New Small-Batch Campellone Build

[Rickco]

Thanks to you and Mark for the pics, thats as close as Ill get to a Campy but having the maker send you pics like that is above and beyond, at this point (72) Ill just have to be a voyeur, that neck blank shot is great not many of us get to see our guitars in the womb, congrats! Mark said He'd do some work on my Epi if he can work it in...not a Campy but mabey a Epillone when done. Please keep pics coming!

[andrew]

Speaking of binding, I just thought I'd add a note that might be of interest to some of you. The binding pattern I use is taken directly from a late 30's L5 I owned many years ago. Everything on the front of the guitar - top, fingerboard, peghead and pickguard - all had the same 5-ply pattern - purfling strips of .020 white, .020 black, .020 white, .040 black, and finally the outer most thicker white binding strip. The binding on the back was a little simpler - 3-ply made up of .020 white, .020 black, and the thicker outer binding. I like this pattern for its uniformity. Later Gibson models like the L5 had four different binding patterns - 7-ply for the top, 5-ply for the peghead and pickguard, 3-ply for the back, and with only the fingerboard retaining the original 5-ply pattern.

This is really cool info. I have to admit that I have, on more than one occasion, compared the binding on Campellone's guitars to various Gibson model. I had noticed that, while many of them were similar, they weren't exact 1:1 matches and this explains why. Perfectly reasoned.

[John Owen]

I love the term Epillone!

[Rickco]

I love the term Epillone!

actually kinda makes me hungry "id like an order of Epillone with some Cannoli"s to go"

[Hammertone]

I don't think Mark has ever made an Epillone, but he did put together my "Gibsellone Award," complete with the properly consistent pre-war binding scheme.

[wintermoon]

actually kinda makes me hungry "id like an order of Epillone with some Cannoli"s to go"

Leave the Epillones, take the Cannolis

[MCampellone]

I don't think Mark has ever made an Epillone, but he did put together my "Gibsellone Award," complete with the properly consistent pre-war binding scheme.

Really getting a kick out the "smash name" banter Looks like there will in fact be an Epillone coming down the pike as I'll be doing a restoration of this '39 Emperor - and I also have this '39 Gretsch Synchromatic project going - a "Synchrollone"?

[58flame]

Really getting a kick out the "smash name" banter Looks like there will in fact be an Epillone coming down the pike as I'll be doing a restoration of this '39 Emperor - and I also have this '39 Gretsch Synchromatic project going - a "Synchrollone"?

What's the official count on the number of plies on the Epi binding? I've seen photos of that guitar and I lost count.

Can't wait to see both of these restored.

[Rickco]

Im plotzing to see that Emperor!!! please keep pics rollin, next best thing to bein there

[MCampellone]

What's the official count on the number of plies on the Epi binding? I've seen photos of that guitar and I lost count.

Can't wait to see both of these restored.

The Synchro has 8 black/white layers of purfling - same on front and back - this does not include the missing outermost binding strip, which on this guitar was tortoise-shell (sunburst models usually had white binding as the outermost 9th layer)

The top of the Epi has 7 black/white layers of purfling, plus the 8th outermost white strip. The back of the Epi is just nuts, with 14(!) black/white layers of purfling plus the 15th outermost white strip.

Bear in mind that on both these guitars, the thicker layers of black and white purfling are actually made up of thinner strips glued together, so the number of individual strips actually used is even greater!

[MCampellone]

Im plotzing to see that Emperor!!! please keep pics rollin, next best thing to bein there

Since I have some new builds going right now, it'll be a while before I really dig into these restoration projects - once the new builds are completed (maybe in 2-3 months) I'll take another building break and just get the restorations done.

And speaking of future restorations, here's another recently acquired 'guitar rescue' piece I have waiting in the wings - a '59 ES-175 - stripped of its original PAF humbucker, and sadly, "modified" to accept two Gibson low-impedance pickups and a microphone gooseneck

[Stringswinger]

Since I have some new builds going right now, it'll be a while before I really dig into these restoration projects - once the new builds are completed (maybe in 2-3 months) I'll take another building break and just get the restorations done.

And speaking of future restorations, here's another recently acquired 'guitar rescue' piece I have waiting in the wings - a '59 ES-175 - stripped of its original PAF humbucker, and sadly, "modified" to accept two Gibson low-impedance pickups and a microphone gooseneck

I might have a nightmare after viewing those photos. Someone screwed up a fine guitar and that is so screwed up.

We await your magic on that one Mark!

[andrew]

What’s super interesting about that poor, poor 175 is HOW they butchered it. Notice that they didn’t add any extra pots or a pickup selector switch.

[John Owen]

What’s super interesting about that poor, poor 175 is HOW they butchered it. Notice that they didn’t add any extra pots or a pickup selector switch.

Well that is fortunate at least!

It's nice to know that will be healed after it goes through the Campelonne Way-Back machine.