The ULTIMATE Harley Benton Mod Project

Big thanks to Fishman for supplying the pickups for this video! (More cooperation with Fishman coming soon...)
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[@fox_4740]

That trem installation was a civil war surgery

[@che2335]

With no anesthesia. Ghastly!

[@JohnWiku]

Worse than pulling teeth with forge tongs!!

[@yellowdog2181]

As a professional woodworker and carpenter for 30 years, it was killing me watching the tremolo surgery

[@sixstringtv1]

I am sorry for the pain I have caused you, I assume you won't be the last professional to be offended by the way I work on guitars 🤣🤣

[@yellowdog2181]

@@sixstringtv1 as long as you’re trying and you ultimately have success with the mods is the important thing. Keep it up🤘

[@Westw00do]

Watching any of this video was painful.

[@tronnyplaysguitar]

using a drill as a saw, now that's some resourceful thinking, glad you got that chisel in the end 🤣 I love this man, not only did your end result turn out sweet, you actually showed some of the normal frustrations people have with diy mod projects, especially when using off-brand cheap guitars like this old HB. When I was in high school back in the Dark ages of pre-youtube internet i remember doing some questionable shit to my guitars with absolutely the wrong tools. I also remember adjusting my action and intonation like waaay too often but for some reason being super afraid to touch the truss-rod ever :p, man do i wish youtube was around in those days lol

[@sixstringtv1]

I have a garage full of tools but for some reason they're never the ones I need for any project 🤣 I'm sure this chisel will come in handy many more times in the future.

[@peterb2245]

I salute your willingness to do whatever it takes. I fall into the trap of thinking my guitars are art, but if Eddie taught us nothing else, don’t be afraid to experiment and the guitar is a tool- the music is the art.

[@Iximity]

Very well done, guitar looks great!

[@tegmentum.official]

Just for the fact that you brute-forced that bridge into reality and me having done that as well, that's a well deserved Sigma thumbs-up for you 👍👌

[@MashaT22]

Thanks to Fishman for helping SixStringTV with the Fluence pickups - please keep supporting this talented KZbinr! Would love to see you guys officially sponsor Kaylen on a regular basis! Sick mods, Kaylen! The HB is now super shred worthy. I also feel better that the hardware is all gold colored now, lol. Would love to get more of your feedback about the Fluence pickups in a future video, specifically who you think they’re most suited for and how they compare to passive and other active pickups. Why were you interested in using Fluence for this guitar vs other options? Thanks to the Patreon who sponsored the chisel. I have to agree with his statement as well. Pantera “fanboys” need to just stop acting like eternally whiny babies with perpetual complaints already. 😂 Last, amazing pun at 4:50 - proTUBEerance! 🤣🤣🤣 Totally punny!

[@agent_of_cthulhu]

Wow, looks and sounds really great. I'm impressed.

[@ronpatterson5483]

Great to see honesty & dedication to getting things done!! There’s a will, there’s a way!! Sounds great, keep up videos🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@matsnilson7727]

That was pretty cool! 👍 I remember having serious thoughts about buying that model a loooong time ago. Just like you I also thought it looked quite nice. The idea was to upgrade it, but I was also really curious to see just how good it would be right out of the box. I never did buy it though.

[@Lefty-Guitar-Enthusiast]

Reminds me of my first forays into guitar mods. Only I was doing it in 1990 with no internet or resources to speak of, trial and error for sure but glad I spent the time learning because now I save $$$$$ performing my own repairs.

[@CedricsSpecialLP]

Very awesome video. I am quite a fan of guitar mod videos. Especially when people address the hassles they had to go through. One question though: where did you put the battery for the pickups?

[@davidmurray9193]

I cut a pole to required height I needed dilled a hole all the way through size of the bolt,. On the bottom I drilled a larger hole a third of the way in, then put a washer on the top of the wood playing my bolt through which I then screwed into trem post bits and proceeded to loosen with a spanner removing the bolts with no damage to guitar it is a good idea to put a bit of cloth on the base between home made tool and guitar when spannering hope this helps for future projects works on trem posts and LP posts

[@TheGalilee416]

This was awesome thanks!

