This project took a long time based on materials. Over the years my Mother (Lucille Petillo) and Father (Dr. Phil Petillo) have accumulated many exotic one-of-a-kind materials to use on stringed instruments. This guitar has many of those exotic accents. The heart of the construction is the bracing pattern and its precision location for the […]
This was a project that took a while. The guitar was built for Mike Flynn, a blues/fusion guitarist who has played all over the Jersey Shore and is currently on tour. Mike and I spoke for hours about the overall tone of this instrument as well as the lacquer thickness and cavity depth. The neck […]
This was a deep and special project I got to be a part of. Last December 14th, 2016 me and Laura Appello were invited by music, film and TV industry veteran Bobby Chirmside to the Rick Springfield Stripped Down show at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank New Jersey. Bobby is a dear friend […]
This was a long project because I have never used Sterling Silver foil in such large pieces. The reason Sterling Silver foil was used is because I wanted to give the guitar a feminine, passionate look, but not too girly cute. In the ever-changing world we live in, getting sea shells and scarce exotic materials […]
Had a chance to give Brian Wilson at the Count Basie Theater show – September 21, 2016 in Red Bank New Jersey this copper engraved birdseye/flame maple box. The copper stamping/engraving circle motif has symbolism to his life. The shield stands for courage, the heart means love, the W crown on top of the heart […]
Steve Forbert’s 1949 SJ Gibson restoration. Steve has been a longtime dear friend of my Father (Dr. Phil Petillo). This guitar has been through hell in a good way. So many shows and also travelled the world. The frets needed some attention. A lot of repair guys/techs would recommend a refret in its present state […]
This guitar took a year and a half of work, love and long nights. The fingerboard consists of 13 layers of mother of pearl, clam shell, abalone, 24k gold dust, stone and glass. The body is made of German quilted maple, Spanish cedar, Nigerian ebony and French walnut. The 11 piece neck laminations are layered […]
I had to get this black Gibson Chet Atkins guitar done for the Billy Joel show last Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York. This guitar is used on Billy’s song The Entertainer. I did two weeks work in two days. I was at the mercy of the glue drying on the bridge and […]
Model: Petillo WAVE #0002 (featuring the Asbury Park Boardwalk headstock inlay) Body Style: Petillo Point (Masterpiece Series design invented by my Father (Dr. Phil Petillo) Finish: Lacquer “Fire Red Burst” Top, Sides & Back: German Flame Maple Body Binding & Neck Heel Cap: African Padauk with top trim paua abalone sea shell/highlighted in black white […]
Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2021! A round of pics of our longtime friend Joe Finn’s custom made PETILLO acoustic guitar made in 1994, serial #679! Joe was a close friend to my Dad (Dr. Phil Petillo) and myself. Joe was known around the Jersey Shore as “The Irish Balladeer” and he had such a rich […]
