FS: Joseph Di Mauro F hole!

klaatu · June 2013

Hi everyone -

I am offering for sale a wonderful JOSEPH (the elder) Di Mauro F hole guitar, probably dating from the 1950s. I bought this guitar from Djangobooks last year and thought it was going to be my best shot at an affordable vintage gypsy guitar, but then an amazing Favino came along, and I had to go for it, putting me into a bit of a financial hole. To dig myself out, I just sold ONE of my Rodrigo Shopis guitars and am putting this exceptional instrument up as well. Some of you got to see and try it at Django in June.

Joseph's guitars are pretty rare, and the F holes are rarer still. Brother Antoine and his son Joseph turned out a fairly large number of "Special Chorus" guitars with the similar S hole from their shop, but the elder Joseph worked alone, hence his output was quite a bit lower. What can I say about this guitar? It is the greatest rhythm instrument I have ever played, dry and LOUD with thumpy bass and loads of punch. I sometimes take it to our regular jam sessions, and when whoever is playing it stops playing rhythm and starts to solo, it's like the whole bottom falls out of the rhythm section. It's a great solo instrument as well, with a lot of classic Tchan Tchou kind of vibe.

This guitar is in amazing condition for Di Mauro of this age, solid with only a few surface cracks that don't seem to go through. All original except for the fingerboard - SB tuners that work very well, and original tailpiece. The G string tuner button seems to have broken at some point, but it's been well repaired. Top is spruce, back and sides are birdseye maple, and it features the characteristic Di Mauro three piece neck with the spline.

gypsyguitars.com has one for sale for $5000, and I have it on good authority that mine is better sounding and in better shape at $4500 with soft-sided (but very strong) Stagg Case. Shipping and customs are of course the responsibility of the buyer.

The sticker on the back of the headstock is a Canada Customs sticker which will come off quite easily. I had to get that put on so I could bring it back into the country without question, because the guitar has no serial number. They're picky about that sort of thing.

Michael Bauer · June 2013

May I stick my nose in to say that this is a really lovely guitar, and would make a fine first vintage guitar for someone looking to take the plunge? Klaatu brought this guitar to Django in June for me to try, and I was most impressed by its condition, which is as good as any vintage gypsy guitar I have ever crossed paths with, and its sound. The only thing not original on the guitar is the bridge. Tuning keys are SBs, and the tailpiece is original as well, both in excellent condition. Two out of three is above average for vintage guitars. It's also a very rare thing, as are all Joseph the Elder's guitars, but I've only seen one other Joseph Chorus. This one is in better shape. The "cracks" are surface only, and are way fewer in number than the Joseph di Mauro heart hole I have. They are only in the outer layer of laminate.

The sound is as described. It's a superlative rhythm machine,with a rich, full sound, and is very good as a solo instrument (if only the high-E could get a little more cutting, it would be a giant killer on solos). I think someone willing to try a different bridge might solve that. The bridge on it is more Selmerish, and has alot more mass than an original Joseph bridge.

My two cents, for what they are worth. I just hope it finds the great home. The only reason I didn't buy it is that I found a 1924 Maccaferri classical that I just couldn't pass on (and haven't recovered from), and there went the dineros.

klaatu · August 2013

I'm going to lower the price on this to $4000 and give it a while longer before it goes on eBay (at which time the price is NOT going down, so you won't want to wait for that).