Luthiers John Joveniaux & Serge Michiels out of Brussels Belgium never cease to amaze us with their brilliant instruments. The ascetic aspect of their work is beyond what words can portray and the ease of playability and functionality is flawless.
Typically with Tao, the first thing that catches your eye is the extraordinarily clean workmanship and striking details. From the black dyed, highly figured 1/4" Sawn Flame Maple neck to the black cloth that shows through the handmade pickup covers and the Tao machined vibrato tip. There is a consistent theme that ties the whole build together. The black stain on the maple neck was purposely worn through by Tao, so that it looks like the color has began to naturally fade towards the middle of the neck.
The body on this T-Bucket is made out of 2 piece lightweight Spanish Cedar. A resonant wood that has similar tonal characteristics to Mahogany, but is not nearly as heavy. It is finished in a super light urethane that allows you to see and feel the pores of the wood. The bodies finish has a unique and slightly silky feel to it. The feel of the neck is smooth like natural wood on a vintage guitar, after years of the finish being worn through. It is quite the contrast and holding this guitar is an experience unto itself. This T-Bucket quickly becomes a part of the player and stays perfectly balanced both seated or standing. You'll find that the weight is incredibly well distributed and that it resonates like an acoustic guitar which translates to its electric voice beautifully.
This T-Bucket has a gorgeous Rosewood board with only side inlays / fret markers, for a classy, tasteful appearance. The guitar has a 12" Radius and custom Tao fretting (one of the many upgraded features on this custom T-Bucket) that allows the player to never feel cramped in the upper registers; as the frets get slightly thinner past the 12th fret. This instrument also has a longer scale than the majority of T-Buckets which are typically 24 3/4" or 25.25”. Instead the scale of this particular T-Bucket is 25.5", just like a Tele.
The body shape is certainly a nod to Leo Fenders Telecaster, but with a slightly offset end section and lots of unique contours and curves for comfort. The treble side cutaway is also deeper, allowing easy access across the entire length of the fingerboard. The Mastery Vibrato works outstandingly well. It is a joy to use and extremely responsive to your touch. You can achieve anything from dive-bombs, little flutters or full on aggressive whammy tricks. Playing behind the bridge is another fun and musical aspect of an "Offset Style" Vibrato, such as the Mastery.
The pickups in this guitar are hand-wound by Tao. They call them their "Slim Ribbon Pickups". They are a humbucking set that blend together PAF - style fullness with Gold Foil - like clarity. They can be individually split for a wide array of tones. In hum-bucking mode they have more than enough output to push a tube amp into overdrive; while still remaining clear, focused and dynamic. If you want a bit more sparkle and spank just split one or both of the pickups. The single coil modes sound like a mix between a great Gold Foil and Strat pickup blended together.
This T-Bucket comes with a handmade truss-rod adjustment tool carved out of the same piece of Maple used to make the neck. It is also stained black to match. The truss rod is conveniently accessible between frets 20 & 21 on the fingerboard. The guitar comes with a hand signed COA to certify that this is T-Bucket # 71.
Specs:
Body: Two-Piece Spanish Cedar
Neck: European Quartersawn Flame Maple
Fingerboard: Indian Rosewood
Nut: Bone / 1 11/16”
Finish: Light Grey open pore body / Black neck (Matt Finish)
Pickups: Tao "Slim Ribbon" set w/ handmade pickup covers
Bridge: Mastery
Vibrato: Mastery
Fingerboard Radius: 12
Neck Carve: Medium C .84"- .96”
Pickguard: Inlaid Rosewood
Control layout: 3-Way Toggle, Vol, Tone (Recessed Swimming Pool Style Route)
Pots: Push-Pull (for splitting each pickup)
Tuners: Gotoh / locking
Scale Length: 25.5"
Weight: 6lbs 9oz
Case: MONO
Comes with COA and Trussrod Tool
(The amp or stand used as props in the last few pics are not included)
