Artist Award vs Johnny Smith Award

[GGJaguar]

A friend of mine let me borrow his Guild Benedetto Johnny Smith Award (JSA) so I could compare it to my ’96 Artist Award (AA). I thought I’d share my findings here. Spoiler alert – he might not get the guitar back.



The JSA is a different guitar than the Artist Award. We know that master archtop builder, Bob Benedetto, revised the AA in 2000. The model was (supposedly) tweaked again and renamed when Johnny Smith was brought back as an endorser in 2003. Here’s a quick summary describing the differences between my 1996 AA and this JSA. I’ll post the nitty gritty details for the gearheads in follow-up posts.

The neck profiles, on paper, are similar except for nut width – the AA is 1 3/4” (44.4 mm) and the JSA is 1 11/16” (42.9 mm). The scale lengths differ as well – the AA is 25 5/8” (651 mm) and the JSA is slightly shorter at 25 9/16” (649 mm). Although the differences are minimal, they do not feel the same in hand. For me, the JSA is more comfortable play. To be fair, though, the nut width on this particular AA seems to be an anomaly. Most AA nut widths from this time period are 1 11/16” so it could be other AAs have a different feel than my guitar. The JSA weighs a full 0.6 lb (273 g) less than the AA, but this is expected given the JSA has a shallower body depth and, supposedly, thinner carved top, back, and possibly, sides.

Not surprisingly, the tone follows the paradigm that parallel braced archtops (AA) are brighter and louder while X-braced archtops (JSA) have a smoother, more balanced tone at the expense of sheer volume. The JSA has plenty of volume, especially for home use, but it is eclipsed by the AA. The sustain is about the same (and impressive!) for both guitars. The amplified sound between the two couldn’t be more different. The AA’s humbucking pickup lacks clarity and definition. The sound it produces is unbalanced and favors bottom end. The JSA’s Benedetto S-6 is the opposite and has all the balance, clarity and power a player could want. I wondered about the S-6 not having adjustable pole pieces, but string-to-string balance is a non-issue.

And the sound is so good that the JSA works well for other types of music besides jazz. This last point is important, to me at least. I had a Megas Athena that was an amazing guitar in terms of quality, features, and fit and finish, but its strong point was jazz tone. I had to release it back into the wild… but I digress.



Now that I’ve settled on strings for the AA, it has a satisfying acoustic tone. It’s never going to have a good amplified sound without a new or re-wound pickup. The JSA is more of an all-rounder and the acoustic tone is very nice. It’s louder than my ’58 A-350, but more full spectrum (the A-350 favors the midrange). The JSA’s amplified sound with flatwounds is sheer perfection. With the volume knob all the way up, I can play pop songs and with the volume dialed back, the JSA enters jazzbo territory.

That should be enough to satisfy those with a general interest. Gearheads can continue reading below for more detail.

 

[GGJaguar]

Bob Benedetto definitely created a new model with the 2003-2005 JSA (and the 2000-2003 AA before it). The Benedetto redesigns may look like the AA models from the mid-1960s through 1990s, but they are not. Let’s start with the iconic AA headstock. It’s really big. Benedetto trimmed it down to just big. Here are some measurements I took:

	AA​	JSA​
Width across upper wings​	4.84" (123mm)​	4.25" (108mm)​
Width across lower wings​	3.55" (90.1mm)​	3.46" (87.9mm)​
Thickness at upper wing​	0.61" (15.5mm)​	0.55" (14.0mm)​
Thickness at lower wing​	0.68" (17.3mm)​	0.61" (15.5mm)​
Length​	9.0" (229mm)​	9.2" (234mm)​

And a couple of more length and width data points from GAD and Rich, respectively: 1988 AA - 9 x 4.75”, 1966 AA - 8.8 x 4.5”. Clearly, there’s variation. The revised JSA headstock is a little more symmetrical in appearance, but to me, looks the same way a Newark Street headstock (also symmetrical) does when compared to any 1965-1980 Guild headstock. It’s just not quite right, but I understand the intent that Benedetto had when he revamped it.





The iconic headstock inlay on the JSA is a bit smaller overall, but the center pearl section is actually larger than the one on the AA.

