When I first opened the box and
unpacked this beautiful guitar for review,
I was pleasantly surprised. My first
thought – as I am sure others might
concur – was, “Wow, it looks like a
Zemaitis.” Turns out, I wasn’t far from
wrong, as builder Teye says he was
inspired to build in this style because of
his love for Zemaitis guitars, of which he
owns several. However, there are some
significant differences between the two,
as I discovered upon stepping into the
review chamber.
Skin Deep
Before we get too far, I should mention
that there are two main models offered
by Teye: the ebony-topped La Mora and
the turquoise-topped La India – I had
the privilege of inspecting the latter. The
tops are really the only differences here,
as both models share the same build
– a single cutaway on a mahogany body,
three Lollar special humbuckers and
some special electronics. But more about
that a little later.
Tossing the strap around my neck, I
discovered the guitar to be fairly light,
at least in relation to a Les Paul-styled
guitar, weighing in at approximately nine
pounds. It might be surprising, since
these guitars feature intricately engraved
aluminum faceplates, plus scads of aluminum
on the headstock and truss rod
cover, but the Electric Gypsy felt very
well balanced.
The Electric Gypsy also shows off its
24-fret ebony fingerboard with tasteful
pearl inlays that don’t try to overpower
the other design elements. The only real
question I had about the presentation
was the finish applied to the back of the
guitar – it was not the ultra-glossy type
used on new guitars, nor was it the flat
or bare feel of others. Teye hand-applies
the lacquer, as he comes from a long
classical tradition of building, but some
players may not care for the texture of
it. I think it’s important to remember that
this is, in all aspects, a handmade guitar –
there is no CNC machinery, and no spraying
in a mass production paint facility.
Playing It
After we finished taking in the impressive
aesthetic work, we got a bit closer
to plugging in. The bridge and tailpiece
both use aircraft aluminum and are definitely
hand-machined. I really didn’t have
to do much adjusting on this guitar – a
quick string change and small intonation
tweak and it was ready. There is more
than enough lateral travel for any string
gauge used, and Teye actually put the
bridge in the correct place, so no matter
what your tuning preference is, it’s possible
to strobe it correctly. The high-ratio
Grover tuners on the headstock were
fast and accurate, getting us up to pitch
in a hurry. Teye informed me that several
other types of tuning machines were
also available.
Part of the allure of the Electric Gypsy
is the story behind it – Teye told me that
all of his guitars begin life as a plank of
wood. He holds it on his lap and literally
taps and listens to it, comparing several
pieces over a long period before committing
the wood to a guitar. He is looking
for a certain musical resonance and
judging from what I heard – no matter if
you believe it or not – he seems to be
onto something. The guitar is extremely
resonant and has an uncanny amount of
sustain, even acoustically.
The Electric Gypsy played like a dream;
the frets were large, but not as big as
the Dunlop 6100 series that are now
popular with players. The frets themselves
were impeccable, and there was still more
than enough fret to accommodate any
bends comfortably. The pickups, specially
made by Jason Lollar, are capable of great
dynamic shifts – you can keep your sound
clean, but they don’t hesitate to produce all
the growl you could ask for when pushed.
That takes us to the electronics -- I promised
we’d get here. There is a five-position
switch, enabling you to choose from neck,
neck/middle, bridge/neck, bridge/middle
and the bridge alone. There are two volume
controls which control whichever two
humbuckers happen to firing at the time,
a master tone control with a sweepable
range I have seldom encountered, and
lastly, an intriguing “mood” control, which
changes the character of the Electric
Gypsy from fat humbucker tones to sparkling
single coil sounds. You could be in
the middle of a solo, starting out with a
Strat tone and morphing into the fattest
Les Paul tone, without any switches. Is
it magic? Who knows, but it sure is a
smooth transition. I took it out to a few
gigs and really was able to get an expansive
range of tones.
Something cool to note: when all the controls
of the guitar are at full tilt, all of the filtering
is taken completely out of the circuit,
allowing you to hear the Electric Gypsy
in its purest form – pickups straight into
your amp. A look under the hood revealed
all military spec wire and components, so
one can expect problem-free playing and
long life.
The Final Mojo
Teye bills his guitars as, “unapologetic,
big chunks of guitar,” and they certainly
deliver on that tagline. These are fine,
handcrafted instruments – built by a guitar
player, no less – that celebrate the raw
electric sounds that brought us all to the
guitar in the first place. Despite the price
tag, this guitar would be a great piece for
the serious guitarist’s arsenal.
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Teye Guitars
Direct Price $8000
teye.com
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