Bozo Podunavac 'Baby Bell-Western Flat Top'

1996 Bozo Podunavac Baby "Bell Western" Flat Top.

This very fine miniature 7 5/8 inch wide, 1 9/16 inch deep flat-top was built by Master Luthier Bozo Poduavac in 1996 for the late world renowned collector Scott Chinery of New Jersey. This fine work of art features a 'select' close-grain spruce top with very intricate herringbone marquetry inlaid with abalone and mother-of-pearl. Two inch diameter sound-hole also with herringbone marquetry and inlaid with abalone and mother-of-pearl. Two-piece Indian rosewood back with herringbone marquetry. The sides are Indian rosewood with double herringbone marquetry. One-piece mahogany neck with a nut width of just over 1 1/2 inches, a scale length of 13 1/8 inches and a thin profile. Specific shaped headstock with black veneer and "Bozo" and a decorative flower ornament and three additional pieces inlaid in abalone. Individual Schaller style 'Rotomatic' tuners with five-sided metal buttons. Ebony fretboard with 19 original small frets, Inlaid Abalone triple-rectangle position markers and pearloid dot side markers. Bone bridge on specific shaped ebony base with five abalone inlays and six ebony pins with abalone dots. Inside the sound-hole is the original rectangular label printed in red "Bozo Guitars / Bozo Podunavac" with "88" written in blue ink. Additionally, above the label on the neck joint is a small blind stamp "Bozo Podunavac" and an identical small blind stamp "Bozo Podunavac" below the label. This very fine instrument is in mint (9.50) condition. Housed in the original two-latch shaped black hardshell case with blue plush lining (9.25).

Bozo Podunavac is now 86 years old, living in Florida and still making guitars for specific clients…
We sent him detailed photographs of the guitar and he has confirmed that he made this instrument specially for Scott Chinery in 1996. He currently charges between $4,000 and $8,000 depending on the amount of work involved.

Bozo Podunavac (pronounced bo-zho pod oo nav ack) is a Serbian born master luthier / guitar builder who emigrated to the U.S. in 1959. He was raised in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and served his apprenticeship with master luthier Milutin Mladenovic and graduated in 1950. He moved to Chicago, when he came to the US and for a time worked in the repair department of a musical instruments dealer and manufacturer. In 1964 he opened his own shop and began building guitars with his name "Bozo" on the peghead. Bozo apprenticed in the old world tradition of his homeland, and relishes building highly ornate instruments. Whether plain or fancy, his guitars have a very distinctive "voice," and tone. They are particularly well balanced and have a commanding presence. He is best known for building a few guitars (6 & 12 strings) for Leo Kottke back in the early 70's. Bozo left the Chicago area in the mid 70's and moved to Southern California and opened up his shop in San Diego along with a school of lutherie. During this time he "licensed" several of his designs to a Japanese firm that proceeded to build several hundred "Bozo" guitars, some with laminated back and sides, some all solid wood construction. Bozo had some health problems and stopped building his handcrafted instruments. He was then "rumored" to have died in the early 1980's, and as the Mark Twain saying goes, the rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated. Bozo is now in his 70's, and lives in Lindenhurst, Illinois with his wife, Mirjana. He has resumed building custom order guitars again, both ornate and plain, all with that unique "Bozo" sound. Many of his guitars, especially from the 1960's and early 1970's were Brazilian Rosewood, of course. Now he prefers to build with East Indian Rosewood or some beautiful Koa from one of his old students now in Hawaii. He builds 6 to 8 guitars a year and his hand built masterpieces now number over 500 and each is unique and wonderful. The works of a great master will live on. His instruments are already treasured by collectors and players for their quality, style and design. They are truly playable works of art.