Wandre BB Model Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1961)
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Wandre BB Model Model Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1961), made in Cavriago, Italy, serial # 518, blue sparkle finish, wood and plastic body, plastic sheathed aluminum neck with rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
There are many titles one could bestow upon Mr. Wandre Pioli, and "romantic" is among them. Pioli designed plenty of guitars inspired by pop culture figures of the day including curvaceous female starlets leading many to label him as vintage guitar's pre-eminent "fetishist!" In particular, one of his very first guitars was named for (recently deceased) French bombshell Brigitte Bardot; he was known to keep photos of her around in his personal effects. This guitar is a lovingly kept example of an early Wandre "BB" in a dazzling original blue sparkle finish, azure blue as the water in Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 Bardot feature "Le Mepris!"
The BB is a semi-hollow archtop first offered in the late 50's (alongside the less successful Rock'n'Roll) as Pioli moved beyond basses into the world of guitars. It is evocative in its design with asymmetrical curves and puffy white plastic binding trimming the top, back, and narrow abstract f-hole. Compared to later Wandre creations it is a far more "normal" shaped instrument, more universally comfortable to play and hold than his more abstract body shapes like the extreme-cutaway Rock'n'Roll (later called the Rock Oval).
This two-pickup BB has dual Davoli single coil units nestled in a floating cream plastic pickguard, the entire unit adjustable for height. The two volume controls and a master tone are mounted to a stamped metal box lower on the top, which also houses the jack. The knobs on this one are marked for two tones and a single volume but appear original! The company also offered the BB with just a single neck pickup. Played acoustically or amplified, it has a rich and jazzy timbre and more volume "unplugged" than one might expect.
The clean, uncracked plastic pickguard also provides a chassis for the fully adjustable bridge leading to the original decorative stamped metal tailpiece. The neck is aluminum at the core is sheathed in a piece of white plastic (still intact on this one, not always the case after so many years) topped with a rosewood fingerboard with oddly dark large dot inlay and stainless steel frets. This slightly later example features a metal-trimmed slotted mahogany headstock with Davoli-made tuners on either side and an aluminum nut.
While age-old adages about "feminine-figured" guitars can grow trite and antiquated, the mischievous charm of Wandre's rather erotic lutherie practice possesses a palpable tenderness for both his subjects and the players who fall in love with these namesake guitars. Instruments crafted with this much joyful mirth are always a delight to see, and the BB is still one of Wandre Pioli's most playable and commercially successful endeavors.
Overall length is 44 1/4 in. (112.4 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This beautiful BB is a delight to hold and behold, largely original and well-preserved for its age. Wandre instruments are notoriously made up of many virtually irreplaceable (often plastic) parts, and this one has held its own over the decades better than most. Seemingly all components are original and in tact except for the small plastic emblem on the headstock, an ornamental feature often missing as is this one. The Wandre logo is somewhat crudely hand-stamped into the headstock; this is the work of the factory and is original! The somewhat fragile plastic sheath covering the aluminum neck is critically intact with a few superficial tight shrinkage cracks mostly along the spine. The matching cream pickguard that houses the pickups and bridge is beautifully preserved with no damage at all.
The special blue sparkle outer covering is original never having been oversprayed; there are a few long check marks, mostly on the back and sides, which camouflage nicely into the sea of sparkles. The electronics work as they should and appear untampered with, though there are two "T" marked knobs and one "V". All three are exact matching correct period Wandre knobs and it is certainly possible this is how it left the factory but impossible to say for certain. Overall, it is clear why this model was one of Wandre's biggest commercial successes. This BB is a breeze to play, overall one of Pioli's nicer sounding instruments and just as beautiful to behold as its namesake. Overall Excellent - Condition.
There are many titles one could bestow upon Mr. Wandre Pioli, and "romantic" is among them. Pioli designed plenty of guitars inspired by pop culture figures of the day including curvaceous female starlets leading many to label him as vintage guitar's pre-eminent "fetishist!" In particular, one of his very first guitars was named for (recently deceased) French bombshell Brigitte Bardot; he was known to keep photos of her around in his personal effects. This guitar is a lovingly kept example of an early Wandre "BB" in a dazzling original blue sparkle finish, azure blue as the water in Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 Bardot feature "Le Mepris!"
The BB is a semi-hollow archtop first offered in the late 50's (alongside the less successful Rock'n'Roll) as Pioli moved beyond basses into the world of guitars. It is evocative in its design with asymmetrical curves and puffy white plastic binding trimming the top, back, and narrow abstract f-hole. Compared to later Wandre creations it is a far more "normal" shaped instrument, more universally comfortable to play and hold than his more abstract body shapes like the extreme-cutaway Rock'n'Roll (later called the Rock Oval).
This two-pickup BB has dual Davoli single coil units nestled in a floating cream plastic pickguard, the entire unit adjustable for height. The two volume controls and a master tone are mounted to a stamped metal box lower on the top, which also houses the jack. The knobs on this one are marked for two tones and a single volume but appear original! The company also offered the BB with just a single neck pickup. Played acoustically or amplified, it has a rich and jazzy timbre and more volume "unplugged" than one might expect.
The clean, uncracked plastic pickguard also provides a chassis for the fully adjustable bridge leading to the original decorative stamped metal tailpiece. The neck is aluminum at the core is sheathed in a piece of white plastic (still intact on this one, not always the case after so many years) topped with a rosewood fingerboard with oddly dark large dot inlay and stainless steel frets. This slightly later example features a metal-trimmed slotted mahogany headstock with Davoli-made tuners on either side and an aluminum nut.
While age-old adages about "feminine-figured" guitars can grow trite and antiquated, the mischievous charm of Wandre's rather erotic lutherie practice possesses a palpable tenderness for both his subjects and the players who fall in love with these namesake guitars. Instruments crafted with this much joyful mirth are always a delight to see, and the BB is still one of Wandre Pioli's most playable and commercially successful endeavors.
Overall length is 44 1/4 in. (112.4 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This beautiful BB is a delight to hold and behold, largely original and well-preserved for its age. Wandre instruments are notoriously made up of many virtually irreplaceable (often plastic) parts, and this one has held its own over the decades better than most. Seemingly all components are original and in tact except for the small plastic emblem on the headstock, an ornamental feature often missing as is this one. The Wandre logo is somewhat crudely hand-stamped into the headstock; this is the work of the factory and is original! The somewhat fragile plastic sheath covering the aluminum neck is critically intact with a few superficial tight shrinkage cracks mostly along the spine. The matching cream pickguard that houses the pickups and bridge is beautifully preserved with no damage at all.
The special blue sparkle outer covering is original never having been oversprayed; there are a few long check marks, mostly on the back and sides, which camouflage nicely into the sea of sparkles. The electronics work as they should and appear untampered with, though there are two "T" marked knobs and one "V". All three are exact matching correct period Wandre knobs and it is certainly possible this is how it left the factory but impossible to say for certain. Overall, it is clear why this model was one of Wandre's biggest commercial successes. This BB is a breeze to play, overall one of Pioli's nicer sounding instruments and just as beautiful to behold as its namesake. Overall Excellent - Condition.