2019 Lorenzo Frignani SP/IM

A 2019 classical guitar of Lorenzo Frignani's own concert design, with a bearclaw spruce top and highly figured imbuia back and sides, made in Modena, Italy – No. 234 from his workshop.

In the video above, Irina Kulikova (guitar) and Feliks Volozhanin (cello) play the second movement of Konstantin Vassiliev's "3 Night Ballads" on this guitar.

A Top Aged like a Violin's

Lorenzo is also a maker of bowed instruments, and he prepares this soundboard as he would a violin top: a chemical procedure – no stains or dyes – gives the wood an aged appearance with a sparkling brilliance, leaving a smooth surface and no residue that could harm it. He uses the same method on his replicas of vintage instruments.

X-Bracing Meets the Torres Fan

The bracing is an interesting mixture of an X system (Martin, Stauffer) and a classic Torres five-fan, and the upper edges of the bridge are tapered to relieve tension on the top where cracks often form. Tiny mother-of-pearl dots are inlaid in the ornate rosette, head and foot, and an oval flourish of purfling decorates the back near the heel.

Silky and Rich

Lorenzo says he builds from the heart, for players who want a guitar that is the greatest vehicle for expressive playing. This one is silky and rich across all registers, with singing trebles and bold basses.

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.