Article by Mike Hayes
Benedetto jazz guitars are internationally renowned for theirexquisite design and craftsmanship. Benedetto is considered theworld's foremost maker of arch top guitars. Bob Benedetto willalso custom-craft one-of-a-kind instruments on request startingat about ,000 and going up depending on what people want inthe guitar. Benedetto's jazz guitars range in price from 00 toover 0,000.
They are prized by jazz guitar players such as John (Bucky)Pizzarelli, who donated one of the seven-string guitars custom-made for him by Benedetto to the Smithsonian Institution.
Since the original creation of the Benedetto Guitar introduced in1968, many people have enjoyed the harmonic sounds that haveflowed from it. Noted jazz guitarist's who play Benedetto jazzguitars are: Howard Alden, Jack Wilkins, Frank Vignola, KennyBurrell, Johnny Smith, Ron Eschete, Cal Collins and Joe Diorio.
Bob Benedetto has worked hard with the jazz world's greatestmusicians to refine laminated, smaller-bodied Benedettos thatfeel and sound like the great carved Benedetto guitars but arebetter suited to the demands of the road and nightclub.
Widely considered the contemporary master of the archtop jazzguitar. Benedetto jazz guitars are available in:
(a) special one-of-a-kind custom order guitars
(b) the Flagship series
(c) the Professional series
The Flagship series models include - La Venezia / Manhatan /Fratello / Bambino Elite and Bravo Elite.
The Benedetto jazz guitar Professional series include - Bravo /Bravo Deluxe and Bambino.
The Benedetto jazz guitar is by far one of the most distinguishedarchtop guitars. The Bravo's parallel spruce bracing, ratherthan the X-bracing of most of today's finest acoustic archtops,further enhances the rigidity, punch, and (electrified) nature ofthe design, although it's nice to see the laminated spruce hererather than the traditional maple a detail that Benedetto saysmaintains a visual link with his carved-top guitars.
The Benedetto Bravo Features:16" body with three-ply binding,laminated maple back and sides, laminated spruce top, parallelspruce bracing, adjustable ebony bridge, three-piece bound flame-maple neck, ebony fret board, body-mounted volume and tonecontrols with ebony knobs, Benedetto A-6 humbucking pickup,bleached bone nut, Schaller tuners with ebony buttons, gold-plated hardware, nitrocellulose gloss finish.
The Bravo is every bit a Benedetto, and has many high-endfeatures you typically find on more expensive instruments,including a gorgeous laminated flame-maple back and matchingsides, a select clear arched laminated spruce top, three-pieceflame maple neck with a dark ebony fretboard and adjustable ebonybridge.
At first glance the Benedetto Bravo may appear to be a littlesteeply priced for a laminated-wood instrument doesn't have thesylvan, multi-dimensional timbre or tonal succulence ofBenedetto's Manhattan, Fratello, or La Venezia models, but itgets you a portion of the Benedetto pedigree, and that's still apretty amazing deal.
"In my earlier years, I was able to make instruments that weremore affordable to guitarists," says Benedetto. All of whichimplies that the Bravo is an "affordable" guitar, and althoughsuch a claim seems contradictory for a model that retails for,000, Benedetto's carved-top La Venezia goes for ,000, soyou can see the relativity at play here.
In summary the Benedetto Bravo is a flawlessly crafted archtopwith a very live and responsive top, effortless playability, andan unmistakable high-end vibe without the top-end price tag.
Bob Benedetto has been built some of the finest musicalinstruments to appear in the last 30 years. Each guitar is builtby hand using top-shelf materials, and each is inspected byBenedetto before being shipped. Bob still works one week permonth at the Benedetto factory with as much care and enthusiasmas he did way back in the 1960's.
If you ever have a chance to hear of play any of the Benedettojazz guitars live, you're in for a treat, they don't make themany better than this.
About the Author
Mike Hayes is a teacher, author, speaker and consultant. Get histips and tested strategies proven to boost your guitar playingvisit his membership site athttp://www.guitarcoaching.com today.