[@sixstringtv1]

Glad you liked it!

[@SnarkySloth]

Ok come on we need a DragonForce cover with that thing, it's got power metal written all over it!

[@sole__doubt]

Its the discount version of my old E-gen. What an overpriced guitar that was lol

[@bruno_gatti]

Pantera fan here, ain't gonna stop doing whatever it is y'all wish I'd stop doing

[@sixstringtv1]

In classic Pantera fan fashion, you've failed to take a joke.

[@bruno_gatti]

@@sixstringtv1 aaaaaaand I could say the exact thing back to you. As a Pantera fan I've stayed your subscriber and supporter, even tho those teenage elements of your persona haven't changed a bit, I mean, it's about time son

[@sixstringtv1]

I appreciate the support, but kindly keep these comments to yourself. Cheers

[@hyramjackson]

Loved every minute of this video, laughed so hard when the guy mentioning the pantera fans, also cool licks! That Necrophagist riffing is hard!

[@AndyRec]

Looks like a much more expensive guitar, especially with the upgrades. That's an interesting floyd-design with the hollow tubes for the strings. I have the same kind of floyd with no writing on the base plate in a 1990 Jackson Kelly I just bought

[@gearViewmirror]

Well done with improvising, came out great! Carpenter from Switzerland, Gruss, Josh🎸🤘🎸

[@TheDasFaust]

Not going to do as much to my HB S-620 TR, but I am going to replace the pickups with Epiphone Gold pickups so as to complete a similar aesthetic to what you did to yours. I'm lucky enough to own a couple of routers so if I replace the bridge, I'll use your tape hack, that was a really good idea.

[@leifilerkaka]

That was a... jawdropping video. Great job guy!

[@sixstringtv1]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@leifilerkaka]

Gave me some inspiration to mod my own guitars. :)

[@PetParadiseVB]

I kinda love this channel. Reminds me of my own journey. Fun stuff!

[@sixstringtv1]

🙏🙏🙏😎

[@modernmetalsongwriter]

Great video bro!

[@sixstringtv1]

Thanks! Excited for next week's 😏😎

[@modernmetalsongwriter]

@@sixstringtv1 👀☢️

[@xodiaq]

This is so EVH of you. Very cool!

[@southernpanda33]

6:41 I have that same shark vacuum in my garage. The damn floor attachment broke so now I use it as a shop vac 😂😂😂

[@Lomni]

I can see why you kept it all this time. That guitar is beautiful, especially the neck.

[@tophatgaming3856]

Beautiful

[@supaschwamal]

Apart from the headstock and that it's got a volute, the neck on this guitar looks awfully similar to my CST-24 kit. It really is a comfortable neck and has a smooth finish.

[@AbeE1theG]

The fan blowing the hair😂😂😂😂😂

[@quinnquitars]

that pantera bit was amazing LMAO

[@Guitarninjaruy]

Imma ask fishman for some pickups as well, wish me luck :3

[@squirtcobain477]

Fishmans are awesome. Once I get another guitar I think I’ll put them in.

[@Vykk_Draygo]

As soon as you said you were replacing the trem, I knew there would be some routing required. 😂

[@SalvoSatori]

Dude, you crack me up. I keep coming back to your stuff. You can play! I get down as well... I'm going to try to contact you in June or so, when I start doing some guitar stuff. I thought it was an act, but you're just a hilarious little dude! I can't judge age well, so if you're just a kid, I'm not picking on you... I admire you! I stay laughing at that dry humor!

[@sixstringtv1]

Lmaoo im 17 🤣 Thanks for the kind words!

[@tk75jo]

schaller sells shorter lockscrews for the saddles that would fit

[@sixstringtv1]

I've known that since about five minutes after uploading, when a Patreon member told me... Wish I'd done some research 🤣 But the surgery I did on the guitar made for some good content

[@PikkaBird]

Is Pantera going to be for SixStringTV what Gibson is to Glenn Fricker? Yo, good work with, erm, unorthodox methods. It goes to show what yo can achieve with super basic tools and some stubborn determination.

