Round TWO of the Petillo Aluminum Double “L” Neck made in 1988 for Jersey Shore music veteran Chris Spiwak. This is after the time when my Dad (Dr. Phil Petillo) designed the Kramer Aluminum Tuning Fork neck and consulted for Travis Bean with the layout/construction of their models as well. This Bass neck my Dad […]
Another addition for my pal William Joseph Batman Telecaster! I spent four hours on the switch tip! I painted a rose with a tooth pic and once it dried I blobbed on clear resin to seal the art. The final step was to shape and buff the resin on the lathe into a dome top […]
The last bunch of pics from the Nils Lofgren tribute guitar I did for Kyle and Carol! Nils signed the pickguard I made for Kyle and Carol when they met him at a concert. I handmade all the pieces on this beauty from the Spalted maple pickguard and tremolo cavity covers, the back battery cover […]
Check out this knob I made with the glass eye of a scorpion on top for this Fender Tele! I took a glass ball and cut it in half. The cut was rough but wet sanded the flat part of the glass and got it glossed with all imperfections removed. The next step is to […]
Jerry Topinka’s T. W. Doyle (Tommy Thomas Doyle) archtop guitar original fret restoration. A lot of repair guys/techs would recommend a refret due to the deep string dents in the frets. A technique my Father (Dr. Phil Petillo) invented is to reshape the edges with his patented file and bring a flat fret back to […]
Inspiration comes from many places. When Mike asked me to make this body for him and he wanted the classic Fender transculent white color, I immediately thought of the fur on a white tiger. This body is a two piece swirly-arrow-grain book matched Louisiana swamp ash wood. It weighs in at three pounds. I did […]
This was a fun project. The theme of this Petillo archtop guitar was based on a Mallard duck. The details of the hunter scene on the headstock were a lot of work. The background of the headstock is German figured maple. The Mallard inlay is 18 pieces of exotic wood veneer. The Petillo banner logo […]
HAPPY EARTH DAY with a ocean/sea theme PETILLO Tele! We should all make the effort to keep our oceans clean. Enjoy this beautiful day!PETILLO SHORECASTER Tele (custom made for singer/songwriter/producer/musician Brian Mackewich) pecs:1) German quilted maple book matched top with natural binding edge to frame the top2) American alder two piece book matched back3) German […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
HAPPY EASTER to all! To celebrate the day I’m posting some religious Judeo-Christian artwork I have done through the years. The Last Supper plaque is made of all wood veneer inlay with a parkay sycamore wood floor design. The hand of Adam almost touching the hand of God is from Michangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling painting […]
