Overview: The Contello and Symfonia Grand

1967 Electro ES-16

It doesn’t take long in the Rickenbacker fandom world to encounter the private label Ryder and Electro ES16 and ES17 (click to learn more) student guitars—respectively rebadged Rickenbacker 1000 (click to learn more) and 425 models. But far fewer are aware of those guitars’ predecessor: the Contello/Symfonia Grand. Let’s take a closer look.

1951 Bronson Melody King BD-6

Rickenbacker had actually been dabbling in the private label world for student level instruments since the 1940s, applying a “Bronson Melody King” label on the venerable BD-6 lap steel for the Bronson Music School. So it was not a new concept when they were approached in 1962 by the Mann Music School—headquartered in Santa Ana—about student guitar and amp combos for both lap steel and “Spanish” guitars. And after the negotiations were complete, Milton Mann placed an order for 50 lap steel/amp and 50 guitar/amp combos.

Symfonia Grand branded B9A amp

The amplifier portion was straightforward: the 6 watt/12 inch speaker Rickenbacker B9A was rebadged as “Symfonia Grand”. The guitar (internal designation 624-460), however, was something else entirely.

1962 Symfonia Grand

While the single pickup 425 was used as a foundation, the Mann guitars diverged significantly from the standard model. For comparison, here’s a contemporary 425:

1962 425

The pickup location and floating compensated bridge are about the only things the two guitars have in common. The Symfonia Grand had a longer, rounded over upper horn instead of the 425’s cresting wave (click to learn more), a revised pickguard mounted on grommets to accomodate the bridge base, a trapeze tailpiece, and a different control layout (though the wiring harness remained the same).

Most unusually, it used a side-mounted output jack—the only solidbody cresting wave family guitar ever thusly equipped. It also received a unique headstock and truss rod cover.

1962 Symfonia Grand headstock

And then there’s the finish.

1962 Symfonia Grand back

If the green feels a bit much, some examples appear in a slightly less lurid blue burst. However, expert John Minutaglio contends that these are not distinct finishes, but variations caused by lighting, aging, and application. He may well be right—but the visual differences are hard to ignore.

1962 Symfonia Grand

Now the title of this article is “The Contello and Symfonia Grand” and we haven’t mentioned “Contello” yet. Let’s do that quickly. In short: it’s the same guitar, for the same customer—but under a different name.

Now to be clear, it’s the same guitar for the same customer. They just changed their mind after production had already started. You see, Mann Music School started out as an accordion school, and imported student accordions under the “Contello” (an amalgamation of accordionists Dick Contino and Tony Lovello’s names) brand name.

1960s Contello accordian

Accordingly, the first 11 guitars produced for Mann carried the Contello brand name—and the green burst finish.

1962 Contello headstock

Why Mann changed the name and (perhaps) the finish we don’t know. But he did, and guitars 12 through 50 were branded Symfonia Grand instead of Contello. The serial numbers on the Contellos run from G01 to G11, while the Symfonia Grands run from BD12 to BD50.

According to Martin Kelly’s (click to learn more) excellent book, the color shift coincided with the name change. However, surviving instruments complicate that narrative: the green guitar featured above is serial number BD16 and branded Symfonia Grand.

So while blue bursts appear more common, it is likely that both finishes overlapped—or that they were, in fact, variations of a single finish that has aged differently over time as, John Minutaglio contends.

1962 Symfonia Grand

There would be no second order from Mann. But the idea proved successful enough that Rickenbacker began offering “ready-to-go” Electro-branded student guitar combos the following year, and later accommodated Ryder Music School’s request when they came knocking shortly thereafter. Electro guitars would be offered until the early 1970s, at which point the private label era would end—apart from a special run of ES-16s in 1983.

Symfonia Grand headstock

But the Contello/Symfonia Grand came first—and were certainly the most unique of the private label guitars. Want to learn more about…everything else? Check out the rickenbacker101 site map and see what’s already been covered! Have a suggestion about what we should tackle next? Drop it in the comments and we’ll add it to the queue.

From the collection of John Minutaglio