In 1982 Benedetto co-designed an instrument with jazz guitarist Chuck Wayne that would lay the groundwork for a new aesthetic for archtops.

In a dramatic turn away from the opulent inlays and gold-plated hardware of traditional archtops, the new model, named La Venezia, had no body binding, no inlays, and an ebony pickguard and tailpiece.

Benedetto began offering it as a regular model in 1993.