NGD: Benedetto GA-35 (335 style)

[coolfeel]

Been a bit since I've posted and thought some might find this recent purchase interesting.

Started looking at 335 styles a few years ago and narrowed it down to either a Collings I-35 or the elusive Benedetto GA-35, which is pretty difficult to find as there were only around 40 produced before getting the obligatory "cease and desist" from Gibson.

Fortunately, I found a collector in CA who had decided it was time to thin his heard.  He commissioned and received this build 10 years ago, plucked it a couple of times and tucked it away for a decade. It was basically mint upon arrival to me.

This is a spectacular, otherworldly instrument. Light antique burst maple flame top, mahogany back and sides, ebony board with bird inlays. Phenomenal playing and sounding guitar. 

[coolfeel]

From the backside 

[ARM OF HAMER]

                                                  VERY Nice! Never played one of those although I did play a Sadowsky 335 style. That is a very uncommon [And Expensive] guitar, quite beautiful IMHO and of course Bob's guitar are always stellar instruments. Congrats!

[Brooks]

Holy shit I love that!!!!! Amazing.

PS - Subconsciously I have moved gear around the last few years to find myself with all sunburst/tobaccoburst guitars (none as nice as yours!).

[coolfeel]

1 hour ago, Brooks said:

Holy shit I love that!!!!! Amazing.

PS - Subconsciously I have moved gear around the last few years to find myself with all sunburst/tobaccoburst guitars (none as nice as yours!).

Thanks Brook! I love all 3 of those guitars! What's the story with the strat with the f hole? That is badass 🤘

[coolfeel]

On 1/3/2024 at 3:20 PM, ARM OF HAMER said:

                                                  VERY Nice! Never played one of those although I did play a Sadowsky 335 style. That is a very uncommon [And Expensive] guitar, quite beautiful IMHO and of course Bob's guitar are always stellar instruments. Congrats!

Thanks! Where did you find a Sadowsky 335?  I never knew he made any. 

[ARM OF HAMER]

                                                        Friend from Alaska owned it...................... if you have the money it can be made, and he  certainly had the money. He had other guitars "Custom Made" by Abe Rivera, Benedetto, Buscarino, and others. He is old school also so into Jimmy Raney,Tal Farlow Grant Green, Wes Montgomery.

[Tortious]

That's awesome.

Even the case looks stellar.

 

[ArnieZ]

Beautiful, would love to try one!!

Arniez

[Cboss]

22 hours ago, coolfeel said:

Been a bit since I've posted and thought some might find this recent purchase interesting.

Started looking at 335 styles a few years ago and narrowed it down to either a Collings I-35 or the elusive Benedetto GA-35, which is pretty difficult to find as there were only around 40 produced before getting the obligatory "cease and desist" from Gibson.

Fortunately, I found a collector in CA who had decided it was time to thin his heard.  He commissioned and received this build 10 years ago, plucked it a couple of times and tucked it away for a decade. It was basically mint upon arrival to me.

This is a spectacular, otherworldly instrument. Light antique burst maple flame top, mahogany back and sides, ebony board with bird inlays. Phenomenal playing and sounding guitar. 

How do they wire the pots and switch?

[coolfeel]

9 hours ago, ArnieZ said:

Beautiful, would love to try one!!

Arniez

Let me know if you're ever in Charlotte and you can swing by and strum some chords. 

[coolfeel]

9 hours ago, Cboss said:

How do they wire the pots and switch?

It's a basic setup - tone and volume for each pickup and a 3-way selector.  The A6 pickups are made by Seymour Duncan for Benedetto and are very nice. 

[coolfeel]

11 hours ago, ARM OF HAMER said:

                                                        Friend from Alaska owned it...................... if you have the money it can be made, and he  certainly had the money. He had other guitars "Custom Made" by Abe Rivera, Benedetto, Buscarino, and others. He is old school also so into Jimmy Raney,Tal Farlow Grant Green, Wes Montgomery.

Very interesting. There was an Abe Rivera on Reverb not long ago. The woodworking on his guitars is insane. 

[RobB]

That is the most beautifully appointed semi-hollow I’ve ever seen. That mahogany back is a work of art. 

[lang]

The Tally that I picked up from you years ago is the last Hamer I have left.  Such a great guitar   I should have picked up your old Tally Pro too

[coolfeel]

2 hours ago, lang said:

The Tally that I picked up from you years ago is the last Hamer I have left.  Such a great guitar   I should have picked up your old Tally Pro too

Did you get the one second from the right?  That's a really great sounding and playing guitar. It rings like a bell and has such a great color. The only reason I moved it on was because it became redundant when I got the Dantzig. 

[coolfeel]

3 hours ago, RobB said:

That is the most beautifully appointed semi-hollow I’ve ever seen. That mahogany back is a work of art. 

Thank you, the pics only capture so much as you can imagine 🙂

[lang]

11 minutes ago, coolfeel said:

Did you get the one second from the right?  That's a really great sounding and playing guitar. It rings like a bell and has such a great color. The only reason I moved it on was because it became redundant when I got the Dantzig. 

That's the one.  Great, great guitar.  

[coolfeel]

1 hour ago, lang said:

That's the one.  Great, great guitar.  

So glad you are finding joy with it! 

[Brooks]

On 1/3/2024 at 6:15 PM, coolfeel said:

Thanks Brook! I love all 3 of those guitars! What's the story with the strat with the f hole? That is badass 🤘

 

I tried that body on my partscaster (its from a cheap Cozart strat). My Warmoth neck fit on perfect, but when I went to change out the stock bridge for my Callaham bridge, it didn't fit and the 6 holes didn't line up; thought about getting the file out and plugging then redrilling the holes, then decided against it.  Played it that way for a few months, last week I put the old paulownia sparkle body (loaded w/ the Callaham bridge & Dimarzio/Suhr pups) back on, it sounds best that way. I might pull the trigger on a chambered Warmoth body in the next few months, I dunno...