Belated NGD: My first American blonde

[travisty]

I bought a guitar a year ago but it was delivered to where I wasn't, which was the U.S. I have just spent a couple of weeks in the U.S. and picked up the guitar and brought it back to my home in Hong Kong.

I got it here, tuned it up, and started in. I am struck, flabbergasted, in awe of the sound.

The guitar is loud, but importantly, it is super-clear when played loudly, and the tone is even up and down and across the fretboard. The tone is rich with overtones. Sustain is superlative (perhaps not quite as long as the Lang, but it's on its way). It is everything I wanted. It is a keeper.

The guitar has probably the finest workmanship guitar of any I have held in my hands. Great wood, great binding (9 layers?) and finish, and only a couple of spots where it shows its age (15yrs old now).

And it is blonde. Very blonde.





To the seller (you know who you are ), I can't believe you let go of this, but I am glad you did!

After a week of having it at home finally, I plugged it into an amp (Yamaha THR10C) I recently bought for practicing in my living room and it sounds great amplified too (and the amp is a little wonder - perfect for my uses).

[Stringswinger]

Beautiful guitar! You scored big time with that gem. Congrats.

[Max405]

Oh My Travisty..
What a gorgeous guitar. I saw one like it in Guitars N Jazz a couple of years back. What struck me was the workmanship and the headstock. The binding on it looked like crazy lace agate. It was a masterpiece. Just like yours..
Thank you for sharing your guitar with us. Its a real beauty.
JD

[vinnyv1k]

Stunning !!! Hope it plays and sounds as good as it looks. Enjoy !

[2bornot2bop]

The seller is happy that Primavera found a home. She deserves to be played. Nice build huh.

Enjoy!

I bought a guitar a year ago but it was delivered to where I wasn't, which was the U.S. I have just spent a couple of weeks in the U.S. and picked up the guitar and brought it back to my home in Hong Kong.

I got it here, tuned it up, and started in. I am struck, flabbergasted, in awe of the sound.

The guitar is loud, but importantly, it is super-clear when played loudly, and the tone is even up and down and across the fretboard. The tone is rich with overtones. Sustain is superlative (perhaps not quite as long as the Lang, but it's on its way). It is everything I wanted. It is a keeper.

The guitar has probably the finest workmanship guitar of any I have held in my hands. Great wood, great binding (9 layers?) and finish, and only a couple of spots where it shows its age (15yrs old now).

And it is blonde. Very blonde.





To the seller (you know who you are ), I can't believe you let go of this, but I am glad you did!

After a week of having it at home finally, I plugged it into an amp (Yamaha THR10C) I recently bought for practicing in my living room and it sounds great amplified too (and the amp is a little wonder - perfect for my uses).

[JazzNote]

I bought a guitar a year ago but it was delivered to where I wasn't, which was the U.S. I have just spent a couple of weeks in the U.S. and picked up the guitar and brought it back to my home in Hong Kong.

I got it here, tuned it up, and started in. I am struck, flabbergasted, in awe of the sound.

The guitar is loud, but importantly, it is super-clear when played loudly, and the tone is even up and down and across the fretboard. The tone is rich with overtones. Sustain is superlative (perhaps not quite as long as the Lang, but it's on its way). It is everything I wanted. It is a keeper.

The guitar has probably the finest workmanship guitar of any I have held in my hands. Great wood, great binding (9 layers?) and finish, and only a couple of spots where it shows its age (15yrs old now).

And it is blonde. Very blonde.

It's a beauty! Congratulations!
How did you bring it back - it's hard these days to get permission to take guitars on board of a plane?

[citizenk74]

A superb instrument. Congratulations, and play it in good health!

[fws6]

Ha ! It was the only one of your backside pics I didnt recognize !

congrats !

[jazz.fred]

Beautiful instrument. Play well, my friend

[iim7V7IM7]

Congratulations!

[travisty]

It's a beauty! Congratulations!
How did you bring it back - it's hard these days to get permission to take guitars on board of a plane?

I did what most here would think unthinkable. I entrusted it to the airline.

Several years ago I actually spent a lot of time asking each of the airlines I might use exactly how they treat an oversized fragile item on a specific destination. I told them I would try to give them all my business if they came up with the right answer. I repeated the process two years ago.

The answer was basically the same each time but for one airline it was clear that they were willing to "go the extra mile" in the handling process at the end points based on their policies. That airline was Cathay Pacific.

This time I knew I wanted to fly back with it, so rather than arrange a flight to Baltimore/Wash area (where the guitar was), I arranged a Cathay flight to Newark. It worked because at one end of my trip I had to be in NYC. On my way back I lugged it from Balto to Newark by train, then the next two trains to the airport, then I put it on the plane and 15hrs later we were in HK.

My process:
1) I don't do legged flights so I avoid plane changes for the luggage.
2) It goes into oversized/instrument baggage (which means hand-delivered to pickup point, separately taken to plane with other oversized/instrument baggage, separately placed on plane, separately removed from and delivered to separate pickup area in terminal).
3) I have padded straps which wrap around the case which cushion things more.
4) I put 20 large red fragile stickers pasted to the outside.
5) I put a large print explanation inside the case for the TSA guys asking them to please treat it ridiculously carefully if they open it, "beloved instrument, blah blah blah." How to pick it up, how to lay it back in, etc.

