Rebuilding an Anastasio from 1986

crookedpinky · November 2022

I'm currently rebuilding a Pierre Anastasio gypsy guitar. All I've got left of the original is the back and sides so I need to make a new top, neck and fingerboard.

I swapped this guitar for another one which didn't suit me and to be honest it was an odd guitar. Typical gypsy body but with a Les Paul type neck and headstock - although it was a 670mm scale length. Over the years I worked on the guitar until it basically fell apart. However I feel as though it's worth resurrecting. The photographs show the guitar as I received it and it always struck me as an odd guitar for Anastasio to build. When I was working on the guitar I varnished the label and - like secret writing - another message appeared behind the label which is visible in the attached picture. After a bit of work I found that the label had been added over a previous one and it read " Guitare construite specialment pour mon ami Guy Reboul" Both labels have the same date of manufacture and the same model number - 24/12/86 0001D.

I googled Guy Remboul and found a couple of Youtube videos of him playing, not a gypsy guitar, a Gibson jazz box. Then I found out that there was a Favino for sale on Djangobooks and the same Guy Remboul is mentioned in the accompanying text. Apparently he was friends with Maurice Ferre.

I wondered why Anastasio had placed another label over the one stating that he built the guitar for his friend ? Maybe Guy Remboul didn't like the guitar or maybe they fell out . Anyway, thanks to the wonder of the web I feel a bit like Sherlock Holmes. Oh the other thing to mention was that it had 7 - yes 7 - braces on the top ?????

Phil · November 2022

I have an Anastasio from early 80s, but he didn't put exact date or serial number on. Someone told me that was due to trying to avoid tax issues. Anyone else know if that's the reason?

Cheers Phil