Built in 2014 by Todd Cambio of Fraulini Guitars in Madison, Wisconsin. The Fraulini Guitar Company is dedicated to providing traditional musicians with instruments that are modeled after the classic designs of the true Golden Era of guitar construction, the early 20th century. All instruments are built entirely by hand, using the highest quality materials and traditional techniques such as a dovetail neck joint; hot, fresh hide glue; handmade wood purflings; and varnish finishes.
This particular baritone 12-fret Angelina model is tuned BEADF#B and crafted with a hemlock top and cherry back and sides along with a soft-V shaped mahogany neck. The Angelina, one of Todd's more popular models, is a grand concert sized guitar based on the classic Oscar Schmidt designs of the early 20th century. The fretboard and pyramid bridge are made of ebony wood and the body is bound in maple wood. Green/plain wood/black purfling outlines the soundboard and rosette. A tortoise pickguard rounds out the vintage vibe of the body.
The hemlock top is supported by spruce x-bracing and the bone nut and saddle create an open and warm sound with a nice focused bass response. A nice tight bass response is quite useful with the lower baritone tuning- not muddy sounding!
The slotted headstock sports nickel Waverly tuners for a vintage vibe and great tuning stability. The scale length is 26 1/2" which creates a comfortable playign experience for the lower tuning. A 1 3/4" nut width feels natural even with the larger diameter strings.
This is one of the more comfortable playing acoustic baritones we've had in our shop and the tone is nicely balanced without an overwhelming, muddy bass response thanks to the grand concert body shape. A well fitting TKL case is included.
The guitar is in overall excellent condition considering the thin French polished varnish finish. There are a few small dings and scratches on the guitar but nothing to distract from the overall beauty. The guitar is dialed in with 16-70 baritone strings and low action.
About us: At Dusty Strings, we thoroughly inspect each new and used instrument prior to offering it for sale and take whatever steps we believe are necessary to ensure it will perform its best for most players. Our standards are exceptionally high. For new instruments, that means we make minor adjustments as needed, for good playability, but that instruments with fundamental flaws are returned to their manufacturer without going for sale. For used instruments, we perform whatever cleaning, restringing, adjustments, or repairs that are needed for them to perform their best.
The result of our attention to detail is that when you first take your newly purchased instrument out of its case, it will be ready to play. Does this mean the instruments will satisfy your particular sensibilities or account for settling into its new environment? Perhaps not, but those issues fall in the realm of custom setup, something that our professional repair shop is happy to help with if you live within visiting distance. If you live outside our area, we’d recommend a visit to your favorite local luthier, who will be able to help.
