Benjamin Paldacci
I'm pleased to introduce another builder to our Featured Builder blog. Benjamin Paldacci has only been building for a few years, but it's easy to see that he has a real talent for it. Benjamin’s guitars show an extremely high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail. I suspect we’ll be hearing a lot more about Benjamin and his work in the coming years. Visit Benjamin’s Facebook page to follow the progress on his current builds.
Josh
A note from Benjamin:
My name is Benjamin Paldacci. I'm 28 and I come from France. I graduated from The National School of Lutherie of Quebec City in May 2013. I decided to open my workshop here in the same town on January 1, 2014.
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How did you get started in building?
I started when I was at school, in 2010. The first guitar was a flamenca Reyes Model, and after that I built 3 acoustic guitars. Actually, I finished 2 acoustic guitars at my personal workshop. I have 2 guitars on the workbench, the 3rd and 4th.
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What instruments do you build?
I build acoustic guitars, OM and Dreadnought models right now, but I have some other sizes in my mind, like Jumbo and 000.
I have a 3-word rule: Aesthetics, Tone, and Ergonomics.
I want to build the best guitars possible, from the wood, to the sound, the aesthetics, and comfort. I love marquetry and I try to use it to personalize my instruments as best as I can. Of course, I won't privilege the look to the sound for example, because I think that a guitar is the result of an alchemy between all the points I've mentioned.
Each day, I have the honour to work with wood, a treasure that nature gives us. I try to respect it, to honour it, and to show that a guitar is not just an instrument but a gift of life. I am, IMHO, the luckiest guy in the world to have this job, and I hope to keep in mind that I need to improve my skills every day, to try to innovate on the sound, the build and the aesthetics of my instruments.
I don't want to stay at the same place, to rest on my laurels and to show that I just know one thing. There are a hundred different techniques, and I try to open my mind to all of them... and I think that with this mindset I could achieve my goals.
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Favourite part of the building process?
I love to carve the braces, when I voice the top and back of the instrument. Tap tone is probably one of the most important things for me during the building process!
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Who are some other builders you admire?
Michel Pellerin, Jason Kostal, Michihiro Matsuda, Ervin Somogyi, Michael Bashkin, David Wren, Mario Beauregard, Michael Greenfield, Keisuke Nishi (Keystone Guitars), Jeff Traugott, Raymond Kraut, Kathy Wingert, Ted Astrand, Hiroshi Ovigino, Keisuke Nishi, Ryohei Echizen...
As you can see, the list is incredibly huge. However, a lot of these incredible builders helped me a lot when I had a question, even when I was at school. I am a shy guy you know, and I have been surprised and honoured that they gave a little of their precious time to me. I try to find my way but I think it is important to give the credit back to people who inspire me everyday!
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Here's the Link to my website, www.benjaminpaldacciguitars.com
And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenjaminPaldacciGuitars
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter too!
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