Modifying my Harley Benton Silver Sparkle | PART 2 | Guitar Tweakz

[@tolvajakos]

me during every single guitar mod project some point or another: 18:07

[@KrisBarocsi]

Isn’t that ALWAYS the case when modding guitars? 😂

[@ilmisxx2]

@@KrisBarocsi Isn't that what makes it worth doing? 😁 Encountering a problem and solving it where most would give up or not do it in the first place, that's exciting!😄

[@macauley70]

Great job and video!!! , nice finish. I see you and I think that with nitrocelulose finish the job is more easy 😜... I can't wait the electronic nightmare cavity in the next episode and how sound the Fishman pickups...

[@oldmanzen6682]

Man, tackling the sides and horns with that sander felt like watching a heart surgeon using a crowbar instead of a scalpel. And yet, it looks fantastic. Great work, Kris.

[@RamsayPhillips]

Good work man, the effort transformed the guitar. I usually use a heat gun for removing poly, makes life a whole lot easier.

[@joshuamichael4312]

I came here to write this. It would take 5 to 10 mins of effortless heating and scraping to remove the paint with a heat gun, that's it.

[@JoseFGonzalezPerez]

One thing you could have done, that I have done (albeit, with mixed results due to how heavy and/or gong ho you go with the stain), is score the joint line between what is to be stained and what it won't get stained; and that semi light cut can stop the stain from running through the grain by capilar action.

[@hakankillberg6043]

This is great Kris, hard working man. Please everyone go in and “enter the sandman” world 😃 you wont get disappointed. Thanks Kris, take care 👍👏💪

[@fingersmike]

Thanks for showing me never to try and refinish a guitar... I don not have the patience for that 😂 Great videos

[@hkguitar1984]

It also helps if you clean up between changing sandpaper grits. Wipe it all down and start with the next finer grit paper. I've had instances where I contaminated the new finer paper with grit from the previous sandpaper.

[@400_billion_suns]

Very solid advice! I've done the same. Few things are more frustrating than having to go back to a coarser grit because a few stray grains of abrasive put several larger scratches in your work :)

[@hkguitar1984]

@@400_billion_suns Exactly A refinish takes enough time as-is when everything goes smoothly. Adding more time to the task when it could have been prevented is frustrating to say the least. If nothing else I can surely claim to be an expert at adding time to most any task!

[@gonzorudeboy]

Nothing beats a set of good old sharps wood scrapers to remove paint or varnish. Surprisingly, you have more control than using sandpaper.

[@MajorUpgrade]

Dude, dremel tool/and/or a cordless drill with something attached/double-sided tape/sandpaper on the inside of the horns... Man that hand sanding is a lot of work dude! Nice job, and excited to see how this turns out! Can't wait to hear it.

[@scarmyguitar]

you ain't never built nothin! Ha ha! Wuz up mang!

[@MajorUpgrade]

@@scarmyguitar truth in advertising. Hahaha, hey Sean, if you don't have anything nice to say... 🤣

[@jcugnoni]

Wow great job. This is where you see why luthier love oscillating drum sander.. Keep it going this is a very interesting series !

[@KrisBarocsi]

Hey, thanks! This was clearly not the most time efficient method and tool. But it did a damn fine job. Haha! I’m pleased with the results. Cheers

[@NicBurrows]

That looked like hard work. I always have ambitions of stuff like this and ALWAYS end up paying for someone else to finish the project. Fun watching you do this though!

[@eddiejr540]

Ahh the “mods”...they can drive you crazy...thats why it really, really has to be worth it !!!!....rock on my brother!!!!

[@MrZantas]

That flamed Sapelli is gorgeous !!

[@KrisBarocsi]

It really is! 🙌

[@excalle]

I can't wait to see the final result ! I feel glad to be able to follow your work and journey as a guitar tech hungry to spread your knowledge. Thanks a lot, you already taught me a lot since your playlist on Thomann's channel and I'm more than relieve to find you here perpetuating the good work !

[@donald-parker]

Idea for repurposing the hole for the coil split switch - disconnect the battery even when a guitar cable is plugged it. Makes it easier to leave the guitar plugged in when not using it (eg between sets or when switching guitars). And it should work as a kill switch too! And you can probably use the original switch. Can you install both the rechargeable battery and the 9V in parallel? I can see the rechargeable as being great most of the time but it could get you out of a bind someday if you forgot to charge it (or left a cable plugged in).

