Harley Benton neck change?

[hooky_lowdown]

Does anyone know if Harley Benton necks are interchangeable? I'm thinking of getting a pb50 and replacing the maple neck (as I'm not a fan of maple necks) with a pb20, has anyone tried this before?

 

 

[Velarian]

Funnily enough I had the same thoughts the other way round, putting a maple neck from a PB50 on a PB20. I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t work on Fender basses withou making changes because the shape of the neck/pocket on the earlier models was squared rather than rounded. Whether Harley Benton went to lengths of replicating the shapes in their examples is not clear from their web site. I kind of abandoned the idea before it got off the ground but it would still be interesting to know if it’s possible. 

[PaulThePlug]

There are quite a few neck off pics and the pb50 doesnt look square heeled so i think it would be a yes... Swapping P for P...

 

'Only one way to find out... SWAP!'

 

Whats annoying is some of the latter P50s have a hole under the scratchplate to help with the wire routing... meaning it cant be a 'scratchplate off'

Edited December 31, 2021 by PaulThePlug

[hooky_lowdown]

24 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

Whats annoying is some of the latter P50s have a hole under the scratchplate to help with the wire routing... meaning it cant be a 'scratchplate off'

I didn't know this, thanks for the heads up.

[Steve Browning]

38 minutes ago, Velarian said:

Funnily enough I had the same thoughts the other way round, putting a maple neck from a PB50 on a PB20. I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t work on Fender basses withou making changes because the shape of the neck/pocket on the earlier models was squared rather than rounded. Whether Harley Benton went to lengths of replicating the shapes in their examples is not clear from their web site. I kind of abandoned the idea before it got off the ground but it would still be interesting to know if it’s possible. 

There's a meeting destined to happen!

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 16, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[PaulThePlug]

51 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said:

I didn't know this, thanks for the heads up.

https://theharleybentonclub.proboards.com/thread/2690/warning-owners-wanting-sting-bass

 

[LukeFRC]

17 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

https://theharleybentonclub.proboards.com/thread/2690/warning-owners-wanting-sting-bass

 

There’s a whole forum for Harley Benton!!!

[kodiakblair]

1 hour ago, LukeFRC said:

There’s a whole forum for Harley Benton!!!

Aye. Started by the same fella behind the long running TalkBass thread , Sheffield laddie living in Spain.

 

I was a moderator on the forum; thankless task most members are guitar players, lockdown was last straw.

 

 Endless stream of Americans bleating " I know my government has suspended air travel from Europe but where is my $100 guitar ?"

 

James , Sheffield laddie , sensibly jumped ship a year before lockdown 🤣

 

 

Though the "hole under the scratchplate" post was mine  but  don't know if it still holds true . Hole appeared after Thomann changed the factory making PB-50's and not all were affected, some left hand versions were unscathed. The factory change heralded a change of scratchplate and I've heard this has changed again , not sure if this means another factory or parts dept supplier.

 

A factory change might impact your neck swap @hooky_lowdown , say the PB-20 production moved to Indonesia but PB-50 remained in China ;  then it's possible there's a slight difference. Won't be a big difference , just don't expect the neck swap will be a straight drop-in . Official £600 Fender replacement necks carry a "this may require work to fit " warning , also carry a "may require fret work" warning too. View the Harley Benton swap with the same proviso and you're good to go 👍

 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

I had to remove small amounts of material (from the body) to attach a Squier P-neck to a Harley Benton (kit) P-body. The neck was rounded at the end rather than cut across flat.

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Stub Mandrel