In this section, we introduce the materials we use for our instruments:
Wood plays a crucial role in shaping the personality of each instrument.
Origin: Central and South America
Its affordable cost and availability have made this wood one of the most commonly used in luthiery for classical, acoustic, and electric guitars. Its color is brown with reddish hues and dark grain patterns.
Often, we use aniline dyes to enhance the grain, depending on the guitar model. Variants such as OKOUME and SAPELE are also used.
Sound: Focused on midrange frequencies, providing a warm, full-bodied tone with substantial sustain.
Usage: Highly versatile, used for necks, tops, sides, backs, and electric guitar bodies; it is also used in ukuleles.
Where we use it:
Origin: India
Rosewood is a prized material and one of the most popular woods used in musical instrument construction. In 2017, it was added to the international CITES* convention for the protection of endangered species.
We acquired large stocks of rosewood (Dalbergia Latifoglia) and will use them until supplies are exhausted. Following CITES* directives, it will gradually be replaced with other materials offering similar aesthetic and sonic qualities.
Sound: Similar to mahogany, with a midrange emphasis that expands into the high and low frequencies, often described as "darker and fuller" than mahogany.
Usage: Primarily used for guitar fingerboards (classical, electric, acoustic), basses, ukuleles, bridges, and sides and backs.
Where we use it:
Origin: China
These woods are ideal for constructing budget-friendly instruments. They are often laminated to improve their mechanical and sonic characteristics.
Linden, with its grain and "knots," is better suited for guitars with solid-color finishes, while Agathis, with grain somewhat similar to ash, is also used for natural-finished instruments. The same applies to basswood and birch.
Sound: Balanced tone, commonly used for budget instruments, without dominating characteristics. They can be interchanged without significantly altering the instrument’s aesthetic or tonal qualities.
Usage: Widely used across budget instruments, including guitars and ukuleles.
Where we use it:
We made a very deliberate choice: not to use extremely low-cost tuners on entry-level guitars. That’s why our “Eko Die Cast” tuners are made entirely of die-cast metal, with a 1:16 ratio. They are featured starting from the NXT series: the black tuning peg is visually striking, and the tuners are precise, reliable, and durable.
Eko Die Cast
Die-cast tuners developed by Eko Guitars, lightweight and durable.
Grover
High-quality tuners offering precision and a high level of stability.
Carbon Fiber Ratio (1:21)
Tuners developed in collaboration with Roberto Fontanot and Heart Sound, made with a carbon fiber blend—an extremely lightweight and highly durable material. With a 1:21 gear ratio, these tuners are exceptionally precise and self-lubricating.
Tonepros
Premium bridges designed for enhanced tonal performance.
Floyd Rose Tremolo
Industry-standard tremolo system, known for its stability and precision.
Wilkinson
Wilkinson-Eko
In collaboration with Larry Wilkinson, we developed our most advanced "strat-style" tremolo, chosen for the Aire Std. The bridge blends modern and vintage aesthetics, providing incredible precision for the guitarist. Thanks to its two pivot posts, the bridge can handle trills and even dive-bomb techniques.
Mings under Floyd Rose License
Another high-performance bridge option designed under the Floyd Rose license.
Eko G03
A preamp with a 3-band equalizer, phase inversion button, output volume control, and a low battery indicator. The preamp features a built-in tuner with manual tuning and variable pitch options; activating the Tuner function mutes the audio output.
(NXT Series, DUO Series, Acoustic Basses)
Fishman Isys+
The Fishman Isys+ preamp offers a built-in tuner, 2-band EQ section, phase inversion switch, and volume control; activating the Tuner function mutes the audio output.
(EVO Series and ONE Series)
Fishman Presys Blend
The Presys Blend allows mixing the sound of the Sonitone undersaddle pickup with the integrated microphone, resulting in a nuanced sound. The preamp includes volume control, 3-band EQ, a phase inversion button, and a blend control for piezo and microphone signals. The notch control helps attenuate a narrow frequency range to eliminate feedback during live performances. Activating the Tuner function mutes the audio output.
Fishman Sonitone GT2
The Sonitone GT2 delivers high-quality sound expected from Fishman without invasive modifications to the instrument. The soundhole-mounted rotary controls require no additional drilling, preserving the guitar's aesthetics.
Heart Sound Perlucens
Heart Sound reimagines acoustic guitar amplification by focusing on tone, dynamics, interference-free signal, and superior feedback resistance for live performances. This dual-sensor system captures every nuance of your playing, elevating your technique to new horizons.
(Optional on Oliviero Pigini, Profumosa)
Fishman Rare Earth Blend
The Rare Earth Blend combines a humbucking magnetic soundhole pickup with an electret condenser cardioid microphone, offering blend control and two output configurations: microphone + pickup or separate outputs.
(Optional on Massimo Varini Signature, Oliviero Pigini, Profumosa)
Eko Guitars Rockbucker
Designed for the Elements Series (STD and Lite), these mini humbuckers deliver powerful, quiet, and versatile tones with a strong rock orientation toward mid-high frequencies. They offer an excellent signal-to-noise ratio.
Eko Guitars Dual Coil Rockbucker
Developed for the AIRE Std, these are two Eko Rockbuckers that can also be used separately through coil-splitting. They retain the Rockbucker's characteristics while adding power and further improving the signal-to-noise ratio.
Wilkinson Pickups
In collaboration with Larry Wilkinson, we equip our guitars with high-quality pickups. Humbuckers and single-coil pickups are used without compromise.
Seymour Duncan JB and 59
These pickups are used in customizations by the Italian Luthiery department and are considered classic must-haves.
Eko Guitars Vintage Pickups
Developed by Eko Guitars R&D for the Vintage and Relic Series, these pickups reinterpret the sounds of the 1960s with modern touches. Featuring Alnico 5 magnets and Polysol wire, they offer higher output while maintaining a balanced tonal spectrum. For the Aire Relic, a powerful humbucker was created, with push-pull (and push-push) coil-splitting options to switch from crunch to distortion without changing amp gain controls.