What's New At Rigel

For the last several years Pete Langdell has been hard at work designing and engineering new concepts in the acoustic instrument field. The big news is that Pete has designed a totally acoustic bass guitar "that really works." For many years Pete has worked to create a bass that will not need to be plugged in to be heard, not to mention that it will be priced very affordably. There will be more information and photos coming soon.

Pictured here is a custom Rigel cutaway arch top guitar that is voiced for open chords with a look that is just right for stage use! Hence the model, OC! (Click on the thumbnails to see more detail.)

This is a full-body acoustic archtop guitar with a hand-carved spruce top and maple back and sides. It comes with a scuplted pickguard, brown ebony bridge and ebony saddle. It is an instrument designed for acoustic playing in any combo with a full, balanced tone and unamplified volume that will make others turn their heads to look for your amp. It has a built-in piezo pickup, but you won't really need it.

The pictures show the attention to detail that make this guitar a wonder to admire as well as to hear. Mother-of-pearl purfling shadows the top binding, and distinctive mother-of-pearl neck inlays grace the fretboard. Little details like the Rigel star inlaid in the heel and the straight-line peghead make this an instrument for people to talk about.

The Rigel OC Archtop is priced at $4885 with HSC. Please call Rigel for more details about this beautiful instrument.

This is a brand new G110 with Vermont (Rock) maple for the back and sides, Adirondack spruce for the top, and a maple neck.

It has gold-plated Grover tuners and the proprietary Rigel tailpiece, a Loar-style ebony adjustable bridge and an internal piezo pickup. The fingerboard is radiused ebony.

This beautiful instrument is available at $4775 with HSC.

Click the photos for more detail.

This lovely old parlor model guitar was a copy of a classic Martin issue (very common in those days before litigious lawyers). It was beautifully made, but the years have been unkind to it. You can see the cracks in the face, and the binding, bracing and joints had separated.

Pete has repaired the cracks and completely replaced the existing bracing with X-bracing for strength. He is trying to save the fretboard.

Click on the photos for more detail.

Here is a custom A model that was commissioned for a classical player. It has an oval hole with an abalone rosette and is voiced for classical music.

Click the photos for more detail.

This is a 1947 Vega archtop, here on consignment. This is a player's guitar. It's been well-used and has a "lived-in" look to it, but is still in great condition with no cracks or splits. It plays well and has a good, full sound. This instrument is $750 with HSC.

Click the photos for more detail.

Pictured here is a custom copy of a 1925 Gibson F-5 "Fern", commissioned by Jimmy Gaudreau, and copied from an instrument owned by him. (Click on the thumbnails to see more detail.)

This reproduction is a collaborative work between Pete Langdell, who is doing all the woodwork, and John Paganoni, who will be applying the finish. This will be a spectacular instrument when finally complete. What you see here is the mandolin "in the white", with the pieces roughed out. The body is nearly complete, but the neck block has not yet been shaped. Final graduation and tuning remains for the top. The instrument will have a radiused fingerboard.