Benjamin Paldacci Guitars OO-12 #11 - Higuerilla & Lutz Spruce

[BenjaminPaldacci]

Back from the dead: OO-12 Higuerilla & Lutz Spruce

So... I think I should share news, about this guitar. I've always kept it after the repair of the heel of the UPS incident. I was not satisfied about its neck for a couple of reasons, especially because Those great fellows from UPS really smashed it and broke the ebony fingerboard. It changed the neck angle I should have, and it really messed up the playability of the guitar. The finish, beautifully applied by Vancouver Guitar Finishing, was a full gloss on the body, and Mate on the neck... and let's be honest, I am not a fan of this last finish. So, I've decided to keep it for years, and to know what I would want to do with this little guitar.

So, as I have brought different things about my necks during those past years, I think I would be ready to make a brand new one for the body of this instrument. Carbon bars & Mark Blanchard Trussrods, EVO Frets, Black ebony, dowels in the heel, and my new "small headstock shape".

So, let's talk about it: It is a OO-12, Lutz Spruce & Higuerilla (Sasha Rosewood). I have used the same bracing pattern than my #6, which was a bomb. The sister OM I have built and shown at the 2018 WILS (Woodstock Invitational Luthier Showcase), was a pretty great instrument, and I am really interested to hear this little one!

The owner of the OO-12, will be able to decide the kind of neck-shaping he wants on it, and I've planed to put a high gloss Polyurethane finish on it. The neck is made with Honduran Mahogany, Wenge veneer on the front, and Highly Figured Maple on its back.

It is a good way to catch one of my instrument as quickly as possible, before the upgrading of my price for 2020. It is at the same level in terms of craftsmanship, than my guitars I am building those days. Light, responsive, very blanced and a delight to play! Catch it as long as you can!

[BenjaminPaldacci]

PS: Oh and Yep, She is in the Emmanuel Bighelli's Book, full page!

[Deft Tungsman]

Firstly, congratulations to Benjamin for bringing this little charmer back from the dead!

Folks, this past Sunday, I had the good fortune of spending a few hours with Ben's first 00, Paldacci #06. This was the second time I'd had the pleasure, and I quickly discovered many things about it, great things, that I hadn't really noticed the first time round. And I'm not talking about Benjamin's amazing woodworking skills.

My friend's Paldacci 00 is a fantastic fingerstyle guitar. The bass is surprisingly deep and powerful for a guitar of its size, and in that regard it seems to pay homage to the Somogyi school. Midrange is warm, clear, and incredibly detailed. And the highs, mon dieu!, so full, so round, so sweet. Balance across the strings and all over the neck is excellent. This guitar sounds and responds very much like a nylon-stringed instrument, the attack is soft and firm at the same time, but with all the sustain of a steel-string. It's rewarding and addictive playing experience, that's for sure!

Strummed, the guitar is less impressive, but that is clearly not its mission statement. In side by side comparisons with a bunch of other high-end guitars, it stands firmly outside the Martin camp. If folk songs are your thing, you can certainly play them on the Paldacci, but you won't sound much like the record. But for all sorts of fingerstyle material, it is in the same league as the others we had at hand.

A great guitar from a great young builder. Bravo, Ben!

[BenjaminPaldacci]

Thank you so much for those kind words, my friend!