	AA​	JSA​
Overall​	3.2 x 1.5" (81.3 x 38.1mm)​	3.0 x 1.3" (76.2 x 33.0mm)​
Abalone border (top/bot)​	0.38" (9.6mm)​	0.22" (5.6mm)​
Abalone border (sides)​	0.28" (7.1mm)​	0.16" (4.1mm)​
Pearl center​	1.5 x 1.0" (38.1 x 25.4mm)​	2.5 x 1.0" (63.5 x 25.4mm)​

One surprise and, quite frankly, disappointment on the JSA is the truss rod cover. You’d expect it to be as fancy, or fancier, than the AA TRC, but it’s not. It’s just the generic 1-ply Guild TRC used on most US-made models. The AA has a 5-ply b-w-b TRC, although it’s not easy to tell from a distance. I wish they used the classy tulip-shaped TRC from the original 1950s JSA. Even the headstock binding lost its mojo, IMO. Both models have 9-ply bound headstocks, but with different patterns. I think the AA pattern looks a little classier. Here’s the AA binding followed by the JSA binding:

 

[GGJaguar]

Moving downward, we find that the JSA retains a 5-piece type neck. However, the neck construction on the JSA varies. Some use the same style as the predecessor AA (including the Benedetto AA), namely a 5-piece neck with narrow stringers.





Others, like this JSA, have a 5-piece neck with wide stringers similar to the Gibson Johnny Smith signature model. Fascinating! I’m not sure when or why the change was made (more data needed). Also, all the Benedetto designed AAs and JSAs have a Gibson-esque stinger that is painted on. A lot of high end builders will construct the stinger from a veneer of ebony or other wood, but this a factory-built guitar so no veneer stinger.





And here is a 1967 Gibson Johnny Smith for comparison. Pretty similar to the Benedetto JSA, but interesting that the Gibby has the strap button mounted on the body while the Guild has it on the neck heel cap.





The ebony fingerboard, pearl and abalone V-block inlays and neck binding on the JSA remained unchanged from the AA. The JSA also sports a script abalone “Benedetto” inlay at the 19th fret and fancier fingerboard purfling as you can see in the following photos.







I previously mentioned that on paper the neck dimensions between the AA and JSA are very similar (yet feel different). Here are the dimensions:

	AA​	JSA​
Neck width at nut​	1.75" (44.4mm)​	1.69" (42.9mm)​
Neck width at 5th fret​	1.9" (48.3mm)​	1.9" (48.3mm)​
Neck width at 7th fret​	2.0" (50.8mm)​	1.9" (48.3mm)​
Neck width at 12th fret​	2.1" (53.3mm)​	2.1" (53.3mm)​
Neck depth at nut​	0.91" (23.1mm)​	0.87" (22.1mm)​
Neck depth at 5th fret​	0.91" (23.1mm)​	0.88" (22.3mm)​
Neck depth at 7th fret​	0.95" (24.1mm)​	0.90" (22.9mm)​
Neck depth at 12th fret​	1.4" (35.6mm)​	1.6" (40.6mm)​

 

[GGJaguar]

Let’s look at how the neck is attached to body. The specifications on Guild’s website (January 2003) state that a unique feature is an “improved fingerboard extension design”. It’s not clear what that means (to me, at least). I know that for his Gibson signature model, Johnny Smith wanted the fingerboard extension to be in contact with the body. Right or wrong, Johnny believed this would improve sustain. Here’s an example from 1963 that illustrates the “full-contact” neck design.





The JSA has a fingerboard extension that floats above the body beginning at the 18th fret. The AA’s fingerboard extension floats above the body halfway between the 17th and 18th fret so there’s not much difference between the two. Is the improved fingerboard design simply keeping the extension on the body for an extra few millimeters? I don’t know. I stuck an endoscope into the body and did not see anything internal that would indicate something different or unusual. Perhaps this is simply an example of when marketing info does not agree with the actual product.

Moving down to the heel, we can see that the AA (including the Benedetto-designed AA) has a set-back heel.





On the other hand (or heel), the JSA heel is flush with the back. Was this a design element required by Johnny Smith or just a cosmetic change to further differentiate the JSA from the AA? I don’t know. BTW, except for the setback, the width and height of the heels are the same.

