Mike Sankey Kabo and Koko Headless Fan Fret Multiscale Electric Guitars

Mike Sankey Kabo and Koko

This is a matching pair of minimalist guitars from Canadian luthier Mike Sankey. To borrow from Mike:

“Inspired by Dodo and Osmar’s “Pau Eletrico”, one of the first solid electric guitars ever made, these two minimalist guitars bring the brilliant, rustic genesis of the electric guitar up to the cutting edge of design and construction.”

Kabo is made from a single piece of Indonesian rosewood (Dalbergia Lanceolaria), and with a pickup. Koko is an equivalent piece of Cocobolo Rosewood (Dalbergia Retusa) with a pickup and a volume control.

Specs / Measurements

• 2022
• Indonesian rosewood (Kabo); Cocobolo (Koko)
• ~1.75” nut (both)
• ~26” to 24.75 multi scale (both)
• ~1.99” string spacing at saddle
• PLEK’ed frets
• Stainless steel frets
• Steinberger style tuners
• Pickups wound by NextGen Guitars (Koko has a volume control)
• Original Pelican case

Condition / Setup Notes

Excellent(+); The guitars remain in beautiful shape, and there is no wear to reasonably report. For both guitars, the necks are very straight with minimal relief, and a low string height about 3/64”-2/64” from bass to treble.

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I think Mike describes this concept the best:

“By utilizing a perfect single piece of wood, each guitar rings with the pure musical resonance of a marimba bar, since that is effectively all it is. Meanwhile, under changing humidity and temperature the expansion and contraction remains relatively isotropic, thus ensuring a stable fret plane.

Those multiscale fingerboards and frets are prepared entirely on a Plek Station, which measures and accounts for string tension. This allows unprecedented control over the fret plane geometry.”

Indeed, the string height looks impossibly low by the numbers, while still playing cleanly and feeling nice in the hands. Kabo and Koko are a beautifully matched pair, and together round out an intriguing exploration of the guitar while remaining highly functional. Mike Sankey is a totally unique builder, and I’d encourage you to check out his other singular works and his thought processes at his website here.

Thanks for looking, any questions please feel free. 

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