Setting up my cheap acoustic guitar - Harley Benton D-120NT
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- I was genuinely shocked at how good this very affordable guitar is. This is a very cheap dreadnought but it needs a few little tweaks to get it playing right.
UPDATE - I made this video long before I started working for Thomann. Please understand I was not affiliated with Thomann when I made this video
Harley Benton D-120NT:
www.thomann.de...
I've had about 10 of these come to me recently and they did all sound very different so if you get one that doesn't sound right, take advantage of the 30 day refund / replacement that thomann offer
No one pays me to make these videos but if you are thinking about buying one, please use the link below which gets me discounts which I will put straight back into this channel.
Buy the guitar here - bit.ly/2opxf34
![[TH] 2024 PMSL SEA W2D1 | Fall | ต่อเนื่อง ในสัปดาห์สอง](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ElcO9uC_Dbk/mqdefault.jpg)
I noticed you didnt sand, polish and round the frets. On my benton 12 string i changed out the tuners to mini grovers, black to match the body and tuning head. Swapped the nutt to graphite, swapped the bridge to bone and the string pins to brass. Had a local pro do the fretwork, put a hummingbird style scratch plate on her. Total cost of guitar+ shipping + swapped parts and set up was about only $400 and she plays amazing with zero tuning issues. I did learn one thing from you here. I always lowered the action by filing deaper groves in the bridge. Never occurred to me to remove it and just file the entire bridge at one from the underside. So i feel like an idiot for not seeing/ doing the obvious. Lol
Great video!! I bought a HB black paisley Telly a couple of years back.. it came with the Daddario strings.. the first thing I did was change to locking tuners, lowered the action , set the intonation, and filed the fret ends and gave them a good polish… It came with Seymour Duncan pick ups .. this thing plays good if not better than my Fender Telly!! HB really are a great instrument
Your videos are well edited; you feature important concepts and then skip over doing the same thing to the other 5 strings. Thanks!
You're welcome Tim. Welcome to the channel. All my videos are pretty much as efficient
Hi, I just got my hands on an Hb st acoustic from the deko section. My action is also really high after the 12th. You’re video helped me a lot can’t wait to get started on mine to adjust the height of the action. Thanks a mil!
If your action is only high after the 12th you ought to check the bow angle, and potentially adjust the truss rod.
Got one of these guitars. Would not recommend.
The piece of metal you found underneath the bridge appears to have been replaced with a snapped piece of wood, which I can't remove. The bridge itself was nearly impossible to remove without tools, completely removing the strings, and a lot of effort, and it was cracked where the G string was over it. The action was much too high (as expected). The bridge pins were driven in so far that they were impossible to remove. The high E tuning head is loose when there's not a string attached which isn't great, and snapped a string while tuning.
I've drilled out the bridge pins (and drilled some 2mm holes for the strings to go through instead), replaced the bridge with a bone one, polished the machine heads with some jewellery finishing papers, oiled the fretboard, replaced the strings, filled in the screw hole for the loose machine head to get a better registration with the screw, and polished the frets.
I'm currently trying to figure out how to replace the nut too - it seems glued in.
I’m a newbie to acoustic,played electric for a very long time,your video pretty much ironed out a few things for me.
Cheers man (got my first acoustic later next week)
Oh wow! That’s fantastic news!
@@TheGuitarGeek thanks man,got myself a Epiphone Dove ,actually close to ordering a HB custom line Superior Evs,but 2nd hand value is a factor as well.
Got a few HB electrics,great bang for the buck
Yet another great video GuitarGeek! While I won't be purchasing one of these guitars, you have given great information that can be used on any guitar.
thanks Bill. Great guitars for the money but any cheap acoustic will benefit from a little bit of love.
Thanks for your great video, luckily I saw it before getting the guitar. When I received my D120, I checked under the bridge to see if I could find something and there was a piece of wood raising the bridge so much that the action was horribly high. I took it out and sanded it a bit too. Everything went back to normal with the guitar being much easier to play. I also dumped the stock strings as they also were terrible. It felt like Harley Benton did it on purpose just to sabotage their entry level guitar.
A LOT of Guitars have spacers under the Bridge Saddle. Some people like their bridge high, that's why it's there - easier to lower your strings if you like it that way; not so much sanding on the saddle ..
