1940s Jacques Castelluccia ***NEW PRICE!!!***

This superb instrument was built sometime in the 1940s 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 15 5/8" wide body, and 3 3/4" body depth. Castelluccia's ultra lightweight three brace design weighs in at only 3.45 lbs, among the lightest guitars I've ever had in the shop. The back and sides are Cuban mahogany, the top is spruce, and the neck is mahogany. The tailpiece is an original nickel JC. The tuners are also original.

The condition of this instrument is fantastic! It has numerous small scratches and dings, with the only real damage being a small chip on the rosette and a small piece of the binding on the lower bass bout that has broken off. The frets are new and the action is set at an easy playing 3.2mm.

The tone of this instrument is bold and defiant, with prodigious volume and cutting power that few guitars can match. A real powerhouse with volume to spare.

Like many Castelluccias from this era, this guitar has the retailer's name on the headstock (there is no Castelluccia label, although it's certain it was made by Jacques Castelluccia as the design features are unmistakeable.) In this case, the retailer's name is Berthelemy & Huro, which now operates under the name La Clé de Sol in Dijon.

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.