PLAYERS

Here are some of the better known people who have recorded and/or performed with my guitars.

Eric Roche www.ericroche.com

Right; Eric and I at 'Uncorked & Unplugged', Alfriston, East Sussex, UK. 2003.

Eric Roche leaves behind him a lasting influence on the UK and world acoustic guitar scene and, as was shown by the huge response to his death in September 2005, a lasting influence on many peoples lives. Eric was unique amongst solo acoustic guitar performers in that he could really reach out captivate any audience (not just guitar freaks!) with his unaffected warmth of personality; you felt you were getting Eric not a 'show' when you saw his concerts. Even at the last few concerts Eric did, during the later stages of his illness, he was out talking to everyone afterwards, making new friends and inspiring everyone left, right and center, even if they didn't know one end of a guitar from the other.

I was very fortunate to meet Eric at the Lewes Guitar Festival in 2002. After a storming concert supported by Tony Cox, he conducted a workshop the next day and I managed to thrust a couple of guitars at him before he had to leave. Luckily for me Eric had been thinking about getting a smaller guitar to contrast with his famously battered Lowden and my guitars must have made a reasonable impression because he returned a few months later (after the birth of his first child Stefan) to place an order.

When Eric came back down to Lewes I borrowed back a number of guitars from local customers to help him decide what I should make and he really fell for a twelve fret 000 made from Cedar and Indian rosewood. After much deliberation we decided a fourteen fret neck joint Orchestra model, built from the same woods, and with some tonal design nudging towards the twelve fret 000 was the answer, giving Eric the rich, open tone of the 000 and the fret access he was used to.

Here are some very kind words Eric gave to me after I completed the guitar:

"My Benjamin OM guitar fills a huge gap in my guitar collection. I am normally associated with deep-body jumbo-style instruments. I was looking for a smaller instrument when I discovered Nick Benjamin's guitars. The 'Benjamin' has the clarity, definition and tone that gives me a new accent in my guitar voice. I never knew that an instrument this size could have such a resonant and full bass end. It has been an real ear (and eye) opener. After only a month I am composing and playing music that would never have been realized on my other guitars. I have been unable to put this guitar down since I first collected her from Nick's workshop. I intend to give this instrument a central role in my recording and performing work. It is truly the refreshing inspiration that I need at the start of a new year! I feel like I have fallen in love with guitar all over again. Who knows where this new affair with my 'Benjamin' will lead!"

Eric went on to write many of the new pieces for his 'With These Hands' album on the guitar, and nine out of thirteen tracks were recorded with it in the end. You can also see the guitar on the cover in mirror image!

Left; Eric recording a track for the album on his Benjamin OM.

Right; Martin Taylor produced 'With These Hands'.

During the initial stages of Eric's illness in 2004 I went forward with a new prototype guitar for him designed to replace his battered Lowden. Eric used the guitar for a number of months and even took it to China for his far eastern debut, but I am very sad not to have had the opportunity to make the next one for him using everything I had learnt from the first two instruments.

Above: residential workshop, Devon '04, with Stuart Ryan and Jacques Stotzem.
Below: Hastings benefit gig '05

Stuart Ryan www.stuartryan.co.uk and www.myspace.com/stuartryanmusic

Right: Stuart with his original Double-0 in the old workshop, Nov. '05.

I first met Stuart at a number of Eric Roche's residential workshops during which he was sharing the tutoring load and I was giving talks on guitar building. Stuart has always enjoyed playing smaller guitars and very kindly decided to place an order with me in 2005 for a Double-0. We decided to combine Alpine spruce and Amazon rosewood (very similar in tone to Brazilian) for a very focused guitar with a strong ringing treble and concentrated but warm bass. We fitted a stereo Highlander pickup and mic system, at Stuart's request.

"Well, one week in and I have to say the guitar is stunning, the best instrument I have ever played. It's tone and playability are a joy and have released a new side to my playing. The range of the instrument is superb, every note from low to high rings true and I can really 'dig in' when required. I put it through its paces in a medium sized concert hall on Tuesday night (Birkenhead International Guitar Festival of Great Britain 2005) and even though I only had time for a minimal soundcheck the sound was there immediately and everyone was very impressed."

Stuart has now placed an order for a JOM guitar (to be made in early 2009) it will be constructed from Lutz spruce and Indian rosewood to suit his very varied playing which regularly stretches from modern percussion playing to bluegrass flatpicking and everything in-between!

