1925 Beltone (Antonio Cerrito - Stella) Grand Concert

$1,500.00

  • SOLD!

  • Year: 1925 (Circa)
  • Manufacturer: Beltone (Antonio Cerrito - Stella)
  • Model: Grand Concert
  • Case: Soft
  • Color: Natural
  • Condition: Very Good
  • Description: One of the more interesting .. and great playing and sounding .. guitars we've had in our short incarnation .. and add rare to that list of descriptors. New York City in the early 20th Century boasted a bevy of small guitar builders of Italian descent, with John D'Angelico the most renowned of the group. In the mix were luthiers Antonio Cerrito and Rafael Ciani (D'Angelico's uncle). This guitar likely comes from the shop of Antonio Cerrito because under the top is penciled "A. Cerrito". Neil Harpe reports in his book on Stella guitars that there was a strong connection between these Italian luthiers and the Oscar Schmidt company, often sharing Schmidt parts and labels. But it's clear that this guitar is a hand built, small shop creation. One indicator is that the neck has a mortise and tenon joint, typical of Cerrito, rather than the traditional dovetail joint one would expect to see in a Schmidt factory instrument. The other clues are in the build and wood selection. The fit and finish, both inside and out, are a cut above Schmidt factory work, the fancy purfling is typical for Cerrito made pieces, and the wood used is a higher quality than seen in most Schmidt instruments. Beltone was a catalog guitar, not a builder, and it's likely they commissioned Cerrito to build this one either on custom order or to attract a higher price clientele. The size of this guitar fits what was commonly referred to as Grand Concert. The lower bout measures just over a 15", and 20 1/2" in length. The body is 3 7/8" thick at the end pin. Scale length is 26 3/8"; 1 3/4" at the nut and 2 5/16" across the saddle. The 12-fret neck is a nice grade of mahogany and the fingerboard is a dyed wood. The headstock is overlaid with what looks like a walnut veneer with the name "Beltone" engraved in a pearl diamond. Back and sides look to be birch and are grained with a faux rosewood paint finish. The Adirondak spruce top is bound in white and multi-color purfling, as is the sound hole. Back is bound in white, with triple strips of light colored purfling inlaid down the center seam. Pearl dot inlaid into bridge pins and end pin. Tuners and ebony pyramid bridge appear to be original. Overall, the condition of the guitar is clean and attractive with the following to report: fingerboard has a dryness grain crack and playing divots in the first playing position; the top has several repaired cracks; the points of the pyramid bridge had been sanded down a bit when the bridge was lowered to adjust action; one side crack and five repaired back cracks..the back appears to have been oversprayed and buffed. Recently, several braces were reglued; saddle slot filled and repositioned to correct intonation; neck reset; bridge reglued. The frets are good and the neck extremely comfortable with a modern 'C' shape. The sound this guitar produces is it's most remarkable feature .. it's a fingerpicker's dream guitar. Even though ladder braced, it rings out bright and clear in the trebles, and provides a chest-shaking thump in the bass. Best of all, the range of notes don't get lost or muddled like in some large-body guitars where the bass and mids bounce around like stones in a can..this handmade beauty produces tones that blend nicely, while maintaining their unique voices in the mix. This is a very rare guitar with a top-shelf sound and build, and very good value.