The justjazzguitars collection of
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Benedetto, Fratello,
For Sale, Rare, Jazz, Archtop, Guitar, Bob Benedetto, Classic,
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#094 Guild Benedetto
Johnny Smith Award. No 54.
One of only 18 signed personally by Johnny Smith. |
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Guild
Benedetto Johnny Smith Award No 54.
One of
only 18 personally signed by Johnny Smith + signed CD Box
Set
Some Background:
Bob Benedetto's
association with Guild started in the Westerly. Rhode Island
days and extended through the acquisition by Fender and into
the establishment of the Custom Shop at Corona.
Some of the team of Guild Luthiers he trained at Westerly
moved with the guitars and by 2004, when this guitar
was made, the Benedetto Guilds were attracting rave
reviews for design, quality, tone and finish.
What
Bob actually did was to redesign the existing range of
X-500 Stuarts, X-700 and Artist Awards from the inside
out. Outwardly looking like their Guild
predecessors they were constructed using the principles Bob
had refined over a lifetime career. The
resulting instruments were a massive step forward in terms of
playability and performance. Even so, the
Guild name sat uneasily in the Fender camp and Fender failed
to market these superb instruments successfully.
As a "last Gasp" it was decided to re-launch the
highly revered Johnny Smith model. In order to differentiate it from the Artist Award,
Bob Benedetto was asked the make the guitar the way he felt
it should have been. This time he had free-reign and
changed some of the key dimensions, updated the
construction and re-spec'd the electrics.
Magic. At last, a real modern Guild.
But
Fender still didn't capitalise on this new jewel in their crown.
In a attempt to boost sales, Johnny Smith signed just 18 of the new JS Awards at a
major press event on August 9th 2004, and these were
marketed together with a signed boxed set of Johnny's CDs, and some
other candy, at an inflated price aimed at collectors.
Finally, this model was withdrawn in 2005.
Fender do not have definitive records but it is generally
believed that around 70 JS Awards were produced.
Unfortunately, they do not have a record of the serial
numbers of the 18 signed guitars either.
About this guitar.
Each guitar
bearing the Benedetto name was personally supervised and
inspected by Bob Benedetto and only when he was entirely happy
with a guitar would he put his name to it. This fabulous
instrument, built in 2004, bears his signature on the label
and on the Certificate of Authenticity which comes with the
guitar.
Finished in Benedetto's fantastic Honey Blonde it is absolutely Mint.
The Johnny Smith Award is a truly great guitar! Stunning
to look at, inspiring to play, it is full voiced
with ringing harmonics and capable of delivering whatever a
guitarist calls for, just like my Benedetto Fratello
except that the Fratello has a creamy voice whereas the JS
has a wider palette of tonal shades. It feels right and it sounds
superb! This is a great acoustic archtop and is
superb played un-plugged. The
Benedetto S6 floating pickup is legendary for the
quality of its tone and response and raises this amazing
guitar to equal the very best!!
This
guitar has only been played lightly, with no visible sign of
playing and zero wear. It is simply Mint .
It is
one of just 18 JS Awards, signed personally by Johnny Smith
on the back of the headstock. For these guitars, he
also signed the Certificate of
Authenticity and the CD Boxed Set.
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Monday.
Aug 9th 2004. "Jazz guitar legend Johnny
Smith joined Robert Benedetto, one of the world's
premiere jazz guitar luthiers, at Guild's manufacturing
facility on Monday, August 9th, to personalize a limited
edition number of hand-crafted instruments. This
collaboration features a total of 18 Guild Johnny Smith
Award model guitars that were signed by Smith",
Ref: Guild Press Release 26.08.2004
See below.