[@helderalves7685]

you can buy round flap sanding bits for dirt cheap with diferent diameters and use a drill press or a hand drill to do the most part of the sanding on round or tight corners. usually every generic hardwear store has them, like leroy merlin and those kind of places.

[@svenholsten1642]

I highly recommend using a drill press with a P80 spindle grinder bit for all inner radii. These bits are fairly fast and still cheap. :)

[@breikers]

You could have used scotch brite pads for your sander. These come in various grids. After sanding polish with turtle wax. You get a nice gloss finish using this. Saw this on youtube somewhere of a guy doing this with a Epi Les Paul. Was very happy with the results, and relatively quick. Anyway. Nice work!

[@ttolle8]

Tip on sanding the inside of the horns. Take a wooden dowel or a pice of a broomstick and glue the sandpaper to it!

[@tapatvde]

He could have used something like a Dremel tool. I've used it for even smaller radii like the inside of the horns.

[@guitarflyer172]

Love how the flame on the back pops more now! Even the binding seems more noticeably flamed lol

[@francesco111111]

Sands off by hand the whole front of the Guitar, Discovers the finish scraper. Next level, discovering the gel stripper

[@duarteestelita7257]

Nice follow up, on the 1st video. Its going quite well. I know you really like the silver top..but..that natural finish, on the back and sides..I reckon it would be brilliant on the whole guitar. Looking forward to see that 3rd episode, routing for the battery . I wish one had a hardtail Tele roasted maple Neck, Harley Benton guitar, but with single coils instead. I'd definitely get one and mod it with a Mid Pickup . Or better yet.. a Thinline - type HB. Cheers from Portugal

[@hearpalhere]

Not that you're probably looking for another sanding project so soon but I wonder if you wouldn't have been better off simply wrapping sanding paper around a short section of a broom handle. Then your fingers wouldn't have suffered so much and the round edge would probably have worked nicely in the horn. Anyway, the oil looks great, I think it really didn't need a stain either. Looking forward to the next part Kris! Good luck with everything!

[@400_billion_suns]

Was just about to reply the same and checking to see if someone else already said it! A hardwood dowel, or even a piece of broom handle makes the job SO much easier. I keep a roll of double sided adhesive around so I can easily attach sandpaper to objects of many different shapes. :)

[@hearpalhere]

@@400_billion_suns Cool, glad to hear that it works well. I didn't think to use the double sided tape but that sounds really useful too.

[@Jarrrow-1]

Watching your videos is pure pleasure. Listening to your guitars (especially the telecaster) AWESOME! Great work Kris!

[@robertbaker5445]

Last I knew, Fishman offered a battery that took the place of the trem cover on the back of the guitar.

[@stephanematis]

For LPs and Strats, yes. Not sure if the Strat variant would work here.

[@kurtbrower7594]

Hi Kris, I sanded my fusion 2, I used a dremel tool with the sanding bit. Worked great. With a light touch , took about half an hour each horn without taking off too much material.

[@PooNinja]

Yay it’s looking great, will you buff/polish the top for extra shine? Carful with the plung router don’t make the hole too deep.

[@Oilid]

The close up shots are wonderful! Congrats man!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thanks a lot man! 🙌

[@Oilid]

@@KrisBarocsi Can't wait for the hardcore routing! 🤘😉👍

[@rahzark]

you really need courage to "destroy" something you love to maybe turn it into something you'll love even more xD

[@macauley70]

This is not destruction is transformation..

[@johnclark1000]

It's looking great hundred percent improvement!

[@davidletterboyz]

Nice series. Waiting for part 3. :-)

[@steveroberts]

Really nice work Chris.

[@summerboy1958]

Kris, nice job so far. Looking forward to the tone comparison. Pretty gutsy ripping apart the instrument that had those lovely split coil tones. Active ought to make it POP! 🤘💥

[@gitarowydominik]

Best shade of stain, love it!

[@denis_kleshchev]

Awesome work. But why didn't you use a drill with sandpaper cylindrical adapter for sanding horns? Or maybe a dremel on low rpm

[@ViktorStockmann]

The wood comes out beautifully with the oil. Great stuff!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thanks Viktor! It does look really pretty.

