George Benson Guitar

[Betz]

Apologies if this has already been addressed over the years, but I just came across this ‘76 Downbeat video. GB and Chick Corea playing off each other is just cool. But what is that guitar? Floating pickup with the pick guard-mounted jack?

[JazzNote]

Apologies if this has already been addressed over the years, but I just came across this ‘76 Downbeat video. GB and Chick Corea playing off each other is just cool. But what is that guitar? Floating pickup with the pick guard-mounted jack?

It would be helpful to post a link to the video .... :-)

[wintermoon]

Probably his Johnny Smith

[Betz]

It would be helpful to post a link to the video .... :-)

Dang. I do the same with email attachments.

Link is added to the opening post.

[David B]

George Benson's playing a Gibson Johnny Smith in that video.

[Onesimus]

It looks like GB is playing his 1959 “Breezin’” D’Angelico New Yorker in the 1975 Down Beat Poll Winners Band.

And his Gibson Johnny Smith in the 1976 Down Beat Poll Winners Band.

Benson’s 1959 D’Angelico w/ added Johnny Smith floating p/u is on the left in pic and Benson’s Gibson Johnny Smith.

[Betz]

I have never seen an actual Gibson Johnny Smith, but in all the photos I never realized it had the volume knob and jack mounted on the pickguard. It really jumped out at me in the GB video.

Thanks to all!

[Sleeko]

Wonderful playing all around and what a beautiful guitar!

[jim777]

Damn, that bass in the first clip is superb

[Woody Sound]

I think George signed with Ibanez around 1977, on the success of Breezin'. His contract stipulated that he would not be seen performing in public with any guitar other than an Ibanez. I don't know how strict they are about that. Also, in the early days of that, he often used the full-size GB20, set up similarly to the D/A and GibJS.

[Doctor Jeff]

Unless I’m mistaken, that Johnny Smith is on display at the Phoenix Musical Instrument Museum. Saw it there a few years ago. If you’re a music lover, the MIM will be like heaven for you.

George lives or at least used to live most of the time in Phoenix and has frequently performed at the MIM.

[nyc chaz]

It is Phil Upchurch on bass.His name is listed right under the video on YT.

[medblues]

How about this one? It does not look like his Johnny Smith.

[Cunamara]

That is a pre-George Benson series Ibanez... an FA-77 or something.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

That is a pre-George Benson series Ibanez... an FA-77 or something.

I recall an FA100, but I think that it had split parallelogram inlays and a small flowerpot style headstock inlay. The headstock is right for the top level FA models from the mid to late ‘70s. But I don’t remember any with other than full block inlays. The big ones were a 300, a 500, and an 800 IIRC and all were made at Fugijen.

Aria made an FA77 archtop, but it had no cutaway. The FB inlays were similar to the pseudo-Super 400 style on the one Benson is playing in that video. But I think the Aria FA77 came along about a decade later.

[Bob_Ross]

That is a pre-George Benson series Ibanez...

When I was 16 or 17 years old (so circa 1977) my guitar teacher had the most impressive archtop guitar I'd ever seen in my life, or perhaps ever have since. It was a cherry sunburst Gibson L-5 something with a custom-made carved ivory bridge that had a solid ebony base, and a single floating DeArmond pickup. I would literally drool every time he pulled it out of the case

...and then one day he shows up with one of those pre-George Benson Ibanez guitars -- I think this was during the height of Ibanez's "lawsuit era", and this was a more-or-less exact copy of a Gibson Johnny Smith Double (dual floating pickups). I was crestfallen; I feared I would never see the gorgeous L-5 again (and indeed, I never did) but worse, at that time I associated the Ibanez brand with cheap Japanese copies. But he insisted his Ibanez played as well as his Gibson...and only cost ~1/10th as much.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

this should be an Ibanez 2461

You may well be right. But I thought they all had the JS style diamond headstock inlay. If it's a 2461, they must have switched the inlay as a result of the lawsuit.

[jim777]

I recall an FA100, but I think that it had split parallelogram inlays and a small flowerpot style headstock inlay. The headstock is right for the top level FA models from the mid to late ‘70s. But I don’t remember any with other than full block inlays. The big ones were a 300, a 500, and an 800 IIRC and all were made at Fugijen.

Aria made an FA77 archtop, but it had no cutaway. The FB inlays were similar to the pseudo-Super 400 style on the one Benson is playing in that video. But I think the Aria FA77 came along about a decade later.

The Ibanez FA100 was an ES-175 style guitar with two humbuckers. Here's mine:

[Stringswinger]

When I was 16 or 17 years old (so circa 1977) my guitar teacher had the most impressive archtop guitar I'd ever seen in my life, or perhaps ever have since. It was a cherry sunburst Gibson L-5 something with a custom-made carved ivory bridge that had a solid ebony base, and a single floating DeArmond pickup. I would literally drool every time he pulled it out of the case

My 1948 D'Angelico Style B came to me with a custom ivory bridge (now in the case pocket as it was a bit bright sounding for my taste) that had the name Frank Turziano carved into the underside. I looked up Mr. Turziano and discovered that he had been the longtime guitarist for the Boston Pops, and I spoke to his widow who informed me that the DA was his prized possession. She also told me that he obtained the guitar in the late 60's from the original owner who was not a professional musician.

I wonder if Ivory bridge saddles for archtops were popular in the 1970's? I presume that mine was carved from a discarded piano key, but who knows?

Final cadence | Berklee

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

The Ibanez FA100 was an ES-175 style guitar with two humbuckers. Here's mine:

Yours is a post-lawsuit model, Jim. The first batch was a 175 knockoff with the "proper" inlays and tailpiece that helped get them sued:

[jim777]

Yes, but mine is an actual FA-100, which was what I was responding to (post # 15). The burst one above is likely a '75-'76 model 2355. All of the "FA-xxx" guitars were post lawsuit. The inlays and headstock are the only differences between the FA-100 and the 2355. (The knobs and pots on mine were changed about 20 years ago.)

[Archie]

I recall an FA100, but I think that it had split parallelogram inlays and a small flowerpot style headstock inlay. The headstock is right for the top level FA models from the mid to late ‘70s. But I don’t remember any with other than full block inlays. The big ones were a 300, a 500, and an 800 IIRC and all were made at Fugijen.

Aria made an FA77 archtop, but it had no cutaway. The FB inlays were similar to the pseudo-Super 400 style on the one Benson is playing in that video. But I think the Aria FA77 came along about a decade later.

FA500 was the JS copy. Without digging through youtube, he played one 'Stellar By Starlight' live. This was just before he signed to ibby.

I had an FA500 for about 5 minutes. Awful guitar ime. Dead as a door post. Others milage may very.

Now that I think about it, the FA range didn't come in till about 81.

[jim777]

Now that I think about it, the FA range didn't come in till about 81.

I may be misinterpreting what you meant by this, but the FA range from Ibanez debuted in '77. The one I posted above is a '78.

[ThatRhythmMan]

You may well be right. But I thought they all had the JS style diamond headstock inlay. If it's a 2461, they must have switched the inlay as a result of the lawsuit.

This is the headstock of a 1977 2461. There was no actual lawsuit filed btw. It’s just common parlance to refer to them as “lawsuit” guitars.


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[wintermoon]

Gibson sued Ibanez but it never went to court.They were also sending cease and desist letters to various companies and individual luthiers beginning around 25 yrs ago for infringement regarding things like the cupids bow base of the fingerboard, flowerpot inlay and mustache/open book headstock tip. I've seen a couple of those letters.