The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
Reply to Thread Bookmark Thread
Page 2 of 6 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast
Posts 26 to 50 of 128
  1. #26

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by bmw2002
    Another happy Campellone owner here. I ordered the standard 16" model from Mark in 2016, about a year before I retired, as a present to myself. I wanted a thinner 16 inch archtop with a few slight changes from the standard set of features Mark offers (e.g. a slightly fancier pick guard, under pick guard controls with a buit-in Lollar humbucker). He was great to deal with and it was a thoroughly pleasant experience from start to finish. I will say that I think value drops more quickly on these than on a comparably priced Gibson, but if you're buying it to keep and play like I did, that wasn't a huge concern. It's now part of my all-New England one-guitar/one-amp rig (Gries 5 amp from Massachusetts and the Campellone from Rhode Island).

    Attachment 51249

    Nice

    If I ever do decide to order a Campellone new .. I'd probably go with the top mounted neck pup as opposed to a floater ... maybe even go for a two pickup version if he offers it ... like Gibson's CES or WES models

  2.  

    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by bmw2002
    Another happy Campellone owner here. I ordered the standard 16" model from Mark in 2016, about a year before I retired, as a present to myself. I wanted a thinner 16 inch archtop with a few slight changes from the standard set of features Mark offers (e.g. a slightly fancier pick guard, under pick guard controls with a buit-in Lollar humbucker). He was great to deal with and it was a thoroughly pleasant experience from start to finish. I will say that I think value drops more quickly on these than on a comparably priced Gibson, but if you're buying it to keep and play like I did, that wasn't a huge concern. It's now part of my all-New England one-guitar/one-amp rig (Gries 5 amp from Massachusetts and the Campellone from Rhode Island).
    Thank you for sharing a great story about a great guitar. She's a beauty!

  4. #28

    User Info Menu

    Mark's marketing approach is different from most of the other custom builders, in that he has none. He decided a long time ago to focus on keeping his head down, building guitars, and letting reputation and references take care of business. Mark is happy to accommodate customer requests and direct interaction with customers. He also sells through the dealers listed on his simple website: Murch Music (no longer a dealer, I guess - now the Long & McQuade store in Cambridge ON), The Music Emporium, AcousticMusic.org, Liberty Music and Exxbox Guitars, but, these days, he is also happy to sell his guitars directly to customers. He's at:

    MCampellone.com | archtop guitars

    Also listed on Mark's site are his specifications and prices. Dead simple. He has a simple menu that allows customers to choose between nut widths, scale lengths, body sizes, trim levels, pick between rosewood or ebony, and select among a wide range of finishes. One can get fancier maple at an upcharge. He used to offer more options for customization, but really prefers to keep it simple, and chooses not to offer too much customization these days.

    I've played dozens of Campellones over the years since first playing one and being thoroughly impressed with it back in @1990. I have a 17" Campellone acoustic with some custom features (built for the same guy who ordered the one now owned by Bluedawg), as well as a wonderful 16" Standard with some intriguing custom features. I played Bluedawg's guitar extensively when it still belonged to its original owner, and it plays and sounds great. In terms of build quality, his guitars are superb - clean, neat work, excellent finishes, beautiful wood, top-notch hardware, and so forth.

    Mark builds on his own and has a very limited (but steady) output. His guitars are designed to be very close to what Gibson built in the 1950s, but have a few specific "signature" design features that he has developed over the years. His pricing reflects the way he builds them - he does not whisper the guitars in a zero gravity chamber to coax acoustic tone out of them, or tweak and adjust the recarve of each instrument by the light of a full moon while monks chant, to achieve optimal individualized performance. He does, however, know what he's doing. In that way, his guitars are similar to acoustic archtops built by Heritage and Gibson - they are what they are.

    Used Campellone archtops have very predictable values, much like used Gibson archtops, which makes them very easy to buy/sell in the used guitar marketplace, if the $$$ are in the right place. Like other fairly priced, used, carved archtops, they do not fly off the shelves, so sellers simply require patience.

