Davide Pusiol

Luthier

©Daniele Nalesso

Venice, guitars and rock'n'roll

Davide handcrafts acoustic and electric guitars
He was a musician long before becoming a guitar maker
A self-taught artisan, he is now a recognised master

It took almost 30 years for Davide Pusiol to go back to his hometown Venice and open the luthier atelier that he had so long dreamed of. When he finally succeeded in opening his current bottega in the heart of Venice, his life changed and his La Serenissima guitar is his personal tribute to this accomplishment. What did not change over time is his approach to the craft. Davide works almost totally by hand or with basic tools only. His guitars – each one unique – are carefully handcrafted according to a few principles that drive his work: improving the quality of the sound, and crafting original, beautiful and artistically relevant instruments.

Interview

©Daniele Nalesso

©Daniele Nalesso

How did you become a luthier?: Blame the Beatles! I was just a small kid when I first heard their music, the son of a restaurant owner and grandson of a gondolier. I started as a musician who loved to tune up his guitars, repair and resell them. Then I started making them.
How did you learn your craft?: I am a self-taught luthier. Twenty years as a guitar player made me understand the mistakes to be avoided. Over the years I went to countless workshops to see the works of other luthiers, but what is important for me is experimenting.
What does experimenting mean for a luthier?: I do not copy other guitars, as many colleagues do. I could never make the same instrument twice. I fine-tune previous creations of mine, always looking to improve sound and create something beautiful and artistically relevant.
What do you mean by “beautiful” for a guitar?: When you create a guitar, you can add ornaments or change colours, but you have to balance the decorations carefully so as not to overwhelm the instrument itself. The sound is always the key indicator of beauty.

Davide Pusiol is a master artisan: he began his career in 1990 and he started teaching in 2010