Zachary Taylor ZT Concert Ukulele Solid Spruce/Mahogany w/case CU1016A

Here is a quite astonishing new product from Zachary Taylor. Made in Vietnam to a very high standard, the new ZT range of ukuleles uses only the highest quality materials, and forms them into these unique shapes, which are anything but style over substance.

A lot of thought and effort has gone into making the best sound. This is an instrument where form has followed function, not the other way around. The soundhole design is as such because it leaves more of the top to vibrate for longer, making a fuller, more complex sound which rings for longer. It just so happens that the soundhole design is extremely pretty....but that is a wonderful and very welcome by product, not the main objective. And each ZT ukulele is internally braced to allow the large expanse of top wood to vibrate to it's fullest, never dampening it but reinforcing only where necessary to make the soundboard stiff and responsive - the holy grail of ukulele building.

Although the body is slimline, this in no way inhibits the sound. Because of the lack of a traditional central soundhole, this uke has more than the average top area working to reinforce and amplify the sound of the strings.  The player also gets a very nice earful courtesy of the personal soundhole on top. And that wide bridge setup is there to transmit more vibrations than normal into the top....lots of little things adding up to one of the most impressive sounding instruments we heard for a while.

Strung with Aquila strings it has nearly dead on intonation, and it is extremely easy to play all the way up the neck. This is in no small part due to the nice comfy 35mm nut width with 9mm string spacing, which flares out a lot less than is standard so the measurement at the 12th fret is 38mm with 10mm spacing, so the strings remain fairly equidistant all the way.



Spec:

Solid Englemann Spruce top
Solid Mahogany back and sides
Maple neck
Rosewood fretboard and bridge
Grover open back machine heads
Aquila strings (high G)
Bone nut and saddle
35mm nut width
38mm width at 12th
Satin finish
3 year warranty!

This model has been reduced by 20% to clear. Normal price £800.