1996 Campellone Special Series

With a career spanning over four decades, Mark Campellone is one of the most experienced and respected makers of archtop guitars. A keen student of master luthiers such as John D'Angelico, Jimmy D'Aquisto, and LLoyd Loar, Mark has adapted and developed classic arcthop designs, resulting in instruments which represent the pinnacle of jazz guitar tone, playability, and workmanship.

This custom Special Series is one of Mark's flagship models featuring flamed maple back and sides, a maple neck, a spruce top, and an ebony fingerboard with art deco MOP/abalone fingerboard inlays. Hardware includes an art deco brass tailpiece with split ebony inserts and Grover Imperial tuners. This model is fully acoustic, so the only pickup included is a piezo bridge that is wired to an endpin jack. The 17" body is pared with an unusually short 24 1/2" scale that makes difficult chord voicings a breeze to play. The action is very low at just 2mm which results in a buttery, easy playing feel.

The condition of this instrument is excellent, with very few signs of use. There are no dings or scratches and almost no fret wear. There is some very mild finish checking, but otherwise this instrument looks almost new!

This guitar has a very powerful yet balanced voice. It projects wonderfully without any amplification, making it a great choice for acoustic jazz of any kind. The fullness and complexity of the tone allow for very satisfying solo chord-melody or fingerstyle playing. Despite it's sensitive nature, this instrument still responds well to aggressive playing and could be used for Freddie Green style rhythm playing or even Gypsy jazz leads.

As you'd expect, Mark Campellone has a long wait list and commands very high prices. Grab this near mint example today at a great price!