The Story
"Let the good times roll."
Music has run through my life in every sense. I played in bands from the age of seventeen, chasing that dream with everything I had for the better part of a decade. Eventually I found my way into the audiovisual industry — but music never really left. The moment I understood it could come together with visual design in lutherie, I knew I'd found my path. Diego Vila Custom Guitars was born from that realization — and it felt almost inevitable.
The aesthetic is rooted in the origins of rock and roll: its expressiveness, its joy, its boundless freedom. Mid-century modern offset designs, Delmar sparkles, faux tortoise shell, vivid nitro finishes.
Every model carries the name of a cultural icon — an actress or actor who helped shape how I hear music and see the world. The choice isn't arbitrary. Rock and roll and classic cinema grew up together, feeding each other's energy, glamour, and rebellion. These were figures who transcended the ordinary — elevated to something mythic by the culture around them, yet who earned that status through extraordinary discipline, resilience, and force of presence. Naming a guitar after them isn't nostalgia. It's recognition — and a quiet aspiration that the instrument might carry some of that same charge.
These are guitars built for people who care as much about how an instrument looks as how it plays. Each guitar is handcrafted from initial sketch to final setup, one at a time. The influences are unapologetically specific: the bold curves and sparkling finishes of 1950s and '60s American car culture, the discipline of Spanish craftsmanship, and a deep love for rock and roll. Guitars for players who want to feel like stars the moment they plug in — not because of fame, but because they carry that energy inside them.
The Workshop
Spain is the birthplace of the modern guitar, and working here feels like the right place to do this. It's a connection I take seriously — somewhere on every Diego Vila Guitar you'll find a small herringbone accent, a nod to the tradition I've been lucky enough to build on.
The personal icon on each guitar has a different origin. The coral tree flower — the ceibo, national symbol of Argentina, where I was born — merged with fire. A symbol of where I come from, and a reminder of what music carries at its best: that spark of genius, of talent, of something that can't quite be explained.
Diego Vila Guitars has been active since 2011, and is a member of LuCE (Asociación Colaborativa de Luthieres Contemporáneos de España), the European Guitar Builders, and NAMM. The workshop participates regularly in international shows including the NAMM Show (Los Angeles), Holy Grail Guitar Show (Berlin), Guitar Summit (Mannheim), and The Guitar Show (Birmingham), among others.
This isn't just lutherie. It's rock and roll with a soul and a Spanish accent.
Come and visit
The workshop is based in Azuqueca de Henares, Guadalajara, Spain. If you'd like to visit, see the instruments in person and talk guitars, you're welcome — just get in touch to arrange an appointment.