The elder Joseph Di Mauro was part of the mass emigration of master
Sicilian luthiers (Busato, Oliveri Anastasio, etc) who left Catania in
the early 20th century. In the 1930s Di Mauro and his countrymen
setup a series of shops on the East side of Paris and quickly adapted
their skills to making jazz guitars in the Selmer Maccaferri style. Di
Mauro was certainly one of the most successful and long lasting of
these Franco-Sicilian luthiers as his guitars were widely adopted by
players of many styles. Notable players include Moreno, Boulou Ferre,
Patrick Saussois, Samy Daussat, Jean-Yves Dubanton, and even Pat
Metheny! Di Mauro guitars were produced continuously until the early
90s, first by Antoine and then later by his son Joseph.
This guitar was built by Antoine Di Mauro's brother Joseph, not be
confused with Antoine's son of the same name. The distinctive heart
shaped sound hole clearly
marks it as his work. This model is extremely rare with very few known
surviving examples.
This guitar has the customary three piece neck
and arched back that was typical of Franco-Sicilian makers such as Di
Mauro, Busato, Bucolo, etc. The top is spruce, the neck is mahogany with an ebony spline, and the back and sides are made from a stunning piece of birdseye maple!
This instrument possess the much coveted dry, classic tone that is
only found in the best vintage Gypsy guitars. Each note is crisp, clear,
and well defined with the kind of character and complexity that only
comes with age. Projection is excellent as the Castelluccia style three
brace design really lets the top move. The balance of this instrument is
particularly noteworthy as it's one of the rare guitars that excels in
both the bass and treble registers. I particularly like the low-mid
"growl" this guitar produces as it gives chordal work a wonderful
attitude that is lacking in other, more "polite" instruments.
This instrument is setup for modern style professional playing with very easy 3mm action and perfectly leveled frets.
The
condition is excellent for a guitar of this age. The fingerboard and
frets are new.The tailpiece and tuners were replaced with a very nice
set of Dupont DRs. There are no cracks and surprisingly few dings and
scratches for its age. Certainly one of the cleanest examples I've seen
from this period.
This is the CASH price...add 3% if you'd like to pay with a credit card. Add 4% for international credit card orders.
Brand | Di Mauro |
Year | 1940s |
Model Number | Heart Hole |
Serial Number | None |
Sound Hole | Heart Hole |
Fret Neck | 14 Fret |
Condition | Excellent |
Size | 16 1/8" |
Scale Length | 660mm |
Nut Width | 1 3/4" |
Body Depth | 3 3/4" |
Top | Spruce |
Back and Sides | Birdseye Maple |
Neck | Mahogany with Rosewood spline |
Fingerboard | Rosewood |
Binding | Ebony |
Finish | Vintage |
Tailpiece | DR |
Tuners | DR |
Action | 3mm |
Strings | Argentine 1610 |
Case | TKL Hardshell |
Pickup(s) | None |
Truss Rod | None |
Weight | 3.8 lbs |