Campellone Standard

[Max405]

A little about the Guitar..
This is the Guitar that was featured in the "Camptown Ladies" thread. It is a 2016 Standard Model. The Woods are upgraded with Maccasar Ebony on the Headstock, Fretboard, Pickguard and Tailpiece treatment. The Guitar is EXTREMELY lively. The pick up was changed out to a Full Size Biltoft Humbucker. The specs are;
Scale: 25"
Nut Width: 1-3/4"
Lower Bout: 17"
Body Depth: 3"
As you can see, it is basically a Johnny Smith. And, Johnny would have Definitely approved.
About the Build
Campellone guitars are among the greatest values in archtop history. Marks attention to detail is incredible. He even bevels the unbound F Holes! The Standard is supposed to be the entry level instrument. There is absolutely NOTHING "entry level" about this guitar.
About Mikey..
I have developed such a bond with him, its unbelievable. We have ALL the same interests. We cut Gemstones, Use Telescopes to enjoy the wonders of the universe, Cook and obviously, we love to own and play beautiful Guitars. Never a day goes by when we dont check up on each other. I am dead serious about this.. To know him is to LOVE him. He is one of the most gentle human beings God has ever put on this earth. He is gonna kill me for this. But honoring him is worth the beating I am gonna get.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKEY!!

There will be many more.
Thanks for looking..

Joe DeNisco

[Rob MacKillop]

Suits you, sir! Very beautiful. Stick with it, Joe.

[QAman]

Happy Birthday Big Mike ! Great to see you and Joe sharing your passion for Archtops guitars and other common interests.

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

[mr. beaumont]

Oh, that one is...oh...just oh my.

[skykomishone]

What a nice way to start my day! A great story that includes love, brotherhood, archtops, music, community! Happy birthday Mikey! And congratulations on the new Campellone Joe! That is amazing! I own a Standard, and it's a very special guitar. The first time I played a Campellone the decision was made. Fantastic instruments. And I know you're going to love it like I do mine. You guys are awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[BigMikeinNJ]

I told Joe he better buy his wife some flowers because his wife isn't gonna see much of him for a while. You notice Joe's got a three camera thing going in these videos ??? Waaaaay too cool Joe.

As for me heck fellas the eyes are worse, I lost a dear friend in October to a very protracted battle with pancreatic cancer. I talked to him almost every day and we spent a lot of time talking our Our Faith in The Lord. So after he passed away I started thinking about not leaving any thing I wanted to do undone... One of those things was to act on what Vinny told Joe many times: forget about Gibson L5s, get a Campellone. So I loaned him The Standard. And as Joe says it is anything BUT standard... I found it a week after I bought the Special, the guy had a crazy low price on it. When asked he said he decided to upgrade to a Special... Joe says this thing is about as Mint as Mint can be... It sure is a cannon and Joe sure knows how to coax stuff out of a guitar, especially when he's got the hots for it...

Anyway thanks for the hellos and Happy Birthdays (73 baby !!) and a big shout out to all of you...

Big

[Stringswinger]

Great story, great guitar and great playing.

Enjoy the Campy JD and keep having those birthdays Big Mike!

[vinnyv1k]

People in the know, know that a Campellone kicks sand in a L5’s face. Congrats bro and Happy Birthday Mikey ! I just ordered another one. A one of a kind Campellone V1K model.
That guitar is in the right hands now. BEAUTIFUL guitar, tone, and playing. My hero.

[Hammertone]

vinnyv1k: Your signature V1K model sounds interesting. What are the specifications?

[Todd]

Beautiful playing and guitar.

[rabbit]

"Goodness, what a lovely guitar!"

"Goodness had nothing to do with it, honey."

I beg to differ.

Congratulations!

[vinnyv1k]

vinnyv1k: Your signature V1K model sounds interesting. What are the specifications?

I will do a build thread with progress pics like I did with my Special. Actually specs will be like my Special.
17x3x25. Build starts in Jan.

[Max405]

Suits you, sir! Very beautiful. Stick with it, Joe.

Thank you Rob. We shall see!

Happy Birthday Big Mike ! Great to see you and Joe sharing your passion for Archtops guitars and other common interests.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

Thank you QA. I don’t want to wish life away but, I Can’t wait till January..

Oh, that one is...oh...just oh my.

Thank you Mr B!

