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VEILLETTE CITRON VC-II BASS 1981. SN: 290. STANDARD. BEAUTIFUL SUNBURST. RARE.
Estimated price for orientation: 3 295 $
Category: Electric Guitars
Class:
Description
Description VEILLETTECITRONVC-IISTANDARDBASSGUITAR1981MarchSN: 280NOTE: PLEASE LOOK AT OUR OTHER AUCTIONS FOR MORE GREAT GUITARS.VEILLETTE-CITRON GUITARS & BASSES Number One on my list of most undervalued "vintage custom" guitars. My current collection of guitars and amplifiers now totals over 1500+ pieces. Within that collection are several brands of guitars that I consider to be unfairly ignored and undervalued as collectible instruments. Veillette-Citron (Guitars and Basses) is at the top of my list of these brands. They are absolutely superb instruments well crafted with the best of materials by true artisans. If you have not played a V-C, you have missed a marvelous experience. They are solid strong guitars with incredible tones coming from its custom pickups. And they are beautiful and stylish. The finishes are impeccable on the highly flamed maple woods (and rare exotic KOA wood). The action is low and smooth and it plays superbly. And the best electronic components were used in these guitars, e.g., Bourn pots, and the inside cavity is copper lined. I believe that Veillette Citron guitars, as well as those other incredible guitars built by Standel (Koontz), Lado, and others will soon attain the status of "collector guitars" and their increased value will be reflected in higher prices that they rightly deserve. The creation of the "collectible" guitar market initially came as the result of "word of mouth", magazine columns, and a lot of hype. The internet has now helped to bring needed attention to those luthiers who created guitars instead of just assembling or building them. Many of these luthiers must be considered as gifted artists and should be equally honored for their artistic skills as well as their resulting products. Also, with the buyer's ability to find a guitar online and buy it immediately, along with the seller's ability to immediately offer a guitar to millions of people throughout the world (thanks ebay), it does not take long for a demand trend (quite deserving in this case) to quickly outstrip the existing supply, e.g., Veillette Citron, as a company only built a total of 500 pieces and the majority of those were basses according to available information. In a "new" open world that honestly recognizes the inherent value of a handmade guitar as a piece of "performance art", i.e., it plays as good as it looks so every time it is played, it becomes a single piece art show as well. And even though I am guilty of buying many "new guitars" built by "new luthiers", I sometimes wonder if that is dishonoring those small shop luthiers who paved the way for these new builders to be able to gain access to a product market that was so dominated by the two major mass builders in the 1960's-70's as to make any attempt to introduce real "handbuilt" guitars into the market almost certainly doomed to fail. Veillette Citron did not fail. They succeeded in building one of a kind quality instruments that will become true "collectibles". From online:Sculptured Beauties
The Age of Veillette-Citron Guitars
