Giannini Craviola Nylon String - Want to amplify, any recommendations?

DeuxDoigts_Tonnerre

Look what followed me home from Music-Go-Round last night... a Giannini Craviola made in Brazil!!! Wonderful sound and condition, manufacture date 5/1970. Neck is 1-7/8" at the nut and a little chunky, feels a lot like a gypsy neck. Responds well to my gypsy technique.

No electronics on this Craviola. Looking for ways to amplify this nylon-string beauty. Any suggestions?

DoubleWhisky

Magnetic pickups won't work but a piezo or a (maybe clip on lavalier) mic should work I guess. Nice find!

billyshakes

Very cool! If a Selmac has Django's pencil thin moustache for the bridge, this has more of a Rollie Fingers feel.

Willie

Did not know Craviola guitars before although listening to lots of Rock music during the 70ies: Jimmy Page played them.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giannini

This is Paulinho Nogueira, who created the Craviola with Giannini:

Did not know Rollie Fingers too, but know I do:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollie_Fingers

AndyW

from wikipedia, for those that don’t know the craviola.

“The Craviola is an acoustic guitar designed by Paulinho Nogueira and built by manufacturer Giannini.

Craviolas have a distinct asymmetric body shape that deviates from the upper and lower bouts of classical guitars. Its timbre is said to resemble a combination of sounds from a harpsichord and a viola caipira, hence the portmanteau (Cravo is the Portuguese word for harpsichord).

Craviolas can be six-string or twelve-string (either nylon or steel) and are produced solely by Giannini..”

—

I love Nogueira’s solo guitar playing: the way he combines the twin melodies here, for example.

https://youtu.be/M3omYbJXGTA?t=71

(check out Elia Bastida’s version of this tune in the Djangobooks ‘violin’ subforum)

-A-

AndrewLawrence

Hey DeuxDoigts:

If you find what you need elsewhere, great. But if you'd like to talk to an expert in Brazilian instruments who -- precisely because of situations like yours -- has also developed pick-up solutions for several atypical Brazilian instruments (especially rabecas) you may want to check in with Adam Bahrami: [email protected].

Good luck!

Andrew

Django in June / Choro Camp New England / The Choro Shop

everett

These are pretty decent for the price: https://www.knapickups.com/en/guitar/uke-pickups/nylon-string-guitar-pickups

they go on the bridge with wrap around nylon strings, and come the cable. Cheap and non-invasive.

I had one on my DuPont nylon before installing an internal CS sensor piezo, which sounds great.