Campellone Special Series (used, 1995)

[PDeville]

One situation where I wish I could be in the shop to hear the Campellone on my own, so tempting. Bruce at Wildwood was nice enough to offer a sound evaluation after I referenced the nice lower end, rich tone on my LeGrand for comparison, however vague, just not there, according to Bruce. Probably a no go for me in general with floating pickup tone, outside of the LeGrand at least.

Oh, that was a good way to do it. Very nice.
Wildwood has many really NICE Gibsons on their website.

Just curious, now. How much does the Le Grande weigh? It's over 7lbs isn't it?

[ThatRhythmMan]

I have both. My Campellone Special was built to the same specs as the GJS (same scale/nut width and body dimensions). They are both lovely guitars and, acoustically, I would say my GJS can hold its own with my Campellone. I had another Campellone that was the regular L5 size and it was probably a little better acoustically, so I believe the slightly smaller body of a GJS has an imapact on acoustic tone.
Keith
Attachment 110032

Very interesting, Keith, so your Campellone is essentially his take on a Johnny Smith then? I would think that would make it a different comparison than to the Special linked in the OP.

To be clear, I’ve only played one 1966 GJS that I thought was a really good acoustic guitar, then a 1968 that I thought was pretty good. They weren’t loud by any means, but had very nice tone. All of the 70s and later GJS I’ve played sounded no better than an Ibanez laminate as an acoustic guitar. That’s been my experience.

I generally don’t expect X-braced archtops to be among the loudest, although I’ve played a few that were absolute volume monsters. A well done x-braced archtop can have amazingly even tone though throughout the entire spectrum of its voice.


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[tomvwash]

Oh, that was a good way to do it. Very nice.
Wildwood has many really NICE Gibsons on their website.

Just curious, now. How much does the Le Grande weigh? It's over 7lbs isn't it?

Just under 7lbs.

[hidesert]

Well, I’ll be throwing my own impressions into this discussion in a few days…I just bought the Campellone.

I have a lovely 1969 Johnny Smith N with a vintage DeArmond 1100 Rhythm Chief that I’ve owned for 30+ years. It’s been quite heavily played…previously owned by a West Michigan country player named Emmet Caraway…he had a custom tailpiece insert with his name engraved on it installed in place of Johnny’s! I bought it in Battle Creek for less than the tax on a new one today.

Bill Eisle was able to go demo the Campellone today and liked it. I also spoke with Mark about it. It’s an L5 dimensionally with a 3 1/4” depth body and X bracing. I will receive the 2 day approval period to play and A/B it with my trusty Smith.

What I'm looking for in the Campellone is a fine archtop that is more inspiring acoustically than my Johnny Smith. I will post again when I’ve got it in my hands.

I appreciate all the information provided on this forum.

[floatingpickup]

Very interesting, Keith, so your Campellone is essentially his take on a Johnny Smith then? I would think that would make it a different comparison than to the Special linked in the OP.

To be clear, I’ve only played one 1966 GJS that I thought was a really good acoustic guitar, then a 1968 that I thought was pretty good. They weren’t loud by any means, but had very nice tone. All of the 70s and later GJS I’ve played sounded no better than an Ibanez laminate as an acoustic guitar. That’s been my experience.

I generally don’t expect X-braced archtops to be among the loudest, although I’ve played a few that were absolute volume monsters. A well done x-braced archtop can have amazingly even tone though throughout the entire spectrum of its voice.


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Chuck:

It wasn’t exactly Mark’s take on a Johnny Smith, it was just the specs that I requested at the time. Mark used to offer a 17 inch “short body”, like a Johnny Smith. Something that people often overlook, is that the Gibson Johnny Smith is about 5/8” shorter than an L5 (measured from the tail to the neck/body joint). When I ordered my Special, I asked for that shape as well as the slightly shallower depth, 25” scale and 1 3/4” nut, all the same dimensions as a GJS. The only difference was the parallel bracing, as opposed to the X bracing on a GJS. The reason I wanted all that was because I missed out on a lovely GJS that had been for sale locally and I wanted to recreate it. Ironically, that same GJS came back on the market after I got my Campellone and now I have both. The neck to body joints are different and the neck on the Campellone is a little chunkier than the Gibson. I would have trouble choosing between the two. They are both great guitars.

