New Frank Vignola signature guitar

[Stringswinger]

After a Benedetto model, a Thorell model and an Eastman model, Frank Vignola now has a Sadowsky model:

Frank Vignola Model - Sadowsky Guitars

Johnny Smith had four guitar companies make his signature guitars (Guild, Gibson, Heritage and Guild-Benedetto)
John Jorgenson had/has four guitar companies make his signature guitars (Takamine, Dupont, Fender and Saga/Gitane)
Barney Kessel had two (Kay and Gibson)
Pat Martino had two (Gibson and Benedetto)
Herb Ellis had two (Aria and Gibson)

Most guys are lucky to have one. More power to Frank. It looks like a nice guitar. Are they made in the USA.? $6200 is a lot of scratch for an imported guitar.

[Gitpicker]

That's a beautiful guitar. Nice size too! I enjoy my Eastman Vignola Signature model and this Sadowsky should compliment it nicely. I like that this one is really an electric guitar as opposed to the Benedetto and Thorell/Eastman models, which are really more acoustic arch tops with floating pickups.

Sadowski guitars aren't cheap but the fit, finish and playability are fantastic. Congratulations to Frank!

[jzucker]

how close is that to a bruno?

[Stringswinger]

how close is that to a bruno?

The Bruno has been discontinued.

Watching this video:

It looks like the Bruno was different. One gold pickup on the Bruno vs 2 black pickups on the Vignola. And the Bruno was slightly thicker and had a slightly smaller lower bout.

[Woody Sound]

Isn't it just a 2pu SS-15 but now with his name? ( Not to deny FV of anything, he's a monster, good for him.)

JAZ - I have a Bruno, it's my main guitar, it's pretty different. Deeper body, different neck.

[David B]

Isn't it just a 2pu SS-15 but now with his name? ( Not to deny FV of anything, he's a monster, good for him.)

Looks like it from the specs. In 2016 I had the chance to visit the Sadowsky shop and try their full range. Though I expected to prefer the bigger bodied archtops, it was the SS-15 that blew me away.

[Woody Sound]

The Bruno has been discontinued.

I read somewhere that they were bringing back the Bruno. It's my main gigging archtop.

[Fusionshred]

These guitars (Sadowsky) are freakishly good.

[bluejaybill]

These guitars (Sadowsky) are freakishly good.

I haven't [played one so I'll take your word for it- but you can get a luthier built guitar at that price, it is hard to spend that on an imported guitar.

[MarkRhodes]

Lovely guitar. Frank is one of my favorite players. Would love to play one of these just to see what it's like.

[drbhrb]

Wow that's a really good looking guitar. For me it really splits the line of traditional jazz box but with thoughtful modern touches throughout.

[sgosnell]

The Sadowsky certainly changed Frank's tone. It's much fuller, less trebly than his usual tone over the decades I've listened to him. He sometimes gets back there using the bridge pickup (probably both, not just the bridge, but I haven't really looked that closely) but usually sounds more traditional using that guitar. Jimmy Bruno, OTOH, has a brighter sound with his Sadowsky than his others. Perhaps amps are part of the difference, but I can't really see what everyone is using at Birdland. I think, but don't know for sure, that the Vignola signature model is built by Roger, not imported. AFAIK he's still building guitars.

[Oscar67]

I think, but don't know for sure, that the Vignola signature model is built by Roger, not imported. AFAIK he's still building guitars.

Back in 2007, the Jim Hall and Bruno models were built in Japan and completed in NYC (frets, nut, bridge, setup etc). At that time, these 5-ply laminate guitars retailed for appr. $3800 (right now they’re around 6 grand). I don’t know for sure if they’re still being built offshore and finished in the US.

