Ambition – Soundcheck (Part 4) Spalted Mango

Christian Stoll

6. October 2017 6. October 2017

Part 4: We checked 7 similar built guitars made of 6 different woods as Indian Rosewood, Indian Silver Oak, Indian Walnut, Tamarind, Moa (Australian Teak) and again Indian Rosewood

Presented by Tilmann Höhn

Beautiful

30. October 2020

The guitar has arrived. It feels light as a feather and perfectly setup! Many thanks, a wonderful sound...

Classic Line I

29. September 2020

The guitar arrived today and I am totally enthusiastic and satisfied. Thanks for the great instrument and see you next time! :)

PT 69

18. September 2020

I equipped the PT 69 with a new set of strings. I decided to use a set of 12 Thomastik Jazz Swing Flat Wound.

The interaction of your brilliant sounding guitar with the smooth sound of the flat strings results in a combination that inspires me tonally. Definitely give it a try.

Primera

20. August 2020

The guitar arrived today...and it is a real dream. So powerful and delicate and long lasting melodious sound. I enjoy playing it very much. Beautiful.

Many, many thanks. I am very happy and grateful to have acquired your last 63 Primera.

Guitar

21. July 2020

I would like to thank you and your former apprentice very much for the guitar.

The guitar has a very good playability, optimal saddle width and string action.
Furthermore, the frets have exactly the right dimensions and size. This is very important.

I also really like the sound very much.
Nice bright, but not too bright either. Just right.

Top performance

6. May 2020

The guitar is truly a masterpiece.
It gives me a lot of pleasure!

Guitar local woods

14. December 2019

Yesterday I could finally get my guitar - and I am thrilled!
Thank you for your craftsmanship, which absolutely deserves this title! Simply wonderful, how the grain of the wood comes through everywhere.

PT 69 nickel-free

26. November 2019

The guitar sounds simply great and no problems with the allergy, so I am very satisfied :) Thanks again for the great guitar!

My IQ :)

24. November 2019

... I wanted to let you know that I am now very happy with my IQ. It has become clear, and still does, that it is a wonderful instrument, sounds really unbelievably beautiful, and also meets high standards.

Ambition

9. November 2019

... wanted to send you a photo of me and your still wonderful guitar.

Acoustic Bass

29. October 2019

Hello, the bass has finally arrived - great work thank you very much, I am very satisfied... Thanks again and keep up the good work...

IQ Tamarind

8. October 2019

A very beautiful, simple but nevertheless extraordinary instrument. Perfect craftsmanship!

Alegra

2. September 2019

Thank you very much for the Alegra, a very wonderful instrument that immediately shows the love for detail. To play on this guitar is an experience. Your guitar can conjure, can tell fairy tales, can sing. It can do everything you could ever wish for. A real enrichment.

The guitar has a sound pattern that is unparalleled. The music becomes something completely new. Touching this guitar is a pleasure in itself. I would like to congratulate you and thank you for building such a wonderful instrument.

Classic Line Pro

11. March 2019

... I bought a guitar from you two weeks ago. Mr. Ortner advised me very nicely. The guitar, with which I am very satisfied, was made by him.
I wanted to bring him a small gift and would like to know if he would be happy about a nice single malt.

Primera

22. December 2018

... I would like to thank you for the wonderful guitar. A good instrument inspires more every day, that's exactly what this guitar does.

Ukulele

21. December 2018

The ukulele arrived yesterday. I have only briefly examined and played it, but so far I can already say: I am 100% satisfied with the instrument - I rarely experience something like this even on high quality instruments. So thank you very much already! I will soon report a bit more about it and probably commission the next one.

IQ Bass

28. September 2018

Great! Really, just terrific and amazing! It was worth the waiting. I could not have imagined last December that I would have had such a positive experience. What a sound, basses all balanced, equally loud! It's a lot of fun to play with.

Yesterday I had my first rehearsal with the IQ-Bass and it got attention with its appearance and actually more when playing and right at the end via the PA. Everyone was enthusiastic about the defined sound and the workmanship.

