Jacques Castelluccia Gypsy Guitar Grande Bouche 1960's

Beautiful gypsy guitar made by Jacques Castelluccia in the 1960's whose label it bears.

The history of Castelluccia violin making begins at the beginning of the 20th century in Italy, with Francesco, an enthusiast who began making violins. He then passed on his passion and know-how to his son Jean-Baptiste.

Fascinated by the guitar, Jean-Baptiste decided to use his skills to start creating guitars. Later, he emigrated to France, near Paris, joining the wave of Italian luthiers in the 1940s who popularized steel-string guitars, very popular at the time.

His meeting with the famous jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt led him to specialize in the design of Selmer Jazz guitars of the Maccaferri type. This is how he made a name for himself among Parisian luthiers.

In 1954, his son Jacques joined him. Jacques will then train in the art of violin making, with the intention of devoting himself mainly to the manufacture of classical nylon string guitars. Indeed, acoustic research in this area is in its infancy, and Jacques is motivated in part by the desire to contribute to their development.

Jacques Castelluccia in his studio in 1970.

(Source: www.castelluccia.fr)

Here for sale is a model of large mouth gypsy guitar, 14 frets excluding body, manufactured by Jacques Castelluccia in the 1960s, fully restored and in playing condition.

Technical characteristics :

• Top: Spruce
• Back: Mahogany
• Sides: Mahogany
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fingerboard: Rosewood (remade)
• Width at nut: 44 mm
• Radius: Flat
• Frets: 24 frets (+1 zero fret)
• Scale: 675 mm
• Profile: D
• Country of manufacture: France
• Year: 1950's
• Finishing : Natural
• Decorations: Circular key markers in white mother-of-pearl / White fillet on the edge of the table and back / Rosette in maple-ebony fillets
• Details: Traces of old restorations (fingerboard) and normal use given its age / Missing the rosewood badge of the tailpiece / Delivered without cover

Like all our instruments, this guitar has been carefully restored and tuned.

So it has a pleasant playing comfort.

Equipped with a typical timbre, a powerful, projective and balanced sound, this guitar ideally suited to all fans of gypsy guitars and jazz guitars!