What do you get when you combine inspiration from the classics, futuristic minimalism, über-precise craftsmanship, and ultra-high-end materials and components? This is Premier Guitar, so we’re not talking about an upscale furniture design house in Denmark. We’re talking about TAO Guitars and their out-of-this-world instruments that would be just as at home in the MoMA as they are in the hands of players like Billy Gibbons.
Belgian luthiers Serge Michiels and John Joveniaux met about nine years ago in Brussels, when Joveniaux, fresh out of luthier school in France, joined Michiels in the workshop of another builder. It wasn’t long before the two realized they had a lot in common insofar as musical tastes and design matters, and decided to strike out on their own by setting up a workshop out of Joveniaux’s apartment. A good omen for their future, TAO’s very first client was Belgium’s most well-known jazz guitarist, Philip Catherine.
One look at any of the duo’s instruments and it’s immediately apparent that a driving force for them is to push boundaries in design while searching out the perfect blend of form and function. It’s no surprise that Michiels cites Ulrich Teuffel as the builder that’s had the biggest impact on his work, citing “Teuffel’s willingness to create something different and stand for it, not to mention the fact that he’s one of the nicest guys around.” Joveniaux calls out Teuffel a great inspiration for his work as well, but also mentioned his respect for Claudio Pagelli’s “endless great ideas on designs.”
As sleek and modern looking as TAO’s offerings are, the luthiers take a decidedly traditional approach. “We try to keep the job the old way—just routers, rasps, scrapers, a little bit of sanding, and a lot of elbow oil,” says Michiels. “We like to have this special relationship with every instrument we make, so everything is crafted by hand by the two of us—even some of the metal parts.” Early on, they modified existing parts because they often couldn’t find what they needed on the market. They shopped around for someone to craft proprietary parts, but according to Michiels, they couldn’t find anyone that could do the job how they wanted, so they and had no choice but to craft certain hardware parts themselves. “We’re so picky and demanding when it comes to guitar building that it would be a real nightmare for someone else to try and integrate into our duo,” says Michiels.
When it comes to electronics, TAO prefers the elegant simplicity of vintage-style pickups and controls. Most of TAO guitars are outfitted with 3-position selectors, CTS pots, and Russian new-old-stock paper-in-oil capacitors. Custom-wound Bare Knuckle or David Barfuss pickups are standard, but Vintage Lab pickups from Stephens Design are an available upgrade. “Dave Stephens just appears to have that same sick pickiness that we have,” muses Michiels. “He just nailed that magic, vintage-harmonic richness, so we propose his pickups as the top-end option for each of our various models.”
While design is important to Michiels and Joveniaux, the “main thing” is the sound. “We have worked a great deal around tone, playability, and comfort, and all the choices we make concerning crafting methods, woods, parts, and pickups are made in order to put what we call our ‘Sonic DNA’ into our guitars,” says Michiels. “What our customers love about our instruments is their unique voice. And this voice is the result of the love and care we put into every one we make.”
Pricing and Availability
TAO Guitars works closely with customers to perfectly outfit guitars to their individual players, even when an instrument is ordered through Custom Guitar Boutique, TAO’s North American dealer. Since just the two luthiers handcraft everything, they are currently limited to a few instruments a year and not more than 10. The wait time is subject to what’s on the workbench, taking as little as three months for a T-Bucket and up to three times longer for a Phaeton. Pricing is variable according to options, but base prices range from $4,300 for the T-Bucket to $7,000 for the Disco Volante, and all the way up to $24,000 for the Phaeton.
D'Addario Guitar Strings - XL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings - 10-46 Regular Light, 5-Pack
- BESTSELLING SET – XL Nickel are our best-selling electric guitar strings, revered by players since 1974.
- VERSATILE, BRIGHT TONE – Nickel-plated steel wrap wire provides a bright, versatile electric guitar tone, great for a variety of musical genres.
- FOR THE ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE – Like all D’Addario electric guitar strings, XL Nickel are made with our proprietary Hex-Core, ensuring perfect intonation, consistent feel, and reliable durability.
Fender Squier 3/4-Size Kids Mini Strat Electric Guitar - Surf Green Bundle
- 3/4-size body; 22.75" scale length
- Ideal size for children ages 6 to 12 years
- Three single-coil Stratocaster pickups with five-way switching, and vintage-style hardtail Stratocaster bridge
- Bundle includes Guitar, Amplifier, Instrument Cable, Tuner, Strap, Picks, Fender Play Online Lessons, and Austin Bazaar Instructional DVD
Dunlop MXR Micro Chorus
- All analog circuitry with bucket brigade technology
- Rich chorus textures
- True bypass
Fender Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar - Sunburst Bundle
- This guitar also features scalloped "X"-bracing, mahogany neck.
- It features a durable dark-stained maple fingerboard to give you an instrument that looks as good as it sounds.
- With its slim, easy-to-play neck and full-bodied dreadnought tone, the SA-150 is an ideal choice for all rookie strummers.
STRICH TSUNAMI Overdrive
- WARM & HOT OVERDRIVE MODES: Easily switch between warm and hot overdrive tones. Warm mode delivers rich, bluesy overdrive, while Hot mode offers more aggressive drive.
- PRECISE CONTROL: Dial in your perfect sound with VOL, GAIN, and TONE knobs for volume, distortion level, and tone
- COMPACT & PRACTICAL: Utilizes an aluminum alloy sturdy, tough, and stable casing. The compact cigar-box design saves pedalboard space and facilitates portability for performances.
