Wandre BB Model Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1963)
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Item #13975
Wandre BB Model Model Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1963), made in Cavriago, Italy, Nassau blue finish, wood and plastic body, plastic sheathed aluminum neck with rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
There are many titles one could bestow upon Mr. Wandre Pioli, artist of the electric guitar and "romantic" is certainly among them. Pioli designed several guitars inspired by pop culture figures of the day including curvaceous female starlets leading some to label him as vintage guitar's pre-eminent "fetishist!" In particular, one of his first guitars was named for (recently deceased) French bombshell Brigitte Bardot; he was known to keep photos of her in his personal effects. This guitar is a truly beautiful and lovingly kept late-production example of the Wandre "BB" in its original Nassau blue finish, azure as the water in Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 Bardot feature "Le Mepris!"
The BB is a semi-hollow archtop first offered in the late 50's (alongside the less successful Rock'n'Roll) as Pioli moved beyond upright basses into the world of guitars. It is evocative in its design with swooping asymmetrical curves and puffy white plastic binding trimming the top, back, and narrow abstract f-hole. Compared to later Wandre creations it is a more "normal" shaped instrument, more conventionally comfortable to hold and play than his more abstract body shapes like the extreme-cutaway Rock'n'Roll/Rock Oval.
This two-pickup BB has dual Davoli single coil units nestled in a more angular floating cream plastic pickguard, the entire unit adjustable at the back end for height. Two volume controls (white) and a master tone (black) are mounted to a stamped metal box lower on the top, which also houses the jack. The company also offered the BB with just a single neck pickup, but this one is of course far more versatile sounding. Played acoustically or amplified, it has a rich and jazzy timbre and more volume "unplugged" than one might expect.
The clean, uncracked plastic pickguard also provides a chassis for the elaborate and fully adjustable bridge, with metal saddles moved for intonation via threaded wheels with serrated edges, all housed in an integral plastic frame. This is perhaps the most practical of all Wandre's myriad bride designs. The strings proceed from there on to the original decorative stamped metal tailpiece. The neck is aluminum at the core is sheathed in a white plastic topped with a rosewood fingerboard sporting Wandre's charming decorative shaped multicolor plastic inlays. This several-iterations-in final production example features a metal-trimmed slotted mahogany headstock with Davoli-made tuners on either side and an aluminum nut.
While age-old adages about "feminine-figured" guitars can grow trite and antiquated, the mischievous charm of Wandre's "erotic" lutherie practice possesses a palpable tenderness for both his subjects and the players who fall in love with these namesake guitars. Instruments crafted with this much joyful mirth are always a delight to see, and the BB is still one of Wandre Pioli's most playable and commercially successful endeavors, another distinctive creation from this unique artist of the guitar.
Overall length is 44 1/4 in. (112.4 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This beautiful BB is a delight to hold and behold, largely original and well-preserved for its age. Wandre instruments are notoriously made up of many virtually irreplaceable (often plastic) parts, and this one has held its own over the decades better than most. All components appear original and intact; the fragile molded plastic cream pickguard that houses the pickups and bridge is overall well-preserved with just one small solidly sealed crack on the bottom by the bridge; it is secure and has no problem bearing tension. The fragile plastic neck sheath has some long stress cracks down the center back but is solid and smooth to the touch.
If one of Wandre's more common colors, this all-original Nassau blue lacquer finish is still extremely eye-catching; there are a few long check marks, but no visible repairs or impact to the body and the white bubble binding is well in tact. The tuners are original but all but one are missing the little decorative metal ring on the outer edge. The electronics work as they should and appear untampered with except that the 1/4" jack was likely a modification done long ago to replace the obsolete 5mm Italian Geloso jack commonly found on Wandres. The fingerboard looks to have been refretted with slightly larger wire long ago; these have very little wear but there is some light divoting to the fingerboard in the lower positions.
Overall, it is clear why this model was one of Wandre's biggest commercial successes. This BB is a breeze to play, one of Pioli's nicer sounding instruments as beautiful to behold as its namesake. It lives in an older but not period HSC that is a decent fit. Overall Excellent - Condition.
