Karel Dedain 2026 Luxury Model Arias
NEW ARRIVAL

We have been waiting for this guitar for quite some time and have followed the construction process, which has helped increase our desire to play it and admire it in person. And the expectation fell short, because we can say that it is one of the best guitars we have ever had at MADERA. It is a pleasure for both the ears and the eyes. A true gem.

Starting with the woods, we were already talking with Karel about which woods would be the most appropriate, and he told us about a very special Birdseye maple wood that he acquired years ago from Bosnia-Herzegovina. He told us he had already made two with spectacular results and that, fortunately for us, this luxury Arias Model guitar for MaderaGuitarras could feature this wood. It would be the last one to have it.

The top is also spectacular Austrian spruce wood with some “bearclaw” figure, as you can see in some photos. The grain is just the way Karel likes it; through his experience and to achieve this specific type of sound, he prefers it not to be too tight. You can see all of this—and I highly recommend watching—the interview video we did here at MADERA and in Granada with Karel Dedain, who explains and introduces this very special guitar in great detail. Additionally, you can see his approach to the guitar and the very particular way that Dedain has built and created for the construction of his instruments.

The craftsmanship, marquetry, and precision in the execution of this guitar are spectacular. This is Dedain’s luxury guitar created for MaderaGuitarras; it is the guitar where he employs the best he has and the best of himself. It is also the combination of woods and the model of his that is closest to his heart, according to his own words in the interview. He has not held back in the slightest regarding details: the rosette is the famous “Olympic Rosette” by Vicente Arias, which took Karel 50 hours of work to complete; ornaments on the bridge, decorated purfling throughout the guitar matching the rosette… it is a feast for the eyes of beauty, harmony, and aesthetic balance.

Turning to what is always most important for MADERA: the sound. Karel has managed to replicate the sound of Vicente Arias from the end of the 19th century. That particular so original warm, velvet “terciopelo” sound of Vicente Arias guitars.  That sound that marvels us so much and which, for him, perhaps carries the essence of the classical guitar sound. The most beautiful sound ever created for a guitar in our opinion and that of many others; born at the end of the 19th century with Torres and Arias, among others, this traditional sound was continued and developed toward a different kind of sound—one of extraordinary beauty too—by the Madrid luthiers of the first half of the 20th century, such as Santos Hernández, Manuel Ramírez, Enrique García, and Domingo Esteso. A sound full of nuances, colors, dynamics, expressiveness, balance, and beauty. Spanish Tradition guitar at its best.

Playability is another very important element that Dedain discusses in the interview; something that for him is a fundamental and basic element that every guitar must have. In this guitar, we see with great satisfaction that it is truly a pleasure to play. Angles, shapes, measurements… all very controlled and studied by Karel so that this guitar gives such an exceptional result in that aspect as well.

The sound projection of this guitar is also impressive. It is very powerful, with a very wide dynamic range that is fantastic for performing and for playing with those pianissimos and fortes. The guitar’s intonation is spectacular all across the board. Karel has mastered the control of intonation compensation down to the smallest detail—something not so commonly seen, in general, in today’s guitars.

What perhaps especially characterizes Karel Dedain compared to other great contemporary builders who also make copies of the great masters with very good results? Aside from the fact that every luthier is a world unto themselves and creates a particular sound and aesthetic universe around their work, I would say there is something very remarkable about this guitar: it is the control over the performance that it gives you. It is a kind of self-control. The guitar helps you enormously to control the phrasing and the balance between bass and treble, ensuring that no notes “shoot out” or sound out of step with the others. When you play this guitar, everything feels like it’s in the same “package”; the guitar plays itself, helping everything stay in harmony. The tonal balance is such that it is one of the main qualities you notice when playing it. Everything is easier to interpret, and the overall sound has such harmony that, combined with its beauty and its vast palette of colors and expressiveness, the performance truly grows.

And this is a very distinctive feature of this guitar: it gives you immense expressive control while maintaining the colors, nuances, and tonal beauty of traditional construction. In our opinion, one can turn to modern guitars made with modern materials and construction to find that tonal balance and ease of play. But at what cost? At the cost of a very unpleasant, nasal sound, and a significant lack of colors and nuances. This guitar proves that traditionally built guitars can also possess that tonal balance and playability, while simultaneously preserving the essential sonic beauty and expresiveness of the traditional guitar.

It is a privilege for us to present this Karel Dedain luxury guitar to our clients and to the great aficionados and lovers of the traditional Spanish guitar that we all are here at MADERA.

For us, and for many experienced figures within the world of the traditional guitar, Karel Dedain is one of the most outstanding luthiers today.

His work is admired within the guild of luthiers itself for his impressive woodworking skills and the precision he is able to achieve. But on the other hand, and always most importantly, for achieving a sound of a beauty that captivates, impresses, and moves.

His work is based on the intensive study of historical guitars. We could say that Karel is also one of the most knowledgeable people regarding the work of the great Spanish masters of the 19th and 20th centuries. This very work has led him to recreate the guitars and sounds of these masters, making replicas of Vicente Arias, Antonio de Torres, Santos Hernández, Enrique García… and others.

Something to highlight is that Karel Dedain has worked alongside Alberto Martínez on the series of books dedicated to the great luthiers of history (available all here in MaderaGuitarras), studying, viewing, and gathering data from countless historical guitars that appear in these important and interesting books that Alberto Martínez edits and publishes each year. These books are marking a turning point in the precise understanding of these great masters. Karel Dedain is also the author of the guitar plans that accompany these books.

Karel was born in 1976 in Belgium. His interest in construction was born from being a guitarist first, before becoming a builder. His inner inclination led him to the desire to learn how to build.

To this end, he studied intensively for 7 years at the Centre for Musical Instrument Building (CMB) in Puurs alongside his teacher at the time, the also internationally prestigious luthier Walter Verreydt. Later, he became a teacher there himself and currently continues to teach—albeit for shorter periods—at this prestigious guitar-making instruction center. Great young builders have already emerged from there, including several who have won or were finalists in the Antonio Marín Montero International Guitar Building Competition in Granada. It is undoubtedly a great privilege for students to have one of the great current masters as their teacher.

Karel Dedain makes about 10 guitars a year, which are authentic gems of guitar construction. All our admiration goes to this immense builder of our time and, furthermore, a great person and our good friend.