IBANEZ
GEORGE BENSON LGB300
BY JASON SHADRICK
When George Benson burst on the scene in the mid ’60s with The New
Boss Guitar, he ushered in an era of modern jazz guitar that combined an adventurous harmonic spirit, blinding technique,
and a no-nonsense tone that has influenced countless jazzers since. Those oft-imitated tones led to a line of signature
Ibanez guitars that endured for more than
30 years.
The newest fruit of this long-standing
relationship is the LGB300, which is a subtle
update on the more recent GB30TH and
GB10. Over the years, Benson has made
subtle changes to his signature axes. Benson
has always been hands-on with his designs
and used some of his commercial artist training to sketch out design ideas. Outside of a
few minor tweaks in body shape, neck size
and pickups, the essence of the GB remains.
Spruce top
The design of the LGB—which stands for
“Little George Benson”—is inspired by some
of his earliest guitar memories.
Workingman’s Blues
Benson wanted to design a guitar for the
performing musician rather than something to hang on the wall. And his primary
goals were to create a guitar that was solid
as a rock, easy to play, and not unruly
when volume creeps past coffee shop levels. The build quality of the LGB stands
out from the first time you touch it. The
heft of the LGB was a bit of a surprise as
well, and it seemed slightly heavier than
comparable archtops. But Benson expanded the body size to 16. 5", which is a slight
increase over the GB10 and explains the
added weight and increased resonance.
Apart from the added girth and the
16. 5" body width
to hear audio clips of the guitar at
premierguitar.com/jul2012
CLICKHere…
Florentine cutaway, the basic outline has
held its time-tested shape and the guitar is
still built around a spruce top with maple
back and sides.
The fretwork was immaculate with no
sharp edges or gaps between the fretwire
and fretboard. Inspired by a Guild Johnny
Smith that Benson played as a kid, the 305
mm radius neck was incredibly comfortable. A prime example of how a smooth,
flat, and fast neck can work for more than
just pointy guitar wielding shredders. The
24. 75" scale length was also nicked from
the Smith model and gives the guitar a feel
that is somewhere between a Gibson and a
traditional acoustic guitar.
When it comes to the electronics,
Benson took a very traditional route with
standard volume and tone controls for
each pickup. The rubber ring around each
knob is a nice touch that gives the controls
a professional feel. The medium frets are
a bit small for my taste, but with the right
Maple back and sides
305 mm radius neck
