Mandolin-Banjo (Banjolin) Jacobacci's Workshop Decorated from 1947

The Jacobacci story begins at the turn of the century, in Catania, Sicily, when the grandfather, a tailor of “endless” hardwood screws, decided to build mandolins and banjos to earn a better living. His son Vincent, born in 1895, an anti-fascist activist, emigrated to France in the 1920s.

On arriving in France, he founded the Jacobacci family business in 1924 in a small workshop in the working-class Ménilmontant district of Paris. His first activity was the semi-industrial manufacture of banjos and banjo-mandolins, followed later, to a lesser extent, by guitars.

“I made banjos at my father's place until the 60s,” says Roger Jacobacci. “The family workshop saw the arrival of workers like Pappalardo, Buccolo and Di Mauro, all Sicilians. My father had a large clientele. He had up to three workshops. Two in Paris: one on rue de Ménilmontant, the other on rue Duris. The third was in Brussels. Before and after the war, he supplied the entire Benelux. And all of North Africa. He had up to twelve workers, some of whom packed instruments from morning to night. I remember packing cases for 100 banjos. He supplied Parisian department stores, some of which took 3,000 instruments a year from him.”

In fact, the production of the Jacobacci workshop at that time bore different brands, produced for the stores or distributors of the day.

One of the Jacobacci workshop's biggest customers at the time was Paul Beuscher, whose 1930s catalog featured banjos made by the workshop under the Dolly or Saltarello brand names, for example.

Here, the banjo-mandolin is unbranded and was certainly produced as a “white label” for resale by a distributor who would have put his own mark on it.

Moreover, this banjo-mandolin, in a rare finish reflecting the blend of art nouveau and art deco styles, could also have been commissioned by a distributor for a particular customer.

So here we have for sale a sublime model of banjo-mandoline (banjoline) decorated with a light-blue perloid, with floral and art deco decorations topped with brilliants, made in the Jacobacci workshops in 1947.

In good condition, this banjo-mandolin plays perfectly and will delight collectors/enthusiasts and musicians alike!

Technical specifications :

• Resonance skin: Animal material
• Resonator: Maple
• Neck: 2-piece maple
• Fingerboard : Rosewood with blue pearloid veneer decoration
• Saddle width : 29 mm
• Radius : Flat
• Frets: 17 frets (+1 zero fret)
• Fork: 335 mm
• Profile : D
• Arm rest : Metal
• Fittings: Chrome
• Country of manufacture: France, Paris
• Year: 1947
• Finish: Perloid blue
• Decorations : Blue perloid with red art deco decorations, floral motifs and brilliants
• Details : Some traces of wear normal to its age / Perloid missing on resonator ribs

Like all our instruments, this banjo-mandolin has been carefully tuned.

As a result, it is extremely comfortable to play.

With a dynamic, harmonic sound, a lovely timbre interesting between mandolin and banjo, with powerful mids and highs, good projection and sustain, this banjo-mandolin is sure to delight the musicians/enthusiasts who play and listen to it.