 

[GGJaguar]

Now we get to the real nitty gritty – the body! The basic shape of the JSA is the same as the AA, but there are subtle and not-so-subtle dimensional differences. The biggest differences include the reduced body depth, width and length with a corresponding reduction in weight.

	AA​	JSA​
Upper Bout width​	12.75" (324mm)​	12.56" (319mm)​
Waist width​	10.75" (273mm)​	10.63" (270mm)​
Lower Bout width​	17.19" (437mm)​	17.0" (432mm)​
Upper Bout depth​	3.5" (89mm)​	3.0" (76mm)​
Lower Bout depth​	3.5" (89mm)​	3.0" (76mm)​
Body Length​	20.69" (525mm)​	20.19" (513mm)​
Weight​	6.7 lb (3.0 kg)​	6.1 lb (2.8 kg)​

I took a bunch of top thickness measurements around the F-holes just for fun. The average thickness was 6.1mm for the AA and 5.1mm for the JSA. These are relatively meaningless because the solid tops are carved in a graduated fashion and are not an even thickness throughout as on a laminated top. But the data lends some credence to the idea that the Benedetto designed JSA (and presumably the redesigned AA as well) have thinner tops. Fun factoid: X-braced arched tops are inherently weaker than parallel braced arched tops.

The Artist Awards built from 1990-99 have solid German maple back and sides according to archived Guild webpages, as well as Guild catalogs and pricelists found at GAD.net (thanks GAD!). Note that German maple almost certainly refers to Acer pseudoplatanus which is found throughout Western Europe and has been used for making violin family instruments for centuries. The solid, carved top of the AA, while not specified, is likely Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis).

The JSA specifications state that the back and sides are constructed from solid figured German maple. The top is solid, carved European spruce (Picea abies). Just as on flat top guitars, the top wood selection makes a difference. Picea abies is functionally more like red “Adirondack” spruce (Picea rubens) than Sitka spruce. Okay, enough about wood.

 

[GGJaguar]

As with wood type, bracing makes a world of difference on a guitar’s tonality. Many contemporary archtops, including those built by Bob Benedetto, have X-bracing. The X-brace archtop design started with Gibson in the 1930s, but was quickly abandoned in favor of parallel bracing. Still, John D’Angelico was notable for using X-bracing throughout his career so it never really went away.

In an interview with Tom Wheeler, Bob Benedetto stated that his task was to modernize the X-700 and Artist Award. The first big change was to swap the parallel bracing for X-bracing to give them a contemporary voice which, in a perfect world, would make them more desirable. I think the fact that Benedetto was involved would also have been a marketing advantage.

The JSA’s X-bracing is similar to that shown in the photo below. Note how the ends of the braces stop before reaching the sides of the body. The JSA bracing is not as nicely tapered as the one in this photo. In fact, the braces have a rectangular cross-section and look like they were just cut, lightly sanded and glued in place with no shaping, rounding or finishing of any kind. But they are made of red spruce so there’s that. And really, there’s no denying that the guitar sounds great no matter what the braces look like.





The AA uses parallel bracing. Many archtops still use it for its strength, ease of construction, and the traditional archtop sound it produces. Unlike X-bracing, the ends of the AA parallel braces run the entire length of the guitar and are tucked into the neck block and under the kerfing on either side of the tail block. The treble and bass side braces are shaped and tapered differently on the AA for a more balanced tone. The braces aren’t parallel either. They form an asymmetric V, with the bass side brace being offset, again for tonal balance. These design features can clearly be seen in this photo of an old Epiphone. Fun factoid: my ’58 A-350 has the same type of bracing as found on the ’96 AA. A tried and true design!

 

[GGJaguar]

During his interview, Tom Wheeler asked Bob Benedetto what changes he was making to the X-700 and AA to make them more modern. One item he mentioned was the lining/kerfing. If we look at the AA kerfing we see that it is quite robust. Also note the side reinforcing strip is thin, tapered and a bit unrefined, though completely functional.





The kerfing on the JSA is lighter (thinner, taller), but the reinforcing strip is thicker, wider and beveled giving it a more architectural quality. Perhaps these somewhat contribute to improved responsiveness.





