1950s Joseph Di Mauro Special Chorus

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 his brother Joseph and later by Antoine's son Joseph.

This guitar was built by Antoine Di Mauro's brother Joseph, not be confused with Antoine's son of the same name. This f hole model by the elder Joseph is extremely rare with very few known surviving examples.

The dimensions of this instrument are typical of Joseph's work: 16 1/8" body width, 3 13/16" body depth, and a 660mm scale length. The top is spruce. The back and sides are made of birdseye maple which Joseph used extensively. As is typical with most of the Sicilian luthiers, the back is bent and the neck is reinforced with a center spline. As one of Joseph's most ornate models, this guitar features ivoroid rope binding and the Di Mauro style diamond fingerboard inlays. Hardware includes a nickel DR tailpiece and an original set of nickel SB tuners.

This instrument is in very good condition. It is completely free of top cracks and has new frets. There are signs of an impact on the lower treble bout: A few small cracks in the side laminate. some discoloration of the top, and a small bit of replaced binding. Otherwise, this instrument plays beautifully with slick 3mm action.

Seventy or so years of ageing have beautifully matured and refined the tone of this classic instrument. The mids are particularly focused, clear, and penetrating which makes this both an excellent rhythm guitar as well a very warm sounding lead guitar. With lots of character and phenomenal projection, this instrument is in a class of it's own. The balance of it's rounded highs, robust mids, and tight bass will stand out in any jam session or on the bandstand.

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