by Baker Rorick. Guitar Shop, November 1997. Veillette-Citron guitars are very rare birds today. Veillette-Citron was a pioneer in neck-thru-body construction with highly-figured maple and exotic hardwoods, sophisticated electronics, and other trend setting features, especially in modern, high-end electric bass design. They also created the first-ever production baritone guitars. Today, their hand crafted instruments are highly sought after by collectors, but lack of know ledge about this small company (many people think they're French) makes it possible to occasionally find over looked V-C's languishing in stores and pawn shops for only a few hundred dollars. Grab `em.For star power, members of Orleans, Blondie, the Waitresses, and the B-52's played Veillette-Citron guitars and baritones, while Talking Heads' Tina Weymouth used a V-C bass, and Kasim Sultan (Utopia), Rutjer Gunnerson (ABBA), and Van Halen's Michael Anthony used their 8-string basses. Eddie Van Halen got a Shark baritone, and other V-C ban players include Jorma Kaukonen, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Devo's Robert Mothersbaugh, and James Taylor. Not a bad list of players, eh?Veillette-Citron was founded in 1976 by Harvey Citron and Joe Veillette (pronounced "Vay-ette"), who met in architecture school. Citron had been playing guitar and performing since age 12, while Veillette had studied acoustic guitar building with luthier Michael Gurian. Eventually, both Joe and Harvey gave up their architecture careers to collaborate on guitars. They displayed a guitar and a bass in the Vinci Strings booth at Summer NAMM `76, and stunned the guitar community with the beauty and elegance of their designs. With a distribution agreement and orders in hand, they bought equipment and opened their own shop in Brooklyn. The first V-C catalog, from 1977, shows 6- and 12-string guitars, and a long-scale bass, all made of incredibly flamed maple, with laminated maple and ebony necks, ebony fingerboards, lacquered solid-brass and gold-plated hardware, deluxe Schaller tuning machines, and two "high clarity" humbucking pickups with coil taps, phase switches, individual Volume and Tone controls, and a Master Volume. Their basses had 24 jumbo frets, and the guitars had... 25! From the start, most of their instruments were custom-built and came with a variety of configurations and options, like 2- and 3-stage pickups, stereo wiring, and various body woods, including koa, walnut, or East Indian rosewood. Their 8-string bass became one of their most popular instruments. V-C evolved in friendly convergence as an East Coast equivalent of Alembic, with similarities in design and approach.Where other companies moved to mass-production techniques to meet demand, Veillette-Citron emphasized craftsmanship, making each instrument a labor of love.
In 1979, v-c moved upstate to Kingston, NY, on the Hudson River not far from the Catskill mountain town of Woodstock. By 1980, V-C was making three series of instruments, most with just 22 frets: The Standard (black or sunburst finishes, basic electronics, rosewood finger-boards, chrome hardware), Classic (figured maple, two-stage pickups, ebony boards, gold hardware), and Limited Edition (exotic woods, deluxe electronics with 3-stage pickups, special carving and detailing). They had also tapped into the Woodstock music community, and, in conjunction with John Sebastian, V-C developed the first "Shark" baritone guitar, with a body shape similar to the Guild Thunderbirds that Sebastian and Zal Yanowsky had played in the Lovin' Spoonful. Harvey developed a new single-coil pickup for the Shark, and in 1982, V-C introduced their new S Series guitars, baritones, and one or two-pickup basses, with maple bodies and set-neck con struction, which retailed for under $1,000 (other V-Cs were priced from $1,250 to well over $2,000). Unfortunately, an expected infusion of capital for expanded production capability fell through, and increasing frustration with the business-end and daily grind led V-C to disband in 1983. They never had more than a half-dozen employees, and V-C's insistence on maintaining the integrity of their designs, quality, labor-intensive hardware and hand-wound pickups were not cost effective. Where other companies moved to mass-production