Ben Burnley is the founder, frontman and primary songwriter of Breaking Benjamin. He has made a significant contribution to shaping the sound of rock in the 21st century.
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Who is Ben Burnley?
Benjamin Jackson Burnley IV was born on March 10, 1978 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He spent his childhood in Ocean City, New Jersey.
At the age of 12, Ben moved with his family to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. At 16, after being homeschooled, he passed his GED. In his early teens, he taught himself to play guitar by listening to Nirvana’s Nevermind. Nirvana was his biggest influence.
At 21, he moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he became roommates with Jonathan Price (former bassist for Breaking Benjamin). Before BB was formed, Burnley made money performing his songs and covers of other songs at various coffee shops and other venues. He played mostly with local musicians.
In 1998, Ben Burnley and former lead guitarist Aaron Finck teamed up with Nick Hoover and Chris Lightcup to form Breaking Benjamin. Eventually, Burnley wanted to try something different and went to California to try out new material. The remaining three members formed the band Strangers With Candy, later known as Lifer. They recruited old friend Mark Klepaski to play bass and he joined, and shortly after, Hoover was asked to leave the band.
In 1999, Burnley returned to Pennsylvania and formed a band called Plan 9 with drummer Jeremy Hummel. The band initially consisted of Ben Burnley on vocals and electric guitar, Jeremy on drums, and Jason Davoli on bass. Plan 9 occasionally opened for Lifer at house shows.
During one show, Burnley said, “Thank you, we’re Breaking Benjamin,” thus reverting to their original name. Klepaski later left Lifer and began playing bass for Breaking Benjamin. A few months later, Aaron Fink also joined BB.
Their style is powerful with melodic undertones, sometimes delving into acoustic realms and other times just straight-up rock.
Since signing with Hollywood Records in 2002, Ben Burnley has recorded six studio albums under the Breaking Benjamin name, three of which have gone platinum and two have gone gold in the United States.
Breaking Benjamin’s unique blend of heavy riffs and soaring vocal melodies has propelled them to international fame, selling over seven million albums in the US alone.
Ben Burnley has collaborated and performed with other alternative metal bands, including Three Days Grace, Evans Blue, and Disturbed. He was a guest on a special remix of The Drama Club’s single “Brand New Day.”
He also co-wrote Red’s hit “Shadows” and Madam Adam’s song “Forgotten.” Burnley collaborated with former Three Days Grace singer Adam Gontier on a song called “The End of the Day.”
Ben Burnley, as a guitarist, has always favored deep, rich sounds. He often plays in alternate tunings, which gives Breaking Benjamin songs their signature sound. This penchant for deeper tones and alternate tunings led him to collaborate with ESP to create signature guitars.
ESP Ben Burnley EC Baritone
Built in the ESP Custom Shop, the Ben Burnley EC Baritone is one of the most versatile signature models ESP has ever created.
Key Features
- Body and Build: Featuring an Eclipse single-cutaway body and set-thru design, the Ben Burnley EC is a 27″ scale baritone guitar that allows you to tune down without sacrificing ideal string tension. Its mahogany body is topped with a quilted maple carved top with an amazing See Thru Black Sunburst Satin finish.
- Neck: The neck on this model is a three-piece maple construction, ensuring durability and stability. The ebony fretboard remains consistent, as does the thin U-shaped profile.
- Electronics: The EC Baritone comes loaded with Seymour Duncan pickups: a ’59 in the neck and a JB in the bridge. This combination provides a vintage warmth with the neck pickup and a hotter, more aggressive tone with the bridge. The guitar also features Graph Tech Ghost-Loaded Resomax NV bridge and tailpiece that offer a built-in piezo pickup, allowing for a blend of electric and acoustic tones. It also includes two output jacks, allowing you to route the signal from the standard magnetic pickups to one amp and the piezo pickup to another, providing incredible flexibility on stage or in the studio.
