Santa Cruz OO 14-Fret Old Growth Mahogany Redwood 25th Anniversary

We regularly have exceptional guitars at The Fellowship of Acoustics, but this Santa Cruz is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable instruments we have ever had. For starters, it is the very first 14-fret 00 model built by Santa Cruz. Secondly, the provenance of the wood makes this guitar almost sacred, and last but certainly not least, this instrument celebrates two major anniversaries!

2026 marks the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of Acoustics and the 50th anniversary of Santa Cruz. A milestone like this can only be celebrated with something truly special, and a conversation between none other than our own Rudi Bults and Richard Hoover of Santa Cruz resulted in this beautiful guitar.

The guitar is built from exceptionally rare and historically significant woods. The top is made from Redwood beams salvaged from the Fort Ross Chapel in California, which was built by Russian settlers who lived there before California took its current name. The chapel was destroyed by fire and the wood was subsequently reclaimed. The Redwood originally came from trees more than 1,000 years old and features an unusually tight grain, giving it a visual appearance remarkably similar to cedar.

The back and sides are made from mahogany sourced from the Bernardsville Cathedral in Pennsylvania. The wood was purchased by the cathedral more than 100 years ago, but remained unused in a basement for all those years. Richard Hoover was once invited by the cathedral to attend the Luthiers Invitational, after which the wood was shipped to Santa Cruz and eventually found its way into this remarkable instrument.

Santa Cruz also went all out with the details. The headstock features an inlay made from Nova Zembla rhododendron, a plant deeply connected to the history of TFOA. The fingerboard inlay pays tribute to the 25th anniversary of TFOA and the 50th anniversary of Santa Cruz, while elegant herringbone purfling and tortoise binding complete the design. A truly remarkable guitar that celebrates and preserves a rich history.

This guitar has been carefully inspected for condition and playability, then set up to our Gold Standard by a luthier. We make sure it arrives in your hands exactly as it should: sounding its best, playing effortlessly and ready to be enjoyed from the very first note.