Born in Alassio, on the coast west of Genoa, in 1876, Gaibisso began to take an interest in violin making at a young age by frequenting a luthier from Imola, Pasquale Baraldi, during his stays in Liguria. Gaibisso later spent some time in South America, and then worked in Nice for Francois Bovis, an instrument maker who had collaborated with Niccolò Bianchi.
Thanks to his careful workmanship and fine varnish, Gaibisso won prizes in several competitions, although his style is not as closely connected to his Genoese predecessors. Particularly at the beginning of his career, some details such as the finishing of the edges are more reminiscent of Emilia rather than of Liguria, even if the influence of his closest colleagues gradually became more evident. Gaibisso as well often adopted a Guarneri del Gesù model, interpreting it in a personal way: the corners and the edges remained rather soft, the F-holes were not angular, the heads were slightly ovalized vertically and with the eye moved upwards. Gaibisso died in Alassio in 1962.