techniques to meet demand, Veillette-Citron emphasized craftsmanship, making each instrument a labor of love. In all, Harvey and Joe built approximately 500 instruments in their seven-year run, about half of them basses, and including no more than 15 Shark baritones.Earlier V-C instruments are distinguished by hand- tooled brass knobs and strap buttons, engraved brass control cavity backplates, and intricate details of workmanship too numerous to mention here, while later ones used commercially available endpins, plastic knobs, and plastic backplates. They continued throughout to fashion their own brass tailpieces and fully adjustable bridges. They're scarce today, and are more common on the East Coast and in the Midwest than out West.ABOUT THIS GUITAR.This is a beautiful Veillette-Citron bass guitar. It was signed off on by Harvey Citron in March, 1981 with serial number 280. SN: 280March, 1981Signed by Harvey CitronBody wings are solid maple.Rosewood Fretboard.22 Frets.Tuners are chrome Schallers.Extensive electronic copper shielding to make guitar almost noise free.Two pickups (2) fully adjustable (dual hum cancelling)Chrome bridge and tailpiece.Has 1 pup switch and 4 knobs for volume/tone control for each pickup. OHSC. GOOD CONDITION. Finish has checking and some dings, scratches, and dents. Also there is a spot on the bottom bout end of the guitar where the finish has been scraped off (see photos) and you can see where the finish on the front just above the pickups has been marred by removal of a handmade thumb rest. The finish has been buffed and waxed but still has marks where rest was removed. About TUNE YOUR SOUND.More information about this guitar and others can be found at: tuneyoursound.comTYS is a joint venture between a couple of guitar collectors who both share a passion for rock and roll music and the instruments used to make that music. Fortunately the two of us have been able to afford to buy the best examples of these instruments we could find. Many are one off, celebrity owned, and unique. And yes, we own a lot of guitars-together we are closing in on the 2,000 mark. But we have decided it is time to share our the fruits of our passion with other likewise smitten players and collectors, so please keep checking our auctions for more unbelievable pieces.Beginning Fall, 2012, many of our instruments will be made available for rent in the USA and Europe. Please check our site for more information. GUARANTEE:BUYER HAS 48 HOURS TO HAVE THE INSTRUMENT INSPECTED BY A PROFESSIONAL GUITAR REPAIR PERSON OR LUTHIER. IF ANY DEFECTS ARE FOUND IN THE MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL CONDITION OF THE INSTRUMENT (NOT DISCLOSED IN THE AUCTION AD), BUYER WILL BE REQUIRED TO SHIP THE INSTRUMENT BACK TO US BY EXPRESS SHIPMENT USING THE ORIGINAL PACKING MATERIALS AND ANY ADDITIONAL PACKAGING TO INSURE ITS SAFE RETURN. IT MUST BE FULLY INSURED. BUYER PAYS ALL COST TO SHIP THE INSTRUMENT BACK TO US. WE WILL REPAIR THE INSTRUMENT WITHIN TEN DAYS OF RETURN RECEIPT AND SHIP IT BACK TO THE BUYER AT OUR EXPENSE. THIS ASSURANCE DOES NOT APPLY TO KNOBS, STRINGS, HARDWARE DISCOLORATION, STRAPS. CASES, OR ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE THAT MAY OCCUR AFTER RECEIPT BY BUYER. ALL INSTRUMENTS ARE FULLY PHOTOGRAPHED PRIOR TO SHIPMENT. IT IS THE BUYER’S RESPONSIBILITY TO NOTIFY SELLER IMMEDIATELY IF THE INSTRUMENT HAS INCURRED ANY DAMAGE DURING SHIPMENT. IN THE EVENT OF SUCH DAMAGE, PLEASE RETAIN ALL SHIPPING MATERIALS FOR INSPECTION.FULL DETAILS INCLUDED IN AD. BUYER HAS 48 HOURS TO HAVE THE INSTRUMENT INSPECTED BY A PROFESSIONAL GUITAR REPAIR PERSON OR LUTHIER. IF ANY DEFECTS ARE FOUND IN THE MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL CONDITION OF THE INSTRUMENT (NOT DISCLOSED IN THE AUCTION