I do know for sure that the Jim Hall Signature blows my mind with its super-lively, super-detailed, bell-like sound that never gets muddy and never gets thin. Before hearing this instrument, if anyone had told me that all-laminate archtops could sound this great I’d dismissed the notion. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with laminate archtops. It’s just that I thought that the best of the best of the best would be all solid carved. I guess the Jim Hall Signature proved me wrong. I also had (still have…) the idea that all-laminate somehow should not exceed the 4 grand mark, or somewhere like that. Yet you can easily spend 6 to 8 grand on laminate archtops these days.

[iim7V7IM7]

I know that Roger used to have his archtops manufactured at the Terada factory in Japan and set up at his facility in NY. This is where Gretch manufactures instruments as well. I have no idea whether he switched to another OEM today.

Bill Comins has a similar arrangement for his “Guitar Craft Series” being manufactured at a factory in South Korea to his specifications and set up in his shop in PA but is simply more transparent about it.

[jads57]

Marketing and Brand Identity is where the money is! Quality has to usually be there as well, but resale also figures in.
Have never played a Sadowsky Archtop so can’t comment on they compare.
But that’s a lot of money for a laminate vs a carved top. I’d probably opt for a Campellone or similar at that price.

[Fusionshred]

Roger has not been opaque (for lack of a better antonym to “transparent “) about the archtops and semi hollow being made in Japan. However, given the current prices, I hope that the fretwork final assembly electronics and set up are still being done in Long Island city. When the semihollow first came out I think it was about $2700.

As for the price of a laminated arch tops, just price an ES 175.

I do remember Roger talking about the solid versus laminate issue with Jim Hall and initially thinking it was going to be solid but then after building some prototypes which if I recall included solid carved Proto types too they both determined that the amplified tone of the laminate was far more pleasing to both of them. Nevertheless, there is a lot of design and engineering that goes into the construction of the plates and the bracing to accomplish this which is why Roger’s arch tops sound so good.

[iim7V7IM7]

I think what I meant by lack of transparency is nowhere on Roger’s website does he explicitly state that the archtops are made in Japan to his specifications and the role of the NY shop in the process (e.g., design and set up). For the NYC guitars he is explicit as where they are made. I don’t think that he is hiding their origin, he has always explained their origin when asked. That said, I do find the main statement they state to be somewhat deceptive:

“Located just ten minutes from Manhattan by subway, our shop builds basses, guitars, archtops, and electric nylon string guitars.”

Bill in contrast is explicit that his Guitar Craft Series guitars were designed and specified by him, manufactured by a contract manufacturer in Korea and set up in his shop in PA.

Roger has not been opaque (for lack of a better antonym to “transparent “) about the archtops and semi hollow being made in Japan. However, given the current prices, I hope that the fretwork final assembly electronics and set up are still being done in Long Island city. When the semihollow first came out I think it was about $2700.

As for the price of a laminated arch tops, just price an ES 175.

I do remember Roger talking about the solid versus laminate issue with Jim Hall and initially thinking it was going to be solid but then after building some prototypes which if I recall included solid carved Proto types too they both determined that the amplified tone of the laminate was far more pleasing to both of them. Nevertheless, there is a lot of design and engineering that goes into the construction of the plates and the bracing to accomplish this which is why Roger’s arch tops sound so good.

[Fusionshred]

I think what I meant by lack of transparency is nowhere on Roger’s website does he explicitly state that the archtops are made in Japan to his specifications and the role of the NY shop in the process (e.g., design and set up). For the NYC guitars he is explicit as where they are made. I don’t think that he is hiding their origin, he has always explained their origin when asked. That said, I do find the main statement they state to be somewhat deceptive:

“Located just ten minutes from Manhattan by subway, our shop builds basses, guitars, archtops, and electric nylon string guitars.”

Bill in contrast is explicit that his Guitar Craft Series guitars were designed and specified by him, manufactured by a contract manufacturer in Korea and set up in his shop in PA.

Oh, I see your point. That IS problematic. Unless, of course, the actual construction of the archtops is now happening in the NY shop.

