2022 Giancarlo Nannoni "Ambrosia" SP/IN

A 2022 "Ambrosia" classical guitar by Giancarlo Nannoni, with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides, made in Tossignano, near Bologna – named for the food or drink of the Greek gods, a great classical reference for a great classical guitar.

In the video above, Jaclyn Jones plays the Allegro from Rodrigo's "Sonata Giocosa" on this guitar.

A Lattice under the Hauser Fans

Giancarlo credits Hermann Hauser I as his primary inspiration and borrows heavily from the Hauser design, with several small modifications for what he calls his "contemporary" model: in addition to the seven Hauser fans, six very thin braces pass underneath them to form a light lattice. The rest of the structure – plantilla, dimensions and depth of the box – is exactly that of the 1937 Hauser immortalized by Andrés Segovia.

Full Basses, Precise Trebles

He aims for a traditional, beautiful sound, with a full-bodied low register balanced by bright, precise trebles, and this guitar has those qualities in spades – along with a great amount of volume, easily filling a concert hall. The aesthetic details are his own designs, based on traditional shapes and color combinations; tuners are Alessi, and the guitar is French polished.

A Note on Condition

The headstock suffered a minor crack in shipping, which was expertly restored to like-new condition by GV Rubio here in Los Angeles.

Photos of this guitar taken during construction

Giancarlo Nannoni: Italian Classical Guitar Maker

Giancarlo Nannoni has been building classical guitars since 1994 in Tossignano, in the province of Bologna. He played guitar and other instruments as an amateur from boyhood, and his wish to build came from visits to the workshop of the violin maker Contavalli in Imola. He studied the physics and acoustics of the guitar and visited museums and collections to understand the great makers of the past.

A Contemporary Model after Hauser I

Giancarlo's main inspiration is Hermann Hauser I: his "contemporary" model follows the Hauser design with small modifications of his own, aiming for a traditional, beautiful sound. He gives his guitars names, and they are played in Italy and abroad by conservatory teachers and young prize-winning concert players.