AD), BUYER WILL BE REQUIRED TO SHIP THE INSTRUMENT BACK TO US BY EXPRESS SHIPMENT USING THE ORIGINAL PACKING MATERIALS AND ANY ADDITIONAL PACKAGING TO INSURE ITS SAFE RETURN PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU BID.SHIPPING CHARGES. The charges listed in this ad are for the continental US only. Shipment outside that area is at actual cost and Buyer must pay all tariffs, duties, and other charges that may be levied on the item when it is imported into its final destination. And for foreign buyers, please request a quote for shipping cost before you bid. No surprises are always good. And please do not ask that we use a lower value for an export shipment. NOTE: NO THIRD PARTY SHIPMENTS-WE ONLY SHIP TO THE BUYER WHO PAYS FOR IT. How we indicate condition of guitar:Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of selling guitars (and most collectibles) is the manner in which condition is determined and rated. We have chosen to stay away from the percentage scale and from the “MINT” down scale as well. They just cannot be quantified. We will use the definitions listed below, which are also subjective, but more general. Rating collectibles of any type is always subjective and to do attempt to do it on some objective checklist basis always seems to raise more questions than answered. We just want the Buyer to be pleased with her/his purchase and to not complain if there is a cat hair under the E string on the 5th fret.Our definitions used to describe condition of guitars:PRISTINE/EXCELLENT. Very little, if any, fret wear, neck wear, body wear, scratches, dings, or other cosmetic damage. Electronics work correctly. Hardware works correctly (tuners, tremolo systems, bridges, and tailpieces). Other accessories with the guitar, i.e., hang tags, tools, etc., will be noted in the ad. Pictures in ad, or as provided later, will take precedence over any written description.ks correctly (tuners, tremolo systems, bridges, and tailpieces). VERY GOOD. More wear and tear than EXCELENT but still in very good cosmetic condition. Again, the nicks, dings, etc will be described in the ad and shown in the pictures. Hardware works correctly (tuners, tremolo systems, bridges, and tailpieces). GOOD. Step down from very good.Other definitions we may use:NOS. New Old Stock. Speaks for itself but the condition will still be rated. PROTOS. These are usually one of a kind prototype instrument. DEMOS (Display): From NAMM etc. ONE OF A KIND. Only one like it.If you have any questions about the condition of a guitar that we are advertising for sale, please ask us before you bid and we will provide you with whatever information you require to make your decision about bidding on an item. BUT THE ULTIMATE GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL GIVE YOU ON ANY ITEM IS “YOU ARE BIDDING ON WHAT YOU SEE IN THE PICTURES AS TO COSMETIC CONDITION” AND WHAT IS LISTED IN THE AD AS TO ELECTRONIC CONDITION. FOR NOS GUITARS, PROTOS, AND DISPLAY GUITARS, THEY ARE SOLD IN “AS IS” CONDITION.Thank you.ONE LAST NOTE: We appreciate feedback about our offerings but please do not email us about our prices. WE DO NOT BELIEVE, AND HAVE NEVER TRUSTED, “BOOK VALUE” AS A MEASURE OF VALUE FOR A GUITAR (and most other things). Such a concept only works if you are selling in a mass market situation where one item is just like the next one off the line. NONE OF OUR GUITARS SOLD HERE REALLY CAN BE CALLED “MASS MARKET” PIECES. Each was purchased for a unique feature (appearance, sound, construction, craftsmanship, ownership, maker, etc) and therefore cannot be given a “book value”.NOTE: ABOUT PAYMENTS FOR THIS GUITAR. WE ARE FORCED BY EBAY TO USE PAYPAL AS A FORM OF PAYMENT. WE WILL DO THAT BUT ONLY FROM PAYPAL FUNDS AVAILABLE IN YOUR ACCOUNT OR BY ECHECK.
