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04-11-2025 11:27 PM
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Some very nice Gibsons! And a Campellone.
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As much as this is ok I find the auction aspect spoils guitarist. Notice how he goes into great detail about the condition and even the little details of the condition. Nothing wrong with this at all but to me it can get some thinking guitars have to be pristine to be great or collectable. To me just in looking at the jazz guitars they all seem to be in condition I would call perfectly acceptable. No broken necks or repairs that are structural. Gold plating that wears some and checking are pretty normal as long as otherwise the guitar can be quite a nice one. But on the whole it gets guitarist thinking they have to have all this to have a great jazz guitar.
A used L5 with wear on the neck and maybe some checking, a few dings here and there but not cracks or breaks can be a great buy at the right price. It might very well outplay its mint brother for sale at a big price mark up. Honest normal wear can and should be expected of a guitar that has been around and used for 20.30. 40 or more years it is not a bad thing and not necessarily mean it is not collectable.
He also used the word investment................completely wrong but he is a dealer. Guitars are not investments.Last edited by deacon Mark; 04-12-2025 at 03:32 PM.
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The Buscarino looks like a truly special archtop. Note to self: No more guitars (let's make that a mantra and put it on repeat).
I wonder if we will be seeing more and more of these collections with over a dozen archtops coming up for sale and if it will bring prices down?
Like the Deacon said, Guitars are not investments.
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I find this kind of assessment and valuation really disturbing, not only because the underlying implication is an unplayed guitar is "better" than one that has been played and played in, but because this mindset-often at odds with reality-completely ignores playability, soul, vibe, sound, inspirational feel, resonance and that quality that comes from an instrument that has aged with and through vibration.
Yes, these are undeniably fine instruments, but let's be honest, these were not players' instruments.
That's my own prejudice of course, but I have played instruments that showed wear, had a strap hole in them, had signs of wear where an arm or hand rested night after night, and THOSE were memorable, and let's be honest, had an ease of playing that made it nearly impossible to put down.
Pristine guitars: Nice. Beautiful. Model examples.
Seasoned guitars: Those are instruments that have been taught how to sing and they project a warmth and nuance that no green and "protected" guitar can ever achieve.
Yeah that's not to say that any of these can't be played in over time, but the real kick is, all those instruments were built to be played, were meant to live and age into uniquely seasoned instruments of music; tools of moving air in tandem with a player.
Auctions like this and collection objects will be only available to someone with the means to acquire and treat it like an investment.
I'm wondering how many of these will ever be heard making music. I don't need to wonder how many worthy players could do justice to any one of these, and could never even afford to hold a paddle in the auction room.
Maybe I'm spoiled by the days when anybody could walk down Music Row in NY and pick up an archtop like a Johnny Smith, Jimmy D' or John D' on a musician's take home pay. It was once the case. But the market is artificially driven up by the "investors and collectors" mindset and market.
It's one of the reasons why the guitars that can make the most exceptional sound will never meet the artists who can use them to make exceptional music.
Nice museum pieces though.
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Guitarists have really been spoiled by inexpensive instruments. Many will talk about guitars made by the top luthiers of today and the 20th century, saying they are out of reach of professional musicians. Except for a couple of guitar builders, new instruments are consistently much less expensive than classical instruments. For example, a brand new violin made by Joseph Curtin will cost you $60k. That makes a brand new guitar by Bryant Trenier or John Buscarino a relative bargain. There are very nice D’Angelicos that can be had for under $20k, certainly under $30k.
I see people like Ted Ludwig and Tim Lerch playing Manzer guitars. They may get some kind of ambassador/artist pricing, but they still definitely aren’t cheap, so it’s clearly possible.
Also, archtop luthiers typically build less than 20 guitars in a given year due to the time involved. If we hope to have people continue to do this job we have to realize that they will come with a not insignificant price tag and that collectors will also have to be among those buyers supporting the craft.
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Well, let's also not forget how much a Lloyd Loar L5 cost when they were being built (around 250$ if memory serves me right), and how many people could afford such a sum back in the day...
I'm 100% with Mr. Blue Notes above, but what can you do, apart from hoping that some of these treasures will end up in the hands of institutions or maecenases who'll loan them to playing musicians. I don't see a way to impose a hefty tariff on any buyer who wouldn't
, and I don't think any current owner is going to accept selling them for a fair affordable price...
Or maybe they are being undersold by calling them jazzer's delights ... as (blues) rockers' delights they'd probably fetch a fair bit more?
