Our modest home has 30 year old kitchen cabinets. The problem isn’t the red oak doors, the problem is the poorly designed and constructed melamine boxes they cover. Despite the fact that red oak may not be in style in the home design world, it is fantastic for musical instruments. Many turn of the 19th century guitars and banjos were built of oak, so I’m not a pioneer. I’m just a careful student of materials. When I see a domestic, readily available, beautiful, easy to work, good sounding wood, I use it. For the pistachio fretboard and trim, we chose a mottled green and tan look, which I think is a good contrast to the oak. The armrest and the pickup are nice add ons for a capable but modest instrument.