Is it worth upgrading a bargain basement guitar?

[JamesE]

I'm a happy owner of a Harley Benton HB35+. I've had it 3 months and even played my first gig with it on Saturday. Before buying, I'd watched several "review" videos, but now I've noticed there are also lots of "upgrade" videos. Why? What is the point of buying the cheapest guitar, and then spending a lot more money swapping the pickups/tuners/pots etc. Why not just buy a better guitar in the first place? For double the price of the Harley Benton you can have an Epiphone casino. AND you get the kudos of the Beatles connection. (Not to mention many many great guitarists who've also used them.)

IMHO my playing isn't good enough to justify a real Gibson, but is the Harley Benton really as good as so many "reviewers" say? I know there are people here who can appreciate the subtleties of swapping ceramics for alnico, but I'm asking about staring with a really cheap instrument.

 

[DJGranite]

It's a personal decision.
If you are happy with the guitar as it is, well, if it ain't broken don't fix it.

If you find you like the sound of some different pickups etc then maybe it might be time to explore some changes.

 

[StratUp]

If the parts work well, I leave as is. We see the same thing with slightly more expensive guitars too "I ripped out all the chinese controls and re-wired with CTS". OK, but I'm guessing you really didn't need to.

I tend to upgrade what needs it. Sloppy tuners? Change them. Cheap, poorly cut nut? OK. But no changes for the sake of changes - for me.

But a lot of people use the lower price guitar as a "mod platform" just to get a solid base. Then they build exactly what they want. Or they use it to experiment. It's all good.

 

[Intune]

At the gig what did the audience say about the guitar? I’m guessing not much, if anything at all. If it sounds good is really all that matters to them. So really there’s no real answer to “is it worth upgrading”. That’s up to you, the player. I mean dumping $800 into a $129 guitar may sound silly but I’m sure there’s plenty of people that have done it. Sure it probably felt or sounded like a good idea but street value/worth and is it worth it to you are two different things.

 

[apm1991]

One thing I love about a good, cheap guitar for gigging.... when (not IF) it falls, it doesn't break your heart so much

 

[Miotch]

$200 guitar + $800 worth of mods = $200 guitar with $800 worth of mods.

I agree with @StratUp on this one. Yes, I'll replace a nut, tuners if they don't keep tune, the pots if they crackle. But I'm not going to dump a bunch of money in a bargain guitar. I'll apply elbow grease to fix it as best it can be, but I'm not buying $200 worth of pickups for it. Now, if it's parts I already have lying around, I may experiment a bit.

 

[rocknrollrich]

It's only worth it to the person doing it. You will never get your money back, but if you are ok with that, then make yourself happy.

 

[Mr Dunlop]

You have owned the guitar for 3 months now and should be able to make your own opinion if the guitar needs to be upgraded or not.

 

[joebtone]

I'm a happy owner of a Harley Benton HB35+. I've had it 3 months and even played my first gig with it on Saturday. Before buying, I'd watched several "review" videos, but now I've noticed there are also lots of "upgrade" videos. Why? What is the point of buying the cheapest guitar, and then spending a lot more money swapping the pickups/tuners/pots etc. Why not just buy a better guitar in the first place? For double the price of the Harley Benton you can have an Epiphone casino. AND you get the kudos of the Beatles connection. (Not to mention many many great guitarists who've also used them.)

IMHO my playing isn't good enough to justify a real Gibson, but is the Harley Benton really as good as so many "reviewers" say? I know there are people here who can appreciate the subtleties of swapping ceramics for alnico, but I'm asking about staring with a really cheap instrument.

Make sure you has the best setup on it for you…before you get rash about mods.
The experience of modding cheap guitars has been helpful for me but, if I had just put the money on account until I could buy some more upper end equipment it may have been more beneficial.
Not too many more regrets though, I’m comfortable working on screw together guitars now…it’s a fun thing.

 

[Lonn]

MHO my playing isn't good enough to justify a real Gibson, but is the Harley Benton really as good as so many "reviewers" say? I know there are people here who can appreciate the subtleties of swapping ceramics for alnico, but I'm asking about staring with a really cheap instrument.

