Benavides Guitars

Benavides Guitars Benavides Guitars are custom made instruments, built from responsibly sourced timber in Ahipara, New Zealand by David Benavides.

Ten years ago I contemplated buying a solid Spuce/ Mahogany Martin dreadnought for a hefty price but was unimpressed. I decided to make myself a better guitar, which I did, but not at first. My passion for guitar making and furthering my craft is obsessive and rewarding. My guitars now are favorites of professional performers, recording artists, and collectors of rare world class instruments. Bena

vides Guitars are sold internationally at The Acoustic Inn, which is located in Perth, Australia and at Lewis Eady in Auckland, New Zealand.

#168, Adirondack Over New Zealand Puriri (Teak). Yes, the top is painted Gold. I've been wanting to make this guitar fo...
11/01/2026

#168, Adirondack Over New Zealand Puriri (Teak). Yes, the top is painted Gold. I've been wanting to make this guitar for years and once I saw the color of the Puriri with some sealer I knew it was the perfect guitar for a Gold top. It compliments the color of the Puriri beautifully and makes it the star of the show.

Also, I've loved Califone since I was I high school. When I blew into Chicago I stumbled onto them playing I the Ukrainian Village to a humble crowd. I hadn't even realized they were a Chicago band.

As time went on I saw them play the Hideout and got to chat with the incredible Jim Becker on the patio.

Just another part of my journey that still feels so special.

Yep, the guitar is for sale too,
$7,000 USD

Happy Birthday to my mum, the self proclaimed Laundry Queen who once won a motor scooter from a catfood coupon contest (...
18/11/2025

Happy Birthday to my mum, the self proclaimed Laundry Queen who once won a motor scooter from a catfood coupon contest ( because she had so many cats) and sold it, probably to pay for more cat food.

She lived with love in her heart and a smile on her face, and always a great one liner like,
" you got it, Toyota."

When I first had the idea to build a guitar 20 years ago I rode my bike down the road to the local wood shop where I met...
13/10/2025

When I first had the idea to build a guitar 20 years ago I rode my bike down the road to the local wood shop where I metwoodworker and arborist Steve Crouch. Steve had just lost his best mate George Kinnear shortly before and wasn't too excited about me or my guitar making ideas. He said to come back the next week and so I did.

We carried on like this for a little while until he abruptly took me up to the house where he and George flated. George, Geo, was a classically trained cabinet maker from San Diego who aldo decided moving to the furthest corners of New Zealand was a great place to raise a family.

Well, George made a guitar before he died and made it from a beautiful set of black wood that he milled with Steve in Kaitaia. He had just resawn all this blackwood into guitar sets before he died and had them all lined up around the room on display and Steve didn't have the heart to put them away.

Steve let me take a few sets and I made my first guitars from them. It felt like destiny and I couldn't have been more excited. At this point Steve had loaned me a few tools to help get me started and this shoulder plane which belonged to George has been in use daily ever since. ( I later had the pleasure to have Georges son, Ethan, to my shop where I tried to give it back but Ethan told me to make good use of it.) Although I'm not using it to trim the shoulders of hand cut tennons it is put to good use trimming down back braces or making things to make more things.

As the years passed and I needed more income I trained as a cabinet maker with one of the best, Wayne Grbic, who it turns out was trained by George.

I only help out very rarely in Wayne's cabinet shop anymore but I did today. I was going to be making some curved shelves clashed with pvc tape ( like binding) and this can't be done on the machine trimmer. It was a great opportunity to bring in the shoulder plane to take off the bulk before using a 1 inch chisle to trim it flush.

As I was using the plane it all hit me how it came full circle.
And now I've also got all kinds of Nrw Zealand native wood that Steve and George had milled in the 90's.

I never met Geo, but I think we'd get along!

I used to volunteer in the resource center at so I could take the country blues classes with Chris Walz in 2008. I buil...
24/08/2025

I used to volunteer in the resource center at so I could take the country blues classes with Chris Walz in 2008. I built a few guitars by then but after taking Mr. Walz classes I had to build a 000 like his one.

Getting to display my work at Old Town all these years later was an incredible experience beyond my expectations. Getting to hear Mr. Walz play my guitars all these years later is one of those special moments I'll never forget.

Very excited to share this one alongside a few other very special guitars at the Melbourne Guitar Show next weekend! Thi...
24/02/2025

Very excited to share this one alongside a few other very special guitars at the Melbourne Guitar Show next weekend! This one features a Torrefied Adirondack top and Ancient Kauri back and sides.

