Ermanno Chiavi

Luthier

©Ueli Steingruber

©Ermanno Chiavi

Wild and wonderful guitars

Ermanno has been fascinated by guitars since he was a child
He invented the 13-string guitar
He is both a restorer and maker

Born and raised in the southern part of Switzerland, it was in Zurich that Ermanno Chiavi started his activity as a guitar maker in 1985. An amateur guitarist himself, he describes the interest he had for the instrument from an early age as a true fascination. From playing guitar, he then moved on to making them, both in the traditional style of the instrument, as well as by letting his creativity run free. In his time, Ermanno has invented the 13-string guitar, made guitars where the sound hole is at the top of the instrument for the player to hear the sound better, and bass guitars. Restoring guitars is another facet of his practice, and he describes this as a true source of inspiration, through which he is able to encounter the work of other masters and thus develop his own approaches and style.

Interview

©Ermanno Chiavi

Do you remember when you first gained interest for this craft?: I remember it well. As an amateur guitarist, I always dreamed of building a guitar myself one day. The fascination that emanates from this instrument has captivated me since I was a small child and it still does today, after 40 years of professional experience.
What defines your creative style?: My work is characterised by both a venerable tradition and a connection to here and now, an age in which things sound different than they used to. When I am working, I forget everything around me, I can relax and a great inner joy takes hold of me.
Where do you find inspiration?: Many instruments have passed through my hands as a result of restoration work. Each one has told me a story about the master who built it, the technique used and the time in which it was made. These observations are incorporated into my way of working and define my style.
What would you advise an aspiring guitar maker?: There will always be demand. Concert guitarists like master instruments because they offer tonal possibilities that industrial ones cannot. But in addition to training as a guitar maker, I would advise to complete a training in another field. Orders in guitar making are not always constant.

Ermanno Chiavi is a master artisan: he began his career in 1985 and he started teaching in 1990