2023 Gerardo Centonze CD/AR

Built by Italian luthier Gerardo Centonze, this guitar is made with Western red cedar for the soundboard, and a beautifully cut set of African rosewood for the back and sides. This is THE actual award-winning classical guitar that Gerardo showcased at the sixth Antonio Marin Montero Guitar Making Competition held in Granada, Spain in August, 2023 and we are extremely thrilled to have this guitar here. Built especially for this competition, Gerardo has printed the letter “G.” on the label, which stands for “Granada”. For this special guitar, Gerardo chose to use his own contemporary designs throughout. The binding is made of Macassar Ebony and the purfling is made of quarter-sawn flamed maple. The rosette is his own design, featuring two thin bands filled with small mosaics in random pattern. Similarly, his personalized headstock has a thin inlay in the veneer outlining the head shape for a subtle, yet effective emphasis. Tuners are high-grade Barnett machines, from Germany. Overall an elegant and contemporary design, beautifully executed with precise craftsmanship.

Gerardo's building philosophy is inspired primarily by the traditional Spanish models for most of the structural considerations. Under the soundboard there are 7 fan braces, the outer two passing through openings in the lower harmonic bar. In the upper bout there an additional 4 braces (also fanning away from the heel). The heel itself extends all the way to the soundhole, adding additional support under the fingerboard. Like some makers in the contemporary French school, the sides are reinforced by a series of cypress braces. This very solidly built body allows the vibration to be directed largely on the soundboard, which produces a thick, rich and full quality of sound. This focused/directional quality of sound production gives it excellent projection, making it fit for any sized venue. Overall, a beautifully made and very impressive award-winning guitar!

Gerardo Centonze was born in 1986 in Taranto, Italy. Initially he was self-taught, however in 2013, he enrolled at the Civic School of Lutherie of Milan where he learned the main building techniques of the family of plucked instruments. In 2017, he obtained his Diploma of Master Luthier, under the guidance of the Masters Lorenzo Lippi, Federico Gabrielli and Gabriele Negri. After completing his studies, he began an internship with Maestro Mirko Borghino, deepening his skills also in the field of archtop and acoustic guitars. In 2018, back in Milan, he focused his passion specifcally towards construction of classical guitars and began a long and intense internship in the workshop of Maestro Lorenzo Lippi, thus being able to learn various approaches to guitar construction, all the while refining his own personal style. This same year, he also opened his own workshop in Milan where in addition to building his own instruments, he also took on restoration work for vintage instruments. In 2021 and 2022 he participated in the REG (Rome Expo Guitar) as an exhibitor. After several years of working at his craft, Gerardo Centonze was awarded third-prize for his classical guitar at the prestigious sixth Antonio Marin Montero Guitar Making Competition held in Granada, Spain in August, 2023.