Luigi Locatto, 2011

This 2011 Luigi Locatto "Garcia" Model is one of the most fascinating guitars we have had the pleasure of presenting. Locatto is widely regarded as one of the most respected Italian luthiers and restorationists working today, and his deep experience restoring historic instruments gives his own work a quality of understanding that is immediately felt in the hands. His guitars are extraordinarily difficult to find: his output is low, and players and collectors who acquire them tend to keep them. This is a rare and genuine opportunity.

The "Garcia" model is a direct homage to the legacy of Enrique Garcia, the great Spanish luthier whose instruments defined an era of elegance and refined Spanish voice. Locatto's interpretation captures that spirit beautifully while adding his own clarity and presence in the upper register. This example, number 230, was built in 2011 and has developed into a fully realized, deeply musical instrument.

Locatto's guitars have found their way into the hands of notable concert guitarists, including Lorenzo Michelli, who has recorded on his instruments, and Shinichi Fukura, the celebrated Japanese guitarist, who has recorded an album on a Locatto and performs on these instruments regularly.

Specifications

Back & Sides: Brazilian Rosewood

Strings: D'Addario XTC45FF with normal tension nylon first string
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Condition: Excellent, with very light signs of use

Sound & Playability

The first chord tells you everything. There is a depth and richness to this guitar that pulls you in immediately, a low main air resonance in the tradition of Garcia, Simplicio, and Torres that gives the instrument a genuinely old-world character. But where some guitars with this kind of resonance can become muddy or limited in repertoire, this Locatto opens up. The trebles have real brightness and presence, and the notes seem to fly off the string with surprising speed and clarity for an instrument this dark and rich in the bass.

The basses love to be pushed and respond with a wonderful bite, but they give back just as much when you back off. The second and third strings are excellent throughout, with sustain, bloom, and projection that are more than enough to resist any temptation to change strings. The overall character is spacious and refined, with a lyrical quality especially well suited to Spanish repertoire, Romantic music, and players who prize color and nuance.

Playability is exceptional. The 650 mm scale and 52.5 mm nut width are familiar and comfortable for most modern players. The neck is a medium C-shape, not too thick and not too thin, with tall frets and a remarkably low action that makes first position and barre chords genuinely effortless. Every string sits perfectly at the first fret.

Construction & Design

The materials and craftsmanship throughout are exceptional. The aged spruce top is elegant and refined, prepared with a seven-fan bracing system using extremely lightweight braces that contribute to the guitar's quick response and open character. An unusual detail worth noting: the corners of the top are reinforced with small pintones, connecting the top to the sides in a manner Locatto chose deliberately. The overall build is notably lightweight, and it shows in the guitar's immediacy and sensitivity.

The Brazilian rosewood back and sides are stunning, displaying a rippled, wavy figure down the center that catches the eye at every angle. The light-toned binding frames the instrument beautifully, with a matching strip running down the center of the headstock as well.

The rosette is directly inspired by Enrique Garcia's earlier instruments, with a center motif that is immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with those historic guitars. The bridge continues the Garcia reference with an elegant two-piece tie block and a mother-of-pearl center inlay, a detail that feels both historically correct and visually refined. If you did not know who made this guitar, you might genuinely mistake the bridge for a Garcia original.

The headstock carries a similar spirit: a Garcia-inspired design with a nod to Torres in its clean center strip. Nothing flashy, everything purposeful. The Alessi tuning machines are, in our view, among the finest examples of this maker's work we have ever encountered. The carved, pronounced ends in silver have an ornate quality that recalls the best tuners found on historic Simplicio and Garcia instruments.

About the Luthier

Luigi Locatto is an Italian luthier and restorationist of the highest order. Based in Italy, he has built a reputation over decades both for his own concert guitars and for his meticulous restoration work on some of the most important historic instruments in existence. That restoration practice has given him an intimacy with the great Spanish makers, including Garcia, Torres, and Simplicio, that most contemporary builders simply do not have. It is evident in his instruments.

His output is intentionally small, and his guitars are known for a combination of old-world depth and modern refinement that has attracted serious players and collectors worldwide. Finding one on the market is genuinely uncommon.

This guitar is in excellent condition. At fifteen years old, it shows very light signs of use, with minor marks here and there but no significant scratches on the top and no structural issues of any kind. It has clearly been well cared for throughout its life.