Sounds dangerous but I think it is actually a fair bit safer then FedExing it across the US. My biggest worry in the process is the security people (and for me, that is really on a TSA worry - so far have done this several times from Japan, once from the US and I would not worry about the Japanese security people (and I have a sign in Japanese for them)).

[Greentone]

Wow. That's a beauty, and then some. You are right...the headstock is positively regal. Great wood, to throughout. Just HAS to be a guitar that sounds good, when all of those ingredients are taken into account. What a great acquisition.

[wintermoon]

that headstock binding must have been a pain to install.

really great looking guitar, sadly no longer being built, but can be had for reasonable $ these days--if you can find them.
a friend w/ quite a large collection had one he raved about but I never got to play it.

[rabbit]

You low dog. (this means ENVY)

Congratulations!!

[JazzNote]

I did what most here would think unthinkable. I entrusted it to the airline.

Several years ago I actually spent a lot of time asking each of the airlines I might use exactly how they treat an oversized fragile item on a specific destination. I told them I would try to give them all my business if they came up with the right answer. I repeated the process two years ago.

The answer was basically the same each time but for one airline it was clear that they were willing to "go the extra mile" in the handling process at the end points based on their policies. That airline was Cathay Pacific.

This time I knew I wanted to fly back with it, so rather than arrange a flight to Baltimore/Wash area (where the guitar was), I arranged a Cathay flight to Newark. It worked because at one end of my trip I had to be in NYC. On my way back I lugged it from Balto to Newark by train, then the next two trains to the airport, then I put it on the plane and 15hrs later we were in HK.

My process:
1) I don't do legged flights so I avoid plane changes for the luggage.
2) It goes into oversized/instrument baggage (which means hand-delivered to pickup point, separately taken to plane with other oversized/instrument baggage, separately placed on plane, separately removed from and delivered to separate pickup area in terminal).
3) I have padded straps which wrap around the case which cushion things more.
4) I put 20 large red fragile stickers pasted to the outside.
5) I put a large print explanation inside the case for the TSA guys asking them to please treat it ridiculously carefully if they open it, "beloved instrument, blah blah blah." How to pick it up, how to lay it back in, etc.

Sounds dangerous but I think it is actually a fair bit safer then FedExing it across the US. My biggest worry in the process is the security people (and for me, that is really on a TSA worry - so far have done this several times from Japan, once from the US and I would not worry about the Japanese security people (and I have a sign in Japanese for them)).

Congratulations - this sounds like a lot of very careful precaution - and it worked out!

[bananafist]

Thats the second Napolitano I've seen on this site, and I am totally amazed at the binding on the headstock - stunning! If the rest of the guitar has the same attention to detail, (and I don't doubt it) you are indeed a lucky man.

[Top of the Arch!]

Thats some elegant looking top and back carve you got on that one! Thats just great how it dishes out around the rim. Good luck with it. Bob

[AlainJazz]

I've said it before when this guitar came up in another NGD: it's the most beautiful arch top I've ever seen. Wow.

[travisty]

Thats the second Napolitano I've seen on this site, and I am totally amazed at the binding on the headstock - stunning! If the rest of the guitar has the same attention to detail, (and I don't doubt it) you are indeed a lucky man.

It may be the first, a second time (I expect it is ).
The pics aren't mine and were taken by the first owner.
I haven't bothered taking any yet. Busy being lucky. Maybe tomorrow.

[2bornot2bop]

It's a shame Napolitano isn't better known. Best acoustic guitar most here have never played

For scale

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Gentlemen prefer blondes.

[wintermoon]

still can't believe you sold that one Greg.
I seem to recall you said it was the bees knees, sold it and fortunately got it back again.

[HeyNow]

WOWWWWWW

I just put my Artist Award in the overhead bin when I picked it up in Los Angeles and took it back to NYC. Nobody said anything. Virgin America.

A 7 String sister to yours:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1E...ew?usp=sharing

[travisty]

WOWWWWWW

I just put my Artist Award in the overhead bin when I picked it up in Los Angeles and took it back to NYC. Nobody said anything. Virgin America.

I have been told too many times I wasn't allowed to take a case that large as carryon. On Delta once I got a thin, rectangular flight case onto a short hop in Asia out of Japan (where they seem to be lax on carry on size rules) by asking to put it in the crew closet. Next time I approach a similar situation, I'll check my airlines again (but VA doesn't fly my routes AFAIK).

A 7 String sister to yours:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1E...ew?usp=sharing

Wooeeee. Delish. LOVE the color fluctuation in the top!

If you ever want to sell, let me know. I'd love to try something which goes even a few notes lower! The low end of this guitar (the one above at least) is absolutely fab (previous winner in that category for me personally was probably an Arturo Valdez d'A from a couple of years ago).

[2bornot2bop]

still can't believe you sold that one Greg.
I seem to recall you said it was the bees knees, sold it and fortunately got it back again.

Yep, it went for the L5. Then the L5 went because it was too bright for my tastes. And then I got back into audio and couldn't juggle both hobbies, aka lusts