Anyone know of this guitar?

Subject: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Rapparee
Date: 15 May 04 - 11:58 AM

My wife has a guitar with this info on the label inside the soundbox:

Giannini Guitars
"A masterpiece in sound"
Model No. 2
Serial Number: 24921
8/66
Tranquillo Giannini S.A.
AL OLGA 414 S. Paolo Brazil
Made in Brazil Founded in 1900

From the very limited things I can do on a guitar it seems to play well enough.

Anyone ever heard of these?

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: katlaughing
Date: 15 May 04 - 12:17 PM

If you put "Giannini into the search box, there are a few threads with some mention of them, here and there: Click Here.

kat

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Allan C.
Date: 15 May 04 - 12:58 PM

You'll find more than you might want to know about Giannini guitars here. (scroll down)

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: mooman
Date: 15 May 04 - 01:12 PM

Yes I know them. I used to have a

Giannini Craviola

way back when and liked it very much. The very unusual body shape allowed good access to the higher frets and the sound was chunky and good. The only other person I've seen playing one was Linda Perry (once of 4 Non-Blondes, now a successful rock/pop producer, e.g. Pink et al).

Brings back good memories!

Peace

moo

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 15 May 04 - 01:34 PM

I believe Laurindo Almeda (Sp) played one and they are desireable by the Renn Faire set. I have a friend with a Westerly Craviola and it is a great sounding easy playing guitar. Giannini guitars are becoming sought after.

I tjink a good axe.

Don

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 15 May 04 - 02:43 PM

I remember seeing the guitars around a while back over here in UK. And
I actually have a Giannini Mandolin which gives every impression of being NON machine made . I didnt pay a lot for it but it works VERY well.

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: s&r
Date: 15 May 04 - 03:12 PM

We bought a Giannini for a friend some years ago. It would never tune properly; we put it down to her, but eventually investigated, and bizarrely it was missing a zero fret wire - the first fret spacing was some 6-7 mm wider than it should have been. Fretsaw and short piece of fret wire cured the problem.

Nice playing and sounding guitar after that.

stu

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Willie-O
Date: 15 May 04 - 03:50 PM

I had one as my first decent guitar. It is hanging on the wall a few feet away in pretty sad shape Mine is a GS570,a standard shaped guitar, with gorgeous bookmatched Brazilian rosewood back & sides--OK, they are veneer, what do you want for $100? I was surprised to find that the top is ply--I really butchered it when removing the old bridge. This guitar had a really nice playing neck and particularly singing trebles--very good for acoustic lead work. Guess I've hung onto it this long in hopes that someday I'll have a new top and bridge put on it and it will live again.

Most of the ones Gianninis with the single lower bout that I saw were classicals.

W-O

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Mooh
Date: 15 May 04 - 04:39 PM

I bought one about 1973 maybe with more money than I could afford at the time (I was a teenager). Aside from crapola tuners it was a very nice guitar and I wish I still had it. Sigh...

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 15 May 04 - 04:47 PM

Thirty-seven years ago, I was involved in an arts project working with kids from rural Vermont and New York City. the city kids were from Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and other primarily African-American districts. I bought ten inexpensive classical Gianninis which I kept in the room where the kids learned basic chords and sang folksongs with me. They all played easily, sounded decent, and survived the summer camp environment remarkably well.
    One day, as I was over in the dining hall for a mid-afternnon cup of coffee, the (African-American) director of the project, came rushing up to me: "I just went by your music room! I heard guitars being played! You can't leave the kids in there without supervision, they'll destroy everything!" I replied with the equivalent of a polite "horseshit," and went to the room. All ten guitars were being played by kids, black and white, from about 12 to 15 years old, with the smallest of the bunch (black) standing up on a table leading the rest of them in "He's got the whole world in his hands" (it required only two chords to strum that one, so it was one of the first songs we shared). They were happily strumming along, singing their gorgeous heads off, and the guitars were not so much as scratched.
    For me, that says they were dandy instruments (and dandy kids).
    Sandy

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Don Firth
Date: 15 May 04 - 06:45 PM

Just out of wild, screaming curiosity, did the classic Giannini's look anything like THIS?

Sometime in the Fifties, Walt Robertson had loaned his Martin 000-28 to some female and was having difficulty getting it back, his Carbone 12-string was back in Carbone's shop for repairs, and he found himself guitarless. A quick cruise of the pawn shops on Seattle's 1st Avenue turned up a neat little classic ($35.00 used). The label was partly obscured, but one could read that it was made in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Very nice guitar. Walt played it for several years, until one day he forgot to latch the case, it flopped open, and the guitar made its way down a flight of concrete steps. Kindling. We all mourned. Anyway, that's it, in the photo on Walt's album cover, taken a few months before disaster struck.

We never did know who had made the guitar. Several of us wanted to get hold of one like it.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 May 04 - 07:50 PM

See the factory website: Giannini International
Many models, some full color illustrations.

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 May 04 - 07:53 PM

Sorry- Giannini International

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Rapparee
Date: 15 May 04 - 11:18 PM

Don, apart from the fact that my wife's guitar has concentric circles around the sound hole and the one in the picture has something else, yeah. But then again, to me (a trumpeter) they both have a hole, frets, six strings, knobs to tune with, a body -- stuff like that.

