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Akustik
Gitarre , edition 06/04
Extravagant
Claudio Pagelli «Jazzyflat»
von Andreas Schulz
«Pagelli
Guitars» is the family business of Claudio and Claudia Pagelli.
For the most part, Claudia is responsible for the designs that Claudio
then works to bring to life in the playable and incredible sounding instruments
they produce. The Pagellis build about 10 instruments a year and never
shy away from a challenge. The majority of the instruments are special
orders from discriminating customers with whom the Pagellis work together
to create very personal instruments that represent the individual's musical
and aesthetic visions. Claudio Pagelli himself worked as a professional
guitarist, producer and recording engineer, and the instruments have not
only received attention because of their looks! The sound produced by
the Arch top line of their Jazzability guitars have received high praise
from the likes of master guitar luthier Bob Benedetto.
The
woods and handwork are of the highest quality. The optical effect of the
contrasting woods, the fine details of the workmanship, and the incredible
designs create fascinating instruments. And, as if the look and sound
were not enough, the feel of the instruments are exceptional. Despite
it's original and singular body form, the Pagelli «Jazzyflat»
fits the body of the player, and is incredibly comfortable to play. Add
to that the attention given to the shaping of the neck, the fret work,
and the guitar's set up, and one feels immediately at home on the instrument!
Summary
With
his «Jazzyflat» Claudio Pagelli has proven that he is one
of the most interesting guitar builders on the scene today! His ideas
are truly out of the ordinary and he consistently chooses to follow new
paths, without ever sacrificing playability or sound. The «Jazzyflat»
is an exceptionally wellbuilt acoustic guitar of the upper price category.
Attention has been given down to the finest details, including the choice
of the unusual building materials as exemplified in utilizing Ebony for
the body! The sound is a mixture of acoustic and jazz guitar, and is guaranteed
to inspire!
English
translations by Nadja Embacher
Gitarre&Bass,
May edition 2004
Trends and
Highlights at the Music Fair Frankfurt 2004
E-Gitarren
(by
Michael Dommers)
For 27 years now, the Swiss luthier Claudio Pagelli has been known for
extra-ordinary, aesthetic, innovative and colourful guitar designs. Into
his model «Avantair», he integrated the AirFX-Processor by
Alesis, with which you can control the modulatory effects manually in
realtime by infrared. You can manage several parameters simultaneously,
depending on the distance or the direction from which the hand approaches
the beam. On top of that there is enough memory for 50 programmes. Naturally,
the «Avantair», with two pickups can also
be
used as a standard guitar. This unique hand-crafted instrument, including
the high fun and creativity factor, you can call your own for EUR 5000.
Basses
(by
Dirk Groll)
Avantgardist Claudio Pagelli has assigned the production of the fretless
artist's instrument to the luthier Marleaux, who is very experienced in
producing qualitity basses. He had also one of his own, wonderfully stylish
Vintage variation of the «musicman» theme on show.
Gitarre&Bass,
June edition 2004
Music Fair
Frankfurt 2004
E-Guitars
(von Michael Dommers)
...and last but not least Claudio Pagelli, who can surely be regarded
as one of the most innovative and imaginative guitar builders around.
Basses(von
Dirk Groll)
Marleaux...and now building also the bodacious Fretless by the avantgarde
brand Pagelli. The first four exhibits have
already cause quite a stir. Pagelli himself has with masterly balance
designed a markedly stylish hommage to the «music-man» theme,
preliminarily named Bass'sick.
Accessories
(von Dirk Groll)
The Pagelli family is not only a trendsetter in the design department
(Claudia is in charge of stylish accessories). A real eye-catcher were
the imaginatively designed guitar straps, which are individually produced
by hand.
Acoustic-Guitars
(von
Thomas Jeschonnek)
The probably most noticeable acoustic guitar at the fair was designed
by (yet again) the Swiss luthier Claudio Pagelli. The «Jazzyflat»
features shapely curves, an ebony body and a Bearclaw-Spruce top,
and a price that can justifiably be asked for such extravagance and exceptional
sound.
