Why no love for the Benji?

[Slingy]

The guitar is a turn off even for old punk fans like myself. I don't really like much of the new wave of punk though, but I do like AFI, Dillinger, Thursday, etc.

Signature guitars are for people who have paid their dues, not young kids. I'm sure it's a sweet guitar, but the signature on it just kills it. Maybe I'm just getting old.

 

[beej]

Ug. I can't believe we're doing this again ... have a little faith that Sterling and company know how to run their business ... it's not a popular vote as to who gets a sig model. y'know.

Anyone who has had a hit record, please continue to flame. Anyone who hasn't (like me) probably shouldn't throw stones.

 

[Jimmyb]

Well said Beej!

From what I can remember BP saying (although I don't want to mis-quote him) I think it was something along the lines of it being a no-brainer. Benji already used Silo's, so there was very little re-tooling involved and it gave them an exposure into a different market.

No one knows where the next Petrucci, or Lukather is going to come from, so by showing EBMM's to as wide a potential audience as possible, it can only be a good thing for EBMM.

I've not heard much of Good Charlotte's stuff, but then I'm not 'down with the kids'. From what I can tell, there are a couple of hundred thousand people (maybe more) who quite like them.

If you don't like the guy's playing or music, then that's ok, you don't have to, but to flame the guy and the company strikes me as being a bit out of order.

As far as the guitar itself, I don't think there's anything wrong with it at all. It's an EBMM, so you know the quality is going to be fantastic and I really don't buy into the 'it's only got one humbucker, so it's really overpriced' argument either.

 

[marduke]

I was just at the supermarket, and as I was paying I noticed a trashy mag that said Paris and Benji are an item, seeing as I have no idea about celebrities do they mean the EBMM Benji??? Thats a way to boost sales of the axe, maybe Paris can be the EBMM Jenna.

well maybe not.

yep thats the EBMM Benji. i saw the same mag today at a petrol station.

i dont mind the benji guitar, apart from the single pickup and as someone else mentioned the odd string sizes. if it wasnt for those things i would consider buying one.

 

[lenny]

i really dig a one pup guitar ......usually there are different caps wired into the switching as in an Esquire to get the different tones....i like doing wiring and the Esquire was a tough one ...until i opened one up 3 different caps and the tone only works in position one ....so it is possible to get different tone from guitars with only 1 pickup.....also they have sold over 9 million albums and their latest release has a pretty good rock edge to it ...and just one more thing Benji never claimed to be a shredder he even list s himself as RYTHYM guitarist for the band ...so his ego is in check as well......personally i would get rid of the 12th fret knuckles and then we would have a winner......if i ever find a used green one i may just pick it up!

like i said Kramer made a freakin fortune off the baretta which by the way was THE MOST popular guitar in my hairband days everyone played a 1 pup retta!

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

To be honest, I had never even heard of Benji Madden until EBMM came out with this guitar!

 

[ShaneV]

It's really hard to have respect for an instrument that is designed by a player that you don't respect as a player. I understand the business side of having someone like Benji as an endorser, he definitely reaches a different market than the typical Music Man customer. However, I've always enjoyed the fact that Music Man endorsers were player's players. Benji definitely doesn't fit that mold.

+1,000,000,000

That's my sentiment exactly. It has nothing to do with the guitar itself, it has to do with someone who quit improving after page 1 of Mel Bay's book o chords being put alongside all the other past and present EB endorsees, all of whom are phenomenal players.

 

[Astrofreq]

+1,000,000,000

Is one person even allowed to add one BILLION? That seems a little high.

 

[beej]

Is one person even allowed to add one BILLION? That seems a little high.

I think you're allowed but you have to use scientific notation. So it would be "+10^9".

 

[Big Poppa]

I actually am so happy that I get to work in a free market system....We actually get to make products and if they succeed we are fat and happy.......If more make it than fail then we survive...If we take a chance to get into another market and support an artist that at that time was selling 6 million records and heavy rotation on every video channel in the world.... all we have to do is delete one pickup and put some inlay and somebody gets to buy one just like on TV.

We live in a society that insists on putting people in boxes....Why? If you dont like the Benji...Perfect! If someone else desires it....dont let your dislike of Benji or the guitar deny someone else the oportunity that would love one.

The fact is that making guitars in America is really hard and competitive.

 

[emanon]

So have they been officially discontinued?

 

[lenny]

i didnt see them on the website ....maybe i just missed it

 

[Derek]

We have officially pulled it from the MM price list January 2008! Saw Benji at Namm and he is good with it! They have quite the fanbase around the world as they are touring new markets in Indonesia and South Africa for 2008. Even though this model is not for available for orders, he plans to continue using on stage and in the studio.

 

[koogie2k]

That's cool. Still a great quality guitar....no matter who's name is on it.

 

[fatoni]

The fact is that making guitars in America is really hard and competitive.

which i think is stupid if you ask me because clearly you make the best guitars ive ever touched for hundreds less than the distant second. if its hard its because people are stupid

 

[GHWelles]

Joe Walsh uses a Benji Madden

Joe Walsh used a Benji Madden sig for Hotel California at the Stagecoach festival last night.

Great sounding and looking guitar with the classic one hum one vol and tone hotrod layout.

 

[Big Poppa]

there you have it.

 

[dwells]

im a Luke and axis guy But i played a Benji the other day and it played as good as any musicman ive evr played, the pick up sounds great , i have nearly brought it a couple of times but havent had the cash but they are a great guitar

 

[DrBob]

Joe Walsh used a Benji Madden sig for Hotel California at the Stagecoach festival last night.

Great sounding and looking guitar with the classic one hum one vol and tone hotrod layout.

That's brilliant, the song is in all probability older than the guy whose name is on the headstock of the guitar it's being played on.

I reckon that the Benji model will be due a re-assessment at some point down the road, I reckon it'd make a cracking slide guitar

 

[GHWelles]

It was very nice to see Walsh and Smith right together performing the Hotel California signature twin leads both using EBMM's