Gennaro Fabricatore II (1800–1853) was the son of the violin and guitar maker Gennaro Fabricatore I, and the grandnephew of the pioneering luthier Giovanni Battista Fabricatore, credited with crafting the first six single-string guitars in the latter part of the eighteenth century. Gennaro II made violins and cellos but like most members of the Fabricatore family, he is best remembered for his guitars.
| Specifications | |
| Date | 1829 |
| Location | Naples, Italy |
| Length of Guitar | 933 mm |
| String Length | 646 mm |
| Upper Bout Width | 238 mm |
| Waist Width | 170 mm |
| Lower Bout Width | 305 mm |
| Side Depth at Waist | 85 mm |
| Soundboard: Spruce | Back: Curly Maple | Sides: Curly Maple | Details: Ornate, hand-cut ebony appliqué applied to the soundboard adorned with mother-of-pearl inlay | |
The Fabricatores were based in Naples and ran ateliers producing guitars under the name Gennaro Fabricatore without crediting either Gennaro I or Gennaro II as the maker on their labels. “Gennaro Fabricatore” was marketed as a brand just as “Martin” is a brand used today by C. F. Martin & Co., who sells guitars without identifying the actual builder(s) on their interior stamps.
Based on the date and address of the 1829 Fabricatore in the Austin-Marie Collection, it is likely this guitar was made in the shop of Gennaro II. It is a premium model adorned with a floral inlay pattern of mother-of-pearl and ebony bordering the soundhole and the spruce soundboard. The inlay motif continues up both sides of the neck before cresting at the top of the peg headstock. The ebony bridge mustache appliqué is quite ornate, typical of many of Fabricatore’s guitars. The sides and one-piece back are made of curly maple.
Mauro Giuliani played a Fabricatore guitar, and it is well documented that the violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini owned (and signed) a Gennaro Fabricatore guitar from 1826.
The earlier contributions by Fabricatore family members to the evolution of guitar design are unparalleled, but their later instruments were somewhat outdated by comparison. Elaborate inlays with bridge mustaches, embedded necks that met the body before the octave (or 12th fret), friction pegs, one-piece backs, etc. were all design elements that became increasingly outdated during the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, we know that the Fabricatores continued manufacturing quality instruments up until 1854, when we find the last surviving guitar bearing their label.
