Instrument Record · Commissioned 2003 · Completed 2006
Benedetto 16″ Custom — Starting with a 16-Inch Non-Cutaway
This article, first published in 2017, has been revised from the original documentation.
In 2003, I commissioned a guitar from Bob Benedetto. It was completed in 2006: a 16-inch, non-cutaway, steel-string archtop built in Bob’s own workshop in Riverview.
The earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the place of construction and did not fully explain how the specifications were determined. This revised account begins again at the true starting point.
The 16-Inch Non-Cutaway Premise
When the commission began, Bob’s first condition was that he could build a 16-inch non-cutaway.
The 16-inch non-cutaway format was therefore not a specification I selected from many alternatives. It was the basic template Bob offered.
The previous article said that I “chose a 16-inch template.” More precisely, I accepted Bob’s condition and then worked through the woods, neck, soundholes, ornamentation, and finish.
Who Built This Guitar, and Where?
From 1999 to 2006, Bob’s own work existed alongside production under the licensing agreement with Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. There were two product families—Benedetto-brand models and Guild Benedetto Signature instruments—and more than one production location.
At the time, I was honestly a little concerned that my guitar might also be built in a Fender or Guild facility. What I wanted to commission was a guitar made by Bob himself.
Bob replied that he would build it with great pride in his own workshop. In his email, he also made clear that he would build it himself and that the project was independent of Fender and Guild.
Knowing who would build it was reassuring, but I was equally moved by the consideration with which he understood what mattered to me.
The basis for identifying this guitar as a special commission made by Bob himself is not only its serial-number format, but also Bob’s own explanation.
It was built in Bob’s own workshop in Riverview. The earlier article stated Pennsylvania; that point is corrected here.
The final specification sheet, however, records the use of a “Golden Period” label connected with the later Savannah era. Bob explained at the time that the label would be used only for one-of-a-kind special models at the new workshop. This guitar therefore preserves evidence of both Bob’s earlier individual work and the coming Savannah organization.
For the broader history of this period, see “Who Actually Built Benedetto Guitars, and Where? | 1999–2006.”
The Final Specification Sheets
The following final specifications appear on the invoice dated June 19, 2006. Twenty-two items are listed across two pages.
The principal specifications can be summarized as follows:
- 16-inch, non-cutaway, steel-string design
- 3-inch body depth
- 25-inch scale; 21 frets
- Solid ebony nut, 1 13/16 inches wide
- Neck thickness of 7/8 inch at the third fret
- Carved European spruce top
- Carved European flame-maple back with matching sides
- Birdseye maple at the center of the back
- American flame-maple neck
- Ebony fingerboard, bridge, and tailpiece
- Burl veneers on the front and back of the headstock, tailpiece, tuner buttons, and bridge base
- No binding, fingerrest, or pickup
- Cluster soundholes inspired by Il Fiorentino, with a corresponding soundhole in the side
- Very pale shaded-natural finish inspired by Il Fiorentino
- Deluxe Calton Case
For the neck width and profile, as with a Buscarino I had previously ordered, I asked with the substantial necks of 1950s Gibsons in mind. The specification sheet does not identify the bracing, and I do not remember being asked to select it when ordering.
Although it is called a “Custom,” I did not determine every structural detail. Some features reflected my requests; others were left to Bob.
Payment began with a deposit, with the balance due upon completion. The deposit was $5,000—a sum that required considerable resolve from me at the time.
Two Reference Instruments
Two instruments strongly informed my thinking: the 1993 25th Anniversary Guitar #29193 and the 1994 Renaissance Series Il Fiorentino #31494.
The specification sheet records these references. Its first item calls for premium materials like those used on the 25th Anniversary Guitar #29193.
Il Fiorentino is cited even more often: the end of the fingerboard, symmetrical tailpiece, cluster soundholes, flower-like inlays, and pale shaded-natural finish. Some entries also mention Il Palissandro, but the document makes clear how strongly Il Fiorentino shaped my conception of the guitar.
At that time, I did not yet own Il Fiorentino. Using photographs in Making an Archtop Guitar as a reference, I was trying to bring the features that attracted me into a steel-string archtop.
Six Soundhole Proposals
For the soundholes, I wanted a petal-like design recalling Il Fiorentino rather than conventional f-holes. Bob drew six proposals.
In his email, Bob explained that proposals #2, #5, and #6 were asymmetrical and told me to take as much time as I needed. I ultimately selected #3. He replied that he would add a corresponding soundhole in the side.
I communicated preferences and direction; Bob gave them concrete form. Choosing among his proposals was one of the pleasures of the commission.
Construction
The conversation began in 2003, and the guitar was completed in 2006. Along the way, Bob and Cindy sent progress photographs at important stages.
These photographs preserve stages that cannot be seen in pictures of the finished guitar. Watching the wood gradually take the form of an instrument from far away was a valuable part of the experience for me as its commissioner.
The Guitar Arrives
I had seen photographs of the guitar under construction and of Bob setting up the finished instrument, so I thought I knew roughly what would arrive. Even so, opening the case produced an emotion quite different from seeing the photographs.
The first surprise was its lightness. As I lifted it from the case, it almost felt as though I had picked up only the neck.
The earlier article described a responsive, gentle tone with a sense of depth. That impression cannot be attributed solely to the unusual position or shape of the soundholes; strings, room acoustics, and listening position also affect perception. It should be understood simply as what I felt while playing the guitar.
Beside Il Fiorentino
Il Fiorentino, known to me only through book photographs when I placed the order, later came into my possession. Placing the two guitars side by side makes the references clear. It also reveals their differences: steel versus nylon strings, headstock shape, soundhole arrangement, woods, and ornamentation.
The starting point—a 16-inch non-cutaway—came from Bob. Within that framework, I expressed my preferences, considered his proposals, and settled the specifications; Bob then brought them together as a complete instrument.
The guitar that remains with me, together with the emails, specification sheets, and construction photographs, forms the record I want to preserve of how this instrument came to be.
References
- Commission correspondence with Bob Benedetto and Cindy Benedetto, 2003–2006 (author’s collection).
- Benedetto Custom Guitar final specification sheets, June 19, 2006 (author’s collection).
- Construction photographs and shipping documentation.
- Robert Benedetto, Making an Archtop Guitar, Centerstream Publishing, 1994, pp.226–229.
- Who Actually Built Benedetto Guitars, and Where? | 1999–2006