The interiors of the AA and JSA are very clean. The craftsmen knew what they were doing and took great care with attention to detail. Note the diamond cleat on the back of the AA. There are four of them to help reinforce the center seam between the two halves. The JSA does not have cleats and it uses fewer side reinforcement strips than the AA.

 

[GGJaguar]

Moving from the interior to the exterior we see minor cosmetic changes. The binding for the top and back was upgraded from 9-ply on the AA to 13-ply on the JSA. There was no change to the side binding/purfling.








The F-holes are the same size and shape between the two models, but they are 3-ply bound on the AA and 5-ply bound on the JSA. In addition, the JSA’s binding is mitered which creates sharp center points. Mitering the binding at the center points takes more time and effort, but it creates a cleaner look. The AA binding is not mitered and it is merely bent to follow the center point contours. The result is a center point being more rounded instead of sharp. This is easy to see in the photos below. Fun fact - The Patriarch AA has mitered F-hole binding.







The pickguards are different between the two models. The AA has a rounded tortoloid guard (with point!) that was introduced in the 1980s. The JSA guard is a black plastic stairstep piece based on the classic Guild archtop pickguard from the days of old. Sharp-eyed readers will also note the different volume knobs.



Both pickguards have 5-ply binding, but use different patterns as shown in the photos.

 

[GGJaguar]

Let’s take a quick look at hardware and then call it a day. I already noted the different pickups and both models are fitted with Grover Super Rotomatics (the JSA specs incorrectly list Imperial tuners). Both guitars have an ebony saddle with an ebony base, but differ in size and saddle type. The AA bridge base is a simple straight cut piece that is 5.3” long x 0.6” wide. The JSA bridge base has rounded contours and is 5.6” long x 0.6” wide. The AA saddle uses stairstep compensation while the JSA saddle uses diagonal compensation. Fun factoid – in the Tom Wheeler interview, Bob Benedetto noted that some of his ideas would trickle down to other Guild models and the diagonal compensated saddle is an example (used on the X-150D and X-180).







Finally, the harp tailpieces are the same except for the mounting plate. The barrel jack on the AA is flush mount and there is Guild strap button mounted above it. The JSA uses a jack/strap button combination in the same location therefore, there is no strap button mounting hole in the JSA plate.





Oh, the neck-side strap button on the AA is a Guild type mounted on the bass shoulder of the body, while the JSA strap button is a Fender “cup” type mounted on the heel cap. But as is always the case with Guild, exceptions exist. I have seen a JSA with a Guild strap button and a Benedetto AA with a Fender cup strap button, so YMMV.





That about does it, thanks for reading!

 

[shihan]

Wow, you did an amazing job on this comparison. Very interesting and informative; thanks!

 

[walrus]

Great thread! Very interesting!

walrus

 

[ClaytonS15]

Very interesting and incredibly thorough comparison. I’d love to play both of those guitars! Thanks.

 

[GAD]

Damn, dude! VERY nice!

 

[Brad Little]

Interesting comparison. I wonder how both of these would compare soundwise with an older AA from the era with the DeArmond 1000 or 1100.

 

[GGJaguar]

I wonder how both of these would compare soundwise with an older AA from the era with the DeArmond 1000 or 1100.

I'd love to do that comparison, but don't know anyone with an older AA. Maybe @Rich Cohen would know. He had a '66 AA and a Benedetto AA so he could have some thoughts on that.

 

[jp]

Thanks for the extremely exhaustive and informative read! I've been curious about the differences between these two models, and you pretty much highlighted the most pertinent points. Excellent!

 

[Steelman]

Excellent revue. I have sent this link to a guitar-maker friend in the Far East.

 

[bobouz]

I’ve long been interested in X-braced archtops, and the JSA surely does sound like a fabulous instrument. Thanks so much for sharing the many fine-detail differences!

 

[Stuball48]

Had to put a weeks worth of hours to A/B them and be able to get it down on paper then share with forum. What a GREAT job and "Thank You" for as detailed report as I have ever read.

 

[Uke]

Thanks so much for posting this review/comparison. Your time and attention are appreciated and will be very useful.