Fender Professional Series Tweed Instrument Cable, Daphne Blue, 18.6ft
- 8mm outer diameter wire jacket
- 22 AWG
- 95% OFC spiral shielding
- Nickel-plated connectors
Sennheiser Professional e 609 Silver Super-Cardioid Instrument Microphone
MOOER GE100 Multi-Effects Guitar Pedal
72PCS Guitar Tool Kit
- 【Multifunctional Use】Available for changing strings, setting intonation, adjusting action or checking string height, perfect for stringed instrument cleaning, maintenance and repair.Dedicated to the most common guitar repairs and adjustments.
- 【Widely Application Area】72 Pcs tool set is a superb choice for most guitar repairs.Ideal for electric guitars, basses, mandolins, banjos, Hawaiian ukuleles, and other stringed instruments for necessary measurements and adjustments.
- 【Tool Bag Included】 Assortment of necessary tools are in one bag. We not only provide a large package, we also provide each accessory with a small individual package. You can protect and store these tools well to prevent loss and mess.
LAVA ME AIR Portable Carbon Fiber Electric-Acoustic Guitar, Travel Guitar for Beginners
- htweight at 4.3 lb, thin and portable
- Capable magnetic pickup, clear sound & low feedback
- Customizable digital knobs and presets
Name: Edward Sarkis Balian
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
Guitars: The Van Gogh Brothers, Vinnie and Theo
The Van Gogh Strat, aka “Vinnie,” built with a Canadian alder body and featuring a replica of the painter’s famous work.
Okay, I plead guilty to having owned over 150 electric guitars in the past 60 years. So, for kicks, with my experience by way of Fender, Gibson, Ricky, Gretsch, PRS, Guild, Teisco, and others, I decided to attempt to make my own axes from scratch. I found that this endeavor was synergistic—much like envisioning, composing, performing, and recording a song. With my long-time San Diego techie, Val Fabela, doing the assembly, I started carefully designing, engineering, and procuring all of the components.
Our winning guitar builder, Edward Sarkis Balian.
The Vincent van Gogh Stratocaster, aka “Vinnie,” was the initial project. Starting with a Canadian alder body, an artist in Italy (who wishes to remain anonymous) applied the Starry Night painting to the front, sides, and back. The heavily flamed, roasted maple neck has the typical 21 frets with a 25.5" scale, and sports yellow pearl-dot inlays. After careful consideration of my playing styles, I went with a configuration using Fender ’57/’62 Stratocaster pickups. I used an upgraded, noiseless, 5-position Switchcraft assembly for the switching circuit. Fender locking tuners, a custom-fitted bone nut, and a Kluson K2PTG 2-point whammy system and brass bridge complete the low-action setup. Overall gold hardware completes the look. Vinnie’s fighting weight is 7.1 pounds.
This is what stars look like from further in space, at least as far as this special build is concerned.
I was so happy with this Strat that I decided it needed a brother, so I started on a Tele. Logically, I named the Tele “Theo,” after Vincent van Gogh’s younger brother. Again, with a Starry Night body painted by the same artist, I coupled a Canadian alder body with a lightly roasted, flamed-maple Stratocaster neck. (Hey, if it was good enough for Jimi to experiment with a Strat neck on a Tele body, why not try it?) And, as expected, my techie Val did a brilliantjob of joining the neck to the body.
The Van Gogh Tele, aka “Theo,” built to similar specs as the Strat and also featuring a lightly roasted, flamed-maple Strat neck.
For pickups, I went with Fender’s vintage-correct ’64 Tele set. As for a harness, the super-quality Hoagland Custom 4-position switching is unique, in that it gives a 15 percent boost and a very killer tone in position 4! Fender locking tuners, a custom-cut bone nut, and a Gotoh GTC201 brass bridge completes its setup. Gold hardware complements the overall look. Strangely enough (or perhaps hereditary?), the Tele matches his Strat brother’s weight exactly, at 7.1 pounds.
It's not in a museum, the the Theo guitar is certainly a work of art.
But how do they sound? Magnificent!Throw in my trusty Keeley compressor, Fulltone OCD, and Fender or Mesa/Boogie tube amps, and the van Gogh boys both easily equal or surpass my White Penguin, White Falcon, PRS Custom 22, Lucille 345 stereo, 335, SG TV, Les Paul Standard, Esquire, or Joan Jett.
I’m hoping the real van Gogh brothers would have been proud of these two magical, musical namesakes.
For over five decades, audiences worldwide have marveled at Baxter’s inimitable and instantly recognizable guitar playing and generational songcraft. His output spans classic records as a founding member of Steely Dan and member of the Doobie Brothers in addition to hundreds of recordings with the likes of Donna Summer, Cher, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, and many more. During 2022, he initially unveiled Speed of Heat, showcasing yet another side of his creative identity and introducing himself as a solo artist.
On the Storytellers Edition, his fascinating commentary pulls the curtain back on both the process and the message of the music. This version traces the journey to Speed of Heat and its core inspirations as shared directly by Baxter in the form of detailed anecdotes, candid stories, and insightful commentary on every track.
The 12-songalbum, co-produced by Baxter and CJ Vanston, is a riveting and rewarding musical experience that features a host of brilliantly crafted originals co-written by the guitarist and Vanston, as well as inspired versions of some of the great classics. Along the way, Baxter is joined by guest vocalists and songwriters Michael McDonald, Clint Black, Jonny Lang and Rick Livingstone. Baxter notably handled lead vocals on his rendition of Steely Dan’s “My Old School.” Other standouts include "Bad Move" co-written by Baxter, Clint Black, and CJ Vanston, and “My Place In The Sun”, sung by Michael McDonald and co-authored by McDonald, Baxter and Vanston.
As one of the most recorded guitarists of his generation, Baxter’s creative and versatile playing has been heard on some of the most iconic songs in music history, including “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton and “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer.
The stunningly diverse collection of material on Speed of Heat presents a 360-degree view of the uniquely gifted musician.
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