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' been pleading with Mark Campellone to make me a 7... begging for years. He will not do it.
Ah well, we need men of principles who live by them, I suppose.
Still, a Campy 7? In a heartbeat!
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12-18-2025 10:20 AM
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Do you think he’d do it if a couple or few of us got one at the same time, so he could do a mini production run?
Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
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I'm the first person on that list! Originally Posted by Zigracer
Any others interested in a Campy 7 run? Dang! That'd be amazing.
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Just when I think I'm free of the beast, it rears its ugly head again! You guys should be ashamed of yourselves - you're contributing to the delinquency of an elder. Of couse I'm interested. Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
Truth be told, it'd probably take so long to make even 3 or 4 that mine might have to be delivered to the nursing station. But it'd sure be a fine and fitting last item on my bucket list. I already have more than enough buckets anyway
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Mark will no longer do an 18 inch guitar so I highly doubt he would do a 7 string. I suspect that he is nearing retirement and wants to keep things simple for the rest of his builds.
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Well, it's worth an ask. The worst he could say is no. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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To be honest, having one of the first and only 7 string guitars made by any luthier, no matter how fine his or her work may be, is a bit of a crap shoot. A 7 is not just a 6 with an extra string. I'm sure everything about it requires fine tuning at the very least. Bracing, kerfing, etc may be totally different. Top carves or pressings have to take into account the spread of the strings, their tension, and the extended frequency range. If the first one turns out great, it's probably as much luck as skill. Originally Posted by Zigracer
I'd love to discuss how MC would approach making a 7, and I'd love to have his candid opinion of the likelihood that it could even be done well without multiple tries and a learning curve. If he's truly approaching retirement, and he has no interest in making one, I'd let it lie. I love his 6 string guitars and hold his work in high regard.
Of course, if he woke up tomorrow and decided it would be a fitting challenge at the end of his career to make some fine 7s, who am I to say "no"?
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For the most part that's correct. Benedetto, however has come up with an ingenious solution to that problem. They make 7 string necks that fit on a 6 string body. They do this by incorporating a wider neck with an overhang that has a 1/2 string width "hang" over the cutaway. It looks a little like the bow overhang of an aircraft carrier flight deck. The body tapers out from the normal body width at the cutaway end block and gradually meets the "flight deck" of the wider neck. Ingenious and very comfortable. The bass side, of course needs no such adjustment. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
Wider neck, 7 string nut and headstock, 7 string bridge and tailpiece. That's about what it needs.
All other 7 strings I've seen do design the neck/body to be flush all the way, which is nice, but I can see why Benedetto is able to build 6 and 7 bodies side by side, and simply attach their fittings to those specs. Kinda cool.
Maybe one of these days I'll take the train to Westerly and make my appeal in person with my B16 on my back. Gosh, that would be the be all and end all to my 7 string needs. Period.
I'd gladly wait 5 years for a build by Campellone. In the 80's I walked into a shop and saw two guitars on a wall of archtops. Side by side were a Campy and a Gibson Johnny Smith. Sunburst both. I felt an immediate draw to the Campy but the Johnny was a promise I'd made to myself from before I could even play. I still have that JS but I know if I'd gotten the Campy, it would have gotten a lot more shleppage and traveling miles with me.
Having a part of Mark's last hoorah would be the completion of a circle for me.
Yeah, I've got to shake the master's hand and make an appeal.
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I have a Vestax D'Angelico Teardrop built by the Leo fender of Japan, Hidsato Shino! It is an exceedingly rare one, because they only made 5. I have 002. It's for sale. If anyone has any interest, please email me privately.
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Nice! Let's have some pictures, just to get a taste. Originally Posted by Vestax DAngelico Teardrop
Asking price?
It helps as a general courtesy for the curious or a catalyst for the possibly interested.
Thanks
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I tried three times to add photos, but they didn't take. I am unsure why they didn't add to the post
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There is a very nice 7 String solid/carved American Legend (Dale Unger) for sale at Guitars ‘n Jazz. The solid versions of these don’t come up very often Dale Unger American Legend Carved 7 String Natural Blonde Archtop w/ OHSC — Guitars 'n Jazz
Keith
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Dale's 7s are fabulous. I've always regretted not buying one 25+ years ago when they were even more affordable. I first played one at his booth at the Philly Guitar Show in the late '90s, not long after I'd gotten my Ibanez AF207 (the first affordable decent 7 string archtop on the market, AFAIK). I'd have lost a fair amount selling the AF, and at the time I had the usual obligations - health, life, car and home insurance, mortgage, tuition etc supporting a family of 4. With 2 kids in college (both headed to graduate school), I couldn't justify the expense. But I've truly loved every American Archtop I've ever played. Originally Posted by floatingpickup
TBH, I like his laminated archtops more than many supposedly better carved solids that I've played. If I were to bite the bullet now, I'd probably get a 17" laminated 7 from him.
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