Michele Della Giustina
Italian luthier
Michele Della Giustina
I was born in 1962 in Vittorio Veneto and I have been making classical guitars since 1991.
After meeting Japanese luthier Kazuo Sato, I began working with the Niibori Guitar Music Academy in Japan, and in 2003 I was a guest at a guitar-making seminar at their Tokyo headquarters.
In 2004 Hiroyuki Arai, a young student from the Japanese School of Violin Making, spent two months at my home as a part of a training internship. After his return to Japan, he began to write an account of his luthiery experiences in Italy.
Our participation in two Guitar Foundation of America congresses (Montreal 2004 – Atlanta 2006) opened the door to the US market.
After those guitar and luthiery shows, I was invited to New York and became close friends with popular NBC news anchor Ramon Zayas and met several East Coast guitarists who now play my instruments regularly.
In 2007, I was a guest at a guitar-making seminar at the Shanghai Conservatory, where my guitar quickly gained recognition.
Respect for tradition
I also specialize in the restoration of historical instruments and since 2014 I have been the curator of GuitArt magazine’s antique guitar collection “El Siglo de Oro de la Guitarra Española”.
My classical guitars are currently played by musicians in Japan, USA, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Colombia, several countries in the European Union and of course Italy.
I live and work in a cozy house on the edge of the woods with my wife Viviana, my son Vassili and a couple of animals.
My guitars come from previous luthier research and a deep acoustic knowledge of wood and its properties.
Therefore, my project is based on a synthesis of traditional methods with a focus on the needs of contemporary guitar concerts.
The sound I prefer is the Latemar spruce sound, which I personally pick at the Welsnofen forest station and which I personally cut and use after many years of natural ageing.
Guitars by Michele in our collection:
Michele Della Giustina, a master luthier born in Vittorio Veneto in 1962, has distinguished himself in the realm of classical guitar making since graduating from the Udine Conservatory in 1990. His journey began under the mentorship of Maestro Carlo Raspagni, who imparted foundational skills and philosophies that shaped his career. A significant turning point came with his collaboration with Japanese luthier Kazuo Sato, which led to a successful partnership with the Niibori Guitar Music Academy in Japan and a notable conference on violin making at their Tokyo headquarters in 2003. In 2004, Della Giustina hosted Hiroyuki Arai, a young luthier student from Japan, for a two-month mentorship that enriched both Arai’s skills and Della Giustina’s international connections.
His participation in the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) Conventions in Montreal (2004) and Columbus-Atlanta (2006) expanded his reach into the American market, further boosted by an invitation to New York by NBC journalist Ramon Zayas, who introduced him to the East Coast guitar scene.
In 2007, Della Giustina was a guest of Maestro Danny Yeh at the Shanghai Conservatory, where he held a conference on violin making during the Quindao guitar festival, showcasing his instruments to a new audience. More recently, in 2023, he was honored at the National Music Institute in Krakow, Poland, during an event dedicated to classical guitar, underscoring his enduring influence in the guitar-making world. Della Giustina’s guitars, totaling over 420, are prized by musicians across Japan, the United States, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Colombia, Brazil, Europe, and Italy.
His instruments reflect his deep study of historical masters and a profound understanding of the acoustic properties of wood. Blending traditional methods with the needs of contemporary concerts, Della Giustina has developed an “Italian” concept guitar using spruce and maple to produce a sound resonant with Italy’s great guitar-making tradition. He is also innovating with a “concept” guitar featuring a Sinker Cedar top and Bog Oak back and sides, aiming to bridge the ancient and the modern. Beyond his craftsmanship, Della Giustina is dedicated to teaching, guiding about twenty students in building their guitars in his workshop. He resides and works in a mountain town in the province of Belluno, surrounded by nature, his wife Viviana, their son Vassili, and a menagerie of domestic and wild animals, contributing to the rich tapestry of Italian luthiery.