1965 Giannini #6
This is a guitar which evidently participated in the folk music and folk art era of the 1960’s in the U.S. Tranquillo Giannini founded his lutherie in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1900, and by the 1930’s had earned a reputation for fine musical instruments. The label inside the sound hole proudly claims its place in this tradition, proclaiming this guitar “A Masterpiece in Sound,” and identifying this guitar as #14,412, Model 6, dated 11/65. While this particular instrument shows its age in the nicks, dings, and finish crackling of its 55 years, the sound its aged tonewoods produces is still as full and rich as Sr. Giannini might have wished, given its modest specifications.
I have no idea what any of the woods are; they don’t seem to be laminates, but the colors, grains, and finishes are unfamiliar to me. Exotic? Rain forest? Beats me, but if they are, you know Al Gore and the U.N. are likely to make them unavailable in the near future—especially at this price. The fingerboard is particularly unusual, as I hope you can see in the pictures. The top is somewhat crazed as seen in the pictures, and the back and sides are the light mahogany tone shown. The rosette is multiple rings and seems to be inlaid; the top of the body is also decorated with multiple lines of contrasting colors, setting off the unusual grain of the wood.
Structurally, the body is fairly typical of the folk/classical guitars of the period, being somewhat smaller than the dreadnought size—almost parlor size. Its actual dimensions are about 37 ½” long with a body length of 18 ½”; 3 ¾” deep; 11” wide at the upper bout; 9” at the waist; and 14” wide at the lower bout. The 17” fretboard seems straight, and the 12/20 frets are in good shape; width at the nut is 1 7/8,” and the scale length is 24 ½”. This modest size and the nylon strings would make it ideal for younger guitarists or intimate settings, but it clearly would not be suitable for a true classical repertoire.
There are some issues in addition to the 55-year-old dings and crackling mentioned earlier and visible in the pictures. There is a slight lifting at the bridge which has been glued but probably will need re-doing sooner or later. The other problem in the pictures is more considerable but also seems stable: there is a glued crack in the neck joint visible at the heel. There is no movement that I can detect, but it has left the action a bit high at the upper frets.
The new gig bag shown is included for your convenience and the guitar’s protection. Lightly padded, it is a light-weight alternative to conventional cases.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $45 for shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have tried to describe this guitar with complete accuracy; its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to purchase it.
Thank you for your interest in this vintage instrument.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.