What a nice way to start my day! A great story that includes love, brotherhood, archtops, music, community! Happy birthday Mikey! And congratulations on the new Campellone Joe! That is amazing! I own a Standard, and it's a very special guitar. The first time I played a Campellone the decision was made. Fantastic instruments. And I know you're going to love it like I do mine. You guys are awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you Sky!

[Max405]

Great story, great guitar and great playing.
Enjoy the Campy JD and keep having those birthdays Big Mike!

Thank you SS.

People in the know, know that a Campellone kicks sand in a L5’s face. Congrats bro and Happy Birthday Mikey ! I just ordered another one. A one of a kind Campellone V1K model.
That guitar is in the right hands now. BEAUTIFUL guitar, tone, and playing. My hero.

Vin, you were right as always. You really know your stuff.
You will always be a hero to me bro.
Thank you for everything you did for me and never looked for an ounce of credit for it. I’ll never forget you bro.

[Max405]

Beautiful playing and guitar.

Thank you Todd.

"Goodness, what a lovely guitar!"
"Goodness had nothing to do with it, honey."
I beg to differ.
Congratulations!

Thanks Rabbit.

[Gitterbug]

World class. Simply.

[vinnyv1k]

Hopefully the builder of that wonderful archtop will chime in on this post but he is a pretty humble guy. I can tell you all not only does he build great guitars but Mark Campellone is a great guy. I have much respect for the man and his great skill. He is a huge Gibson fan also.
He says....he drank the Gibson kool-aid too.

All the great builders never needed to advertise. Word of mouth kept them busy.

[deacon Mark]

Great thread and first of all Happy Birthday to BIGMIKE my friend up north. What a fellow, he has it all in way of kindness and concern. Of course Joe you keep playing great on guitars and I pretty sure if someone would drop a Teisco Substandard you still could make it sound great. On the Campy it is probably easier and less work, and it goes beyond the ordinary in a Standard.

A note about Mark Campellone on what a fantastic person he is. I was in touch with him when Bill Hollenbeck died now past 11 years ago. I sold him some wood for the shop and talk with him on a few things. He is absoutely the finest to deal with and makes what I call a Super Gibson. He drank a lot of Gibson Koolaide and then figure he would up the ante and brew a Campellone Wine. I must add as I have said before my 18 inch Campellone Deluxe is a killer guitar with a killer neck.

If you all need a Camp there is a beauty on Reverb right now that is Red and an 18 inch asking $6000. To me that is the guitar to buy beside a Gibson. Most boutique guitars are just not going anywhere for selling buy Campellone's will stand the test of time.

Finally Joe you play so clean I can hear Johnny Smith saying...……….hey just listen this guy Joe D...…………..

[Dedalus]

Beautiful playing as always, Joe.
Thanks for sharing this story. An amazing guitar from an even more amazing human being.

Happy Birthday Big Mike.

[Max405]

World class. Simply.

Aww man, thanks. I appreciate it.

Beautiful playing as always, Joe.
Thanks for sharing this story. An amazing guitar from an even more amazing human being.
Happy Birthday Big Mike.

Thank you Dedalus.

[Max405]

Hopefully the builder of that wonderful archtop will chime in on this post but he is a pretty humble guy. I can tell you all not only does he build great guitars but Mark Campellone is a great guy. I have much respect for the man and his great skill. He is a huge Gibson fan also.
He says....he drank the Gibson kool-aid too.
All the great builders never needed to advertise. Word of mouth kept them busy.

I wouldn’t expect Mark to chime in bro. No pressure at all on him. His work is all we need.
Mark if you are listening, you do amazing work. You are a modern day master. You made one of the Chinery Blue guitars. If that doesn’t say it all, I don’t know what else can be said..

[Max405]

Great thread and first of all Happy Birthday to BIGMIKE my friend up north. What a fellow, he has it all in way of kindness and concern. Of course Joe you keep playing great on guitars and I pretty sure if someone would drop a Teisco Substandard you still could make it sound great. On the Campy it is probably easier and less work, and it goes beyond the ordinary in a Standard.

A note about Mark Campellone on what a fantastic person he is. I was in touch with him when Bill Hollenbeck died now past 11 years ago. I sold him some wood for the shop and talk with him on a few things. He is absoutely the finest to deal with and makes what I call a Super Gibson. He drank a lot of Gibson Koolaide and then figure he would up the ante and brew a Campellone Wine. I must add as I have said before my 18 inch Campellone Deluxe is a killer guitar with a killer neck.

