Roger Benedict, namesake and co-founder of the Benedict Guitar Company, studied guitar at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Roger began making guitars in Elizabethtown, NY in 1974, and moved to Minneapolis in 1981 to build guitars for a local manufacturer. Roger was also a luthier instructor at Red Wing (MN) Technical College.

In early 1988, Roger designed and built an electric guitar that featured a semi-hollow spruce body and state-of-the-art electronics. Later that year, he built a version for Jackson Browne, who named the guitar “the Groove Master” in tribute to its unique sound and playability. Roger and his wife Laurel formed the Benedict Guitar Company and began marketing the Groove Master in limited custom editions, adding a semi-hollow bass and the solid-body electric Benelectro to the product line.

Growth of the Company
Demand for Benedicts quickly exceeded supply, but Roger refused to mass-produce his instruments, making only a few each month. In 1990, Roger met Bill Hager, a musician and guitar repairman who shared Roger’s love of fine musical instruments. Bill became Roger’s apprentice later that year.The two luthiers continued to develop new designs and ideas, always adhering to the strictest standards of quality and workmanship. They presented their guitars at the National Associations of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in Anaheim in 1993, resulting in national exposure.

Sadly, Roger died unexpectedly in 1994. Bill, his wife Nancy, and Laurel made the difficult decision to keep the company going as a tribute to Roger and his ideals.

Today, Bill and Nancy own and operate the Benedict Guitar Company in Minneapolis. They build guitars one at a time with the same unique designs, quality materials, and careful craftmanship that are Benedict trademarks.
Several local and national musicians proudly own and play Benedict guitars. Please use the menu to browse this web site and see examples of our guitars and the artists who play them.