    At a more personal level, Mark is a really nice person and a credit to the human race. If I was interested in having an archtop built for me, I would be thrilled to have him build it.
    ----
    I've posted this before, but here are two very different guitars:
    -a Campellone Standard with a few interesting custom features - one of two built in this style. Note the petite bouche soundhole, snakehead, and @1 27/32" nut width. The guitar has asymmetrical parallel bracing, 3 1/8" rims, 17" width, 21" length, and 25 1/2" scale. More pix of it on Mark's website.
    -a 16" Standard with various custom features - narrow f-holes, snakehead, @1 55/64" nut width, no volute, Deluxe tailpiece. The guitar has X-bracing, 3 1/4" rims, 16" width, 19 3/4" length, and 24 3/4" scale.
    Attached Images Attached Images Campellone Guitars-campellone_1981-jpg Campellone Guitars-campellone_1986-jpg Campellone Guitars-campellone2310803-front_3965-jpg Campellone Guitars-campellone2310803-back_3966-jpg 
    Last edited by Hammertone; 05-17-2020 at 03:34 PM.

  5. #29

    User Info Menu

    His "Cameo" model looks gorgeous!





  6. #30

    User Info Menu

    For the money that 18 inch Special is really a very nice guitar, a real value if you ask me at that price.
    I know I've said it before and been wrong, but I'm done buying. If I saw that last year before some of my major vintage purchases I'd think about getting it. But really I've got 2 18 inch guitars that are all I could ever want: the 18 inch Unity that was Patrick, and the 18 inch 100th Anniversary I got via Marty...


    But for someone wanting a truly grand 18 incher that Special is The Bomb...
    This place is SOOOOO GASSY !!!!

    LOL and good luck to whoever goes hog wild and grabs it.

    Big


  7. #31

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
    Our esteemed member Keith Murch owned a "Special." $6500 for a new build seems like a great buy.

    Wow, esteemed member? I still own that Special. It is the second Campellone I have owned. The first was a Deluxe with the exact dimensions of an L5. I sold that one when I ordered my Special. The Special has the Johnny Smith dimensions, shorter body, 25” scale. They are both beautiful instruments. I think the larger Deluxe had a little more of an acoustic voice, which makes sense. I miss that guitar. All of the Campellones I have seen were absolutely perfect in terms of fit and finish. I have an ‘89 Benedetto Fratello (built by Bob), a ‘63 L5C and a ‘47 L7 to compare. It doesn’t really sound like my Gibson’s or my Benedetto. The Gibsons are much brighter than the others. It might be a little closer to my Benedetto, but it has its own voice, quite warm and mellow. Mark is a gentleman and a pleasure to do business with. He is very skilled and his guitars are gorgeous. I highly recommend them.
    Keith

  8. #32

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by floatingpickup
    Wow, esteemed member? I still own that Special. It is the second Campellone I have owned. The first was a Deluxe with the exact dimensions of an L5. I sold that one when I ordered my Special. The Special has the Johnny Smith dimensions, shorter body, 25” scale. They are both beautiful instruments. I think the larger Deluxe had a little more of an acoustic voice, which makes sense. I miss that guitar. All of the Campellones I have seen were absolutely perfect in terms of fit and finish. I have an ‘89 Benedetto Fratello (built by Bob), a ‘63 L5C and a ‘47 L7 to compare. It doesn’t really sound like my Gibson’s or my Benedetto. The Gibsons are much brighter than the others. It might be a little closer to my Benedetto, but it has its own voice, quite warm and mellow. Mark is a gentleman and a pleasure to do business with. He is very skilled and his guitars are gorgeous. I highly recommend them.
    Keith
    Here’s a shot of the three guitars I referred to above.
    Keith
    Campellone Guitars-4534e70a-5837-436c-b7a1-74b34b213f62-jpg

