The Della Volpe 12-string 2016 - A new revolution

Leadbelly knew it. So did George & John, Jimmy Page and Johnny Marr.

When you want to blow minds, a 12 string guitar is the tool of choice.

Enveloping sound when strummed, yet haunting and articulate when picked individually.
I'm so thrilled with how this presentation piece turned out - European Spruce & Brazilian rosewood turned out to be the ideal tonewood choice for this instrument, and I really love the handsome appointments. Unlike the behemoth 12 strings of the past, this 16" Della Volpe model is lightweight and comfortable to hold with electric guitar playability and action. Parting is such sweet sorrow, time to make another like it...
  Thanks everyone for checking in and I wish you all peace and happiness in the new year!

Della Volpe 12-string guitar 2016

Waverly tuners with black mother-of-pearl buttons.
Hand carved bird's beak volute, Honduras mahogany neck with ebony accent.

Brazilian Rosewood back & sides, ebony binding

A french polished top with a 1920's Gibson style sunburst contrasts
nicely with the black pearl border.

Peghead in ebony with Brazilian rosewood and black pearl.
Hand cut paua abalone logo.

 

The Me & Ro Guitar 2016

It's amazing what can come from a chance meeting...

     Robin Renzi is a world-class jewelry designer based in Manhattan, celebrating her 25th. anniversary in business with a beautiful bohemian ebony & gold collection. Chatting at the local farmer's market in Stowe, we found that we had a lot in common, from our artistic philosophies to fact that both of us hail from the quirky hamlet of Holliston, Massachusetts. The product of all this serendipity- a collaboration guitar, featuring Robin's exceptional design work in 10k gold on the rosette, peghead, fingerboard, and bridge pins. 

      To complement her elegant inlay designs, I chose a rare birdseye figured set of African Blackwood, and an aged European spruce top - truly presentation grade materials. Robin had fond memories of her friend's 000, so I borrowed the greatest 1928 Martin 000-12 for the pattern. Perhaps my all-time favorite, it is such a graceful shape with a full tone, and I am thrilled to make many more in this style. 

       The most memorable part of this project was it's delivery: a whirlwind trip, flying down to NYC, press event/dinner at Indochine, visits to the MoMA & 9/11 memorials, clubbing with hipster millennials at the Jane, amazing food, and everything else that is great about New York City and it's people. Thank you Robin for designing this fine instrument, here's to many more...

Robin Renzi's elegant lotus-inspired rosette.
10k gold set into a band of African Blackwood.

the Me&Ro 25th. Anniversary guitar

Burly African Blackwood, the definition of chatoyance. 

the 000-12, perhaps the pinnacle of parlor guitar design

The om symbol set into a fiery book match of
African Blackwood

An engraved 10k gold plaque completes
the piece. Aged cello wood was used for the neck.

       

     

Moments like these...

"Such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you"  Lou Reed

      Independence day 2016 welcomed us with golden sunshine and bright blue skies, a perfect day to present my friend Peter Mix with his new electric mandolin. Peter is a mandolin afficionado, with a fluid style incorporating unique chord voicings and bottleneck slide. He regularly plays a classic 1950's Gibson EM-200 mandolin, the seldom-seen little brother of the Les Paul. While uncommon,

electric mandolin has been around since the 1920's, and it is an amazingly fun instrument to play. Needless to say, when given the opportunity to reinvent a perfect design, a simple copy will not suffice. After an eternity of carving and shaping, the modern classic aesthetic came through loud and clear on this one, and I love the result.

      Having the opportunity to work with people to realize their dream instrument is the greatest gift. This instance, seeing Peter's reaction to the mando, with my family all around, was a moment to remember forever. 

      Which leads me to my next point. When you consider purchasing your next musical instrument, the vehicle for your inspiration, will you blindly click a button and hope for the best? Fresh off a container from China straight to your door. Or walk into a guitar center and stare at 100 guitars, hoping one stands out? The next store has 100 more if you don't find one. Then there is Reverb.com, with thousands of opportunities for buyer's remorse. With countless beautiful factory guitars for the taking at any given moment, immediate gratification is at your finger tips...

       Or do you want to discuss your perfect instrument with someone with has devoted their life to the art of lutherie? Talk about the sound you wish it could have. How would it look? What is the guitar you wish you could own? Maybe drool over beautiful tonewood and pick your own set. This is a different way to buy an instrument - it's something you gave life to, your vision becomes your inspiration. Someday you will hand it down to your kids, and give rise to another generation of music. And that is what being a luthier is all about. Thank you to those who understand the heart and soul poured into each piece, and allow us to preserve this way of life.

-Chuck Sanzone

Original 1950s Kluson tuners adorn the peghead. Hand-cut abalone logo inspired by Lucky Charms cereal.

Quilted bigleaf maple from Oregon is downright cray cray. Thanks mother nature.

The original Gibson EM-200 and it's reinterpretation.

Peter Mix meets his new mandolin for the first time.

This one loves her music.

One piece body sure shows off the lines...Original Gibson bridge, custom Kent Armstrong
humbucker, and a Mix tailpiece.

Deirdre looking beautiful, pickin' the new mando...

Say Hello to my Little Friend...

