From Treviso via Hamburg to New York – the eventful journey of a Luciano Lovadina guitar
“I'm currently playing a guitar made by an American manufacturer. An excellent instrument. But unfortunately, it no longer meets my increased career requirements.” Many musicians feel the same way as Chris Alexander. As they develop personally and professionally, they need an instrument that meets their current needs and, in the best-case scenario, can also take it to the next stage of their career.
Chris’s request reached us via our website in May 2024. His dream: a guitar from Luciano Lovadina. As we at Soundvest had recently arranged and financed an instrument from the Italian maker for a musician from Hanover, it was easy to approach Luciano with this request too. After a few conversations between New York, Hamburg, and Treviso, a contract was signed and Luciano began to build the custom-made instrument (worth € 11,000).
Luciano working on Chris’s guitar
Every instrument is one of a kind
Luciano Lovadina sees himself as a chef in a figurative sense: the high-quality woods are to the guitar what the fresh ingredients are to the dish. Hand-picked Italian red spruce and maple from the Balkans, which have also been used historically for stringed instruments, Brazilian rosewood, probably the most sought-after, precious wood, and black ebony are used. The aesthetics are just as important for the sound quality as the craftsmanship. “I’ve never seen an ugly guitar that sounds good. I’ve seen beautiful guitars that sound bad, but never ugly guitars that sound good. Above all, guitar making is not just a craft, it’s an art.” The icing on the cake is the self-made finish. A mix of shellac and oil polish that gives the wood high transparency and the instrument charm and elegance.
With 45 years of experience in instrument making, the Italian knows how to produce guitars of exceptional sound quality like no other. Modern instruments with a full, penetrating sound, great sustain, and a long decay time, yet perfect for classics from all eras.
From Treviso to Hamburg
At the beginning of January 2025, Chris Alexander made the journey from New York to Treviso to collect his instrument in person from Luciano Lovadina's workshop. After a few days in sunny northern Italy, the journey continued via Cologne to Hamburg. At our New Year's concert on January 15 at SPACE Hamburg, the talented guitarist and newest addition to Soundvest presented a varied program on his new guitar for the first time, including a self-composed piece for guitar and cello. Our visitors were also able to enjoy the cello playing of our founder Philipp. In addition, Nikolaus Osann, a renowned luthier based in Hamburg, took us into the fascinating world of classical string instruments. In addition to a piece of unprocessed wood (spruce, of course), a violin cut in half lengthwise was a rare exhibit that made its way through the rows of the audience.
After some sightseeing in the Hanseatic city, Chris headed back across the pond to the States. There are basically two travel options for guitars: You can book its own seat or check it in as luggage. Sometimes you do the former, and it still comes down to the latter – the instrument has to go in the hold. Despite good, usually hard-shelled instrument cases and general insurance for the instrument, a flight can become an unwanted thrill. Chris also had to experience this first-hand on his long round trip. Thankfully, his instrument was handled professionally and the guitar case proved its worth. Chris and his ideal instrument landed unscathed.
Fotos: Jan Marius Komorek