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1982 Benedetto Cremona
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Serial#: 7582, Clearwater, FL label, hand signed by the maker.
Body size at lower bout: 17" Body Depth: 3" Scale length: 24 3/4" Nut: 1 3/4" Neck depth, 1st/10th frets: .79/.88
Materials: Solid hand graduated tap-tuned spruce top; handcarved birdseye maple back and sides; 5 piece tiger flame maple neck; headstock facing; inlaid ebony fingerboard; pearl headstock logo and truss rod cover; 7-ply body binding; 5-ply neck and headstock binding; triple bound f-holes; solid bone nut.
Hardware: All original hardware includes pearl inlaid ebony tailpiece, pickguard and bridge; gold Grover Imperial tuners; DeArmond 1100 floating Adjustable Rhythm Chief pickup with volume control, and 1/4" endpin jack.
Notes: In the construction of traditional archtop guitars, curly or flame maple is by far the most common tonewood, followed by maple with quilted figure. A distant third is blister or bubble maple, as seen on some finer guitars of the '40s and early '50s. And then there is birdseye, the rarest of the bunch. Found occasionally in upmarket parlor guitars and banjos, this striking variety vanished almost completely in instruments built after the First World War.
A rare product of Benedetto's Clearwater, Florida workshop, this remarkable instrument was Bob's top of the line model, then as now, and one of the earliest of his guitars we have had the pleasure to present. Originally built for Grammy Award winning guitarist Wayne Johnson, it was the 25th archtop guitar built in Bob's prolific career. A full-depth 17" instrument, the body is positively aboil with intensely figured birdseye maple in the back, sides, and neck. With a bookmatched soundboard of exceptionally fine grained spruce, the guitar is also graced with solid ebony hardware, and a dark rosewood heelcap.
This handsome guitar was built by Bob entirely by hand, and shows signature touches of his scrupulous attention to detail. The headstock, tailpiece and pickguard are both inlaid in a tasteful floral pattern, and the split-block fingerboard inlay is echoed in the pearl of the bridge feet as well. The sound holes are slightly larger than on later models, and the headstock logo is inlaid in a handsome bold cursive script, and faced in genuine Carpathian elm burl, like the dashboard of a vintage Bentley. Even the truss rod cover is crafted of solid mother of pearl.
This striking instrument has been maintained in showroom condition, without pick, buckle, thumb or fingerboard wear, and its warmly ambered blonde finish shows no more than a few wisps of the typical checking one expects in an instrument of this vintage. The tap-tuned, X-braced soundboard is meticulously hand graduated; aged for over four decades, it lends the voice a brilliant clarity, detail and resonance, all transmitted faithfully to the amp through the coveted original DeArmond 1100 Adjustable Rhythm Chief pickup. The gentle D profile neck sits easily in the hand, with smooth low action over a fresh high-precision setup. And rarely seen on guitars of this size, the nimble 24 3/4" scale neck makes stretch voicings and lightning runs a breeze for the serious player.
A rare sighting indeed, with the voice of a songbird itself. One only, call now.
Setup: This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel strings (.012-.054). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 4/64" to 5/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.
Case: Original premium arched brown faux alligator plush lined hardshell case.
