2018 Lorenzo Frignani "1910 Manuel Ramírez" SP/CSAR

A 2018 "1910 Manuel Ramírez" replica by Lorenzo Frignani, with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides – No. 229, modeled on the original 1910 Manuel Ramírez in Lorenzo's own collection.

Sound First, then Looks

The guitar replicates both the sound and the look of the original. In the violin world it is common practice to give a new instrument a "distressed" finish, with signs of age and wear that don't (yet) exist, and Lorenzo has applied the same approach here – but he says it is the sound of the original that he prioritizes. The aesthetic touches give the player the pleasure of a vintage-style guitar without the structural worries and fragility of an old one.

Played by Gilardino and Grondona

In Italy these replicas have long been appreciated by Angelo Gilardino, Sandro Torlontano, Andrea Dieci and Stefano Grondona, who have played them (and the original) and agree that they capture its sound and feel. They give players this kind of guitar at a much lower cost than an original – and one they can take on tour without risking a priceless vintage instrument. This one carries Lorenzo's own label, inscribed "mod. Manuel Ramirez".

Read more: Orfeo Magazine No. 6 – Tacchi, Frignani and Locatto (with a feature on Lorenzo Frignani)

Lorenzo Frignani: Luthier, Scholar and Collector in Modena

Lorenzo Frignani is an Italian luthier who works in Modena. Independent since 1986, he builds guitars, lutes and violins, and alongside his own concert models he makes replicas of historic guitars from his own collection – above all a 1910 Manuel Ramírez – finished with the aged, "distressed" look that is common practice in the violin world. His guitars and lutes have won awards in Italy and abroad, and in July 2011 the town of Fiuggi named him "luthier of the year".

Teacher, Author and Expert

Lorenzo has served on international competition juries, taught violin making and taken private apprentices. He has written and published widely on the history of plucked instruments, founded the publishing house LF Edizioni in 2007, and is a technical advisor on musical instruments to the court in Modena. In 2024 his son Eugenio joined the workshop, and together they launched Liuteria Frignani. Lorenzo was featured with Andrea Tacchi and Luigi Locatto in Orfeo Magazine No. 6.