My $02 on the Real Deal Masi's are....
Italian Masi's (Specials, GC's ....) built up to 1973ish and than the Carlsbad Masi's built in late 73/74/75
Mario Confente was the Verona shop foreman until mid 1973 when he came with Faliero to set up the Carlsbad operation. Masi didn't move his operation to California. He licensed Roland Sahm to build and sell Masi bicycles in America. Faliero set up the shop 'as if' it was his and left Mario to run the show. They made them like in the old country, except the Carlsbad frames were aesthetically superior to the model or ideal they emulated.
Masi was already in his 60's at this point. I think we connect the 'real deal' with the frames made by or in the shadow of the old man himself. By sending his master frame building apprentice to Carlsbad it's as if he sent the flame/torch of the 'House of Masi' with him. When Mario left Masi in 1975 and original cast members (Smith, Baylis, Cunningham, Howard, Simonetti and on)went their separate ways the ethereal connection to Faliero died.
This is not a knock on frames built later by Lippy, Eisentrout and on into the Rancho Santa Fe and San Marcos days. Masi still had a trick up his sleeve back in Milano. The 3V was quite significant yet it marked the Modern era for Masi in Italy.
I'm not a frame builder nor do I play one on TV. I do own a bike shop but I am the only customer ;^)
Matt Gorski Belmont Shore, CA
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of LouDeeter@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2004 8:51 AM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR]Carlsbad vs. San Marcos Masis
Ted Baer writes: Now that I am fully aware that the Masis made in Italy are the "real deal,"
If "real deal" means built in the Masi shop in Milan or prior to that,
Florence, then the exceptions would be the Nuovo Strada, Gran Sports and
3Vs that
were made by contract builders such as Billato and Mondonico. I believe
in the
CR timeline, and after Masi moved his operation to California, that the
Prestige and a few Gran Criteriums were made in Italy with Alberto's
name on the
toptube. I'm not really sure where those frames were actually made. I
would
tend to say "any Masi made in Italy prior to 1971 is the "real deal".
Lou
Deeter, Orlando FL