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Benavente 7 string fretless custom build pics!
- Thread starter jasonmasters
- Start date
As long as you're ok with that sound. I wanted to avoid using an unwound string at all costs.
Jason, that is STUNNING!!!! I cannot wait to see the progress and hear the clips! Chris builds amazing instruments... I'm sure you will be pleased with it. I also tune my 7 like an octave guitar... 34" scaled and 3/4" spacing at the bridge. 
I use to think that but now wouldn't mind an unwound high b and e... it's fretted though.
I use to think that but now wouldn't mind an unwound high b and e... it's fretted though.
Fretted=no problem whatsoever. Logistics taunt me as an unlined fretless ERB player.
In a perfect world, I'd have a fanned fretless 9 string.
Jason, that is STUNNING!!!! I cannot wait to see the progress and hear the clips! Chris builds amazing instruments... I'm sure you will be pleased with it. I also tune my 7 like an octave guitar... 34" scaled and 3/4" spacing at the bridge.
I use to think that but now wouldn't mind an unwound high b and e... it's fretted though.
Hi James! I was wondering if you were going to be a part of this thread. I'm a huge fan of your Benavente fretless!
As for the unwound string, I find that since i'm mostly using it in chords, I like that it has a very crisp ringing sound to it. It helps keep it from being muddy and lost in the mix, which it can tend to do in a metal band that has a 7 and 8 string guitar player.
I tune the same way, and the unwound string is always much louder than the B/G, which is super irritating to set up and record with. Wound works so much better for me.
yeah, I'm actually thinking of restringing my fretless 6 to F#-G.
glad I found it, and thanks!
Wow, here I was thinking I was going to be the only person to tune this way! to me it just seems to makie the most sense since I play guitar a lot too
Every once in a while, I think of changing the tuning on my Conklin 6 to that or maybe with an octave lower E.
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,222
- 45,011
- Disclosures
- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
You'll be quite happy with the Benavente, I'm sure ... I've never seen one I didn't immediately love The top is gorgeous, too ....
My 7 has flats on it with a plain steel F (.018) and there really isn't any tone/volume drop at all. I have a 35" scale, 18.5mm spacing and it is very comfortable. I have also messed around with James' Bee 7 (19mm) and it felt great, too
The top is gorgeous, too ....My 7 has flats on it with a plain steel F (.018) and there really isn't any tone/volume drop at all. I have a 35" scale, 18.5mm spacing and it is very comfortable. I have also messed around with James' Bee 7 (19mm) and it felt great, too
I've pretty much only played benaventes for the last 7 years. I feel so fortunate to have him in my town. I tried to bring an ibanez into my arsenal recently and it just wouldn't do.
Having just picked up a BTB1206 Prestige, I'm curious: Can you identify the things that make the substantial difference in price worthwhile?
Well the first thing I can think of is the pickups and pre-amp. He uses custom Benavente pickups and 18 volt onboard pre-amp, so you really cannot get a benavente sound on a different bass.
Second is the playability. Don't get me wrong, I've played a lot of great Ibanez guitars, but Benavente's just have something different.
I handed my benavente to a guy who was GLOWING with excitement over his brand new peavey 6 string, and he was speechless. fantastically low action and tone with no buzzing. they make great basses for tapping.
Here's a video of me doing some tapping on my 6 string
Continuous 4 string bass tapping - YouTube
And best of all, the single cuts are HALF the price of a Fodera!
Second is the playability. Don't get me wrong, I've played a lot of great Ibanez guitars, but Benavente's just have something different.
I handed my benavente to a guy who was GLOWING with excitement over his brand new peavey 6 string, and he was speechless. fantastically low action and tone with no buzzing. they make great basses for tapping.
Here's a video of me doing some tapping on my 6 string
Continuous 4 string bass tapping - YouTube
And best of all, the single cuts are HALF the price of a Fodera!
Nah, there's tons. I tune one 6 string that way, and have since...2005? I was just playing things that necessitated it, and now it's become home tuning for me.
There were plenty of people who did it waaaay before me, though I can't think of a 6 string player off the top of my head who did it. There are a lot, though, so I wasn't novel, either!
Not sure about that. My two Benaventes were....$7200 (?) back in 2006/2007. My recent Foderas were like $11.5k. I think back in whatever year I ordered the Benaventes, a similarly-optioned Fodera would've been about $8500.
Foderas are definitely more expensive, but they pretty much fall into the same category.
Both are well worth it, too.
Cliff Bordwell
Commercial User
on Benevente versus Fodera prices I'm speaking purely on Starting price. OIn Benavente's website the starting price is $3,400 and Fodera's is $8,700