If you all need a Camp there is a beauty on Reverb right now that is Red and an 18 inch asking $6000. To me that is the guitar to buy beside a Gibson. Most boutique guitars are just not going anywhere for selling buy Campellone's will stand the test of time.

Finally Joe you play so clean I can hear Johnny Smith saying...……….hey just listen this guy Joe D...…………..

One of the great regrets in my life was not reaching out to Johnny when he was alive. I really wanted to tell him what he meant to me. Joe Pass too.

Deacon, thanks for you beautiful words and your meaningful and gracious contributions on this forum. You are a good guy.
Joe D

[rob taft]

Joe, Congratulations on your new guitar and more importantly for finding a good friend. Happy Birthday Big Mike. May you have many more.

[neatomic]

another great jazz guitar forum story!!...beautiful all around in every way...love the multi camera shoot...and of course the guitar and playing...wonderful stuff...rich tones from top to bottom..notes ring beautifully

& happy b-day to bm!

congrats & enjoy Joe D


cheers

[floatingpickup]

One of the great regrets in my life was not reaching out to Johnny when he was alive. I really wanted to tell him what he meant to me. Joe Pass too.

Deacon, thanks for you beautiful words and your meaningful and gracious contributions on this forum. You are a good guy.
Joe D

I never got to see Johnny Smith perform, but I got to meet him at s NAMM show one time. I told him that my father saw him perform in Toronto in the late 1950’s and it was a life-changing experience for my father. I told Johnny that my father talked about that evening for the rest of his life, and was absolutely blown away by Johnny’s playing. Johnny actually remembered the gig, which was cool (I don’t imagine that he travelled to Toronto too many times). He was a very nice, humble guy. Fortunately, I got to see Joe Pass many times from his days with Oscar Peterson and NHOP right through to the last year of his life. I even had a chance to spend an entire day with Joe, talking about music, family and life in general. I told him how much of an impact his playing had on me. I will never forget that day.
Keith

[floatingpickup]

Beautiful playing Joe, as always. I love the guitar too.
Keith

[citizenk74]

Wow! Joe, this guitar sounds so good in your capable hands, and looks just so fine! At a certain level, Craft becomes Art. This guitar is a piece of Art. Your playing is from the heart. It is Art. Always be You, man.

And kudos and to you, Big! And many more... Ya done good, fella!


Vinnie, keep doin' what you're doin' 'cause you're doin' good!

And Mark, if you're reading this - your guitars are second to none! None!

To all:

[skiboyny]

Always nice to see your vids. The campy sounds super. Defiantly seems to suite your style.

[neatomic]

ps- hey Joe D..been re-listening...think it could take one gauge higher thoms string setup...think it'd really make it sing..it's got a very lively top..if the fingers don't mind! hah

cheers

[Max405]

Joe, Congratulations on your new guitar and more importantly for finding a good friend. Happy Birthday Big Mike. May you have many more.

Thank you Rob.

another great jazz guitar forum story!!...beautiful all around in every way...love the multi camera shoot...and of course the guitar and playing...wonderful stuff...rich tones from top to bottom..notes ring beautifully
& happy b-day to bm!
congrats & enjoy Joe D
cheers

Thanks Neatomic. You are always a classy person.

I never got to see Johnny Smith perform, but I got to meet him at s NAMM show one time. I told him that my father saw him perform in Toronto in the late 1950’s and it was a life-changing experience for my father. I told Johnny that my father talked about that evening for the rest of his life, and was absolutely blown away by Johnny’s playing. Johnny actually remembered the gig, which was cool (I don’t imagine that he travelled to Toronto too many times). He was a very nice, humble guy. Fortunately, I got to see Joe Pass many times from his days with Oscar Peterson and NHOP right through to the last year of his life. I even had a chance to spend an entire day with Joe, talking about music, family and life in general. I told him how much of an impact his playing had on me. I will never forget that day.
Keith

Wow Keith. It’s good to know my idols were so approachable. Great info. Joe is buried near my home. I want to do a video by his gravesite one day.
Thanks buddy.

[Max405]

Beautiful playing Joe, as always. I love the guitar too.
Keith

Thanks again buddy.