Description
Description VEILLETTECITRONVC-IISTANDARDBASSGUITAR1981MarchSN: 280NOTE: PLEASE LOOK AT OUR OTHER AUCTIONS FOR MORE GREAT GUITARS.VEILLETTE-CITRON GUITARS & BASSES Number One on my list of most undervalued "vintage custom" guitars. My current collection of guitars and amplifiers now totals over 1500+ pieces. Within that collection are several brands of guitars that I consider to be unfairly ignored and undervalued as collectible instruments. Veillette-Citron (Guitars and Basses) is at the top of my list of these brands. They are absolutely superb instruments well crafted with the best of materials by true artisans. If you have not played a V-C, you have missed a marvelous experience. They are solid strong guitars with incredible tones coming from its custom pickups. And they are beautiful and stylish. The finishes are impeccable on the highly flamed maple woods (and rare exotic KOA wood). The action is low and smooth and it plays superbly. And the best electronic components were used in these guitars, e.g., Bourn pots, and the inside cavity is copper lined. I believe that Veillette Citron guitars, as well as those other incredible guitars built by Standel (Koontz), Lado, and others will soon attain the status of "collector guitars" and their increased value will be reflected in higher prices that they rightly deserve. The creation of the "collectible" guitar market initially came as the result of "word of mouth", magazine columns, and a lot of hype. The internet has now helped to bring needed attention to those luthiers who created guitars instead of just assembling or building them. Many of these luthiers must be considered as gifted artists and should be equally honored for their artistic skills as well as their resulting products. Also, with the buyer's ability to find a guitar online and buy it immediately, along with the seller's ability to immediately offer a guitar to millions of people throughout the world (thanks ebay), it does not take long for a demand trend (quite deserving in this case) to quickly outstrip the existing supply, e.g., Veillette Citron, as a company only built a total of 500 pieces and the majority of those were basses according to available information. In a "new" open world that honestly recognizes the inherent value of a handmade guitar as a piece of "performance art", i.e., it plays as good as it looks so every time it is played, it becomes a single piece art show as well. And even though I am guilty of buying many "new guitars" built by "new luthiers", I sometimes wonder if that is dishonoring those small shop luthiers who paved the way for these new builders to be able to gain access to a product market that was so dominated by the two major mass builders in the 1960's-70's as to make any attempt to introduce real "handbuilt" guitars into the market almost certainly doomed to fail. Veillette Citron did not fail. They succeeded in building one of a kind quality instruments that will become true "collectibles". From online:Sculptured Beauties
The Age of Veillette-Citron Guitars
by Baker Rorick. Guitar Shop, November 1997. Veillette-Citron guitars are very rare birds today. Veillette-Citron was a pioneer in neck-thru-body construction with highly-figured maple and exotic hardwoods, sophisticated electronics, and other trend setting features, especially in modern, high-end electric bass design. They also created the first-ever production baritone guitars. Today, their hand crafted instruments are highly sought after by collectors, but lack of know ledge about this small company (many people think they're French) makes it possible to occasionally find over looked V-C's languishing in stores and pawn shops for only a few hundred dollars. Grab `em.For star power, members of Orleans, Blondie, the Waitresses, and the B-52's played Veillette-Citron guitars and baritones, while Talking Heads' Tina Weymouth used a V-C bass, and Kasim Sultan (Utopia), Rutjer Gunnerson (ABBA), and Van Halen's Michael Anthony used their 8-string basses. Eddie Van Halen got a Shark baritone, and other V-C ban players include Jorma Kaukonen, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Devo's Robert Mothersbaugh, and James Taylor. Not a bad list of players, eh?Veillette-Citron was founded in 1976 by Harvey Citron and Joe Veillette (pronounced "Vay-ette"), who met in architecture school. Citron had been playing guitar and performing since age 12, while Veillette had studied acoustic guitar building with luthier Michael Gurian. Eventually, both Joe and Harvey gave up their architecture careers to collaborate on guitars. They displayed a guitar and a bass in the Vinci Strings booth at Summer NAMM `76, and stunned the guitar community with the beauty and elegance of their designs. With a distribution agreement and orders in hand, they bought equipment and opened their own shop in Brooklyn. The first V-C catalog, from 1977, shows 6- and 12-string guitars, and a long-scale bass, all made of incredibly flamed maple, with laminated maple and ebony necks, ebony fingerboards, lacquered solid-brass and gold-plated hardware, deluxe Schaller tuning machines, and two "high clarity" humbucking pickups with coil taps, phase switches, individual Volume and Tone controls, and a Master Volume. Their basses had 24 jumbo frets, and the guitars had... 25! From the start, most of their instruments were custom-built and came with a variety of configurations and options, like 2- and 3-stage pickups, stereo wiring, and various body woods, including koa, walnut, or East Indian rosewood. Their 8-string bass became one of their most popular instruments. V-C evolved in friendly convergence as an East Coast equivalent of Alembic, with similarities in design and approach.
