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This
guitar is drop dead gorgeous, in terms of looks, sound and playability.
Tieri was a superb builder, getting the most out of his guitars.
His choices of wood, artisanship, the overall workmanship tell you the
pride he had in his work and his name on his instruments. She is
surprisingly alive sounding, given her smaller dimensions. She is
big in width and big in sound, with an ease of playability that is quite
surprising.
There
was one owner to this guitar who bought it directly from Raffaele in
NYC. I came in possession of it through his son who did not know
what to do with it and asked me to fix it and sell it for him.
There
were issues with this guitar, but restoration by Fausto Casiraghi in NYC
helped her out a great deal. The top had a minor crack that he
stabilized and he did excellent MOP work on the 5th fret and the bridge.
He also repaired the bridge, gluing it properly and then slightly
refinished the entire top to smooth her out. He did a very good
job of it. I felt it best to leave the headstock alone. The
photos show you the various dings in the headstock. Otherwise, the
guitar is in remarkably good shape and she plays beautifully.
Very
little is known of Tieri but it is known that he
started his building in Naples, Italy training and building at
the shop of the Brothers Vinaccia. One label on a
bowl back reads: "Raffaele TIERI Allievo del FRATELLI VINACCI
NAPOLI 1909". He later moved to New York in the
1920s. He originally worked at 35 Spring St. and then moved down
the block to 2 Spring St. He definitely worked with and hung out
with such gents as John D'Angelico. It is also known that he
built mandolins, harp guitars and other standard acoustic guitars, all
evidencing superb workmanship and attention to detail.
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