Welcome to the website of Nick Benjamin, maker of acoustic
guitars.
Lewes, East Sussex, England, UK.
Luthier Nick Benjamin produces small numbers of handmade steel
string acoustic guitars, mostly to custom order.
Owners include; Eric Roche, Stuart Ryan, Thomas Leeb, Newton Faulkner and
Clive Carroll.
Pickup fitting for all acoustic guitars is also a speciality.
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| Jumbo | Jumbo Orchestra Model (JOM) | Orchestra Model (OM) |
| Treble 0 (12 fret) | Double 0 (14 fret) | Terz (high tuned) |
| Baritone Models | Nylon-String Models coming soon! | New & Future Models |
*Latest News 7th July 2008*
Last week RICHARD OSBORNE and myself completed the customisation
of a guitar for presentation
to NEIL DIAMOND by his tour promoter to celebrate a hughly successful tour
and new album.
The customisation included solid silver inlay script into an Ebony
scratch-plate by myself and Pearl ND logos
to the same plate and trussrod cover by Richard plus inlayed stones into the
bridge-pins and logos by me.
FOR SALE
'Pre-loved' Treble-0 slot-head in Alpine Spruce and Flamed Maple
with Paua Abalone soundboard edgings for sale.
See Stock page for details.
(This guitar is for sale via its current owner, not through me.)
New guitar for CLIVE CARROLL now completed.
See further down the page for details!
Watch NEWTON FAULKNER performing at this year's GLASTONBURY
festival using a trio of BENJAMIN guitars!
www.bbc.co.uk/glastonbury/2008/artists/newtonfaulkner
ORDERS & WAITING TIME
I am now taking orders for late 2009 to be completed spring 2010.
This means that WAITING TIME is now just under 2 YEARS.
My new 2009/2010 prices are now on-line.
Several new decoration schemes are available
including my new 'Double Bound' style
with extra back and side purflings and my 'Double Bound Plus' with neck and
head bindings.
Click for 2008/2009 PRICES for orders already
taken before June '08.
CURRENT BATCH PROGRESS REPORT
Work on the new batch is now fully underway, includes; Jumbo Baritone
(Honduras RW/Lutz
for Newton Faulkner), Midi-Jumbo (Indian RW/Cedar), JOM (Braz. RW/Adi), Treble-0
(Braz.
RW/Redwood), Orchestra Model (Honduras RW/Adi) and Double-0 (Honduras
RW/Alpine).
Backs and fronts are now completed with side assemblies just starting
to come together.
PICTURES UP NOW!
CURRENT BATCH GALLERY
See some images of work in progress.
New images July '08.
New Wood Specials page.
WOODGALLERY
Choose the wood for your guitar!
Check back for regular updates of all my latest finds.
and.....GALLERY OF PAST AND PRESENT GUITARS
Come and say hello on my new MYSPACE!
www.myspace.com/benjaminguitars
REPAIRS
I am not doing any repair work at the moment but am still happy to do some
pickup fitting.
Please get in touch with my good friend Richard Osborne at www.osborneguitars.co.uk
for general repairs.
K&K Pure Western Mini pickup systems now in stock.
Full range of LR Baggs pickups and preamps always available to order, as well as the D-Tar range.
HEADWAY SHIRE KING acoustic
amps now available from Benjamin Guitars.
The best amps I've tried - warm and clear at the same time with a
great dynamic range.
Have a look at my Pickups page for details of the
SK120 and SK60.
BENJAMIN GUITARS GOES WIND POWERED!
I have recently switched to ECOTRICITY
New
guitar for CLIVE CARROLL now completed. After many years of subtle and not
so subtle offers of a guitar Clive has finally asked me to make him a new
instrument which will hopefully make a nice contrast and companion to his
beloved Bown. Details were finalised recently and we settled on an Orchestra
Model in Sitka and Honduras Rosewood with a neck to Clive's normal specifications
and construction to allow the super low action Clive likes and give a familiar
but expanded tonal response.
Clive collected his new guitar this week (June '08)!
Sorry about the blurry picture - should have used a flash - or is it just the speed of Clive's fingers!