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There are many titles one could bestow upon Mr. Wandre Pioli, artist of the electric guitar and "romantic" is certainly among them. Pioli designed several guitars inspired by pop culture figures of the day including curvaceous female starlets leading some to label him as vintage guitar's pre-eminent "fetishist!" In particular, one of his first guitars was named for (recently deceased) French bombshell Brigitte Bardot; he was known to keep photos of her in his personal effects. This guitar is a truly beautiful and lovingly kept late-production example of the Wandre "BB" in its original Nassau blue finish, azure as the water in Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 Bardot feature "Le Mepris!"
The BB is a semi-hollow archtop first offered in the late 50's (alongside the less successful Rock'n'Roll) as Pioli moved beyond upright basses into the world of guitars. It is evocative in its design with swooping asymmetrical curves and puffy white plastic binding trimming the top, back, and narrow abstract f-hole. Compared to later Wandre creations it is a more "normal" shaped instrument, more conventionally comfortable to hold and play than his more abstract body shapes like the extreme-cutaway Rock'n'Roll/Rock Oval.
This two-pickup BB has dual Davoli single coil units nestled in a more angular floating cream plastic pickguard, the entire unit adjustable at the back end for height. Two volume controls (white) and a master tone (black) are mounted to a stamped metal box lower on the top, which also houses the jack. The company also offered the BB with just a single neck pickup, but this one is of course far more versatile sounding. Played acoustically or amplified, it has a rich and jazzy timbre and more volume "unplugged" than one might expect.
The clean, uncracked plastic pickguard also provides a chassis for the elaborate and fully adjustable bridge, with metal saddles moved for intonation via threaded wheels with serrated edges, all housed in an integral plastic frame. This is perhaps the most practical of all Wandre's myriad bride designs. The strings proceed from there on to the original decorative stamped metal tailpiece. The neck is aluminum at the core is sheathed in a white plastic topped with a rosewood fingerboard sporting Wandre's charming decorative shaped multicolor plastic inlays. This several-iterations-in final production example features a metal-trimmed slotted mahogany headstock with Davoli-made tuners on either side and an aluminum nut.
While age-old adages about "feminine-figured" guitars can grow trite and antiquated, the mischievous charm of Wandre's "erotic" lutherie practice possesses a palpable tenderness for both his subjects and the players who fall in love with these namesake guitars. Instruments crafted with this much joyful mirth are always a delight to see, and the BB is still one of Wandre Pioli's most playable and commercially successful endeavors, another distinctive creation from this unique artist of the guitar.
Overall length is 44 1/4 in. (112.4 cm.), 16 in. (40.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This beautiful BB is a delight to hold and behold, largely original and well-preserved for its age. Wandre instruments are notoriously made up of many virtually irreplaceable (often plastic) parts, and this one has held its own over the decades better than most. All components appear original and intact; the fragile molded plastic cream pickguard that houses the pickups and bridge is overall well-preserved with just one small solidly sealed crack on the bottom by the bridge; it is secure and has no problem bearing tension. The fragile plastic neck sheath has some long stress cracks down the center back but is solid and smooth to the touch.
If one of Wandre's more common colors, this all-original Nassau blue lacquer finish is still extremely eye-catching; there are a few long check marks, but no visible repairs or impact to the body and the white bubble binding is well in tact. The tuners are original but all but one are missing the little decorative metal ring on the outer edge. The electronics work as they should and appear untampered with except that the 1/4" jack was likely a modification done long ago to replace the obsolete 5mm Italian Geloso jack commonly found on Wandres. The fingerboard looks to have been refretted with slightly larger wire long ago; these have very little wear but there is some light divoting to the fingerboard in the lower positions.
Overall, it is clear why this model was one of Wandre's biggest commercial successes. This BB is a breeze to play, one of Pioli's nicer sounding instruments as beautiful to behold as its namesake. It lives in an older but not period HSC that is a decent fit. Overall Excellent - Condition.
