Francesco Olivieri ‘Concetto’ Guitar

After purchasing a vintage Francesco Olivieri guitar on eBay several years ago as a restoration project I will now attempt a brief overview of this classical/parlor style guitar and offer my observations and thoughts with guitar aficionados and musicians on this instrument and the master luthier who made it.

Francesco Olivieri ‘Concetto’ Guitar  dated 1950 and signed by the luthier.

Delving into the background and history of the guitar maker himself may enlighten us as to how this guitar fits into the time frame of the eminent Italian guitar designer Francesco Olivieri (1895 -1979) who appears to have spent the greater part of his time making instruments in his home town of Catania in Sicily from the 1920’s onwards and also in France, establishing his workshop in Paris in 1935. Although considered by some to have been one of ‘Django’s Luthiers’ and part of the Italian instrument making fraternity that emigrated to Paris in the 1930’s, further research is required to confirm that Olivieri made or repaired instruments for Django Reinhardt, but he is generally credited with refining the Maccaferri/Selmer’s convoluted design and adapting it for his own Gypsy Jazz or ‘Manouche’ Guitars which still remain highly prized instruments.

A rare 1930’s Olivieri Gypsy Jazz ‘Manouche’ guitar for sale at Django Guitars USA who are dealers in fine and rare Gypsy guitars.

Olivieri purportedly produced only 20 of these guitars in the Gypsy Jazz ‘Manouche’ style with a 640mm scale length. I can find evidence of only six of these guitars today documented on the internet which would suggest a survival ratio of about 25% which reflects a similar known survival ratio of the Selmer/Maccaferri Gypsy Jazz Guitars from the same era. Olivieri also made violins, banjos and mandolins and his classical/parlor guitars that I can find on the internet appear to number even less with no more than four in evidence, including my own. Olivieri reputedly returned to Catania just before the outbreak of WW2 and appears to have produced more mandolins than guitars after that point with only limited custom guitar production.

‘Francesco Olivieri’ luthier’s label for the ‘Concetto’ guitar which appears to be dated 1950. The label has a pre printed ‘194’ in the bottom left hand corner which may indicate a 1940’s production label changed to ’50’.

With such sparse information on Olivieri’s instrument production catalogue we are simply left with the instruments to speak for their creator. My own now restored Olivieri ‘Concetto’ guitar which dates from 1949 –1950 may still hold some further unanswered questions but perhaps the secret cryptic clue lies within the name ‘Concetto’ (Italian for concept) which is written on a second signed label lower down inside the guitar, this I think may refer to the unusual curved spider legged bracing in the lower bout of the guitar’s soundboard which became more evident when I repaired the guitar. On the other hand the label may have been signed by someone who repaired the guitar at some point, or is it simply a ‘concert’ guitar, I am open to suggestions on this?

Francesco Olivieri second luthier’s label with what appears to be the name of ‘concetto’

Francesco Olivieri ‘concetto’ internal view showing unusual lower bout bracings and recent repairs.

The tone of this guitar is exceptionally mellow with a much deeper bass tone than a conventional Spanish guitar with good sustain too. The fret board is ebony but the headstock looks like it has been replaced and reinforced too. The soundboard top looks like cedar and the back of the guitar is slightly convex plywood which was standard practice in Italian and French guitars in this period. The sides of the guitar are made from exotic dark grained woods possibly kingwood/jacaranda. The scale length (nut to bridge) is approx 65.5cm.

To own and play guitar made by such a reputable master luthier & designer is a privilege that perhaps only a musician can fully appreciate, especially when you consider that Olivieri was at the ‘cutting edge’ of pioneering guitar design in the 1930’s when the demand for louder guitars was at its height and the dexterous guitar skills of Django Reinhardt & The Hot Club de France reigned supreme.

Here are some accolades of merit of for Francesco Olivieri from ‘Fetish Guitars’.

1923 Milan Received Diploma of Prize Gold Medal for his guitars and mandolins.

1923 Paris Esposition Internationale Du Progres Moderne Paris Entre Les Nations Allie’es et Artes De Grand Prix et Meddile D’or Guttarres Paris.

1926 Exhibited musical instruments at the III Exhibition Trade Fair Tripoli MCMXXIX-VII Government of Tripolitania (Libya) and also at the National of Small Industries and Dell’Artigianato Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Florence.

1954 Silver Medal winner at the 2nd National Competition of Contemporary Violin Making in Rome promoted by ‘Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia of which he was an honorary member.

1957 Exhibited at the National and International Handicrafts Trade Fair Florence.

1970 Naz. Liut. Art. Ital. Diploma awarded by The Loyalty crafts Provincial Union Artisan Companies in Catania.

http://www.fetishguitars.com/sicily-southern-italy/francesco-olivieri-2/

More related links  –  http://djangoguitars.com/        

http://www.liutaiomagico.com/scheda.asp?idProduct=60&idCategory=37

http://www.gorgelous.com/mag/2013/06/27/guitart-francesco-olivieri-manouche-4550/ 

 Comments/feedback on this article are welcomed.

 Lucas Campbell