Sebastian Stenzel - 2022

Sebastian Stenzel has been making guitars since 1989 when he began his apprenticeship at Gert Esmyol’s workshop. He completed this apprenticeship in 1991 and focused on developing his personal guitar model. In 1996, he finally opened his own workshop in Munich. Shortly afterwards, in 1998, he was awarded the Bavarian Government’s Master’s Prize as part of his Master’s degree. As a “guitar making theory” professor, he has been teaching at the Mozarteum in Salzburg since 2002. Since 2011, he has been working in his workshop in Emmendingen. Following his ideal of sound, he builds guitars that “have sonorous, floating basses, a warm, creamy mid-range and lyrical, singing trebles. The sound should offer the musician all possibilities of sound shaping and dynamics, without being obtrusive.” (Quote: S. Stenzel)
Sebastian Stenzel's guitars are outstanding works of art. They possess all the essential elements to be considered "the best guitar one ever played." His guitars are built with the highest precision of craftsmanship and artistic acoustic quality, which makes them one-of-a-kind instruments to play and look at.

This wonderful instrument, number 237 and built in 2022, was delivered to us personally by Sebastian. From the first glance and first note, the whole team was astonished. We believe this guitar is exceptional in all regards. Sebastian used one of his favorite wood combinations: Bear Claw spruce for the soundboard combined with a Bosnian quilted maple set for the back and sides. This combination helps Sebastian to achieve his ideal tone.

"This guitar is a near-perfect expression of the sound I want to build."
-S. Stenzel-

The volume of this guitar can easily match other modern construction instruments, yet without losing its naturality of tone. Its outstanding balance makes it remarkably easy to play and translate the guitarist's musical ideas flawlessly.

Here are a few words of Sebastian Stenzel about this 2022 No. 237 guitar:

"This guitar is an example of what I do when all specifications are left to me. Its sound is as close to my sound ideal as it can be: powerful yet lyrical with singing trebles, a deep bass rich in overtones, crisp yet warm. A timbre that reacts to the slightest change in the angle of your finger. A huge dynamic range and enormous richness of sound colors.
This guitar, of course, has all features every Stenzel guitar has:
• improved intonation through the Frisch/Stenzel method
• double-warped fingerboard for improved playability
• asymmetrical neck shape for improved ergonomics
• a second dimension of asymmetry in the soundboard construction
• authentic French Polish with my own varnish

I want my guitars to be heirloom pieces, and I hope they will still be played 150 years from now. To improve the longevity, I have developed a special varnish for the inside of the soundboard, which reduces stress through climatic changes without compromising the sound."

Check out the presentation video of this specific guitar below in which you will find plenty of extra information about its playability and sound.