As you have suggested, my Special is not to be compared the the one in th OP. The full L5 sized body will likely be a louder guitar. I had a Campellone like that in the past and it was louder than my current one. That makes sense, since the overall dimensions are greater.

Keith

[ThatRhythmMan]

Chuck:

It wasn’t exactly Mark’s take on a Johnny Smith, it was just the specs that I requested at the time. Mark used to offer a 17 inch “short body”, like a Johnny Smith. Something that people often overlook, is that the Gibson Johnny Smith is about 5/8” shorter than an L5 (measured from the tail to the neck/body joint). When I ordered my Special, I asked for that shape as well as the slightly shallower depth, 25” scale and 1 3/4” nut, all the same dimensions as a GJS. The only difference was the parallel bracing, as opposed to the X bracing on a GJS. The reason I wanted all that was because I missed out on a lovely GJS that had been for sale locally and I wanted to recreate it. Ironically, that same GJS came back on the market after I got my Campellone and now I have both. The neck to body joints are different and the neck on the Campellone is a little chunkier than the Gibson. I would have trouble choosing between the two. They are both great guitars.

As you have suggested, my Special is not to be compared the the one in th OP. The full L5 sized body will likely be a louder guitar. I had a Campellone like that in the past and it was louder than my current one. That makes sense, since the overall dimensions are greater.

Keith

Thanks for the additional info. I have no doubt that both are fantastic guitars.


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[floatingpickup]

Well, I’ll be throwing my own impressions into this discussion in a few days…I just bought the Campellone.

I have a lovely 1969 Johnny Smith N with a vintage DeArmond 1100 Rhythm Chief that I’ve owned for 30+ years. It’s been quite heavily played…previously owned by a West Michigan country player named Emmet Caraway…he had a custom tailpiece insert with his name engraved on it installed in place of Johnny’s! I bought it in Battle Creek for less than the tax on a new one today.

Bill Eisle was able to go demo the Campellone today and liked it. I also spoke with Mark about it. It’s an L5 dimensionally with a 3 1/4” depth body and X bracing. I will receive the 2 day approval period to play and A/B it with my trusty Smith.

What I'm looking for in the Campellone is a fine archtop that is more inspiring acoustically than my Johnny Smith. I will post again when I’ve got it in my hands.

I appreciate all the information provided on this forum.

Congratulations! I am sure you will be pleased with the Campellone.
Keith

[hidesert]

I received the used mid-90’s era Campellone Special from Wildwood Guitars last Friday. I have now had several days with it and am prepared to share my impressions with the Forum. Cosmetically, the guitar is in virtually new, unplayed condition and is extremely attractive in material and design.

My initial reaction to playing the Campellone was very positive…excellent neck, perfect fretwork, superb bridge/tailpiece design and fantastic action, with a 95% perfect setup for me…the 3rd and 4th strings had a slight buzz across their range, but nothing alarming. Plenty of room for adjusting the action in either direction at the saddle.

The guitar has a loud and articulate voice that was quite inspiring…maybe a bit bright and brash due to its new roundwound strings. I was not disappointed in its acoustic voice which, with most acoustic archtops that I get to play, I nearly always am…like 99% of the time.

This weekend I spent an afternoon with forum member Bill Eisle and a mutual friend Steve Simon, both excellent players. We had the opportunity to A/B the guitar for several hours with my Smith, playing and listening to them side by side both acoustically and through an amplifier.

And, don’t you know it, I preferred my Smith. Yes, the Campellone was louder…maybe 10 or 15% louder. Having a slightly larger and deeper body as well as a suspended fingerboard all may have contributed to the volume. But I did not find it THAT much louder. Both guitars are X braced which may have contributed to their both having a very even, balanced sound throughout their range. But, for me, the Smith had a warmth in tone that the Campellone did not.

So back goes the Campellone. The Smith has earned a new level of respect from me as an acoustic instrument.

[deacon Mark]

Interesting bit of information but quite a large price to pay just to find that out with the shipping cost both ways paid by you I assume.

[hidesert]

Shipping costs are about $35 each way. It would have cost me more to
hitchhike there and back with my guitar, although I might have had some interesting life experiences en route.

[wintermoon]

$35 each way?
Was it located a block away or did you get in a time machine.

[hidesert]

Commercial account. And the case is SUPER heavy!