Gitarre&Bass,
Edition May 2003
Music fair Frankfurt
Bass
(by Dirk Groll)
... and naturally Swiss master designer Pagelli caused a stir with his
Jazzability Bass in a blue celluloid dress...
Acoustic guitars (by Andrea Scheffler)
The uncontestable champion among guitar designers was Claudio Pagelli,
just as in the previous year. The Swiss designer again inspired with his
unequalled creations both in form and sound. The guitars are somehow works
of art, where form and function subtly melt into one. For example the
small arm rest on the body that floats above the top really completes
the look but also does not compromise the harmonic oscillation of the
top, (guitar Fifties Artwork). The silver medal goes to...
Gitarre&Bass,
Edition May 2003
by Dirk Groll
What the Swiss guitar builder Claudio Pagelli designs in cooperation with
his wife Claudia, does not simply reach cult status in the aesthetic department,
but can also convince through inner coherence. The Jazzabiltity bass is
derived from the guitar design by the same name.
One does not come across an instrument of this calibre every day, starting
with the mere size of the body. But don't let your gaze be distracted
for too long by the blue perloid which wreathes around the wooden body
- less paying nostalgic tribute to the show-glitz of times long since
passed but a rather offensively presented rediscovery of this material,
which was still widely used thirty or fourty years ago. No, the actual
soul of the Jazzability designs lies in their accomplished form, in its
resourcefully proportioned verve. Here again a lot of the old elegance
of the full-bodied jazz guitars is present, but still pagelli's shape
is his very own, unheard of and unseen up to now...
The
Jazzability Bass inspires in equal measure through its appearance as through
its temperamental-dynamic and powerful sound potential. Such a vivacious,
full-bodied sound rich in singing overtones one finds so rarely, especially
wrapped in such an attractive exterior.
Gitarre&Bass,
Edition June 2003
by Frank Haunschild
Jazzability Super Deluxe
The luthier Claudio Pagelli of Chur in Switzerland is an exception on
the market today. His way-out forms are always an attention grabber and
the high quality of his exclusive instruments has been praised by many
famous colleagues, such as Bob Benedetto and has also been noted around
these parts.
Construction
The
most noticeable feature of all the pagelli guitars is the unusual form.
As if some giant with supernatural powers had mangled it. This asymmetrical
form serves not only a purpose in design but also has advantages as far
as sound is concerned. Let's start with two-sided spruce top. Its wood
was felled over 80 years ago by the father of a now 90 year old instrument
maker from Chur. Asymmetrical F-holes in the Pagelli design are carved
into the top and finished with an ebony edging. Custom-made plugs are
supplied to reduce a possible feedback if need be. The entire body is
framed by a binding made of ebonyat the back and at the front.
The wood that was used for the architraves and the two-piece bottom can
come up with a storiette. It is a walnut that was cut down over 150 years
ago and then used as the entrance steps to a stately mansion, which was
knocked down about 20 years ago. The honoured reader might be inclined
to smile benignly at such a wealth of history, but these stories are the
spice in the guitar testing, or tasting, so to speak. That is why I would
like to pass them on just as they come for this once.
The tailpiece,
carved out of ebony, has a walnut veneer and is fixed to the Endpin using
a special string. The material used in the string is a special silk-synthetics
mix. This leads to a faster and more accurate sound transference than
the usual stiff plastic string. Ebony was also used on the bridge. Ideally
the upper part of the bridge should rest exactly on the lower part to
achieve a "full-contact-bridge", which guarantees a superior
sound transference. Two screws allow the height to adjusted if required..