Wow! Joe, this guitar sounds so good in your capable hands, and looks just so fine! At a certain level, Craft becomes Art. This guitar is a piece of Art. Your playing is from the heart. It is Art. Always be You, man.
And kudos and to you, Big! And many more... Ya done good, fella!

Vinnie, keep doin' what you're doin' 'cause you're doin' good!
And Mark, if you're reading this - your guitars are second to none! None!
To all:

C74, thank you very much my good man.

Always nice to see your vids. The campy sounds super. Defiantly seems to suite your style.

Ski boy, the pleasure is all mine!

ps- hey Joe D..been re-listening...think it could take one gauge higher thoms string setup...think it'd really make it sing..it's got a very lively top..if the fingers don't mind! hah
cheers

N, Believe it or not, I am using 13’s. I could probably go higher, but I’d lose some fluidity. And my little hands will struggle with the stretchies for sure.

[lawson-stone]

One of the great regrets in my life was not reaching out to Johnny when he was alive. I really wanted to tell him what he meant to me. Joe Pass too.

Deacon, thanks for you beautiful words and your meaningful and gracious contributions on this forum. You are a good guy.
Joe D

I did reach out to Joe Pass and never regretted it. That year of letters is a life treasure and attending his funeral was a privilege I’ve never gotten over.

Joe, Vinny, Mike, thanks for showing us what friendship is all about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[neatomic]

wow..i figured your 12's!! amazing clarity for 13's...that's some guitar!

you could get your pat martino (15's) on with that axe!! haha

cheers

[Max405]

Yeah, I ran out of 12’s.
I actually like the 13’s. I might switch.

[Marty Grass]

Very nice! There is a lot to like.

First, I find it appealing on an intangible level to know the builder and to respect him. There's an inexplicable value to that- call it a good vibe. That can't be found in a sweat shop factory piece.

I like also that the ebony board isn't dyed black and isn't naturally jet black. Solid black looks great but requires depleting more ebony trees to find it, and the absence of brown streaking does not improve quality. I don't think it looks better, not any more.

F hole binding guilds the lily. As long as the buffing compound is removed from the edges, I'm good.

Fretboard inlays can be nice, but they are unnecessary. Andres Segovia did well without them. Adequate practice obviates them.

I notice the neck looks to be on the thin side. I find that very helpful with a wider nut.

It looks and sounds great. The heavier strings give a little more fullness to the sound.

I hope you keep this, Joe. There really is no need to move on to another full body archtop. When I was a pup I wish my teacher would have given me this one piece of advice: wear your guitar out. So Joe, I hope you play this until this neck finish is gone and you're on your third refret.

I know you have wandering eyes. Stop it!

(Maybe I'm projecting a bit!)

[lawson-stone]

Joe you are one-of-a-kind just like that guitar. You and your playing are such an inspiration and encouragement to me.

I like the guitar too. It deserves you, but without you playing it, that guitar is just lovely furniture.

The player makes the guitar. You are the best thing that ever happened to that one.

[wengr]

I don't know what the chain is for those videos, but I find the tone fabulous. The more I am exposed to the Campellone sound and build quality, the more impressed I am.

[omphalopsychos]

I could listen to you play all day Joe. The Campellone suits you very nicely. The tone is great and all factors contribute, from the gear to your sensitive technique.

[Max405]

Very nice! There is a lot to like.
First, I find it appealing on an intangible level to know the builder and to respect him. There's an inexplicable value to that- call it a good vibe. That can't be found in a sweat shop factory piece.
I like also that the ebony board isn't dyed black and isn't naturally jet black. Solid black looks great but requires depleting more ebony trees to find it, and the absence of brown streaking does not improve quality. I don't think it looks better, not any more.
F hole binding guilds the lily. As long as the buffing compound is removed from the edges, I'm good.
Fretboard inlays can be nice, but they are unnecessary. Andres Segovia did well without them. Adequate practice obviates them.
I notice the neck looks to be on the thin side. I find that very helpful with a wider nut.
It looks and sounds great. The heavier strings give a little more fullness to the sound.
I hope you keep this, Joe. There really is no need to move on to another full body archtop. When I was a pup I wish my teacher would have given me this one piece of advice: wear your guitar out. So Joe, I hope you play this until this neck finish is gone and you're on your third refret.
I know you have wandering eyes. Stop it!
(Maybe I'm projecting a bit!)

