L Benito

There's an omission on the list. L Benito guitars, a high end guitar made in Santiago, Chile.  I think they are not still in business, but when they were, they were making some fine instruments.  Of most interest was the use of Alerce as a tonewood, for the tops on many of their guitars.  Alerce is a 2,000 year old, plus, wood that L Benito salvaged from an unfortunate logging endeavor in the southern end of the country.  Environmental groups in Chile have largely put a halt to logging of these old growth forests, but since some logs were down and available, what better use than for a tonewood for a fine guitar.  Alerce probably is closest to cedar, in its tone chracteristics, and is a beautiful wood.

Forums: