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.
