C-869, Marco Lijoi (Italy)

Description

Specifications

New Concert Classical Guitar

“Galattica” Double Top Model

Year 2025

N-036D

• Scale Length: 650 mm
• Nut Width: 52.5 mm
• Soundboard: Val di Fiemme Red Spruce Tops with a Balsa Core
• Bracing: 7 Fan Balsa Bracing Reinforced with Carbon
• Back & Sides: Indian Rosewood
• Neck: Brazilian Cedar
• Fingerboard: Ebony
• Bridge: Rosewood
• Headstock Veneer: Rosewood
• Rosette: Celestial-Inspired Rosette Evoking the Milky Way
• Tuners: Der Jung 306GX Machine Heads (18:1 Gear Ratio)
• Finish: Waterbase Varnish
• Case: ABS Hard Shell Case Included
• Weight: 1.5 kg / 3.30 lbs
• Body Length: 48 cm / 18.89 inches
• Body Depth: 9.8 cm / 3.85 inches
• Upper Bout: 28 cm / 11.02 inches
• Lower Bout: 37 cm / 14.57 inches

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The Galattica Double Top — A Different Approach

Although it shares the Galattica name with Marco Lijoi’s Hybrid Top, this instrument follows a distinctly different acoustic concept.

Marco developed the Double Top after extensive experimentation toward the same fundamental objective: creating a modern, powerful and highly responsive guitar without abandoning the tradition and character of the classical instrument.

Here, the soundboard is constructed as a spruce sandwich surrounding a lightweight balsa core.

The use of balsa rather than Nomex is intentional. Marco prefers to work with wood within this particular design and chose balsa because it better supports the tonal direction he wants from the instrument.

The objective is therefore not simply to create another lightweight Double Top, but to combine the acoustic efficiency of sandwich construction with a more familiar and traditionally rooted tonal character.

As with the Hybrid Top, reducing unnecessary mass while maintaining structural stiffness remains fundamental to the design.

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Seven-Fan Balsa & Carbon Bracing

Beneath the Double Top is Marco’s seven-fan balsa bracing reinforced with carbon fibre, combining an extremely lightweight wood with the additional rigidity of carbon.

Unlike the Galattica Hybrid Top, however, the Double Top does not employ the small transverse brace beneath the bridge.

Instead, the lower portion of the sandwich construction is closed with a thin 0.7 mm cross-grain spruce layer, which Marco designed to provide structural resistance comparable to that of a brace.

This is an important distinction between the two Galattica concepts.

The Hybrid Top takes a more radical approach to reducing soundboard mass, while the Double Top uses its spruce/balsa sandwich construction to find what Marco describes as a different equilibrium between innovation and tradition.

The result is intended to provide substantial power and projection while retaining the essential qualities and musical familiarity of a traditionally voiced classical guitar.

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Val di Fiemme Spruce

The choice of Val di Fiemme red spruce adds another distinctly Italian element to this instrument.

Located in the Italian Dolomites, the forests of Val di Fiemme have a centuries-old association with resonant spruce used in musical instrument making. The region’s spruce has long been valued by makers of stringed instruments and soundboards for its acoustic properties.

For the Galattica Double Top, Marco pairs this traditional European soundboard material with his contemporary balsa-core construction — a particularly appropriate expression of the entire philosophy behind the guitar:

traditional material, modern engineering, one musical objective.

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A Finish Designed Around Lightness

The Galattica’s finish continues the same pursuit of minimizing unnecessary mass.

Marco uses a custom-developed water-based varnish, created in collaboration with a manufacturer specifically for his instruments. The objective is to achieve an extremely thin and lightweight protective layer while maintaining excellent resistance to scratches and everyday wear.

Its reduced environmental impact is another consideration within Marco’s approach.

The finish therefore becomes more than a cosmetic decision. Like the soundboard and bracing, it forms part of a complete design philosophy centered on lightness, efficiency and responsiveness.

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The Galattica Rosette — A Window into the Cosmos

The Galattica’s unmistakable visual signature is its celestial-inspired rosette.

Born from Marco’s fascination with astronomy, its appearance evokes the Milky Way, galaxies and the depth of the night sky, giving each Galattica an immediately recognizable contemporary identity.

Rather than functioning simply as decoration, the rosette beautifully reflects the philosophy of the model itself: respect for the familiar form of the classical guitar combined with a willingness to explore something new.

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Marco Lijoi — A Contemporary Voice in Italian Guitar Making

Marco Lijoi’s relationship with music and woodworking began early in life. After his initial guitar studies through the Suzuki method, he trained with Aldo Illotta in Biella before continuing his formal education at Milan’s Civica Scuola di Liuteria, where he earned his diploma before establishing his own workshop.

His work combines several complementary interests: music, traditional craftsmanship, acoustic research and modern materials.

Rather than viewing contemporary technology as a replacement for traditional guitar making, Marco uses it selectively to pursue specific acoustic objectives. His instruments remain strongly connected to the Spanish construction tradition while exploring ways to improve responsiveness, projection, comfort and dynamic range.

The two Galattica concepts illustrate this philosophy particularly well. The Hybrid Top pursues maximum lightness and efficiency through its distinctive cedar soundboard architecture, while this Double Top follows a different path through Val di Fiemme spruce, balsa sandwich construction and a deliberately more traditional tonal objective.

Together, they reveal a maker interested not in a single solution, but in understanding how different construction methods can serve different musical voices.

We are proud to be the North American dealer for Marco Lijoi Guitars.

For current Marco Lijoi models and future availability, please contact Grand Guitar Salon.

Worldwide inquiries and shipping are welcome.

Please Note: These are the actual photographs of this guitar.