In 1979, v-c moved upstate to Kingston, NY, on the Hudson River not far from the Catskill mountain town of Woodstock. By 1980, V-C was making three series of instruments, most with just 22 frets: The Standard (black or sunburst finishes, basic electronics, rosewood finger-boards, chrome hardware), Classic (figured maple, two-stage pickups, ebony boards, gold hardware), and Limited Edition (exotic woods, deluxe electronics with 3-stage pickups, special carving and detailing). They had also tapped into the Woodstock music community, and, in conjunction with John Sebastian, V-C developed the first "Shark" baritone guitar, with a body shape similar to the Guild Thunderbirds that Sebastian and Zal Yanowsky had played in the Lovin' Spoonful. Harvey developed a new single-coil pickup for the Shark, and in 1982, V-C introduced their new S Series guitars, baritones, and one or two-pickup basses, with maple bodies and set-neck con struction, which retailed for under $1,000 (other V-Cs were priced from $1,250 to well over $2,000). Unfortunately, an expected infusion of capital for expanded production capability fell through, and increasing frustration with the business-end and daily grind led V-C to disband in 1983. They never had more than a half-dozen employees, and V-C's insistence on maintaining the integrity of their designs, quality, labor-intensive hardware and hand-wound pickups were not cost effective. Where other companies moved to mass-production techniques to meet demand, Veillette-Citron emphasized craftsmanship, making each instrument a labor of love. In all, Harvey and Joe built approximately 500 instruments in their seven-year run, about half of them basses, and including no more than 15 Shark baritones.Earlier V-C instruments are distinguished by hand- tooled brass knobs and strap buttons, engraved brass control cavity backplates, and intricate details of workmanship too numerous to mention here, while later ones used commercially available endpins, plastic knobs, and plastic backplates. They continued throughout to fashion their own brass tailpieces and fully adjustable bridges. They're scarce today, and are more common on the East Coast and in the Midwest than out West.ABOUT THIS GUITAR.This is a beautiful Veillette-Citron bass guitar. It was signed off on by Harvey Citron in March, 1981 with serial number 280. SN: 280March, 1981Signed by Harvey CitronBody wings are solid maple.Rosewood Fretboard.22 Frets.Tuners are chrome Schallers.Extensive electronic copper shielding to make guitar almost noise free.Two pickups (2) fully adjustable (dual hum cancelling)Chrome bridge and tailpiece.Has 1 pup switch and 4 knobs for volume/tone control for each pickup. OHSC. GOOD CONDITION. Finish has checking and some dings, scratches, and dents. Also there is a spot on the bottom bout end of the guitar where the finish has been scraped off (see photos) and you can see where the finish on the front just above the pickups has been marred by removal of a handmade thumb rest. The finish has been buffed and waxed but still has marks where rest was removed. About TUNE YOUR SOUND.More information about this guitar and others can be found at: tuneyoursound.comTYS is a joint venture between a couple of guitar collectors who both share a passion for rock and roll music and the instruments used to make that music. Fortunately the two of us have been able to afford to buy the best examples of these instruments we could find. Many are one off, celebrity owned, and unique. And yes, we own a lot of guitars-together we are closing in on the 2,000 mark. But we have decided it is time to share our the fruits of our passion with other likewise smitten players and collectors, so please keep checking our auctions for more unbelievable pieces.Beginning Fall, 2012, many of our instruments will be made available for rent in the USA and Europe. Please check our site for more information. GUARANTEE:BUYER HAS 48 HOURS TO HAVE THE INSTRUMENT INSPECTED