1990 Jesselli Art Nouveau Tiered Hollow Body Bass

Joseph Jesselli makes both acoustic and electric guitars. Instruments can take months, or years, to complete depending upon numerous factors. His instruments are known for both excellent tone as well as ornate design elements and superior quality.  Jesselli guitars are usually made to order and tend to cost over ten thousand dollars each. Instruments that are not made to order will be singular works of the maker’s own exacting standards. With the exception of his first guitar, all Jesselli guitars are hollow-body. Even the electric guitars & basses, which may look like solid body instruments, are in fact hollow. 

Those who know of Joe’s guitars, know he was D’Aquisto’s in-house apprentice for the last 10 years of Jimmy’s career. His instruments are prized possessions of somer of the worlds most recognized guitarists such as Keith Richards who owns four custom Jesselli’s. Other famous owners include George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Pete Townsend, Joe Walsh & Tom Petty to name a few. This fully hollow, 14″ lower bout build features a highly figured Mahogany top and body. The top is carved into Tiered layers w/the back being flat w/an intricately carved out back control cavity cover.

Another aspect of Jesselli instruments that sets him apart is his penchant for designing and building nearly every component on the guitar. Most makers are content to simply buy and install many of their parts. On a Jesselli, the tuning machine buttons, truss rod cover, selector switch cap, pickup covers/mounting rings, volume and tone knobs, bridge, and tailpiece are all part of the canvas and therefore cannot be overlooked. No expense in time or material cost is spared in creating even the most peripheral of components. The maker views the instrument as more than just a tool for making music. A Jesselli guitar is functional art.

This rare hollow body bass from Joe Jesselli is a standout example of his visionary craftsmanship. Built around 1990, it features a 34-inch scale and a 1.5” horn nut with a matching truss rod cover (material sourced from an antique piece of furniture) Most notably, it’s the first instrument to feature Joe’s layered Art Nueva backplate, a design that would later become a defining element of his Art Nueva guitar model. The body is carved from mahogany with a beautifully figured flame maple neck and an ebony fingerboard. A single dual-blade humbucker provides a focused, articulate voice with just the right amount of punch. There are two toggle switches on the body that aren’t currently wired. Joe had planned to install a piezo system at the customer’s request, but it was ultimately left out. These switches offer an open canvas for future mods like coil splitting, phase reversal, or a piezo blend. This is the last instrument Joe personally cleaned up for sale before his passing in 2024. He gave it a full setup and fret polish, and it’s been part of a private collection ever since. Its excellent overall & comes in a nice padded case.