JESSELLI, JOSEPH

Luthier Joseph Jesselli builds custom high-end electric guitars in his Long Island shop. Jesselli has always been good at woodworking and he apprenticed with a wood carver for nearly seven years. Jesselli had also began to play guitar and he decided to build his own instrument. He went to famed luthier James D'Aquisto, who also lived in Long Island, for assistance with his guitar necks. D'Aquisto thought so highly of Jesselli's woodworking that he offered Jesselli an apprenticeship, which he accepted. Jesselli and D'Aquisto worked together for seven years before D'Aquisto moved to the other end of Long Island in the early 1980s. In the early 1990s, Jesselli relocated to West Virginia and continued to build guitars and perfect his craft. In the early 2000s, Jesselli moved back to Long Island where he continues to build guitars.
Jesselli's guitars are unique pieces of craftsmanship that feature unusual wood carving, wood selections, and other features that aren't found on any other guitars. Because of the work and time involved in each guitar, Jesselli only builds three or four guitars a year and he estimates that he has built between seventy and eight guitars. Information courtesy 20th Century Guitar magazine.