Benedetto Bravo vs 16-B

**DanielleOM** · 06-10-2017, 10:07 AM

Anyone ever have the opportunity to compare the two guitars?

**Jazzstdnt** · 06-10-2017, 10:47 AM

Bravo is a laminate right? It's going to have that thunky, dead, boxy sound, at least compared to the 16-B. It's for plugged-in playing and is perhaps a better gig and road guitar, depending on your priorities.

It's almost an apples vs. oranges discussion sound wise.

**John Link** · 06-10-2017, 11:17 AM

My Bravo is as loud as most flat top guitars and not thunky at all as compared to my ES 175. My only complaint with the Bravo is the 1.75 nut width. My 65 year old fingers favor the Gibson.

**Jazzstdnt** · 06-10-2017, 12:38 PM

I prefer the 1 11/16" width too. Of course, Benedetto will build to your spec preferences while Gibson won't.

Is the Bravo lighter and narrower than the ES-175? (I could look that up but you know...)

**DanielleOM** · 06-10-2017, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by Jazzstdnt

I prefer the 1 11/16" width too. Of course, Benedetto will build to your spec preferences while Gibson won't.

Is the Bravo lighter and narrower than the ES-175? (I could look that up but you know...)

The two guitars you reference are very different. The Bravo is relatively thin compared to an ES175. It also has a 25" scale vs 24 3/4.

**DanielleOM** · 06-10-2017, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by John Link

My Bravo is as loud as most flat top guitars and not thunky at all as compared to my ES 175. My only complaint with the Bravo is the 1.75 nut width. My 65 year old fingers favor the Gibson.

I very much like my Bravo and in many ways it's my favorite guitar. However, there is something about the attack, sustain, tone of notes, on the 2nd string, up around the 8th fret that really bother me at times, especially unplugged. I some times wonder if the 16-B would take care of that? I see one for sale, where the owner seems to have magnets under the tailpiece. I am suspecting he as well must have had some resonance issue that he was trying to address.

Interesting comment about the neck. I find the Bravo neck to be quite sleek compared to my Eastman guitars.

**SierraTango** · 06-10-2017, 03:47 PM

Quote from OP's earlier thread: "I have a Bravo and an AR503CE. I really love that scale length. I really love the feel and playability of the Bravo. Not in love in with it's unplugged tone."

I've played several Bravos and Bravo Deluxe models. I've also played a 16B. I imagine you won't get a ton of replies to this question as I don't believe there have been that many 16B's produced compared to the Bravo.

My take-they are both designed to be electric guitars. Despite the fact that the 16B is all solid woods and the Bravo is laminated, I don't recall a huge, startling difference in unplugged tone. Perhaps the 16B was a bit warmer unplugged-however I didn't hear double the price tone wise.

If you are "not in love" with the Bravo's unplugged tone, perhaps it's because that's not what it was designed for. If you are expecting top notch acoustic archtop tone out of a Bravo, it's just not gonna happen, although it is certainly not unpleasant.

Build quality and playability on both were over the top excellent, however I will admit to being biased as I gig out with a Cremona.

**John Link** · 06-11-2017, 11:30 AM

Yes, it is much lighter and measures about 2.5" in depth.

**DanielleOM** · 06-12-2017, 06:59 AM

Originally Posted by SierraTango

Quote from OP's earlier thread: "I have a Bravo and an AR503CE. I really love that scale length. I really love the feel and playability of the Bravo. Not in love in with it's unplugged tone."

I've played several Bravos and Bravo Deluxe models. I've also played a 16B. I imagine you won't get a ton of replies to this question as I don't believe there have been that many 16B's produced compared to the Bravo.

My take-they are both designed to be electric guitars. Despite the fact that the 16B is all solid woods and the Bravo is laminated, I don't recall a huge, startling difference in unplugged tone. Perhaps the 16B was a bit warmer unplugged-however I didn't hear double the price tone wise.

If you are "not in love" with the Bravo's unplugged tone, perhaps it's because that's not what it was designed for. If you are expecting top notch acoustic archtop tone out of a Bravo, it's just not gonna happen, although it is certainly not unpleasant.

