Harley Benton 280893 Bass Guitar Kit J Style User Manual
- June 15, 2024
- Harley Benton
Table of Contents
Harley Benton 280893 Bass Guitar Kit J Style User Manual
Bass Guitar Kit J-Style
Electric Bass Kit
Thomann GmbH
Hans-Thomann-Straße 1
96138 Burgebrach
Germany
Telephone: +49 (0) 9546 9223-0
Internet: www.thomann.de
05.10.2023, ID: 280893
General information
This document contains important instructions for the safe operation of the product. Read and follow the safety instructions and all other instructions. Keep the document for future reference. Make sure that it is available to all those using the product. If you sell the product to another user, be sure that they also receive this document.
Our products and documentation are subject to a process of continuous develop‐ ment. They are therefore subject to change. Please refer to the latest version of the documentation, which is ready for download under www.thomann.de.
Symbols and signal words
In this section you will find an overview of the meaning of symbols and signal words that are used in this document.
Safety instructions
DANGER!
Risk of injury and choking hazard for children!
Children can suffocate on packaging material and small parts. Children can injure themselves when handling the product.
Never allow children to play with the packaging material and the product.
Always store packaging material out of the reach of babies and small children. Always dispose of packaging material properly when it is not in use.
Never allow children to use the product without supervision.
Keep small parts away from children and make sure that the product does not shed any small parts that children could play with.
CAUTION!
Risk of cuts to the hands from sharp edges during assembly!
Tools, screws and components can have sharp edges that can cause cuts during assembly.
Pay attention to sharp edges when assembling and screwing the indi‐ vidual parts. Wear protective gloves if necessary.
Scope of delivery
Thank you for buying this electric bass guitar kit. All wooden parts, hardware and electrical components are contained in this package.
The following figure shows the individual components of the delivery.
The assembly is described in detail in the following sections.
Assembly instructions
Useful tools and materials
Provide the following tools and materials for the assembly of the bass guitar:
- Phillips screwdriver
- Rubber mallet
- Ring spanner
- Pliers
- Paint and accessories
- Needle file
- Sandpaper
It is important to paint the body and neck before assembly.
Always wear a dust mask when applying spray paint.
Cut the headstock to size
Cut the headstock to your desired shape using a suitable saw. Ensure you leave sufficient space between the cutting edge and the holes for the tuners to maintain stability. The tuners’ retaining rings should be used as a reference here.
After cutting, smooth the cutting edge with sandpaper or a suitable file.
Painting the body and neck
Painting the body
The solid wood of the bass guitar body is sealed and prepared for various types of lacquer coating. A wide variety of finishes can be procured from DIY, timber and automotive outlets in aerosol cans making finishing straightforward without requiring specialist skills.
The first step is to check the fit of the body to neck joint. These parts are machined from high-grade tone woods to ensure optimum alignment. However, wood is a natural material that changes its shape slightly over time. If the neck is too tight in the cutout on the body, you can rework the fit with a sharp chisel or sandpaper. Please keep in mind that the coating of lacquer will make the neck fit a little more tightly into the cutout.
Before coating the body, ensure that all surfaces are clean and free of dirt and dust. Carry out all painting work in a well-ventilated, dust-free environment. Considered and careful working is the key factor for ensuring a satisfactory result. It is highly recommended that you first try out the colour and technique on a different piece of wood.
Paint the body edges first and let them dry. If the edges are dry, continue with the front and back. Through layered, successive application you can achieve a uniform coating structure. If you notice surface irregularities, wait until the paint has dried completely. Correct them with fine sandpaper (e.g. 800+) before you continue painting. Apply three or more layers for full coverage.
Hang the painted body to dry in a dry, dust-free and preferably sunlight- protected area using a wire or hook in the recess for the bass guitar neck.
Wait another two to three days until the paint is fully cured. Polish or burnish the body until it meets your expectations. Take care not to buff too vigorously as this may remove the finish.
Painting the neck
The bass guitar neck is sealed with a thin layer of matt lacquer before delivery and is ready to use. If you still want to treat the neck with coloured or clear lacquer, proceed as described below.
Carefully mask off the fingerboard and all frets before painting. Make sure that all surfaces are free of dust and dirt. Carry out all painting work in a well-ventilated, dust-free environment.
For the neck, use a clear or slightly tinted wood paint of good quality. Start on the front and at the edges of the headstock. Apply a thin layer evenly, let it dry and repeat the process two or three times. If you notice surface irregularities, wait until the paint has dried completely. Correct them with fine sandpaper (e.g. 800+) before you continue painting.
Once the headstock has dried, place the neck on the fingerboard and paint the back of the neck as described.
Wait another two to three days until the paint is fully cured. Polish or burnish the neck until it meets your expectations. Take care not to buff too vigorously as this may remove the finish.
Mounting the tuners
From the front side of the headstock, insert the four sleeves for the tuners into the holes provided.
From the rear side of the headstock, insert the tuners into the holes provided. Align the tuners so that the tuning pins are vertical to the upper edge of the headstock.
As illustrated, fasten the tuners in this position with the screws provided.
Mounting the string retainer
Screw the string retainer to the front of the headstock in the holes provided next to the tuners.
