Open Guitar Surgery

Back in July, on a lark, I bought a guitar. I had been hearing about Harley Benton, the house brand of the German music store giant, Thomann. I pulled the trigger on a Harley Benton Fusion III T style guitar.

As I mentioned in my reviews that apart from some rough finish on the frets that made it uncomfortable to bend, it was far better quality wise than any $360 guitar I have ever held in my hands.

The only thing I didn't care for was the relatively low output pickups. Not that they sound terrible, just I prefer some oomph.

A month later, a spot bonus at work bequeathed on me $250. I agonized over whether to pull the trigger, and ultimately I did. I bought a set of EMG Retro 70’s pickups.

But they sat on my desk. I just couldn’t take the plunge. I hemmed and hawed over and over whether I was going to make the swap.

Here it is, two days left of my shutdown time off, and fuck it, time to swap.

I also noticed that the screws that hold the back plate on were stripped out in the wood1. So, I am using this as an opportunity to fix that. Toothpicks, Titebond glue, and after it has set, I will trim and re-drill the screw holes.

Alas, the new pickups have a different mounting method, and I didn't want to mangle them to Rube Goldberg it, so instead I ordered a pair of low-profile Humbucker rings from Stewmac. They should be here early next week and I can finish it up.

I also ordered a better pickup selector switch. The one thing I really didn't care for from it stock was the floppy switch. It was a cheap Korean unit, and many of the long term reviewers mentioned that it did wear out.

For now, the neck is hanging on the wall without a body, the Titebond is curing, and I am looking forward to getting it back together.