This listing is for a very special guitar, hand built by Luthier duo John and Serge of Tao Guitars based in Brussels-Belgium.
The T-Bucket is Tao's nod to Leo Fender's Telecaster model, but with a shorter 24 3/4" Gibson scale length. The body is built out of light weight Spanish Cedar with a beautifully shaped inlaid pick-guard made of Indian Rosewood on the treble side of the body. The neck is Quartersawn Flame Maple for extreme, duribility, sustain and resonance. Speaking of resonance this guitar does not stop ringing. It blooms unplugged like only some of the finest acoustic guitars we've ever played do. However it's a light weight insrument. The entire guitar only weights 5lbs 14.5oz. This is one of the very first Tao guitars to come to the United States fitted with an ABM 2-pin Vibrato, that has a fully routed out cavity. This allows the player to not only be able to push downward but also pull notes up a full minor third.
The electronics in this guitar are also extremely unique. The pickups are hand wound "Ribbon Pickups" by Benedetti Pickups with handmade covers by Tao. They are asymmetrically wound Humbuckers that can be split into true Single Coils, without any noticeable/perceived volume drop. When in Humbuckucking mode they deliver a beautiful mid-output PAF mixed with Gold Foil style sound, with lots of sparkle and clarity. When they are split they sound much like a Tele or Strat style pickup, while still being completely their own thing. Since each pickup is splittable via separate pots (one on the volume pot one on the tone pot) you can mix and match the two pickups anyway you'd like to.
The neck on this guitar feels like a dream. It is a slightly asymetrical Medium U-shape, with a touch more heft on the Bass side than the Treble side; this way the neck fits perfectly into the curve of your hand; like a glove really. You would never know it was an asymmetrical profile just by feeling it, but once you know, you’ll realize that this is a primary factor into why this guitars neck feels so comfortable. Many Tao's have this neck profile. It is not unnocomon for their guitars. The fretwork is incredible and frets still have their full life left in them. With the way Tao frets their necks you can not see or feel the frets from the side of the neck as they were cut to size and then put in from the top of the fingerboard. This way they will never begin to protrude and become sharp on the sides with the constant change in humidity. Tao also uses their "Tao Progressive Fretting" system. This is where the frets get increasingly thinner as you travel up the fingerboard past the 12th fret, to avoid cramping while doing complex chords.
All in all between the finish work where you can feel and see the wood grain, the versatile and incredible/unique pickups, lightweight balanced feel (seated and/or standing) and the inspiring fully routed out vibrato cavity, this guitar is one of our favorites to have ever come through the stote. The guitar is in great condition w/ only a few scratches and finish wear to the edges of the body. We think it gives the guitar even more charachrer. Keep in mind the finish is applied the lightest Tao possibly can achieve, in order to let the guitar freely resonant. Some light wear to the hardware is also visible upon close inspection. This is all to be expected from a four year old instrument that has been lovingly played. The guitar was recently setup and plays easy with a low action and minimal relief in the neck. It's truly a joy of a guitar to play.
Specs: Tao T-Bucket "Emerald City Queen"
Body: Spanish Cedar
Neck: Quartersawn Flame Maple
Neck profile: Custom Med U .84"-.94"
Fingerboard: Indian Rosewood
Radius: 12"
Pickups: Benedetti "Ribbon Pickups" Split-able Humbuckers
Tuners: Gotoh locking
Trem: ABM Tremolo Bridge
Weight: 5lbs 14.5oz
Case: OHSC (pictured) with Case Candy, COA and handmade tool for truss-rod adjustment)
