Who did you learn your craft from?
I inherited my manual skills from my father, but my masters were luthiers specialised in plucked musical instruments in Milan, Federico Gabrielli, and one of the teachers of the Civica Scuola di Liuteria di Milano, Claudio Canevari.
What is the focus of your research activity?
The classic bowlback mandolin has not evolved much since its invention, 300 years ago, even though there is a huge potential to be unveiled in terms of sound performance. I led a research project about wood characterization, funded by the World Wood Day Foundation, to investigate this potential.
©Marco Bermejo
What is the advantage of your innovative approach?
My research offers actual solutions, in terms of design and in terms of choice and use of materials, to improve the sound performance, both the power and duration, without compromising the acoustic quality of the sound.
Are your findings embraced by all musicians?
It depends on the musician. Those still very anchored in tradition tend to be sceptical. Others including an internationally renowned one are very interested; they acknowledge the results and they are not scared by my idea to combine wood and carbon fibre, for instance.