Hi there folks! My names Craig from the UK and i have started to build tappers.
For many years i have been a bassist and really enjoyed that Primus slap tap style, but mostly the tap!...I got really into the idea of buying a tapper and checked them out,i loved them all...Chapmans,Mobius,Solene,Warr etc etc but...Man, they were expensive.
I saved up and bought a Mobius megatar but it was a bit big and bulky for me,then i got my good friend Robbie at Rim basses to build me one but it didn't quite work out for me.
I've worked in Engineering for many years and thought to myself, maybe i should build my own?!...
I researched Tappers and found somthing that seemed perfect for me.A guy called R.J Roo's from the states had invented an instrument he called the Tap-ladder,i loved it!...It had a free floating fret system and was made of metal(Perfect for me because metal is my thing!)...I got in touch with him and asked him if i could use his design to build an instrument of my own...
R.J was so nice,he was happy to let me use his design as long as i used my own name and gave him my 50th instrument(If i ever get that far!)...
So the"Skeletone" was born...I called it the Skeletone because the instrument looks kinda like a rib-cage...
I built myself a couple of prototypes before i reached the right design and scale length.I tried 36inch, 34inch but i don't think these scale lengths are pratical for tappers(In my opinion) so i tried a 28inch scale instrument using Drop tuning(DR)Guitar strings...It worked amazingly well! i could have a bass and harmony side using just guitar strings so the price of strings is kept low but with the drop (DR Heavy) strings the bass side sounded as good as any bass side i had heard(Punchy and tight) and i could tune the harmony side as a standard guitar so i could play nice chords.
I tuned the bass side as a standard 6 string bass and the harmony side as a standard 6 string guitar!...It's was fantastic!
A few friends loved the design so i made a couple.then i got the bug and made a few more.I have sold seven so far since December which was more than i could have hoped for(Folks seem to dig them).
The great thing about the instrument is i could make it fairly cheap and quickly(Two weeks for an instrument start to finish)... but the quality would still be top-notch.In fact i believe it's as good as any tapper on the market and it's a fraction of the price.I did intend it to be a starters tapper but i now believe it's a tapper for everyone who want's to tap on a great sounding,well built and original tapper but don't want to break the bank.I wanted to make a tapper that would be no more than £450.00 pounds but sound and look like it was £1500 pounds.I achieved this by building my own bridge,doing my own lazer cutting and finding great quality hardware and lovely pieces of reclaimed and off-cut wood at great prices...I really think i have done it!
Anyway thanks for reading.I've new to Talkbass so i just wanted to say hi...Im gonna post up photo's and soundclips today...
(This is the Skeletone(California) It's up for sale now at £420.00(gig bag included)-Postage to the states is £50.00)
Thanks so much and hi to all fellow Talkbassists...Bellow is a link to my facebook page,this has photo's of Skeletones made and shipped...
(My official Skeletone facebook page)-http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Skeletone-Tappers/291126257572658
Craigprice1975@googlemail.com 