BY A PROFESSIONAL GUITAR REPAIR PERSON OR LUTHIER. IF ANY DEFECTS ARE FOUND IN THE MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL CONDITION OF THE INSTRUMENT (NOT DISCLOSED IN THE AUCTION AD), BUYER WILL BE REQUIRED TO SHIP THE INSTRUMENT BACK TO US BY EXPRESS SHIPMENT USING THE ORIGINAL PACKING MATERIALS AND ANY ADDITIONAL PACKAGING TO INSURE ITS SAFE RETURN. IT MUST BE FULLY INSURED. BUYER PAYS ALL COST TO SHIP THE INSTRUMENT BACK TO US. WE WILL REPAIR THE INSTRUMENT WITHIN TEN DAYS OF RETURN RECEIPT AND SHIP IT BACK TO THE BUYER AT OUR EXPENSE. THIS ASSURANCE DOES NOT APPLY TO KNOBS, STRINGS, HARDWARE DISCOLORATION, STRAPS. CASES, OR ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE THAT MAY OCCUR AFTER RECEIPT BY BUYER. ALL INSTRUMENTS ARE FULLY PHOTOGRAPHED PRIOR TO SHIPMENT. IT IS THE BUYER’S RESPONSIBILITY TO NOTIFY SELLER IMMEDIATELY IF THE INSTRUMENT HAS INCURRED ANY DAMAGE DURING SHIPMENT. IN THE EVENT OF SUCH DAMAGE, PLEASE RETAIN ALL SHIPPING MATERIALS FOR INSPECTION.FULL DETAILS INCLUDED IN AD. BUYER HAS 48 HOURS TO HAVE THE INSTRUMENT INSPECTED BY A PROFESSIONAL GUITAR REPAIR PERSON OR LUTHIER. IF ANY DEFECTS ARE FOUND IN THE MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL CONDITION OF THE INSTRUMENT (NOT DISCLOSED IN THE AUCTION AD), BUYER WILL BE REQUIRED TO SHIP THE INSTRUMENT BACK TO US BY EXPRESS SHIPMENT USING THE ORIGINAL PACKING MATERIALS AND ANY ADDITIONAL PACKAGING TO INSURE ITS SAFE RETURN PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU BID.SHIPPING CHARGES. The charges listed in this ad are for the continental US only. Shipment outside that area is at actual cost and Buyer must pay all tariffs, duties, and other charges that may be levied on the item when it is imported into its final destination. And for foreign buyers, please request a quote for shipping cost before you bid. No surprises are always good. And please do not ask that we use a lower value for an export shipment. NOTE: NO THIRD PARTY SHIPMENTS-WE ONLY SHIP TO THE BUYER WHO PAYS FOR IT. How we indicate condition of guitar:Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of selling guitars (and most collectibles) is the manner in which condition is determined and rated. We have chosen to stay away from the percentage scale and from the “MINT” down scale as well. They just cannot be quantified. We will use the definitions listed below, which are also subjective, but more general. Rating collectibles of any type is always subjective and to do attempt to do it on some objective checklist basis always seems to raise more questions than answered. We just want the Buyer to be pleased with her/his purchase and to not complain if there is a cat hair under the E string on the 5th fret.Our definitions used to describe condition of guitars:PRISTINE/EXCELLENT. Very little, if any, fret wear, neck wear, body wear, scratches, dings, or other cosmetic damage. Electronics work correctly. Hardware works correctly (tuners, tremolo systems, bridges, and tailpieces). Other accessories with the guitar, i.e., hang tags, tools, etc., will be noted in the ad. Pictures in ad, or as provided later, will take precedence over any written description.ks correctly (tuners, tremolo systems, bridges, and tailpieces). VERY GOOD. More wear and tear than EXCELENT but still in very good cosmetic condition. Again, the nicks, dings, etc will be described in the ad and shown in the pictures. Hardware works correctly (tuners, tremolo systems, bridges, and tailpieces). GOOD. Step down from very good.Other definitions we may use:NOS. New Old Stock. Speaks for itself but the condition will still be rated. PROTOS. These are usually one of a kind prototype instrument. DEMOS (Display): From NAMM etc. ONE OF A KIND. Only one like it.If you have any questions about the condition of a guitar that we are advertising for sale, please ask us before you bid and we will provide you with whatever information you require to make your decision