The guitar market - Italy

1.1 Definition and scope of study

The term guitar comes from the ancient Greek: κιθάρα / kithara: zither. It is a plucked stringed instrument. The strings are arranged parallel to the soundboard and neck, usually cut off from frets, on which the strings are supported with one hand to produce different notes. The strings are pinched with the other hand: either with the nails and fingertips, or with a plectrum or pick. The most common guitar is a six-string guitar. The guitar is the most widespread European variant of the lute and neck box type instrument category. The following instruments fall into the same category: balalaika, bouzouki, charango, lute, mandolin, oud, theorbo, ukulele. But the guitar is different from these instruments in its shape, number of strings and their most usual chord. Variants of the classical guitar are regionally named by other names: viola, violão, cavaco and cavaquinho; tiple and shark.

The global guitar market is forecasted to grow by $ 1.14 billion during the period from 2021 to 2025, at a CAGR of 5%.

Perhaps, when talking about guitars, not everyone knows that Italy has a production that is looked up to by the entire world. The main region where, in 1960s, the production of electric guitars started off is the Marche region, and in particular the small area between the provinces of Ancona and Macerata. The great brands of Italian guitars that developed in such area were so numerous that, at least to this day, it is impossible to trace the names of all the craftsman who worked on these instruments.

In any case, it was in these small towns of the Marche region that the great names of the sector took shape, including brands like Eko, Crucianelli, and Welson. And today, these brands are still recognized all around the world for the quality of their products.