Although he was historically assumed to have first apprenticed with Hieronymus Amati or Antonio Stradivari, he is now known to have been the student of Vincenzo Rugeri.

[3] Antonio Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesu also had an influence upon Carlo Bergonzi's work.

Bergonzi's violins are prized for their fine workmanship, tone, quality of materials, and exquisite varnish.

In 1881 a sensational court case was held in London over claims that the well-known luthier Georges Chanot III had given a fake Bergonzi label to a violin and then sold it as genuine.

His deception was discovered by violin-maker William Ebsworth Hill but Chanot qualified his admission of guilt by claiming that this was common practice in the violin-selling business; the court was unconvinced by his explanation and found him guilty.