This listing is for a beautiful Tao Guitars T-Bucket, 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, but with some ultra modern asethics and features such as a contoured body, 1 11/16" nut width and a 12" fingerboard radius. This particular example toes the line between both the Tele and Les Paul. The body is built from light weight Swamp Ash.
The neck is built from roasted 1/4"sawn flame maple for extreme durability and resonance. This is one of those guitars that you just know is special as soon as you pick it up. It blooms even unplugged like an acoustic, with ghostly artifacts and notes that leap off the fret-board. The over-sized Tao made "Bucket Bridge" with its added mass, delivers loads of sustain. The setup is perfection, with a nice low action of 3 1/2 & 4 64ths of an inch at the 12th fret high E to low E.
The pickups used in this T-Bucket are hand wound "T-Bone Rag" humbuckers by Tao with mis-matched handmade and engraved covers. They deliver a beautiful mid-output PAF-like tone; but with more sparkle, clarity and chime. This added liveliness is also due in part to the fact that the guitar features a 25.5" scale and bolt on neck, for a quick Tele-like attack.
The neck on this guitar is a dream. It is slightly wider than most Fender-style guitars with it's 1 11/16" nut width, making it easy to fingerpick or flat-pick. The neck has a Chunky Medium U-shape to it, with some nice heft. The fretwork is impeccable as always with Tao.
With the way Tao frets their necks, you can not see or feel the fret-tangs from the sides of the fingerboard, as they are 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 changes in humidity. Tao also uses their "Progressive Fretting" system on this particular T-Bucket. This is where the frets get increasingly thinner as you travel up the fingerboard past the 12th fret. This is done to avoid cramping while playing complex chords in the upper registers.
The finish work is captivating. Inspired my the J.P.S Lotus race cars of yesteryear; the top is finished in Gold and the back is finished in a Matte Black with open pores. The neck is built from European Flame Maple and then stained in black. The Tao Guitars decal is also Gold. The top plate and 3-way switch tip are all made in house by Tao. You'll also notice that the back plate is clear, as to not hide any of the extraordinarily clean workmanship. Comes with COA, Truss-Rod adjustment tool and "Tao-Decal" HSC.
Specs:
Color: Gold / Black
Body: Lightweight Swamp Ash
Neck: 1/4" sawn Roasted European Flame Maple w/ black stain
Nut: Hand Cut Bone
Nut Width: 1 11/16"
Neck Shape: Chunky U .94" - .98"
Scale Length: 25.5"
Fingerboard: Indian Rosewood Slab-Board
Fingerboard Radius: 12"
Tuners: Gotoh Vintage / Staggered w/ Tao-made string trees (2)
Bridge: Tao-Made "Bucket Bridge w/ compensated Brass saddles (aluminum)
Control Plate: Hand-Fabricated
Controls: Volume, Tone, 3-way Selector Switch
Pickups: Tao T-Bone Rag Humbuckers x 2 (custom covers)
Fretting: "Tao Progressive Fretting"
Frets: Medium Height, Stainless Steel (like a 6105, but slightly wider and a tad bit shorter)
Board & Side Dots: Gold inside of Silver
Weight: 6lbs 6.6oz
Extras: Hand Made Truss Rod Tool & COA
Case: HSC
