I just finished this copy of Ernest V. Stoneman's Auditorium sized Galiano. I worked off of old photos of Stoneman and a couple originals made by Antonio Cerrito and Raphael Ciani. Stoneman's guitar was probably made in the shop of Raphael Ciani. Stoneman most likely bought it on a recording trip to New York in 1926 or 27'. Raphael Ciani died in 1923, so when Stoneman bought it someone else was running the shop. Some folks think that the someone was John D'Angelico, who was Ciani's nephew. D'Angelico would have been 17 years old at the time of his uncle's death. By today's standards it's hard to imagine a 17 year old running a shop of a dozen or so employees, but it is nevertheless possible. Whatever the case, some of the Ciani guitars did start to look a little wilder during this period, which may have been due to a youthful influence around the shop. The guitar is about 15 1/2" in the lower bout and 4 1/2" deep. It has a German spruce top, maple back and sides, Brazilian binding and ebony bridge and fingerboard. It's the seventh model in the Fraulini line, named after the last of the sisters, Fenezia, which means "finished" in Italian. It sounds like a big old hog.
Wow, Todd, that guitar looks fantastic! I know from the picture that you showed me of Stoneman playing his that it was quite fancy-looking. With maple back and sides and being 4.5" deep in the lower bout, I can see how it would sound like a big old hog. That would really be something if John D'Angelico was involved in the construction of the original. Congratulations on adding to your line. All best, Johnm
Frankie had been telling me to make a maple guitar for a while and when I finally did I was hooked. I'm really liking the sound that it has and I'm looking forward to finishing up my first maple 12 string. This isn't the biggest model that I have, but it's up there. The depth of it certainly contributes to the tone. When I make a second one, I'm not sure I'll make it as deep. It is ladder braced. Sorry Mucky, this one is long gone, like a turkey through the corn. Here's a picture of Ernest V. with the original.
We've recently acquired what appears to be the exact same guitar as Stoneman's, except it's a Grand Concert size, 14 3/4" across. Long scale, fat body. Amazing guitar. Tom