Video clip of the week: George Benso...

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Author Message Guitartim Username: Guitartim Registered: 04-2001 Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 11:20 am:    Hope you guys can view this classic live performance of the master, GB. I think he's playing a blonde Johnny Smith. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuQnN3IQZlY&search=george%20benson Ibanezfreak1960 Username: Ibanezfreak1960 Registered: 03-2004 Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 1:51 pm:    Cool video. I notice that the drummer has a Tama kit! Dvsleeko Username: Dvsleeko Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 8:01 pm:    Is that guitar a Gibson Johnny Smith model? Looks like it to me. Sweet! ?;^)~ Guitartim Username: Guitartim Registered: 04-2001 Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 8:52 pm:    That video just might put to rest the rumour that GB played an Ibanez Johnny Smith early on as well as on the "Breezin" album. I am one of those who all these years, thought it was the Ibanez model. It seems that a clear photo of the headstock was always obsured or non-existent. It is certain however, that GB's co-design with Ibanez for the GB10 was modled after a trimmed down version of the Johnny Smith, including the trademark floating 'JS' pickups. Ibanezfreak1960 Username: Ibanezfreak1960 Registered: 03-2004 Posted on Monday, May 01, 2006 - 7:17 am:    Maybe he had more than 1 guitar? I'm sure a lot of us here do! Guitartim Username: Guitartim Registered: 04-2001 Posted on Monday, May 01, 2006 - 10:09 am:    You are probably right. GB probably had a bunch of guitars to pick from, and possibly both a Gibson Johnny Smith and an Ibanez Johnny Smith during the late 70's. I just wish George would post a comment here once in a while to keep the record straight. Blues Username: Blues Registered: 02-2001 Posted on Monday, May 01, 2006 - 5:43 pm:    The guitar George Benson is playing just might be a Gibson Johnny Smith mode but the Pickup & Pickguard assembly is either not original or not all original. If you look closely you can see that the pickguard is not the standard two pickup model. The pickguard is much to small to be the standard two pickup model with the four pots and one selector switch/knob. His pickguard is a one pickup model but with two pickups attached. At this point I believe the guitar George Benson is playing in the video is an Ibanez. More later... BLUES Aaron Username: Aaron Registered: 01-2004 Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 7:29 am:    The guitar George is play definitely a Gibson Johnny Smith! In fact, the same guitar can be seen Restored on the video enhanced "Absolute Benson" C.D. and is also the same guitar on the cover of the "Breezin" album. This guitar formed the basis of what was to become the GB20 with a few modifications. Gibson Johnny Smiths have the smaller jack plug which sits under the pick-guard. (a real headache if you ask me!)and this can be seen clearly in the clip. George never started using his signature models until later than this footage which is just after Breezin was released. "Breezin" is the reason Ibanez head-hunted G.B for an endorsement deal. By the way, just released is a GREAT DVD on Hotlicks of the man himself playing his Ibanez! Cheers! Aaron Username: Aaron Registered: 01-2004 Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 7:32 am:    P.S.... There is footage of G.B playing an Ibanez Johnny Smith when he toured Japan with pianist McCoy Tyner in the early nineties Guitartim Username: Guitartim Registered: 04-2001 Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 9:59 am:    Here is the link to GB's new DVD... http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?PID=7055413&style=movie&frm=lk_bizrate 2 Blues Username: Blues Registered: 02-2001 Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 4:20 pm:    Here is why I believe the guitar George Benson is playing in the video clip is an Ibanez Johnny Smith. Even though it is difficult to see all the details in the video clip the location of input jack does stand out. Both Gibson and Ibanez, Johnny Smith guitars have input jacks mounted on a metal bracket that is secured in place by one of the pots. The input jack in the video appears to be in a non-standard location. BLUES Aaron Username: Aaron Registered: 01-2004 Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - 11:28 pm:    I have the video footage of the above "Breezin' clip and "This Masquerade" The Gibson name is clealy on the Headstock and the pickguard on has one knob which is typical of the single pickup version George is playing. It is well documented that GB has a soft spot for his Gibson JS because he'd bought it just before the "Breezin" sessions and the success of "Breezin" went through the roof. All later recordings except for 2 tracks on "Absolute Benson" I believe were recorded with his GREAT GB signature guitars. I personally prefer the sound of the GB's as they tend to sing a little more than most other Archtops. Cheers! Bigmike