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Offered here is a rare and early, one owner Jesselli guitar, representing a formative chapter in Jesselli’s career.
According to the original owner, he first met Joseph Jesselli in the late 1960s and reconnected with him in the early 1980s while Jesselli was apprenticing under Jimmy D’Aquisto. During that period, he helped form Jesselli Guitars Long Island workshop. The owner assisted part-time with neck work and fingerboard inlays while Joseph focused on the builds. One of the first few guitars Joseph ever made was purchased by the owner’s father, and this instrument comes from that same very early period.
This guitar features a fully mahogany body that was entirely hand-carved, paired with two humbucker pickups of unknown origin. Tonally, they are bright, clear, and articulate, very reminiscent of early PAF-style humbuckers. One of the most distinctive design elements is the inclusion of Jesselli’s early back plate, which acts as a resonance chamber, giving the guitar a lively, semi-hollow-like response while retaining excellent focus and balance. The waist measures 13 1/8”.
The flame maple neck is topped with an ebony fingerboard and carved to a comfortable medium profile. The guitar is finished entirely in nitrocellulose lacquer and shows a beautiful, honest patina consistent with age. It has recently been professionally set up, with all frets leveled and polished by a skilled luthier. The nickel silver frets measure .048” x .095” and have their full life ahead of them.
Handmade appointments are found throughout, including an ebony bridge with an ivory saddle and a matching ebony tailpiece with brass plating and string inserts. The headstock features nitro binding, an 8th"-thick, mother-of-pearl Jesselli inlay, and split fingerboard inlays.
Overall condition is excellent for its age, with average cosmetic wear to the nitro finish but no issues affecting playability or structural integrity. This is a beautifully preserved and historically significant example of Joseph Jesselli’s earliest work, and a rare opportunity to acquire an instrument from the very beginning of his legacy. Priced w/ ORHSC.
Specs:
• Fully hand-carved mahogany body
• Waist width: 13 1/8”
• Flame maple neck Modern C: .82” - .94”
• Ebony fingerboard
• Nitrocellulose lacquer finish
• Two humbucker pickups (origin unknown, early PAF-like tone)
• Nut width: 1 11/16”
• Scale length: 25.5”
• Frets: medium nickel silver (.048” x .095”)
• Ebony bridge with ivory saddle
• Ebony tailpiece with brass plating and string inserts
• Nitro-bound headstock with MOP Jesselli logo
• Split fingerboard inlays
• Weight: 7.1 lbs