Yup
I just bought this guitar model and came across your video!
incredible how you grown up in making videos.
don’t get me wrong, this is a good video as well and I got all informations I was hoping to get, but your videos today are so much more entertaining and funny.
btw: do you still play it? the quality for the price is still great. string hight is still an issue and one of my machine heads is slipping a bit.
The peice of metal under the saddle is put there in case you want to put a piezo pick up in. This then means your saddle shouldn’t need adjusted. It’s surprising to see it in a budget guitar
These were definitely shims to aid setup but you could use these in conjunction with a piezo!
Seriously isnt this madness? Its like building a house on stilts just in case you want to put a garage under your house in the future. Its putting the cart before the horse. Ok I've run out of metaphors.
@@redmed10 lol
budget guitar but really nice in sound
That was like the third guitar inspected y "Jack". I believe my sons guitar was also inspected by the same guy, "Jack"must be a very busy guy!
Very very busy guy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy !
That's as bad as" Early to bed Early to rise makes your girl go with other guys"
My guitar too
You don't know Jack.
Jack's a Chinese guy.
That Harley Benton looks better than my Guild and is in better shape than my Guild
you must have an awful guild then...
Jack forgot to tune it ,,,, 😂🖒✌
What would you recommend for a beginner, never played a guitar.
I enjoyed the video and have been researching starter guitars and proper set-up.
Rogue from musician's friend. Fifty dollar area. Setup new strings needed very likely. If saddle not compensated drop one in. But if beginner and not leaving 5th fret and higher no comp saddle will be ok for a bit or longer if u don't mind. I play one in videos.... Tuikun02. Good luck and enjoy playing! Rather old videos and shot with crappy stuff but that's ok by me
1:35 It was inspected by Jack the Riffer.
BTW, when you sanded the bridge, you didn't measure the distance between the string and the 1st fret. I'm wondering why. Another video said it should be about 2 mm. (.079" for you Yankees) Do you agree? I have a set of feeler gauges.
I wasn’t trying to get the intonation better, just trying to make it easier to play for some beginners
Good job! I had the frets aligned and used Daddario strings - sounds really nice!
What strings did you use ? Like what sort of gauge
Daddario EZ890@@manueldez7310
the way he's done the 'string lock' is the way every pro guitarist I know including myself uses and is the best way to wind on a string. And why wouldn't you when you can?
Are you by any chance *THE* Eddie Walker ... the same Eddie Walker who played with John James in Carolina Shout ?
@@murrmac I AM .....
Im guessing the peice of metal is there so they can use the same saddles as their Piezo loaded cutaway guitars. That way they can all be made the same way and the peices of metal just fill the gap. Terrible idea lol but it makes sense from a cost/labor perspective.
Nice video! With this review, Katana´s and Mustang´s video, I´m subscribed. I love the honest and depth reviews, especially with these low budget things. Keep going, you are doing an awesome job.
Greetings from Spain.
Thank you. I will always be honest and I'll never sell out. I will take money if people offer it but it will always be an honest review!
a very informative and educational video thank you.
Theres really no need to lock the strings. if you just make sure the winds go under the previous ones the tension will lock it in place all by itself.
I'm afraid that's not true. There's more chance of slippage without locking them. Also, why not lock them?
TheGuitarGeek I have tried it both and I noticed no difference in the time that my guitars stay in tune. both ways it stays in tune for weeks. Secondly I find the whole process a hassle and I really don't like the way it looks. winding the windings under each other looks much cleaner. and I think we can all agree you want you guitar looking the best it can :)
Actually I prefer function over form. If the winding strings under works for you then that's excellent. Your hardware may be excellent but for those players whose guitars don't feature quality hardware, the string locking method is far safer. That being said, each to their own and when you find a method that works for you, go for it!
than change the tuning machines for locking ones
TheGuitarGeek I had a chat to one of the head luthiers from Taylor when they were over in Scotland and I got a chance to have my acoustic overhauled. He said he always used the tension method rather than locking. I’ve inadvertently been doing that for 30 years (it was just the way I learned) and never had an issue. But for some folks it works, both are good.
