What is John Pizzarelli's noncut 7 string?

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

He's playing it in the Jan 8, 2025 Vignola night at Birdland. It appears to have a CC, and it sounds fantastic in the video. I can't find any info on it and I can't clean up the video enough to read the peghead logo.

[rtt]

I can ask today. Ill try to let you know asap

[wintermoon]

Thorell

[jazzshrink]

Thorell JP-157 John Pizzarelli Model

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Thorell

Thanks! I just looked at the gallery on the website and found one partial pic of what appears to be a similar guitar. I’ve never seen a Thorell in the flesh, and non-cut 7s from any maker are mighty rare. This must be a very special guitar. I wonder who made the 7 string CC pickup.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Thorell JP-157 John Pizzarelli Model

Damn! Those thumbnails ARE links! I tapped and tapped on my tablet, but it didn’t open. Thanks!!

It’s interesting that JP has fretboard markers on his, but the one pictured does not. I’ve learned my lesson and will not gig with a guitar without them again.

[David B]

Trawling the Thorelli Guitars Facebook page, it appears that the guitar was completed in late 2022.



It was built initially with a plain fretboard.

When John Pizzarelli filmed his Truefire course in 2023, the board had some white dot markers added.

The guitar went back to Thorell at some point to have the slim block inlays added and was back in Pizzarelli's hands in June 2024.



Thorell appears to have two JP model guitars under construction at the moment and offers it in a 6 string version too.

[wintermoon]

I guess since Bill Moll passed he's endorsing this builder now.
I haven't seen his Benedetto in his hands since before the Moll days.

[Woody Sound]

It’s interesting that JP has fretboard markers on his, but the one pictured does not. I’ve learned my lesson and will not gig with a guitar without them again.

What about side markers?

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

What about side markers?

Unless they’re luminous or illuminated, side dots are hard for me to see on dark stages. I don’t need markers often, but when I do they’re essential, eg if I’m quickly jumping more than 2 or 3 frets.

My most embarrassing moment ever on a guitar (which had side dots but no board markers) was at the end of a solo intro to Nature Boy behind a wonderful vocalist. I finished a 3 octave ascending run, held the last note (17th fret A on first string), then struck the chord over which she would come in. It was an E9 sus 4 barred across the 7th fret (on a 7 string with a low E). But I jumped down to the 6th fret…..

I was able to slide up to the 7th, and no one said anything. But the band and the singer clearly caught it because it wasn’t the way we rehearsed it - and we had 4 or 5 rehearsals for that show because it was an important show for the singer at a very popular club (The Tin Angel, for those who remember it).

That was about 25 years ago. It was board markers for me on every gigging guitar ever since then. I assume John P has a similar reason for having markers added to the Thorell.