Guitars + Gizmos — Hershel Yatovitz

Spotlight: Koll Guitars

There are numerous luthiers making fine guitars around the world, but in the opinion of many in the know, guitar designer and builder Saul Koll is on the very short list of the highest tier.

Hershel has been touring and recording with Koll guitars since the early aughts, and we thought we’d showcase a particularly unique one here, the Koll Hy-Lo double-neck.

The Hy-Lo features an octave-higher-pitched soprano 6-string neck and an extra low-pitched 7-string neck, hence the name. This wild axe sports ebony fingerboards inlayed with Hershel’s name, which happens to have the exact right number of letters to act as fret markers – coincidence? We think not. Features include stainless steel frets for long life, Buzz Feiten tuning system, Kluson tuners, TV Jones pickups for a hi-fi retro Filtertron vibe, and Hipshot bridges. Pull pots for series-parrallel operation for each pickup, and a phase switch on the 7-string add sonic flexibility.

As for the body contour sculpturing, Hershel was able to visit Saul’s luthierie studio while the body was being shaped so Saul could carve a custom-tailored fit for the player’s zaftig frame.

The Koll Hy-Lo was used extensively on the album Narrabeen. You can hear the soprano neck showcased on the first part of the solo on Just Between Us, and examples of the 7-string neck include the lead guitar parts on Mr Slam and The Upsetter.

Hershel also uses two vintage-style guitars dubbed, “Yatocaster” made by Koll, as well as Jr. Glide and Super Cub models which feature Koll’s signature body shape.