I would like to send a big thank you to you and actually to everyone who was involved in building the bass.

Primera

6. June 2018

I played the new guitar today for the first time and I am very pleased in every way. Thank you again for your good work. I will be happy to recommend your workshop to anyone, anytime.

Primera Custom

28. May 2018

After a few months with my Primera Custom I would not want to miss it anymore!

Thanks again for the great instrument!

Double Fun

6. April 2018

Your Double Fun guitar is absolutely brilliant!

Classic Crossover

25. February 2018

The first concert with my (thank you!!!) new N°1 was a great success! A musician colleague, who knows me for a long time, put it this way: The best Burger ever. Of course he also meant the guitar. More possibilities in dynamics, the sound slightly cross, powerful, loud and also quietly stable with plenty of sustain .. Yesterday Ian Melrose and Kerstin Blodig were with me, also to listen to the guitar. They were also surprised, are pleased and think that it suits me well.

Classic Pro Multiscale

5. February 2018

... the guitar is still a dream come true.

IQ - Jumbo Steel String Guitar

2. February 2018

This was a trip that will give me an infinite number of moving moments! Hour by hour I will grow together with IQ and become familiar with it. It is going to be good!
Thanks for this masterpiece of craftsmanship!

Ambition Fingerstyle

17. September 2017

I still have great fun with the instrument and play it almost every day. I have not regretted buying it for a second.

Estudio 62 cm Scale Length

25. July 2017

... yes, this is the art of craftsmanship ! The guitar I had up until now is a can of ravioli :-) What a sound, what a wood for the top ! Clear, balanced, charming but without sauce, with contours - "wham"- power ... and swing and sing :-), vibrates with musicality, LIVES !!! and revives.

Great !!!!! respect !! Thank you very much

Bass Guitar

1. May 2017

... the bass keeps on inspiring. Wednesday at rehearsal a player who didn't know it yet kept looking at me in amazement. Afterwards I found out that she was totally enthusiastic about this great new sound in the orchestra (and as I said, we always had a double bass guitar, but nothing like this one). This is still a great job. I play it every day over all registers so that the Spruce top can open up its full range of tonal variety, and I think it is getting better and better.

Ambition Parlour

23. February 2017

... thank you very much for the repair of my guitar and the included humidifier. I have just played the guitar very extensively with great pleasure and have the impression that it sounds fuller and more balanced than before your repair. I am also very happy that the soundboard is almost unaffected.

I think it's great that you did this repair as a gesture of goodwill, although the damage may have been caused by my not quite proper handling of this fine instrument. I see that I still have to learn how to handle this fine guitar properly (not only when playing it).

I wish you much joy with your craft and the construction of many more of your so beautiful instruments.

Ambition Jumbo 10 Strings

7. August 2020

... thank you so much for the excellent work on the custom job. Since I picked up the guitar last week, I have been able to work intensively on it. The playability is excellent ... Intonation is also decent, a special piece ... I very much hope that more musicians will be enthusiastic about this instrument.

Evidence

30. November 2020

Every single day I am absolutely happy about my two Evidence guitars ! Thank you for such beautiful instruments !

6-String Classic Bass Fanned Frets

20. December 2020

I am thrilled.
The bass sounds great and plays by itself. I really like playing with the fan frets and it is much easier than on the model with the straight frets that I played at your shop. The bevel on the chest side makes playing very comfortable.

IQ Steel String

16. January 2021

thank you for your wonderful work, the playability of the IQ is very good.

The Legendary Acoustic Bass 6-String

2. February 2021

I've been playing a Taylor AB4 acoustic bass for 21 years and your 6 string is so much better sounding, looking, and better built. I'm really impressed. Thanks for building such a beautiful bass. I'm looking forward to growing old with it.

Thanks again

Ambition Fingerstyle

20. February 2021

It has now been two weeks since I visited you, and I've had plenty of time to explore the guitar.
Playing it is wonderful. The sound is just the way I like it, bright and clear.
In addition, it has a beautiful, noble look with a rosette that changes depending on the light, the sight alone is a pleasure.
Once again, many thanks.

