Monzino Hawaiian Square neck guitar 1920

Superb Monzino square-neck guitar, designed for lap-style playing.
This instrument belongs to the context of the growing enthusiasm for Hawaiian music and bottleneck playing that spread across Europe from the late 1910s onward, in the wake of the Panama International Exposition and the popularization of the steel guitar.

It represents an Italian response to this new playing style, predating the American standardization of the 1930s, and combining an aesthetic still rooted in the 19th century with a fully 20th-century musical purpose.

The guitar features an elegant scroll headstock, stamped Monzino Milano, characteristic of the finely crafted models produced by the firm. The fingerboard is covered in nacrolaque, an early nacre-effect finish typical of certain Italian instruments from the early 20th century, offering a luxurious appearance without the use of solid mother-of-pearl. The metal tailpiece confirms a design intended for light steel strings and slide playing.

The craftsmanship is of high quality: spruce top, walnut back and sides, flamed maple neck, and fine, regular purfling, all reflecting the Milanese know-how of the period. Two small repaired cracks are present, which is entirely normal for an instrument of this age.

It delivers a clear and precise tone, with strong midrange, a quick attack and convincing projection, making it perfectly suited to early Hawaiian music, primitive blues, folk and roots styles.

A specialized, rare and historically coherent instrument, far removed from a student model or an Asian reissue.