The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hello!
    I just wanted to share with You some of my thoughts and experience with very low budget semi hollow guitar. So at some point I started to be more and more interrested in jazzy style playing and my Ibanez with floating tremolo was not really "the tool" to dive into this kind of music. However that is generally great guitar, so I didn't want to get rid of it and buy inexpensive semi hollow as a second guitar instead. I was lucky to find barely used Harley Benton HB-1335 for about 150 Euro just in my neighbourhood. The plan was to play for a while and then go for something better. However over time this guitar became my modding platform. Basic part of the guitar I find pretty decent - neck feels very nice in hand and tuning is maintained along the fretboard. Only flaw that I found is a finnish quality on the f-holes. I have to fix it somehow. Another nice point is size of the body - something between 335 and 339 dimension.

    Mods done so far:
    -pickups replaced with potted Ibanez INF1 and INF2, that I took out from Ibanez. Dark sound which was the problem in strat works great here.
    -pickguard with tortoise shell style
    -DIY headstock inlay and chrome truss rod cover
    -tailpiece was changed to Ibanez qucik change
    -another accent from Ibanez are sure grip kobs, just because I like it
    -strings: D'Addario Half Rounds 11-49

    Future plans:
    -really interresting project ahead. The plan is to make big wooden pickguard like in Ibanez AS103. I have ordered maple and rosewood veneers to make it multilayered
    -Graph Tech nut
    -better bridge, I am thinking about Gibraltar 3
    -better tuners
    -fixing the edges of f holes - Any ideas, what would be the best method?

    So this guitar is quite of a contrast to all wonderfull expensive instruments, that You present here, but I was wondering if You have similar experiences with modding cheap guitars? What else could I consider to do to improve it?
    Some visuals below.

    Semi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335-1-jpgSemi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335-2-jpgSemi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335-3-jpgSemi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335-4-jpg
    Last edited by slusar; 09-17-2019 at 06:42 PM.

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  3. #2

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    How are the frets? Well levelled and crowned? Are the ends well shaped? Could you roll the edges of the fretboard for that worn in feel? Those things make a guitar much more playable.

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by neilspeers
    How are the frets? Well levelled and crowned? Are the ends well shaped? Could you roll the edges of the fretboard for that worn in feel? Those things make a guitar much more playable.
    I didn't know about that fretboard edges rolling. Seems like a nice idea and I think I'd be able to do it. Thank You I was checking leveling of the frets with dedicated ruler and it looks all good.
    Subjectively ends also feel OK, but is there any way to check it more precisely?

  5. #4

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    I think if the fret ends feel fine, you don't need to do anything with them.
    Masking the neck and polishing the frets might be something to consider the next time you do a string change.

    Also "hydrating" the fretboard might be advisable. I'm not sure which products are the most typically chosen for treating the fretboards these days. There are many products and always thousands of opinions.


    What amp are you using?

    Have you considered trying flat wound strings?
    Possibly some of these.
    Semi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335-thomastik-infeld-thomastik-jazz-swing-js111-11-47-jpg

    BTW...My wife is from Poland and I have been to your beautiful country three times.
    Have you listened to the late Tadeusz Nalepa's compositions/playing? I have a few of his CD's.

    Cheers

    Dave

  6. #5

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    Cosmetically it looks great. But in that regard, what *I* would change is: black pickup rings, a plain black guard, and a black toggle tip. Then while you're at it, bacl hardware (tail, bridge, guard bracket, tuners, strap buttons. Just my own taste

    And if you want a "woodier" sound, try putting a wooden saddle on the bridge posts. I've done that on 335-style guitars and it works great.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greco
    I think if the fret ends feel fine, you don't need to do anything with them.
    Masking the neck and polishing the frets might be something to consider the next time you do a string change.

    Also "hydrating" the fretboard might be advisable. I'm not sure which products are the most typically chosen for treating the fretboards these days. There are many products and always thousands of opinions.


    What amp are you using?

    Have you considered trying flat wound strings?
    Possibly some of these.


    BTW...My wife is from Poland and I have been to your beautiful country three times.
    Have you listened to the late Tadeusz Nalepa's compositions/playing? I have a few of his CD's.