Benjamin guitar player NEWTON FAULKNER has gone from strength
to strength in the last year with his debut album 'Hand Built by Robots' going
to number one in the British charts last summer with a nomination for a Brits
music award to top it all off!
You can see Newton using his BENJAMIN guitars at all the main festivals this year, including; the Isle of Wight Festival, Glastonbury etc, etc!
I am currently making Newton a BARITONE guitar which will be his fifth Benjamin guitar!
www.newtonfaulkner.com
www.myspace.com/newtonfaulkner
Since
2005 STUART RYAN, acoustic columnist for Guitar Techniques magazine and all
round top fingerstyle wizard, has been using his BENJAMIN Double-0 guitar
as his main acoustic instrument.
Stuart will also be having a new JOM next year!
Stuart has now been appointed as 'Head of Guitar' at the new BRISTOL INSTITUTE of MODERN MUSIC, the new sister college to the Brighton based BIMM.
Right; Stuart Ryan in the old workshop.
THOMAS
LEEB visited the workshop this spring ('07) to pick up guitar #77, my 'Percussion'
prototype. The guitar has been built to survive body percussion and work well
for low tunings, tapping and slapped harmonics and is also the first guitar
to feature my new 'Scoop' cutaway. It has a meaty tone with a quick response
to give a full but well defined sound when pushed hard. I was very pleased
with the tone in Thomas's hands and he was already thinking through which
pieces it might suit. I forgot to take any photos of the handover due to my
absorption in listening to Thomas play but I hope to get some pictures soon!
The guitar is on loan to Thomas for testing of the new construction and I'm
sure he will really put it through it's paces.
Right; Thomas' guitar.
*LATEST* Thomas has just used the guitar to record part of his amazing new album 'Desert Pirate' which is now available via his website. You can hear #77 on 'Jebuda', 'No Woman No Cry' and 'Oft Geht Bled'.
Special Wood News
Beautiful BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD with several different
looks to choose from,
from the classic to the extraordinary!
Heavenly HONDURAS ROSEWOOD with beautiful fine
grain,
some of the best back & side timber I've ever had.
Astounding ADIRONDACK SPRUCE now in stock and ready for use, smooth, punchy vintage heaven!
Zany ZIRICOTE now in stock. This African timber
is extraordinary looking, with dark
spider-webbing like classic Brazilian and a lizard skin like grey-green colouration.
Tonally it is
somewhat like Ebony, producing a smooth, clear and carrying voice.
Magnificent MEXICAN ROSEWOOD (Palo Escrito) back
and sides now in stock. A light, stiff rosewood
with a quick response and a paler colour for a much stronger grain
pattern than most other rosewoods.
Amazing AMAZON ROSEWOOD now in stock, incredibly
straight and true;
tonally very similar to Brazilian Rosewood without the breathtaking price!
Corking COCOBOLO rosewood back and sides now in
stock, ideal Brazilian substitute,
with beautiful dark chocolate lines and rich oranges, one of the most striking
woods around.
Mighty MACASSAR EBONY back and side sets plus matching
fingerboards, bridges, headfacings
and bindings. This subtly stripy wood combines the best properties of ebony
and rosewood.
Balmy BUBINGA with over the top deep quilt figure
and intricate wine red grain lines.
Sometimes known as 'African Rosewood'.
Sumptuous QUILTED SAPELE available in very small
quantities.
Almost unnaturally extra deep quilt in this african mahogany.
Lovely LUTZ SPRUCE now ready. This hybrid sitka species
is some of the best cut and most
beautiful spruce I've ever had, should make some astounding guitars. Very
lively and dynamic!
Ravishing REDWOOD soundboards now in, tonally
very similar to
extra nice cedar but with and extra 'ring' and a deep wine red colour.
Wonderful WALNUT (Claro) beautifully consistent deep figure with great tone.
*CLICK BELOW TO ENTER THIS SITE'S OTHER PAGES*
| Jumbo | Jumbo Orchestra Model (JOM) | Orchestra Model (OM) |
| Treble 0 (12 fret) | Double 0 (14 fret) | Terz (high tuned) |
| Baritone Models | Nylon-String Models coming soon! | New & Future Models |