Ancient Kauri is from trees that have been buried under ground locally in the far north of New Zealand for up to 45,000 years according to carbon dating. The wood used on this one was from my neighbors farm which I milled in 2012. It is incredibly rewarding to finally use it and hear it sing.

Come play my guitars at the Melbourne Guitar Show March 1st and 2nd! I have one more stunner that is in the works, and I...
19/01/2025

Come play my guitars at the Melbourne Guitar Show March 1st and 2nd!

I have one more stunner that is in the works, and I can't wait to show it off.

This is the Heritage-13 made with Torrefied Adirondack and Brazilian Ebony with an Argentine Grey shade top. Brazilian E...
05/01/2025

This is the Heritage-13 made with Torrefied Adirondack and Brazilian Ebony with an Argentine Grey shade top.

Brazilian Ebony is an incredible tonewood which has a janka hardness of 3690 lbf, has a very glassy tap tone and is not a true Rosewood ( so not restricted).

These are available for order I a variety of other tone wood options including Ziricote and Bolivian Rosewood.

This is the Heritage 13 with Torrefied Adirondack and Brazilian Ebony with an Argentine Grey shade top ( which is very d...
05/01/2025

This is the Heritage 13 with Torrefied Adirondack and Brazilian Ebony with an Argentine Grey shade top ( which is very difficult to photograph).
The Brazilian Ebony is the most incredible tone wood but is very limited in its availability. Once I can secure a few more of these sets this one will be up for sale.

Until then, I can offer this model in a range of tone wood options including Bolivian Rosewood, Ziricote and Ancient Kauri.

Going to let this 00-14 Super Deluxe go to a lucky buyer at a discounted Christmas price.$5,600 USD ( $9,550 NZD)Lost T...
20/12/2024

Going to let this 00-14 Super Deluxe go to a lucky buyer at a discounted Christmas price.

$5,600 USD ( $9,550 NZD)

Lost Tunnel Redwood top
Sinker New Zealand Tanekaha back/sides
Old stock Bolivian Rosewood fretboard & bridge
Adirondack bracing
Gold evo fretwire
Gold MOP inlays
Antique pearl celluloid headstock
Mod V neck
44.5 mm nut
Unbleached bone nut, saddle & pins
Maple binding
Hot hide ide glue construction
Engraved brass Waverly tuners ivoroid k***s
THIN nitrocellulose lacquer
Ivory hiscox case

Look to my previous videos for the demo.

DM if interested

In a few weeks it will be 20 years since I began making my first guitar. I wanted a tool that had meaning to give my tho...
18/12/2024

In a few weeks it will be 20 years since I began making my first guitar. I wanted a tool that had meaning to give my thoughts and my heart some release. I had no wood working experience and my expectations were low but I knew it would have a voice that I created and that in itself was enough to fill me with blind obsession.

I can remember making my first guitars and being so proud of what I had accomplished, particularly because I was told I shouldn't waste my time and I wouldn't be able to do it. And as the years passed I would cringe at the sight of them and be further driven to obsessive determination to get it right.

And then you realize you're never done getting better. The years pass and new ideas come into your head about voicing, a better understanding of applying finish, of fretwork, of alignment, of knowing when a job is done.

But how do you ever know where you stand in a community of guitar makers when you don't have one? How do you know the quality of your work when you and the people who praise your work haven't been exposed to the wider world of guitar makers or enthusiasts?

I had the grand idea after seeing the media from the 2024 Boutique Guitar Showcase that I should be there. This was the next part of my journey.  I feverishly worked to secure a place at the 2025 showcase by June.
The process has been hard on my family and myself. Financially and mentally becoming a hot mess.

Then I had a chat with Jamie Gale and realized I've gotten in over my head. Here is one of the most inspiring and insightful professionals in the industry giving me the approval to participate in his curated showcase, but I felt a hard truth surface in my heart. This wasn't my place yet.
I was getting near the completion of my work for the exhibit but I made the decision to pull myself out of the Boutique Guitar Showcase in January.

Yes, I want to present my work at exhibits and work with international dealers but I have things to consider about my production, logistics, price point, even my ability to communicate about guitars, before I try to present alongside the best of the best.

Thanks to everyone for their encouragement and support on this journey.

Address

Ahipara

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+642108297835

Website

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