Classic Line I - Lutherie with Dedication

17. April 2021

Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a closer look at your website and your career. I am very enthusiastic about your history as well as your history as well as the philosophy you represent.

One can rightly speak of you as a legend in the luthiers trade!

Through quality and an unclouded view of the essential, you have asserted yourself in a market that is completely dominated by the industrial production, and in which the industry uses all the strategies of advertising psychology to make people forget that instrument making is actually a form of handicraft, which is increasingly being displaced by mass production. You are truly an exception in this respect. In particular, your view, that fun and dedication to something one enjoys doing, is ultimately crucial for success, also corresponds to our experience and our guiding principles, in sport, in culture, and in life in general!

It is therefore a special pleasure for us as an organisation to include your instruments in our collection, to support your handicrafts and the Stoll company with its very likeable employees.

Ambition Core

15. May 2021

The guitar turned out great. It's a real eye-catcher and the sound is just great. What I didn't notice when I played the Ambition in the shop is how strongly the wood transmits the vibration. I can even feel it on my thigh :-)

Classic Crossover

12. July 2021

Thank you for the beautiful instrument.

Crossover Seven String

20. June 2021

Once again I thank you for building me my nylon dream guitar. As I'm sure you've noticed, I've been glued to Instagram like a little boy the last few days, following every step of the way. This is a very special day for me today, you can't even describe this guitar as a product. It's a once in a lifetime event! I will now start to work my way into the seven string and the acoustic character. This will take a few months, but I already feel that with such an incredible instrument here, I will grow into it organically.

IQ Bass Ukulele

5. September 2021

Merci, I played on the return trip at every break 😊, makes a lot of fun. Today I connected the bass to the amplifier. The sound is overwhelming and the volume high, a great instrument 😊

IQ

15. September 2021

Guitar is a "DREAM"!!! Fingers hurt😊

Classic Octave

18. September 2021

Just wanted to say that I'm super happy with the octave.
Sounds great, smooth and tingly ...
Get good recordings out ...

Thanks again and maybe see you again soon!

Ambition 12

30. September 2021

You have built a wonderful guitar. The instrument sounds fantastic and is very easy to play, especially for a 12-string! We are thrilled!

Alegra with Fan Frets

13. December 2021

After being the happy owner of a Stoll Classic Pro Multiscale for three years (and still am), a guitar to die for, I wanted to get another guitar with a brighter sound, slightly narrower fingerboard and a lower string action, the latter admittedly for convenience. After the experience with the Classic Pro, fan frets were the only option. For the woods, I chose the combination with the punch, the powerful tone. That was Laurel for the body and spruce for the top. Then I had to wait for half a year. I own it for three weeks now. Was it worth the wait? It´s so comfortable, it almost plays itself. The string action is much lower. But clanging and buzzing? No way, absolutely clean sound. And the sound? Yes, it's brighter and it's got punch. And the sound? Awesome. The bass is full, velvety and has a long decay. The mids and the highs, I spontaneously thought: like the sound of bells. This richness and the clearness of the sound has once again considerably exceeded my quite not modest expectations. I do not regret my choice of a spruce top, although the master would rather have advised a cedar top. And it is beautiful as well. Everywhere you look, you can see the combination of aesthetics and care, which makes you feel the passion for guitar building. Mr. Stoll, you have given me great pleasure, a pleasure that I can feel every day. Thank you for this masterpiece. In conclusion, what is better than a Stoll guitar? Quite simply, two Stoll guitars.

Bariton Ukulele

19. February 2022

I would like to thank you and Bastian for building this fantastic instrument for me! It is almost unbelievable what you have created here with your knowledge and craftsmanship! This sound! This projection! Amazing! Furthermore, I feel that the instrument blends with my voice better than any other ukulele or tenor guitar I have had the privilege of owning. Consequently, I have parted with all my other stringed instruments (except my Fender Tenor Tele...). However, I will definitely keep " your" baritone ukulele as long as I can still play it. So, if everything goes well, until my last breath.... 😀. I bow in respect to your art!

