Sound Pure's Take

Condition: Used, Excellent

A maple masterpiece from the bench of John Buscarino, this Virtuoso is absolutely dripping with Master Grade tonewoods and exotic ornamental Bird's Eye and Burled Maple. While it's easy to get swept away by the luxurious aethetics of this guitar (the flame of the maple on the back alone will steal your breath away!) let's not forget why we're here! Acoustically, this Virtuoso wonderfully alive; responding quickly and dynamically to every bit of right hand technique you can throw at it. Plugged in, you gain the benefit of John's perfect Signature Humbucker. Even response across the entire fingerboard with sumptuous lows and glistening highs that will send your sound sailing through the room. The Virtuoso is, simply put, the Cadillac of archtop guitars!

SP Luthier Notes: Fret and fingerboard polish, buffing, and setup

From Buscarino Guitars

A guitar's primary function is usually measured in musical terms: its ability to produce precise notes, chords, and passages on demand. Consistency is the ultimate test of its perfection. But to the Master luthier and craftsman John Buscarino, this is only a beginning. John is one of the few luthiers working today; a solo artisan handcrafting guitars suited to each customer's personal needs. His instruments are prized not just for the beautiful sounds they produce, but also as the cherished possessions they inevitably become. Guitar player Steve Morse considers his Buscarino guitars "treasured works of art," as do many of John's customers.

John is unique among today's guitar builders in that he apprenticed with not one but two master luthiers. The first was Augustine LoPrinzi, from whom John learned the finer points of building classical guitars.

John later worked with famed archtop builder Robert Benedetto, spending years perfecting the woodworking skills that today make him a master luthier in his own right.

John has created hundreds of exquisite guitars using proven methods passed down over generations. He constantly refines these time-tested techniques, taking each to new levels of perfection in mastering the art of lutherie.

Model
Virtuoso
Serial
GL05109312
Year
2012
Top Wood
Master Grade Carpathian Spruce
Body Wood
Master Grade Big Leaf Flame Maple
Back Wood
Master Grade Big Leaf Flame Maple
Cutaway
Single Venetian
Neck
3-Piece Rock Maple w/Bird's Eye Center Stripe
Truss Rod
Two-Way Adjustable
Nut Width
1 3/4"
Body Width
17"
Body Depth
3 1/4"
Side Port
Hand Carved Virtuoso
Color
Honey Almond Sunburst
Finish
High Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Binding
Bird's Eye Maple
Fingerboard
Ebony
Fingerboard Inlays
Virtuoso
Fingerboard Radius
12"
Scale
25"
Number of Frets
20
Bridge
Ebony
Headstock
Burl Veneer (Front & Rear)
Heel Cap
Bird's Eye Maple
Tuners
Gotoh 21:1 w/Snakewood Buttons
Controls
Volume, Tone
Tailpiece
Ebony w/Abalone Vine Inlay
Pickguard
Ebony w/Bird's Eye Maple Binding
Pickup
Buscarino Signature Floating Humbucker
Case
Hoffee Carbon Fiber

Warranty

This item is sold without the Sound Pure 3-year warranty (used / B-stock / dealer-exempt). Coverage terms for items in this category live in Terms & Conditions, Section 27.

Returns

Try Before You Buy: take it home, commit only when it's right. Program details →

Sound Pure Studios Control Room A — Durham, NC

Sound Pure Studios · Durham, NC

Come hear it in our control rooms.

Sound Pure is a working studio in Durham, NC — a 1,000 sq ft live room and two pro control rooms. Book a session to audition gear in a world-class acoustic space before you buy.