Antoine Di Mauro Flat Back Mandolin 1950's

Antoine Di Mauro is among the most iconic luthiers in 20th-century French guitar and stringed instrument making.
Born in Catania, Sicily, in 1900, he grew up in an environment where the crafting of stringed instruments was an integral part of family culture.
Heir to a tradition of craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation, he trained from an early age in mandolin building before moving to France in the 1930s.
Settling in Paris in 1934, he established his own workshop and played an active role in the development of a Franco-Italian lutherie tradition that would leave a lasting mark on the history of European acoustic instruments.

During the post-war years, as Paris experienced a true musical renaissance driven by Gypsy jazz, musette, and popular music, the Di Mauro workshops gained an increasingly strong reputation thanks to the quality of their instruments.
While the brand’s guitars quickly became famous among jazz musicians, the mandolins produced in the workshop benefited from the very same level of artisanal excellence.
The 1950s represent one of the most prestigious periods in the history of the Di Mauro workshop, with instruments built in small batches, entirely by hand, in keeping with the lutherie traditions inherited from Italy.

This natural-finish Antoine Di Mauro flat-back mandolin from the 1950s is a remarkable testament to that era.

At a time when most European mandolins remained heavily inspired by Neapolitan bowl-back designs, Di Mauro developed flat-back instruments that were particularly appreciated for their playing comfort, structural stability, and exceptional musical versatility.
This design offers a more natural playing feel and a particularly balanced acoustic response, qualities that appeal equally to traditional musicians and enthusiasts of folk and popular music.

With its beautiful natural finish, allowing the beauty of the selected tonewoods to shine through, this mandolin perfectly illustrates the understated elegance and refinement characteristic of Di Mauro productions from the 1950s.

More than seventy years after its construction, this mandolin remains a precious witness to France’s musical heritage.
It embodies both the artisanal excellence of Antoine Di Mauro, the influence of Italian tradition on Parisian lutherie, and the golden age of post-war acoustic instruments.

This natural-finish Antoine Di Mauro flat-back mandolin from the 1950s elegantly brings together history, craftsmanship, and musicality, offering musicians an authentic piece of French lutherie heritage!

Technical Specifications :

• Top : Spruce
• Back : Maple
• Sides : Maple
• Neck : Maple
• Fingerboard : Rosewood
• Nut Width : 29 mm
• Radius : Flat
• Frets : 19 frets (+1 zero fret)
• Scale Length : 332 mm
• Neck Profile : D
• Pickguard : Tortoiseshell-style cellulose acetate
• Country of Manufacture : France, Paris
• Year : 1950s
• Finish : Natural
• Appointments : White dot fingerboard markers / Binding around the top and soundhole
• Details : Normal signs of wear and use consistent with its age / Completely original / Very good condition / Supplied with a gig bag

Like all of our instruments, this mandolin has been carefully set up.
As a result, it offers outstanding playing comfort.

Its tone is distinguished by a lively, precise, and dynamic attack, supported by rich overtones, generous sustain, and remarkable note-to-note clarity.
The balance between warmth, definition, and resonance delivers a refined, expressive, and highly inspiring voice, equally suited to melodic playing and accompaniment in traditional, folk, Irish, or Gypsy jazz styles.

Every chord reveals the authentic charm of post-war French instruments, with that distinctive vintage character that has become especially sought after today.