    Cheers

    Dave
    Good idea with the fretboard treatment. Actually I am not using an amp. I play just at home, so I use headphones. Role of an amp is served by my DIY Fender Blackface emulaion pedal and then it goes through cab simulation in Digitech processor. Thanks a lot for kind words about Poland, I fully agree. I visited Canada this year and I also liked it a lot, beautifull places.
    Currently I am using half round strings for the first time and they feel really nice but trying flat wound for the next change could be nice idea. That new albums of Nalepa, that You mentioned are going straight to my playlist on Spotify

    Quote Originally Posted by Woody Sound
    Cosmetically it looks great. But in that regard, what *I* would change is: black pickup rings, a plain black guard, and a black toggle tip. Then while you're at it, bacl hardware (tail, bridge, guard bracket, tuners, strap buttons. Just my own taste

    And if you want a "woodier" sound, try putting a wooden saddle on the bridge posts. I've done that on 335-style guitars and it works great.
    Actually I just changed that elements from black to another color but as You mentioned it's very subjective. That wooden saddles are available on the market or I have to make them from scratch? Maybe full wooden bridge could be also nice idea.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greco
    In addition, I apologize if you are fully aware of polishing frets and 'hydrating' the fingerboard.
    Tottally no need to apologize. Actually I didn't think about this before, so thanks for the idea! Semi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335



    Wys?ane z mojego ANE-LX1 przy u?yciu Tapatalka

  9. #8

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    Hi again, I have just finnished fixing of bottom f-hole. First plan was to just polish the edge and lacquer it. However naked wood structure was not so nice. Therefore I decided to paint it black. Below a picture showing before-after look. Next point will be to finnish second f-hole and then start working on a wooden pickguard.
    Attached Images Attached Images Semi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335-1-jpg Semi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335-3-jpg 
    Last edited by slusar; 10-10-2019 at 05:31 AM.

  10. #9

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    Hi guys,
    Moving forward with modifications, I started looking at tuners for the replacement. I found on Aliexpress item, that seems to be nice set of classic Ibanez tuners (AliExpress). They look super nice and that would be another cool accent from Ibanez, however I have some doubts and maybe you have some experience here.
    - I am not sure, how much I can trust, that these are original Ibanez parts considering amount of fake products, that can be found online. Do you know, how can w tell, if the parts are original in this case?
    - If parts are original - would it be any improvement from factory mounted Harley Benton tuners?
    Thanks a lot in advance for any comments!

    BTW: Wooden pickuard is done, I will finnish fixing f-holes and then post some update photos

  11. #10

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    Like you, I would not trust online sources with what appear to offer products at unbelievable prices. A friend of mine is a guitar tech and is even finding fake Grover tuners.

    I would consider going to a respected local music store and/or reputable guitar tech and see what they can obtain for you.

    Are your present tuners slipping and resulting in unstable tuning? If your tuning is unstable, be sure to check the "nut" as it can often be the source of this type of problem.

    I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your new pickguard.

    All the best.

    Dave

  12. #11

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    I would not expect originals from the sellers on AliExpress.
    Most probobaly it is a copy, ''Ibanez - style'' etc.

    It does not mean they are bad actually. I bought quite a few thing from Ali and mostly everything was fine.
    But mostly those were regular consumer's goods.


    tuners are rather intricate macnine, looks very simple but their quality depends much on production conditions and control.

    When I needed tuners at a good price - I just searched local market of used tuners, rockers often change quite decent original tuners for upgraded lockers etc. So you can get almost new ones at half a price... but you have to check.

    Anyway... I believe that the tuners are the part that is worth to spend money once but to get good ones.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonah

    When I needed tuners at a good price - I just searched local market of used tuners, rockers often change quite decent original tuners for upgraded lockers etc. So you can get almost new ones at half a price... but you have to check.

    Anyway... I believe that the tuners are the part that is worth to spend money once but to get good ones.
    Excellent advice.

    I have even changed tuners for the cosmetics ...How vain is that!... I know, I know...LOL

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greco
    Are your present tuners slipping and resulting in unstable tuning? If your tuning is unstable, be sure to check the "nut" as it can often be the source of this type of problem.
    For sure the plan is to replace the nut together with tuners. I was thinking about the NuBone from Graph Tech.

    Quote Originally Posted by Greco
    I have even changed tuners for the cosmetics ...How vain is that!... I know, I know...LOL
    Absolutely sir I consider also using open machine heads because of this factor.

    Considering the above and also my doubts I think it would be smarter to go for some Gotoh, Grovers, etc, maybe mentioned open type would be nice. Actualy there is a lot of models even in reasonable price range.
    Thanks a lot for all the comments!

  15. #14

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    make sure the button on the cheap tuning pegs you buy are metal!!..some of the cheap made in asia tuners have plastic buttons that are made to look chromed... garbage, but very difficult to tell just from online pics

    cheers

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by neatomic
    make sure the button on the cheap tuning pegs you buy are metal!!..some of the cheap made in asia tuners have plastic buttons that are made to look chromed... garbage, but very difficult to tell just from online pics

    cheers
    This just happened to a friend of mine. The buttons deteriorated, cracked and "crumbled" in a short time.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greco
    This just happened to a friend of mine. The buttons deteriorated, cracked and "crumbled" in a short time.
    yeah they obviously go to a lot of trouble to make the cheap plastic look exactly like chromed metal...you'd think just using the real thing would be easier! hah...even close up you can be fooled...

