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Pietro Gallinotti is not well known today, yet he was one of the most important Italian lutherie makers. The way he got into lutherie shows that life is sometimes a series of coincidences and situations not chosen by us. Gallinotti was born in 1885 in Solero, near Alessandria. He developed an interest in stringed instruments at a very young age, starting by learning to play the mandolin. Around 1909, Gallinotti left for Savigliano to work in the construction of train cars. There he found himself working with a wide variety of wood species, which gave him the opportunity to perfect his cabinetmaking skills. Mobilized in 1915, he was taken prisoner and transferred to a detention camp in Czechoslovakia. The camp commander, hearing of Gallinotti's passion for woodworking and violin making, asked him to build a violin. After the war, Gallinotti worked as a cabinetmaker in a furniture factory in Genoa. It was in this city that he met Cesare Candi, one of the greatest Italian violin makers of the time. Following this decisive encounter, Gallinotti decided to make instrument making his profession. He returned to his hometown of Solero, where he opened his first workshop. He began by making violins, and from 1930 onwards he also specialized in the construction of classical guitars. Pietro Gallinotti quickly gained a reputation. In 1937, his name was mentioned in the dictionary of Italian guitarists and luthiers, where we read: "Pietro Gallinotti makes guitars that can be considered perfect in terms of acoustics and elegance of form, to the point of satisfying our best guitarists, most of whom own his instruments and hold them in very high esteem. “ Modest in character, despite the quality of his instruments, he was a figure much appreciated by musicians. In 1952, the ”National Classical Guitar Making Competition" recognized Pietro Gallinotti as one of the great names in Italian guitar making. Around the 1950s, Pietro Gallinotti gave up violin making to devote himself solely to guitars. In January 1979, his wife Gina passed away, and Pietro Gallinotti died in May of the same year.

The guitar presented here was built in 1957. The craftsmanship is sober and perfectly executed. In terms of sound, we find the qualities that have made this luthier renowned. The notes are vibrant and expressive. The timbre is deep and lyrical. A beautiful, charming guitar, built by a luthier who has left his mark on the history of Italian and international guitar making.