Ambition Jumbo 12

2. February 2022

Thank you very much for the wonderful guitar. So lucky that you had this used model on sale. I am very pleased with the look and especially the sound. The playability is perfect and always a pleasure.

S - Custom

3. May 2022

Home office can be endured well with Stoll guitars.... These two guitars have aged beautifully and are getting better and better, for real. Just like us, right?

Evidence

18. June 2022

it hasn't been that long since I picked up my (! 😊) Evidence and I want to report to you today , how we have been getting on so far.

First of all: yes, you were absolutely right - the guitar is simply wonderful: it is beautifully built, has a wonderful sound and is easy to play for me!

Especially beautiful is the wood (front and back!), the dark body bindings, the very nice soundhole and fingerboard inlays, the Yin/Yang - side soundhole. The overall impression of the instrument is simply beautiful .

The sound is awesome: highs, mid-tones and lows, while picking and also strumming.

And, as I said, the playability is simply a tremendous relief, even if of course every lady shows us again and again, that we first have to practice dealing with her very sensitively and committedly.

In short - I am very happy that I decided to let you built it at the end of my long selection process.

That much for my feedback - I can say that I am very happy about the guitar every day, and I am very grateful to you.

PT 69

22. June 2022

The guitar has just arrived, it´s gorgeous and has a great sound and an excellent playability.

Thank you!

Classic Guitar Estudio

15. August 2022

... thank you, dear Mr. Stoll. I played the whole afternoon and I am happy.

Classic Line I Cutaway

6. August 2022

The guitar is superb; Sound excellent, for my playing
the proportions, fingerboard, frets, can not be improved. Visually
beautiful anyway. Everythings perfect. THANK YOU 😍 Now I will everything "dispose" that is not called Stoll .

Ambition Fingerstyle Laurel

21. September 2022

the guitar arrived safely and honestly it´s a dream. Exactly what I had hoped for.
Very easy to play, great workmanship and a good sound in the basses, mids and especially the highs.

Thank you and all the best!

Estudio

7. November 2022

Dear Christian, the guitar is finally here and I must compliment you on the beautiful piece you have assembled.
Initially, it was a little getting used to, but after an hour plucking it was clear that it will never change the owner.
I like it very much / Craftsmanship is top, it´s an beautiful instrument!
I will also positively note this in various forums.

the first Stoll in the Indian Ocean!

IQ Tamarind

11. January 2023

Through this way, I want to tell you how much I am satisfied with my Stoll IQ-tamarint guitar.
I often have it on my lap, it gives my guitar playing a new dimension.

PT 69 Custom

19. March 2023

I almost forgot to thank you again for the reception and the tour of your company on February 9 because I was so happy with my new Stoll guitar. It was a pleasure to meet "Christian Stoll" in person. I was really impressed how much real craftsmanship goes into building a Stoll guitar.

My Stoll PT 69 Custom is an absolute masterpiece of craftsmanship. Every tone is a delight. Simply unique!

Tenor Guitar rosewood-free

5. May 2023

Dear Christian,
I had the first two performances with the tenor guitar yesterday and today and felt very comfortable: sound was great, feedback was under control, feel is great. We played rock and country in trio with drums, bass and vocals.
I am very satisfied.

Alegra Custom

26. July 2023

Yesterday I received the wonderful guitar that you built for me, and I was delighted to spend an hour or two last night, and this morning playing it!

The craftsmanship is exquisite!

The intonation is spot on throughout the fretboard!

The neck profile and fretboard are the very best for my hands that I have ever played. I really like how the heel of the guitar is relatively flat, enabling better access to the upper register of the fretboard.

The guitar has a very unique voice capable of expressing varied dynamics. I’m looking forward to see how the sound evolve as the Spruce top gets played in.

I am absolutely delighted with this guitar!

The guitar is featherweight and an absolute joy to hold and play!

I wish that I had bought this guitar 50 years ago!

Thank you for graciously building this wonderful instrument to my custom specification.

PT 59 Baritone

23. May 2023

The baritone guitar is a lot of fun to play, and also works really well in the acoustic band. It completes the overall sound picture very nicely and my ideas and concepts have fully come to life.

