My guitar line was born "by accident".... from the original intention of drawing "only" a brand new, nice looking headstock for a stratocaster, I took great pleasure in the design process, extending it to a full guitar, and then to different guitar models.
I initially thought that designing new guitars would not be that difficult and time consuming. I was always puzzled reading in the classic Duchossoir books on Fender, that the great Leo would always spend his days on the drawing board. Indeed, that's the way it goes if you want to make something that will fully please you and your potential customers! After five years from the start, I can safely (I hope at least) say that the headstock design is finished, and two full guitar models came with it...
Here's a short timeline of Zanini guitars, please refer to the guitars section for more details on the specific models:
December 2004. I had the first basic idea for a new type of headstock while driving from Switzerland to Italy on a weekend. I spent a good part of that Christmas vacation drawing headstocks, and many evenings of the following two years designing what would become the Lyra.
Mid 2007: The first model, the Lyra, is finished.
2008: Development of the "Lyra II" model.
Mid 2009: The second Zanini model, the Villano, is realized.