1940s Sonora

A very rare Sonora D hole probably made some time in the 40s. The Sonora guitars appear to have come from the Franco-Sicilian luthiery tradition that includes Busato, DiMauro, Catania, Bucolo, Oliveri, etc. The Sonora's may have actually been built under contract by Catania (for more info see: Carmelo Catania). This guitar shares many of the features often found on Busatos and other guitars of Sicilian origin: an arched back, a three piece neck, and the builder's logo on the top.

This wonderful example is the best preserved Sonora I've seen. It's nearly flawless and looks as if it was hardly played at all for the last six decades.

The body is 16" wide, 3 3/8" deep. The scale is very short at 622mm.

Amazingly, it still has the original aluminum tailpiece and bridge. This instrument was recently setup with ultra low 2mm action which makes it nearly effortless to play! The original brass  frets look completely new sugegsting this was a closet guitar most of its life.

Soundwise this guitar is a treasure! It has the old world mojo that only aged guitars have....it's very, very loud with tons of character! I simply adore its clarity and spunky personality. No doubt, this instrument will always be the life of the party!

There are two top cracks which have been cleated. One runs along the bass side and a smaller one runs parallel to the fingerboard on the treble side. Otherwise, this instrument is in excellent condition for its age.

Sonora guitars have gained recent notoriety in the hands of legendary Gypsy rhythm guitarist Hono Winterstein. He used a Sonora on the famous Live Jazz a Vienne DVD.

This is the CASH price...add 3% if you'd like to pay with a credit card. 4% for International orders.