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Letting go of an extremely special and rare instrument by the late Béla Gemza, who was a Hungarian immigrant. Displaced from Hungary by World War II, Gemza came to the U.S. in the late 1940s and made unique and world class concert guitars and lutes from the finest of materials until he passed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1987.
I originally purchased this from my guitar professor in the late 90s, who had acquired the instrument from the Gemza estate - he spent an entire afternoon in search of the finest guitar of Bela's 8 (final) prized and cherished instruments from his oeuvre. This one was his favorite.
The guitar is truly one of a kind with a soft presence, rose colored tuning machines, a yet to be broken in spruce top and a minimalist rosette setting. It's been kept in a climate controlled storage setting for the last 25+ years. A quick web search will show you that these do not come around very often, and I've never seen another example of this particular design.
Béla Gemza made only 250 guitars in total but despite this Carlos Montoya, Miguel Alcazar, Joseph Breznikar, and Jorge Morel have all owned and played Gemza guitars. Let that sink in.
Despite its age this particular one is in near perfect condition - this is not a "great condition for its age" scenario here - it practically looks like a new instrument. The sound is also crystal clear and pure - very sweet and warm tones which should only improve with age and performance. A perfectly versatile guitar both sonically and visually. If you'd like to hear more of Gemza's work, there's some great video on Youtube of his instruments that sold some years ago.
Comes with a new set of strings if needed (also fine to include and ship with my originals if you prefer to change yourself) as well as an Alvarez Yairi-style hardshell arch top case. The leather handle works perfectly fine, but appears to have worn the outer sheath over the years. It is still 100% robust for use, and the case itself is built like a tank.
If you have any questions do let me know. I can provide any specific pics or angles as needed for interest. Serious inquiries only please.
Letting go of an extremely special and rare instrument by the late Béla Gemza, who was a Hungarian immigrant. Displaced from Hungary by World War II, Gemza came to the U.S. in the late 1940s and made unique and world class concert guitars and lutes from the finest of materials until he passed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1987.
I originally purchased this from my guitar professor in the late 90s, who had acquired the instrument from the Gemza estate - he spent an entire afternoon in search of the finest guitar of Bela's 8 (final) prized and cherished instruments from his oeuvre. This one was his favorite.
The guitar is truly one of a kind with a soft presence, rose colored tuning machines, a yet to be broken in spruce top and a minimalist rosette setting. It's been kept in a climate controlled storage setting for the last 25+ years. A quick web search will show you that these do not come around very often, and I've never seen another example of this particular design.
Béla Gemza made only 250 guitars in total but despite this Carlos Montoya, Miguel Alcazar, Joseph Breznikar, and Jorge Morel have all owned and played Gemza guitars. Let that sink in.
Despite its age this particular one is in near perfect condition - this is not a "great condition for its age" scenario here - it practically looks like a new instrument. The sound is also crystal clear and pure - very sweet and warm tones which should only improve with age and performance. A perfectly versatile guitar both sonically and visually. If you'd like to hear more of Gemza's work, there's some great video on Youtube of his instruments that sold some years ago.
Comes with a new set of strings if needed (also fine to include and ship with my originals if you prefer to change yourself) as well as an Alvarez Yairi-style hardshell arch top case. The leather handle works perfectly fine, but appears to have worn the outer sheath over the years. It is still 100% robust for use, and the case itself is built like a tank.
If you have any questions do let me know. I can provide any specific pics or angles as needed for interest. Serious inquiries only please.
