-
Add to Cart$10,400.00$8,632.00
Benjamin Paldacci Acoustic Guitars — Paris to Quebec, Built for the Ages
Benjamin Paldacci was born in Paris, grew up across several cities in France, and found his way to lutherie through what he describes as a life-long obsession with the craft. In 2010 he enrolled in the National School of Lutherie in Quebec City, one of the finest guitar-making programs in the world. After graduating in 2013 he traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, to apprentice under Jason Kostal, a highly respected luthier whose approach to voicing and responsiveness left a permanent mark on everything Benjamin has built since. On January 1st, 2014, he opened his own workshop in Quebec City overlooking the Île d'Orléans, a few minutes from the Parc des Chutes Montmorency, and has been building there ever since.
His guiding philosophy comes down to three words: aesthetics, tone, and ergonomics. No single element is privileged over another. A Benjamin Paldacci guitar is the product of their equal consideration, an instrument that rewards the eye before it's played and rewards the player every time after.
The Work
Benjamin builds steel-string acoustic guitars in dreadnought, OM, small OM, and 000 body sizes, each one a fully custom instrument built to the individual specifications of its eventual owner. Tonewoods including Engelmann spruce, Sitka spruce, German spruce, Adirondack spruce, Honduras mahogany, wenge, Indian rosewood, and figured maple are hand selected for each build, with bracing voiced individually to suit the wood and the intended playing style.
What sets a Paldacci guitar apart visually is the marquetry. Benjamin approaches the appointments of each instrument, the rosette, headstock, bindings, and inlays, as opportunities to build a coherent visual theme from scratch for each individual guitar. Constellation-inspired rosettes, zodiac pattern faceplate inlays, multi-tone sunburst finishes named after nebulae, and custom bindings in rare and figured tonewoods give each instrument a distinctive visual identity that no production guitar and few other custom builders can match. The look is never imposed at the expense of the sound. It emerges from the same patient, detail-oriented process that produces the tone.
Dream Guitars, one of the most respected boutique acoustic dealers in the world, placed Benjamin on the map by acquiring one of his OM builds for the Santa Barbara Show in 2016. The Fretboard Journal has described his work as exquisitely crafted, featuring bold details and sleek lines drawn from a multitude of cultural sources. Hawaiian guitarist Alan Gogoll, one of the most innovative acoustic players working today, visited Benjamin's workshop in 2019 and the two developed an ongoing relationship built on mutual respect for what a handbuilt acoustic guitar can be.
A Guitar for Somebody
With an output of fewer than twelve instruments per year, a Benjamin Paldacci guitar is among the rarest instruments available at any price. Each one is a complete collaboration between builder and player, beginning with a conversation about playing style, tonal priorities, and aesthetic sensibility, and ending with an instrument that could not have been built for anyone else.
Browse our available Benjamin Paldacci inventory, and reach out to discuss placement on the commission waitlist.