Description
Gabriele Lodi is one of the leading Italian guitar builders and a respected luthier in the international classical guitar scene. Only a handful of other colleagues worldwide can claim to have had as many historic Spanish guitars on their workbench as he has. Of course, this is a knowledge that we respect and appreciate very much. Furthermore, Gabriele Lodi has the unique ability to grasp the finest details and express them with talent and taste to build first-class classical guitars.
Gabriele Lodi shared a few words with us about his approach to this A. de Torres interpretation model:
“After many years of research on historical Spanish guitars, and thanks to my recent appointment as curator of the “Torres Anniversary Exposition” in the Cremona Museum, I have tried to use all my knowledge to create my tribute to the Spanish traditional system of construction that first came into manifestation with the work of Antonio de Torres. “My Torres Interpretation” is simply my way to respect as much as possible the great Spanish master and at the same time make a guitar that satisfies the needs of the modern player. At the time Torres was building in the mid- to end- of the 19th century, his instruments were fitted with gut strings and played with a technical style developed by Julian Arcas and Francisco Tarrega. Since that time, several new developments have emerged, and today, players use nylon strings and a different technique which applies more pressure to the string to produce a strong attack. My intention is to save the pure Spanish sound of the Torres design but with a few minor modifications to the bracing – largely with their shape. I seek to achieve good balance from the deep basses to the higher trebles, good dynamic range, no missing “wolf” notes, and the correct sustain, particularly on the first string which is very particular for the Torres sound.”
Here is also a special note from Garbiele Lodi about this guitar, “My Torres Interpretation” Master Series #82 built in 2020:
“I’m grateful to Siccas Guitars shop to believe in my Torres Interpretation model. This guitar is the last development of the project which consists to obtain a more balanced sound for all notes on the fingerboard. In comparison to the one I made in 2019, the top is more stable with thickness measurements around 1,8/2mm and the bracing system is a little bit lighter. This combination permits a uniform sound output and a great dynamic range. At the same time, it has a very low body resonance frequency around E flat. The quality of the Spruce soundboard was selected in order to obtain the best elasticity movement of the top.”
This guitar is a masterpiece of lutherie and aesthetics. True artistic care was given to the many purflings and decorations, mainly inspired by Fransisco Tarrega’s two first Torres guitars. Furthermore, these gorgeous woods have also been selected for their harmonic distribution of the tension that works across the body. The CITES certified Brazilian rosewood was specially selected to reach a very similar quality to the woods used by Antonio de Torres himself. This guitar is both very relaxed and precisely responsive. Balance and sustain are brought to a striking equilibrium and each note develops elegantly. The mature and open tone has a distinctive Spanish color and the overall perfect playability makes it a genuinely delightful concert guitar.
Luthier: | Gabriele Lodi |
Construction year: | 2020 |
Top: | Spruce |
Back and sides: | Brazilian rosewood (Cites certified) |
Scale: | 650 mm |
Nut: | 52 mm |
Weight: | 1492 grams |
Air resonance frequency: | E |