Sole pupil and true follower of Stefano Scarampella, Gaetano Gadda began to learn the trade of violin making in 1919. The two worked side by side during Scarampella’s later years, with Gadda playing a crucial role in the production of his instruments, and in 1924 he agreed to supply Scarampella with one violin per month in exchange for his teacher’s tools and models. Following his teacher’s death in 1925, Gadda continued to make instruments emulating his style, but gradually began to move in a new direction. Starting in the 1940s he used a model reminiscent of Guarneri for his violins, and a Balestrieri model for cellos, and established his own characteristic approach, which shows more precision than Scarampella’s work. Scrolls are hallmarks of the Mantua school and have blackened chamfers, and varnish is usually a reddish- or orange-brown. His instruments are often branded “G.G.” and signed in various place