Monteleone makes PRS PS look like bargains

DISTORT6 said:
How the tops and bridges stay on those guitars with all of the string tension is pretty amazing.
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The way Carlson builds these instruments is mind boggling. Just the layup for the hollow carbon fiber necks is very complex. the bracing inside the instruments fortifies against all the string tensions, which must be immense.
 
Tony M. said:
I have a friend who is a very good cello player.
He owns a $55,000.00 cello.
He says he owns a $55,000.00 cello because
he couldn't afford a good one.
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Compared to a variety of other instruments out there, electric guitar folks in some ways have it easy. Even considering some of the relatively insane price jumps new or used among said niche.
 
ViperDoc said:
The way Carlson builds these instruments is mind boggling. Just the layup for the hollow carbon fiber necks is very complex. the bracing inside the instruments fortifies against all the string tensions, which must be immense.
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Waiting for the day when other military-spec/aerospace components like aluminum honeycomb start showing up along with the the carbon fiber.
 
Prina said:
Waiting for the day when other military-spec/aerospace components like aluminum honeycomb start showing up along with the the carbon fiber.
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Look up Rick Toone from Space X.

https://www.ricktoone.com/#/old-growth-walnut-8/

blue-shift-headless-seven-string-guitar.jpg
 
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ViperDoc said:
Look up Rick Toone from Space X.

https://www.ricktoone.com/#/old-growth-walnut-8/

blue-shift-headless-seven-string-guitar.jpg
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Toone's instruments are just NFT's at this point (plot thins somewhat as a couple repeat buyers were cryptobros + dudebros, burning through multiple builds at a loss as well).
He still has his sales post featuring Tosin Abasi's old Toone made before the Ibanez and Larada days. Still up for grabs, still featuring a low, low price of $1.5 million USD.

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John said:
Toone's instruments are just NFT's at this point (plot thins somewhat as a couple repeat buyers were cryptobros + dudebros, burning through multiple builds at a loss as well).
He still has his sales post featuring Tosin Abasi's old Toone made before the Ibanez and Larada days. Still up for grabs, still featuring a low, low price of $1.5 million USD.

image.png
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Love it! “Investment Grade”. I guess “MM” stands for “m-million” when you stutter, realizing the cost. A true go-away fee in plain sight.
 
John Monteleone, a renowned guitar-maker, has gained worldwide recognition for his exceptional acoustic guitars and mandolins. Despite the demand and acclaim, Monteleone has remained committed to maintaining a single-man workshop, allowing him the freedom to create unique instruments without the repetition that he finds uninteresting.
His handmade guitars have earned a reputation as artistic masterpieces, with some even finding their place in The Met Museum's permanent collection. Mark Knopfler, the frontman of Dire Straits, was so enamored with his Monteleone guitar, named "Isabella," that he wrote a song about the instrument maker. Knopfler admitted feeling unworthy of such a remarkable creation.
Monteleone's guitars are highly coveted, with prices starting at $85,000 and a waiting list of approximately three years. This testament to his craftsmanship and dedication demonstrates the immense value placed on his instruments within the music community and beyond.
 
Lillian Dest said:
John Monteleone, a renowned guitar-maker, has gained worldwide recognition for his exceptional acoustic guitars and mandolins. Despite the demand and acclaim, Monteleone has remained committed to maintaining a single-man workshop, allowing him the freedom to create unique instruments without the repetition that he finds uninteresting.
His handmade guitars have earned a reputation as artistic masterpieces, with some even finding their place in The Met Museum's permanent collection. Mark Knopfler, the frontman of Dire Straits, was so enamored with his Monteleone guitar, named "Isabella," that he wrote a song about the instrument maker. Knopfler admitted feeling unworthy of such a remarkable creation.
Monteleone's guitars are highly coveted, with prices starting at $85,000 and a waiting list of approximately three years. This testament to his craftsmanship and dedication demonstrates the immense value placed on his instruments within the music community and beyond.
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One can only imagine how costly an ovoid sound hole must be, especially if rotated some forty degrees!

Pardon the rib, but there's no doubt, those guitars are works of art. I used to be able to hear a Ribbecke at least every other year at the luthiers' convention in Healdsburg, CA along with so many other gifted builders. Now I live too far away, and local guitar shops are dying left and right, especially the ones wealthy enough to carry such high caliber instruments. I hope we can discover a way to hear these great instruments more often. They can't be modeled, thats for sure.
 
Sonic Blue 55 said:
My friend, Jeff Titus, has the Carlson Oracle and another Carlson.
I gave Jeff that Hedges album for his 40th birthday.
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Sonic Blue 55 said:
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WOW. thanks for sharing that!! I want one..... I mean I have enough trouble with six strings. I've seriously been considering looking for a high end 6/12 double neck acoustic. One that sounds great acoustically, my bar circuit days are over. I used to perform with an Ovation double neck but that was plugged in. It was a dog acoustically. One of those Carlson instruments will keep me busy for the remainder of my life.
 
ViperDoc said:
His artistry is just as compelling I bet. I've never been able to hear his guitars being played, but I did speak to him on the phone while living in SF in the early 2000s. It lead to meeting his student, Michiro Matsuda, whose guitars are beyond description. Those sound incredible, I'm sure they're not too far off.

Some difficult construction for only those who dare:
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Another wizard of construction is the Beyond the Trees guy from northern California--Fred Carlson--the inventor of the harp sympitar. Harp guitars with sympathetic strings running inside a channel within the carbon fiber neck to a sitar-style nut, sympathetic strings on the body of the instrument, and regular guitar and harp strings to boot. All made from reclaimed woods. Just unbelievable sh!t. Check this out:

I played this one at a luthiers' convention in Healdsburg. I did not do it justice:
91376_3488493w1100.jpg
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The first one is very interesting, but the strings are a bit too high for my taste.
 
Ervin is a legend in Luthier land , a dear high school friend got one when he was first starting out , late 70's he encouraged me to get one .. silly me I bought a les paul custom instead ... a regrets .. ALL of His shop and wood supply burned up in the big Oakland fire , Megan Wells , Ribbeke and a few other Local Luthiers pitched in to get him back up ...
 
Greywolf said:
Ervin is a legend in Luthier land , a dear high school friend got one when he was first starting out , late 70's he encouraged me to get one .. silly me I bought a les paul custom instead ... a regrets .. ALL of His shop and wood supply burned up in the big Oakland fire , Megan Wells , Ribbeke and a few other Local Luthiers pitched in to get him back up ...
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News to me. I know that Howard Klepper lost everything in the Santa Rosa fire.
If Ervin had such a fire. I would have heard about it.
 
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