Yamandu Costa

Yamandu Costa is a Brazilian guitarist and composer, born in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul in 1980, whose main instrument is the seven-string violão. He began studying at seven with his father, Algacir Costa, leader of the group Os Fronteiriços, and later with the Argentine virtuoso Lúcio Yanel. At 17 he played São Paulo for the first time, and in 2002 he won an MPB prize for instrumental performance. He appeared in Mika Kaurismäki's documentary Brasileirinho and, though often booked by classical institutions, does not consider himself a classical guitarist.

His style draws on the folk music of southern Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, choro and samba, and on Radamés Gnattali, Baden Powell, Tom Jobim and Raphael Rabello. The Canadian luthier Will Hamm made him a seven-string with a slightly longer scale and more tension for a nice snap, and the luthier Vicente Carrillo has built a signature line, the Carrillo Yamandu Costa No. 31, with a spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides and a 650 mm scale.

Savarez makes a signature string set with a seventh string developed for him, designed to be tuned to A, B or C while keeping its playability. I found no detailed list of his amplification setup.