1950s Jacques Castelluccia

This superb instrument was built sometime in the 1950s by Jacques Castelluccia. Castelluccia was one of the many famous Italian luthiers to make his name in France (along with Busato, DiMauro, Favino, Anastasio, Maccaferri, etc.) Castelluccia is the oldest continuously running shop in Paris, still producing guitars under the direction of Jacques Castelluccia's son, Jean-Baptiste.

While the price of guitars made by Busato (along with other Italian makers such as Favino and Maccaferri) have skyrocketed in recent years, Castelluccia's have been largely overlooked. But after playing this guitar, I think anyone would agree that Castelluccia was also capable of building guitars on par with his more famous contemporaries.

This instrument features Selmer like dimensions: 670mm scale, a 16" wide body, and 3 5/8" body depth. Castelluccia's ultra lightweight three brace design weighs in at only 3.5 lbs, among the lightest guitars I've ever had in the shop. The back and sides are Cuban mahogany, the top appears to be quilted cedar, and the neck is mahogany. The tailpiece is a nickel replacement. The tuners are original.

The condition of this instrument is fantastic! A proverbial "closet guitar," it shows little sings of use other than a few light scratches.The frets are new and the action is set at an easy playing 2.8mm.

The tone of this instrument is bold and defiant, with prodigious volume and cutting power that few guitars can match. It features an unusually strong low end response for a Castelluccia, which is partially due to its slightly larger 16" body. Consequently, chords sound absolutely HUGE on this instrument! A real powerhouse with volume to spare.

Like many Castelluccias from this era, this guitar has a Paul Beuscher label. Beuscher was a prominent mid-century retailer who rebranded the instruments of numerous Parisian luthiers.

This model was made famous by Dorado Schmitt who played a similar Castelluccia in the Bireli Lagrene's Live Jazz a Vienne DVD.

This is the CASH price...add 3% if you'd like to pay with a credit card. 4% for International orders.