Toni De Stefano – Luthier – Italy

Toni De Stefano was born in Milan on 13 October 1975. In 1999 he enrolled at the Civic School of Violin Making in Milan where, over the years, he managed to learn the most refined techniques concerning the construction of plucked instruments.  At the same time as the courses last, it begins to put into practice the lessons received; immediately began to build classical guitars according to the ancient Spanish tradition.

In 2004 he finished his studies at the Civic School of Violin Making in Milan specializing in the construction of musical instruments with a penchant for ancient music.

Subsequently, he began a post-diploma internship in Bologna at the violin maker Anna Radice, where he deepened the constructive themes of the baroque instruments of the Baroque period. Thanks to the collaboration with various professionals in the music field, he has deepened in recent years the techniques of construction and repair of plucked musical instruments ranging from the nineteenth century to the present day.

Toni’s philosophy is very straightforward.

The most important thing about an instrument is obviously the sound.
Understanding how to produce it, managing to control it and refining its quality is a research that I believe occupies the whole life of a violin maker.

Personally, after the Civic of Milan, I began to “make my bones” by studying and replicating historical instruments, just to understand through those projects what generated so different a sound. Woods, chains, thicknesses and anything else have taught me the properties of each, to recognize them first of all, then to “imagine” them to finally find a personal project. To an instrument I ask first of all the clarity of the sound, bright singers, strong bass and persistent but not too dark. Then I try to make sure that these qualities stand out throughout the keyboard, that there are no critical areas.
That every note in short – save the difference of the timbre – is very clear even if played on the other strings.
Like all I try the sustain and the projection, but I would not conquer them at the expense of the colors and the variety of the timbres. The creation of the instruments is totally manual and cured exclusively in the laboratory.

From Richard – Toni is a very sweet man, highly artistic, letting his instruments speak very clearly for him.  The guitar he sent to us is spectacular, as I expected nothing less from him.  He is a true artistic genius, able to create the sound that a classical guitarist wants in their instrument.