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Spec:
CBB2000054
was made in May 2004:
Model Name: JOHNNY SMITH AWARD (Benedetto® Signature
signed by Johnny Smith)
Model Number: 360-9800-867
Category: Custom Shop Carved Archtop Electric Jazz
Guitars
Body Style: Single Cutaway (17" in Width, 3" in Depth)
Scale Length: 25 9/16"
Top: Hand Carved, Graduated Solid European Spruce
Bracing: N/A
Back: Solid Figured German Maple
Sides: Solid Figured German Maple
Neck: 5-Piece Curly Maple
Width at Nut: 1-11/16"
Fretboard: Ebony (12" Radius)
Bridge: Ebony
Hardware: Deluxe Gold Hardware
Electronics: 1 Benedetto® S-6 Mini Humbucking Pickup,
1-Volume Control
Finish: High Gloss (Nitro-cellulose Lacquer)
Colour:
(837) Antique Burst, (867) Honey Blonde
Unique Features: Superfine Multiple Line Bindings
Throughout,
Engraved Harp Tailpiece,
Imperial Tuners,
Inlaid Johnny Smith Award Motif on Headstock,
Inlaid Abalone Benedetto Logo at 19th Fret,
Arched Top,
Bound F-Holes,
Mother-of-Pearl and Abalone Block Inlays,
Sleek Black Stairstep Pickguard,
Improved Fingerboard Extension Design
Case: Includes C5217A A Premium Alligator Hardshell
Case, p/n 3501075219
U.S. MSRP: $18,000.00 in 2004
Options: N/A
Strings: Guild L5350 Stainless Steel Flatwound,
Gauges .012P, .016P, .024W, .032W, .042W, .052W
Introduced: 7/2002
Discontinued: 2005
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Guild
Press Release.
Guild Creates
Limited Edition Johnny Smith Award Model
Aug 26, 2004
Jazz guitar
legend Johnny Smith joined Robert Benedetto, one of the
world's premiere jazz guitar luthiers, at Guild's
manufacturing facility on Monday, August 9th, to
personalize a limited edition number of hand-crafted
instruments. This collaboration features a total of 18
Guild Johnny Smith Award model guitars that were signed
by Smith, and which will be made available to authorized
Guild retailers on a first-come, first- served basis.
This historic limited run
celebrates the recent return of the name Johnny Smith to
this Guild guitar, which was first introduced in 1956,
but which featured his name for only four years. Since
1960, the guitar has been known simply as the Guild
Artist Award model.
When Guild teamed up with renown guitar builder Robert
Benedetto in 1999, one of the goals was to utilize his
expertise to refine some of the classic Guild designs,
including the Artist Award model. Since that time,
Benedetto has been working extensively with Guild's team
of master luthiers to help hone their skills and to
incorporate his own techniques, resulting in a series of
instruments known as the Guild Benedetto Signature line.
Robert Benedetto personally signs off on each and every
Johnny Smith Award model guitar that is built.
With the names Benedetto and Guild working together,
Smith has once again added his name and endorsement to
the guitars. This special edition run of Johnny Smith
Award model guitars are available in two finishes:
Antique Burst and Honey Blonde. Both the top of select
European spruce and back of flamed European maple are
carved and hand-graduated to Benedetto's exact
specifications. The guitar also features a 5-piece
American maple neck with ebony fretboard (including the
Benedetto logo inlaid on the 19th fret), multiple
binding package throughout, mother-of-pearl and abalone
inlays, and the distinct Johnny Smith signature
headstock.
There are a total of 18 instruments in this limited run,
each of which has been hand signed by Smith in gold
paint on the back of the headstock. Each instrument also
comes with a special certificate of authenticity signed
by Robert Benedetto and Johnny Smith, as well as a copy
of Mosaic Records' limited edition release of The
Complete Roost Johnny Smith Small Group Sessions. This
8-CD box set release contains 178 tracks that cover 15
original LPs and 4 ten-inch sessions in a beautiful
digital format.
The limited run of hand signed Guild Johnny Smith Award
model guitars and signed CD box set are available to
authorized Guild dealers only,
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