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$5600. Corona version. Good buy, YES or NO?
Since half a dozen AA's from the early 90's are available priced at $5k, me thinks this BJS is a good buy...but what concerns me is it's a Corona model...there were only 70 or so of these produced.Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 11-05-2014 at 04:18 PM.
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11-13-2012 08:50 PM
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looks just like mine. Corona CA you mean?
these are a step up from the AA by the way.
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i love mine, its very resonant. the only thing i would caution you about is the long scale length.
Benedetto called it 25 9/16" from what i recall but Patrick pointed out that his was 25.75. I re-measured mine and it seemed to be 25.75 all right.
i have long hands/fingers, but long stretchy chords are not comfortable even for me. nice block chords and drop 2/3 grips (root in the bass anyway) are fine.
CAGED and pentatonics are fine, but Leavitt and 3NPS scale and arpeggio fingerings are not comfortable. things for the individual player to consider...
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thanks for the input...I'm 6' 3' with good sized paws...and decades of playing stretch chords at the piano allows me to get a good stretch without discomfort.
I'm mainly concerned about the perception of the Corona Guild Benedetto's compared to the Guild Benedetto AA's that were produced in Westerly.
What do you think of the price? I'm asking for I'm not familiar with this model in the least. Patrick owned a Johnny Smith not an AA?
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Greg . . . I sold mine, about 6 months ago, to a dealer. Grinning Elk Guitars
This was, without a doubt, one of the greatest arch top guitar I've ever played or owned. They are simply amazing!!
2002 Guild Benedetto Johnny Smith Award Opulent Brown > Guitars : Electric Semi-Hollow Body - GrinningElk Music Company | Gbase.com
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Gorgeous archtop! Love the shade.
Why'd you sell it?
Most dealers have them priced near that one. So $5600, what say ye?
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At $5,600 . . . jump on it with both feet!! Trust me on this one . . . you'll not find a better acoustic arch top at ANY price. Those guitars are simply superlative. As for why I sold it . . . it just didn't seem to fit with what I wanted in my collection. I would love to tell you why . . . if I knew. I have no clue. It just didn't fit. But, I can truly say this . . . if not the best . . . it was very close to the best I had in my collection. The only follow up I can offer to that statemnet is that collectors are usually . . . weird!!!
Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
Also, that finish, opulent brown, (on the one I sold) is a proprietary Bob Benedetto finish. Rare and highly sought after.
I had only one issue with that guitar .. . the nitro cel laq seemed to be a softer, more pliable formulation . .. and also seemed (to me) to be too heavily applied. But, it had no discernable affect on the acoustical properties. The tone was simply amazing!! Could it have been even better with a different formulation and not applied as heavily?? Who knows . . . and who cares?? The tone was to die for as it was.
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It is the one at Gryphon Stringed Instruments : 2002 Guild Benedetto Johnny Smith Artist Award Sunburst , isn't it?
As fumblefingers said, long scale length. That is a factor to consider. (Strangely enough, didn't Johnny Smith specify 25" scale length on all of his guitars from Guild, Gibson and Heritage?)
It looks nice but I doubt I can play it so I pass. There's a good reason why so many used ones that appear MINT are on the market.
Pat2's erstwhile Opulent Brown is a rare few of a kind. That one is Wweally Wweally nice for its finish.
For what it is worth, I think that the pre-Benedetto Guilds have more mojo, especially those from the late 60s, 70s. I like the ones with the DeArmond 1100 pups. Also, I have hardly seen them sell for over $4500.Last edited by Jabberwocky; 11-13-2012 at 11:54 PM.
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the crew in Corona were first rate. Steve Stern was the lead on the ground. Steve made one of the blue guitars for Chinery, so is an outstanding luthier in his own right. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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2Bop, That is certainly a fine guitar and the price is a fair retail also. But,as we all know here on the forum, you don't hang on to guitars all that long. If you were to buy this for yourself I say YES! But, if you're going to try to sell it for a profit I say no. I agree with Jabberwocky. The older DeArmond series is the way to go. Much more mojo for a better price.
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by mojo do you mean collectability mystique? i assume so.
but which is the superior musical instrument? is there really any doubt? Benedetto didn't improve those old war horses for no reason....
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Greg
Alan is a good guy - as I've mentioned before, I bought my Vestax D'Angelico from him. As a matter of fact, I shall be meeting up with him on Sunday at the Kenny Wheeler/Jim Hall concert (part of the London Jazz Festival)....if you like, I'll put in a word for you, feller!!
p.s. we don't need a $ on prices when we have a £. Force of habit, I know. Today's RoE makes that £6,800 into $10,795 or so. How good does your deal look now, even after shipping?
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when i bought mine new in 2004, MSRP was $11K. i paid $6,500.
but then archtop prices have gone up since then. or at least Gibson's have, but lets not bring THAT up again. Benedettos have come down, or at least they did so after 2008. Manhattan's are no longer $26K, but they aint cheap either.