Ensure the string retainer can still move freely. It will be secured by the tension of the strings.
Mounting the bass guitar neck
Place the body on a suitable working surface. Use a soft pad in order to avoid damage to the surface. Insert the neck into the neck cutout. If necessary, use a sharp chisel or sandpaper to adjust it. Be very careful when removing material. The neck should be firmly seated and under no circumstances should there be too much play in the cutout!
Turn the bass guitar over and position the neck plate over the four screw holes at the rear of the body, then screw the four wood screws provided through the neck plate, body and pilot holes in the neck until everything fits tightly.
Mounting the pickguard
First, adjust the width of the recess for the bass guitar neck on the pickguard with a needle file and/or sandpaper. Next, position the pickguard over the front of the body so that the pickups and all the wires can be seated in the correct recesses. Screw the pickguard onto the body using the screws provided as shown in the picture below.
Wiring the potentiometers, pickups and switches
The pickups, potentiometers and jack socket are wired using connectors. Push a spring onto each of the screws on the pickup. Run the pickup cable through the recess for the pickguard into the recess for the potentiometers.
Screw the neck pickup into the recess for the pickguard using the supplied screws.
As illustrated, run the cable connector for the bridge pickup from the recess for the pickup into the cable channel and as far as the recess for the potentiometer plate.
Fasten the pickup into the front recess using the screws provided.
Run the cable for earthing the strings (stripped, without connectors) through the channel in the recess for the potentiometer plate and into the hole on the front.
Pull the cable out of the hole far enough to ensure sufficient contact with the metallic surface when the bridge is installed. Earthing the strings reduces noise (humming).
Connect the connectors to the potentiometers in the following order: first, connect the front connector (starting from the recess) to the neck pickup, and then connect the rear connector to the bridge pickup.
Insert the potentiometer plate into the recess provided and screw it in place.
Mounting the bridge
Place the body on a suitable working surface. Use a soft pad in order to avoid damage to the surface.
Ensure the bridge is aligned with the pre-drilled screw holes. Attach the bridge using the supplied screws.
Mounting the strap buttons
Screw the strap buttons into the pre-drilled holes in the body as shown.
Strings, neck relief, string height and pickups
Stringing the bass guitar
The strings are threaded from the bridge towards the neck over the corresponding saddle. Wrap the string end around the tuner several times and pull each string hand-tight at first. Be sure that each string is in the correct position on the saddle and in the correct string retainer.
Then tune each string in turn to the correct pitch. You can using a tuner or a pitch pipe as a reference. Please note that the string tension will still drift and the bass guitar will need to be retuned a few times before the strings are played in.
Adjusting the neck relief
The neck is equipped with a steel truss rod that can be used to adjust the relief to your preferences.
After tuning the strings, check the relief by pressing on the low E string at the first and twelfth fret. The closer the string is to the fingerboard at the sixth fret, the more noise (buzz) will be audible when the bass guitar is played.
Adjust the neck relief using an appropriate Allen key as follows:
- Turn the truss bar clockwise to increase tension. The neck will become straighter, even convex in extreme cases. The string will be closer to the fingerboard, is easier to fret, but will buzz more during playing.
- Turn the truss bar counterclockwise to decrease tension. The neck will respond more to the string tension and become correspondingly more concave. The string will be farther from the fingerboard, be somewhat harder to fret, but will cause less or no noise during playing.
Adjust the truss bar only by about a quarter turn per setting, then retune all the strings to the correct pitch and check the neck relief again after a short time. Repeat this process until the desired neck relief is reached.
Adjusting the position of the strings
Once the neck has the desired relief, you can use the screws for each saddle to adjust the string position to suit your taste. Here, too, the lower the strings, the easier they are to fret, but they will buzz more easily when the bass guitar is played.
After adjusting string position, you can check the octaves of the bass guitar and read‐ just if necessary. Tune all the strings to the correct pitch, gently touch the first string right above the twelfth fret and then pick the string. The harmonic you hear (at the 12th fret) must be the same pitch as the picked string at the 12th fret). If the pitch of the two notes differs, adjust the saddle for this string back (tone too high) or forth (tone too low) on the bridge. Listen carefully and adjust gently until the two notes match. Alternatively, you can also adjust the octaves with a tuner. In this case, the pitch of the tone at the 12th fret must be the same as the unfretted string, but one octave higher.
Adjusting the pickups
The pickups should be set so that all the strings sound equally loud when played. Adjust the height of the pickups by using the lateral adjustment screws and listening to the sound. The minimum distance between each string and its pickup is two milli‐ metres. The greater the distance between the string and pickup, the quieter the string will sound.
Protecting the environment
Disposal of the packaging material
For the transport and protective packaging, environmentally friendly materials have been chosen that can be supplied to normal recycling.
Ensure that plastic bags, packaging, etc. are properly disposed of.
Do not just dispose of these materials with your normal household waste, but make sure that they are collected for recycling. Please follow the notes and markings on the packaging.
Disposal of your old device
This product is subject to the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) in its currently valid version. Do not dispose with your normal household waste.
Dispose of this device through an approved waste disposal firm or through your local waste facility. When discarding the device, comply with the rules and regulations that apply in your country. If in doubt, consult your local waste disposal facility.