 Argentina's Virtual Verdis | |
| Verdi Luthiers of Buenos Aires, Argentina, specializes in marrying tradition with high-tech methods. Besides building conventional acoustic string instruments (double basses, guitars, violins, and cellos) Ram6n José Verdi and his sons Pablo Ariel and Leonardo Sebastián also make a line of "Virtual" acoustic-electric guitars and basses. "Our construction pilosophy is to always perfect the instruments," says José Verdi. "Our manufacturing procedures are meticulous,which makes serial production impossible. It is not our intention to compete with the big companies. We play what we build, so we know from our own experience what a musician needs. And although our business is mainly regional, hav- | ing a Web site has sent us out in the world. We've gotten orders from several countries." Verdi's Virtual instruments are available in several nylon- or steelstring versions, induding a 4-string bass ($1,500) and a $1,650 "guitarrón" (6-string baritone guitar) tuned A to A, a 5th lower than a guitar. The Virtual instruments all have a headless design, with the neck attached to a solid wooden "cross" that holds the bridge (with piezo transducer) and the tuners. The cross also supports a pearshaped rim, with a cutaway to facilitate upper-fret access. "Of course, we can vary the design according to the customer's request," continues Verdi. "The only rules we go by are those that apply to the instrument's func- |
 tion." A recent addition to the Virtual family is a solidbody Virtual Contrabass ($2,200), roughly shaped like a traditional upright, although somewhat smaller. |
Ram6n José Verdi began investigating, restoring, and building traditional instruments in the'70s, later adapting electronic techniques to measure their acoustic properties. Pablo Ariel and Leonardo Sebastián both grew up in the family workshop. Pablo built his first cello at age 13, and Leonardo made his first violin even earlier. Leonardo was the one who developed the electric instrument line.
"All our methods are based on the knowledge of luthiers from long ago," says Ram6n José, "although we do use tools such as spectrometers and digital analyzers. Strangely enough, when we measure old, traditionally made instruments, everything is all by the book. Was it magic? No, tradition!" -Mikael ]ansson Verdi Luthiers Tte. Ibañez 291 Puerta del Sol Ciudad Evita Buenos Aires, Argentina CP 1778 (011-54) 11-4487-0963, (011-54) 11-4622-9295 (011-54) 11-4442-5674 fax info@verdi.com.ar www.verdi.com.ar (Spanish-language only) |
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