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Paul Beuscher/Castelluccia 1950s D-Hole Gypsy Jazz Guitar NO LONGER FOR SALE
Benny Lowry
New
I recently picked up this old Paul Beuscher-signed Castelluccia directly from France. This is the somewhat eccentric small d-hole model famously played by the legend that is Dorado Schmitt in Bireli's Jazz à Vienne concert. These guitars have an arched back and top and are an interesting vintage option that is generally less expensive than some of the bigger names while still having that great vintage tone. This one has a spruce top, laminated mahogany back and sides (I think), and ivoroid binding. This particular example has seen some shit over the years and is in cosmetically imperfect condition as the photos will indicate. In particular, one of the tuning heads is shorter than the others and a bit janky, but the tuners do work. However, there are no cracks or structural issues I can find, pretty rare for one of these guitars. The action is a bit high at around 3.5mm at the moment, but this is a perfectly playable instrument even as it sits. Still, I would imagine whoever picks this up will want to do some more setup work and perhaps even a neck reset as these don't have a truss rod. While it's a cool guitar, I'm simply more comfortable with a newer instrument and don't care to have the work done. For someone who is a luthier or more comfortable with setup work, this could present a really solid deal for a guitar like this. This sale is USA-only unfortunately as I've recently been stung by international shipping. I'll include a used white Hiscox from back when Manouche brand guitars were a thing. It fits tightly but does fit. Please ask me any questions via PM, and I'll do my best to answer promptly. I would also maybe consider a trade for something more modern. It can't hurt to ask. Here are some photos and a video to give you some idea of what it sounds like. NO LONGER FOR SALE.
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Very cool. Do you have any videos of what it sounds like?
I can try to make something this evening. You'll have to forgive my playing abilities, of course. 😂
I added a video to the post. Keep in mind the guitar would sound even better with someone more skilled behind it!
It does sound nice.
Agreed, quite nice! Thanks for the post, didn't want to put you on the spot but the audio definitely adds context.
It could be a fun project, would be more tempted if i didn't have baby no. 2 on the way... 😅
These are great sounding guitars but I have to warn you, I had one the same but in better condition that I sold for half that price and even then it took months to sell. And then after I sold it I regretted it as for a vintage guitar from a known name, they are probably the best deal out there and I may look for another now. These are probably one of the most common of the type found in France and there are always plenty on the market for the same price as a used Gitane. Good luck though.
@ChrisMartin, thank you for sharing your experience. However, posting a comment on an active sales listing and attempting to devalue the guitar in the eyes of prospective buyers seems like poor form. I did my research as should any prospective buyer. Even a quick Google shows these guitars have sold for much less and also much more. Also, it doesn't appear there are so many of these on the market at the moment, especially examples that have already been imported to the US with shipping and taxes paid.
This website in particular has sold a bunch of them over the years for well over my asking price, typically after a luthier has done some or a lot of additional work. I wanted to quickly list it here first in case anyone with guitar setup experience wanted to jump on it. If it doesn't sell here (and, of course, there is some room for negotiation in my price), I'll likely consign the guitar with Michael who will almost certainly have some more work done, and sell the guitar for a lot more money as he has done many times in the past. As you noted, Castelluccia represents one of the better deals for a vintage gypsy jazz guitar.
Sorry if my comments were inconvenient, given my experience I was only trying to help you achieve a sale with a more achievable asking price. Having said that this is a public forum, not a classifieds listing and there has always been plenty of open discussion on the market values of guitars on here. Anyway, we are not too far apart; I sold mine two or three years ago for 1,250 Australian $$$s (about US$900 at the time) and AU$200 less than I paid for it in France so I probably did let it go too cheap, you say that is your asking price and open to offers, plus you have the case and for American buyers it is already in the country.
As I said I was certainly surprised that mine, (in perfect condition by the way with a neck reset and carbon fibre rods installed) took so long to sell at an ever-reducing price. Yes of course some of that could have been due to the very limited market here in Australia but it left enough room to pay for shipping worldwide and still be a bargain. And yes, I had seen what Michael sells the same Castelluccias for on here, but that is full retail with all setup work done and the normal guarantees of a reputable dealer as against the risks associated with private sales. Whatever, they are great guitars and my only theory about why they sell for less than some other brands perceived as more valuable is down to the numbers produced.
Also, I was told by an expert that the cream plastic binding dates it to 1960s or '70s, prior to that Castelluccias had that distinctive patterned timber bindings.
The laminated mahogany back looked good too.
But yeah......maybe it was just that 'one that got away', and I should have kept it.
@ChrisMartin The point I am trying to make is that the market should decide what something is worth rather than a single person's single negative experience. If you'd like to generally discuss the pricing of gypsy jazz guitars or once again tell the tale of the time you lost money on a Castelluccia, then the "Guitars, Strings, Picks, Amps, Pickups and Other Accessories" area would make more sense. The "Classifieds" sub heading says "Advertise your used gear here." It would be counterproductive for every sales listing to have comments from people with outlier examples of situations where they lost money. If I posted a Gitane for $5k, I'd expect the shade. But I don't think I'm that far off, and again, there is room for negotiation in my price.
The guitar you sold was beautiful, and as I believe most would agree, went for painfully less than it should have. There are likely a number of factors that played into that particular and unfortunate sale. Still, I don't see it as a reason to attempt to devalue other sales listings. The market will decide.
Fair enough, to answer your point then, the market decided what mine was worth.