Cubist terz guitar, a special project for Phil

     This little beauty is a perfect example of why one might choose to commission an instrument from an independent luthier. My friend Phil is a great musician who enjoys composing and singing in the key of A. For his second Sanzone guitar, he wanted a short scale 6 string guitar tuned A-to-A, a modern version of the terz guitar. He had been playing a factory made instrument but it was having issues, and generally wasn't inspiring.
     So I set out to completely redesign the concept of the terz guitar, in the interest of better balance and tone. A small body was necessary to raise the pitch of the sound chamber. A more dramatic dome on the top to add punch and power. A 12th. fret neck joint balanced the guitar perfectly. That aged red spruce top from the Tippin era would do the trick. A carbon fiber truss rod to save weight. A Brazilian rosewood bridge plate to add richness. I drew a new parlor shape and got to work.
     A few days later I was looking at the bent sides on my workbench. With no blocks glued they sat there misaligned, in a beautiful cubist-inspired outline. The treble side shifted down, forming a subtle cutaway, allowed for better access to the upper frets. The more I stared, the more I knew it was meant to be. The angles of the end block and sound hole completed the thought, a broken form frozen in time.

speaks for itself.    

Cubist parlor terz guitar 2016. It has a standard 1 3/4" nut width
and can be tuned to either G or A.

I really like the logo on this one. Paua abalone with copper and brass accents       

A study of lines. Aged Red Spruce soundboard, parisian eye inlays.

Eastern black Walnut is one of the most beautiful woods in the world,
and it sounds great too.

     

The Monte'cello and Musings on 20 years in Lutherie

     It's hard to believe 20 years have gone by since I took up the art of Lutherie. It hasn't been a easy path, and most days I wonder if I would have been better off doing something more conventional with my career. But then I always find myself in the workshop late at night, fueled by a desire to create something unique and special. In these quiet moments things become very clear and the self-doubt erodes, leaving only excitement and inspiration.
     When I was just starting along this path in 1995, I remember seeing an amazing instrument by John Monteleone called the "Montequisto". This was John's tribute to one of his heroes, the late James D'Aquisto. I was struck by it's simplicity and elegance, the use of sculptural wood fittings in place of traditional metal ones. It kind of blew my mind.
      My latest creation borrows heavily from this timeless instrument - the D'Aquisto sculpted ebony bridge, the carved tailpiece of macassar ebony, the elliptical side soundports. Rather than make another archtop guitar, I decided to make this with a mandocello neck. Seldom seen these days, the mandocello is a instrument that gained popularity in the early 1900's, when mandolin orchestras were all the rage. Tuned like a Violoncello with a low C, it has a thunderous bass and haunting sound. It is a surprisingly versatile instrument, with a unique voice that is great for accompaniment and songwriting. Thanks to Mr. Monteleone and Mr. D'Aquisto for the continued inspiration, and to my friends and family for their unwavering positivity.
      This is the Monte'cello, celebrating 20 years of Sanzone Guitar & Mandolin!

Sanzone Monte'cello 2015 - available at www.dreamguitars.com

An X-braced one piece Sitka spruce top sourced from doublebass wood, D'Aquisto style bridge, and Monteleone inspired tailpiece. All are carved by hand.

Peghead in macassar ebony with a hand-cut Paua abalone logo

Elliptical side soundports help direct the sound to the player's ear, and they look way cool.

A sitka spruce backplate transmits a lot of energy, in this case contributing to the big bass response.
This is a nod to Lloyd Loar, who experimented with spruce backs in the 1930s.
Koa bindings frame the macassar ebony rim beautifully, and the all-natural shellac finish adds a warm color while optimizing tonal response. 

   

The "Stratzoni" 2014

     A long, long time ago in 1996 BC (before children) I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with a beautiful 1929 Gibson L-5 guitar. Simple appointments. 16" non-cutaway body. Acoustically sensitive. I was in love. In the end, a suitor with deep pockets stole her away, leaving me with only a simple blueprint and a wheelbarrow of inspiration.
     For this latest creation, I dug deep into that old wheelbarrow of 1929 L-5, mixing in a shovel-full of Jimmy D'Aquisto hot sauce, a splash of 1950's Gibson blonde Super 400 extract, and 3 tablespoons of 1962 Strat neck powder. After slow-cooking in the schoolhouse for awhile, the Stratzoni was born into this world and christened by it's new owner. Thanks to Mike D. for being inspired by this piece and feeding my passion for creating unique musical instruments.
   
   

One-piece birdseye maple neck with relief carving 

Relief carving on back of peghead. Inspired by an old hood ornament.

A spectacular piece of European maple. 

African blackwood fittings, bindings.

Hand-carved bridge made of black & white ebony

The Waterfall Guitar to benefit Stowe Adaptive Sports 2014

    The Waterfall Guitar made music for the first time this week! Built on my popular Orchestra Model plantilla, this instrument features rare Santa Maria (Cuban Mahogany) back & sides, a stellar Adirondack spruce soundboard, and Macassar ebony trim. The peghead inlay pays homage to one of my favorite pitches at Stowe Mountain Resort, a 20 foot cliff drop beneath the gondola.
      Thanks to a scholarship from FOSAS, my son Charlie had another great year skiing at Stowe. As an adaptive coach at Stowe, I have seen first-hand the importance of this program to the children in our community. Adaptive skiing & riding builds self-confidence and bridges social gaps. It strengthens muscle tone, and develops balance & coordination. Best of all, it gets us outside to enjoy the natural beauty of the Green Mountains!
     Paying it forward is it's own reward. I am blessed to have a wonderful family and support system, who are always there when times are tough. My hope is that the Waterfall Guitar will allow FOSAS to award more scholarships to individuals with disabilities next year.
     I would like to thank Cynthia Needham, president of Friends of Stowe Adaptive Sports, and Keja MacEwan, adaptive supervisor at Stowe Mountain Resort, for their kindness and guidance this year.
   
   

The Waterfall, March 2014

Orchestra Model, Adirondack Spruce soundboard, mother-of-pearl rosette, striped ebony bridge

Rare high-figure Santa Maria (Cuban Mahogany) back & sides

hand-carved heel detail, ebony bindings.