MG, That was a great post!
You are right. The financial burden of caring for my in-laws and the sale (and devistating financial loss) of my house really put us in a terrible financial position. We are working our way out of it. I went from almost 10 guitars, most them expensive, to a couple. The good thing is, we are living again. My goal is to get to 3 or maybe 4. I think I know what they are now. I didnt plan on the Campellone being in the mix. But it worked its way in and I've grown attached to it. Its an eye opener.
The prospect of wearing out a Guitar scares me to death! I like my stuff to be kept in perfect condition. So having a couple (that make sense) sort of stretches out the wear and tear aspect a bit. I am gonna play them all, and care for them lovingly.
I know what I want now. I am not going to deviate. I know which of the two I will settle in with. The question is, will there be three? And if so, what will three be? The good thing is, I know what to choose from.
And... If you are projecting, I am glad to help!!
Thanks MG.
Joe D

[Max405]

Joe you are one-of-a-kind just like that guitar. You and your playing are such an inspiration and encouragement to me.
I like the guitar too. It deserves you, but without you playing it, that guitar is just lovely furniture.
The player makes the guitar. You are the best thing that ever happened to that one.

Thank you. You are one of a kind too Lawson. And one of the great friendships I've made here along the way.
I am glad I can help! And thanks for being my pal.
JD

[Max405]

I could listen to you play all day Joe. The Campellone suits you very nicely. The tone is great and all factors contribute, from the gear to your sensitive technique.

Omph, Thank you buddy. And my wife says the same thing. Except she turns "I could listen to you play all day long" into "Do I have to listen to you play all day long", and she adds a question mark onto the end (???). Mind you, she does have to listen to all the out-takes, that fortunately, you guys dont have to listen too!!
Thanks again.

[Max405]

I don't know what the chain is for those videos, but I find the tone fabulous. The more I am exposed to the Campellone sound and build quality, the more impressed I am.

Wengr,
Thank you very much!
The chain is getting more and more complicated.
1st, The Guitar - Campellone Standard
2nd, Effects/Digital Interface - Boss GT-001 using a very simple effect chain. Amp Fender Twin, Pre Amp Fender Twin (both with flat EQ), No compression and Only Reverb.
3rd, Computer - Toshiba Qosmio, with Core i7 and 20 gigs of RAM (was my sons old Gaming Computer)
4rd Software - Corel VideoStudio Pro, with Multi Cam Capture (up to 4 cameras)
Cameras - 3 Logitech C920's. My wife just bought me a C930e, which will take the place of the middle camera. It has a wider field of view, so I can move it closer and it will be sharper and need less light as a result.
I hope that helps.
JD

[Midnight Blues]

Just lovely, along with beautiful tone and pretty playing! Congrats, HNGD and play her in good health!

[MCampellone]

nice post, JD - been so busy here lately I haven't had time to check in on the forum, so thanks to VK for forwarding me the link to your post - anyway, happy to hear you're so pleased with the Standard - and congrats to Big Mike on his 73rd!

[M-ster]

Happy birthday, Big Mike!

[silverfoxx]

Joe,
it’s all been said already so I won’t add to the profusion of delight this post has instigated
We both know that Vinny’s
recommendations are to be taken seriously. All Kudos to him, and Big Mike’s Birthday and generosity.
This forum is the best ,
members genuinely pleased for others and their acquisitions and good fortune.
Let’s hope the bad times are behind you and you can look forward to many years of entertaining others with your excellent videos.
We have a unique group of special friends , long may it continue.
007

[BigMikeinNJ]

A second thank you and a rousing Hey Man to all of you.

Big

[Gitpicker]

Joe, I have been away from the forum for a while. I just want to say WOW what a great guitar! In your hands she sounds like a million dollars, but then again so do the guitars in all your videos. Seeing and hearing you play this model masterpiece makes me happy, VERY happy! I can't add much to what has already been said except more videos please

Congratulations! Sounds like a perfect match to me

[Max405]

Dougie my man!
Thanks for doing us proud, and thank you very much for coming on and giving your buddy a little love.
A million dollars? Nice. We’ve come a long way. Waaayy back when our parents weren’t even in their parents plans yet, Gibson ran an ad that said, “not even a thousand dollars can build a guitar with better sound”.. can you imagine?
Always great seeing you Dougie. And thank you for always being a gentleman.
Joe D

[sbeishline]

Nice story guys! Beautiful guitar and nice playing. Happy Happy!