Guadagnini-Inspired Romantic Guitar (2025)

Built by Simone Franzini

Video recordings are available on request and on my YouTube channel.

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Completed in December 2025, this instrument is Simone Franzini's tribute to the Guadagnini guitar-making tradition, with particular reference to a guitar built by Gaetano Guadagnini in 1823.

The project is the result of extensive research into historical instruments, measurements, and specialist publications. Rather than being a copy of a specific surviving instrument, it represents a personal interpretation of the Guadagnini design language, with particular attention to the proportions, geometry, and construction principles that characterize these remarkable Italian guitars.

This project also has a personal dimension. Franzini's family has lived in the Val Tidone region for generations, not far from Bilegno, the birthplace of Giovanni Battista Guadagnini. This connection inspired a deeper exploration of the Guadagnini workshop, the Romantic guitar, and the Italian approach to guitar making that preceded the post-Torres Spanish model.

Design & Construction

The instrument immediately reflects several iconic features associated with Guadagnini guitars, including the pronounced body outline, barrel-shaped arching of both the soundboard and back, the moustache bridge, and the distinctive headstock design.

The soundboard is made from torrefied spruce and finished with oil. The back and sides are made from Italian cherry, stained in a deep garnet-burgundy color and finished with French polish.

With a scale length of 640 mm, a 47 mm nut width, and a total weight of only 920 grams, the instrument offers the responsiveness and playing feel associated with early nineteenth-century guitars while benefiting from modern precision and reliability.

The guitar is fitted with PegHeds geared pegs and is entirely handcrafted with careful attention to detail.

Sound

The tonal character reflects many of the qualities associated with early nineteenth-century guitars: warmth, intimacy, clarity, and a focused midrange response.

Particular attention was given to the development of the lower register, which remains full and supportive despite the instrument's shallow body depth. Combined with strong horizontal sound projection, this gives the guitar versatility beyond the traditional Romantic repertoire while maintaining a historically informed tonal aesthetic.

Although inspired by a historical model, the instrument is entirely new and built to contemporary standards of precision, stability, and reliability.

Specifications

Year: 2025
Scale Length: 640 mm
Nut Width: 47 mm
Soundboard: Torrefied Spruce – Oil Finish
Back & Sides: Italian Cherry – Garnet-Burgundy Stain, French Polish
Neck: Black-Stained Cypress – Oil and Wax Finish
Bridge: Black-Stained Pearwood – Oil Finish
Tuners: PegHeds Geared Pegs
Air Resonance Frequency: F#