The Benedetto Bambino is a dream come true for players wanting a versatile, super comfortable jazz-style guitar to take to the gig - or one to just happily play on the couch. Measuring 14 1/2" wide, 2 1/4" deep, and weighing in at 5lbs 12oz, comfort is the name of the game here.
This limited edition Bambino was built in the late 2000s to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Benedetto Guitars and features a white nitro finish and twin A-6 Benedetto humbuckers (with coil tapping capabilities via the push/pull tone control).
The Bambino's maple laminate construction paired with the gorgeous sounding A-6 pickups deliver a surprising amount of versatility. Straight ahead jazz tones are obvious - the Bambino gives up nothing tonally, even though it's a smaller bodied guitar, to larger bodied jazz boxes. The tones here are snappy, open, and powerful. Notes retain a really appealing acoustic quality on top of the pickup tone - think Jim Hall and how his guitar sounds both amplified and acoustic at the same time.
Where things get interesting is switching to the bridge pickup alone, or both pickups combined, into a hotter amp. There's an ES-335-like bite and punch in the bridge pickup setting which had us reaching over to crank the gain on our Carr Telstar just to see what this Bambino would deliver.
With the gain cranked a bit, the tones became woody and round...perfect for more modern playing and not radically dissimilar from a good solid body humbucker tone. Anything from rock to modern jazz a la Rosenwinkle, etc...are possible. Players gigging an early jazz set and a more rocking set later on in the night will love the Bambino's ability to cover a wide range of genres. Will it replace your Strat, Tele, or Les Paul? No - but - you won't be immediately reaching for them either when it's time to rock a little.
Condition: Excellent, save for a finish imperfection on the back, and a small indentation on the bass side of the headstock (where it would hang on a guitar hanger). The frets show little wear and the setup feels great.
Benedetto guitars represent the ultimate in build quality, tone, and playability, all while possessing tones of soul - they're alive feeling guitars. If you've never played one, you owe it to yourself to check this Bambino out. A fantastic guitar by any measure! Priced with hardshell case.
- Maple laminate top and back/sides
- 14 1/2″ width at lower bout, 2 1/4" depth, Florentine cutaway
- Parallel bracing
- Bone nut
- 1 11/16″ width
- Two gold A-6 Benedetto Pickups
- Master volume and tone, with coil tap
- 3-way toggle switch
- Ebony Fingerboard
- 12" radius
- 25" scale
- 22 frets
- Ebony tailpiece, finger rest, bridge, truss rod cover and control knobs
- Gotoh gold tuners with ebony buttons
- Gold hardware
- White nitrocellulose lacquer finish
- Serialized and hand signed in gold ink by Bob Benedetto on the back of the headstock: S1080
- 5lbs 12oz