Musikalia Jose Sanchez Gypsy Guitar from Catania Sicily

ChrisMartin

Musikalia is one of the few surviving of the Sicilian guitar makers still in the hands of the Leone family. This model has been around probably since the 1950s, possibly still in production by the ‘70s. It has a spruce top, laminated back and sides with the typically decorative scratchplate, floating bridge and trapeze tailpiece. The soundhole decoration is intact and there was a crack in the upper side that has been repaired. The three-piece neck is straight and 45mm wide at the nut, the fingerboard is rosewood with typically large round dot fret markers including the traditional Italian 10th fret marker instead of the otherwise normal 9th fret. The action is just right with a string height of 3mm at the 12th fret, and the tuners have been replaced.

Now for the mystery part. Although this was definitely made by Musikalia (there are many identical ones out there with the Musikalia label) this one has a label inside that reads; Fabrique de Guitares - modèle José Sanchez – Gaillard & Loiselet – Lyon.  Strangely for reasons best known to themselves Gaillard & Loiselet, a major musical instrument retailer in Lyon often attached various fictitious José Sanchez labels to guitars they had made for their shop by many of the well known luthiers in France; Di Mauro, Castelluccia etc as well as Carmelo Catania from Sicily, and even stranger while this version of the label is in French some of the Sanchez labels claimed these French and Italian guitars were made by Sanchez in Valencia, Spain. All of which is irrelevant but it does add a little extra story to this one.

So what we have here is a nicely decorated acoustic guitar eminently suitable for the Gypsy, or Gypsy-Jazz style playing, from a well known and respected Sicilian luthier that was originally sold through Gaillard & Loiselet in Lyon, France and is now in Australia.

Fancy something different and with a story attached?

AU$600 = (US$412 at current exchange rate)

Unfortunately insured international shipping these days is getting expensive and there is no way around it, but to USA or UK it would cost up to AU$450 (US$310) as a conservative estimate although I could not confirm exactly until it is safely wrapped and packed in a box and I am not doing that unless it is sold, so I may be able to get that down a little. Given the bargain price I have put on this it may seem odd to pay so much shipping on top and it probably makes more sense within Australia but then again, if you want it, even with shipping it is still not expensive.

If interested just message me, I can send more photos and I accept Paypal, but if anyone prefers the security of using Reverb, here is the link:

https://reverb.com/au/item/57113009-musikalia-jose-sanchez-gypsy-guitar-from-catania-sicily

billyshakes

So what someone really needs to do is go on vacation to Australia and swing by your place for a djam and a guitar sale, then hand carry this back home on the plane as a pseudo-bohemian like you'd just spent your gap summer with a Let's Go Australia handbook in your backpack and a Hostelling International card in your wallet! Then it all makes sense....forget the shipping!

ChrisMartin

Good idea, go backpacking and see the big 'sunburnt country'; you just have to learn to drive on the right side of the road (which is the left side).

AndyW

Some folk will know I own one of these guitars, and I think that's a great price for an instrument that I think plays and sounds as good as many 'better known' vintage French instruments. Good luck with the sale , Chris.