The New Campellone fall batch

[vinnyv1k]

Another sweet batch is underway. Stay tuned…….

[andrew]

Very exciting! I've got a guitar in this batch that's going to be a little....unusual. No spoilers right now, I'm going to keep you all in suspense.

[Dennis D]

........Has MC made any bracing changes ? Why are there 2 styles ? A ( new ? ) one looks exactly parallel, while the others have a 'taper'....

Interesting

[Stringswinger]

It looks from these photos, that the ones that will have built in pickups and top mounted controls are braced differently from those that will have floating (or no) pickups.

That said, it still appears that a Campellone with a built in pickup is braced more lightly than is a Gibson Wes Montgomery L-5.

[wintermoon]

The one w the darkened spruce and number stamped doesn't look like MC's work, I can't imagine he'd leave glue squeeze out from the braces.
Looks like another old Gibson top, maybe from HT?

[vinnyv1k]

The one w the darkened spruce and number stamped doesn't look like MC's work, I can't imagine he'd leave glue squeeze out from the braces.
Looks like another old Gibson top, maybe from HT?

Correct. An old Hammertone Gibby top.

[Hammertone]

The one w the darkened spruce and number stamped doesn't look like MC's work, I can't imagine he'd leave glue squeeze out from the braces. Looks like another old Gibson top, maybe from HT?

That is correct. This is the third and last NOS Gibson carved top I supplied to Mark.

[vinnyv1k]

........Has MC made any bracing changes ? Why are there 2 styles ? A ( new ? ) one looks exactly parallel, while the others have a 'taper'....

Interesting

Marco (SS) is correct and yes Gibson has wing bracing where Campellone’s do not but Mark uses a center seam strip that can serve a dual function.
Prevent seam separation and add some top strength.

Different recipes with different tonal qualities. I love them both. I will always have a Campellone and an L-5 till the Lord takes me.

[Hammertone]

........Has MC made any bracing changes ? Why are there 2 styles ? A ( new ? ) one looks exactly parallel, while the others have a 'taper'....Interesting

It looks from these photos, that the ones that will have built in pickups and top mounted controls are braced differently from those that will have floating (or no) pickups.
That said, it still appears that a Campellone with a built in pickup is braced more lightly than is a Gibson Wes Montgomery L-5.

The converging parallel braces are traditional for acoustic archtops.
The fully parallel braces are an entirely practical variation that allows for set-in neck pickups to be installed without cutting through the converging braces.
Gibson does the same thing - Converging braces on an L-5C, fully parallel braces on an L-5CES or L-5WES.

Mark contemplating the nature of the universe:

[2bornot2bop]

Whoo-hoo, I love the smell of fresh new Campellone startups in the morning!

[vinnyv1k]

The lean mean carving machine

[Stringswinger]

Here is a Gibson L-5 CES bracing pattern (the one pickup WESMO has one less horizontal brace). The Gibsons are overbuilt compared to a Campellone and therefore have less acoustic tone. Not necessarily better or worse, but different.

[vinnyv1k]

Rim wood

[jads57]

Is Mark Campellone making sharp cutaways as an option nowadays?

[vinnyv1k]

Is Mark Campellone making sharp cutaways as an option nowadays?

The short answer is no. Can you talk him into it …… ?

[MCampellone]

Is Mark Campellone making sharp cutaways as an option nowadays?

That sharp cutaway body is another Hammertone project - I'm gonna put a new neck on it for him.

[MCampellone]

Just thought I might add some details about this batch - some interesting stuff - another Cameo (#11) and two non-cutaway models - one of which will go to Andrew - some special features on that one, but I'll hold back those details so as not to ruin the anticipation

As already noted, the tops with "straight" parallel braces (and the single cross brace for the pickup rout) will be for built-in pickup models - note also the cross-grain reinforcement patches where the V&T controls will be located.

I'm also doing a spec piece in this batch, prompted in part by the acquisition of Hammer's NOS L7 top (I added f-hole binding and a center seam strip - and yes, I left the original brace glue squeeze out intact - lol). The other motivation for building this guitar was my having obtained some billets of highly figured "blister" maple. For those who aren't familiar with it, it can look something like quilted (western big leaf) maple, but it's an entirely different species - it's a hard American maple that grows mostly in the northeast (Gibson used eastern hard maple almost exclusively back in the Kalamazoo days - I've never seen a back from that period that was bookmatched, so I assume they probably just purchased flat-sawn 5/4 lumber by the board foot, and "slip-joined" two pieces to form the back). While "curly" hard maple is fairly common, hard maple with blister figure is harder to find, especially in thick billet form which can be re-sawn and bookmatched - so I was quite lucky to get these billets. And ironically, I got if from a local wood supplier (Kimball Hardwoods) who harvested these trees from land that's less than 2 miles from my location!

Anyway, I thought it would be cool to match the blister maple with this L7 top, and make a guitar that would be reminiscent of the archtops Gibson was building back when this top was made.

Here's a shot of the back plate prior to carving -

[vinnyv1k]

WOW - another Gibsollone coming. I covet the 1st one.


And for those wondering the E is not silent in his last name. Vowels are never silent in Italian names.