Original Di Mauro Heart Shape hole w/ crocodile leather case

Wolfi59

... and one photo was missing...

Wolfi

Michael Bauer

Jacques Mazzoleni, who knows more than a little about these guitars, is positive that the short fingerboard guitars are from the 50's, wheras most of the longer fingerboard guitars are from the 40's. I have been thinking much (since I learned of Dominik's guitar) about why the change was made in those later ones, and now we see a third from Wolfi. It suddenly occurred to me that a Stimer might fit very well into the space between the soundhole and fingerboard. I wonder if that's why Joseph shortened it. I don't suppose we can ever know for sure, but it seems to me that is as logical an explanation as we are likely to find. I have played a similar guitar from the 40's with the longer fingerboard. The older one was brighter, but thinner. Mine was warmer, richer, and fuleer sounding. The others who were present preferred mine as well, and I wonder if the shorter fingerboard also adds resonance, since there is that much more top to vibrate.

And...nice guitar, Wolfi! I really thought my guitar was a lucky find, one of the last bargains in the GJ guitar world, and I still do. These guitars are so rare, yet their owners seem to love them. Maybe there are more of them out there than we think, but we don't know about them because they are rarely put up for sale.

Wolfi59

Yes, here is something special about these Di Mauro´s. And your idea with the shorter fretboard for mounting a Stimer makes sense.

I had mail contact with Dorothée Di Mauro, the daughter of Joseph, and she validated that my guitar should be a Joseph Di Mauro from the early 50s, the same should be applicable for yours and Dominiks.

Did you know, that a Di Mauro guitar was buried together with Django Reinhardt on top of his coffin in Samois?

Maybe this thread can be a place for Di Mauro owners to show their guitars

Wolfi

Dominik

Hy guys !

This is so great to see more photos and find more owners of this great guitar!
Thank you Wolfi for the pictures, your guitar looks amazing and the sounds great !

I agree with Michael the shorter scale is definitely made to leave some space for the stimer.

I'm wondering if I should have mine fixed. The knobs on the SB tuners are different, only three knobs look to be original. I'm thinking of having new knobs put on and the french polish is coming of on the back.

It's tricky cause I want to keep it original but at the same time I would like to protect it.

Wolfi59

Dominik, I would definitely keep this beauty. A good luthier can do a "soft" restauration (e.g. reneweing the french polish), keeping most of the originality of the guitar. I would also keep the three original knobs and look for similar replikas for the remaining three. What is important is to look for structural critical cracks and repair / close them. A good luthier can do wonders...

I´m sure these guitars will increase in value over the next years, just because they are rare, of high quality and very good sounding. So a small investment would pay off.

Mine was also restored long before I purchased it, but unfortunately not by a pro :? Now the guitar is very dark on the front - don´t know what kind of finish was used here :roll:

Wolfi