[@bigtorrisi]

I didn't see anything wrong with the wood working massacre on that guitar, that's how I do all of mine!

[@k7j007]

Cool project. Is there a reason you chose not to use the dremel tool on your work bench with a sanding wheel to remove the material to fit the new trem?

[@sixstringtv1]

Tried. Didn't do shit 🤣 Forgot to mention that!

[@dundun8640]

Screw the screws into the bushings, use pliers to pull the bushings out

[@sixstringtv1]

Tried. Failed. They were in there pretty tight

[@dindinbre]

I bought a Jackson JS10 for 100 euros used, the guy who sold it to me said that he "prefers the LP shape". It sounds like more expensive Jacksons and has an amazing neck. I was thinking about heavily modifying it at first, but after watching this video, I think it's better to just leave as it is, maybe add locking tuners.

[@ectocool2514]

Did you check to see if the hallow tubes on the Floyd are hollow screws? I had a Floyd with the hollow tubes but they were screw's you could remove and put the standard screw and block in place 😎

[@brrbrr1418]

Next time you have to remove bushings for the trem, thread the post in a little and use the forked end of the hammer to pry them out like you would a nail. Works great for me.

[@sixstringtv1]

Tried, didn't work. These things didn't wanna come out 🤣🤣

[@klauswigsmith]

8:03 LOL! Oh man, somebody buy that man a beer.

[@Luanhaider]

they have floyd rose 1000series trems on their fusion series. can recommend it

[@KaldDodeGitarist]

Don't feel bad about the work you did rerouting for the floyd. I once had an LTD V-350 that came stock with a licensed trem, long before the floyd rose special existed. That stock trem was also shorter than an actual flood rose, and I wanted to put an OFR on it. I used a dremel freehand and didn't put any effort into fixing the paint afterwards. It looked absolutely awful. But that was still the 2nd most comfortable guitar (in every aspect) I've ever played.

[@che2335]

U had me until inserted some pick shrapnel into trem stud to even it up. In the future place a short socket slightly larger over the trem stud bushings feed the screw thru the square hole in back engaging threads and turn clockwise. The screw will pull it up. U may need a longer screw w same threads.

[@GillamtheGreatest]

you could get some gold shiny spray paint to hit the frames of the pickups if you wanted them gold too. i think that would look better, personally but i know thats totally personal taste.

[@sixstringtv1]

I'll buy some gold pickup rings soon!

[@impossivel2006]

If you added a PANTERA Riff in the sound demo this video would be epic

[@KyleCanessa]

Now, the Piezo… 🎉🎉🎉

[@Grung20]

10:25 wanna start a band? 😂

[@onerandombruh]

Came for Kaylen's jokes and roastings, stayed for the riffing.

[@jakeritchie3805]

I had no intention of subscribing, however I just laughed so hard at the trem install I pissed on myself as this EXACT thing has happened to me minus the whole Pantera thing, which made me laugh and piss more.

[@sixstringtv1]

Glad to have you onboard 🤣

[@Alfredo78666]

90 bucks for the wood and paint work seems reasonable nonetheless. Plus it has a matching stock!

[@sixstringtv1]

Definitely wasn't the original price, I'm assuming that was somewhere around 250

[@deadinsidemcgee411]

Sooooo, some mad lad just went out and paid for a super chat with extra steps.

[@sixstringtv1]

Basically 🤣

[@psychedelicloli]

Nice

[@maxzachmann9521]

Couldn't you have shortened the clamping screws a bit so that the tremolo would fits into the body?

