Peghead Nation instructor Stash Wyslouch is one of the most adventurous guitarists in contemporary acoustic music. A self-described “avant-garde bluegrass guitarist,” he has created a completely original musical voice that draws as much from traditional folk, old-time, and bluegrass techniques as it does from experimental jazz and Zappa-esque rock. Stash’s latest album, Stash Wyslouch Plays and Sings Bluegrass Vol. II deconstructs several bluegrass classics with the help of a high-energy, virtuoso string band. But as his long-time work with Bruce Molksy’s Mountain Drifters (for example, check out their take on “Across the Plans in Illinois”), Tony Trischka, and The Deadly Gentlemen demonstrates, his trad roots run as deep as his love for pushing the envelope of common harmony.

For the last dozen years or so, Stash has been playing what he calls “the first nice guitar I ever bought.” Stash first met luthier Ben Pearce at Boston-area picking circles around 2009, and when he learned that Pearce had a couple of his Outlier guitars for sale, he became interested. “Truth be told, I’d just started playing acoustic music a few years before, so I didn’t really know what I was looking for, but this seemed like a solid guitar,” Stash says. Encouraged by some friends who were more familiar with fine acoustic instruments, he took a chance. “I thought it would be cool to own a guitar and know that the guy who built it lives close by,” hey says. “It’s proved to be a wonderful guitar that’s aged really nicely.” The dreadnought-size guitar has a red spruce top and Honduran mahogany back and sides, and while this wood combination as well as the body binding and rosette style are similar to a Martin D-18, Stash’s Outlier is more stripped down, with no back strip, a plain fingerboard, etc. In this video, Stash talks about how he acquired the guitar, shows some of its battle scars, and demonstrates it by playing a couple of tunes.

In his Bluegrass Guitar Fingerboard Mastery course on Peghead Nation, Stash offers a step-by-step approach to decoding the mysteries of the guitar neck through the lens of bluegrass, old-time, and country music. Enroll in the course now!

Outlierworkshop.com

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