Paoletti Guitars Uses Century-Old Wood from Wine Barrels.
FABRIZIO PAOLETTI BEGAN BUILDING guitars in the Tuscany region of Italy in 2005. He constructed his first instrument—a triple single-coil solid body with an alder body and a sunburst finish—at the request of a friend. The finished product, he recalls, was “not so bad.”
Today, he continues to build instruments under the name Paoletti Guitars, with results that are not only quite stunning, but also wholly unique. In an innovative twist, his guitars and basses feature bodies constructed from the wood of century-old chestnut wine barrels—a nod to his family history, as the Paolettis have been producing Chianti in the region since the 19th century (Fabrizio’s father still operates a small local vineyard).
“My guitars pay reverence to both my passion for the land and my love of all things musical,” says Paoletti. “The first time I came across this idea about repurposing wine barrels, I was with Maurizio Solieri, one of the most famous musicians in Italy. He suggested we test the sound of chestnut on his own Paoletti custom guitar. The result was amazing, so I started to recover all the barrels my grandfather had left to my family. I’m talking about 130- to 150-year-old chestnut wood from abandoned wine barrels in Tuscany—what we call ‘Leonardo da Vinci land.’”
This story is from the April 2018 edition of Guitar Player.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2018 edition of Guitar Player.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS
\"La Grange\" aside, these are the songs Billy F. Gibbons considers among his finest achievements.
TIP SHEET
He's played with and learned from the masters. Here are Christone \"Kingfish\" Ingram's best practices for performance.
How I Wrote..."The Story in Your Eyes"
Justin Hayward reveals the story and hidden message behind the Moody Blues' timeless 1971 hit single.
TWA
Krytical Mass KM-01 Reactive Octave Fuzz
FENDER
Tone Master Pro FR-10 Powered Cabinet
TWO NOTES
Special Edition Limited Run Torpedo Captor X
FENDER
Tone Master Pro Floor Modeler
AMERICANA AMBASSADOR
David Grisman details the historic mandolins, guitars and banjos he played on the Acoustic America album, as exhibited at Arizona's Musical Instrument Museum.
CAN'T STOP THE BOP
He's a bebop originator who's played with everyone from Charlie Parker to Jimmy McGriff. Now 96 and fronting a new album, Chicago guitarist George Freeman shows no sign of slowing down
DIRTY DEEDS
Looking for fresh musical inspiration, Kenny Wayne Shepherd left Nashville for Alabama's FAME Studios. The result is Dirt on My Diamonds, Vol. 1, the first half of a new album project that continues his blues-rock evolution.