Stuart has been appointed 'Head of Guitar' this year at the new Bristol Institute of Modern Music (BIMM).

Stuart's debut CD, 'The Coast Road', is available at www.guitarcds.net .

You can hear recordings in most issues of 'Guitar Techniques' magazine.

Newton Faulkner www.myspace.com/newtonfaulkner and www.newtonfaulkner.com

'Singer-songwriter' and guitarist Newton Faulkner was tutored by Eric Roche at the ACM in Guildford, UK, and Eric's influences are strong on his guitar playing techniques, which include two handed tapping and percussion. Sam initially commissioned a JOM in Sitka and Mahogany a few years ago whilst still at college and I've never known anyone play in a guitar so quickly - a hefty playing schedule of 'all day, every day'!

After a row of EP releases and gradually increasing radio attention, Newton's debut album 'Hand Built By Robots' finally hit the number one spot in the UK charts in 2007 after the great success of his 'Dream Catch Me' single. Newton has been on tour nearly constantly ever since, visiting countries all over the world and playing at many very high profile festivals, including a headline slot at Glastonbury in 2008

Newton also has the second (prototype) guitar I made for Eric Roche: it seemed like the most appropriate thing to do with it, I felt it should be out there being used and Newton, as one of Eric's pupils, playing with similar techniques, seemed like the best person to have it. Newton now also has two further JOM guitars one with a 'Scoop' cutaway in Palo Escrito and Lutz spruce and another in Mahogany and Adirondack spruce and has just taken delivery of a new Baritone guitar (Jan. '09).

Most of Newton's guitars have LR Baggs pickup systems combining the Baggs Ribbon undersaddle pickup with Baggs' internal mic. These are either the old Double-Barrel system (now discontinued) or the very similar Dual-Source.

Thomas Leeb www.thomasleeb.com

In 2007 I lent prototype guitar #77 to Thomas to test out its special 'Percussion' construction. It was a modified JOM model with special strutting designed to resist breakage from soundboard percussion techniques, a pinless bridge, a long scale (660mm) for low tunings and was also my first 'Scoop' cutaway guitar.

Thomas used the guitar to record part of his 'Desert Pirate' album - you can hear #77 on 'Jebuda', 'No Woman No Cry' and 'Oft Geht Bled'.

The guitar has now been passed on to one of Thomas' students: Alex Kabasser, a fine young percussive player from Austria (see details below).

Right; 'Percussion' prototype #77, fitted with Baggs M1 pickup and Dual-Source mic with a separate K&K soundboard pickup system.

Alex Kabasser www.alexkabasser.com

Alex is a student of Thomas Leeb's based in Austria. He now has guitar #77; the 'Percussion' prototype guitar I originally lent to Thomas for testing.

Alex has a beautiful musical tone and very joyful playing style and his debut CD 'Dawning' is well worth getting hold of. He has supported Alex de Grassi and Andy Mckee recently and is definitely a name to look out for in the future! He is a busy medical student currently and I don't know how he has had time to get so good at the guitar!

See Alex playing #77 on YouTube:

http://de.youtube.com/user/alexkabasser

Right; Alex and I in Turrucher Hohe, Austria, 2008. I should have stood on a box!

Clive Carroll www.clivecarroll.co.uk

In the spring of 2008 a made a guitar for Clive Carroll, an Orchestra Model in Sitka spruce and Honduras rosewood. I'll put up more details soon but you can already hear Clive's new guitar on his new album 'Life in Colour', featuring on several tracks, including; 'All This Time', the octaves melody on 'Oregon', 'The Gentle Man' and 'The Boatman'.

Sorry about the blurry picture!

Kaki King www.kakiking.com and www.myspace.com/kakiking

In 2009 I offered Kaki a guitar - I had been listening non-stop to her albums and really wanted to make something for her. She has a hugh array of guitars already and is of course mainly associated with Adamas guitars which suit her high volume live work very well so she accepted the offer as long as it was something unusual! She came up with a high tuned four string guitar and I also decided to try out some ideas I had been knocking about for a asymmetric body acoustic.

I got the guitar to Kaki just as she was working on her new album 'Junior' and I am very pleased to say that she used it for a track called 'The Hoopers of Hudspeth'!

