Di Mauro Saint Louis Blues 1950s Gypsy Jazz Guitar

How often do you see these turn up?  And at this price?  If you know what it is, you probably also know the usual retailers in the USA would be asking US$4,000 (AU$6,000) this is a bargain simply because I am not a good enough guitarist to justify keeping it any longer.

Made by the legendary Antoine Di Mauro in Paris it has his branded mark on the back of the headstock.  Probably a cedar top, I guess by the colour of it, (but it could be spruce) with laminated maple back and sides with a nice tiger stripe to the veneer. The neck looks to be mahogany, and has been reinforced with three thin metal rods at some time in the past, (the ends are just visible above the nut).  It is perfectly straight with a nice easy action, with a string height of 2mm at the 12th fret but if you play hard you might want to shim the bridge to raise that a little.  The frets have some life left in them and have been polished smooth with no dead spots or buzzing but for a pro player it will need a refret in the future.  I have allowed for this in the price. The bridge and tailpiece are original and the covered tuners are not marked but similar to the Selmer style: I believe Salvatore Bilardi did supply such tuners without his usual SB logo as did l’Huillier et Massicot.  The high E end of the nut is chipped but the string does not slip out, up to you if you want to replace it.  The shellac (French polish) finish is clean all over and there are no cracks splits or repairs to the back and sides, even the edge binding and soundhole rosette are in good condition. There is a very slight depression on the back, quite shallow but no cracks or structural damage, probably just from being played in such a way that it was pressing against someone's hip?

I know these were made from the 1940s to the 1960s but there is no way of knowing the exact age for sure although I heard most of the Parisian luthiers in this style switched from shellac to nitro-cellulose finishes in the mid to late '50s.

So a rare chance to get a genuine vintage guitar from a highly respected and collectable luthier.

It comes with a solid generic case that fits correctly and is in good ‘used’ condition; solid with some very minor cosmetic marks.   

Cash on pickup is ok if you are near Shellharbour NSW.

And before you ask, no I do not have any audio or video demos, I always think that rather pointless as there are too many variables; room acoustics, recording ear, player's technique, pick, strings etc to get a true sound anyway.

Oh yes, and finally, please don't bother trying any of the usual scams, "I want to buy it as a surprise for my brother/son/nephew/ who has just opened a studio/music school/started a band in another country" etc etc; I have heard them all and will not reply.