Karel Dedain - 2020 Arias

Karel Dedain - 2020 Arias

Overview

Karel Dedain was born in 1976 and built his first guitar in 1998. he lives and works in Gent, Belgium. The passion for playing flamenco guitar aroused his interest in guitar building. So he was trained at the CMB (Centrum voor Muziekinstrumentenbouw) by Walter Verreydt and has been building guitars full-time since 2006. Karel specializes mainly in building classical and flamenco guitars. He also teaches guitar making at the Centre for Musical Instrument Making in Puurs, Belgium, together with Walter Verreydt. Karel builds about ten guitars a year, all completely handmade. One of his specialties is shellac polishing. His philosophy in guitar building is not to reinvent everything, but to use the best ideas of historical guitar builders such as Torres, Garcia, Arias, and Hernandez to create beautiful instruments.

A few words from Karel Dedain about this very special instrument:
“I have always been a big fan of the smaller-bodied guitars by Vicente Arias. Through the years I saw many of them and made a fair number of Arias inspired guitars. I used a lot of different woods for back and sides in these copies (rosewood, satinwood, cypress,…) but I feel they are best when using cypress: it makes for a super-light guitar, but with a very warm and surprisingly “big” sound for such a small-bodied instrument. Like Arias, I have made this model using 5, 6, and 7 fan braces, and found it works best for me with 6 braces.

The final weight of these guitars is always somewhere around 950 grams, even when using rosewood. Since I had a lot more time in the workshop because of the Covid-19 lockdown, I decided to use this extra time to make a special instrument. The goal was to make the lightest guitar ever to have left the workshop, hopefully ending up somewhere around 900 grams, without losing the typical, charming sound character. I decided to make the back and sides out of a 15 years old log of Lebanon Cedar, a very fragrant wood that has properties comparable with cypress. Every piece (neck, fingerboard, bridge…) was selected on weight and quality to reduce weight to the minimum.
Aesthetics were kept simple, with strong white and black lines. The guitar was fitted with wooden pegs (it now has mechanical ‘Pegheds’). When finished, the guitar weighs approximately 825 grams without pegs, lighter than I had in mind, and the sound is just gorgeous. Mission completed!”

Luthier: Karel Dedain
Construction year: 2020
Top: Spruce
Back and sides: Lebanon Cedar
Scale: 650 mm
Nut: 50 mm
Weight: 975 grams
Air resonance frequency: G
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Video overview

Karel Dedain Arias -  Förgätmigej & Chapters C. Frode

While this one is sold, these are ready for you

  • Classical Guitar

    The classical guitar, with its soft nylon strings and characteristic timbre, has become a symbol of chamber music, Spanish tradition, and concert repertoire. Its modern form was shaped by Antonio de Torres in the 19th century, setting the standard for the body, fan bracing, and the 65-centimeter scale length that are still used today. Instruments in this category open up a rich palette from the refined Romantic miniatures of Tárrega to the majestic concertos of Rodrigo. Here you will find guitars that preserve historical continuity and at the same time inspire new interpretations.
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  • Luthier: Elvis Pajares
    Construction Year: 2025
    Construction Type: Double Top
    Top: Cedar
    Back and Sides: Indian rosewood
    Soundboard Finish: French polish
    Body Finish: French polish
    Air Body Frequency: F / F sharp
    Weight (g): 1415
    Tuner: Kris Barnett
    Condition: New
  • Luthier: José Luis Romanillos
    Construction Year: 1979
    Construction Type: Traditional
    Top: Spruce
    Back and Sides: Indian rosewood
    Soundboard Finish: French polish
    Body Finish: French polish
    Air Body Frequency: G / G sharp
    Weight (g): 1410
    Tuner: Klaus Scheller
    Condition: Excellent
  • Luthier: Elvis Pajares
    Construction Year: 2025
    Construction Type: Traditional
    Top: Spruce
    Back and Sides: Flamed Maple
    Soundboard Finish: French polish
    Body Finish: French polish
    Air Body Frequency: F / F sharp
    Weight (g): 1365
    Tuner: Kris Barnett
    Condition: New
  • Luthier: Giovanni Tacchi
    Construction Year: 2023
    Construction Type: Traditional
    Top: Spruce
    Back and Sides: Flamed Maple
    Soundboard Finish: French polish
    Body Finish: French polish
    Air Body Frequency: E / F
    Weight (g): 1300
    Tuner: Alessi
    Condition: Mint
  • Construction Year: 2025
    Construction Type: Traditional
    Top: Spruce
    Back and Sides: Indian rosewood
    Soundboard Finish: French polish
    Body Finish: French polish
    Air Body Frequency: F sharp / G
    Weight (g): 1605
    Tuner: Perona
    Condition: New
  • Luthier: Otto Vowinkel
    Construction Year: 2019
    Construction Type: Traditional
    Top: Cedar
    Back and Sides: Indian rosewood
    Soundboard Finish: French polish
    Body Finish: French polish
    Air Body Frequency: G / G sharp
    Weight (g): 1590
    Tuner: Sloane
    Condition: Excellent
  • Luthier: Hermann Hauser II
    Construction Year: 1956
    Construction Type: Traditional
    Top: Spruce
    Back and Sides: Brazilian rosewood (CITES certified)
    Soundboard Finish: French polish
    Body Finish: French polish
    Air Body Frequency: F sharp / G
    Weight (g): 1440
    Tuner: Landstorfer
    Condition: Excellent
  • Luthier: Fritz Ober
    Construction Year: 2019
    Construction Type: Traditional
    Top: Spruce
    Back and Sides: Brazilian rosewood (CITES certified)
    Soundboard Finish: French polish
    Body Finish: French polish
    Air Body Frequency: C sharp / D
    Weight (g): 1345
    Tuner: Klaus Scheller
    Condition: Excellent
  • Construction Year: 2006
    Construction Type: Traditional
    Top: Spruce
    Back and Sides: Brazilian rosewood (CITES certified)
    Soundboard Finish: French polish
    Body Finish: French polish
    Air Body Frequency: F sharp / G
    Weight (g): 1495
    Tuner: Sloane
    Condition: Excellent
  • Luthier: Paul Fischer
    Construction Year: 1982
    Construction Type: Traditional
    Top: Spruce
    Back and Sides: Brazilian rosewood (Pre-CITES)
    Soundboard Finish: French polish
    Body Finish: French polish
    Air Body Frequency: G / G sharp
    Weight (g): 1655
    Tuner: Rodgers
    Condition: Excellent

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