Fraulini Angelina

Fingerstyle blues virtuoso Mary Flower demonstrates her vintage-inspired flattop.

While the majority of vintage-inspired flattop guitars are based on classic designs by Gibson and Martin, luthier Todd Cambio styles his Fraulini line after instruments built by Oscar Schmidt, Stella, Stahl, and other brands popular with blues guitarists from the turn of the century to the 1930s. Fraulini guitars have become the instruments of choice for many of today’s finest players of early blues styles, including Paul Geremia, Craig Ventresco, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and Mary Flower, who demonstrates her Fraulini Angelina model in this video.

Based on a 1920s Oscar Schmidt design, the Angelina has a grand concert body, a 14-fret neck, ladder bracing, an unusual inlaid pickguard, and distinctive mosaic purfling. Mary’s guitar is built with a spruce top and Madagascar rosewood back and sides. The guitar includes a Highlander undersaddle pickup.

Watch Mary talk about why the Fraulini has become her guitar of choice and play her tune “So Far Doin’ Alright.”

To see Mary teach her original blues-ragtime piece “Ruckus Rag,” enroll in Peghead Nation’s Advanced Fingerstyle Workshop today. maryflower.com

Related Fine Lutherie Posts

Harvey Leach Custom Built for fingerstyle blues guitarist Dale Miller, this redwood and walnut guitar features a Voyage-Air folding neck and San Francisco Giants–themed inlay. Read More

Lowden Alex de Grassi Signature Model The fingerstyle guitar legend demonstrates his primary six-string. Read More

Charles Hoffman Concert Fingerstyle master Tim Sparks demonstrates his 000-size Hoffman guitar. Read More

R.E. Phillips Large Parlor Guitar Demo Orville Johnson demonstrates his custom metal resonator guitar. Read More

2012 Lowden O-50c Peghead Nation instructor Doug Young demonstrates his fingerstyle-friendly Lowden. Read More

Custom Lehmann Flattop Kinloch Nelson demonstrates his wide-neck steel-string guitar. Read More

Lowden O-35 Custom Slack-key guitarist Stephen Inglis demonstrates his fanned-fret Lowden. Read More

Kevin Ryan Abbey Grand Parlor Fingerstyle guitarist Eric Lugosch demonstrates his Brazilian rosewood cutaway parlor guitar. Read More

Kirk Sand Richard Smith Signature Model Read More

Emerald X20 Eight-String Fingerstyle guitarist Nate Lopez demonstrates his custom carbon-fiber, fanned-fret, multi-scale guitar. Read More