1988 Andrea Tacchi "10-string" SP/CSAR

This is a VERY RARE find. Not only do second-hand guitars in this condition by Andrea Tacchi rarely surface (especially from this period), it also happens to be a 10-string - the first we've ever seen from him! Meticulously built, it is lightly braced with a very open soundboard - only 5 cedar fans underneath with open harmonic bar (on bass side) which provides maximal surface area for the top to resonate freely. Tacchi's tireless quest his entire career has been to produce a rich, textured quality of sound with a great variety of timbral colors and polyphonic clarity. It is for his quality of sound that has made his instruments so attractive for so many years to many of the world's top performers and it's a delight to see an older vintage from his output like this that achieves this same goal.

This instrument will appeal greatly to the guitarist seeking to perform repertoire that won't "fit" on a standard 6-string. The additional bass strings allow players of Renaissance and Baroque lute music to play this period repertoire without having to transpose bass notes. The instrument also works beautifully for transcriptions of piano and orchestral music which require a wider note range - not just on the bottom-end, but also with an increased upper register - 21 frets reaching up to a high c#. Condition is excellent with no cracks or repairs, only some very mild playing wear in the finish. Overall a very sophisticated guitar, successfully achieving its intended aims, the primary of which is beauty of sound.

Orfeo Magazine article on Tacchi, Locatto and Frignani

A native of Florence, Italy, Andrea Tacchi is arguably Italy's foremost contemporary luthier and is ranked among the top handful in the world by players and collectors alike. His interest in guitar making started very early in his life - he built his first guitar at age 15. In 1977 he began the serious study of guitar making with Argentinian luthier Ricardo Brané. After Brané’s death, Tacchi traveled extensively (starting in the early 1980s) in pursuit of mastering his craft. In Spain he spent time in the workshops of Jose Ramirez III, Paulino Bernabe Sr, and Francisco & Gabriel Fleta; and in England with Jose Romanillos. But perhaps his most influential trips were those to France where he befriended and consulted with Robert Bouchet and Daniel Friederich, whose approaches and aesthetics would greatly impact Tacchi's developing style. His reputation internationally was boosted in 1985 when he competed in the Concours International des Facteurs de Guitare organized by Robert Vidal of Radio France - Tacchi won first prize for Aesthetic Qualities and second general prize for Acoustic Qualities. His instruments have been played by several notable guitarists including Filomena Moretti, Flavio Cucchi, Carlo Marchione, Antigoni Goni, Robert Gruca, Colin Davin, Minoru Inagaki, and Marcelo Kayath, while others belong to important private collections. Two of his guitars are in the collection of the Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini in Florence, Italy.