[ArnoldSchoenberg]

Here's Frank talking about the guitar:

[pingu]

wow that new Sado Vignola would be almost perfect for me ....

great specs and concept !
a small(ish) low depth (not thinline)
fully hollow archtop with
a mahogany 24.75 scale neck
wide nut and two set in
yum
if it wasn’t 6k that is ....

I’d like one with cream binding and
a rosewood fingerboard please

[ArnoldSchoenberg]

For this in-between category, I'm partial to this guitar from Finland's Ari Jukka Luomaranta myself .

AJL-Guitars | Nuages 15"

[DanielleOM]

Here's Frank talking about the guitar:

In this video they often stress how this guitar can get loud without feed back. They do not note the design factors that let the guitar do this. Is it the laminates used? Is there something special about the pickups?

Found myself wondering if they were over emphasizing the feedback resistance. Is it really any better than that regard than similarly sized laminate archtops?

[gitman]

In this video they often stress how this guitar can get loud without feed back. They do not note the design factors that let the guitar do this. Is it the laminates used? Is there something special about the pickups?

Found myself wondering if they were over emphasizing the feedback resistance. Is it really any better than that regard than similarly sized laminate archtops?

IMHO the deciding factor re the higher feedback threshold is the reduced depth of the body : it's a little less than 2" so even slimmer than a Byrdland . With most guitars I have played over the years the thinner
body went along with a thinner sound but NOT with my SS15 - it must be the plate thickness , the bracing AND the specific body depth/width that make for the astoundingly rich,
fat and authoritative tone this featherweight puts out. A good pickup helps a great deal, that's a known fact but no pickup in the world can "polish a turd" ....

Similarly sized guitars - there are a couple of Eastman models, D'Angelico , much cheaper than Sadowsky. Moffa , Schottmüller, Victor Baker, Tim Bram, Holst, McCurdy, they all offer slim hollowbody models but in the same high(er) price bracket.

I have owned and played a PRS Hollowbody and also an Archtop model : the Hollowbody had the thinner body, a solid post under the bridge studs , solid top and back woods. As did the Archtop , the only difference being the much deeper
body. THAT made the guitar very uncomfortable for me since it's deep but only 14" wide. The sound was not really different from the thinner Hollowbody , in the end I let both go because albeit they played well, fit + finish perfect as in with all PRS models, they lacked in character, the sound was just un-inspiring - later re-visits confirmed this notion. The Sadowsky has a pronounced character, it's FUN to play and immensely comfortable. I don't miss the bridge pickup since I don't use overdrive sounds with this guitar and since I'm in Europe the chances of finding a Vignola model are VERY slim. The SS15 was a lucky find and a keeper.

[jzucker]

After a Benedetto model, a Thorell model and an Eastman model, Frank Vignola now has a Sadowsky model:

Frank Vignola Model - Sadowsky Guitars

Johnny Smith had four guitar companies make his signature guitars (Guild, Gibson, Heritage and Guild-Benedetto)
John Jorgenson had/has four guitar companies make his signature guitars (Takamine, Dupont, Fender and Saga/Gitane)
Barney Kessel had two (Kay and Gibson)
Pat Martino had two (Gibson and Benedetto)
Herb Ellis had two (Aria and Gibson)

Most guys are lucky to have one. More power to Frank. It looks like a nice guitar. Are they made in the USA.? $6200 is a lot of scratch for an imported guitar.

i don't know this for sure but I thought sadowsky had basically bowed out of the day to day business. So someone else may be running things? Someone correct me if they know otherwise. I thought all the archtops were made by the Aria factory? The metroline basses shifted from Japan to Germany a couple of years ago. Warwick is making them.

I know they still have NYC made basses. But I didn't think the archtops were made in NY.

[jzucker]

as a side note, i went to hear bruno in philly on a night that dave stryker was also playing with him. Jimmy was struggling with feedback on his namesake guitar...