1960s Crucianelli-made Imperial Tonemaster 335-Style Electric Guitar

A local customer brought this cool, Italian-made box by for sprucing-up. Apparently, these Italian-made, Crucianelli-made guitars are a bit of a minor collector thing. I see most of the appeal -- they have good, stable necks and a higher build quality than most imports. Playability-wise, they feel a lot like playing a '60s Mosrite semihollow guitar with more of the sound of a Framus or Hagstrom coming from those in-house single-coil pickups.

From information I've gleaned on the net (I can't find the page again, though, irritatingly), this version of this model was made under several brand names from about '68-'70 according to its features, pickup type and housings, and finish style. It has replacement (Gotoh) Kluson-style tuners and a replacement (Gotoh) adjustable bridge. The tailpiece is an older replacement.

My repairs included a fret level/dress, tuner and bridge install, minor cleaning, and setup. It's now playing spot-on and has a very '60s voice -- sparkly and clean at the bridge pickup and a little mellow and subdued with a "roundness" to the sound at the neck pickup.

The original bridge was missing and was installed in the wrong place anyhow, so the new parts and setup are what gave this guitar most of its improved playability. Someone had stuck terrible, cheap tuners at the headstock maybe 20 years ago. Originally this would've had a Bigsby-like whammy tailpiece but that is long-missing and the owner's currently thinking about whether or not to get something similar to replace it.

I like the zero fret setup at the nut. This one was made to the same size/shape as the rest of the frets so it functions correctly, too, making setup a breeze.

I like the bound f-holes and figured-maple veneer on the body.

The 3-piece maple neck is stable, straight, and functional.

Two of the neck bolts are replacements but they work just fine.