Santa Cruz OM Ancient Kauri & Old-Growth German Spruce
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- 25% deposit secures the guitar
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Details
This very special ancient Kauri OM from Santa Cruz Guitar Company has two fascinating stories to tell. The first is that of the wood itself, the ancient Kauri, "which was unearthed in the beginning of the new millennium and radiocarbon dated at 45,000 years old. Buried immediately during the historic cataclysm and, being starved of oxygen, the anaerobic environment kept this wonder of nature free from decay, capturing it in a place without time…until today." These mighty trees were once similar in stature to the sequoias of North America. As he often does, Richard Hoover has paired this extraordinary wood with another old-growth wood, in this case German spruce. It's part of his commitment to using sustainable resources in his guitars.
The rich color and figuring of the Kauri is highlighted by a striking orange sunburst on the top and an irregular "negative" rope purfling. The tone is something all its own. It is lush like a rosewood guitar, but much stronger in the midrange, with warmth for days. A solid bass is matched with clean, clear highs, making for an exquisite soloist's instrument (hear Lance show off its potential in the video below). We couldn't be more thrilled to share this incredible offering from Santa Cruz Guitars.
“Through responsible harvest; we can show others how to make the best things on earth without compromising the world we live in.” - Richard Hoover
- Model: OM
- Top: Old growth German spruce
- Back and sides: Ancient kauri
- Neck: Mahogany
- Neck profile: C
- Tuners: Gold Waverly
- Nut material: Bone
- Nut width: 1-3/4"
- Peghead veneer: Brazilian rosewood
- Rosette: Brazilian rosewood
- Purfling: Negative rope
- Back strip: Brazilian rosewood
- Body binding: Brazilian rosewood
- Saddle material: Bone
- Brace pattern: X
- Serial number: 5854
- Year of build: 2021
- Case: Ameritage
Benefits
Fully insured global shipping
All instruments ship direct from Nashville to anywhere in the world, fully insured with trusted global couriers
Easy Returns
Every guitar comes with a 72-hour appraisal period so if you're not satisfied you can return the instrument to us
Why buy this guitar
Key Features
- Build
- Santa Cruz's excellent OM design is as versatile as it is classic, exactly what the mid-sized guitar should be
- Tonewood
- Ancient Kauri from New Zealand, unearthed at the beginning of the new millennium, has been carbon-dated back to 45,000 years
- Top
- Old-growth German spruce is the perfect match for the ancient Kauri, helping to bring out even more of the unusual tonewoods properties

This product listing was written by Kim. If you’d like to talk to Kim about this guitar, you can do so here:
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Luthier
Santa Cruz Guitar Company
Founded by Richard Hoover in 1976, the Santa Cruz Guitar Company brought boutique guitar making to the forefront of the steel string guitar business.
