1978 Giannini Craviola 12-String Guitar

Update 2022: This guitar's back in for resale so I've completely overhauled this blog post. Now back to it...

I've known this guitar for some years and have done small amounts of work to it now and then. This time around, I was allowed to get it entirely spruced-up so it would be ready for sale. And the result...? It's, of course, a wonderful instrument. I'm a big fan of Giannini Craviolas (that body shape is perfect -- it hugs the leg perfectly, provides extra length on the bass side for the soundboard to vibrate more efficiently, and looks killer) and this one both plays and sounds like a champ.

These were made in Brazil and the body shape debuted in the late '60s with the classical guitars as the first variants as I recall. Steel-strings are harder to find, generally, with 12 and 6-string models seeming to split the production. The bodies are ply throughout (ply spruce over ply Brazilian rosewood) but, like late-'60s Yamaha FG models, it's a higher-quality ply than what's used on '80s-on-up random, cheapie, import products of the department store variety. I've had to reglue a number of old Giannini bridges and it's clear that they used good veneer stock mated to something like a poplar or birch core (it's not and is something indigenous to the region, I'm sure, but it seems to have that sort-of consistency). If you figure in the neat body shape, this very lightweight and thin top material, and light x-bracing, you've got a recipe for a great-sounding guitar.

The necks on these are nice as well -- with a medium-C profile and 12" radius that gives them a Gibson-like feel. The nut is narrower than the average period 12, as well, at only 1 3/4" -- which makes it very comfortable for the average player. It's also got a dual truss rods (Guild or Rickenbacker-style) which keeps the neck accurate and stable.

I had to do a bit of work to get this one playing spot-on, but now that it is, it's good to go and has remained stable in service since stringing a couple weeks ago as of this writing.

Repairs included: a bridge reglue, bridge modification (filled the pinholes and converted to 6-pin stringing, new fully-compensated bone saddle, etc.), bridge plate cap/reinforcement, fret level/dress, replacement pickguard, cleaning, setup work. I've strung this with 46w-10 equivalents and I suggest nothing heavier for standard E-to-E tuning. This is a lightly-built instrument.

Top wood: ply spruce

Back & sides wood: ply Brazilian rosewood

Bracing type: x

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: mahogany

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 46w-10 extra lights

Neck shape: medium-full C

Board radius: 12"

Truss rod: adjustable (twin)

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium

Scale length: 24 5/8"

Nut width: 1 3/4"

Body width: 15 3/8"

Body depth: 4"

Weight: 4 lbs 9 oz

Condition notes: the bridge has been modified... the saddle is new and fully-compensated bone... the bridge pins are original. I replaced the pickguard with a new red tortoise one years ago -- it's the exact same shape as the original, though. There's still a bit of room on the saddle to adjust action if need be and it's an easy "drop-in" saddle so shimming it up to increase height is easy as well. There's an unfilled jack-hole on the side-lower-bout that I can fill if desired or leave for the neck pickup to be installed. This had a crummy undersaddle pickup in it that I removed. The finish shows small scratches, nicks, dings, etc. here and there throughout from average use. In addition, there are fine weather-check-cracks in the finish on the top following the grain of the spruce. This is really common on old Gianninis and it's just in the finish.

The big note: ...is that the bridge has "bellying" around and behind it. The top is so lightly-braced and the bridge was originally bolted to the top. Because the glue let up, that caused the top to distort pretty harshly around the bolts in the bridge. I've corrected that a lot by way of my fresh reglue and the addition of a spruce cap of soundboard material I glued to the bridge plate for reinforcement. Still, there's belly around the bridge and you can see it in the last photo. It's been stable and I'm not worried about it at all as I see this on ply guitars with light bracing all the time but I want to be 100% up-front about this.