Thanks again for the great work!

IQ

4. August 2023

I´m very happy with your IQ Guitar.

It is everything I had hoped for.

I congratualte you again on the conception and construction of this very impressive instrument!

IQ Bass 4-string

11. August 2023

Beautiful instrument - I have to familiarize myself first and get used to it.
after Taylor and Valtez basses ...

Classic Line I Custom

1. September 2023

Thanks for the cool guitar! It has turned out great, just as discussed. The polishing for the neck up support is even better than on my Estudio, the suction cup now lifts really well.

Classic Line I Custom

3. November 2023

My Primera was already fantastic, but this guitar is a dream!

Acoustic Bass

21. April 2013

So, and now I have to rave about it ;-)

This instrument is absolutely amazing!

I have to say: Congratulations on this fantastic masterpiece of wood and sound, this is pure craftsmanship!

It may sound terribly slimy and euphoric *grins*, but I'm just totally thrilled already, and we haven't experienced much together yet, my new favorite instrument and me...

I mean! ..boah. So much sound, so much power in every note, I play and have the feeling that if they could explode, the notes, they would.
Character...I think every note has an enormous amount of character and is extremely multi-layered, not just "an A" and that's it, there's an A and with it a whole world.

In the review of the bass on your homepage it says something like... "sounds like a bass, a bass, a bass"...and well...that's true. It doesn't get any bassier than that.
And: "Double bass to hang around your neck" hits the nail on the head. The sound can certainly be compared to a Contrabass ...or let's say it sounds as contrabassy as an instrument that is not a Contrabass can sound.

And I'm sure you can get a lot out of this dream of an acoustic bass that I don't even know exists ;-)

I sit around at home and play the same notes over and over again, let them sound this way and that, slide a little up and down again...play "boring" runs, a little alternating bass...and I can't get enough of it.

You are nourished by the sound. Wow!

And I haven't even amplified it yet...and it's just loud and makes itself heard...and without any special effort on my part...that's exactly what I wanted.

And it really plays like butter. It's as if the fingerboard goes to great lengths to please and make it as easy as possible for the musician. There's nothing gnarly and hard... it's like milk and honey.

And it's beautiful too. I find it even more beautiful the longer I look at it.

Fulfilling all around...and I'm really looking forward to presenting my new pride and joy at our bluegrass jam session next Thursday.

From now on, nobody can complain that I'm not authentic enough for the bluegrass scene with my electric bass...from now on, I don't want to hear anything else ;-)... It can't sound any more woody, rich, full-bodied and acoustic.

Long story short: Thank you very much, Mr. Stoll, for developing such a gem!

You can be proud of it!

I will of course send anyone looking for a proper acoustic bass to you.

Evidence

12. December 2023

Good morning :) ... I can't stop playing ... :) the guitar is soooooo amazing

Acoustic Bass

13. December 2023

Now that I've had the opportunity to test the bass extensively at several rehearsals, I would like to thank you once again for this fabulous instrument.

The bass is absolute master class and I am thrilled every time I play it.

Tamino Ukulele 2x

11. January 2024

The two ukuleles arrived safely yesterday. We tried them out straight away and are really enjoying playing them. They also harmonize very well with the two concert ukuleles we already have and give the notes an even more rounded and fuller sound.

Classic Crossover

25. January 2024

This instrument is and remains a dream! 🙏 🤩

Parlour Custom

25. April 2024

I picked up my guitar a year ago today and haven't played another one since.

It's my absolute dream instrument.

Classic Line I Custom

5. May 2024

the guitar is just the right size for me, so easy to play. The sound is wonderful and it looks beautiful too. I am thrilled.
Thank you very much.

IQ Bass Ukulele

25. May 2024

full of enthusiasm about the wonderful instrument, thank you!

Ambition Fingerstyle

31. May 2024

It's a wonderful guitar that gives me a lot of pleasure!

4-String Tenor Bass

11. June 2024

A first short feedback:
in addition to the fantastic look, it also sounds amazing.
I am thrilled.

