Classical Guitars: 1986 Guerriero Spataffi (1916 - 2007) Signed SOLD

Guerriero Spataffi

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650 mm Scale, 52 mm Nut. Fine to Medium grain Cedar and Indian Rosewood, French Polish.

Guerriero Spataffi was born in Gubbio on March 22, 1916. He began to work at the age of 14, dedicating himself to violin making. Guerriero Spataffi (1916-2007) began his luthier activities as a student with Luigi Mozzani in Bologna around 1930 at the Laboratorio-Scuola "Liuteria Italiana Luigi Mozzani". He finished his musical studies with the City Musical Band and begun studying the guitar first without a teacher then with Cesare Paeselli and Marcello Fiorucci. In 1952 he frequented a specialization course for classic guitar with master di Ponio, a teacher of the conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome. From 1956 to 1962 he was coordinator of the "classic guitar" sector for the Eko company of Recanati (Ancona). In 1962 he obtained first place at the regional level and fourth at the national level at the "Festival dei Chitarristi di Ancona ". In 1974 he acquired all of the violin making material belonging to Luigi Mozzani from the Farfisa, and has conserved and catalogued it in addition to donating part of it to the Brescia Museum.

In 1974 he bought various materials from the Farfisa company belonging to Luigi Mozzani: these were instrument bodies coming from from the Schools of Cento, Bologna and Rovereto containing: 30 violins, 50 mandolins, some mandolas, 15 incomplete double resonance chamber harp guitars, more than 20 Austrian model guitars, 40 incomplete Mezza lyra (Single resonance chamber) guitars, instrument making molds and timber). In the construction of over 200 guitar produced, he introduced several innovations on the bracing patterns.

He took the initiative as founder of the "School for Master Violin Makers "for the resolution n° 276 of the Town Council of Gubbio on October 25, 1978 where many fine professionals were formed. In 1983 he held seminars on "Construction and Conservation of Antique Instruments " in Gubbio. He was elected member of the A. N. L. A. I., in Rome and successively nominated as delegated representative for the Umbria region for the A.L.I, of Cremona. At the fourth national Violin Making Exhibition Competition and first international competition far classic Guitar in Baveno (NO) he was awarded for artistic merit with a gold medal. He was organizer and collaborator for the "National Violin Making Convention" held in Gubbio on March 31, 1995. He received prestigious success and consent as both maker of stringed and plucked instruments, and restorer of violins and guitars, his instruments are played by illustrious soloists. He is responsible for innovating the bracing system of the Soundboard and for the neck of the guitar. He has collaborated with various experts such as the Engineer, Fausto Ciurlo for physical and acoustical innovations of the classic guitar, and with Maestro Cesare Castelli of'Ascoli Piceno. He has been interviewed by Italian and foreign television.

But his greatest merit was to put his own "art" at the service of others, Spataffi in fact gave birth in Gubbio to a school for luthiers in 1978. Over the years the school had over 350 students from all over the world to whom the "Master" taught the secrets derived from many years of experience especially in the varnishing, which is of great value to the violin family instruments constructed.