2022 Gabriele Lodi "Torres" SP/MH

This 2022 Gabriele Lodi "Torres" is a classical guitar from Carpi, Italy, with an Italian spruce top and figured mahogany back and sides with a central wedge of African rosewood – No. 110 of his "Expo Series", built for Roma Expo Guitars (REG) 2022 after the 1888 Torres SE 122.

An Expo Series Guitar for Roma Expo Guitars 2022

This instrument is part of Gabriele's "Expo Series" and was featured at Roma Expo Guitars (REG) 2022. It is also his latest tribute to the great Antonio de Torres. Gabriele's restoration work on original Torres instruments has led him to explore less conventional practices. For example, he has noticed that Torres used a variety of tonewoods other than CSA rosewood for his backs and sides (like quilted mahogany, bird's-eye maple, cypress, etc.), often woods with irregular grain patterns and varying densities.

Harmonizing the Whole Guitar

Gabriele believes that following Torres in this exploration opens new avenues – not just in the search for aesthetic variety and beauty, but also in changing the structural constraints behind his building decisions (thicknessing, doming, etc.) that distribute the energy of the sound throughout the entire body of the instrument. In effect, he "harmonizes" the various tensions found in all parts of the guitar and unites them in a single tonal direction, always starting with the flexibility of the soundboard as the source of the sound. As Gabriele says, the aim here is "to evoke plural voices or a small orchestra and come directly to our emotional side with a tone that we can internalize."

Inspired by the 1888 Torres SE 122

The original Torres that Gabriele used as his primary source of inspiration is SE 122 from 1888, which has a three-piece back of mahogany with a central portion of CSA rosewood (see the photo of that guitar in the image gallery). For more information on SE 122, see the book "Antonio de Torres – Lo Stradivari della chitarra moderna", of which Gabriele is a co-author. So Gabriele sourced some very rare woods: a select set of Italian spruce for the top, "wavy" mahogany for the sides and the lateral back parts, and a central wedge of African rosewood. Structurally, the guitar is strongly influenced by Torres in shape and proportions, with Gabriele's modified seven-fan system.

Elaborate Decoration Throughout

And to state the obvious for anyone who has already seen the images: there is a high degree of elaborate decoration throughout the instrument – not just the rosette and bindings, but all the purflings and inlays in the head, tie block, back, sides and top. It's as marvelous to look at as it is to listen to! An exquisitely built instrument with no detail overlooked – we like to think Torres himself would be astonished and proud to see his legacy carried on so beautifully by makers such as Gabriele, and by this guitar in particular. Our congratulations to Gabriele on what can only be considered nothing short of a masterpiece!

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. 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.