Simone Franzini Luthier
Guadagnini Project
Origin and motivation
The project dedicated to Guadagnini guitars was born from a personal bond with the Tidone Valley, where Franzini's family has lived for many generations and where Bilegno, the birthplace of Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, is located.
This coincidence prompted him to delve deeper into the history of the Guadagnini workshop, the Romantic guitar, and a construction method predating the post-Torres Spanish model: an Italian approach that played a significant role in the development of the 19th-century guitar.
The project, which began in 2022, expects the first instrument to be built by the end of 2025 and aims to develop completely new models based on the characteristics of the original instruments and the results obtained so far.
Design
The project was not conceived as an attempt to make a faithful copy of a specific historical instrument, but as a way to understand and reinterpret the construction language of Guadagnini guitars.
For the making of the instrument, historical models, technical drawings and specialist publications were studied, with particular attention to proportions, body geometry, internal structure and the technical solutions that characterize these instruments.
The result of this research led to a new design, developed from the study of original instruments and from the results obtained during the making process. The aim of the project is to develop new models that remain coherent with the historical tradition of reference, while being conceived as contemporary, reliable instruments suited to present-day musical use.
In this sense, the Guadagnini Project represents a dialogue between historical research and practical craftsmanship: not a simple replica of the past, but a path of study that uses the historical model as a foundation for developing a personal and conscious voice.
Aesthetics
The iconic character of Guadagnini guitars is immediately visible in this instrument. The outline of the body, with its pronounced lobes, the barrel-shaped bending of the soundboard and back, the moustache bridge and the distinctive headstock design directly recall the formal language of this tradition.
The instrument features a thermally treated spruce soundboard, finished with oil, with back and sides made of Italian cherry. The choice of cherry is part of a broader research into European and national woods, consistent with the construction approach and the identity of the project.
The back and sides are finished with a garnet-bordeaux stain and a mirror polish, enhancing the depth of the wood and giving the instrument an elegant and recognizable character. The overall aesthetic maintains a balance between historical reference and contemporary sensitivity, without renouncing clarity of form and attention to detail.
With a 640 mm scale length, a 47 mm nut width and an exceptionally light weight of only 920 grams, the guitar preserves the handling, immediate response and lightness typical of instruments from the romantic period.
The elegant design is completed by PegHeds mechanical tuning pegs and refined hand craftsmanship in every detail. Although it originates from the study of historical models, the instrument is entirely new, reliable and built according to high modern standards of precision.
Technical data sheet
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Year of construction: December 2025
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Scale: 640 mm
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Nut: 47 mm
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Soundboard: heat-treated spruce – oil finish
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Back and sides: stained cherry – shellac finish
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Handle: Black stained cypress – oil and wax finish
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Bridge: stained pear – oil finish
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Mechanics: PegHeds mechanical pegs
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Strings: Gut and silk 900 - Aquila harmonic strings
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Soundboard resonant frequency: F#
Sound
The tonal profile of the instrument reflects the intimate and lyrical qualities associated with guitars from the early nineteenth century. The sound is soft, warm and slightly nasal, with a pronounced midrange that recalls the original character of Guadagnini guitars.
The balance between the voices, the clarity of articulation and the immediacy of response make the instrument particularly suited to the classical and romantic repertoire. Its voice allows the expressive delicacy, phrasing and dynamic nuances of this repertoire to emerge naturally.
The true strength of this model, however, lies in the enrichment of the lower frequencies, which are surprisingly full despite the very thin body. This is combined with a remarkable horizontal projection of sound, giving the instrument a broad and well-distributed acoustic presence.
These qualities make the guitar versatile and suitable for musical needs beyond those strictly connected to the romantic repertoire. The result is an instrument that preserves a strong connection with its historical model of reference, while offering the contemporary musician stability, constructional precision and a personal voice.
