The new Campellone Batch

[Jimmy blue note]

Once had a choice. Gibson Johnny Smith and Campy. I'm happy with the Gibson I got but I remember the C from the hours I spent A/B-ing them. In all honesty, I think I would have wound up playing the Campy more than I played the Gibson.
Lots of things go into a decision of what to buy. The Campy's I've played all have the quality that makes me want to play. If that makes any sense.

[floatingpickup]

Once had a choice. Gibson Johnny Smith and Campy. I'm happy with the Gibson I got but I remember the C from the hours I spent A/B-ing them. In all honesty, I think I would have wound up playing the Campy more than I played the Gibson.
Lots of things go into a decision of what to buy. The Campy's I've played all have the quality that makes me want to play. If that makes any sense.

I wanted a Gibson Johnny Smith for a long time and just couldn’t find a nice one, so I asked Mark to make a Special for me, built to the same dimensions as the JS (17” short body, 3” deep, 25” scale, 1.75” nut). Recently, an opportunity came up to acquire a really nice Gibson JS, so now I have both. I have spent many hours A/B-ing them and I have to say it would be tough to choose one over the other. They are both amazing guitars. The the fit and finish is probably a little better on the Campellone and the wood is also nicer. They both sound great, although slightly different. FWIW, Campellones are parallel braced, while the Gibson JS is X-braced.The Campellone is more ornate and has a number of improvements over the JS (end pin Jack, optional tone control, dual action truss rod, etc.). The Gibson has a really nice feeling neck and is such a classic design, with vintage vibe. In my opinion, unless you are obsessed with vintage guitars, a Campellone is probably the best option out there today.
Keith

[Jimmy blue note]

In my opinion, unless you are obsessed with vintage guitars, a Campellone is probably the best option out there today.
Keith

It's also a lighter body and I think for me, a fingerstyle player, the Campy is just a little more punch and bloom off the attack at the lighter end of the spectrum, which is what I'm keenly aware of. I am sure that once they become unobtainable, they will join the ranks of "investment guitars". For now, I'm glad they have a devoted following among working players. Those, and Guild Artist Award guitars; the hidden treasures under the radar of the collectors' realm.

[floatingpickup]

It's also a lighter body and I think for me, a fingerstyle player, the Campy is just a little more punch and bloom off the attack at the lighter end of the spectrum, which is what I'm keenly aware of. I am sure that once they become unobtainable, they will join the ranks of "investment guitars". For now, I'm glad they have a devoted following among working players. Those, and Guild Artist Award guitars; the hidden treasures under the radar of the collectors' realm.

My Campellone weighs 6 lbs 9.5 oz. My Gibson JS is about 5 oz heavier, at 6 lbs 14.6 oz.
Keith

[2bornot2bop]

I wanted a Gibson Johnny Smith for a long time and just couldn’t find a nice one, so I asked Mark to make a Special for me, built to the same dimensions as the JS (17” short body, 3” deep, 25” scale, 1.75” nut). Recently, an opportunity came up to acquire a really nice Gibson JS, so now I have both. I have spent many hours A/B-ing them and I have to say it would be tough to choose one over the other. They are both amazing guitars. The the fit and finish is probably a little better on the Campellone and the wood is also nicer. They both sound great, although slightly different. FWIW, Campellones are parallel braced, while the Gibson JS is X-braced.The Campellone is more ornate and has a number of improvements over the JS (end pin Jack, optional tone control, dual action truss rod, etc.). The Gibson has a really nice feeling neck and is such a classic design, with vintage vibe. In my opinion, unless you are obsessed with vintage guitars, a Campellone is probably the best option out there today.
Keith

Gorgeous photograph Keith! Oh, and here’s a video!

[floatingpickup]

Oh no! The video!

[vinnyv1k]

Keith, where did you get those nice guitar stands Sir ?

[sgosnell]

That's a wonderful sounding guitar. I don't think it could get much better than that.

[floatingpickup]

Keith, where did you get those nice guitar stands Sir ?