[@sixstringtv1]

Nahhh

[@chrollo0427]

im a simple man, i see a locking trem i click like

[@williamdistasio9358]

I sure do take for granted being an adult with lots of shit. I remember being like you too when I was in my late teens. I'd use what I could to get the job done. As for the damage my guitars would gather? I had to make choices I could live with! 😆 🤣

[@sixstringtv1]

Luckily my grandpa has a garage full of tools I can borrow And the guitar survived unscathed besides the intentional giant thing I carved out 🤣

[@leonardosilva-xu2lu]

great vid, it looks killer, but why are the pickup rings missing screws though? looks weird

[@sixstringtv1]

Oh yeah, it came with one screw missing on each ring when I got it used. Never got round to replacing the screws, but sometime soon I'll get gold pickup rings to match the pickups anyway. Those will come with screws

[@samashman789]

Remember: money spent should be 60/30 Amp to Guitar then if spare pedals. Just my opinion

[@BrandonBames]

Heyyyy I heard that Necrophagist :D

[@_fifeusz]

This turned out super nice, I totally agree with you on Bentons being a great mod platform. I gutted out everything out of my super-edgy BS-20 (including DIY refret) mainly because of having no regrets due to its price. On the sidenote this gave me some cheap spare parts for other projects lol.

[@philljrton]

Since you like strats would you ever make a parts caster build for your channel. I used a real Mexican made fender neck on a body from eBay and I’m very satisfied. I want to see how you would spec it out.

[@sixstringtv1]

I still have a sunburst Squier body left over from my first ever guitar, so I do wanna turn that into something someday... Technically I've kind of already built one though. My customized Kramer Baretta was pretty much stripped entirely and rebuilt from scratch

[@userthagoat]

You should try a V

[@sixstringtv1]

I had a Solar V2.6C for a long time. Amazing guitar, but the shape bothered me so much I ended up selling it

[@JahmezFox]

Should chuck some EMG’s in there 😜

[@sixstringtv1]

Oh god

[@JahmezFox]

@@sixstringtv1 kidding dude 😅 I would’ve gone Duncan’s myself but the fishmans sound pretty good 👍

[@deadinsidemcgee411]

@@sixstringtv1 not just EMG’s, EMG H4’s.

[@aligatorsandwitch72]

This rules.

[@totallynotjohn8083]

Nice video, have you ever tried a gotoh 1996t floyd rose? I've heard they are pretty good for what they cost.

[@sixstringtv1]

I have, but I couldn't find a used one. Got this Schaller used on eBay instead.

[@totallynotjohn8083]

@@sixstringtv1 what did you think of the gotoh?

[@MiikeyLawless]

Kinda looks like a Douglas from rondomusic.

[@hadleymanmusic]

Its floatin?

[@KDH]

first

[@marvintimke3978]

I can't believe you've done this.

[@sixstringtv1]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@sole__doubt]

As a Pantera fan what exactly does he want us to stop? Genuinely curious.

[@sixstringtv1]

Not sure lmao

[@Seven7Pain1]

i got a stagg guitar i want to mod out and a iyv les paul

[@BrundonC]

That neck is… in-shred-able

[@franyelly18]

That guitar looks sexy!

[@worhed3722]

Necrophagist is tough lol

[@sixstringtv1]

Tell me about it lmao

[@xati8112]

8:57 and 10:00 both of this riffs are sick, what songs are they from? Awasome video as usually 🤍🤍

[@sixstringtv1]

First one was just some shit I made up but the 2nd one is Diminished To B by Necrophagist 😎

[@myopicautisticmetal9035]

there is a cut after the dive bomb, I assume it went out of tune and you had to cut to tune it.

[@sixstringtv1]

You assume wrong. I stopped playing after the dive bomb, why leave that in?

[@MellowCanadian]

I clicked for the mods, I clicked Like for the Necrophagist riffs. Diminished to B \m/ ____ \m/

[@BlazonStone]

i destroy my guitars but I would still never drill stud post holes by hand xD

[@KaldDodeGitarist]

What was that at 10:00? It was fucking awesome. Kinda Necrophagist-esque

[@tylermoore5659]

Why couldn’t have you gotten shorter licking screws for the back of the trem?

[@sixstringtv1]

Didn't know those existed. Oh well

[@paintbygreer9297]

Maybe I have missed something. But you sound a lot like Nuno Bettencourt when you play....?

[@irisklug-gramer8339]

Was is der name vom zweiten Song?

[@mikedamisch]

Another sketch a** build. Got to love it! You need a router to do this properly.

