2014 Gabriele Lodi "Torres" SP/MP

This 2014 Gabriele Lodi "Torres" is a classical guitar from Carpi, Italy, with a 40-year-old spruce top and highly figured maple back and sides – built for GSI as only the fifth guitar under his own label.

Gabriele Lodi's Tribute to Antonio de Torres

Gabriele built this guitar as a tribute to the great Antonio de Torres. Rather than copying any one Torres, he combined the elements he likes best from the many Torres instruments he has seen. His knowledge is first-hand: over his career he has completely restored many original Torres guitars, sometimes taking the backs off to work inside as well as out – and one of those masterpieces now belongs to the Cremona Musical Museum of Plucked Instruments. He has also traveled to Barcelona to study the famous 1859 Torres that Miguel Llobet owned and played. With this guitar, built for GSI, Gabriele set out to capture the feeling of an original Torres.

Purflings, Mother-of-Pearl and Rare Woods

The level of craftsmanship is extraordinary. Elaborate purflings run through the entire instrument – top, sides, back, bridge, rosette and head veneer – and mother-of-pearl inlays decorate the rosette and bridge, so this is a striking guitar to look at. The 40-year-old spruce soundboard is paired with exceptionally beautiful maple for the back and sides, and the tuners are handmade by Alessi.

Old-World Charm and Easy Playability

Its tone is full of old-world charm: firm, round basses balanced by clear, ringing trebles. The action is easy and the guitar is very comfortable to play. Although a used guitar, it is in excellent condition, with barely any signs of prior use. Gabriele started using his own label (instead of the standard family label) in 2013, and this guitar was the fifth one to carry it.

Photos of this guitar during construction

Orfeo Magazine #13 – Lodi, Bottelli, Coriani, Peruffo

A Family of Guitar Makers

Italian luthier Gabriele Lodi (born 1976) comes from a family of classical guitar makers. His father was a luthier and player, and Gabriele happily spent most of his childhood in his father's workshop in Carpi, near Modena. From the age of 13 he was helping out at the bench, and by 20 he had made guitar making his profession. He still works in that same family workshop today.

From Historical Guitars to the Spanish School

The historical instruments that came through the shop for repair sparked a lasting fascination with old guitars, and because of it many of his own guitars are strongly rooted in traditional design and aesthetic. After studying the Romantic guitars of the 19th century, he turned to the Spanish school from Torres on, traveling regularly to Buenos Aires from 2004 to study great Spanish guitars. Besides his Torres models, he builds guitars inspired by the Madrid school – Manuel Ramírez, Santos Hernández and Domingo Esteso – and by the Barcelona school of Enrique García.

Carrying the Torres Tradition Forward

In the last many years, the great Antonio de Torres has become a primary driving force in Gabriele's work as a restorer, historian and, of course, as a builder. He has restored several important original Torres instruments, and along the way captured insights from the hand of Torres that have led him to explore his own ideas to carry the Torres tradition forward into the modern day. He is also a co-author of the book Antonio de Torres – Lo Stradivari della chitarra moderna. His Torres guitars carry the words "My Torres Interpretation" on the label: they are never literal copies, but combine his favorite elements of various Torres instruments with details that answer the needs of today's players.

Gabriele Lodi and GSI

Gabriele has used his own label (instead of the family label) since 2013, and in 2021 his guitar No. 100 launched his "Expo Series" of guitars made for Roma Expo Guitars (REG). His workshop has become a meeting place for players and collectors, and GSI is his only dealer in the United States.