A local guy built a few of them and put them in a music store for sale a number of years ago. I got his contact info at the time and asked him to build me four of them. It was just a short-lived project for him and he is not doing it anymore. They really are nice.
Keith

[GuitarJay]

I'll bet we are! It's going to be a lot of fun to compare notes once it gets rolling. It does give us time to mull over all the choices, which is tough for me as I'm not the most decisive person!

However right now, subject to change, I'm planning on a 17" deluxe, 25.5" scale, 1 11/16 nut, and a sunburst. My present main guitar is a blonde which made me decide on a SB. Although I'm not sure yet on the color for the SB, I am in love with the one on his home page which looks to be the traditional.

Currently I'm planning a 16", thin depth, 25" scale, 1 11/16 nut, beefy neck, floating pickup, and probably natural, though his bursts are also incredible. I'm leaning toward dual parallelogram inlays, but I also like dots.

[jazzkritter]

Keith nice playing and wonderful sound. From someone who never really liked acoustic sound)))
I do not need a Campy. I do not need a Campy.....

[MCampellone]

Oh man, what a picture! Just a few days ago I got on the list for a future build - a 16" thinline with a floater. Hammertone here was my enabler. The waitlist is long, so I still have time to finalize specs.

I was thinking of dual parallelogram inlays and I see someone already thought of that! I wonder if the fingerboard is rosewood or ebony on it?

Customer for this blonde lefty ordered it with rosewood fingerboard -

[QAman]

Customer for this blonde lefty ordered it with rosewood fingerboard -

Hi Mark,
What is your current backlog for a new build.



Sent from my SM-P610 using Tapatalk

[MCampellone]

I wanted a Gibson Johnny Smith for a long time and just couldn’t find a nice one, so I asked Mark to make a Special for me, built to the same dimensions as the JS (17” short body, 3” deep, 25” scale, 1.75” nut). Recently, an opportunity came up to acquire a really nice Gibson JS, so now I have both. I have spent many hours A/B-ing them and I have to say it would be tough to choose one over the other. They are both amazing guitars. The the fit and finish is probably a little better on the Campellone and the wood is also nicer. They both sound great, although slightly different. FWIW, Campellones are parallel braced, while the Gibson JS is X-braced.The Campellone is more ornate and has a number of improvements over the JS (end pin Jack, optional tone control, dual action truss rod, etc.). The Gibson has a really nice feeling neck and is such a classic design, with vintage vibe. In my opinion, unless you are obsessed with vintage guitars, a Campellone is probably the best option out there today.
Keith

Wow, beautiful JS, Keith! - you were lucky to find that one -

[MCampellone]

Hey all - got my nose to the grindstone getting this batch finished up, but taking some time to relax and checked out VK's post on the new batch (thanks, Vinny) - so nice to see everybody chiming in with comments, too (at times I get so wrapped up in work, I forget there's a world out there - lol).

The blonde lefty is my first ever ordered with the split parallelogram position markers.

The bright cherry SB finish (alla Barney Kessel) is actually one of my favorites - I get very few requests for it, but got three of them in this one batch, which is a first!

Stay well, guys : )

[Midnight Blues]

I wanted a Gibson Johnny Smith for a long time and just couldn’t find a nice one, so I asked Mark to make a Special for me, built to the same dimensions as the JS (17” short body, 3” deep, 25” scale, 1.75” nut). Recently, an opportunity came up to acquire a really nice Gibson JS, so now I have both. I have spent many hours A/B-ing them and I have to say it would be tough to choose one over the other. They are both amazing guitars. The the fit and finish is probably a little better on the Campellone and the wood is also nicer. They both sound great, although slightly different. FWIW, Campellones are parallel braced, while the Gibson JS is X-braced.The Campellone is more ornate and has a number of improvements over the JS (end pin Jack, optional tone control, dual action truss rod, etc.). The Gibson has a really nice feeling neck and is such a classic design, with vintage vibe. In my opinion, unless you are obsessed with vintage guitars, a Campellone is probably the best option out there today.
Keith

[MCampellone]

Hey Vinny - Can you elaborate on this please? In other words "straight" how?

I have noticed that my archtops vary in terms of how much they angle into the body in the upper fretboard area, which of course forces the action to be higher on the higher frets, which I don't care for. Some guitars are better/worse in this regard. Is that what you are referring to by "straight"?