[@harveyvillalobos7151]

Wow se ve espectacular! Tanto el binding de maple como la parte de atrás se roban el show, con el acabado de aceite quedan muy bien 👌🏼 No puedo esperar a ver la tercera parte 🙌🏽

[@l2b7music37]

4:08 This is Awesome!! What a great melody!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thanks soooo much! I love playing it. I wrote and recoded that for my fuzz video a couple of months ago. Cheers!

[@pietersixstring1531]

I have the OCT sparkle version and its heartening to watch your struggles from afar :) Keep up the good work, my Fusion is right behind you, but at a very safe distance. I hope you get there though.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Haha! Keep a safe distance man, you never know what‘s happening around here. Hahaha! TBH I think it will be a killer guitar at the end. 💪

[@dragan4658]

There always has to be some surprise lol. I'm sure it will be fine with the adjustments.

[@nicodemusjansson1301]

Hey Kris! I‘ve been considering sanding my Tele. Seeing the amount of work you put into it, I just decided that it looks fine the way it is... ;) I‘ll be watching your project until the end of course. :)

[@400_billion_suns]

I really enjoy your videos! You're a great player and you've got an enjoyable persona too, along with great video quality and lighting. Your channel has the right stuff to grow a lot more subscribers, I think!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Wow, thanks a lot! We'll see about "a lot more subs" but I love this community here already and that's what keeps me doing this whole thing. Lots of awesome, knowledgable and positive people. So refreshing. :) Cheers!

[@akrmfk]

Massive respect to u man, this is a lot of effort and educational for beginner viewers like me

[@KrisBarocsi]

Glad you like it man, thanks a lot!

[@spchaledonnj68]

Hey Kris, will there be a part 3 conclusion? I am hanging on the edge of my seat man... keep up the good work. Love ya man..

[@KrisBarocsi]

Well a part 3 is only a few hours away, so don't worry about that. It being a conclusion though... well. Haha! Wait and see. Thanks so much for the kind words Steve! Cheers

[@spchaledonnj68]

@@KrisBarocsi oh good YAAY!!! 👍 we are big fans!

[@merliphlan2]

really looking forward the next step ! awesome job man !

[@abujog]

It's gonna be good a project.

[@pedalscapes]

Great work - looking forward to part 3, cheers 🌞

[@rolandbuza7291]

Kemeny faba vagtad a fejszed Chris. Well done so far anyway can't wait for next video. Cheers Roland from UK

[@Achielezz]

Really enjoying this series :) Thinking about doing something like this to my RG :D

Love this series of videos, my friend! Looking forward for the 3rd episode! The routing for the battery is gonna be awesome to watch. 😜🤘🏻 PS: the riff at 4:00 deserves to become an actual song. Just saying. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@MaxPower-js1sk]

I’m about to do this to a PRS. Someone decided to relic it-what a mess!

[@Steven_SK]

Kris: I am going to skin this guitar.... Me: What? Nah you are kidding.... Kris: Halte mein Wiener Schnitzel! Back in time to catch this project. Fearless as ever I see. Looks great. I love the look of wood!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Hey Steve, so nice to see you here! Yeah I’m really going for it. Haha! Cheers

[@bb.6969]

7:22 if you dont have a scraper the metal ruler from the harley benton toolkit works as well its a dirty trick but if it works it aint stupid also i think fishman makes special battery's for strats that act like trem cover plates

[@honigdachs.]

What a great educational video!

[@vdubguy7917]

Take a look at the charging system for the telecaster pickups from Fishmann maybe you can use that instead of tearing into the body....

[@saarbrandvin9616]

Looking great

[@zonne193]

Nice job Chris, it looks already awesome and gives me inspiration to refinish my Squier Classic Vibe 70's with Nitro Sonic Blue paint. I don't look forward for sanding the job

[@MauricioGarcia-mk5bz]

You’re killing me bud. 🤣🤣🤣. Can’t wait for the third episode.....

[@KrisBarocsi]

Haha! I'm filming it already. It's gonna be cool. Well... I hope at least. Haha! Cheers

[@MaxSoloMusic]

Another satisfying sanding adventure! Well done. Did you consider using a drill press with a cylinder block and sanding paper taped to it to get rid of that finish inside the horns? Looking forward to the next episode. Routing is fun, that's my favorite part!