Richard Durrant www.richard-durrant.com and www.ungagged.com

Richard Durrant studied guitar, cello and composition at the Royal College of Music since when he has forged his own highly individual career. Best known for his lively and entertaining guitar concerts Durrant has won devoted fans throughout Europe - his sheer virtuosity and uncategorisable repertoire earning him a unique place in the world of the guitar. Alongside his concert work Durrant is a busy recording artist and broadcaster. He is also a successful composer of television and concert music, works regularly as record producer and is recognized as a true multi-instrumentalist who has recorded and broadcast on mandolins, bazoukis, bodhran, cello and double bass. In October 2002, as recognition of his work promoting art in the community, Durrant was presented with a Daily Mail Golden Jubilee Award by HRH Prince Charles.

Richard owns a Cedar and Rosewood Jumbo model which was a prototype for the current model built alongside Nick Pynn's guitar in 1997 (See below.).

"When I play a gig or record on steel strung guitar I would only ever use my Benjamin. The clarity and range has changed my playing, the sheer volume makes my life easier and the quality of sound makes sound engineers and producers take you seriously from the moment you start tuning! And if you're stuck for new material then it pays to have an unputdownable instrument that forces you to noodle and doodle....."

Hear Richard's guitar on many of his recordings including the 'Pandora' album with Herbie Flowers of 'Walk on the Wildside' bass-line fame.

Nick Pynn www.nickpynn.co.uk

Nick Pynn's compositions and musicianship defy category. A regular solo artist at Brighton and Edinburgh Festivals performing original material on violin, dulcimer and guitar, he's also worked as musical director and composer for multimedia community productions, Same Sky dance events, and with Herbie Flowers' Rockshop. From two-man acoustic gigs across the UK with Steve Harley to the pure pop of B*witched on tour and the eccentric and surreal world of Arthur Brown, Nick now plays regularly with Otis Lee Crenshaw (Rich Hall) and is working on his third solo album and a joint album with Jane Bom-Bane.

Nick bought one of my first professional instruments in 1997; a prototype for the current Jumbo model in Cedar and Walnut and has used it ever since for all his recording and performances.

"If I could take only one material possession with me to a desert island, it would be my Benjamin guitar...every ear that hears it and every hand that has stroked it's strings has fallen in love with it. My favourite finger-picking guitar ever. I couldn't imagine life without it."

Hear Nick's guitar on albums such as 'Music from Windows' and his new album 'Afterplansman'.

Nigel Bates www.beat-poets.com

Nigel runs the 'Beat-Poets' studio now relocated to France. He regularly works with people such as Paul Carrack and Steve Winwood. Nigel owns three of my guitars; a Birdseye Maple instrument (early version of Orchestra model) and a Flamed Sycamore Double 0 and a 12-string Jumbo.

Sorry about the photo Nigel, it was the only one I could find!

Tab Hunter www.blazingstrings.com

Tab Hunter, folk guitarist, accompanist and flat-picker, one half of acclaimed traditional duo Ben Paley & Tab Hunter and Tab Hunter & Nick Clyne flatpicking duo, freelance guitarist and teacher. Tab was also a member of the Wild Turkey Brothers; an infamous 'Death-Bluegrass' band who supported the Levellers on tour. He's mellowed somewhat these days but still has a driving passion to bring beautiful tunes from around the world to our ears, from Old-Time to Klezma to traditional Swedish music. Tab and Ben Paley (World class fiddle player, who also owns one of my instruments.) have just been booked for a second year at the prestigious Broadstairs Folk Festival (Summer 2003).

I originally created a Jumbo-Dreadnought model for Tab in 2002, to try and suit the varied demands of his playing. The 'Tabnought', as it is known, is built from old dark Brazilian and Sitka spruce with quite a hefty laminated neck for plenty of sweet power and is fitted with a Baggs i-Beam run through a Para DI.

"The guitar that Nick made for me is unlike any other guitar that I've ever played...with a sweet & even tone, powerful bass, solid middle, cutting but rounded top-end, amazing volume, unerring accuracy and big gorgeous voice. When working with a fiddle-player, I have unprecedented dynamic scope, and when flat-picking melodies, the sustain and big voice means that the single note stuff never sounds thin. Once I'd accustomed myself to a guitar that didn't call for compensation (however slight) in tuning, or playing, I actually found that my playing improved (possibly because the instrument is so accurate that I was forced to tidy up any sloppy technique!). Whilst waiting for the guitar to be completed, there was the vague thought in the back of my mind that it might not turn out how I wanted it...but very shortly after finally getting my hands on it, I realised that it was as near to perfect as I could hope. Nick's a genius.

I won't ever need another guitar.

Lovely."

Thanks Tab!