Saturday, May 4, 2013

Harmen's Taylor AB1 fret less bass.

This is the result of my recent upgrade of my Taylor AB1. Frets removed and fret slots filled with wall nut veneer.

Strings are D'Addario Deep / Warm Black, Nylon, ETB92 XL, Tapewound,  Medium Gauge, Long Scale. I love them, they last much longer than phosphor bronze and they are perfectly quiet, no squeak at all, contributing to the beautiful "mmwwaa factor" that I like so much in a fret less bass. My fingers love them too, very easy on my tips and they leave no black residue and, most importantly of all, they're easy on the fingerboard. The sound is beautiful, slightly more mellow than phosphor bronze.

Luthier Steve Klien's Art Deco styling is just right to my eye.

My strap is a modified guitar strap which I lengthened by sewing on some lengths of sailors cord. I hid the stitching with a sterling silver and Paua ( NZ Abalone) shell thistle broach, gifted to me by my great friend Neill Duncan.

I customised my head stock with the addition of a tiny enamel on brass badge depicting a palm tree, very Polynesian.

No comments: