Creativity is the most fascinating aspect in the art of lutherie. It may be true that one never invents anything new, but the ability to know how to join, choose or perceive the potentiality of part or of whole instruments, constitutes a climax for those who practise this skill. Experience and scientific studies of acoustic physics are the base of new frontiers in research.
In my instruments each part or piece has its own history essentially made up of an initial idea, the projecting, the realization and verifying the result with an eventual modification.
A hand-made
instrument is obviously different to a mass-produced instrument. The
latter are constructed in industries which use CAD-CAM and machines
that are computer numeric controlled CNC which, within a few minutes,
3 or 4 at most, are able to produce a main body or instrument neck which
only needs to be smoothed off, varnished and thus ready for use. Instead,
a skilled luthier must be able to get the best out of each single piece
of timber. The ability to take into consideration the correct work to
be done is fundamental to the success of the whole instrument.
As I have said before, each single part has been studied and tested during the course of years, experience teaches a lot and if it is evaluated in the right way, it is able to make the potentiality of each single future project grow. Many of my customers or musicians who have used my instruments are immediately impressed by its neck: Some of them have referred to me the sensation of having always possessed that instrument. All my necks present an asymmetrical form which looks much like the anatomy of the hand, particularly the part relating to the ring grip between thumb and index finger. This asymmetry permits the use only of those muscles necessary to move the fingers along the fingerboard so reducing the strength needed for the grip, thus relaxing hand, arm and shoulder muscles. The rear part of the neck is TUNG OILED and this enhances the smooth sliding of the hand over the whole surface. The TRUSS ROD, situated within the neck, is made from a 5mm. stainless steel rod, while the lodge groove presents a longitudinal curve of 4mm. at the centre which permits, with a slight adjustment, an efficient balance between the string tension and the backpush of the truss rod. Furthermore, the groove has a curved section ,and so does the truss filler, which is obtained from a 6-mm. strip of maple. The purpose of this type of construction is that of making the reinforcement bar become an integral part of the neck so avoiding the vibration of this bar when playing particular notes.
Up to date I have used three kinds of essences in the realization of fingerboards, all the timber used is of prime quality, selected and ultimately manipulated for the specific purpose. Ebony, because of its physical and acoustic properties, creates a sort of standard for some types of extremely professional instruments. Furthermore, because of its compactness and absence of grain, it is particularly suitable for any kind of inlay. The choice of Indian rosewood or of marbled maple depends on what kind of frequency and sonority one wants to obtain from the finished instrument.
The range of curving of the fingerboard is of 12 inches, that is 304,8 mm. Finally, the ergonomic form of the instrument body favours adherence to the player’s body so permitting a perfect balance between the masses and thus a correct position in the executive phase. The varnishes used are of nitrocellulose type and enable the timber to breathe and vibrate freely, they are also purposely made to be used in lutherie.(LAWRENCE MAC FADDEN, USA).
The instruments are constructed entirely by hand with the aid of traditional and electrical tools. I, here undersigned, have availed of the external collaboration of the Architect Mr. Giuseppe Parascandola for the graphics regarding the writings done in Indian ink, and of Mr. Aldo Contreras for the final varnishing and polishing.
