Benedetto Bucky Pizzarelli 7-string

Most of the following is from the Benedetto site and provides the core specs on the guitar (I've added a couple of additional details):
MODEL NAME Bucky Pizzarelli 7-String
YEAR: 2005
MODEL NUMBER 360-9300
BODY STYLE Electric archtop (16" width, 3" depth)
TOP Laminated select spruce
BRACING Parallel spruce
BACK AND SIDES Laminated select flamed maple back with matching sides
NECK One-piece mahogany
FINGERBOARD 12" radius, ebony, with abalone floral inlay at 12th fret
WIDTH AT NUT 2 1/16", bone
WIDTH AT 14th Fret: 2 1/2"
SCALE LENGTH 25"
NUMBER OF FRETS 22
TUNING MACHINES Schaller? Mini with ebony buttons
BRIDGE Adjustable ebony
PICKUPS One Benedetto B-7 with volume and tone controls
HARDWARE PLATING
Gold tuning machines, black powder coated tailpiece
FINISH
Gloss nitrocellulose lacquer
COLOR 867 Honey Blonde
STRINGS Custom pure nickel (.012 -.072)
CASE Deluxe hardshell Benedetto (PN#006-5664-000)

It's a beautiful, well made guitar. But the following are what kept me from giving it a 10:
1. The pick guard and truss-rod cover are both plastic. IMO, these should be ebony. It's a shame because it sort of cheapens the look of what otherwise would be an extremely elegant instrument.
2. I'm not that impressed with the hard-shell case. I think the quality could be better for the price paid for the guitar.
3. I play with Labella black nylon tape-wound strings. Could not get these installed at factory and had to take it with the stock nickel rounds.
4. I wish the headstock was the 7 string asymmetrical style like that of the 7-string Manhattan.

Items 1,2 and 3 seem (IMO only) to be a side-affect of the Fender-ization of the Benedetto line. It's still a gorgeous, well-made guitar, but the first two points are a little disappointing. Item 4 is strictly my esthetic taste only.

The guitar sounds VERY good! I've come to find that when it comes to a laminate-top archtop, I prefer parallel bracing as it seems to make the guitar more lively from an accoustic viewpoint, and gives it a snappier quality when playing rhythm. The top is also fairly thin, which again for my tastes contributes to its lively sound. Though I don't play very well, I definitely fall under the Bucky Pizzarelli tree with regard to sound and style tastes. I keep the tone up full and don't tinker with that. With the volume low, you get a nice accoustically oriented sound, especially in conjunction with the Labella tape-wounds. At a higher volume, the tone becomes fat and warm (this is a bit different then a floater which would still be full, but would be a bit brighter at the higher volume). When it comes to a laminate top, I also prefer an in-body pickup. If you want to hear the guitar accoustic, pick up Moonglow (by Bucky and Frank Vignola). If you want to here it more electric, pick up the new Bucky Mel Bay DVD (also with Frank Vignola). In summary, this guitar is pretty much what I was looking for in a spruce laminate, though I think all things being equal, I'd prefer a 17 inch body. I can't quite give it a 10, but it's pretty darn close for my ear. I currently play through an old Polytone MiniBrute II.

The guitar is pretty much pristine. The joining of the neck to the body and the binding overall is flawless. The finish is very nice. The only thing that was a pain is that I got the guitar with the stock nickel-rounds, and switched immediately to the Labella tapes. There is a slight buzz now because it needs a minor setup. I find it annoying to have to have setup work done on a new guitar. But this does not detract from the overall quality of the instrument. I find the neck to be extremely comfortable to play. See comments above regarding the plastic pick-guard and truss rod cover.

I don't gig. But my sense is that the guitar would hold up well given that is a laminated top, has a metal tailpiece and a built-in pickup. My only concern would be the case for transport. I previously owned a guitar that had a fiberglass flight case that you could basically knock a building down with. My rating here is a best estimate so factor accordingly.

Comes with limited lifetime warranty (i.e. covers basic integrity of guitar sans switches and pots). Having not had a need to contact Benedetto (the company), I can't provide meaningful feedback here. I will say though that I had a chance to chat with Bob Benedetto and he was more than accomodating with answering the questions I had before I purchased the instrument.

I've been playing guitar for about 25 years, and a 7 string archtop for about 4. This past year I have been trying several 7 string archtops (both laminates and carved) to try to figure out what best suits my ear and hands. I prevously owned a Moll John Pizzarelli Signature, which was a wonderful instrument that I would also highly recommend, but it was an x-braced laminate and was just not quite lively enough accoustically for me, also the floater on it didn't give me quite the volume I was looking for. I also currently own a Dale Unger American Dream Maple with a floater. That guitar has a very light and airy sound accoustically. I would put the Bucky somewhere in between the two accoustically, and with a much louder electric sound at higher volumes due to the built-in pickup. I believe the Bucky will be a keeper as it offers the quality and flexibility I was looking for. As I mentioned earlier I wish the guitar had an ebony pick guard and truss rod cover, as well as the asymmetrical Manhattan style headstock. Also, in a perfect world, I would prefer the same top and bracing and pickup, but in a 17 inch body. Overall I'll give it a 9, and very close to a 10. Extremely well made and sounding instrument, with just a couple of mass-production-type nit-noids.