BARGE: Offer Roberto Ceretti a fortune for one of his coveted hand-made guitars and he’ll likely turn you down: the Italian craftsman may be in demand among collectors, but only plies his trade for top musicians in need. Tucked away in the hills of north-west Italy, Ceretti’s workshop is hung with half-finished models, the walls lined with stacks of cedar, mahogany and apple wood, and a large drawing board is littered with classical guitar designs. ‘I made my first guitar when I was 12-years old, out of cardboard.
It didn’t work of course, but the passion stuck,’ said Ceretti, 50, who began his business in earnest 15 years ago after transforming his run-down holiday home in the Piedmont woods into an atelier.