  9. #33

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by floatingpickup
    Wow, esteemed member? I still own that Special. It is the second Campellone I have owned. The first was a Deluxe with the exact dimensions of an L5. I sold that one when I ordered my Special. The Special has the Johnny Smith dimensions, shorter body, 25” scale. They are both beautiful instruments. I think the larger Deluxe had a little more of an acoustic voice, which makes sense. I miss that guitar. All of the Campellones I have seen were absolutely perfect in terms of fit and finish. I have an ‘89 Benedetto Fratello (built by Bob), a ‘63 L5C and a ‘47 L7 to compare. It doesn’t really sound like my Gibson’s or my Benedetto. The Gibsons are much brighter than the others. It might be a little closer to my Benedetto, but it has its own voice, quite warm and mellow. Mark is a gentleman and a pleasure to do business with. He is very skilled and his guitars are gorgeous. I highly recommend them.
    Keith
    A couple more shots of my Campellone Special. The back is outstsnding.
    Keith
    Campellone Guitars-5fb30c41-4d85-45ae-9fba-2ccbf0814cba-jpgCampellone Guitars-501a3075-5dc7-4b44-825c-2d749a432a0a-jpg

  10. #34

    User Info Menu

    Keith, You are absolutely an esteemed member. An outstanding player who knows his stuff and is an absolute gentleman.
    About your guitar.. The back is killer and the tailpiece tells me something.. When a builder takes the time to Finish off a guitar with a tailpiece like that, it’s a cut above. The nicest tailpiece on a modern guitar.
    Joe D

  11. #35
    That guitar is insanely beautiful.

  12. #36

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by floatingpickup
    Here’s a shot of the three guitars I referred to above.
    Keith
    Campellone Guitars-4534e70a-5837-436c-b7a1-74b34b213f62-jpg
    Hi Keith,
    I am overwhelmed by the acoustic tone quality of your beautiful Campellone,
    playing this clip over to my wife, from an iPhone ( out of necessity) she
    recognised the song from the first two chords and was also mightily impressed
    by it. Thank you for posting and congratulations on your playing of it.


    kind regards, Silverfoxx

  13. #37

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by Max405
    Keith, You are absolutely an esteemed member. An outstanding player who knows his stuff and is an absolute gentleman.
    About your guitar.. The back is killer and the tailpiece tells me something.. When a builder takes the time to Finish off a guitar with a tailpiece like that, it’s a cut above. The nicest tailpiece on a modern guitar.
    Joe D
    Thanks Joe. Mark’s tailpieces are really attractive. The Standard has a fairly simple one with a single band of metal, the Deluxe has two and the Special has three. He uses a very artistic common Art Deco theme throughout the guitar. The Speical has five piece inlays including abalone) and the Deluxe has three. I have l lot of respect for Mark’s talent.
    Keith

  14. #38

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by floatingpickup
    Wow, esteemed member? I still own that Special. It is the second Campellone I have owned. The first was a Deluxe with the exact dimensions of an L5. I sold that one when I ordered my Special. The Special has the Johnny Smith dimensions, shorter body, 25” scale. They are both beautiful instruments. I think the larger Deluxe had a little more of an acoustic voice, which makes sense. I miss that guitar. All of the Campellones I have seen were absolutely perfect in terms of fit and finish. I have an ‘89 Benedetto Fratello (built by Bob), a ‘63 L5C and a ‘47 L7 to compare. It doesn’t really sound like my Gibson’s or my Benedetto. The Gibsons are much brighter than the others. It might be a little closer to my Benedetto, but it has its own voice, quite warm and mellow. Mark is a gentleman and a pleasure to do business with. He is very skilled and his guitars are gorgeous. I highly recommend them.
    Keith
    Don't sell yourself short Keith ! I am pretty sure you do a very good job representing Marc's instruments.

    I questioned the choice of one of the other Dealers ( still ) representing Marc's guitars. A few years ago I was interested in a Campellone they had in stock. I wasn't asking crazy technical questions, but once the answers got past : " Yes, it is here " , and " yes, it is available " and " yes, it is hanging on the wall ", any chance of a sale was gone. It was ( is ) a ( high-buck ? ) flattop store, so that may explain it. There was even a question about the size itself -whether it was 16 or 17 inches, which should have been an easy answer, but wasn't.

    Had I been within driving distance, I'd have probably just gone there and most likely would still own it .

    All the best Keith.

  15. #39

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
    For the money that 18 inch Special is really a very nice guitar, a real value if you ask me at that price.
    I know I've said it before and been wrong, but I'm done buying. If I saw that last year before some of my major vintage purchases I'd think about getting it. But really I've got 2 18 inch guitars that are all I could ever want: the 18 inch Unity that was Patrick, and the 18 inch 100th Anniversary I got via Marty...


