Jesselli Compact Art Nouveau Tiered Hollow-body 1995 - fabulous & ultra rare 1-off is one of Keith Richards Faves !

Joseph Jesselli makes both acoustic and electric guitars. Instruments can take months, or years, to complete depending upon numerous factors. His instruments are known for both excellent tone as well as ornate design elements and superior quality. Jesselli guitars are usually made to order and tend to cost over ten thousand dollars each. Instruments that are not made to order will be singular works of the maker's own exacting standards. With the exception of his first guitar, all Jesselli guitars are hollow-body. Even the electric guitars, which may look like solid body instruments, are in fact hollow. Another aspect of Jesselli instruments that sets him apart is his penchant for designing and building nearly every component on the guitar. Most makers are content to simply buy and install many of their parts. On a Jesselli, the tuning machine buttons, truss rod cover, selector switch cap, pickup covers/mounting rings, volume and tone knobs, bridge, and tailpiece are all part of the canvas and therefore cannot be overlooked. No expense in time or material cost is spared in creating even the most peripheral of components. The maker views the instrument as more than just a tool for making music. A Jesselli guitar is functional art.

We have available a rare and early Jesselli Guitars Art Nouveau Tiered Hollow Body model built around 1995. Those who know of Joe's guitars, know he was D'Aquisto's in-house apprentice for the last 10 years of Jimmy's career. His instruments are prized possessions of somer of the worlds most recognized guitarists such as Keith Richards who owns four custom Jesselli's. Other famous owners include George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Pete Townsend, Joe Walsh & Tom Petty to name a few. This fully hollow, 14" lower bout build features a highly figured Mahogany top and body. The top is carved into Tiered layers w/the back being flat w/an intricately carved out back control cavity cover. The guitar is adorned with a Gold Leaf Headstock trim and features ancient mastodon ivory "stepped binding". This guitar features a fully mahogany body that was entirely hand-carved, paired with two mini humbucker pickups. Tonally, they are bright, clear, and articulate, very reminiscent of early P-90-style pickups. 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 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.

This build features dual pickups wound by Joe himself and sound absolutely fantastic. Like a low output P-90 but with a tad more single coil like clarity. Its got a a real tan leather cover in Joe's flavor. The controls are volume, tone & a 3-way switch. You can achieve a plethora of gorgeous tones from sweet Jazz to Rock and Roll or Blues. This guitar also sounds beautiful fingerpicked. The scale is 24.75". The fingerboard, bridge, tailpiece and headstock veneer are all high-grade 80 + year old African Ebony. The fingerboard features silicon bronze self lubricating frets and abolone deco inlays with black side markers. The pickup surrounds are delicately carved. The headstock features a MOP Jesselli inlay, gold-leaf trim and a watussi horn truss-rod cover The non F-Hole design projects beautifully and allows the guitar to be played loudly without excess feedback. The zero fret gives the neck a uniform, low and comfortable action all the way up the Ebony fingerboard. Overall this is a stunning piece of history by one of the world's most unique and inspiring luthiers.  Joe passed away in recent years. So if you've been looking for one of his instruments this is a great and rare opportunity. Joe Jesselli passed away in December 2024 so these are no longer made & are quite collectible. Its excellent overall & comes in Joe's hand made all leather flight case w/a matching custom strap system that completes the package.