Bravo, Video precise and complete, it is only the assembly of the strings that I do differently
Dude! 10:22 your taking that saddle out all wrong. Put a capo on it and take the pegs out than slide your saddle out. That made me cringe!! Take your time. And put that drill away.
Sounds great..Prolly the best acoustic for the price.
th-cam.com/video/-xKDcwTrWZM/w-d-xo.html
Could I get tabs for the song at 9:41?
Good video on acoustic setups. Well done!!
you can also use drylube on the nut, 1 drop pro string & it stays white !
thanks!
That is a very nice presentation of the HB, thanks...
11:42 Why is the detour on the bridge under the B string necessary? What make a B string need to be 1 mm longer?
So why oh why do they make the action so high in the first place and therefore almost impossible to play especially for beginners. And sticking a bit of metal under the already too high bridge seems the height of madness. No wonder so many beginners find the guitar too hard to play and give up. Seriously, am i the only one who thinks this?
A player's preferences are so varied as to action that 90% of the time they just leave it high and let the player adjust it down. If you are a beginner, part of learning the guitar is how it works and how to maintain and set it up. It's not really that difficult once you learn it. Every guitar style has a different "factory setup" so there's a lot to learn it you have multiple guitars. But that's part of the journey. Also, you can have Thomann set it up for you before it ships. But if you don't know your preferred settings, just tell them to set it as low as possible without buzzing. Hope that helps.
I like the way you respond to so many comments. That is nice of you.
As for the guitar I would have left it as factory because it's decent enough.
I would setup/improve it after the owner has been playing for a few months at least, so they can feel and hear the difference.
At which point I'd go to the effort of doing more like changing saddle and nut to bone, fret level if needed etc.
Btw why are you changing the strings to another set of Harley Benton strings?
Good video! I looked very good. What do you think of Jimmy Hendrix? If you like my guitar and harmonica you will be happy.
Whoa! Harley Benton has really affordable yet good quality guitars!
i bought thi guitar some days ago,i'm a beginner i played bass guitar for some years,very nice instrument,i changed the string,i buyed d'addario ej10 and i polished the bridge too,it seems to me the string are too much stretched,now a little better but maybe it's right so....anyway it's a nice sound!
There tuners on those aren't the best and I did replace those together with all the plastic bits and changed those with bone and with a little bit of setup. All in all with 50 euro worth of upgrades its a really nice guitar!
Worth buying a Esteban guitar for 35$? Maybe I can upgrade it in some way?
Sure, why not!
It's worth buying a case of beer for 35$ and that's just for drinking over a few days, a 35$ guitar will outlast a case of beer I'm sure.
Nice video thank you. Just one help for your "how many hands I have for video and work" problem: tripod!
Save the knots for fishing line. Do you ever get tired of wrestling those strings off the peg head? Just put more winds on the pegs.
that looks a lot like a Mitchell MD100S. I wonder if they're made in the same factory
Why are you trying to look at the action height by fretting the 20th fret, the relief in the neck will only ever start at the 10th or 11th fret on acoustics to allow for the massive neck heel joint?
Happy thanksgiving everyone peace on earth to all of you philimayA
Really good vídeo, thanks. Some questions: didn't you found any problem with the frets in any position after reduce the Bridge? And what is now the action of strings in 12th fret? When you lower the height of the bridge, don't you have to reduce the top of the guitar too? (the small piece of plastic where you put pencil graffite, -sorry i'm spanish and I don't know the correct Word) . Thanks for your time.
Hi Daniel, Sorry for the late response. The word you're looking for is nut.
I didn't do a FULL setup on this guitar as it would honestly need the fret levelling.
Thomann and Harley Benton set the saddle purposefully high so that there is almost no chance of the guitar buzzing on the frets. The guitar is amazingly cheap and getting returns because of buzzes would just push the price up. I understand that to avoid that, they make the guitar a little less playable. I would guess that most players would stay with open chords at first so anything up near the 12th fret would not be important.
Hello! Does anyone know why the Author put this graphite sand from the pencil to the neck bridge? And why change the strings if the stock strings were also Harley Benton?
I've had almost the same guitar, but a folk version. Unfortunately, the level of strings near 1st treat is too high and I don't have special files for cutting deeper.
