Emcarthu

Galanti

Galanti Grand Prix
Manufacturer	Galanti
Period	1959–1968
Construction
Body type	Solid, Double Cut
Neck joint	Bolt-on
Scale	25.5"
Woods
Body	mahogany
Neck	Maple
Fretboard	Rosewood
Hardware
Bridge	Roller tremolo
Pickup(s)	3 or 2 single-coils

Galanti Electro Music was an accordion and guitar manufacturer from 1917 until the late late 1970's

History

Antonio Galanti started the Galanti accordion factory with his three sons in the small village of Mondaino Italy. Galanti earned his living by traveling throughout Italy showcasing his Merry-Go-Round, while continuing to develop the first Galanti accordion in 1890. The first Galanti accordions saw production in 1917. It wasn’t until 1920 when a significant amount of Italians had immigrated to the United States that the Galanti Brothers saw an opportunity to grow and expand the company and started exporting the Galanti brand to New York. In the 1950’s demand for accordions had started to die down and accordions became less desirable until the magazine Accordion World changed its’ name to Accordion and Guitar World. Most all accordion companies started manufacturing guitars as well until the late 1960’s and dropped from sight soon after. Ahlborn Galanti started making classical organs during the late 1970’s and subsequently founded the General Music or GEM. Similarly Marcello Galanti founded Intercontinental Electronics S.p.A., later known as Viscount International S.p.A to design and manufacture electronic organs after leaving his brothers in 1969.

Acclaim

Galanti produced a successful line of accordions with its' Super Dominator model leading the way in overall quality. An excerpt from an advertisement for the Super Dominator reads “This sensitive musical instrument will outperform any other comparable accordion. It is the supreme achievement of the Galanti artisans… the culmination of a half-century of musical craftsmanship.” Chris Saccheri of www.letspolka.com writes "this was an excellent accordion and one of the world’s best during its time." Galanti guitars were also recognized for their craftsmenship and used widely by professionals at the time in Italy.

Rock and Roll boom

During the 1950's, in response to Elvis Presley, the growing popularity or rock music, and especially after the success of The Beatles, electric guitars became all the rage and lined the shelves of department stores across the United States and all over the developed world. This led to a multitude of instrument makers adding guitars to their production and the accordion manufacturers where no exception.