Marco Bortolozzo
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Luthier: Marco Bortolozzo
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Luthier: Marco Bortolozzo
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Marco Bortolozzo – Luthier
Early Life and First Encounters with Music
I was born in the early eighties in a small Italian country town. I grew up surrounded by vineyards, vegetable gardens, and dismantled engines. Coming from a family of hardworking people, I learned early from my father how to handle all kinds of tools. As a child, I built wooden machines and dismantled (and reassembled) bicycles.
I don’t remember exactly when I first realized that music was something great, but I do remember that in 1995 my cousin, who lived across the street, owned a powerful stereo system and, above all, a beautiful Gibson Les Paul.
At the age of 14, music became an essential part of my life, and like many teenagers, I studied guitar and started playing with friends.
First Instrument and Educational Journey
At that time, for every 20 guitarists, there were about 2 bass players and 1 drummer – so necessity led me to the electric bass. At first, I borrowed one, and later I built my own: the first musical instrument I ever made.
Years passed, and I enrolled at university to study industrial design. These years were fundamental for my development as a luthier, as I learned about production processes, design stages, materials, and manufacturing methods. I spent five years in a fantastic environment filled with creativity in all its forms.
Turning Point and Mentorship
Toward the end of my studies, I realized that guitars do not only come from factories but also from craftsmen who manage to make their living building beautiful instruments. So I decided to meet one. I chose a name randomly from the yellow pages and visited his workshop the next day: the luthier was Dario Pontiggia.
Dario was immediately very kind and began telling me the story of Antonio de Torres. After an hour of conversation, I understood that this profession was “what I want to do when I grow up.”
Today as a Professional Luthier
Today I am grown up, and I am a professional luthier. Guitars have become my life. I have built many – the result of passion and the study of the great guitar makers of the past. These guitars are now all over the world and played across several continents. This is the aspect of my work that makes me the most proud.

