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Benedetto Custom 7-String Sunburst #12085 - Used  From Benedetto

A Benedetto 7-string built by the man himself for the man himself! The 15th 7-string he ever produced!

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Benedetto Guitars

"Gone, Baby, Gone"

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What We Think

Condition: Used, Excellent (frets are in need of replacement but have been left untouched to maintain the collector quality of Bob's original work)

An absolutely astounding instrument that won't come back anytime soon once it's gone!  Wow.  This thing is like a late 20s Gibson L-3 that evolved over the last 100 years or so into this wizened, appropriately eccentric, and all around masterful 7 string acoustic/electric archtop.  Truly a guitar that sounds just as good acoustically as it does amplified and vice versa.  Woody, warm, rich, and downright organic.  Comfortable, too--good look finding a 7 string that's this easy to navigate!  And we can't neglect to mention the looks, can we?  From the board inlay to the body bindings to the delicate burst on that top--you really won't find anything that doesn't make you want to stare just a little longer.  The provenance and signature from the master himself is just the cherry on top--10/10 in every way!

About Manufacturer

Robert Benedetto is widely acknowledged as today's foremost maker of archtop guitars. Over a prolific four-decade career, he has personally handcrafted nearly 800 instruments, including 500 archtops. "My roots are in jazz guitar. It's been my love and my focus since Day One." Robert Benedetto was born October 22, 1946 in the Bronx, New York, into a family of artists, cabinet makers and musicians. He made his first archtop guitar in 1968. His reputation grew as he crafted guitars for noted players Bucky Pizzarelli, Chuck Wayne, Joe Diorio and Cal Collins, and, later, Johnny Smith, Jack Wilkins, Ron Eschete, Martin Taylor, Howard Alden, John Pizzarelli, Andy Summers, Jimmy Bruno and Kenny Burrell (collectively known as The Benedetto Players). His guitars appear on countless recordings, TV & film soundtracks, in videos, books, magazines, museums (including the Smithsonian Institution) and concerts worldwide. Bob & Cindy Benedetto were married in 1975. For over 30 years, Cindy has photographed and extensively documented Bob's guitars and their players. In 1994, they published the landmark book, Making an Archtop Guitar, following it in 1996 with its companion video, Archtop Guitar Design & Construction . That same year, Cindy organized the Benedetto Players in Concert series. In 2004, Mel Bay Publications produced the acclaimed "Benedetto: Body and Soul" DVD, a biography by William Doyle. From 1999-2006, Benedetto had a licensing agreement with Fender Musical Instruments to produce his models in a small, controlled manufacturing environment. In 2006, Benedetto joined forces with Howard Paul to bring Benedetto Guitars to the next level, manufacturing a broad line of more affordable professional instruments without compromising the unparalleled Benedetto worldwide reputation for singular quality. The new shop is located in Savannah, GA and is producing some of the finest guitars to ever carry the Benedetto name. Everything is done under Bob’s watchful eye with his unparalleled attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Specifications

Model: 7-String Oval Hole

Serial: 12085

Year: 1985

Color: Sunburst

Top: Alaskan Spruce

Body: American Curly Maple

Binding: B/W/B/W/B/W

Neck: American Curly Maple

Fingerboard: Ebony

Width at Nut: 2 1/8"

Nut Material: Bone

Scale: 25"

Frets: 22

Bridge: Ebony

Tailpiece: Ebony

Pickup: Kent Armstrong

Controls: Volume

Tuners: Grover

Finish: Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer

Body Width: 17"

Body Depth (when accounting for arch of top and back): 4"

Case: Hardshell