2023 Colin Van Aelbrouck SP/IN

This 2023 Colin Van Aelbrouck classical guitar, built in Braine-le-Comte, Belgium, with a European spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides, is the ACTUAL guitar that won Second Prize in the classical category at the sixth Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Building Competition in Granada, Spain, in August 2023.

Built from Karel Dedain's Plans of a 1915 Manuel Ramírez

We are extremely thrilled to have this guitar here. It was built based on a 1915 Manuel Ramírez that Colin's teacher, Karel Dedain, was able to write up plans for after inspecting it in person. Following the specs from Karel's plans, Colin built this guitar with Manuel Ramírez's traditional 7-fan bracing system with 2 closing diagonal bars. The top and sides are very thin to allow ample vibration. The cedar used to make the neck is extra dense and stiff, allowing the neck to be slender with minimal risk of bending – which makes for a very comfortable setup and maximum ease of play. The entire instrument is French polished.

A Bold Look: Ebony Bindings and Maple Purflings

Although structurally based on the 1915 Manuel Ramírez, the aesthetics are all Colin's. It has a bold look, with thick ebony bindings flanked by broad-banded maple purflings on the sides, back and top. The rosette and tie-block inlays beautifully complement this with the use of maple purflings as well. The rosette is elegant yet understated and, when viewed up close, quite busy, with mosaics not just in the central band but also in four of the purfling layers. Subtle but beautiful!

Sound of the Prize-Winning Classical Guitar

This very bold look is matched by the strong sound, which is full, warm and evenly balanced. Colin was really able to capture the feel and sound of a loose, old Spanish guitar with a deep bottom end and harmonically rich trebles. This is a fantastic value for such a visually stunning and sonically beautiful instrument and would satisfy the recording or concertizing needs of any guitarist. Great instrument all around.

Colin Van Aelbrouck: From a Charango to the Spanish Guitar

Colin Van Aelbrouck is a Belgian guitar maker who lives and works in Braine-le-Comte, a small city south of Brussels. From a very young age he was attracted to music of all types, but it was at the age of 18, during a humanitarian trip to Chile, that he fell in love with stringed instruments. He returned home with a charango and bought a student-level Spanish guitar, which allowed him to start learning some of the Andean and Latin American repertoire he had picked up during his travels. Shortly after, he heard Pepe Habichuela's album "Hierbabuena" and became passionate about flamenco guitar and Spanish guitar music in general.

Training with Karel Dedain in Puurs

In 2011, his desire for a better instrument led him to build his first guitar, following the instructions in Roy Courtnall's book "Making a Spanish Guitar". In 2013 he entered the CMB school in Puurs (Centrum voor Muziekinstrumentenbouw), where he studied the art of lutherie with Karel Dedain for five years.

Influences: Ramírez, Santos, García, Bouchet and Friederich

Colin loves the sound of the Spanish guitars of the early 20th century – those of Manuel Ramírez, Santos Hernández and Enrique García. But he is also inspired by the great French luthiers, such as Robert Bouchet and Daniel Friederich, as well as by Italian, German and English makers. He has even built lattice guitars, replacing the usual carbon with wood. For Colin, each new experience is an enrichment, and each new guitar is an improvement. GSI is proud to be Colin's exclusive dealer in the USA.

First Prize in Granada

In August 2023 Colin won First Prize in the flamenco category and Second Prize in the classical category at the prestigious sixth Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Building Competition in Granada, Spain.