1933 Selmer Maccaferri Concert Harp #279

A very rare Selmer Maccaferri Concert Harp #279 from 1933, in good condition.

This guitar may seem rather unusual to modern day musicians, but this format stems from a long line of instruments, of which harp-guitars may be latest representative. Added to the traditional guitar body, the upper horn-like bout and the headstock are extended in order to host three extra bass strings – this construction is borrowed from baroque instruments like the archlute or the theorbo, and made its way to guitars over time. These additional strings may be tuned to the desired pitch depending on the key of the piece being played, so that the musician may accompany his playing with a bass part on a single instrument. Mario Maccaferri was well inspired in his design for a harp-guitar, as he studied both music and instrument making under the watch of another renowned musician and luthier, Luigi Mozzani, who is most well-known for the extravagantly shaped harp-guitars he built in the early 20th century.

The present instrument is one of less than 15 similar models built during Maccaferri’s time at Selmer, so calling it rare is quite the understatement. It is mainly based on the Concert model, intended for nylon string playing, with a widened bridge allowing for setting up the three bass strings. For the rest, the construction is relatively standard: spruce top, mahogany sides and back, Selmer-stamped tuners, a 620 mm scale length, a bolt-on neck allowing for neck angle adjustment. Instrument has been restored, non-original varnish.

Complete professional setup done in our workshop, ready to play.

International shipping available.