Stoll Guitars Ambition Fingerstyle Cider Barrel Guitar

Guitars made of Oak, is that possible? From an old barrel? YES! Steelstring guitar upcycling project built consistently from native woods. Hessian cider Oak barrel supplies material for three extraordinary fingerstyle guitars.

With this project we not only follow the rules of the Local Wood Challenge but at the same time we act as a resource-saving player. A former barrel, made for the original Hessian cider, served us as material for this guitar. Not only the back and sides, but also the top is consistently built from the Oak of this barrel. The wood in some places visually reveals its origin and thus has its own charm. While the neck is made of alder, we made fingerboard, bridge, bindings, tail wedge, and headstock of plum and the rosette of maple.

Equipment

The body shape is based on our Ambition Fingerstyle with a scale length of 63 cm and the neck-body transition at 12th fret. Our trademark Spanish neck, light, balanced design, domed top, are of course implemented on this particular model too. The peculiarities of the Oak wood were taken into account while building the bracing. Matching the wood, this Steelstring has a cider barrel inlay on the soundboard from 11th to 13th fret. Schaller Grand Tune  mechanics support smooth tuning. The strings are, as usual, by Elixir.

The frequency spectrum of the Oak really took us by surprise. We would have expected a performance somewhat like an all-mahogany guitar, instead it shows a very clean bass, a little more slender, than the Oak sister with spruce top or a similar model with rosewood back and sides, but still powerful. An expressive low midrange and articulated, clear highs complete the sound characteristics.

This instrument turns out to be an all-round-talent for guitarists who are on "Old-Timey Music". Not only fingerpicking, but also flatpicking and strumming are possible.  These talents combined with the tonal range transport vintage sound into the new age.

Like all our models, this guitar shows its skills from the very beginning. Neck shaping, nut width and string position are optimised for the range of applications.

Collecting the guitar personally includes free cider tasting.