Limited Edition Commissioned Builds by Bob Benedetto

[floatingpickup]

Bob and Cindy are wonderful people who have always been a pleasure to deal with. I wasn’t aware of Bob having any health issues, and I certainly hope it isn’t so. I have a Fratello that Bob built back in 1989, during his Clearwater FL days. There really is something special about that guitar, which makes me appreciate his skills and craftsmanship. $50K sure seems like a lot of money, but nothing surprises me anymore I was at a rare wine and liquor store today and they had a bottle of Single Malt Scotch from 1966 for sale for $42,000. Maybe the guitar isn’t such a crazy price after all.
Keith

[Jimmy blue note]

I was at a rare wine and liquor store today and they had a bottle of Single Malt Scotch from 1966 for sale for $42,000. Maybe the guitar isn’t such a crazy price after all.
Keith

Anybody needed hospitalization in the US recently?

[Zigracer]

Would I buy one if I were in the income bracket where a $50,000.00 guitar was a possibility? Sure. Why the hell not if it made me happy and I enjoyed playing it. I have a more pedestrian Benedetto, a Bravo Deluxe. Not made by Bob, but made by Damon and crew. Flawless out of the case and it makes me happy to play it. I only wish it had 7 strings.

Being a guy who fixes guitars, I’d just be happy to spend a week in the shop with Bob Benedetto and learn everything I could.

[rob taft]

This is very strange to me. Are we sure this is real?

A couple of years ago I was at a luthier convention. There was a panel discussion with people like Rick Turner, Dana Bourgoise, Richard Hoover, etc. Bob Benedetto was supposed to speak as well, but it was solemnly announced that he was too unwell. According to the young man sent in Bob’s place he had early onset Alzheimer’s. The panel became a bit of an eulogy for Bob.

It seems really odd to me that three years later he has announced he is personally making guitars again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Bob Benedetto sounds in pretty good shape in this recent video.

[iim7V7IM7]

Bob is fine. He has some back issues that flair up now and then as many of us do that has kept him from traveling.

[rob taft]

I'm not saying he isn't. The point of posting the video was to address the comments in this thread.

[iim7V7IM7]

Rob, I understood that (thanks). I was addressing some earlier postings.

[bratistofeles]

I had the opportunity of trying one of his guitars a few months ago. I was really impressed. I do tend to favor single coils in electric guitars though. Does anybody know if Benedetto produces any P-90 guitars?

[Jimmy blue note]

I had the opportunity of trying one of his guitars a few months ago. I was really impressed. I do tend to favor single coils in electric guitars though. Does anybody know if Benedetto produces any P-90 guitars?

Seymour Duncan has one possible solution.
I happen to love the sound of these. I've installed them in regular humbucker pickup mounts with great ease and they work really nicely.

[DougB]

Does anybody know if Benedetto produces any P-90 guitars?

Lindy Fralin does:

P90 Pickups by Lindy Fralin - Handmade P90 Pickups, Made In USA

Doug

[st.bede]

… also Lollar, and TV Jones make HB sized P90s.

I have a sd phat cat. It has a good P90 sound. If I remember right, it is using alnico 2 magnets, instead of (what I believe is more common in P90s) alnico 5. I could fully wrong about any part of that last statement.

On my Eastman with the phat cat, my top strings are a little thin sounding, but I am using a bright set of roundwound 9s. It sounding perfect with the 12 that came on it. I think all I need to do is swap out the D’Addario for DR blues.

[Jimmy blue note]

Would I buy one if I were in the income bracket where a $50,000.00 guitar was a possibility? Sure. Why the hell not if it made me happy and I enjoyed playing it. I have a more pedestrian Benedetto, a Bravo Deluxe. Not made by Bob, but made by Damon and crew. Flawless out of the case and it makes me happy to play it. I only wish it had 7 strings.

Being a guy who fixes guitars, I’d just be happy to spend a week in the shop with Bob Benedetto and learn everything I could.

I have only this to use as a metric but I'll say if I had a million dollars and money were no object, I'd still pass on the boutique guitar because this has proven to be a work horse that can do anything. It has a Duncan Jazz with a series parallel split.
I play music. This was custom made by Bob back in the day. I play music on it. I don't worry about everyday damage. It helps me find music and it grows with me as a musician and it grows on me as a guitar.
Priceless. Why would I want anything else? Honestly.

Bravo 7 string, nice comfy shallower depth, a neck I can play all day on and not feel any fatigue.

