The Model #499 has a body of grenadilla wood. The heart of the concept is the inner plastic insert with the new and unique XB bore. Another novelty is the brass ring that has been added to the top of the barrel – to focus the sound and to add luster and projection. A winding of carbon fiber, at the lower part, provides extra stability and equalizes the resistance over the different registers. All details have been fine-tuned to achieve maximum performance.