DeVille · from £3,225 · 12–16 weeks

In my mind I envisaged the bastard offspring of a 335 and a Jaguar… and here it is.

John, on the DeVille

I never imagined I would get to make 100 guitars… but here we are… so, to celebrate this fact I thought I would go against the grain for what I'm known for… So I give to you… The DeVille. OK so not massively against the grain, it's still a punk rock weapon if you want it to be… but if you want refined classic it can do that role equally well. So… what do you get… from a completely hand made guitar…

More of it
Every photograph of the DeVille
Hear it

In this body, through the shed amp.

A Vox AC4TV with a Celestion Greenback, at one watt, clean and dirty. Same mic, same hands. Same chickens outside.

clean1:08
dirty0:32
dirty · strums0:16

Fine for comparing guitars on most speakers.

On film
Dalston Sessions

Dalston Sessions Vol. 1

Andrea from Soul String interviews John. Part one examines guitar No 100.

All the films
The shape

What would a guitar look like if a Jaguar and a 335 had a kid?

John, on the shape

I don't sleep a lot. It was one of those nights, three in the morning, the brain won't shut up, and the voices went: what do you think a guitar would look like if a Jaguar and a 335 had a kid? And me going, just shut up and let me sleep. But actually, that's not a bad question. So I got the pad out and drew a few ideas that could work. A different upper horn. The lower horn almost cut off completely — just a little stump, for want of a better term. I was going through a love affair with offsets at the time, so I skewed it a bit, like a Jazzmaster. And I'd just had a '69 335 across the bench, all original, and when we plugged it in it was beautiful. So what are the problems with a 335? Wiring the damn thing — everything goes in through the f-holes. Is that a problem on a Jaguar? No, you lift the pickguard off. It kind of went from there.

The DeVille, in the door.
How it's built

Hollow, with the trem braced in its own box.

John, on how it's built

It's essentially a hollow body, a bit like the Thickline. There isn't a full centre block: a partial one where the heel sits, and a wider one at the bottom where the trem sits in a hole, so the trem's braced in its own box. Everything else is hollow — drop something in one side and it goes all the way through. A drop top makes it easier to build, too: a nice bit of figured timber on a body of African walnut, which I hadn't used until then. Stunning to work, and it sounds lovely — a lot of the same qualities as mahogany, a certain depth to it, where maple's a bit sharper in the high registers.

The back.
The voice

Twin humbuckers. It had to be.

John, on the voice

Being that it's the bastard child of a Jaguar, a Jazzmaster and a 335, it's got to be twin humbuckers, really — I'm not a big fan of Jazzmaster pickups. From here on they're Monty's: an underspun in the bridge and an overspun in the neck, which sounds like a bizarre combination. Whenever I mention it people go, what? They're not even balanced. But the output of a pickup doesn't dictate what it sounds like. Number 100 reads about 7.6K in the bridge and 12.5K in the neck, which is technically a hot pickup, and it's beautifully balanced — you'd swear it was low output. The underspun and the overspun give the same balance.

  • HH

    Powered by a set of hand wound Monty's Underpin PAF humbuckers, warm, rich and incredibly articulate. As they say at Monty's, they not only sound different, they react differently to your picking attack, hitting the front end with a softer bloom.

Two gold foils.
Hardware

A Jag-style trem, braced in its own box.

  • Sprung trem

    Hand relic'd nickel roller bridge and American Imperial Jag style adjustable trem with a medium-hard spring.

The tailpiece and the knobs.
The body

Four timbers. Each one changes the voice.

  • Mahogany

    Warm and thick in the middle, with a soft top end and a long, even sustain. There's a good reason Les Pauls and SGs sound like they do.

  • African Walnut

    A different depth than mahogany, and lighter than maple in the higher register.

  • Korina

    Mahogany's lighter cousin — the Flying V and Explorer wood — with the same warmth but a little more air and snap on top.

  • Swamp Ash

    Light, open and bright, with a scooped middle and a big, airy low end. The original Telecaster wood.

A mahogany body on its template.
The top

What you see, and what the burst sits on.

  • Flame Maple

    Hard and bright: it adds definition and attack to whatever body is under it.

  • Curly Coastal Redwood

    Soft and light, more like cedar than maple — warms the top end and lets the note bloom rather than snap.

  • Bog Oak

    Oak that has lain in a peat bog for thousands of years, dense and hard. Adds weight and a hard, clear attack.

  • Curly English Walnut

    Between maple and mahogany — a touch of maple's clarity without its edge, and figure that goes deep under a translucent finish.

Flame maple under raking light.
The look

Colour last, deliberately.

John, on the look

I don't like a highly polished figured-top guitar. Number 100 was going that way, and I don't like that. So it got a really deep, rich wine burst, fading from black into the colour, and it's double bound, because a hundredth guitar has to be. Stunning road worn nitrocellulose finish in the following colours only, with age appropriate checking and wear all over.

  • Tobacco Burst

    Mid tobacco brown fading to black.

  • 3 Tone Sunburst

    Traditional sunburst — yellow to red to black.

  • Bourbon Burst

    Vintage-inspired translucent amber fading to brown, as vintage instruments often faded to this colouration.

  • Cherry Burst

    Transparent amber centre fading to a vibrant cherry red outer.

  • Natural Burst

    Completely transparent centre fading into black outer edge.

No limit on these any more. The top of the range, built one at a time, one of one. Number 100 stays with us.

See the colours
Four in the doorway. Colour is the last thing decided.
DeVillewhat's fixed, and what's yours
BuildHollow, heel block and a box for the trem; the rest is air
BindingDouble bound, abalone on No 100
NeckRoasted flame maple
BoardRosewood, mother of pearl markers
Board edgesRolled, if it feels nicer, it plays nicer
Back of the neckBare wood, waxed, no gloss to stick to
FretsMedium-tall, as big as we go on nines
TunersSatin Grover Imperial
ElectricsCTS pots, NOS Mullard mustard caps, Switchcraft jack and switch
FinishNitro, road worn, age appropriate checking and wear all over
CaseABS hard case, with case candy
CertificateYes
The bodyMahogany · African Walnut · Korina · Swamp Ash, your call
The topFlame Maple · Curly Coastal Redwood · Bog Oak · Curly English Walnut, your call
The look5 to choose from, your call
Lead time12–16 weeks
From£3,225

Deposit £1,613 at order. Balance by invoice when it’s done.

Start with this onePlay one