The Jazzability
Deluxe has two pick-ups which is not apparent at first sight. The second
pick-up, a pick-up by Schertler, is incorporated into the bridge. The
floating pick-up which is fixed to the scratchplate is a Harry Häussel
ebony Custom Humbucker. The electronic control system necessary for two
such different pick-up systems is a prototyp by Schertler, called Dual
Amp. The three pots for the respective volume and for the Master-Tone
are integrated into the scratchplate This is a custom-made product, on
my enquiry Claudio Pagelli commented on its develompment as follows: "It
made no sense to use such a top, planing for sound to the last angle.
Then drilling the holes for the potentiometers and by doing so keeping
the top from swinging. Three potentiometers would also interfere with
playing.
Praxis
The
Jazzability is very light and rests comfortably on your knees because
of its asymmetrical form. A second stap-pin is not available - but who
would want to drill a hole into such a work of art? Jazzability was practically
created to be played while seated. The neck is relatively small, but wonderfully
sculpted and a dream to play on. Even after a long time you'll have difficulties
having this instruments removed from your hands.
Resümee
The
Jazzability, with its special equipment of a second pick-up in the bridge,
was created for the friends of the acoustic sound of a jazz guitar. It
is a real treat to lay your hands on such a master instrument and being
able to play it. It's safe to say that Claudio Pagelli is one of the first
places in the world you should turn to if you are looking for a really
extraordinary instrument. And if I have to take points off for the high
prices, then it is not because the instruments are not worth it - rather
for being sorry that a lot of people out there won't be able to afford
one.
Gitarre&Bass, November 2002
Splash Bass Pagelli (Dirk
Groll)
Most bass makers are fine craftsmen, many of them have a lucky touch with
design or providing a coherent form. Some create original instruments,
and some even manage to elevate the instrument to a piece of art. Claudio
Pagelli is a magician of the form, his Splash Bass is an inspiring hint
at the possible liberty still to be taken, but yet unexploited.
Mind you, the Splash Bass is a highly playable instrument not despite,
but rather because of, its extravagant shape. Light, literally, as the
weight of this airy construction only amounts to a mere 3.6 kilos. The
mastery in this electric bass lies in the combination of its formal perfection
and the uncompromisingly high quality as a musical instrument, although
the radical character of this instrument might not appeal to the more
staid tastes. This is not simply a beautiful sculpture, but a fully matured
bass, which does not have to hide from the precious products of a more
conventional shape. And they all pale to a shade of conventional in comparison
to the Splash Bass.
Summary
Claudio Pagelli creates an inspiring tension between the modern shape
of the Splash Bass and its vintage-like, reduced finish. He knows how
to transfer this tension onto the sound performance of this instrument,
which is peculiar, yet appealing in every respect. By choosing strictly
the conventional and reliable resources, the Splash Bass makes one aware
of the potential an ordinary e-bass still holds. Just when you thought
that the basic concept had been sucked dry through countless reproductions
and distribution. This accomplishment by Claudio Pagelli and his wife
Claudia, who has significantly contributed to the design, can be called
enlightening.
Gitarre&Bass,
May 2002
Musikmesse Frankfurt
Basses (Dirk
Groll)
Where
original and fresh design is concerned, Claudio Pagelli is definitely
one of the highlights at this music fair. The succinct and harmoniously
composed design of the instruments, which is realised down to the last
detail, unambiguously displays the highly artistic qualities of the Swiss
craftsman. Not only ace-bass-designer Michael Tobias was seen examining
the exquisite Pagelli instruments closely, so were several photographers
from the Far East.
Acoustic guitars (Ebo Wagner)
Ever heard of Claudio Pagelli? No?! Well then, let's close this gap in
your education. Claudio has a workshop in Chur in Switzerland where he
fashions instruments in very small numbers. Their quality and design are,
however, to be regarded as top in their class. He realises not only his
own rather unconventional ideas, but works very closely with his clients
on individual solutions. Claudio manages to turn even a guitar with unusual
scales and measurements into a sophisticated instrument. He is a master
of his trade, a practical artist really, who uses only the finest timbers.
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