Upcycling: Cider Barrel Guitar Fingerstyle No 1
Back, Sides and Top Oak – Inlay Cider Barrel

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.

Description
Cider Barrel
The Raw Material

Woods

As we are currently focusing on guitars built of local woods we dared to experiment with domestic Oak. 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 from11th to 13th fret. Schaller Grand Tune  mechanics support smooth tuning. The strings are, as usual, by Elixir. This masterpiece is well protected in a hard case by Artur Benedykt.

The Disjointed Cider Barrel

Handling and Sound

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.

Photos

Specifications
Type:

Steel String Guitar

Back/Sides: Oak, Cider Barrel
Top: Oak, Cider Barrel
Neck: Alder, spanish constructed heel
Neck Width at Nut: 46 mm
Scale Length: 630 mm
Fingerboard: Plum
Nut/Bridge: Bone
Machine Heads: Schaller Grand Tune
Strings: Elixir
Finish: Nitrocellulose, satin-gloss
Weight: 1,770 g
More:

Building the Cider Barrel Guitars
Guitar from Cider Barrel No. 2
Guitar from Cider Barres No. 3
Ambition Fingerstyle standard
12-fret-guitars
Local Wood Challenge
Leonardo Guitar Research Project
Our Concept
How to order a STOLL
Custom Shop

Price: € 6,000.-
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