Sonora Gypsy Guitars - a visual model guide.

billyshakes · December 2023

https://djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/116421#Comment_116421

Thought the same thing. Missing the namesake tailpiece but shape and soundhole seem to fit your Larmes.

Jeyg33 · January 1

Thank you.

I find on this article a picture with exactly the same tailpiece

https://www.vintageguitar.com/35031/quest-for-volume/

I order a new floating bridge from new old stock from about the same period, because it was damage and I reglue it but I don't think that's gonna be good. And I think to make it shinny again with a new finish with shellac. But I will go into a luthier to have advices on the good way to do it. And maybe some new frets. They are really low and it's really difficult to play with.

AndyW · January 2

I'm not sure where M. Dregni's guitar would fit in my Sonora guitar classification, judging by the small-ish rounded D soundhole alone it might even be by Castellucia ( or any of a dozen other French luthiers). I'm no expert. 😁 -A-

PJD · January 17

Hawaii Sonora guitar currently for sale at Leboncoin in France for 150 euros. I saw AndyW already posted a José Sanchez (Gaillard et Loiselet), but here is one with the Sonora marque au fer.

PJD · January 17

I have a 3/4 gypsy guitar without cutaway which has the same typical Sonora headstock, never seen another one before.. . It has a highly arched back and top. Scale is 61cm. It is very loud. If this is a sort of Sonora, maybe we could call it a bébé Sonora?

billyshakes · January 17

@pjd It's interesting on that Hawaiian guitar. It appears someone either replaced the tuners or flipped them "upside down" from the typical upward pointing direction for that model to the standard guitar direction.

PJD · January 17

True! The tuners are delaruelle and in bad condition. I think they have been flipped "upside down".

I have seen quite some different Sonora gypsy guitars on leboncoin without cutaway, most of them look like they have been made in Catania/Italy because of the typical Catania tailpieces from that era and the tuners look more Italian too (like on the Carmelo Catania's).

BillDaCostaWilliams · January 17

Seen some interesting instruments appear on Leboncoin
However, it's not straightforward for non-French folks to buy there. I recently bought a French mandolin via Leboncoin and had to provide a French phone number to register and the seller was only willing to post to a French address.