As noted, only you can answer that for your guitar. Every guitar off the assembly line isn't the same even though they should be. I have 8 guitars including USA Fender and Gibson. I could say my Harley Benton Fusion III is the best guitar I own and wouldn't be lying, it's every bit as good at the USA guitars.

 

[unionjack515]

As an experiment, or for bettering your guitar tech skills, then absolutely. If you’re hoping/expecting to turn the Harley Benton into a guitar that equals a good Epiphone or a good Gibson, I wouldn’t count on it. BUT you will be able to source all the parts necessary and still be ahead on total cost when you include the price of the guitar. I’ve tried this experiment with a few guitars and it just doesn’t work out feel-wise—close but no cigar, even after lots of hours of fretwork, rounding the fretboard edges, etc. The easy way out is to call it “the intangibles” but it’s really not—the feel of the neck (and the rest of the guitar) is essentially the definition of tangible.

 

[GrooVey]

my playing isn't good enough to justify a real Gibson,

I don't buy nice guitars because I play really well. Nice guitars help my playing. The feel, the action, the sound. The look. Harley Benton makes some very attractive guitars btw.

Post a pic and let us see it please.

 

[GrooVey]

If I really liked the Harley Benton, and if I thought it needed an improvement somewhere, I'd probably do it. But I wouldn't throw a ton of money at it.

 

[Butcher of Strats]

If I like a $200 guitar enough to buy it, I cant really say its not worth tweaking it to suit me better.
But I have not liked a $200 guitar that much in decades.
Pickups are almost like strings, you prefer a gauge and a general pickup voicing.
I do not choose a guitar for the pickups, any more than for the strings.

If I think a guitar needs every part besides body and neck "upgraded"?
THEN, its the wrong guitar.
Or its a partscaster assembled by a nutcase?

 

[Audiowonderland]

If I really liked the Harley Benton, and if I thought it needed an improvement somewhere, I'd probably do it. But I wouldn't throw a ton of money at it.

You don't need to either. I upgraded the bridge, pickups and electronics on my CV Strat for under $100. I spent many times that updating a Highway 1 strat

 

[drp146]

I'm a happy owner of a Harley Benton HB35+. I've had it 3 months and even played my first gig with it on Saturday. Before buying, I'd watched several "review" videos, but now I've noticed there are also lots of "upgrade" videos. Why? What is the point of buying the cheapest guitar, and then spending a lot more money swapping the pickups/tuners/pots etc. Why not just buy a better guitar in the first place? For double the price of the Harley Benton you can have an Epiphone casino. AND you get the kudos of the Beatles connection. (Not to mention many many great guitarists who've also used them.)

IMHO my playing isn't good enough to justify a real Gibson, but is the Harley Benton really as good as so many "reviewers" say? I know there are people here who can appreciate the subtleties of swapping ceramics for alnico, but I'm asking about staring with a really cheap instrument.

I guess I'd rather buy the better guitar, as long as I thought it was worth it.

 

[oatsoda]

It’s not worth it in terms of the money, but it is worth it considering the experience you gain in figuring out how things work, or don’t work.

First time I tried to save a few bucks by installing my own car stereo, I fried the stereo, and the wiper motor. Oops. Yeah, I really am that gifted, but I learned how not to do it.

 

[RXMoore]

From a financial point of view, absolutely not. From the standpoint of personal enjoyment and/or education, without question, at least for me. I build and rebuild guitars for the fun of it. I've never poured a ton of money into a cheap guitar, but the imported parts and pickups can be surprisingly good. And I haven't sold any of them yet (I've given a couple away to young relatives), so I've never been concerned about resale value. Only you can decide if upgrading your HB is good move, but if you enter into it in the right frame of mind, it can be really rewarding, and you can easily end up with a much better guitar.

 

[Stratoskater]

Some folks like to mod and work on guitars. I don’t so I buy exactly what I want vs. going cheaper and upgrading.

 

[jvin248]

.

After modding and repairing and flipping guitars for years now, the import guitars today are the best they have ever been and even rival top brands.

The valuable mods, if the guitar needs them:
-Fret level, crown, polish
-Pots, switch, jack.
-Set up the pickups for best tone.

All the rest are a waste of time and cash, swapped out for marketing myths that convince the unwary to spend needless money.

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