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The more I hear about the impossible price of "prestige" the more I'm grateful for the builder that can build this kind of quality into an instrument that a player CAN afford... just like in the (g)olden days.
Thank you Mark Campellone
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Not a peep about tone. No audio clips. An auction aimed at collectors not players.
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If I suddenly dropped dead and my wife gave my collection to an auction house, the descriptions would mostly be this: "Well cared for with a few dings and some fret wear". Of course, my guitars have all been used on dozens if not hundreds of gigs. In my view, that is what they are made to do. And I would bet that my guitars would sound and play better than most of these "collector" guitars.
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I have been to collectors' private homes with a stable of nice guitars and many of them are not really set up to be played at least within my specs. They might have been playable but needed a complete setup. Many are left untouched for months and even years. Guitars are made of wood and while generally stable they do move around. Action can change. strings get rusty, moisture or dryness can set in and really getting guitar out and playing it regularly gives you a heads up.
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It's not a guitar. It's money.
I just wanted to know how it sounded. That's not really the point is it?
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I saw that episode recently. I don't know if the owner was trying to get cute and pass it off as the equivalent of a Farmingdale DQ w his 90k ask or whether he just didn't know. I'm thinking the former, but I do remember him saying he only played it once a year at Christmas. Seeing the PS guys talk about it was amusing though...
Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
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Are some of the Fender DAQ's actually selling for 10K these days? I would sure buy a Buscarino or Campellone before one of those Steve Stern built archtops.
If there was proof that Jimmy actually built that particular guitar as a prototype, it would be worth more than 10K, but still less than 90K, I would think. A lot less.
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The best jazz guitars right now available for the money at least in the upper division: That would a guitar that is on the upper end of the food chain of all jazz guitars is a Campellone. Right now, on Reverb there are 4 available and no wait. The cost is $6500 and below. You could find a $25k carved top Gibson or D'angelico or even a Benedetto, but you actually might get a better guitar in one of them the Campy takes no backseat to the others. An L5 will cost you more and no it won't better just different.
Sometimes guitars are mystic, lore, marketing, and what happens to be popular for the immediate moment. Mark C just quietly builds nice guitars no hype image.
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I spent a few moments pondering what precious metal could be turned into a guitar and then it struck me ... Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
(just use money bills for the papier maché)
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There is a 2000 Campellone Special for sale on Reverb right now for $6250. I don’t know anything about the actual guitar or the seller, but it sure looks good in the pics. I think that’s a bargain. If I didn’t already have two Specials, I would be looking into that one. Originally Posted by deacon Mark
Keith
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There’s another Special for $6500 with a vintage RC1100 pickup (the pickup looks like it could be aligned better) and some awfully nice woods. If I were looking for one that one would be tempting. Originally Posted by floatingpickup
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Either of those Campellone Specials now on Reverb would make a fine addition to any archtop lovers stable.
My Campellone may not be worth as much as either of my L-5's, but it is right up there with them in sound and playablity. I suspect that Vinny and the Deacon may be right. When Mark retires, the value of a Campellone will probably rise. If you do not have one, now's the time.
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Originally Posted by Stringswinger
The trick is to ending G.A.S. Is to play a very specialized guitar that takes a lot of time to come to grips with, but is well worth it, like 8 string guitar that combines the Lenny Breau High A with v Eps Low A. Eventually, the desire for regular guitars like this evaporates. POOOOF! And one is left with the single goal of playing and making music.
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I don't care enough to keep track precisely but am under the impression that the collector market keeps rising and rising in price year after year. An unrealistic market, with so many quality options at all prices.
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Right now, on Reverb there are 4 Campellones available and no wait. The cost is $6500 and below. You could find a $25k carved top Gibson or D'angelico or even a Benedetto, but you actually might get a better guitar in one of them the Campy takes no backseat to the others. An L5 will cost you more and no it won't better just different.
Sometimes guitars are mystic, lore, marketing, and what happens to be popular for the immediate moment. Mark C just quietly builds nice guitars no hype image.[/QUOTE]
Maestro Campellone's beautiful instruments are possessed of warm tones, quality materials and Mark's special talent.
Tony D.
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Can state from experience: can't go wrong with a Buscarino, and I'm sure the same can be said for Campellone as well. Used prices are not cheap, but I'm happy to be driving a more than ten y.o. car with many miles,purchased used, years ago, with two good instruments at home, as opposed to a newer vehicle, which makes a good guitar affordable in the long term. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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