[Zigracer]

I have only this to use as a metric but I'll say if I had a million dollars and money were no object, I'd still pass on the boutique guitar because this has proven to be a work horse that can do anything. It has a Duncan Jazz with a series parallel split.
I play music. This was custom made by Bob back in the day. I play music on it. I don't worry about everyday damage. It helps me find music and it grows with me as a musician and it grows on me as a guitar.
Priceless. Why would I want anything else? Honestly.

Bravo 7 string, nice comfy shallower depth, a neck I can play all day on and not feel any fatigue.

I’ve got the same color Bravo in a six string. Will probably sell it and have a 7 string Bravo made. I bought mine not too long before I decided to make the switch to a 7.

[Jimmy blue note]

I’ve got the same color Bravo in a six string. Will probably sell it and have a 7 string Bravo made. I bought mine not too long before I decided to make the switch to a 7.

Do it. You already know what a great body and neck vibe that guitar has. Honestly, I didn't really care about what was on the headstock, but this Bravo in 7 was simply the only thing I felt had everything I wanted and all in the right place. The thing about Benedetto 7's is, they use the same body as the 6's but the neck is adapted with a slight overhang on the treble side. I wonder if they'd do a custom re-necking for you. Hmmm.

I don't know if this shows up clearly, but the 7 string fingerboard overhangs the cutaway side by just a smidge and it's actually quite comfortable. I like it.

Bet it wouldn't even cost you $50,000

[Zigracer]

[QUOTE=Jimmy blue note;1252840]Do it. You already know what a great body and neck vibe that guitar has. Honestly, I didn't really care about what was on the headstock, but this Bravo in 7 was simply the only thing I felt had everything I wanted and all in the right place. The thing about Benedetto 7's is, they use the same body as the 6's but the neck is adapted with a slight overhang on the treble side. I wonder if they'd do a custom re-necking for you. Hmmm.

I don't know if this shows up clearly, but the 7 string fingerboard overhangs the cutaway side by just a smidge and it's actually quite comfortable. I like it.



Bet it wouldn't even cost you $50,000[/QUOTE
I asked about the re-neck a little while back. Although the neck pocket is the same, they'd have to do work with the bracing on the top to accept the larger pup. Doesn't end up being an advantage to do that. Oh well.

[bluejaybill]

Question: do you find the series/parallel switch top be useful for jazz?

[floatingpickup]

Bob is fine. He has some back issues that flair up now and then as many of us do that has kept him from traveling.

I just watched that video. Bob was as sharp as ever, recalling many facts and stories from the past in great detail. I’m happy to see that he is doing well.
Keith

[Jimmy blue note]

Question: do you find the series/parallel switch top be useful for jazz?

Yes. I play fingerstyle so I get a lot of textures from angle of attack, hand/string position and how the nails are used. That's why I like the Benedetto and my D'Aquisto more than the Gibsons (though I'm still under the Gibson spell for aesthetics and vibe). The Benedetto has a faster attack and their laminates seem to be of a lighter, more responsive stock so the the nuances of attack and decay and the harmonics of open strings contribute to a more acoustic nuance, almost approaching the sphere of classical guitar.
I play my guitars acoustic and even plugged in, the acoustic sound is the ideal I strive towards.
Parallel gives me a really warm nuanced but full deep and warm sound. Series has a different frequency curve, a bit more mid-upper end and a little more like a D'Armond kind of sound? It makes me play differently and it's great for harmonic stuff where I'm depending on the guitar to bring out the overtones and subtleties of dyad intervals. Having them both allows me to explore what my fingers can do; bring it out.

It's a way to expand the inherent qualities of the guitar plugged in. I also like the character of the Duncan Jazz but I know a lot of people don't find it a sound that's easy to work with. It really brings out the woody attack of the guitar, not unlike the way Jim Hall's plugged in sound brought out the acoustic vibe of his Jimmy D.

Taste. All personal taste. The more I play, the more I find a way to bring out what the guitar offers. ' why I could never keep my guitars locked up and safe... I owe it to the builders to get the most out of what they built in it. A lifetime's work.

[Pierrot]

You are not happier when you own more, but when you desire less.
I'm more than happy whith what I've got so far.

[Oscar67]

If someone spends 50k and then brings joy to the world by making great music on it, I’m all for it. JoeB tours the hell out of his ‘59 Bursts and other assorted unobtainium guitars.