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Born in Switzerland in 1949,
Benz first learned the arts of how to use hand tools, chip carving, and
woodturning as a young boy from his father.
The forest behind the house where he grew up provided him with Hazelnut,
Cherry, Linden, and Maple woods for his many boyhood building and carving
projects. To this day Benz relishes in working with many woods for
their acoustic and visual appeal in his guitars.
Benz earned his masters in
Music at the Conservatory in Bern, Switzerland in 1973.
He taught classical guitar at Music Schools and Teacher College for five
years. He then moved to the United
States where his Ramirez guitar was stolen.
This event moved him in the direction of his second career as a custom
woodworker building fine furniture and cabinets.
He has been called "a genius with wood".
Because of his interest in both
disciplines, Benz began putting his two areas of expertise together.
In 1981 he started his first instrument as a personal project.
By 2004 he became a full time luthier.
Benz lavishes his
attention on each guitar, choosing woods for the sounds they produce as well as
aesthetic qualities. He has
also experimented with Composites, Carbonfiber, and Nomex for their sound
qualities. His craftsmanship is exceptional.
He believes building guitars takes both an intuitive/artistic and an
analytical/scientific approach to maximize the potential of the materials used. No guitar leaves the shop unless it meets his criteria.
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