Why was there a truss Rod adjuster key provided ? I couldn’t see how/where it could be used.
Check the heel end of the neck in the sound hole
hey, great video, thank you! Would you recommend replacing the plastic nut and sattle inlay with bone ones? or does it make any difference with a cheap guitar like this?
I would say that it’s probably worth investing in a more professional guitar than polling money into this one
Looks and sounds like a nice guitar, action looks good also, how much did you pay?
It was €57 I think. definitely under 60. Great guitar for the money.
Wouldn’t recommend bothering to check the intonation?
Did I miss the price which should have been at right at the start what's the object if you don't know the price
The price changes. Check the link in the video description
nice box
Thanks for the tips
You're welcome!
I'm just doing my initial research to see if this is a hobby I would like to get into but do you have to do this for every kind of guitar I might get?
No certainly not. I just like to optimise things. I hope you give guitar a chance. It’s a great hobby
The does look good. Thanks for sharing. Where you the man from Thoman in 2017?
No, I started working with thomann in 2018
TheGuitarGeek I am considering buying one of these guitars. Have you encountered any major fret problems with any of the Harley Bentons?
Donald Music I've found the bridges to be a little high but the frets were acceptable
TheGuitarGeek what is the song name in 17:50?
Cannot imagine wanting higher action than necessary. Esp steel guitar. Left hand bleeding! Most buzzing from proper low action is over playing with right hand. Not imprecise fretting. IMHO.
I can't stand people destroying perfectly good strings. Support your local buskers or beginners or landfill.
These were not perfectly good strings, they stretch and don’t stay in tune and they were already rusted. As a busker - I would never accept crappy strings and rely on good quality to avoid breakage and ensure a smooth playing experience. Beginners also deserve the best so that they are not discouraged by bad equipment.
@@TheGuitarGeek I get what you're saying, maybe it's some of the poverty I've seen that makes me think any strings are better than no strings. How lucky we are to be able to debate this eh. Best wishes etc
@@juanzero5398 very lucky indeed. Take it to poverty level and yes, we can agree there
Was the "Ring of Fire" by the Man in Black at the very end?
Yes
Seems good guitar!
Why do you put graphite under the top 3 strings? Also is it easy to lower the upper bridge? It seems the bottem bridge is just taking it out and rub it with sandpaper?
For lubrication. The nut works the same as the bridge but you need to know what you're doing
Fastest anwser I ever had, great! Thank you for helping us new comers out! I will remember the graphite trick next time I will replace strings. I will not try to sandpaper the bridges myself then.
No worries. Check out my mustang series. That may help
Will do!
Thanks for Sharing your knowledge
You are welcome!
I am surprised you did not adjust the neck relief first, what is the logic?
It didn’t need to be adjusted
I've been considering ordering a Harley Benton guitar... I would like to try a 7-string but would hate to spend a lot then not get on with it - but then I wonder if I am setting myself up for disappointment by going the cheaper route? The shipping from Germany to the USA runs about $32, roughly, depending on the exchange rate at the time.
Hey Tony. I would never 100% recommend a guitar without you playing it first. That being said, risks can be fun!
I have a Yamaha f310, but the action is too damn high. Should I get it set up? Or is it not worth one
Totally depends on your needs. Try loosening the strings and lifting out the saddle to see if there is anything underneath it that can be taken out. A little bit of careful trial and error could save you some money
Thanks for the quick lesson
You’re welcome!
Are you experienced ?
If not, do not try this at home.
you could end up with a broom & you would have to take it to your local guitar shop, pay the set up, plus another bridge & a new set of guitar strings.
My favourite hendrix album! I disagree. Many people have reported that they successfully improved their guitar
Loosening the strings, removing the saddle & sanding it down is not difficult at all... Take yr time and there's no problems. Done it on 2 guitars and I'm far from an expert. A full set up is different i wouldn't try that.
