Diego Suzzi Violin Making: the manual art of bringing old musical instruments back to life

Intimate atmospheres, music, and charming objects welcome musicians and visitors who come to the luthier for consultations or simply to visit. A space dedicated to musical culture and more, where one immediately perceives Diego's great passion for instruments and the precious work of artistic and aesthetic research that characterizes his workshop.

#1 answer

Liuteria Diego Siuzzi, this is the name of your beautiful space in Cesena, born initially only as a workshop for the restoration and recovery of bowed and plucked instruments, evolving over time also into a place that hosts exhibitions, musical and literary events. Two words that come to mind when thinking about this magical place: music and craftsmanship. When did you start getting interested in wood and music, and how did the idea of turning it into a profession come about?

Maria Rosa thank you, first of all I want to tell you that it is a real pleasure to talk to you. I started getting interested in woods and instruments at 17, at the same time I started playing the guitar. I bought my first electric guitar, which I still have, and I was completely fascinated. I was very curious about the materials and the way of building instruments. I started hanging out with more and more musicians and some luthiers, and this fueled my interest. I nurtured this passion and about 15 years ago I turned it into a profession.

I owe everything to my mother, she was the one who insisted that I start playing the guitar.

#2 answer

Recovery, restoration, and reuse define your work. Old tools come back to life and gain new charm. A job that requires slow times and great patience. Tell us about the undisputed protagonists of your workshop: the tools you handle.

Yes, I deal with restoration and recovery of antique and 20th-century instruments. Many of them are truly precious and have a high economic value. Working on vintage instruments is like spending time with an elderly person, who has a lifetime of emotions and experiences to share. It takes a lot of patience and a lot of heart. In some cases, there are real heroic recoveries with terrible fractures, irreversible modifications that do not allow me to restore the instruments to their original state. Sometimes I come across instruments that have been victims of fires or simply neglect and various accidents.

Some instruments hide secrets and stories from the past, revealing the habits, tastes, vices, and more of the previous owners. The signs of time are a map of memories, a testament to a life lived on stages around the world or simply in the dance halls of our coast. Often, instruments become deeply connected to those who play them, and those who play almost always have a visceral, physical, and deep love relationship with the instrument they have chosen. The scent of some woods, the varnishes that change over the years, the beauty of the signs of time, the cases full of memories, the incredible sounds, all the nuances of sound, all the colors of sound of every hand and every wood. What magic!

I love my work and all the instruments entrusted to me. Every day, I experience the privilege and responsibility of my work, and this makes me happy and proud to have taken up the craft of a Luthier. I always say that instruments are not simple objects; they cannot be compared to any other means of producing art. Many contact me for appraisals and expertise, or to find out what instrument they have unearthed in some attic or found who knows where, sometimes simply for consulting services such as: dating and evaluation.

#3 answer

Manual skill is a very precious value, even more so today in an increasingly technological and industrialized world, a value to rediscover and reclaim. Violin making is an ancient art, the art of designing, building, and restoring instruments, and it is a job that requires great manual skill. How and where did you learn this craft?

You are right, manual skill is a value and is becoming more and more precious. Over 20 years ago, I started attending some violin makers and tried to learn everything I could. At the same time, I placed ads in some local classifieds where I wrote: "Looking for broken and non-functioning musical instruments. Will pay in cash." I asked the violin makers for all possible information and then worked on the instruments I found, so most of the experience I gained was self-taught, restoring and repairing for many hours a day, often even late at night. This time was an excellent training ground before I could feel confident and ready to work on other instruments.

#4 answer

You opened the doors of your lutherie in 2020, and now you boast collaborations with established and esteemed musicians. What have been the fundamental steps of your method to become a skilled luthier?

To become skilled, one must study a lot, be very curious, exercise patience, and apply knowledge practically to turn it into wisdom. This is my method to develop and improve skills. In a very short time, thanks to word of mouth, work has increased significantly, and I now work with clients from all over Italy.

#5 answer

Your workshop, in addition to musical instruments, is full of beautiful objects, vintage and design items, even the walls that house the lutherie have a story to discover and a certain architectural value. Tell us everything, what inspired you to furnish and set up the space?

The building that houses the workshop and shop is located on the Malatesta city walls dating back to around 1400, and includes a wall tower. Instead, the rounded facade dates back to around 1930. I have always loved this very characteristic corner of Cesena. I furnished the spaces to make them welcoming and hospitable, functional for my work and pleasant to live in since I spend a lot of my time there.

I am very passionate about design and architecture, I browse through antique shops and flea markets, markets and collectors. I chose iconic design objects, and also other items such as the 1700s counter that was in an old warehouse near my workshop. Then I also love lamps by Catellani&Smith, or the armchairs and small sofa designed in 1938 by Giuseppe Pagano for Bocconi.

In the workshop there is also a bar area for me and my friends, a small space for vinyl records, and a part of my vintage instrument collection that I make available for recording studios and enthusiasts.

#6 answer

Lutherie is also a place where musicians perform, in spontaneous jam sessions and organized concerts. How do you organize the cultural programming, is it on a regular basis?

When musicians come into the workshop, they feel comfortable among all those instruments and always start playing. Some of my favorite musicians have visited me and have given me unforgettable moments. Some absolutely unexpected! I get very excited when these things happen.

I organize concerts, exhibitions, and book presentations, but not on a regular basis except in winter for about 4 events. I try to involve artists I admire even if I don't know them personally. With some of them, a beautiful friendship has developed, and in some cases, a very deep one. The spaces of the Lutherie are not large, there is always an intimate and warm atmosphere. There are regular visitors who come by to chat while I work, others who come specifically to visit the workshop.

#7 answer

Thank you Diego, we are almost at the end, in the editorial office we are all passionate about music, it is one of the art forms we privilege, undoubtedly it is the same for you and I know you are part of a band: the Post Funk, where you play bass and synth. We ask you: three tracks that you particularly like. We want to share music and discover new ones through the artists we feature in this online space.

What a great idea! Here are three songs that I love:

Lilies of the valley - Jun Miyake

The finishing - Stavroz

Amir - Henri Texier