1930 Tieri Guitar Sunburst, Excellent, Original Hard, $8,000.00

Rafaele Tieri was one of the very few, truly fine Italian and Italian-American stringed instrument makers here in New York City during the 1930s. There were some who were OK, there were those who claimed to be makers but were really importers, and there were D’Angelico, Tieri, and one or two others; that’s it. Tieri, many of whose instruments I have come across over the years, and D’Angelico (whom I knew personally in the 1960s) worked, prior to WW II, within a few blocks of each other in the neighborhood we still call Little Italy, and I would have to think that they knew each other. They certainly went in the same direction, with both of their best efforts going towards basically copying the then-current Gibson L-5, a 16”-wide pure acoustic carved top-and-back guitar. While I’ve seen many guitars, several mandolins, a couple of mandolas, and one violin made by D’Angelico (which I own), I’ve also seen several other instruments by Tieri. There have been mandolins, a few harp-guitars, a flat-top guitar, and more, the crowning achievement of both of these top makers having been their carved-top guitars. I’ve heard about the existence of a couple of other Tieri guitars like this; one with no finish remaining and no top(!) and another that seems to have vanished entirely, but none nearly as fine, and as intact, and as original and as full and exciting as this one. As stated, it is untouched other than a small area of the top seam having opened up a wee bit and been taken care of by us. Its beautiful original varnish finish is 100% intact. It came to me from a buyer of a complete estate who was looking to find outlets for the various items it contained; the guitar seems to have ever had only its one original owner. Along with it was a Tieri mandolin which, much to my pleasure, had in its case a 30-year-old set of my own brand of strings, still unopened. We’ve gotten the guitar, which also still has its original Lifton hard shell case, beautifully set up (it needed very little), and are absolutely thrilled with its huge tone and volume and tremendous overall performance, right there in the same realm as an early Gibson L-5. This is a rare, important piece of American guitar-making history and a fabulous part of the story of instrument making in New York. And it’s one hell of a great guitar too. Has a label inside with Tieri’s picture and address, for which the building still exists. $8,000 w/ohsc