[@sixstringtv1]

Why tho? It absolutely worked

[@heavychonkerssteviek8691]

I'd just drill the bushings out with better bits. Bingo Bango bongo

[@RAAZR-]

10:35 what song is that riff from?

[@sixstringtv1]

Fuzz Universe

[@brennensnyder9236]

Fuzz Universe - Paul Gilbert. Dude's a monster on his instagram the other day he was shredding on an UPRIGHT BASS laying horizontally like a guitar. He's crazy

[@guitarsbymetaljay]

OMG this is exactly what you DON'T want to do

[@sixstringtv1]

Why not?

[@ravenmad9225]

Glenn Fricker says pickups make almost no difference.

[@aligatorsandwitch72]

That's actually not what Glenn said. Glenn said that there's no difference between GOOD pickups in the context of a heavy metal guitar rig. Obviously there are shitty pickups out there that you should avoid but if they have the output you need and produce a clean signal then you shouldn't spend a ton of money upgrading your pickups when you could be putting that money elsewhere in your signal chain.

[@jamescampbell7605]

Where are Harley Benton made?

[@sixstringtv1]

Indonesia I believe?

[@jamescampbell7605]

@@sixstringtv1 that's actually better than I thought. Keep up the good work man, would love to see you interview Bill Xavier and maybe some videos on the new B.C Rich lineup.

[@Phatzo1000]

I heard you say on another video that you aren't very good. I disagree. My Missus would role her eyes so much at me if I played like that.

[@sixstringtv1]

I'm a giant one trick pony. I got neoclassical licks and dirty riffs for days but beyond that? 🤷‍♂️

[@uglypineapple03]

Gott sei Dank bin ich kein Gitarrist ey xD

[@defkon7753]

Should've returned the Lockmeister and gotten a regular Schaller..it has the smaller profile for that route.

[@sixstringtv1]

I got this one used. I wasn't gonna drop that much on a brand new trem. Not ever.

[@defkon7753]

@@sixstringtv1 I don't blame you. I just wasn't sure if you were aware of the difference between the regular Schaller. I always look forward to your vids btw.🤘🤘

[@eddiejr540]

Ahh, the wonderful world of guitar modding…it will make you pull your hair out and drive you bat-shit crazy…good job my man👍

[@sixstringtv1]

Truer words were never spoken 🙏🙏

[@iceWaterProductions1]

Call it over simplistic, but a guitar called Harley Benton. Nope not having it.

[@MelodyMaker218]

Dimebag rules ha ha

[@Metaldad87]

That has to be the dumbest way to design a Floyd rose style trem I've ever seen 😂

[@FulcrumsEdge]

Rent a handheld router for your material removal if you need, or buy a cheap store brand or harbor freight router for 30 bucks. that was painful to watch, or just pay a friend who has a bit of woodworking experience. I've charged friends less than 50 bucks for something simple like that. I don't buy the "I don't have this tool or the money for this tool". You had the money to obtain the Schaller tremolo, budget the tools first then the trem. Or buy a trem that allows you to afford both the tools and trem. Counting your dive-bombs and squeals before the trem has been fitted sounds all good and nice but is in practice, just daydreaming. Don't worry, I'm not an asshole who is looking down on you, I am speaking from experience.

[@sixstringtv1]

You try finding a cheao Floyd Rose style trem that still works well... Doesn't exist. I also don't have a "friend with woodworking experience" What I did worked just fine 🤷‍♂️😂

[@birdsiview6845]

Seriously, who the hell is Harley Benton ?

[@colinmcguigan4630]

I do love some Pantera slander. No good confederates

[@John_Doh]

Gorgeous end result, and nice finagling with the woodwork, but SWEET JESUS those pickups are scalding hot! I say "but" because it's almost too much to my ears - like a soft static from the gain / high end when you're chording, but maybe that's just preference and bringing the gain down on the amp (/pedals?) would be enough to take the edge off. Anyway, superb job overall! Lots of fun to watch the footage of these projects.

[@sixstringtv1]

Oh yeah, you can hear my insatiable thirst for gain 🤣