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By mojo, I really mean as a superior musical instrument. I am not a collector or I would have bought a Citation. I feel that the 60s and 70s Guilds are better playing and sounding instruments. But it is a personal thing. No point arguing over it.
I don't buy into the Bob Benedetto mystique at all. Fender roped in Benedetto to buff up Guild as a last ditch marketing effort before closing the archtop department once and for all. This is not a cut-price Benedetto, more like an endorsed and approved by Benedetto. That's my reading of it.
Bob was always a keen businessman as well as a good luthier. Powerful combination.
(Baffles me why Bob chose 25 and 5/8" as the scale length for the AA when his own archtops measured 25".)
Food for thought: http://ronclegg.wordpress.com/2008/01/09/guitars/ .Last edited by Jabberwocky; 11-14-2012 at 02:37 PM.
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disagree, this IS an affordable Benedetto, compared to his flagship models at the time. made by the same guys with the same/similar materials in the same shop.
the woods are euro woods and are well figured and aged. (no, NOT as well figured and aged as the flagship models mind you - but not American woods either.) either you value the euro woods or you don't. Benedetto and his customers do.
TRIPLE-ply binding ALL AROUND.
two other key differences:
1. longer scale length - advantage: more overtones and even more alive than the flagship models in many cases! disadvantage: tougher on small hands.
2. it says "Guild" on it. there was no way to charge $25K for that.
so, if you can handle the scale length it's a bargain (perhaps even the "dirty little secret" from a Benedetto value point of view at the time).
For comparison, carefully look at the new Americana model which takes the same pricing position in Bob's current line up. The GB Johnny Smith Award is much more more attractive and desirable - IMO.
Finally, your note makes it sounds as if Fender invented Bob Benedetto. You have to be kidding.Last edited by fumblefingers; 11-14-2012 at 03:47 PM.
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well, there's always a signed version of same for $3k more:
Guild Benedetto Johnny Smith Artist Award Archtop Jazz Guitar New Condition | eBay
so what's that, $1500 per signature?
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yeah, my dealer had two of those for the same price as mine - 1 year later. makes me wish i would have waited a year.
i say, go for this one!
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2bop, Are you saying your's is not signed by Bob? Did Guild continue to produce Johnny Smiths without signed labels?
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absolutely unsigned. Originally Posted by Archtop Guy
from what I've determined on the web only 18 of these 70 or so archtops were actually signed by JS and BB on the headstock rear. This one is unsigned. The one on feebay at $8500 is signed.
All of them have a BB signature on the interior sticker.
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No Gregg, You've got that wrong. Only the first 18 were signed by Johnny Smith. He did so on the back of the head stock with a silver colored felt tip pen. Bob Benedetto had supposedly signed all of the labels inside the F hole. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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The collector's world is really a different planet in some ways. Interesting thread.
Chris
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>>>>I don't buy into the Bob Benedetto mystique at all. Fender roped in Benedetto to buff up Guild as a last ditch marketing effort before closing the archtop department once and for all. This is not a cut-price Benedetto, more like an endorsed and approved by Benedetto. That's my reading of it.<<<<
Absolutely disagree. These are every bit as world class as Bob's top of the line arch tops. The only exception I might consider, is Bob's finishes seem to be superior.
>>>>I feel that the 60s and 70s Guilds are better playing and sounding instruments. But it is a personal thing. No point arguing over it.<<<<
Wouldn't it be difficult to accurately assess that unless you've played all the '60s and '70s . . . and compared them to all the Benedetto/Guild JS Awards?
>>>>the woods are euro woods and are well figured and aged. (no, NOT as well figured and aged as the flagship models mind you - but not American woods either.) either you value the euro woods or you don't. Benedetto and his customers do. <<<<
I disagree with the comment I bold faced. I've yet to see any Benedetto's with a better woob package than the guitar I sold to Grinning Elk
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Thank you Gregg and Patrick. I did not know this.
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Different? HA! Ya think . . . ?? Welcome to my world. You wanna hear something really wacko Chris?? I really do not miss owning my Guild Benedetto JS Award. But, I really do genuinely miss hearing its acoustic tone. Now, take into consideration that I had it strung with TI flat wounds . . and as I mentioned previously, one of the reasons I couldn't bond with it was what I perceived to be nitro cel lacq with plasticizers and applied too think. I can only dream about what it would have sounded like with round wounds . . or even half rounds . . and a very thin coat of better lacquer. I don't believe that Bob would have ever let a top of the line Benedetto out of his shop if sprayed like that. Originally Posted by PTChristopher
As a sales professional all my life, I understand embellishment for the sake of sales and marketing is all around our world. But, if you have a chance to read the write up tha Lee at Grinning Elk has posted on his gbase listing of my (former) JS Award . . . it's all real.
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well worth it at that price. I'd buy it myself just for the awesome headstock, if only i could play a 6-string! good luck.
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