    But for someone wanting a truly grand 18 incher that Special is The Bomb...
    This place is SOOOOO GASSY !!!!

    LOL and good luck to whoever goes hog wild and grabs it.

    Big

    You guys are torturing me ... LOL .. that sounds awesome

    An 18 inch Campellone with a floating pickup is something I've wanted for quite a while

    And I'm still paying off my latest crazy Guitar Center purchase ....

    and trying to sell off some stuff to help with that


  16. #40

    User Info Menu



    oh man come on !!!


  17. #41

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
    Our esteemed member Keith Murch owned a "Special." $6500 for a new build seems like a great buy.

    2bop
    That is the understatement of the year. in the UK currently, there are
    Gibson ES335's at dealers with an asking price of £4700, I say through
    gritted teeth, by comparison, the Campellone is a steal, it would be
    snatched up in a heartbeat IMO, no contest.

  18. #42

    User Info Menu

    I could not be happier for Vinny! I can't wait to hear about the incoming Campellone! Right on Vinny, you only live once

  19. #43

    User Info Menu

    I've owned two Campys: A blonde Deluxe (which I sold) and bought on the 2nd market, and a Standard 18" non-cut, also blonde. The latter was built with flamed maple. The nitro is super thin and, after six years, some nice checking is beginning (I also travel a lot with it so maybe some temp changes did it; plus I play it in the sunshine and the top is a deep amber now. Lots of people really dig it and the box is opening up nicely).

    Mark's guitars are good. I have a S 400 and a '34 L5. Different beasts. Someone compared his Campy to a Benedetto. I've never played one.

    Here's the point: for the price they are top shelf and Mark is an approachable guy. They go well on the second market and the prices for them there have come down a little over the last decade.

    Good luck with the purchase.

  20. #44

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by Dennis D
    Don't sell yourself short Keith ! I am pretty sure you do a very good job representing Marc's instruments.

    I questioned the choice of one of the other Dealers ( still ) representing Marc's guitars. A few years ago I was interested in a Campellone they had in stock. I wasn't asking crazy technical questions, but once the answers got past : " Yes, it is here " , and " yes, it is available " and " yes, it is hanging on the wall ", any chance of a sale was gone. It was ( is ) a ( high-buck ? ) flattop store, so that may explain it. There was even a question about the size itself -whether it was 16 or 17 inches, which should have been an easy answer, but wasn't.

    Had I been within driving distance, I'd have probably just gone there and most likely would still own it .

    All the best Keith.
    Dennis D.:
    Too bad that dealer was not helpful. I don’t actually “represent” Mark’s guitars; I am just a happy customer. My brother was a Campellone dealer for many years, but I was never associated with his business. Through my brother, I had the chance to play many of Mark’s guitars, so I have some experience with them. I also attended the Long Island Guitar Show many times and got to know Mark there. I have no business affiliation, I just love nice guitars.
    Keith
    Last edited by floatingpickup; 03-05-2018 at 08:49 AM.

  21. #45
    I was going to be quite happy with a deluxe but my wife said to get the special. She likes the abalone bling.

  22. #46

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
    I was going to be quite happy with a deluxe but my wife said to get the special. She likes the abalone bling.
    I am generally a fan of non-inlaid necks, but the five piece abalone/MOP deco style inlays on the Special are a thing of beauty.

  23. #47

    User Info Menu

    I'm glad you pulled the cord on that one. Can't wait for your in hand review.

    Happy Landings!!
    Tony D.

  24. #48

    User Info Menu

    Vin, See if he can do the Cameo treatment on the back of the headstock.

    Campellone Guitars-c12_495-jpg

    Does it remind you of anything in particular..
    It couldn't hurt to ask, right?

    Joe D

  25. #49

    User Info Menu

    but the Cameo inlays are exclusive to the Campellone Cameo guitar not the Special

  26. #50

    User Info Menu

    The 18” Unity is the only guitar I ever held in my hands that had the binding on the back of the headstock like that. I had it in my house for a weekend before I packed it and sent it to Vinny. I remember waking up In the middle of the night and taking it out of the case and just staring at the bound rear of the headstock. Between that and the carved shape of the hips, the Unity was the most beautiful guitar I’ve seen.