Herb Taylor is an irrepressibly innovative luthier from Golden, Colorado. 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.
     No. 118, Herb writes, "is a guitar-bodied mandocello, in shedua with an arched top of Engelmann spruce. Trim is curly Ceylon satinwood. It has a very large, full tone, especially on the low C strings where mandocellos are often weak." And it's gorgeous. I don't know much about shedua except that it looks a lot like koa and positively glows.
     Rosewood fretboard with zero fret and lovely inlay work. Sound port in the upper bass bout. Allen tailpiece. Received regular play for a number of years but has gone quiet recently. Unfortunately this mandocello suffered a backstage accident that caused a heel crack, which has been lovingly and solidly repaired. Strap button at the heel. Hardshell case included.
     These days Herb is pulling down $3,400 to $4,000 for a mandocello, 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. $2,500 plus shipping.