Juan Fregenal 2026 -La Esperada-
MADE IN GRANADA

At MaderaGuitarras, we are very pleased to see this new wave of young Granada guitar makers, full of talent and deeply admiring the great historical Spanish builders. They study these masters in depth and base their work on them, seeking to emulate their craftsmanship and guitar making approach. In particular, they focus on the Madrid guitar makers of the first half of the 20th century, such as Manuel Ramírez, Santos Hernández, and Domingo Esteso between others. Special attention is given to Marcelo Barbero, who is especially admired in Granada today, partly thanks to the presence in our city of an extraordinary 1953 guitar of his, with a remarkably beautiful sound, (From the Sr. Marcus Toscano private collection) which many of these makers study in great detail. It is fascinating how a single instrument can inspire an entire movement of guitar making in our city.

At the forefront of this group of Granada builders interested in this period is the guitar maker Francisco Jiménez, whose highly regarded and successful work has elevated the level of craftsmanship in the city. Here we present another important maker from this movement, Juan Fregenal. A friend of Francisco, Juan has spent many hours alongside him, absorbing knowledge about those golden years of traditional Spanish guitar making. He now brings us an excellent guitar made specially for MaderaGuitarras, based on the work of Marcelo Barbero and Arcángel Fernández, placing it within the same lineage, as Arcángel studied with Barbero.

This is a very interesting guitar, with a beautifully lyrical and expressive sound. It offers great playing comfort, something this movement also values highly, and features refined craftsmanship with harmonious lines and an overall sense of balance and beauty. In this guitar, we see elements from that Madrid period, such as a Santos Hernández-style rosette of intricate construction, and a plantilla based on Arcángel Fernández, combined with Juan Fregenal’s own personal touches, such as his carefully designed and elegant headstock, which gives the instrument a distinctive personality.

It is a guitar to fall in love with. Its sound, as mentioned, is of great beauty, rich in color and highly expressive. Combined with an easy action, it makes this instrument especially appealing to anyone wishing to explore that remarkable early 20th-century Madrid tradition, now intertwined with Granada’s more than 200-year-old guitar-making heritage.

Alongside the video by the guitar maker himself, which you can see below and in which he explains the construction of this special guitar in detail, as well as the recording, we believe you will gain a clear understanding of the kind of instrument this is.

This is precisely the type of guitar that we at MaderaGuitarras feel most drawn to.

Juan Fregenal wrote to us:

“I started in the world of music when I was around 15 years old, playing electric guitar. At first, I was really drawn to soloing and the blues, and later I moved on to jazz improvisation and attending some jam sessions.

Over time, I realized that what truly fascinated me was the sound of the guitar itself, the analog sound, nothing digital, just the vibration of the wood and the physical sensation of it. This led me to the Spanish guitar. As I began trying different instruments, I developed a curiosity to define in my mind a palette of sounds in order to better distinguish them, since simply saying “it sounds good” or “it has volume” felt too vague to me.

Moving from being a musician to becoming a guitar maker are two closely related yet very different worlds, and it requires starting from scratch, which is exactly what I did.

I took an intensive course at the Chacón School of Lutherie, where I built a guitar and decided to set up my own workshop in Granada.

Some time later, I met Alberto Cuellar, who introduced me to historical Spanish guitars and brought me closer to Marcus Toscano. His collection, passion, and sensitivity with traditional guitars helped define the type of sound I seek in my instruments: delicate, with character, leaving plenty of space for the musician, without an obsession with volume.

With all this background, it was time to put it into practice. In this regard, I am deeply grateful for the conversations I have had with Francisco Jiménez, as well as for the visits to his workshop, where I was able to learn about methods and ideas.

Thanks to these people, I was able to clearly define what I was looking for. The greatest things are not done alone, and that is why I believe that Granada and its guitar-making culture make this craft something truly special.

This guitar is inspired by Santos Hernández in terms of the rosette and by Marcelo Barbero in the plantilla. It is very light, with a resonance around F sharp, and built using traditional methods.”