[@boomerbassmeme]

You sir are a madman! A brilliant one, but a madman nonetheless! 😎👍

[@MrNeilfatmonkey]

Sandpaper coarseness is measured in grit, not grid. 🙂 That’s a lot of hard work and effort you’ve put into this. Bravo!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Damn. Thanks Neil. I guess I was too tired while editing. 😅

[@davidrees1840]

@@KrisBarocsi easy mistake because it makes sense: per 1-inch grid you have 320 particles of sand :)

[@ilmisxx2]

@@davidrees1840 except no one uses that silly measuring system that makes no sense whatsoever, at least no one who requires accuracy :D next thing you know you start measuring things in trouts and octopuses

[@davidrees1840]

@@ilmisxx2 Yes, I'm in Canada where it's metric, but Imperial (inches) is still used in construction, eg: sandpaper, and 320 grit means 320 particles per square inch. I've never seen metric sandpaper, and Chris (in Germany?) was using sandpaper measured in inches.

[@nitrogen_777]

Hi Kris, great video, but in my opinion, you should have taken a heat gun. That thick polyurethane finish just peels off after being heated ;-)

[@azzuro195]

sanding is always painful--for inner horn section you can use empty spray or deodorant can, use some with similar radius as inner horn secttion-attach sanding paper to can somehow (or don't, pressure is enough) and you have a rudimentary tool.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Out of all the suggestions this is by far my favorite! What a simple yet creative idea. That’s exactly what I’ll try next time. Cheers!

[@LeifPalmin]

Use Dremmel multy type tool instead of router to make room for the electronics. Stå på! 😁👍

[@KrisBarocsi]

I’m in the middle of it and so far I’ve used both head types. Haha! Thanks for the advice Leif! Cheers

[@kurtbrower7594]

The little router attachment worked great to route out the electronics/pick-up cavity.

[@SB-kw6oo]

Looks amazing well done man 👍

[@T.m.K]

Nice attention to detail, I like it! Season 3? ye ye ye!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Coming up soon! 💪 I wish I had more time for this though. Haha

[@JikoMuskato]

Yeah, holding the scraper is probably much nicer as it's closer to holding a pick. :D

[@KrisBarocsi]

Very good point! Haha!

[@AlexisGuitars]

Looking great so far! Good luck with the routing job. Just out of curiosity and for my own future mods, would it be easier and potentially tidier to drill route another cavity for the battery?

[@vinicioserafini5929]

Nice looking wood. Will you buff it with wax after all the layers have been applied? Do you buff by hand?

[@lfigueroa97]

Hi Kris, I think it's coming up really nice!!

[@Sanrolino]

Wait wait.. Is that a real maple top ?? I thought it was just a fake binding! I love my fusion, sounds fantastic. Yours is gonna look very nice!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Hey, the full body is Sapele and only the binding is flamed maple (instead of plastic). It’s a thin stripe of maple that gets glued on like plastic binding would. Cheers

[@Sanrolino]

@@KrisBarocsi cheers Kris. I've dropped some IG Rolling Mills and a 5 positions super switch on mine - so I can have the inner coils split too. Sounds fantastic!

[@youssefkasim7556]

The back looks more beautiful now

[@juandemartini817]

Looks awesome!

[@hotrock513]

modify guitar is always fun thing to do!

[@redlespaul8139]

Kris do you use the tremolo much ? If you don’t you could block it off like Eric Clapton and mount your battery where the springs would’ve been . No routing needed

[@old_school_death_metal]

Ein Dremel wäre bei den kleinen Stellen beim Schleifen sicher hilfreich gewesen.

[@mixodorians12]

Well done on wearing a mask.

[@wasichu66]

All that sanding felt as painful as expected, I felt desperate even from watching it... even when working on new raw wood, the inside of the horns is always a dreaded moment... wood looks gorgeous though, IMO so much classier, but I get the reasons for the poly. Really looking forward to the pups, they'd better be significantly better then the split Roswell, those did sound fantastic.

[@keschgelb]

So 320 grid was the last sanding stage? I thought its needed to go finer for a super smooth surface. But too bad, that you have to do some more woodwork after all that exhausting finishing. I would always fear of damaging or scratching something. Take care and good luck!

[@davidrees1840]

220-grit is standard for many manufacturers. Some people will go 320, maybe more -extra work for no real improvement, but you can't really go wrong (unless you stop at 80-grit!).

[@erdbeerbar5629]

Why you dont use the Fishman Tremolo Battery cover?

