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Top-shelf archtop fullness with laminate back & sides for the player looking to downsize from heft of a full-size box.
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The Bambino is Benedetto’s full-service archtop in a travel-size package, one that arguably rivals its bigger-bodied siblings. This solid-body-size jazz box light as a feather, yet phenomenally resonant with the rich, sophisticated mid range you’d expect from a full-bodied archtop. The neck is eerily perfect, responding to delicate solo ballad arrangements and burning bebop lines with unbelievable precision. A pair of Benedetto’s own A6 pickups deliver the kind of balanced and impeccably-clean tone today’s players are looking for, suitable for either in ensemble or in solo settings. Elegant inside and out, this guitar’s dark antique burst and wooden components are just as unparalleled as any other guitar you’d see from Benedetto.
As its name implies, the Bambino is a baby in size...but with a big voice. This extraordinary model is a prayer answered for the musician with a lot of time on the road. Its lightweight and compact 14 1/2" body is easily manageable in airport traffic or taxis. It features a laminated maple top and back, a maple neck shaped for playing comfort as only a Benedetto can be. With two nickel plated Benedetto A6 pickups, it's all you'll ever need! So, if you're looking for the tone of a big jazz box but need the compact comfort of a smaller guitar, this model was made for you.
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.
Body: Laminated Hollowbody Archtop: 14 1/2" lower bout, 2 1/4" body depth, Florentine cutaway
Top: Laminated flamed maple
Back: Laminated maple
Sides: Laminated maple
Bracing: Parallel spruce
Binding: Top & Back: wht/blk/wht
Neck: white
Headstock: white
Neck: American Maple
Fingerboard: Ebony, 12" radius, with 12th fret abalone floral inlay
Width at Nut: 1 11/16", bone
Scale: 25"
Frets: 22
Bridge: Ebony, adjustable with black wheels and posts
Tailpiece: Model EPS (Ebony Professional Series)
Pickups: 2 Benedetto A6 chrome
Controls: Master volume, master tone with push/ pull coil tap, 3-way pickup selector
Hardward: Chrome
Fingerrest: Ebony
Finish: Gloss nitrocellulose lacquer
Available Colors: Espresso, Antique Burst, Lime Sorbet, Tibetan Red, Denim
Strings: Pure nickel (.012-.052)