Why don't I post a picture of the guitar and let you decide for yourself?

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 15 May 04 - 11:27 PM

Yup, they looked a lot like that, Don. But then, most classical guitars look kinda like that to me. I do know that I bought the ten of 'em for $35 each, the wholesale price given to me by a friend who supported the project. That was back in the summer of 1967, you understand. I don't remember, but I doubt very much that they had ebony fingerboards at that price! Still, they held up well and played easily. At the end of the summer, I kept one of the sweetest sounding ones for myself, and sold the others to some of the kids. I wish I still had the one I kept, but it finally went away in a trade of some sort.
    About ten years ago, I got a call from one of the New York girls. She had been 12 years old when I showed her the first few chords. Her talent was more than obvious, it was radiant! We got back together when she came to one of Jerry Rasmussen's Folk festivals at the Stamford Museum. She brought along her five year old daughter. At the time we renewed our friendship, she was running a small, independent studio in New York and composing and recording music for a television kids program, plus performing with a hip-hop group. Let me tell you, kids, I was like a proud papa!
    Sandy

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: GUEST
Date: 16 May 04 - 06:05 AM

I've had a Craviola for a good few years - they were quite the "in" thing at one time in the folk scene, when I found out that they were being re-issued (under license)by Jay Turser I bought a 6 and the 12 string, nowadays they are fitted with pick ups and sound and play ok with that unusual look.


Clansfolk

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From:
Date: 31 May 04 - 09:15 PM

( have a Giannini, Model 2. (Sounds like same as yours). Mom bought it for me around 1967 when she signed me up for guitar lessons. Can't really play it, didn't stick with the lessons--maybe I'll give it another shot---but I love the guitar. (Not easy to tune, though, but worth the effort).

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: GUEST,julio najara
Date: 16 Dec 04 - 06:57 PM

i have an old spanish guitar 3/4 of label is missing the only information left is CERDAS ARMONICAS AND PART OF A NAME THAT LOOKS LIKE "DRULAS" 1826 AND IT HAS A BALLERINA GAL ON THE RIGHT SIDE, I LIKE TO FIND OUT THE NAME BUT HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO LOOK
THANKS
JULIO

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From:
Date: 10 Jan 05 - 10:46 AM

I have a Gianni Guitar.
The tag on the inside says the following
Craviola
Model #
Serial #
5/70
Tranquillo Giannini s.a.
Giannini Guitars.
I do have the model and serial # if anyone is interested in them.
I was just wondering what this guitar might be worth?
Thanks.
You can email me a [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From:
Date: 27 Jan 05 - 02:16 AM

I have a Eko 12 string guitar, (RIO GRANDE 12)
Serial Number 180478.
Made in Italy
Can anyone give me more information as the Rio Grande 12 is not listed.

Many Thanks

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Apr 09 - 10:21 AM

yes i have a giannini, label inside says' violao concertista' GN70, i bought from flee market in yorkshire some years ago. the tone and actions real nice,is that realy mosiac around sound hole and headstock? its a bit posh if it is.

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: GUEST,JoeP392
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 02:08 AM

I recently bought a Giannini Model no.2 nylon string acoustic guitar from a neighbor. It's in very good shape. It was made in August of 1965.

I just started looking on line to see if I could find out a bit more about the guitar.

Feel free to email me at [e-mail] if you have any information to share.

Thanks, Joe

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 03:05 PM

i was given a guitar and got curious about it same... tranquillo giannini s.a. modle 6 it looked simple but when u play it the sound is just top notch..... its really old but seems like grapes to wine and wine to music. how much would one be worth???

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Ebbie
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 04:49 PM

I noticed that the guitar that Walt Robertson is a slothead 12-fret- but what really struck me was his looks. What a doll!

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: Deckman
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 06:49 PM

Ebbie ... I think Walt would agree with you. (you can take that two ways) bob

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: PHJim
Date: 08 Oct 10 - 12:04 PM

I owned a Gianini classical for a short period of time. I don't play much nylon string stuff, but the price, $40Cdn, was right and it had a very pretty laminated rosewood back and sides. The top was also laminated.
I think Jose Feliciano played a Gianini for a time.

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: PHJim
Date: 08 Oct 10 - 12:15 PM

Here's a link to a photo of my Gianini:
Gianini Classical

Subject: RE: Anyone know of this guitar?
From: GUEST,SLC
Date: 04 Sep 16 - 01:51 AM

I've had my Orlando Accustic guitar Model 301 since my dad bought it for me back in the late 60's. He purchased it from Oceanside Music Supply, Oceanside California. He was looking for a nice but inexpensive guitar for me so he could get his Gibson Hummingbird back. I learned to play on it and his Gibson. It's been a pleasure to play and with it being a little smaller than the Gibson it was easier for me to play.
It's still in good shape and I recently restrung it with D´Addario Light strings and it's never sounded better. I would not sell it. And that Gibson will be a precious inheritance some day but for now dad is still playing it.