Love the quick bit of Good Riddance by Green-day
The guitar is shipped from Frankfurt, Germany.
one question.. why do you put a bend in the string before you put it in.... I personally never do that, because i think the bend should come naturally when it's perfectly in place.. so maybe you put an extra bend on it.. (I'm talking about at the bridge end)
Also i don't think you should have to put the string under at the tuning machine to lock it.. There is simply no reason for it (In my opinion, i'm no expert but i've played guitar for a long time, acoustic and electric, and in best case scenario, it does nothing better, possibly might make it a bit easier to break a string)
Maybe one of the methods suits one better than other.. but in my opinion.. that is not the case.. and i don't break strings usually, unless the strings are old.. and i have played everything from acoustic slow stuff, to metal.. and i honestly think how you put the strings in, has a lot to do with if they will break or not.. but.. hey.. here's my opinion..
great video though! definitely subscribe
It's all to do with tuning stability. Welcome to the channel
Bending the string before you put it into the hole at the bridge insures that the ball end will sit under the bridge-plate and will be locked into place by the bridge pin. If you do not bend the end of the string you will sometimes have the end of the bridge pin sit on top of the ball end and the pin will lift as you tighten it.
@@TheGuitarGeek another way to ensure tuning stability is:
1. Push the ball end into the saddle hole.
2. Insert the pin, but don't push it in all the way.
3. Holding the pin down with one hand, pull up the string till it doesn't move anymore. At this stage, the ball end would be tight up against the underside of the saddle but won't pop out of the hole as it is stopped by the pin being held down firmly.
4. While maintaining tension on the string, jamm the pin down all the way.
5. Wind the string with the machine head till it's in tune.
The string will bend at the pin naturally, at the best point.
Now, two questions:
1. Is the soundboard solid or laminated?
2. Does this guitar have an adjustable truss rod?
3. If it does have one, wouldn't it be simpler to adjust the action by tightening it?
Great video, btw. Thanks!
Is it better than cort ad810?... please reply
This one also electric. The quality of workmanship is equal and the fine binding is much better on the Harley Benton. I have played both and I own the Harley Benton.
@ddavel5441 Gezzzzz....You are WRONG ! Do some research before you post this crap.
you can listen here th-cam.com/video/-xKDcwTrWZM/w-d-xo.html
18 min video about lowering bridge only? You even not check frets nor neck. Base, after factory setup near me is ~ 36 GBP. I did it even on guitar worth little over twice of this price (£119) and it was good decision.
Congrats on your good decision. You should make more of them
It some grohta tuners on from Stewards
thanks
You’re very welcome
The packaging looks terible mine in shipment right now let’s hope evrything goes well
Great video!! Thank you*
You're welcome
Damn fine guitar for a cheap one! Geezus
string your guitars like you please and don't tell others how you do it wrong. some will follow and scratch up their guitar top
Looks nice. How much is that in US dollars?
GIYF
@@TheGuitarGeek I hadn't heard this acronym before, and concluded it meant "google it, you fuck". But then I googled it and now I know better.
How cheap is it ?
About 75 euros... sorry, it has no cutaway. Then about 65 euros
Looks same like my Daimond D3910
It could be!
Hi. My guitar just arrived. I see it wasn't inspected. And I have a QC2 pass sticker. What does it mean? :)
Quality Control Checked twice during construction. Passed both times.
It means Jack had the day off!
Harley benton top
Lol its not rosewood, they cant send rosewood abroad legally so they use Rosacer(heat treated maple) for this model as well as other "new" wood solutions on their other models.
This was before CITES...
@@TheGuitarGeek That it was, who's laughing now d ;
8:45 what’s this song please?
Salut il faut absolument limé le selle du chevalet j'ai enlevé environ 1,5mm d'épaisseur sur le selle du chevalet car les cordes dessus était vraiment très haute maintenant c'est beaucoup mieux depuis que j'ai limé le selle du chevalet c'est même Thomann guitare qui m'a envoyé un message pour me dire que je dois faire quelques modifications dessus changer les cordes dessus par des cordes de meilleure qualité j'ai acheté un nouveau jeu de cordes Martin's en phosphore bronze elle ont Un meilleures son maintenant j'ai été très étonnée que Thomann guitare ma conseillé de faire ça j'ai demandé si la guitare ne pert pas ça garantie ils m'ont dit que non car ce sont des choses qui peuvent être changé sans perdre la garantie de 3 ans dessus j'ai un modèle Harley Benton type DC 120CE BK LH oui je suis gaucher donc pour la couleur elle existe seulement en noir pour les guitares électro acoustique gaucher pour les guitares droitier elle existe en noir en bleu océan en couleur naturelle vernis et en sunburst aussi les guitaristes gauchers sont toujours mis de côté ce qui ne devrait plus exister de nos jours j'ai voulu acheter une guitare électro acoustique Harley Benton type HBO-850 BK mais elle existe seulement en droitier ce n'est pas normal pour moi les fabricants devrait avoir toutes sortes de machines pour gaucher et droitier voilà mon expérience avec les guitares électro acoustique Harley Benton maintenant elle sonne vraiment très bien avec son équaliseur intégrées
Doesn't the guitar have the truss rod? I've heard that the truss rod itself can adjust the height of the action of a guitar...
