Joseph Campanella Cleary Campanella Carved Top Mandolin (2012)
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Joseph Campanella Cleary Campanella Model Carved Top Mandolin (2012), made in Burlington, Vermont, serial # 49, natural varnish finish, flame maple back and sides, spruce top; maple neck with ebony fingerboard, black rigid foam case.
Luthier Joseph Campanella Cleary describes his building philosophy this way:
"I draw inspiration from the classical Italian violin making tradition, my training, and personal exploration and study of modern lutherie. I build instruments which are powerfully voiced, yet transparent to the will and skill of the player."
His mandolins are certainly unique, and have earned a devoted following among players of modern and traditional styles not hidebound to traditional ideas of what a mandolin should be. "Campanella" is Italian for "little bell" and the sole decoration on this instruments is an inlaid pearl bell on the headstock, a reference not only to his family name but also the bell-like tone he designs into his instruments.
This F-style instrument was built by Cleary in Vermont in 2012, labeled as #49. It embodies his instantly recognizable violin-style construction, with features like the raised edge, scribed borders and violin varnish finish bringing the Loar F-5 template even closer to its Cremonese inspiration. He describes this as combining "the mandolin of the early 1920s with cutting edge 17th and 18th century designs and workbench techniques."
"In the violin style, form is fully functional. There is no plastic in my mandolins. There is a lot of movement of the wood. Everything is about producing sound. The raised grain on my instruments says the surface was scraped by hand. It recalls that the top was part of a tree. You see it and feel it. The tactile experience is there for the player to enjoy and inhabit."
The one-piece carved back and sides of #49 are beautiful fiddle-grain maple, with a twin-tone-bar spruce top and one-piece maple neck with a dot-inlaid ebony fingerboard. In keeping with the violin aesthetic the back of the neck is left unvarnished and there is no plastic binding on the instrument; it really does feel like the offspring of a Loar-styler mandolin and a Cremonese violin. This mandolin offers a clear but warm tone with plenty of punch but an overriding sweetness and depth not found in many "Bluegrass bangers" that prioritize volume and high-mid cut above all else.
This F-model is a fairly rare piece on the secondary market, Campanella builds only a limited number of instruments each year and by his own reckoning only about 20 percent of his output is F models. This is a truly excellent if idiosyncratic instrument, an exceptional mandolin for the player looking for a more original take on the classic F-5 template.
Overall length is 27 1/16 in. (68.7 cm.), 10 1/16 in. (25.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 14 in. (356 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/32 in. (28 mm.).
This distinctive mandolin shows some signs of light play time but for the most part remains in fine condition overall. There are a few minor play and handling marks but the "antique" rougher look of the violin varnish finish (including the unfinished neck) tend to camouflage minor wear, as it all blends in to the old violin-style aesthetic. This is a superb playing and sounding instrument, an F-5 inspired design but far from a clone with a highly distinctive look and sound, definitely its own character. There is enough power here for Bluegrass, but wide dynamic range and a subtler depth as well suited to a range of styles, notably better suited to Irish/Celtic music than most F-5s. It lives in a pro-grade hard foam case. Overall Excellent Condition.
Luthier Joseph Campanella Cleary describes his building philosophy this way:
"I draw inspiration from the classical Italian violin making tradition, my training, and personal exploration and study of modern lutherie. I build instruments which are powerfully voiced, yet transparent to the will and skill of the player."
His mandolins are certainly unique, and have earned a devoted following among players of modern and traditional styles not hidebound to traditional ideas of what a mandolin should be. "Campanella" is Italian for "little bell" and the sole decoration on this instruments is an inlaid pearl bell on the headstock, a reference not only to his family name but also the bell-like tone he designs into his instruments.
This F-style instrument was built by Cleary in Vermont in 2012, labeled as #49. It embodies his instantly recognizable violin-style construction, with features like the raised edge, scribed borders and violin varnish finish bringing the Loar F-5 template even closer to its Cremonese inspiration. He describes this as combining "the mandolin of the early 1920s with cutting edge 17th and 18th century designs and workbench techniques."
"In the violin style, form is fully functional. There is no plastic in my mandolins. There is a lot of movement of the wood. Everything is about producing sound. The raised grain on my instruments says the surface was scraped by hand. It recalls that the top was part of a tree. You see it and feel it. The tactile experience is there for the player to enjoy and inhabit."
The one-piece carved back and sides of #49 are beautiful fiddle-grain maple, with a twin-tone-bar spruce top and one-piece maple neck with a dot-inlaid ebony fingerboard. In keeping with the violin aesthetic the back of the neck is left unvarnished and there is no plastic binding on the instrument; it really does feel like the offspring of a Loar-styler mandolin and a Cremonese violin. This mandolin offers a clear but warm tone with plenty of punch but an overriding sweetness and depth not found in many "Bluegrass bangers" that prioritize volume and high-mid cut above all else.
This F-model is a fairly rare piece on the secondary market, Campanella builds only a limited number of instruments each year and by his own reckoning only about 20 percent of his output is F models. This is a truly excellent if idiosyncratic instrument, an exceptional mandolin for the player looking for a more original take on the classic F-5 template.
Overall length is 27 1/16 in. (68.7 cm.), 10 1/16 in. (25.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 14 in. (356 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/32 in. (28 mm.).
This distinctive mandolin shows some signs of light play time but for the most part remains in fine condition overall. There are a few minor play and handling marks but the "antique" rougher look of the violin varnish finish (including the unfinished neck) tend to camouflage minor wear, as it all blends in to the old violin-style aesthetic. This is a superb playing and sounding instrument, an F-5 inspired design but far from a clone with a highly distinctive look and sound, definitely its own character. There is enough power here for Bluegrass, but wide dynamic range and a subtler depth as well suited to a range of styles, notably better suited to Irish/Celtic music than most F-5s. It lives in a pro-grade hard foam case. Overall Excellent Condition.