(Log in to disable ads.)

  • Gear
  • Two extreme relic/vintage guitars

Right...So Iceman83 and another friend comes to my house, each with a guitar that they got from their grandpa's [heartless two show-off bastards]. These guitars are probably from the 40's or thereabouts..
Both hollowbody guitars, Iceman83's has got two dog ear pickups with vol & tone knobs for each pickup. The other guitar has what looks like a pickup under the fretboard.No knobs on this one and no input jack that I can see anywhere on the body. Under the neck's heel though, there an opening and a piece of wire sticking out to what I think is where the jack should be....

There are no serial numbers on either guitar just the names on their respective headstocks.

Iceman83's is called a "Roselli" [ Iceman, let me know if this is incorrect ]. No soundholes and "strattish" type headstock with 6 inline tuners.
The other guys' is called a "Primus"....it's also got what seems to be a 7, yes 7 piece neck with "teardrop" soundholes almost like a Gretsch Syncromatic.It's got a 3L 3R headstock...

...which all brings me to the following question

Does anybody have any idea what I am talking about or any info on either of these guitars???. Pics will definitely follow soon.
    11 days later
    mm ... curiouser and curiouser. Any pics yet?
      Sorry man.....still trying to make the pics smaller to upload
        I say put it in a glass case and hang it on the wall... ?
          yup - me family heirloom

          the story of the guitar is as follows.

          In 1951, my grandpa joins your garden-variety Boere-orkes (he's an accomplished slider/fingerpicker, mind you) and runs down to the local pawn shop. He picks up that Rosscelli for a whopping R50, and manages to barter in the case and a set of Hoffner strings.

          He plays it until 1976, at which point the family takes priority.

          Along with this guitar and case, he buys (for R20) a 15W RMS valve amp (which I now own). Along with these, frankly priceless heirlooms I get from him, I get a few doodads and accessories, like a full set of Gibson guitar strings bought in 1972, still sealed, for a wallet-busting R7.50...

          The amp still works - it just uses a power jack which I've never seen before, and subsequently can't find.

          A shout out to my boy XL for posting my grampa's git - affectionately known as Grampy-Bone (Fallout fans will know).
            Just an uneducated guess based of the finishes and fixtures detail work I would say that the Primus sounds real purty and the the Roscelli is... well a piece of furniture
              The Primus is in need of a input jack, but as said before, there's no indication of there ever being one except for on the heel of the neck. The Roscelli screams like a mother when pushed through the Marshall, not bad electronics i.m.o.
                Wow...real nice...definately keepers for future genrations
                  Wow, I really dig vintage guitars. Regardless of whether they are "good" or "bad" instruments. The Primus does look like the better guitar, but ya I don't know nearly enough to make that guess.

                  This looks like a job for The Rat.
                    14 years later

                    All I know is that the Roscelli's were made by a Mr. Rousouw in Robertsham in JHB in the 1960's, my dad lived down the road from him and bought one straight from him back then.

                    • V8 likes this.
                    • V8 replied to this.

                      dean One popped up on the GuitarTalk whatsapp group and we were admiring the grain, trying to guess the type of wood. Someone oberved that it might have been made by a experienced furniture builder.

                        There is one of the early 3+3 headstock ones up for sale on facebook at the moment too, they are very well finished and apparently dont play too bad, My dad played with his son Piet for a while, but he always used a les paul and fender showman amp even though he had access to all the Roscelli's he could want according to my dad. Apparently the headstocks where made 6 inline after the Shadows hit big in SA and the strat became a thing. My father the also chopped his up to look more like a strat aswell.

                        • V8 likes this.
                        Write a Reply...