Herb Taylor is an irrepressibly innovative luthier from Goldon, Colorado, who’s constantly experimenting. He has been turning out highly regarded bouzoukis, mandocellos, tenor guitars, octave mandolins, guitars, and the occasional mandolin or mandola for more than a decade now, but is constantly introducing improvements and experiments.
     Bouzouki No. 155 is an earlier build from Herb, but still bears some marks of ingenuity. It has an internal rod that essentially functions as an extension of the neck through the body, the idea being to reduce the structural load on the top, enabling the use of thinner top wood that vibrates more easily. The neck bolts on from the inside (never seen that before!) and has a reverse truss rod, meaning it can be accessed underneath the fretboard where it meets the body, rather than at the headstock (I've seen that only once before).
     In terms of materials it’s not fancy: mahogany teardrop-shaped body, Douglas fir neck, flat Sitka spruce top, rosewood fretboard with zero fret and 25-inch scale, brass tailpiece, Gotoh tuners, single-ply tortoiseshell plastic pickguard. There is light play wear but overall it's in fantastic shape. Set up for GDAD tuning. Strap button at the heel. Hardshell case included.
     These days Herb is pulling down $3,400 to $4,000 for a bouzouki, and his stuff is highly sought after. This one won’t set you back that much. See more photos, call 425/772-0231, or for more information. $2,700 plus shipping.