1913 Embergher No. 5 copy by Puglisi made for Rozmyslov in Russia
Here is the video of my new old baby, 1913 Embergher model 5 based mandolin, made by Puglisi for Jacob Rozmyslov company in Russia and restored to perfection by Maestro Lorenzo Lippi in Milan.
Rozmyslov had a whole range of Roman mandolin ordered for his shop and had them advertised as "Roman Mandolins. The best copies of famous Maestro Embergher". The mandolin was unlabelled and the catalog didn't specify the maker.
The instrument without the special fingerboard (which was an optional extra) was the most expensive mandolin of Rozmyslov's stock and costed 50 roubles in 1913. Just to give you an idea how much was it in modern terms, my great-grand father in Russia earned about 60 roubles a month about that time and that was just enough to feed a family of 6 and pay the bills etc.
Puglisi stamp found on the inner side of the top during the restoration. It was noted by Mr. Lippi that mandolin is very well made, by someone very skilled and knowledgeable that is not typical for Catanese makers.
It would be a speculation, of course, but one such person was Francesco Olivieri. Originally from Catania he was working in Rome and I read somewhere that he had some talks with Luigi Embergher trying to establish the manufacturing of Embergher-style instruments in Catania. Perhaps that was him making a small run of Roman-style instruments for Rozmyslov at the Puglisi factory? The instrument recembles the ones actually made by Francesco Olivieri. Or, perhaps it was made by Michelangelo Puglisi, son of Giuseppe, a skilled craftsman and maker of fine violins? We won't probably know for sure. But the fact is that the instrument is fantastic in every way and sounds in par with real Emberghers.
An interesting feature is unusual, optional fretboard that has four longitudial cuts/grooves all the way through, the feature that I've only seen on couple of other high-level Puglisi instruments in Russia (also from the Rozmyslov lineage). Initially I had trouble understanding the purpose of these cuts and thought that perhaps it was just a fancy design feature. Now, after actually playing the instrument I know the reason why they were cut. It is actually a very interesting innovation. The rather fat and low set bar frets that almost fully sank in the fretboard and deep longitudial cuts right under the pairs of strings actually give musician the feeling of playing a fretless instrument! One can barely feel the frets when changing position but still being able counting them blind if needed, but the friction of frets when going up and down the fingerboard is almost non existing, which makes changing positions seamless. I think it is a great innovation, totally forgotten today, that can still be used in modern instruments for the same purpose.
And last, but not least. Many thanks to Maestro Lorenzo Lippi for agreeing to restore this instrument and for his unbelievable level of craftsmanship and taste. His restoration and setup is truly a work of art.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by vic-victor
Bookmarks