Rosetti
Rosetti
Also known as: Rosetti Ltd
UnclaimedRosetti is a British musical instrument distributor based in Great Leighs, Chelmsford, Essex. Founded by Arthur Rosetti in the 1920s, the company became one of the most prominent UK distributors of the 20th century, alongside names like Selmer, Bell and Rose Morris. During the 1950s and 60s, under Czech-Canadian owner Michael Hunka, Rosetti imported entry-level acoustic and electric guitars bui...
Rosetti is a British musical instrument distributor based in Great Leighs, Chelmsford, Essex. Founded by Arthur Rosetti in the 1920s, the company became one of the most prominent UK distributors of the 20th century, alongside names like Selmer, Bell and Rose Morris. During the 1950s and 60s, under Czech-Canadian owner Michael Hunka, Rosetti imported entry-level acoustic and electric guitars built by Egmond in the Netherlands — instruments that became iconic in their own right after early Beatles and Rolling Stones members played them. Paul McCartney's Rosetti Solid 7 and the Rosetti acoustics owned by George Harrison and Keith Richards in the late 1950s remain widely cited examples.
Beyond its own-brand instruments, Rosetti has long served as the UK gateway for major international makers, having handled distribution for Epiphone from the early 1960s, Hagstrom from around 1969, and Gibson from 1981 to 1986 under EMI ownership. Doug Ellis and Barry Warner, then employees, bought the company in 1985 and continue to run it.
The company operates strictly as a wholesale distributor and does not sell direct to the public. Its portfolio spans guitars, basses, brass and woodwind, drum sticks, spares and accessories, with brands including Rickenbacker, Hagstrom, Breedlove, Seymour Duncan, Vandoren, Magneto and Adam Black, among more than forty others.
Rosetti has 2 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Steel-string Acoustic Guitars and Electric Basses. Their gear is featured by 1 artist, with the strongest followings in Rock. Notable users include Horace Panter.
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