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The A-Type Features

“If only this guitar had…” 

A thought that all guitarists have at least had once or twice when looking for a guitar. 

Accumulating thirty odd years of Andy’s ideas on how to improve an electric guitar, the A-Type is Andy Powers’ creation for the player. For those who are familiar with the Taylor Builder’s Edition guitars, you will know that Andy considers all aspects of a guitar and then elevates them. The A-Type is packed full of Andy’s personal innovation, creativity, and meticulous attention to detail. 

The A-Type is a fully enclosed, slim hollow body guitar inspired by the surf, skate, car and music cultures of Southern California. A comfortable and stylish body matched up with an extremely playable neck make it a joy to touch. The resonance of the hollow body paired, with the specially designed PF42 or FF42 pickups make it a delight to the ears. Finally, whether you prefer a hardtail or a tremolo configuration, each tailpiece is innovative, comfortable and inspiring.

The A-Type has been created by Andy to draw out the creativity of you, the player.

The Shape

The Shape

With the determination of making a guitar that looks good from every angle, Andy wanted to create a new shape which is both comfortable and familiar. An amalgamation of his love for classic cars, hot rods and surf culture resulted in a slightly offset body with soft curves and dimensional balance.

The guitar appears as a solid body guitar, however it is completely hollow. Akin to the construction of a violin, it has two sound posts inside beneath the bridge that enhance resonance, whilst reinforcing feedback resistance.

Player comfort is enhanced by the rolled edges on the body, along with an armrest. The bending of the top timber to create the armrest also accentuates the liveliness of tone produced, much like an actuated grand piano soundboard.

Neck And Fretboard

Neck And Fretboard

Andy Powers wanted to create a playing experience where finicky measurements are not so important, instead crafting an instrument that simply works the second it is in your hand. Combining a mahogany neck with a traditionally dense Honduran Rosewood fretboard, the neck serves to further enhance the resonance of the guitar, all whilst providing an effortless playing experience.

The fretboard on the A-Type has a split radius, different than an end-to-end compound radius. It’s subtly asymmetrical from the bass side to the treble side. The treble side is slightly flatter all the way from the first fret to the end of the board, accommodating the treble strings with more room to bend, without risk of choking notes or fretting out.

FF42 / PF42 Pickups

FF42 / PF42 Pickups

The pickups are an all new design that blends modern magnetic structure with an old inspiration. Their voice and structure allow your strings to vibrate more naturally, producing both fidelity and colorful warmth – sounds that otherwise tend to be at odds with one another.

The A-Type comes with two options for pickup pairings;

FF42 - Full Faraday
Visually recognised by the engine turned pickup cover, the FF42 pickups are designed to blend clarity and colourful, vocal-like depth. With a humbucker-esque sound, the FF42 pickups produce alluring tones which can be easily applied to many types of music.

PF42 - Partial Faraday

Visually recognised by the pickguard material as the pickup cover, the PF42 pickups are designed to be brighter, with a firm and attitude fuelled tone that demands attention.

Designed to have colour and flavour in every position, the tone control on the A-Type influences the midrange structure across the whole sweep. Rolling off the tone knob can give you a sweeter edge in a bright room, right through to controlling the level of overdrive in your sound.

Tailpiece - CamTail

Tailpiece - CamTail

One of two optional tailpieces available on the A-Type.

CamTail

Inspired by using a tone bar to slide chords around on lapsteel-type guitars, Andy came up with a tailpiece design similar to a camshaft, compensating the movement of each string when using the tremolo to stay relatively in tune.

Unlike other tremolo units that shift all strings at the same rate, the CamTail features different sized rollers that move each string an appropriate distance to maintain a chords character and structure - an A chord remains a chord.

The CamTail also features a Zero-Point Return, a little screw that whether in or out, decides if the tremolo is 'floating' or only able to dip downwards.

Tailpiece - Hardtail

Tailpiece - Hardtail

One of two optional tailpieces available on the A-Type.

Hardtail

As expected of any Andy Powers design, this tailpiece is not without some level of uniqueness. This hardtail is mounted directly into the solid top and anchored into the bracing architecture underneath. Designed like this, the string-load is carried by the bracing, resulting in a uniquely coupled resonance.

The hardtail option will produce a bit more chime and nuance on the strings than its CamTail sibling.

Additionally, a thin piece of wetsuit neoprene material is attached under the bridge to act as a damper. This inconspicuous material mutes the string between the tailpiece and bridge, eliminating any unwanted artefacts that can negatively affect the tone.