Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Maccaferri 1950's Islander Plastic Acoustic in Seattle for $200

Don't laugh - these are very rare and hardly ever found in perfect playable condition like this one. Mario Maccaferri was a brilliant guitarist and luthier and he devoted years to developing these injection molded plastic guitars for Selmer in the 1950's - but they never caught on with professionals so they all but disappeared. The similar plastic Islander Ukuleles are horded by maniacal uke players for their rarity and unusual tonal qualities.

This is a serious collectible instrument and a neat part of guitar history to own - even if you never play it (which would be a shame) - it was not designed to be a toy.

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1950s Maccaferri Guitars - $200 (Ballard)

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Date: 2011-10-06, 11:20AM PDT
Reply to: sale-u3v7d-2635872403@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
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Seldom seen and very rare to be in this condition. Vintage 1950s Maccaferri Islander guitar and an extra 1950s F Hole body.

•Location: Ballard
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5 comments:

  1. Fuzz Box GirlOctober 12, 2011 at 12:31 PM

    Hi Jim,
    Just wanted to give you a kudos on this great blog. I have been coming here for about a year... I wrote about your site in my latest blog. Check it out if you get the chance.

    http://www.fuzzboxgirl.com/2011/10/12/tips-on-how-to-score-great-gear-on-craigslist/

    ReplyDelete
  2. In-TVOctober 12, 2011 at 7:00 PM

    Hey Jim, saw this Maccaferri the other day. Didn't realize some of them were so sought after. Where would this one fall in the vintage market?

    http://albany.craigslist.org/msg/2632308931.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jim ChristopherOctober 12, 2011 at 8:41 PM

    That is basically an Emenee guitar which are more along the lines of a toy guitar - still somewhat collectible but more in line with the price they are asking ($25). The Maccaferri instruments are not all that more valuable - $200 is about the most anyone should pay for one - but they at least were an attempt to build a serious instrument. Mario Maccaferri died in the 1990's and there was a flood of his plastic guitars onto the market at that time - apparently he had a whole warehouse full of them somewhere. The actual "value" of these guitars is somewhat questionable. I find them to be very interesting - but that does not necessarily translate to investment grade. It's like the stenciled "cowboy guitars" of the 1940's and 1950's. Guitar center sells them for $400 each but you can still find them for less than $100 because they don't play well so many collectors consider them to be junk. - JC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJuly 28, 2017 at 1:38 AM

      These can actually sound really nice, not particularly the "islander" model but the g30 and 40 sound pretty nice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuB2hprvfdc

      Delete
  4. Dave WeidlichFebruary 6, 2012 at 2:20 PM

    Hi, I've got one of these Islander guitars in original box with the candy cane twist rope strap and even a spare headstock with a complete set of tuners. The thing is a blast to play. Everyone should have one.

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comments but please no commercial links or non guitar related conversations. Thank you. - JC

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