- Others: Completing the aesthetics of this guitar are the signature red pickup covers, red fretboard inlays with the Breaking Benjamin symbol, and the signature red ESP logo. Other features include Sperzel locking tuners and Schaller straplocks.
Table Specifications
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Brand | ESP |
| Configuration | HH |
| Strings | 6 |
| Made in | Japan |
| Series | Signature |
| Colors | See Thru Black Sunburst Satin |
| Left-Handed Version | No |
| Body | |
| Top | Quilted Maple |
| Type | Solid Body |
| Body Material | Mahogany |
| Bridge | Graph Tech Ghost Loaded Resomax NV Bridge w/ Gotoh Tailpiece |
| Neck | |
| Neck Joint | Set |
| Tuners | Sperzel Locking |
| Fretboard | Ebony |
| Neck Material | 3pc Maple |
| Decoration | Breaking Benjamin symbol |
| Scale Size | 27″ |
| Shape | Thin U |
| Thickness | 1st Fret: 0.787” (20mm) – 12th Fret: 0.866” (22mm) |
| Frets | 24 XL Jumbo |
| Fretboard Radius | 12″ |
| Nut | Graphite |
| Nut Width | 42mm (1.654”) |
| Electronics | |
| Switch | 3 Way |
| Knobs | Dome |
| Pickup Mods | Multi-Voicing |
| Volume Controls | 2 |
| Tone Controls | 0 |
| Bridge Pickup | Seymour Duncan JB SH-4 (Humbucker / Passive) |
| Neck Pickup | Seymour Duncan ’59 SH-1N (Humbucker / Passive) |
ESP LTD BB-600 Baritone
Players looking for a more affordable version of Ben’s Signature Series guitar should check out the LTD BB-600 Baritone. Designed to be a versatile instrument, it fits the bill for Burnley’s diverse range of tones.
Key Features
- Body and Build: The BB-600 features a single-cutaway body design, which is reminiscent of the classic Eclipse shape. The body itself is constructed from mahogany, which provides a warm and resonant tone.
- Neck: Attached to this is a three-piece maple neck with an ebony fretboard, which complements the body’s warmth by adding a bit of brightness and snap to the tone. The neck also features a thin U-shape profile, making it comfortable for prolonged playing.
- Electronics: The BB-600 boasts a pair of passive Seymour Duncan Humbucker pickups.
- Others: The guitar comes with a longer 27″ scale, perfect for those lower tunings that Burnley is known for. Additionally, the guitar features a TOM bridge and tailpiece, and LTD locking tuners, ensuring tuning stability even in the most aggressive playing conditions.
Table Specifications
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Brand: | ESP LTD |
| Configuration: | HH |
| Strings: | 6 |
| Made in: | Indonesia |
| Series: | Signature |
| Colors: | See Thru Black Sunburst Satin |
| Left-Handed Version: | No |
| Body | |
| Top: | Quilted Maple |
| Type: | Solid Body |
| Body Material: | Mahogany w/ Maple Cap |
| Bridge: | Graph Tech Ghost Loaded Resomax NV Bridge & Tailpiece |
| Neck | |
| Neck Joint: | Set |
| Tuners: | Grover |
| Fretboard: | Macassar Ebony |
| Neck Material: | 3pc Maple |
| Decoration: | Breaking Benjamin symbol |
| Scale Size: | 27″ |
| Shape: | Thin U |
| Thickness: | 1st Fret: 0.787” (20mm) – 12th Fret: 0.866” (22mm) |
| Frets: | 24 XL Jumbo |
| Fretboard Radius: | 13.78″ |
| Nut: | Plastic |
| Nut Width: | 42mm (1.654”) |
| Electronics | |
| Switch: | 3 Way |
| Knobs: | Dome |
| Pickup Mods: | Multi-Voicing |
| Volume Controls: | 2 |
| Tone Controls: | 0 |
| Bridge Pickup: | Seymour Duncan JB SH-4 (Humbucker / Passive) |
| Neck Pickup: | Seymour Duncan ’59 SH-1N (Humbucker / Passive) |