This instrument was built by German maker Sebastian Stenzel and represents what we feel to be another level in his abilities as a luthier. The sound to us is… “new”, well, slightly new. Sebastian has brought back an older style of sound he developed in his smaller-bodied instruments years ago that we called his “crème brulee” sound - which featured a layered sound of creamy body with crunchy attack (analogous to tapping a spoon through the hardened sugar layer into the creamy interior of a crème brulee). This is a sound we cherished then as we do now, but additionally in this guitar, there are new qualities present as well including a very deep bottom-end (but maintaining perfect balance across all registers), noticeable “springiness” in the trebles (almost like an old mid-century flamenco in terms of responsiveness) and a haunted/dark sound that is very appealing and romantic. Although the soundboard is traditional (built with what Sebastian calls his "6-fan-brace-double-asymmetrical" system), it has the volume of any modern instrument that we've seen. It’s also very lightweight but very solid-feeling at the same time.
Sebastian credits the wood as a major contributor in this new development. The spruce for the top comes from a tree that Sebastian cut down in November of 2017 (see embedded video). Although only 5 years old Sebastian has the slightly unconventional view that "aged" wood is a largely overestimated factor in tonewoods. In Sebastian's own words: "Technically, the wood is dry after one year. In the following years, the resins and proteins get harder and more brittle, improving acoustical properties. However, that is a minor factor - essential are the properties you start with! Just for extra long-term safety regarding cracking, I watered and dried the soundboard twice before joining it and assembled it extra-dry... Also, something new is the ground for the shellac on the soundboard I use. One of its layers is an advanced treatment (see photo in gallery). It is aging the spruce with positive effects on the sound, but without any longterm negative effects which methods involving acids have."
As with all Stenzel guitars, the fingerboard features the compensated fret spacing and relief setup of the Frisch-Stenzel method yielding the best possible intonation. For playability, Sebastian incorporates several modifications to maximize ergonomic ease to the player - including an asymmetrical neck shape for easier access to the higher frets. Extremely enjoyable to play, hear or simply gaze at, this is another great, unique guitar from Sebastian Stenzel.
Photos of this guitar being built (and of the spruce tree being cut)
