Michele Della Giustina

This is an exquisite instrument made by the Italian luthier Michele Della Giustina (2001).

I spotted this guitar in late 2003 when it was already two years old. I fell in love immediately, knowing that it was the guitar I wanted there and then. Its charming tone has captivated me since the very first day and it’s still there and really makes this instrument a pleasure to play.

Soon after I got the guitar, I had the privilege of meeting this exceptional luthier. There have been very few people that I have encountered in my life, devoted to their work as passionately as signor Giustina. And there I was, on our first encounter with him, with only a handful of basic Italian vocabulary, and suddenly I found myself discussing every imaginable aspect of guitar-making with him and before I knew it, a couple of hours had passed by… In the years to follow, I have always been happy to come back and try out his recent instruments.

Michele is an open-hearted person who helped me understand the profound beauty of guitar playing. He is full of joy and yet there is something nearly mystical about him. And that’s exactly what his guitars are like – warm, alluring and inspirational.

My 2001 „Della Giustina“ has a sandwich-top construction (Canadian Cedar on the outside, Italian Spruce on the inside and a layer of Balsa wood in-between) and a beautiful „Rio“ Brazilian Rosewood on its back and sides. The latter, however, are reinforced with a layer of Spruce on the inside. The neck is made of Central American Cedar („cedrela odorata“) while the fingerboard is cut out of West-African Ebony (Gabon).

 

Bernd Holzgruber

This beautiful guitar came from Bernd Holzgruber’s workshop in Velden, Austria. Widely appreciated for their rich tonal qualities, Holzgruber’s guitars are well known among European guitarists.

This particular instrument was made in the early 2006. It possesses a rich and colourful sound in all registers and is perfectly balanced. Its soundboard is made of Central European Spruce. Besides, this guitar features spectacular Brazilan Rosewood for its back and sides, Mahogany neck and Ebony fingerboard.

I remember the day I first saw and tried this instrument, along with some other Holzgruber guitars. They were all brand new and shiny, but I immediatley caught sight of this particular one because of the gorgeous Brazilian rosewood. Needless to say, its exceptional tonal colours made it sound better than the others.

Still, I must say it has developed a lot over the past few years. These days, its reliability and superb sound projection make this guitar perfect for both chamber music and solo recitals.