Himmelsberg Custom Guitars - Flood Victims Fundraiser!

Up for auction is the special "Flutholz 1" Strat-Type electric guitar. This unique guitar was made from a redwood tree damaged by the disastrous floods in Germany 2 years ago. It was signed by many renowned musicians, including Sting, Tommy Emmanuel, Nathan East, Mike Rutherford, Andrew Roachford, Udo Lindenberg, Peter Maffay, Thomas D, Clueso, James Bay and Kiefer Sutherland.

You can place your bids from 15th July to 15th August 2023. The opening bid is set at 4.500 Euros. More information can be found at www.himmelsberg-guitars.com.

To bid, please email werbung@musicstore.de with the subject line 'Flood Victims Guitar.' The highest bid from the previous day will be posted every morning.

 

The auction ended with a maximum bid of 5050 euros

 

The story

It all began with a Sequoia Redwood Tree standing in Nettersheim whose root system was so destroyed by the catastrophic flood on 14th July 2021 that cutting down the tree was unavoidable. So the trunk lay forgotten on the roadside for several weeks. While having a beer and looking at the cut down tree, guitar maker Mario Nyeky and a friend of his, Christian Merks, had the idea of building an electric guitar from its wood and auctioning it off in aid of the flood victims of Nettersheim. Permission was obtained from the municipality for the planned use and a 1.5 metre long piece of the valuable trunk was taken to a small, private sawmill. They carefully dried the wood for eight months before building the guitar could begin. Schaller and Kloppmann Electrics generously donated parts for the guitar.

By mere chance, Alexandra Stitz from Cologne who has worked in the touring & music business all her life, discovered this project and immediately offered to connect Mario with all the artists, such as Sting, James Bay, Mike Rutherford, Nathan East etc. Within the time span of 1 year, we met them at their concerts, and were thankful to see them sincerely enjoy playing and signing the guitar.

 

Specs of the "Flutholz 1":

Tuners: Schaller ebony M6 135

Frets: 21, medium bell bronze

Fingerboard: Rosewood

Radius: 7.25"

Switch: 5-way pickup selector switch

Neck shape: '60s oval 'C' neck profile

Neck: bolt-on with single tube ferrules, maple, stained

Finish: linseed oil, tung oil, beeswax, carnauba wax and propolis - bale matted

Nut: Tusq, black

Body: Sequoia Redwood "Floodwood" 43mm

Finish: True Oil

Electronics: Obsidian Wire Custom Blender

Pickups: Kloppmann ST Real 65 Set

Bridge: Schaller Guitar Bridge 3D-6 CH

Case: Gator Foam Case

 

This guitar has a warm, full, and strong sound. The neck has a light scent of beeswax, and the TrueOil finish gives it a warm feel. You can even see some marks from when the stars played it making this guitar a piece of history. This guitar lives! Thanks to the neck mounting by screw-in bushings and the flatmount bridge, which Mario Nyeky uses for all models, it shines above all with its sustain which is unusually long for a Strat. 

Its unique design serves as a poignant reminder of the flood's tragedy, with everything except the redwood body finished in solemn black.

The flood that tore through the region between 14th and 15th July 2021 claimed 134 lives and caused a whopping two billion in insurance losses. Mario Nyeky, a father of three, accomplished guitarist and guitar maker, wishes to lend a helping hand to the people of Nettersheim with this guitar. Every cent raised from the auction, beginning on 15th July until 15th August, will be channeled to support those affected in Nettersheim. This extraordinary journey of destruction to creation has been captured by WDR television.