Harley Benton SC Guitar Kit - MOD Ep 10

Welcome to the Next Project!
This is the tenth installment of a rather large modification project. In this episode, I'll be continuing the modification process of the Thomann/Harley Benton SC Guitar Kit.

0:05 - project intro
0:34 - template time
1:40 - ready the neck
2:13 - binding channel rout
2:59 - neck binding removal
4:35 - headstock binding installation
8:11 - oops! neck binding lost footage
8:30 - peghead prep

There are many ways, and many tools that can be used for what is shown in this video... I'm not claiming to say this is the best way, just something I'm testing and learning from.
I have a couple attachments such as a little add-on piece for a dremel tool that can be used for this type of binding. Also have a bearing style guide for my medium size router... both options work and have their strengths and weaknesses.
The method I use here, while a bit more involved upfront, seems to give me a better finished rout to add the binding to. The other ways and tools do work...

I have a pile of old templates, and I often go back to those templates for additional uses, such as this binding project. I re-use the headstock pattern template to create another template to cut the binding channel.
As for the new template, there are actually 2 templates that I make. I single-side, which gets flipped side-to-side, and a crown template that does the wavy end of the headstock.
Not exactly and easy process, and one requiring some patience.
I drank half a pot of patience earlier in the day, I was good-to-go!

To do the routing, I used a trim, or palm router. These are a mid-size tool, rather affordable and can be used for a number of things. The bit I used was a top bearing spiral bit, which is made for cutting hinge pockets in doors and door frames - works good for guitar stuff too!

The frets had been removed, and that is shown in a different video:
   • Neck Re-Fret - the Next Project  

I then removed the neck binding, which the order of fret removal and neck binding removal could/should have been before the headstock work... I was trying to talk myself out of those steps, but the binding color really pushed me to just do the entire job. In the end, it was a good choice to do the extra work. The binding matches throughout and I was able to fine tune the fingerboard and install frets of the size and shape I like. All good stuff.

Gluing the new headstock binding in place was a pretty straight-forward task. Similar to how I did the body binding, I pre-laminated about 2 feet of the 3-ply binding material, then heated and glued all the pieces as I trimmed them to size. Minimal tools were used, a single-edge razor blade, a wide chisel (should be sharp), some small snips and a heat gun.
Hot/boiling water or a good hairdryer could also be used to help soften the binding and make it more pliable, but in general, the contours were soft and didn't need much contouring.

After the binding was glued in, using CA (superglue), I cut and scrapped all the binding down to size and moved on to locating the tuner holes.
Back to the headstock templates again! I used one of the old templates as a guide to help me locate the drilling points for the tuner holes. This could be done with a simple paper template, but I had the MDF templates on hand.
I drilled a small pilot hole, followed by a Brad-Point bit to get the tuner holes to 99% of their final size. Unfortunately, I don't have Brad-Point bit that is the exact size, so I had to slightly enlarge all the holes using a standard spiral bit. Caution and a SHARP bit need to be used, as the veneer and headstock are prone to tearout at the tuner holes. Go slow.

An initial installation of the new tuners and locating the mounting screw holes followed. Take your time to get the tuners aligned exactly how you want them before drilling the mounting holes. It will be very noticeable if they are not balance evenly... I always struggle with this simple task, so the extra time taken results in a good visual end.

Please be sure to Ring the Bell and Subscribe so you are notified when the Build Video drops, and leave a comment. I greatly appreciate feedback.

I probably should state the obvious, so here it goes. There is no good reason to do any of the things you will witness in this video.

I hope you enjoy the video, and stay tuned for SC Kit mod videos - Coming Soon!

NOTE: This is for entertainment, this is not a training video in any way, unless you are looking for the wrong way to do most things.
Enjoy at your own risk. Cheers!

#diykitchallenge22 #diykitchallenge #harleybenton