I don't have much info on this guitar. I traded it for one of my prototype 2023 guitars with Travis Bleen and he bought it from Europe. It definitely seems to have Busato influence in the shape. Construction wise it looks like a Dimauro but regardless clearly has a Parisian vibe. Headstock looks super Parisian to me.
I planed the fingerboard and refretted it, it came out super nice. It plays pretty great. Tuners are stewmac but they look great. I took the finish off the back of the neck and oiled it, it was beat up and sticky.
I'll put it up for sale once I figure out wtf it is. If anyone has any clues let me know please.
After finally having sold three guitars, a baritone ukulele, a steel drum and a cornet, and having lent two guitars and two ukuleles to friends and their children this year to create space, I just came home with a "new" mystery guitar:
German? Everything is plain and simple, but it looks cute with it's binding and cat's eyes, and the neck is o.k..
Unusual headstock for an old "jazzbox". No arched top nor back. Ladder bracing. There must have been a pickup: screw holes at the sides of the fretboard - not floating, but glued to the top just like with manouche guitars. No signs for a pickguard. The two marks by the right cat's eye seem to show the position of control knobs.
No reference to a luthier. "44" stamped into the top side of the headstock.
I payed 30 €.
Jangle_JamieScottish HighlandsNewDe Rijk, some Gitanes and quite a few others
Posts: 345
30 euros!!! Hahahahaha, that's brilliant! What a great find. How does it sound?
To alleviate some of your despair, I too have bought another mystery guitar! It seems to have become a tradition of mine to buy a Christmas gypsy guitar! This time it was collection only from Norfolk, but I happened to be close by in Lincolnshire, and agreed with the seller to meet halfway in a cafe. I'm currently sorting out a better tailpiece, bridge/moustachios and am excited to get new strings on (it had very old dead 10s on). Pictures to follow.
This too has old strings; sounds full, bright and loud though. But I don't like the fretboard much: too narrow and plain. I think this will be another lap steel guitar when I cleaned it. The old Musima archtop is tuned in open C now, my travel steel guitar that I designed long ago (built by Munich luthier Stevens) in G6, the Mystery will be open D.
The neck ist mostly hollow like with a Weissenborn, dimensions and silhouette are borrowed from the 1938 Epiphone Electar that I had owned back then.
Comments
@paulmcevoy75 if you brought that back from your recent Paris trip, that is a great find. I'd love to hear more...
I don't have much info on this guitar. I traded it for one of my prototype 2023 guitars with Travis Bleen and he bought it from Europe. It definitely seems to have Busato influence in the shape. Construction wise it looks like a Dimauro but regardless clearly has a Parisian vibe. Headstock looks super Parisian to me.
I planed the fingerboard and refretted it, it came out super nice. It plays pretty great. Tuners are stewmac but they look great. I took the finish off the back of the neck and oiled it, it was beat up and sticky.
I'll put it up for sale once I figure out wtf it is. If anyone has any clues let me know please.
I started a separate thread on this guitar...I'm interested in identifying it and hopefully selling it.
Answering on the other post Wim.
I did it again.
After finally having sold three guitars, a baritone ukulele, a steel drum and a cornet, and having lent two guitars and two ukuleles to friends and their children this year to create space, I just came home with a "new" mystery guitar:
German? Everything is plain and simple, but it looks cute with it's binding and cat's eyes, and the neck is o.k..
Unusual headstock for an old "jazzbox". No arched top nor back. Ladder bracing. There must have been a pickup: screw holes at the sides of the fretboard - not floating, but glued to the top just like with manouche guitars. No signs for a pickguard. The two marks by the right cat's eye seem to show the position of control knobs.
No reference to a luthier. "44" stamped into the top side of the headstock.
I payed 30 €.
30 euros!!! Hahahahaha, that's brilliant! What a great find. How does it sound?
To alleviate some of your despair, I too have bought another mystery guitar! It seems to have become a tradition of mine to buy a Christmas gypsy guitar! This time it was collection only from Norfolk, but I happened to be close by in Lincolnshire, and agreed with the seller to meet halfway in a cafe. I'm currently sorting out a better tailpiece, bridge/moustachios and am excited to get new strings on (it had very old dead 10s on). Pictures to follow.
Kind of a "parlour" body size.
This too has old strings; sounds full, bright and loud though. But I don't like the fretboard much: too narrow and plain. I think this will be another lap steel guitar when I cleaned it. The old Musima archtop is tuned in open C now, my travel steel guitar that I designed long ago (built by Munich luthier Stevens) in G6, the Mystery will be open D.
The neck ist mostly hollow like with a Weissenborn, dimensions and silhouette are borrowed from the 1938 Epiphone Electar that I had owned back then.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.44_Special ?
Willie, there must have been a lot of cowboy chords (C major, E major?) played on that guitar to have such a pitted fingerboard behind the 1st fret.