If so, that sounds pretty darned good to me.

Thanks.

I always try to build a slight "fall-off" into the fingerboard extension area - granted, this does make action a little higher at the top end. However, if you make the entire fingerboard straight and the "free" part of the neck (nut to 14th fret) pulls up over time, you end up with a ski-jump in the extension area - then you have to raise action to avoid buzz created by low fret clearance in the extension area - I figure it's better to tolerate stiffer action in frets 14 thru 20 than risk poor action in frets 1 thru 14.

[floatingpickup]

Wow, beautiful JS, Keith! - you were lucky to find that one -

Thanks Mark. This same JS was available many years ago and I didn’t manage to get it at that time. That was the guitar that inspired me to order the beautiful Special that you made for me in 2011. Surprisingly, the same JS became available again and I moved quickly and secured it this time. I love both guitars and feel very lucky to have them. I don’t take the Special out of the house and it looks as good as the day it left your shop (and the sound keeps getting better as time passes).
Keith

[MCampellone]

[QUOTE=QAman;1098965]Hi Mark,
What is your current backlog for a new build.



Sent from my SM-P610 using Tapatalk[/QUOTE

Hey Steve - right now, the number of names on my wait list adds up to about two years worth of work - however, since I don't require a deposit to get on the list, I expect that not all of these reserved slots will end up being confirmed orders, so wait time could end up being less than two years for orders placed now -

[MCampellone]

Thanks Mark. This same JS was available many years ago and I didn’t manage to get it at that time. That was the guitar that inspired me to order the beautiful Special that you made for me in 2011. Surprisingly, the same JS became available again and I moved quickly and secured it this time. I love both guitars and feel very lucky to have them. I don’t take the Special out of the house and it looks as good as the day it left your shop (and the sound keeps getting better as time passes).
Keith

Glad to see your Special so well maintained, Keith - that back is absolutely killer!

[neatomic]

great to see the maestro in the house again!

all the best in 2021!

cheers

[Jimmy blue note]

My Campellone weighs 6 lbs 9.5 oz. My Gibson JS is about 5 oz heavier, at 6 lbs 14.6 oz.
Keith

Gibson's build standards have been all over the place. There have been some VERY heavy Johnny Smith's I've tried. Johnny himself specified an extended neck block in the upper bout below the fingerboard. Some of Gibson's builders took that to be an entire block of mahogany that filled the internal upper bout including the cutaway area. That's a LOT of mass. I don't really get why they built this way but it's what JS himself wanted and that's the way Gibson made them (some of them anyway). Guild once built Johnny's namesake but they didn't follow his specs, especially when it came to the cutaway carving, and that's why Guild didn't carry JS's endorsement.
If you got a Johnny Smith that was comparable to the Campellone in weight, consider yourself in possession of an extraordinary one.

[MCampellone]

Gibson's build standards have been all over the place. There have been some VERY heavy Johnny Smith's I've tried. Johnny himself specified an extended neck block in the upper bout below the fingerboard. Some of Gibson's builders took that to be an entire block of mahogany that filled the internal upper bout including the cutaway area. That's a LOT of mass. I don't really get why they built this way but it's what JS himself wanted and that's the way Gibson made them (some of them anyway). Guild once built Johnny's namesake but they didn't follow his specs, especially when it came to the cutaway carving, and that's why Guild didn't carry JS's endorsement.
If you got a Johnny Smith that was comparable to the Campellone in weight, consider yourself in possession of an extraordinary one.

I think the idea of the massive neck block (and fingerboard extension in full contact with the guitar's top) was to give the JS guitar better sustain in the upper register -

[lawson-stone]

I think the idea of the massive neck block (and fingerboard extension in full contact with the guitar's top) was to give the JS guitar better sustain in the upper register -

I really appreciate your dropping in to the forum and participating in the discussion. You are a very respected luthier and your voice is a welcome one.

[MCampellone]

I really appreciate your dropping in to the forum and participating in the discussion. You are a very respected luthier and your voice is a welcome one.

Thanks, LS - it's fun for me - wish I had more spare time for it : )