Username: Bigmike Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - 2:12 pm:    Aaron, I certainly agree with you that he IS playing a Gibson JS on this tune BUT GB has a real soft spot for Ibanez JSs... I have a handful of older and newer video clips with him using the Ibanez JS. WHY is he using the Ibanez - likely the pressed spruce top doesn't resonate/feedback QUITE as easily as his Gibby would... Big Bigmike Username: Bigmike Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - 2:14 pm:    Tim, to address your comments on whether GB was using a Ibanez in the old days - if you still have that GB dvd I gave you with the old SNL clip on it - that is an Ibanez... Lemme see if I can rustle of a still photo I have of him using it... Big Aaron Username: Aaron Registered: 01-2004 Posted on Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - 9:09 pm:    Big, Yeh!!! I have some footage of GB playing an Ibanez JS with the f holes taped when he played with Pianist McCoy Tyner in Japan...I think around the early 90's. These were more straight ahead Jazz gigs - George plays stunningly and the guitar sounds Amazing!!! You're no doubt right about the pressed top helping with feedback. Cheers! Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 05-2006 Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 3:51 am:    And here is the Ibanez Johnny Smith 2461 NT model for sale on Ebay, 1978 blond and with ONE floating pickup. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190010497882 (Where do all these Johnny Smith guitars suddenly come from?) So, does this mean there were indeed two version of the model 2461? Either with ONE pickup or with TWO? Was this choice of using ONE or TWO pickup(s) made at one certain turning point in 2461 history? Or did one have both options in the same period? And if so, was this made clear in the type number? Did they ad something like I and II, or A and B? How did one now, what guitar stood for 2461? By the color? (All sunburst had 2 and all naturals had 1 for example?) Because if you'd order a new pickguard, the distributor should know how many PUs it has. Or did they do nothing to distinguish the two? Who can tell us more about the ONE or TWO pickup issue? Ginger Guitartim Username: Guitartim Registered: 04-2001 Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 10:29 am:    $1,400US...Some lucky buyer scored a true classic...at a bargain basement price! One thing we've learned over the years is that Ibanez was very loose with its records back in the 70's, especially with their high end models. So you might see a new, unique version of these models pop up. It seems logical that a single pickup Johnny Smith (2461NT), copied closely from Gibson's model of the same moniker would not that unusual. George Benson has been seen with a few one-off models that have thrown us all off. But hey, he's George Benson. Also, Gibson made both a single and double floating pickup Johnny Smith guitars of which Ibz replicated so beautifully. If you wait long enough, I'd bet a blonde 2461NT with two pickups will appear. Didn't GB play a two pickup 2461NT in one of his videos? (Here is a close up of the label in the JS that just sold) Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 05-2006 Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 7:21 pm:    I find it confusing that guitar manufacturers sell guitars under one name with different features, without distinctive type name extensions like Johnny Smith II or PLUS for example. I read that Gibson first made the Johnny Smith with ONE pickup from 1961. Then in 1963 they started making them both, with ONE and TWO PUs and kept them both in the catalogue until the 1980s. (Source Ray Bonds: "The Illustrated Directory of Guitars". That's allright with me, but please do something to avoid confusion! Why make a ES-165 Herb Ellis with 2 PAF humbuckers if you're already making the ES-175? What's the point in doing that? Perhaps the mahogany body instead of laminated maple, but I know that there are mahogany ES-175 guitars too. (They've even introduced a mahogany Epiphone ES-175 reissue at NAMM 2006). But to avoid confusion they at least added the extension PLUS to the Herb Ellis ES-165. I hoped to find something like that on the label, but the 1-78 is just redundant info: the serial number already starts with A78. But we saw a nice guitar. It went really cheap. $1400.= that's about €1100.=! Pitty I've other priorities, but you can't win them all. First earn some money and create some more latitude. So, I hope I'll be ready for it some other time, though I doubt there will be many good ones at this price. Phatphred bought a sunburst for $2300.= for a good one. And my friend's 2461 is in a shop in Holland for €3500.=! But, that's the way it goes... As my late mother always said: "Wie geld heeft, die kan huizen bouwen... wie niks heeft, mag de stenen sjouwen..." (The one who's got money can build houses, the one who doesn't may carry the bricks...) In Dutch it rimed, so she must have been right, I guess...

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