Rock chic at Forte Village

Italy has long been known for its fashion, its cars and its furniture. With its connotations of fine design and excellent craftsmanship, ‘Made in Italy’ has long been a highly attractive label. Mention Italian guitars, though, and even the most design-conscious among us might draw a blank. And yet Italy is home to one of the world’s most celebrated guitar manufacturers.

NOAH Guitars started life just over 20 years ago in a cellar in Milan, the vision of three friends who wanted to produce an instrument without any compromise on quality. Over the years NOAH’s fans have included Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and David‘The Edge’ Howell Evans, the U2 guitarist. We’ve brought about an unlikely ‘marriage’ between different types of wood and metal to create a distinct and very appealing new sound, says Renato Ruatti, one of the founders of NOAH Guitars. It’s a challenge that we set ourselves and we’ve achieved it: to bring together the two legendary and greatly loved instruments, the Telecaster and the National.

With their sleek lines, striking metallic finish and amazing sound quality, only 100 such guitars have been made and, until now, they’ve only been sold exclusively in person, directly by their makers to a very select group of musicians.

However, this year, for the first time ever, NOAH Guitars will be available in a shop – and that shop will be at Forte Village.

But owning a NOAH Guitar is not just about choosing one and handing over your money. No, the company has come together with Forte Village to offer guests at the resort an unforgettable experience.
Now you can hold in your own hands one of these greatly sought-after instruments, designed and created especially for you. One thing that makes a NOAH guitar so exclusive and so much in demand is that each one is completely customised to the needs of the person who is going to play it. In the Forte Village shop, it’s possible now, for the first time, to view the latest NOAH models up close. Not only that but, thanks to this special partnership between Forte Village and NOAH Guitars, you can ask for a personal guitar just the way you want it. This means that you can choose the design of the body, the neck type and even personalise your guitar with your name engraved on it.

Renato Ruatti adds: We’ve created a unique sound, produced by wood and metal. But a NOAH guitar is not just an object that makes music – it’s also a great asset on stage. The reflective quality of the polished aluminium surface means that it acts like a mirror, reflecting the lights as well as the sound to the crowds below the stage.
Those who fancy themselves as the next Sting, Lou Reed or Bruce Springsteen can pop along to the Forte Village shop, try out one of these beautifully made musical instruments and imagine themselves on stage with it.

“Every time I come into the NOAH laboratory I feel like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill when she meets Hattori Hanzō to commission the sword of swords”
Saturninus, Jovanotti bassist

“From every point of view – balance, timbre, the way they handle – they are perfect. I’ve seen other attempts to use metal bodies, but I’ve always found them absurd. This may be the only guitar that you must have. I’m fortunate to have not one but two NOAH guitars”
Lou Reed