Taccia Spectrum Fountain Pen Review

The Taccia Company makes a wide variety of writing products and accessories, from traditional fountain pens, ballpoint pens, pen pouches and wraps, to exquisite limited edition Maki-E and Raden pens. Today’s review is of the Taccia Spectrum fountain pen in Merlot Red with a Music nib.9/10 Packaging: The pen comes inside of a Taccia embossed (faux) leather box with a cardboard sleeve around it. Inside the box is a black satin bed with a loop to hold the pen in place, a warranty card, and an instruction booklet. 9/10 First thoughts: The pen really pops against the black satin bed. The body is almost translucent and has a classic shape and look. 9/10 Design: The pen has a nice weight to it and rests comfortably in the web of my hand. The last third of the pen has a gradual taper to the bottom finial, which allows the cap to be securely posted. There is no cap band, but the name “Taccia” is printed in silver where the cap band would be. This two-toned nib has “Taccia Japan” engraved on it, with a small “MS” stamped on the wing identifying it as a music nib.The pen is available in Ocean Blue, Forest Green, and also Merlot Red, with the option for a Fine, Medium, or Music nib. There is a small step-down from the body to the grip section, which can be a bit small for larger hands, and the threads are noticeable. I scored down for the clip, which is quite stiff. It clips securely to a dress shirt pocket, but thicker clothes may require two hands to clip. The threaded cap screws on securely.   8/10 Nib Performance: Especially relevant, the music nib is very smooth and a wet writer. It is very broad, almost to the point of being unable to be used for usual everyday writing. I experienced a few hard starts, but that may be due to the Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine ink I was using. This Japan-made nib is two-toned steel with a breather hole and appears to be similar to Sailor pen nibs and feeds.   9/10 Filling System: The pen uses what appears to be a Sailor converter, which is proprietary, is included with the pen, and is a simple push-in converter. As a result of the metal threads on the body, it is not possible to eyedropper the pen. My only score down comes from it being a proprietary converter. 8/10 Value:  A retail price of $159 is near the higher-end of pricing for steel nib, and yet the lower-end of pricing for gold nib fountain pens. The nib performs very well and is a smooth wet writer.52/60 Overall: The design of the Taccia Spectrum fountain pen is timeless, and the color/material is very eye catching. I typically prefer a Fine or Extra Fine nib. This is my first experience with a music nib, but I really enjoyed writing with it. Finally, It gave my writing a wonderful expressiveness that you do not see in finer point nibs. Specs:Name: Taccia Spectrum Fountain Pen Merlot RedDesign: Translucent acrylic bodyLength: 5.5 inches (139.7mm)Posted: 6.25 inches (158.75 mm)Diameter: .55 inches (13.97 mm)Weight: 26 gramsNib: Two Tone steel Music nibFilling System: C/C proprietary Pros: Translucent body, interesting “non-standard” nib, screw on capCons: Tight clip, higher end price range for steel nibs and bottom end for goldIn the same price range:Lamy 2000Pilot Vanishing PointPelikan M205 “Make your mark”Eric Aycock (Pengeek13)