about bidding on an item. BUT THE ULTIMATE GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL GIVE YOU ON ANY ITEM IS “YOU ARE BIDDING ON WHAT YOU SEE IN THE PICTURES AS TO COSMETIC CONDITION” AND WHAT IS LISTED IN THE AD AS TO ELECTRONIC CONDITION. FOR NOS GUITARS, PROTOS, AND DISPLAY GUITARS, THEY ARE SOLD IN “AS IS” CONDITION.Thank you.ONE LAST NOTE: We appreciate feedback about our offerings but please do not email us about our prices. WE DO NOT BELIEVE, AND HAVE NEVER TRUSTED, “BOOK VALUE” AS A MEASURE OF VALUE FOR A GUITAR (and most other things). Such a concept only works if you are selling in a mass market situation where one item is just like the next one off the line. NONE OF OUR GUITARS SOLD HERE REALLY CAN BE CALLED “MASS MARKET” PIECES. Each was purchased for a unique feature (appearance, sound, construction, craftsmanship, ownership, maker, etc) and therefore cannot be given a “book value”.NOTE: ABOUT PAYMENTS FOR THIS GUITAR. WE ARE FORCED BY EBAY TO USE PAYPAL AS A FORM OF PAYMENT. WE WILL DO THAT BUT ONLY FROM PAYPAL FUNDS AVAILABLE IN YOUR ACCOUNT OR BY ECHECK.
The Age of Veillette-Citron Guitars
by Baker Rorick. Guitar Shop, November 1997. Veillette-Citron guitars are very rare birds today. Veillette-Citron was a pioneer in neck-thru-body construction with highly-figured maple and exotic hardwoods, sophisticated electronics, and other trend setting features, especially in modern, high-end electric bass design. They also created the first-ever production baritone guitars. Today, their hand crafted instruments are highly sought after by collectors, but lack of know ledge about this small company (many people think they're French) makes it possible to occasionally find over looked V-C's languishing in stores and pawn shops for only a few hundred dollars. Grab `em.For star power, members of Orleans, Blondie, the Waitresses, and the B-52's played Veillette-Citron guitars and baritones, while Talking Heads' Tina Weymouth used a V-C bass, and Kasim Sultan (Utopia), Rutjer Gunnerson (ABBA), and Van Halen's Michael Anthony used their 8-string basses. Eddie Van Halen got a Shark baritone, and other V-C ban players include Jorma Kaukonen, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Devo's Robert Mothersbaugh, and James Taylor. Not a bad list of players, eh?Veillette-Citron was founded in 1976 by Harvey Citron and Joe Veillette (pronounced "Vay-ette"), who met in architecture school. Citron had been playing guitar and performing since age 12, while Veillette had studied acoustic guitar building with luthier Michael Gurian. Eventually, both Joe and Harvey gave up their architecture careers to collaborate on guitars. They displayed a guitar and a bass in the Vinci Strings booth at Summer NAMM `76, and stunned the guitar community with the beauty and elegance of their designs. With a distribution agreement and orders in hand, they bought equipment and opened their own shop in Brooklyn. The first V-C catalog, from 1977, shows 6- and 12-string guitars, and a long-scale bass, all made of incredibly flamed maple, with laminated maple and ebony necks, ebony fingerboards, lacquered solid-brass and gold-plated hardware, deluxe Schaller tuning machines, and two "high clarity" humbucking pickups with coil taps, phase switches, individual Volume and Tone controls, and a Master Volume. Their basses had 24 jumbo frets, and the guitars had... 25! From the start, most of their instruments were custom-built and came with a variety of configurations and options, like 2- and 3-stage pickups, stereo wiring, and various body woods, including koa, walnut, or East Indian rosewood. Their 8-string bass became one of their most popular instruments. V-C evolved in friendly convergence as an East Coast equivalent of Alembic, with similarities in design and approach.
| Where other companies moved to mass-production techniques to meet demand, Veillette-Citron emphasized craftsmanship, making each instrument a labor of love. |