The truss rod is for straightening the the fingerboard. If the fingerboard is already straight, and the action is too high, you need to adjust the height of the bridge or the nut.
With or without the cutaway?
This is without the cutaway
Im in doubt when choosing this guitar with or without the cut away, whats the difference?
With the cutaway obviously you can reach higher frets easily
The sound will be different but if you need the higher fret access then you should choose that above all
What was the cost of that HB???
I think about 60 euros back then...
how much it id guitar? and it is made in china?
about 60 euros and I believe so.
nice video
Jonne Music thank you
I beileive you are not the one who has a free chinese guitar for doing this you tube review
How did you take off the saddle??
It just pops out when you release the string tension
If it's a higher quality guitar you may need to take some pliers to get it out
does it buzz while playing?
Not before the setup or after
Thx v good vid
You're very welcome
What did you pay for the guitar?
Money.
Isn't it made in Germany.
Kombiice no it's made in China
Seriously dude how can someone cut strings like that. 😭
With a REALLY sharp tool!
If I see that horrible Carlos Santana ad again I'm taking hostages....
Mine arrived but the truss rod screw won't turn in any way
I'd suggest you return it straight away.
Idk I bought it to bring it with me during holidays and I'll leave on the 13th of August... So I don't know
It’s worth a try
Could have donated the factory strings to someone.
do you recommend buying it?
Jonne Music absolutely! Even without the setup it's fantastic value for money
I've bought 7 of these in the last 12 months for beginners and have no problem recommending them.The quality for the price is really surprising.I've bought cheap SX's,Epiphones etc for more than twice the money that weren't nearly as well finished.For the price it's hard to go wrong.My only quibble,and I can only assume the chap in the video was luckier than me, is the machine heads.Any one I got had play in the machine heads,i.e. they turned a little before actually moving the string as there was too much play in the gears.A very small point, I've sourced many beginner's guitars and these are the best (and the cheapest) I've come across.No point spending any more because until you start getting into solid tops at 5 or 6 times the price there is very little difference in cheap guitars.Hope this helps.BTW I have no connection to Harley Benton, just an honest review.
Hi Robert. Thanks for contributing to my channel. Great to hear that you've also had success. I've now bought and setup about 15 of these and 14 were good or great. I received one with some pretty bad paintwork but got it refunded within 24 hours. I can't fault Thomann customer service. Some of the ones I've had also have a little play in the machine heads but nothing that I thought was worth complaining about for the price. Just like you, it was a very small point. Do you own any other HB guitars?
Thanks mate.I don't have any other HB's (apart from a black d120 on order right now) as I only bought them to sell on.I fitted passive endpin jack pickups,set them up and threw in a soft case,tuner,picks,string winder etc. Made a couple of quid but it was more of a hobby as I like working on them,and like to have guitars arriving at my door :) Meant that a beginner was getting a great deal on a properly set up guitar with pickup and extras and I was happy too. I did buy for myself a HB ACPRO 60 2 channel acoustic amp for about 180 euros.Absolutely delighted with it,great sound and volume at a fraction of the price of an AER or even a Tanglewood.Thomann definitely have great deals and the customer reviews are indepently vetted so are very helpful.I left 5 reviews myself and got 5 10 euro vouchers which I put against another d120 so it only cost me 24 euros including shipping,bargain! Enjoyed your vid,I'll check out some others now,take care
Jonne Music thank you