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Many of you will have read that Mark has entered what he calls a "quasi-retired" status, and will have seen the amazing restoration work he's been doing. Luckily for a few, he hasn't stopped new builds entirely—just entered what I'm thinking of as his "small batch" era! He tells me that he's currently doing three regular builds, and an amazing-sounding spec build he threw in for good measure (I'll let him debut that when he wants to), but I'm still in a bit of disbelief that I've got one coming my way. I'm hitting 40 this summer, and cleared out all my favorite guitars (especially a gorgeous Memphis '63 reissue ES-335) to raise the funds for this 17" Deluxe that I'll play for the rest of my days:
Thanks to more than a few of you for talking through your experiences with vintage guitars and different pickup options as I learned, waited, wondered whether my name would ever come up, and started throwing myself into the world of carved archtops. I'll include some extra build photos in another post (and update as things progress), but wanted right up top to express my gratitude! I am, as you might imagine, more excited than I can say about the opportunity to learn how to wring every bit of archtop goodness out of this thing in the years to come...
Joe
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05-21-2026 10:52 AM
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I've also just received in the mail the pickup that will end up on this guitar: bought through Krivo Pickups, and built by Vince Gorman according to the precise specs he was taught by Pete Biltoft. Looks exactly right to me, and should work perfectly coming in right at 11.3mm. A really positive experience, I recommend it so far and can't wait to hear how it sounds on the Campellone! There was a brief moment that I flirted with picking up a vintage ES-150, but that ended up being a problematic example with a sunk top and, more importantly, I really wanted to prioritize the acoustic voice. But playing that one for a while confirmed for me that the CC pickup will get the early Jimmy Raney sound I'm looking for, and this floater should get me close enough for my purposes.
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And some more detailed build photos. Looks like some really great silking on the top, and I adore the flame on the back—can't wait to see how both will pop with finish. More to come!
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Woah! I guess I snoozed on your post for about a week. Nice photos. My guitar is in the same batch. I'm looking forward to seeing some 'in-progress' photos mine as well.
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Wow!
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John, feel free to post on this thread with your build as well (although these guitars certainly deserve at least one thread each...). Excited to see how yours develops!
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Hot off the presses...
I'm not usually one to go for a lot of bling, but I've got to say that the Deluxe binding really makes this for me. Just unbelievable—Mark picked all this wood, and let me just say that if you ever have the chance to let him pick the wood for your guitar in the future, you're in good hands.
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Gorgeous! What finish have you chosen?
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Thanks for the invitation! Seems like we may as well keep the small build siblings together in the same thread. I'll tag on when I get some photos.
Originally Posted by j.l
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I think the Deluxe is the perfect amount of bling. It's on the same playing field as an L-5. For my tastes, the standard is too plain, the Cameo is too flashy. (I wouldn't turn down a Special, either) Originally Posted by j.l
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It's a beautiful thing to witness, the creation of a masterpiece.
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It's listed on the spec sheet as "dark chestnut burst"—we'll see how it ends up, but ideally a pretty dark reddish-brown burst? Originally Posted by John Owen
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How about yours, John?
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Nice choice! The 2008 Campellone Deluxe I sold to fund the new build was 'dark cherry' which was beautiful. I would think 'dark chestnut' will be similar and equally beautiful.
The guitar Mark is currently working on for me will be a Standard finished in 'antique natural'. As much as I am enchanted by Mark's incredible sunbursts, I'm really looking forward to being able to see each and every square millimeter of the grain.
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Here's the 2008 Deluxe I mentioned (sold to fund the current build).
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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. Originally Posted by j.l
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The Dark Cherry finish uses a mix of red and black stains - the Chestnut finish uses a mix of red and brown stains. With lighter applications, the two look quite different, but with heavier applications they begin to look more similar. Originally Posted by John Owen
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Mark just sent me some photos of my in progress 16 inch Standard. I'm stunned (but not surprised) by the flawless craftsmanship and the selection of the wood. It took me a minute to catch my breath!
