ARIMA means soul in basque -the language of the land where I come from-. Having a soul is what makes a difference when it comes to comparing a handcrafted guitar with others built in mass production. This is due to the luthier, who puts a part of himself into each one of his works, which is reflected not only in the sound, but also in the essence of the final instrument.

ARIMA guitars are unique, wholly handcrafted by only one person- Iker Rodríguez- who takes care of every detail in the process in order to meet the needs of the musician.

My Story

My passion for luthery came in a very natural way when I started working as a sound technician. In the beginning I started modifying and repairing my own guitars and the ones from the musicians I worked with,but that passion grew with time and I felt I had to take it to the next level, so I decided to enroll in the Basque School of Violin Making (BELE). From that moment my life changed completely and luthery becamea priority.

The school curriculum consisted mainly of bowed string instruments. Although my main interest was guitars, for the next four years, that institution provided me not only with the basics but also with deep knowledge of the use of materials, tools and the acoustic properties of the musical instruments; so I considered it an overall great experience.

By that time I started having a personal workspace at home and I started a self-taught process of handcrafting what would become my first guitar. I could name a list of several lessons I learnt through that process, but none of them was of greater importance than the convictionthat it gave me to dedicate myself to making guitars.

Towards the end of my studies at the Basque School of Violin Making (BELE), I got a scholarship to do an apprenticeship at Mirko Borghino’s workshop (Borghino guitars) in northern Italy. That experience changed me in many ways and had a huge impact in my perception of luthery and guitars. I had the opportunity to take part in the making and repairing of some of his instruments.My knowledge increased and I built my first Archtop guitar.

When my work there came to an end, I came back to my hometown (Ortuella, Basque Country) and it was then when I truly started my professional career as a luthier.I upgraded my workplace and I started designing my own guitar models under my new brand ARIMA GUITARS.

Nowadays I continue to expand my knowledge on this field, preserving the same enthusiasm I had when I began this journey.

Guitars

From my point of view every guitar must be unique and for that purpose it is essential to know the specific needs of the client. For that reason, I consider handcrafting not an exclusive process of an artisan, since the feedback from the player is very important in order to achieve that goal. That’s why I keep in contact with my customers until we consider they have got the instrument they were looking for.

Whenever I am facing a new project, the first thing I think about is the player, who has to feel the guitar as if it was an extension of their own body. For that purpose, I find essential to achieve a balance between sound, playability and aesthetics.

You may find here the guitar models I make:

Gallery

Contact

If you would like to get more information about the guitars
please contact me through the following email:

iker@arimaguitars.com