1961 MASETTI Fratelli STAR BASS Made in Italy 2Pickups Rare code BA57

Stunning museum conditios near mint ALL ORIGINAL Perfect neck and fingerboard, 100% frets, a dream sound - 2 Volum - 1 Tone - 1 Switch 4 P Comes with Original Case and Strap

THE BROTHERS ROMOLO AND PRIMO MASETTI FOUNDED A LUTH MAKING LABORATORY IN MODENA IN 1900 SPECIALIZED IN THE PRODUCTION OF PIZZICO INSTRUMENTS AND IN PARTICULAR GUITARS, GUITARS, MANDOLINS, MANDOLS, MANDOLONCELLIS, LUTES AND VIHUELES. THE SHOP, WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE ANCIENT RUA FREDA AT N° 6, IS SIMPLY CALLED “FRATELLI MASETTI” AND IMMEDIATELY ACHIEVES GREAT SUCCESS. WALTER MASETTI Last of the family of luthiers, aged 89, passed away on 14 February 2005 in Modena (Italy)

In the 1920s the company received numerous awards: in 1922 Grand Prize and gold medal at the industrial exhibition in Rome, first prize at the Italian Physical-Chemical Academy in Palermo; in 1926 first prize at the Second Crafts Exhibition in Florence; in 1927 first prize at the International Exhibition in Fiume and at the Second Trade Fair in Tripoli; in 1929 again at the Fiume and Vignola Exhibition (MO). Since the beginning of his activity, Primo has mainly dealt with the design of instruments, making use of the collaboration of talented musicians including maestro Primo Silvestri, an illustrious mandolinist, and maestro Romolo Ferrari, president of the International Guitar Association. To get an idea of the caliber of these two characters, just think that it was thanks to them that guitar teaching entered the conservatory after the International Guitar Congress in Modena in 1957. Thanks to Romolo Ferrari, in 1936 the Masettis had the opportunity to meet the maestro Andrés Segovia who collaborated with them on the design and creation of a new concert guitar in maple and spruce better known as the "Segovia Model". Between 1927 and 1935, Renzo and Walter, Primo's sons, also began working in the shop. Renzo specialized in painting techniques, experimenting with new formulas, while Walter, a pupil of Romolo Ferrari, graduated in 1937 from the Mandolin Guitar Academy in Milan and substantially contributed to the achievement of new acoustic goals. Walter is the creator of a guitar model with a particular shoulder shape, produced until the end of the 1990s. A guitar of this type was Francesco Guccini's faithful companion, but it is difficult to find musicians from the Modena area who have not had one. In 1939 Primo died and in 1942 the workshop was forced to suspend its activity due to the war, even if some instruments continued to be built as the rare guitars dated 1943 and 1944 would seem to confirm. The instruments present in the workshop were hidden for fear that could be raided and in particular a half-lyre guitar built by Primo in 1922 was even dismantled, wrapped in waterproofed sheets and buried in the home garden. The guitar was reassembled by Roberto Masetti, Walter's son, in 1983. It is an instrument of rare beauty with a carved bridge, elegant Art Nouveau inlays on the soundboard and a carved back with floral and carnival motifs. Once the war was over, the lutherie officially reopened its doors and Romolo, Renzo, Walter and, since 1951, Roberto, Walter's son, worked there. Production was enriched in recent years with other models designed by Walter with the help of his brother. In particular, from the study of Gibson models, jazz-semiacoustic guitars and basses with the possibility of amplification are born, while as regards classical production, the "Speciale Masetti" concert guitar in rosewood and redwood appears. In the 1950s other awards were added to the family medal list: gold medal at the Accademia S. Cecilia in Rome in 1956 and at the International Exhibition of Ancona in 1957. In 1976 Renzo retired, while Walter ceased his activity in 1980, leaving Roberto to run the workshop, which continued to produce instruments until 1999. Roberto's independent activity was inaugurated with the creation of the new label "Liuteria Masetti" and , starting in 1981, of a wide-mouth Folk X-bracing model, with a strong and brilliant sound. In 1983 the classic "Speciale Maestro" model was born, inspired by the Spanish school and in 1992 the model was revisited together with the guitarist Roberto Culletta. A newly conceived concert instrument comes to life with significantly lowered bands at the neck, so as to give the soundboard a strong camber also in the longitudinal direction; the keyboard is raised on the soundboard as in a jazz instrument and makes two complete octaves usable. The Masetti luthier's workshop has also carried out educational functions over the years and several Italian luthiers have spent training periods there, the latest being Paolo Coriani and Giovanni Venuta from Modena. In addition to his violin making activity, Roberto Masetti conducted research on popular songs and together with Franco Benassi, Luciano Bergonzini and Walter Gozzi he established the Canzoniere Popolare Modenese in the 1960s, connected to the Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano. In 1985 he founded the “Romolo Ferrari” Mandolin Guitar Club with headquarters adjacent to the luthier's shop. ALL INFO FROM: https://www.fetishguitars.com/emilia-romagna/masetti/