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I accidently stumbled upon a George Benson model, the LGB30-VYS with a price of 899 euros.
At first I thought it was a mistake, since the guitar looked almost exactly like the LGB300-VYS, but no it is real : I found that product referenced in several online stores in the same price range, but currently it is not available anywhere. Some sites do mention that the guitar will be available by the end of august.
Visually, it is close to the "real thing", the differences I can see right now is the tail piece that is simpler in looks, it has a TOM bridge instead of a wooden one, the pots are in a different location, the orange instead of yellowish color of the guitar (but that might be due to the low quality of the pic), the color of the headstock (it seems to have a rosewood veneer when the headstock of the 300 model is black), the tuning pegs and the truss rod cover.
As for the specs, it is again very similar, with maple back and sides, a spruce top and an ebony fingerboard. The only difference is that the neck is made of maple and mahogany, when the 300 has an all maple neck. The specs mention that it has super 58 pickups, I guess these will be the custom versions and not the japanese ones, as it is the case for all the other MIC ibanez guitars that have them.
The guitar does not appear on the ibanez website so it has not been officially announced yet, but you can bet they will come up with a video featuring the master himself presenting the product when the time comes.
Who else has his GAS meter going up right now ?
Last edited by Nabil B; 05-08-2013 at 08:39 AM.
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05-08-2013 08:33 AM
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It looks like one of their existing archtops with some GB cosmetics, the body looks larger, in-set PUPs and wood tailpiece.
Last edited by docbop; 05-08-2013 at 03:53 PM.
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Do any of the previous Benson models have the in-set pickups?
Isn't floater vs. in-set pups a huge difference?
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The workmanship is exquisite. I particularly like the unusual 2-piece tailpiece. For $1700 used, it's not cheap, but wow what a sweet jazz box.
It has 2 floaters - great for jazz, but not as versatile as 2 set humbuckers and likely with more feedback issues.
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Looks cool to me...I'd lose the abalone inlay on the tailpiece though...yuck. That fails design 101 at a Community College.
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I think it's a very nice looking guitar and it appears to come with the Super 58's.
I am a fan of Ibanez guitars and have been for nearly 3 decades now.
I just don't know what to make of the Benson Fender. No one around me has them stocked so I can't try one out. I though it odd the Hot Rod Deluxe was the base model for it. I've found them to be a bit shrill for my tastes but that isn't a fair assessment of them in general as I've only played through the 410 Deville.
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Yeah looking around some on ICW I found that thread where a fella in Europe got a LGB300 and did a review and minor tear down on it for our education. Here's the thread, the reviewer states the LGB300 has a carved solid back and shows photos of it's laminated top (by removing pickups is clearly a lam).
So the LGB30 is a Made In China variation of the LGB300, be most interesting when they come out to get a tear down review like done on the LGB300.
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That doesn't bother me at all, and it's coherent with the style of the Benson models, which always look a lil sophisticated. However I'm kind of disappointed by the color which is just your standard sunburst instead of the original, eye catching yellow sunburst of the 300. Oh and I just noticed that on the promo photo, the guitar has a wooden bridge instead of the TOM that can be seen in the first pic.
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Hmmm...I always thought the Benson models had those cool split tailpieces?
I think the design on the tailpiece is terrible...it has nothing to do with any of the forms on the rest of the guitar. It's a small deal, really, but you'd get a "do-over" in my design 1 class for a move like that.
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Mr. Beaumont I think it's a REALLY nice looking guitar the way it is. Although yes I could do without the abalone on the tailpiece.
To me it would be even better with George's signature on the tailpiece in script, his initials GB, or just wood. The way it is right
now I still think it looks great and will definitely buy one when they release them officially. If they used an inlay there that was
just another kind of wood that had a different appearance that would be BOSS too. Hey I'm not complaining though, it looks
like a super sweet looking guitar that I would definitely want to play. I actually like this tailpiece design better than the tailpiece
on the 300 model.
Aww man if they release this new GB model with the set in pickups and also the same model with a floating pickup
in the neck, plus add at least one more finish option (whatever other finish George likes)
I bet they'll sell oodles and oodles of them.
I think it looks real nice!!!!! A version with the floating neck pickup would be nice though.
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I dig it just as it is. I might even trade my old Gretsch for it when more info comes out. If it has the body dimensions of the high end Benson model along with the Super 58's, I'd be all about it.
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This or the Chinese Pat Metheny PM2 could be quite tempting ...
I played one of the other Ibanez Chinese archtops and I was impressed with the tone.
Very nice.
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The guitar was presented at the musik messe in april :
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Tailpiece doesn't work for me either - not because of the inlay though. Mainly I don't like the upwards slant from low strings to high - seems offputting compared to the cutaway. Also that solid wood look seems out of place with what basically is a very traditional design - seems a metal tailpiece would be better.
I like the headstock inlay on this one though.
Kinda related, in my local guitar shop there are some new ibanez's - if based on these guitars, it seems Ibanez are starting to get rid of that stupid lightning bolt headstock inlay on their archtops. Not a fan of the superhero jazz guitar headstock design...
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That is a cool guitar that for under $1000 sounds like a decent deal, but for me if I were gonna move up from Joe Pass to George Benson I would go for the GB10. That guitar in natural is the epitome of jazzboxes for me.
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I'm definitely going to get one of those. Hope they come out with it also in Cherry Burst or Natural finish.
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Why is everyone here getting excited over this guitar, just because it has GB stamped on it, at over a grand cheaper than the GB10 there has to be corners cut. This will always be a poor mans GB. It's worth saving up for a GB10. Anyway for a grand you could find a pretty good second hand jazz box, "IMO"....L..
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I don't think it's relevant to compare it to the GB10, it's not the same type of guitar. Different size and mounted instead of floating pickups. And why shouldn't we get excited ? The guitar looks good, and the MIC ibanez archtops are now widely recognized as good jazz guitars at a reasonable price. The Benson thing is just a little "plus" that will please the fans, but even without that it would still be an appealing jazz guitar.
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I think it's nicely appointed and a nice looking guitar. The initial appeal for me was that it seemed it would come with Super 58's. Now that I know it won't, the appeal is gone. The GB on it is a turn off. Not that I don't enjoy GB, sig models just irk me for some reason. Yes, even Les Pauls. I would play a sig if the guitar or amp was everything I was looking for but would otherwise try to avoid. Originally Posted by larry graves
Currently, I have a Peavey 5150 (Van Halen sig amp from the 90's for those not familiar) because it is my favorite high gain sound with my playing. I also have a late 60's Gretsch 6120 which you might call a Chet Atkins model (because it once was) but by the time this one was shipped, Chet had his name pulled.
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To be honest I don't see how you can get too excited about a guitar that you've never played or heard. There's more to a musical instrument than attractive looks, although I don't think George would endorse a guitar he didn't like, would he?
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...and there is more to a guitar than merely a collection of parts. The power of the marriage of those parts is what really gets me. Function before form but I don't ignore form.
I don't to excited about much except for good deals. Haha.
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Hi folks,
Just ordered mine. It had to be done; I wanted one way way back but never had the money. Hope to have it in August sometime. Gives me a couple of months to study.
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Is this made in China? I have a friend that owns a Chinese Benson model, but it's not this new. His is real shiny, but under the gloss it's a cheap guitar.
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What model Benson is made in China? They're all still Japanese per their site.
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It must be an illegal copy then, because there was no Benson model made in China prior to the LGB-30. However there was a low cost GB10 made in Korea (GB10 JS). Originally Posted by bobby d
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Raney and Abersold, great interview.
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