If you take a peek at the close up of the f-hole you can see that Mark is going the extra mile and pre-loading the body with music! I really appreciate that bonus - I need all the help I can get!
Along the same vein, he rubbed a little mineral spirits on the back so I could get a preview of the wood's figure.
To say I'm excited would be a major understatement!
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Amazing stuff, John. That spruce!
Was it mostly the finish color that made you want to trade one Campy for another, or are there some other significant spec changes versus your Deluxe?
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Yep - that is one of the nicest tops I've ever seen. Pretty much text book perfect as far as I can see. The back and sides look pretty spectacular as well. Originally Posted by j.l
To answer the question about why I sold the Deluxe to get this one goes - it wasn't about the color. That Deluxe is a beautiful guitar and it plays great. Here's the story - back in early 2024 I contacted Mark about having him build me a guitar. What I had in mind was a 16 inch body, 24.5 inch scale and 1.75 inch nut width. I'm coming up on 70 years old and those specs are what I'm hoping will help my aging body continue to have fun playing guitar until it's time for my dirt nap.
Mark told me that he wasn't sure he would make it through his existing wait list before he retired. He suggested I look for a used Campy. I found the Deluxe at Music Emporium in April 2024. Even though it didn't match the smaller body and short scale criteria, I couldn't resist it (at least partly because of the beautiful finish). When it arrived it played so well, sounded so good and was so beautifully crafted I was perfectly happy to have it be the primary vehicle to take me up to the end of retirement...until the unexpected happened.
In October 2025 Mark sent me an email letting me know I had made my way to the top of his wait list. I was quite surprised and delighted to hear that since I didn't even realize he had put me on his wait list. For about 30 seconds I thought I would just pass up this golden opportunity and keep the wonderful guitar I already had. Then I thought again and realized that, as great as the Deluxe was, it would be even greater to be able to have Mark build me the exact guitar I'd be wanting (which did also include the natural finish along with the smaller geometry). Along with all the previously mentioned wish list items, Mark has been nice enough to indulge a number of additional 'snow flake' items that I dreamed up - Lollar Johnny Smith pickup, open back tuners, tone and volume controls on top of the pick guard, all hardware in nickel finish...
Probably way more than you wanted to know. The short answer is '...no, it wasn't about the color' ;-)
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Nope, this is exactly what I was hoping for! Didn't want to make assumptions, but my guess was that something was pushing you to move on from a guitar that beautiful. I think I know a bit of what you're feeling: I've spent the last year or so drooling over vintage L-7s—I don't know why, but the script logo really does it for me; don't even get me started about that new L-5 that Chris Parks has been playing on his Barry Harris channel the last few weeks—but it just feels really special for a master like Mark to be building a guitar for me (of all people). Originally Posted by John Owen
Thanks for sharing your story!
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I got some more photos from Mark this morning! Rough neck blank made from an amazing one-piece blank of highly figured hard maple, and completed neck blank, with dovetail cut, fingerboard extension, peghead ears and truss rod installed. Also the fingerboard and peghead faceplate after inlay. I told Mark that I had been hoping for jet black ebony (although I never mentioned it before). I guess he read my mind because he certainly delivered. It is really fun to see the dream becoming reality before my eyes!
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Same here! Both of these are looking gorgeous!
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Pretty exciting!
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Here's what Mark had to say in response to my slobbering over the beauty of the neck blank he chose for me...
"...yeah, that one-piece neck stock is really nice and I was fortunate to get it - there's a sawmill not far from me in Connecticut that I've done business with for a long time - years ago, the owner told me of a curly hard maple log he'd gotten in, and I had him cut some big blocks for me, specifically oriented for one-piece neck construction. I still have a couple left - they've been sitting in my shop for around 20 years, so they're plenty well seasoned : )"
I'm feeling pretty privileged!
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