The Giannini brand was founded in 1900 by Italian lutheir Tranquilo Giannini in São Paulo, Brazil. Initially a small workshop building handmade guitars the company grew until by 1930 they were making thousands of instruments per year, and by 1940 making their own strings. The first Giannini electric guitars appeared in the 1960s. In 1969 they started making the unsually shaped Craviola guitar designed by guitarist Paulinho Nogueira. By 2002 Giannini had invested in the latest CNC machinery to build their current range of classical, steel string and Craviola acoustic guitars.