Born in Mariano Comense in 1874, he became interested in violin making at a young age and in Milan he came into contact with the merchant Leandro Bisiach, with whom he began to collaborate, making violins based on specific models such as Giovanni Paolo Maggini and Domenico Montagnana. Sometimes these instruments were attributed by Bisiach himself to other makers who were more in demand on the market.
Alongside this collaboration, Erba had an independent career during which he won various awards, but which was ended by his premature death in 1927. Elegant in design and finish of the edge-work and corners, Erba's instruments can be distinguished from those of Bisiach's other collaborators by their fairly deeply carved scroll, with a small eye ending high on the spiral; the sound hole stems are usually quite wide and slanted.