[@ayeapprove]

17:55 have you thought about putting the battery in the trem cavity? Just extend the wire and you're good to go!

[@AlaposGerd]

Hey Kris, can you explain what "natural binding" means on a guitar like this with no top? Köszi, ja és nagyon szép lett!:)

[@ArturBrzozowski444]

Sometimes the craziest parts of the project is sanding If you haven't started routing DON'T DO IT I'm pretty sure I've seen somewhere on Fishmans site battery assembly that was replacing the springs cover. If you can just replace it and be fine why when bother with routing

[@KrisBarocsi]

Too late... 😂

[@ArturBrzozowski444]

@@KrisBarocsi oh shoe Guess it will make a great video miniature

[@freezingCode]

Excited to see how this turns out. The back turned out great. Always loved seeing that silver sparkle on set. Slightly OT, but is the neck that came on yours just luck of the draw, or are they all that nice/flamed?

[@KrisBarocsi]

Some are less flamed, some are like this. Pretty much the same thing as with other brands. At least in my experience. Cheers

[@hkguitar1984]

I've had pretty good luck with a heat-gun and scraper. Stripping a Squier body takes less than an hour.

[@jochen970]

i wanna pick up a fusion 2 but the one i want id out of stock. or maybe i should wait for an update/new colors??? :O

[@Tetasha]

its all about the journey huh

[@samerbata]

Why don't you use the Fishman battery for tremelo bridge? It is a replacement cover for the back tremelo cover 😊. Should be easier than routing ...I can use a screw driver that's about it 🤣.

[@7stringbassist]

Sanding poly is a nightmare!! I thought I'd be smart and send a bass away to be chemically stripped instead of sanding it. Even though they could strip doors, they couldn't strip the poly finish and paint off a bass!!

[@piotrgawron577]

Have you ever thought about doing that job with the heat gun? Even on back-flat surface? Btw excellent job. Greetings from Poland.

[@bfiume]

This is one guitar that I was looking to get. But it was always out of stock.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Well there’s a good reason for that. It really is a great guitar. I hope it’s gonna be available soon again. Cheers

[@bfiume]

@@KrisBarocsi as usual I agree with you, it’s a good guitar to have

[@nunolance23]

Do you know if HB will release any new colors on these Fusion II models? I’d love soooo much to have some kind of blue/pink/grey body

[@KrisBarocsi]

I’m pretty sure they will at one point. They tend to come up with new models and finishes all the time. :)

[@lasyngwieeeiiilarsen7510]

Love u man🥰😎🤘

[@krokovay.marcell]

Nice backside! Can you tell me, what’s the difference between this fingerboard oil you used and the Dunlop Lemon Oil? And then some time later you wax it?

[@PaulLGuitar007]

I have a Harley Benton Fusion and have thought about putting Gibson Burst Bucker in it. But I'm awaiting on your results. Did the pick ups fit with no problem and did you change the pots?

[@KrisBarocsi]

Hey, the pickups fit perfectly. I had to change the pots because active pickups need different ones.

[@PaulLGuitar007]

@@KrisBarocsi Thank You very much!!! I've been waiting on your completion video. So much suspense!!!!

[@demokraatti]

Next time try a heat gun. Apply some heat and just peel the finish. Much less work and no mess.

[@AsterianGuitars]

What is a purpose of oiling before applying beeswax?

[@ilmisxx2]

sealing the wood from moisture and preventing all other nasty things getting inside like bacteria that may start rotting the wood given enough time and "food" it seals tiny pores where the wax can't get into and penetrates wood deeper

[@AsterianGuitars]

@@ilmisxx2 Yes, maybe. I was applying beeswax straight on wood, but using heat gun - melted wax. Think it penetrated well enough also.

[@fronthorse]

Ein Dremel mit Schleifröllchen hätte dir ne Menge erspart. ;)

[@GraniteSoundtrack]

Why didn’t you have fishman send you a tremolo cover battery pack? You see them in strats with fishman fluence.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Hey, you’ll get your answer in part 3 👍🏻

[@NolanZewariligon]

Wait, it's poly, not nitro finish; why didn't you use a heat gun and scrape the finish off?

[@KrisBarocsi]

I didn’t wanna damage the wood. Heat gun and a scrapper can go south real fast. I’ve seen that many times. Haha!