My Latest Bass: The Mor Phil

[ElRay]

The more ridgid the neck the less string vibration will be absorbed by the instrument, producing a better sounding guitar. Laminated necks are much more ridgid than one-piece necks, so in my experience they sound better.

That's my thinking, but I could never get anything beyond, "Well, some laminated necks are better."

Pardon my rant, but the "one piece is best" argument is a pet peeve of mine.

No apologies needed. I've been digging into this for quite some time and I've just been getting to much "I don't know why it is, but it is." answers.

Ray

[Knottscott]

Looking really slick Terry! It looks so good, I'm hesitant to post my latest project...a 6 string solid body, but I suppose we all have to start somewhere. My oldest son has been bugging to make a bass the whole time I was working on the electric 6-strick....we'll see.

Outstanding job!

[Tree Farmer]

I've been a player for 20 years now and Terry makes some fine points about guitar construction. For years, I wanted a Gibson Les Paul Special (the double cutaway with p-90 soapbars) Hamer began making their own version of the Special in the mid-nineties and I tried it and eventually bought one (Translucent yellow over solid mahogany). Every Hamer I played absolutely blew away the Gibsons in terms of construction quality, attention to detail, etc. Particuarly, the playability of the Hamer was vastly superior to both the vintage LP Specials and the reissues. To me, that's what cemented Bob Taylor's philosophy in my brain: it's the skill of the builder and the techniques not just the wood and certainly not the brand. I still have my Hamer and wouldn't trade it.

Also, for my dollar, Gibson's best acoustic guitars can't hold a candle to Bob Taylor's standard models, for all the reasons stated above.

EDIT: If you ever consider buying a Hamer, please ensure that it's stamped "Made in USA".

[Tundra_Man]

For years, I wanted a Gibson Les Paul Special (the double cutaway with p-90 soapbars) Hamer began making their own version of the Special in the mid-nineties and I tried it and eventually bought one (Translucent yellow over solid mahogany). Every Hamer I played absolutely blew away the Gibsons in terms of construction quality, attention to detail, etc. Particuarly, the playability of the Hamer was vastly superior to both the vintage LP Specials and the reissues.

Great, great guitar. I have a '94 USA Hamer Special (translucent red) that is just incredible. I loaned it to a friend for some session work, and had to get on him to return it after six months. He'd immediately write me a check for what I paid for it originally if I'd offer to sell it, which I won't.

To me, that's what cemented Bob Taylor's philosophy in my brain: it's the skill of the builder and the techniques not just the wood and certainly not the brand. I still have my Hamer and wouldn't trade it.

Also, for my dollar, Gibson's best acoustic guitars can't hold a candle to Bob Taylor's standard models, for all the reasons stated above.

When it comes to acoustic guitars, I'm a Taylor loyalist. I've owned two of them. The first one (one of the original 410s) had a bad piece of wood on the top, and after I had returned it once and had a repeated issue, they gave me a free upgrade to a 710 LTD built by Bob himself (back when Bob was still doing that sort of thing.) I've had that guitar for about 15 years now. Taylor's quality and customer service are top notch.

EDIT: If you ever consider buying a Hamer, please ensure that it's stamped "Made in USA".

Amen to that. Hamer's USA models are among the best electrics available (next to mine, of course ). Their import series guitars are significantly inferior. I don't know why Hamer even puts their name on the imports, other than it is probably a good revenue source that helps keep their custom shop afloat.

[Turaj]

Beautiful work Terry!! Love the contrasting inlays! Thanks for sharing.