Takamine

When Ben Allen was 18, his older brother David pulled the pawn shop guitar out of the closet and showed his younger brother the few chords he knew. At the time, young Ben’s hobbies were more of the two-wheeled variety, specifically racing motorcycles and bicycles. Soon, the guitar was back into the closet. Ben was plenty musical. He sang in the church choir, and sang along with Nashville country and rock radio. But the idea of taking the stage, anywhere for any reason, was still foreign the shy Tennessean. It would take a career move from Music City to Southwest Florida for Ben Allen to catch that bug.

When the recession hit in the late 2000’s, Allen closed his small power-sports business selling preowned motorcycles and four-wheelers and accepted a position as a building inspector in Naples, Florida, all but abandoning his bike racing days. It was then that Ben reintroduced himself to the six-string and the three chords his brother taught him.

“I knew I loved to sing and I thought, ‘It sure would be nice if I could accompany myself all the way through one song,’” Allen remembered. After managing that feat a few times over, Ben signed up for open-mic night at a local bowling alley. “It scared me to death - and I loved it so much,” said the ex-dirt bike racer. “Anything that’s thrilling like that, I’m in!"

Ben put together a duo, then a five-piece band. Soon, the Ben Allen Band was playing 180 dates a year as a Sunshine State favorite. To accommodate these live performances, he purchased his first Takamine, a EG544SC-4C (similar to the current GN20CE), playing over 1000 gigs on the G Series model guitar before upgrading to his current number one, a sweet, circa 2002 TNV360S (similar to the current P7D). It is that vintage dreadnought, adorned with worn-through signatures from various artists he’s opened for, that you might recognize from Ben’s blind audition for season 19 of The Voice. Check out this clip to see how that went.

Ben Allen’s following exploded as he turned in a series of inspired, flawless performances, earning a spot in the semifinals of the top-rated program (eight million viewers per night, twice a week). The newly-minted star then proceeded on to headline and sell out Estero, Florida’s Hertz Arena in the venue’s first post-pandemic opening. Not a bad trajectory from his open-mic night launch. Gearing up for what will likely be a busy summer, Ben recently acquired a new P7DC from Takamine’s luxurious Pro Series 7 Collection. “I can literally and proudly say I’ve played a Takamine guitar every single gig I’ve ever played, 1,500 and counting, adding to the many reasons I’m so proud to be on the Takamine roster."