Build quality and playability on both were over the top excellent, however I will admit to being biased as I gig out with a Cremona.

In general I find the unplugged sound of the Bravo, although not the same as a full bodied archtop, to be acceptable for home practice. It's just a few notes that tend to drive me crazy, as the attack, and sustain, can be substantially different, than the rest of the guitar. I was thinking the 16-B might be better in that regard. There was one for sale on Reverb recently that I considered. I saw that the owner had put attached 2 magnets under the tailpiece. It would seem there was some kind odd resonance that he was trying to address. That and planned travel caused me to pause at jumping on that one.

**SierraTango** · 06-12-2017, 10:02 AM

Sounds like voodoo to me. I know you are a experienced player and the obvious question I would ask is- have you had the Bravo professionally set up or consulted a luthier about your concerns?
In my experience every guitar from entry level to high end has some inconsistency that may drive one player mad and be perfectly OK with another.

I would also ask-have you contacted the shop in Savannah and spoken to them? They are caring, knowledgeable people and I doubt they would recommend magnets being placed on any instrument to cure a issue.

**DanielleOM** · 06-12-2017, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by SierraTango

Sounds like voodoo to me. I know you are a experienced player and the obvious question I would ask is- have you had the Bravo professionally set up or consulted a luthier about your concerns?
In my experience every guitar from entry level to high end has some inconsistency that may drive one player mad and be perfectly OK with another.

I would also ask-have you contacted the shop in Savannah and spoken to them? They are caring, knowledgeable people and I doubt they would recommend magnets being placed on any instrument to cure a issue.

The guitar has been seen by several highly regarded luthiers experienced with setups and major restorations. I am not the original owner. I did contact the folks in Savannah but were not able to offer any help without actually seeing the instrument.

The magnet may not seem so extreme an idea if you look at this: Arbutus Fittings - Violin Tailpiece Acoustics Tape a penny to your tailpiece and think you will hear a difference.

**SierraTango** · 06-12-2017, 06:42 PM

So if the Bravo has been seen by several experienced luthiers with no joy what did they tell you? That your concerns couldn't be addressed? That the instrument had a production flaw that was out of their skill set to fix?

If that were the situation and I was in your shoes, original owner or not, I would be packing it up and sending it to Savannah. If no joy then I'd move it along and find another instrument. Did you play the Bravo much before you bought it?

**DanielleOM** · 06-18-2017, 06:28 AM

Thanks for the comments. I will keep my response short today. I am travelling and do not have a normal keyboard with me.

**mikeSF** · 06-22-2017, 04:19 AM

mine's a little unusual, i guess. I've got a laminate 16-B.

**SierraTango** · 06-23-2017, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by desuitcase

If that were the situation and I was in your shoes, original owner or not, I would be packing it up and sending it to Savannah. If no joy then I'd move it along and find another instrument. Did you play the Bravo much before you bought it

Just don't forget to ask for permission (return authorization) before you send it back to Savannah. Original owner or not.

I was not suggesting that the OP just box it up without getting a RA. Apparently he has already contacted the Savannah shop and voiced his concerns, so there has already been contact. I was offering a path to resolve the issue.

A laminate 16B. Didn't know any of those were made. Was it a special order? But then again there are laminate Manhattans out there so we learn something new everyday. Hopefully...

**mikeSF** · 06-23-2017, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by SierraTango

...A laminate 16B. Didn't know any of those were made. Was it a special order? But then again there are laminate Manhattans out there so we learn something new everyday. Hopefully...

yes, it's a one-off laminate 16B 7-string.

**Jabberwocky** · 06-23-2017, 02:02 PM

MikeSF, isn't the Bravo Deluxe the laminate version of the 16B?

There is one for sale in Aquamarine, a 7-stringer, over at Archtop dot com, if you are interested. It is a 2015 Bravo Deluxe 7-string. 2015 Benedetto Bravo Deluxe Seven String . Asking $4995 but it can be a lot lower.

**DanielleOM** · 07-22-2017, 07:39 PM

Recently they did a live Facebook video where laminate top 16B was discussed. Although they have done some they are not really set up with tooling to do that laminate top on a routine production basis. The Bravo upper bout is wider than the 16B.