can be 9.5 lbs or 6.9 pounds. But basswood is reliably in the 7's. The HB TE-62's are basswood. To me the body tonewood impact is small enough to easily be accounted for if it has one thing or another you'd like to tweak about the overall tone.

[@floatinganarchychannel3204]

wow! next level mods!

[@JimiCzerwinski]

Your a mad man lots of work

[@tightwadproductions961]

Cheap guitar to practice on and see how far I could take it. Probably won't be doing it again anytime soon haha

[@absproducoes8871]

Congrats 👏

[@NilesDuff]

Great axe!

[@scarcam]

18:00 That's a thick old finish alright!

[@rustysaw5228]

It's a matter of taste. A factory guitar turned into a diy guitar. I think it's a step backwards.

[@dragan4658]

Different tastes for different folks, the loss of 1 pound in weight is in no way a step backwards and you can paint it a sparkling finsh to add so.e flash. To each his/her own.

[@jasujokelainen5073]

Deffinitely a step back.

[@user-mw6fh5oj2c]

nice

[@nigelcarey]

Great job on the mods and the video. Can I ask what you used for the clear coat?

[@tightwadproductions961]

I used minwax fast drying polyeurethane.

[@mghumphrey]

Can you share any info on the mods you did prior to this? I'm interested in the tuners, nut, and string trees - what specific parts, and was any modification required to fit the tuners.

[@tightwadproductions961]

I used harley benton brand locking tuners. They required me to bore out the peg holes and drill new retaining screw pilot holes. The tuners are nice, but I would recommend finding some direct replacements. I also had 3 of the factory tuner screw snap off. Two I was able to twist out, while one required a dremel and a lot of time. I have Graph Tech PQL-7004-00 String Trees XL. And I used this nut Musiclily 42mm Bone Slotted Electric Guitar Nut Flat Bottom for 6 String Fender Strat Tele, 42x3.5x4.5mm. Every one of these modifications required fitment on my part. None were "drop in" replacements. The guitar definitely benefited from these, but it was also a lot of work.

[@mghumphrey]

@@tightwadproductions961 Thanks for taking the time to reply. I've got some Gotoh SD91-MG on order. I've heard they fit, but I may have to ream out the holes. I've also ordered the same string trees, and a Graphtec PT-5042-00 TUSQ-XL nut. I'm not sure about the nut, but will check string spacing before installing, and if correct I am sure I can make it fit.

[@christiancris8252]

Why not try to change the lower and left lateral curve (like a Jazzmaster) to lose a little weight?

[@jogmas12]

A tummy tuck ?

[@jazzsounds8159]

The finish looks like a 1/8 thick?

[@tightwadproductions961]

Probably so. It was bad, most of the weight reduction was due to the finish removal.

[@sadowskihomestudio]

Body made from the best selection of firewood 😉

[@tightwadproductions961]

Ain't that the truth!

[@paulhancock7670]

Wow - all that work to make it look worse.

[@joebodynobody764]

Chrome and aluminum.......meh

[@jimmyhaley727]

less1 #,, not worth it to me

[@user-sn9gy4sg3c]

Hello, I was wondering if a standard fender tele neck would fit this body. I tried looking for neck pocket dimensions, but I couldn’t find measurements anywhere. Could you please help me answer this question by sending neck pocket measurements for this guitar? Thank you

[@geralltwilliams2811]

I belive you have taken too much wood out the back and front of that guitar. I think you will have big problems with tuning stability.🫣

[@tightwadproductions961]

So far so good 🤞