Classic Line I Multiscale, Bevel

14. July 2024

I can't thank you enough for the pleasure you have given me. The guitar really turned out so well. It sounds so clear and open, plays so beautifully, it's a really successful masterpiece. And my colleague was also full of praise. So thank you once again for this beautiful and excellent guitar.

Jumbo IQ 7-strings

11. November 2024

Sunday is the first concert I will play with this beautiful guitar. (I've already played a lot so far, it plays really fantastically).

All Testimonials

Gretsch

2. November 2018

Well done, thank you.

Restored Guitar

23. October 2018

I just played my "new" old guitar and I am sooooo glad that I kept it:-))))))
You are a magician! And the hard strings suit her very well. I wonder how you managed to cope with that distorted neck?

Lowden

15. February 2019

Once again on the 25th Anniversary Lowden:
It is alive again now and a pleasure at last, after such a long time. After three guitar builders you have finally managed it. So I am glad to have made it to your place.

Strat Kit

29. March 2019

Thanks again for assembling and painting the Strat. This kit is easy to play and does not even have a bad sound over the system.

Repair Head Plate and General Revision Work

6. May 2019

Great job. You have repaired the broken part of the head plate perfectly and the brass plate on the back of the body is neatly recessed. The reworked frets make the instrument sound unusually brilliant for me, and the fact that it now intonates perfectly gives me additional pleasure. The Elixir strings you have mounted are something new for me, they play great and sound pleasantly balanced. If they last as long as promised, I would have a serious alternative to "Ernie Ball".

Repair PF12

8. May 2019

Many thanks for the fair price and of course for your great work ...

Mandolin Rio

2. July 2020

Mandolin well received today!
Thanks for the good work! - I have to say that the sound is great, I will play the strings for a while and then test them again with phosphor bronze...in any case the strings are very easy and pleasant to play!

Ambition Repair

16. August 2020

The guitar now plays much easier. Your work has brought a clear improvement.

Thanks again and best regards

FGN Refretting

10. March 2018

The FGN has been excellently fretted! I am very satisfied! Many thanks and best regards to the man with the golden hands who did such a great job!

Banjo Bacon & Day - Silver Bell Repair

17. February 2021

You have succeeded in restoring my enjoyment of the instrument, and every time I play it I think of you. Now the instrument sounds like a silver bell again.

Acoustic Guitar Crack and Fracture Repair

17. February 2021

Thank you very much for your masterpiece , Mr. Stoll!!!

Sonorous and enthusiastic greetings

Repair Sigma Guitar

19. October 2022

Thanks again for the great work on my guitar, I like it much better now.

Repair Wolff Guitar

27. July 2022

I picked up my Wollf guitar from the repair shop this week and just wanted to say thank you again.

Great work for a very good price.

refurbishment Epiphone

29. November 2022

I had so much fun with the guitar during the last rehearsal weekend.
Thanks again for that.
You made it playable for me and I no longer have to hate it, beauty and playability are now in sync.

Hondo Guitar

17. March 2023

thank you again for the repair! The guitar is really fun again.

Gibson Firebird / Ambition Fingerstyle

15. May 2023

Thank you very much for your excellent work. Both instruments turned out fantastic.

I am very happy that there are such wonderful people like you. You are masters of the art of guitar making!

Thanks. So now I can sit on the couch and cure my flu with two so gorgeous ones...

Next week I'll start recording, looking forward to..

Repair Ibanez

14. April 2023

the Ibanez has a fantastic playability, a huge difference!!!

Refurbished PT 59 Baritone

23. May 2023

The baritone guitar is a lot of fun to play, and also goes down well in the acoustic band. It rounds off the overall sound picture very nicely and my ideas and concepts have fully come to fruition.

Thanks again for the good work!

Epiphone und SG Paulette

11. December 2023

Thank you very much for your excellent work. Whoever did this, the guitars have both turned out better than I could have dreamed of.

1968 Gretsch Guitar

10. April 2024

Thank you for restoring the Gretsch Guitar to its functional use, the guitar sounds and looks beautiful.

All Testimonials