At Guitar Show 2025, Amplificazioni Lombardi served as the official technical partner, handling the complete supply of audio systems for all five stages and providing the event organization with its own team of sound engineers. A significant responsibility, managed with the competence and reliability that have defined the Lombardi name for decades.
Founded in the early 1960s by Romano Lombardi, the company began as an electronics repair workshop and evolved into a benchmark in the world of professional audio. From live concerts to studio recordings, the craftsmanship and high quality of the equipment made the Castrocaro Terme-based company the trusted choice of countless musicians, including B.B. King, PFM, Banco, Patty Pravo, and Brian Auger. Today, now in its third generation, Amplificazioni Lombardi continues to design and build equipment with the same spirit as in the past—updated to meet modern demands.
To learn more about their philosophy, the new products they presented, and their experience at the Guitar Show, we spoke with Riccardo Lombardi.
A family story. Amplificazioni Lombardi is a historic name in the professional audio landscape and is now in its third generation. Can you briefly describe the evolution of the company and how it has changed over time while remaining faithful to its original vision?
What we carry forward today is undoubtedly rooted in the past, built upon the constant references to what Romano Lombardi, the founder, envisioned for his creations.
Romano fully understood the needs of the people who frequented his workshop and later the company. Over time, he realized it was essential to structure the business into two distinct but complementary sectors.
From the very beginning, he started providing technical (sound) assistance during rehearsals and live shows for prominent groups—even before “service companies” existed. Thanks to this hands-on experience, he led both the engineering and production at Lombardi, ensuring a precise response to musicians’ needs. These products were born directly from real-world requirements.
That same awareness continues to guide our company today. Our way of working and designing has always followed that approach.
The increasing need for more portable and manageable products with a lower environmental impact led us to seek compact and efficient solutions, without compromising the natural character of the sound or the frequency range delivered by our products.
You provided the audio systems for the main stages at the Guitar Show. Can you describe the key technical features and why you chose those specific setups?
We used the full modern line of Lombardi speakers on the two main stages. The Audio Lights Backline service division is a central part of our company, and our technicians work year-round with Lombardi systems.
We emphasize this because it reflects the very core of our philosophy. From the beginning, being both manufacturers and end-users of our own technology gave us a real edge in making decisions based on both our internal needs and customer demands.
The Indoor Stage PA system included:
- n. 02 SUB LS2500P, subwoofers with a single 15” horn-loaded speaker delivering over 3200W RMS. This design ensures precise, powerful low-end reproduction, with long-range bass response and high energy efficiency. It requires accurate calculations for the chamber, enclosure, and horn size—but the result is exceptional sound definition using smaller drivers.
- n. 06 TOP LVR600BP, satellites with 10” neodymium coaxial speakers and Kapton drivers, featuring an internal wave phase plug. Ideal for small to large-scale events, these speakers can be used in mono- or bi-amp modes and configured in arrays or stacked on standard stands using a proprietary rotating mounting system. Lightweight (under 9kg), highly efficient, and with outstanding dynamics—they’re genuinely impressive.
The Main Stage PA system included:
- 2x SUB LS2500P, as used on the Indoor Stage;
- 2x SUB LS5000P, similar to the LS2500P but with dual 15” woofers and over 6400W RMS to cover larger areas requiring more power;
- 6x TOP LVR1200BP, nicknamed “raptors,” featuring two 10” coaxial drivers in each unit. The same speakers as the LVR600BP, but bi-amp only. Angled to ensure greater lateral coverage, these lightweight (under 20kg) point-source units can be flown in classic line arrays of up to 12 modules or stacked (up to three units) on stands with a C-bar. Their broad horizontal and vertical dispersion makes them extremely versatile and suitable for venues of all sizes. All speaker cones are custom-made to our specs by Italian manufacturers.
This approach represents our philosophy: faithful sound reproduction, all in analog audio processing—which doesn’t mean “old,” but “real” and beautiful.
What sets our products apart is the ease of pairing different speaker types, all driven by Lombardi analog power amps, designed in-house in Class AB for high efficiency. Using switch-mode power supplies, they deliver faster and more defined sound. Our amplifiers currently provide a true 1650W per channel.
We also used fully analog Lombardi-branded mixing consoles, designed years ago but updated internally by our engineers to meet the standards of modern live events.
We’re not hiding the fact that a new Lombardi analog mixer may soon return to our product lineup—we’re already working on it. This isn’t a challenge to digital systems but a clear statement of working philosophy, one that continues to find support from musicians across Europe and beyond.
At your booth, you also showcased new guitar and bass amps. Can you introduce these products and explain how they improve on previous models? What was the audience feedback?
Let’s start with the feedback—because it was remarkable. The Guitar Show confirmed that using an analog amplifier brings you back to the essence of tone, offering a wide range of rich, organic tones that genuinely surprised those who tried them.
Our best-selling model was the LC8, nicknamed “Giallino” for its signature yellow finish (also available in carmine red). It delivers a distinctive sound with lush harmonics, thanks to two 8” dual-cone speakers. It’s a fully point-to-point tube amp, built across two chassis.
We also introduced the LC4, a guitar combo amp offering more power and detailed frequency control. It features separate treble and bass sections with dedicated volume controls, allowing a nearly infinite tone blend.
The combo version includes a 12” dual-cone speaker and offers 25–60W of adjustable power. The head and cab version reaches 80W. Both models include a beautiful spring reverb running across the top of the cabinet. All amplifiers are hand-built in-house, fully point-to-point.
For bass, we presented a new amp as well. Unlike the guitar amps, the bass amp head uses a transistor output stage in Class AB, delivering 1300W RMS.
Given the positive response, we were thrilled to attend the event—not only for the opportunity to meet other companies and professionals, but also to form new collaborations.
All these amplifiers represent the technological evolution of long-tested designs, appreciated over the years by many Italian and international musicians.
Tradition and innovation. How does the technical and cultural legacy of the past influence your approach to amplifier design today? How do you balance tradition with the demands of modern production?
Maintaining tradition in 2025 is a challenge. We like to think of it as combining heritage with awareness. We continue to work in a proudly artisanal way, ensuring the highest quality in materials, components, and construction—elements that are often overlooked in today’s fast-paced world.
Learning from the past helps us stay true to our sound and our values, while blending that legacy with modern technologies. For us, history isn’t a memory—it’s a living foundation. The artists we’ve worked with, their feedback, the stages, the technicians, the advice—all these layers of experience live on within our company.
Guitar Show 2025: center stage. As the technical partner of the event, what did it mean for you to participate both as an exhibitor and as the team responsible for the full event audio logistics? What were the highlights and main challenges?
Returning to a trade show after so many years allowed us to speak with people again and showcase our products in person. Being present at an event like this means more than any social media campaign.
The ability to let people hear what we build, switching between stage and booth, was incredibly valuable.
We had ongoing dialogue with the organizers and encountered no issues managing the artists across the various stages.
Positive feedback encourages us to keep growing and build strong teamwork among technicians. One of our key strengths was sticking to our analog technology, which was appreciated even by those who originally requested digital systems in their tech riders.
Our involvement came through invitations from both Eufonica and the Guitar Show operational crew.
There are many moments to remember—and many notes to help us improve even more in the future.