Marco Maguolo - 20th Anniversary No. 296 REG 2024 Lattice

Marco Maguolo was born in Mestre (Venice, Italy) in 1976. After attending technical schools, his passion for the guitar took over, and he started building his first guitar under the guidance of Maestro M. Novelli. Starting from the autumn of 2003, he devoted himself entirely to making classical guitars. On top of his classical guitar-making skills, Marco Maguolo attended a bow service and repair course at the Civica Scuola di Liuteria di Milano held by Maestro Pietro Cavalazzi, and a violin-making course at the Scuola di Liuteria di Pieve di Cento in Bologna under the guidance of Maestro Marcello Bellei. Since 2004, Marco Maguolo’s waiting list kept growing quickly, and his guitars, played in concerts worldwide, gained broad recognition for their tone qualities and projection.

Marco Maguolo set a unique challenge for himself with the REG2024 limited edition guitar: to craft an instrument solely from European native woods, steering clear of the tropical varieties traditionally used in classical guitar construction. In creating the DUCALE LATTICE-BRACED LIMITED EDITION REG2024, he embraced both tradition and innovation, utilizing only spruce, maple, and beech—woods indigenous to Europe. His objective was to ensure that the interaction of these materials complemented his innovative design. Marco drew inspiration from the historic Torres model SE114 for the general concepts and thicknesses of the guitar’s top, adapting these elements to his own lattice-bracing configuration to maintain the traditional thickness while incorporating contemporary building techniques.

The resulting instrument is a testament to Marco's meticulous craftsmanship and design philosophy. The guitar delivers precise and defined fundamental notes with exceptional sound separation, thanks to its clean harmonics. The bass notes are deep and warm, mirroring the tonal qualities of Antonio de Torres' historic models, while the trebles are brilliantly penetrating, making this guitar extraordinarily versatile and suitable for a broad repertoire. Aesthetically, Marco chose three predominant colors that evoke warmth and tradition. The body is crafted from maple and spruce, which lend a rich, amber hue to the instrument. The torrefied maple neck has deepened to brown, harmonizing with the purfling that encircles the guitar. The fingerboard, made of dark-stained laminated beech, along with a maple bridge and headstock plate, mimics the appearance of black ebony, creating a striking contrast against the amber and brown. The marbling shimmer on the back, sides, and neck offers a visual contrast, blending iridescent baroque richness with sober elegance, all centered around the DUCALE rosette—a tribute to Venice and Italy's rich musical heritage.