32vinaccialap

NEW ARRIVAL The Vinaccia family are one of the most historically important stringed instrument makers, in fact many musicologists believe that the modern steel-strung mandolin was developed in Naples by the Vinaccia family. The earliest example on view was built in 1744 by Gaetano Vinaccia, and is housed in the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in Brussels, Belgium. There is a 1763 example by Giuseppe Vinaccia, which can be found at the Kenneth G. Fiske Museum of Musical Instruments in Claremont, California. A third example, built in 1772 by Antonio Vinaccia, is kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
This lap steel guitar was built in 1932 by F.lli Vinaccia, and is one of only two known to exist - the other is in the National Museum of Musical Instruments in Rome. Based on the Weissenborn lap steel guitar, this is probably the earliest European made example. It has a solid Spruce top with Solid Mahogany back and sides. It’s in all original condition, with a couple of repaired back cracks. The guitar feels great to play, very light and resonant - the bass is round and not boomy, the midrange is smooth, and the trebles are bright and really project. The tone and vibe are vintage - no modern copy can come close to this. The guitar comes complete with a 30’s Elton tone bar, which is quite rare in itself. Even the guitar case appears to be original. Maybe this guitar should be in a museum, I’ll let the next owner decide.