Mario Maccaferri (American, b. Italy, 1900–1993), designer; Henri Selmer Paris, maker
Guitar, Jazz model (serial number 565), 1942
Spruce, rosewood; 7 3/4 x 24 5/8 in. (19.7 x 62.5 cm)
Private Collection

Maccaferri was from Cento, Italy, where he studied instrument building with Luigi Mozzani. Trained as a guitarist at the conservatory in Siena, Maccaferri toured as a soloist throughout Europe and eventually settled in London. The instrument manufacturer Henri Selmer asked Maccaferri to create a design for a guitar that could be used in jazz music. The resulting models, created for both jazz and classical music, have become iconic because of their use by the famed early jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. This example from 1942 has a smaller egg-shaped sound hole that was not a part of Maccaferri’s original design