    very common nowadays too! buyer beware...the best bargains can be the worst in the long run


    cheers

  18. #17

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    ps- and just a note to the op- modding cheap guitars can be fun..and a great way to learn about guitars...but just realize it's still a cheap guitar...and the mods will mean very little to anyone else, if and when you ever want to sell it..there is a point of no returns!! and it comes very quickly on those types of guitars! hah

    but in the meantime have fun..and learn!! that's priceless!

    cheers

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by neatomic
    ps- and just a note to the op- modding cheap guitars can be fun..and a great way to learn about guitars...but just realize it's still a cheap guitar...and the mods will mean very little to anyone else, if and when you ever want to sell it..there is a point of no returns!! and it comes very quickly on those types of guitars! hah

    but in the meantime have fun..and learn!! that's priceless!

    cheers
    Sage advice!

    100 z?oty saddle on a 10 z?oty horse...you really have to love the horse! (preferably for many years)

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greco
    Sage advice!

    100 z?oty saddle on a 10 z?oty horse...you really have to love the horse! (preferably for many years)
    Haha, it's very nicely said. I understand all the comments above and agree, but the truth is, that I don't care too much about the resale value. I always wanted to do soemthing like this with a cheap guitar, so this is actually part of the hobby. Another point is that I actually love the horse. Don't know why, but I really like playing this guitar. I think it's partially because of the body size, which I find super handy.
    Regarding that keys and examples of bad material - I think the only reasonable way is to go for well known, decent brand like Gotoh, Grover, etc and buy them in serious guitar store of course

  21. #20

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    this is great, OP! I'm a huge fan of hot rodding cheap guitars, or hot rodding in general. a mate of mine has sunk more than 1100 dollars into an ibanez art core which was his main axe until very recently.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr quick
    this is great, OP! I'm a huge fan of hot rodding cheap guitars, or hot rodding in general. a mate of mine has sunk more than 1100 dollars into an ibanez art core which was his main axe until very recently.
    Thanks!
    I can imagine how cool this Ibanez was. With 1100 bucks used I think not so much left from the original guitar, maybe just a wood. I hope I will also reach that level one day.

  23. #22

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    Pickguard finnished! Effect is not perfect, but quite satisfying considering, that I was doing most of the work for the first time. I was basing on a shape of pickuard from higher Ibanez AS models - I like this little added horn. However I've had to make it a bit smaller due to wood sheet size. Below some info if you want to try

    Supplies:

    -2mm piece of maple and 2x0.5mm pieces of rosewood for top and bottom (surely any wood will do, depends what you like)
    -Hand saw for precision cutting
    -Sandpaper 800 and file
    -Wood glue
    -Wax and cloth for polishing
    -Some carton for template

    Process:
    -Making a template using standard 335 pickguard and pictures of Ibanez pickguards
    -Gluing pieces of wood together, then place something heavy on it and leave 24h
    -Transfering template to glued wood
    -Cutting rough shape using saw
    -Finnishing precise shape using file
    -Sanding edges and front (just slightly), on the edges there was about 45degree chamfer made to emphasize bright maple envelope
    -Mounting holes drilling
    -Wax polishing (I used 4 layers)

    Generally I believe you can have any wood species combination, shape, layers, finnish, etc. I highly recommend doing this if you are into DIY stuff. This is fun and not that hard as you can see froma beginner work
    Semi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335-img_20191019_133336-jpg Semi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335-img_20191102_082326-jpg Semi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335-img_20191102_082214_burst001_cover-jpg Semi-Hollow on a budget - Harley Benton HB-1335-img_20191102_082428-jpg

  24. #23

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    Very nice work! I love trying to get cheap guitars sound and look better and booked some nice successes doing so myself ;-) (I upgraded an Ibanez AF55, built/assembled a partscaster Strat and two Teles, upgraded an Epiphone Sheraton and fit a new neck to an old Framus Sorento semi-hollow). The pickguard came out nice! Love the idea of the multiple layers! I might steal that idea for my future projects ;-)

  25. #24

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    VERY IMPRESSIVE! Congratulations.

    Thanks for the pics and the "Supplies" and "Process" information.

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Jay
    Very nice work! I love trying to get cheap guitars sound and look better and booked some nice successes doing so myself ;-) (I upgraded an Ibanez AF55, built/assembled a partscaster Strat and two Teles, upgraded an Epiphone Sheraton and fit a new neck to an old Framus Sorento semi-hollow). The pickguard came out nice! Love the idea of the multiple layers! I might steal that idea for my future projects ;-)
    Thanks! I've seen before your AF55 thread and videos, the guitar went out really cool. You are most welcome to use described idea of the pickguard. Just be sure to share some pics of the result

    Quote Originally Posted by Greco
    VERY IMPRESSIVE! Congratulations.

    Thanks for the pics and the "Supplies" and "Process" information.
    No problem at all. It's always nice to share the hobby with others