This guitar is a brilliant example of the “form follows function” school of design. The shape of every element relates to its intended purpose. Even so, I’d hesitate to label it “minimalist”, because minimalism is so strongly associated with a visual harmony of simple geometric forms. The shape of the Tau is really determined entirely by function. There are very few guitars that I’d describe as minimalist - Millimetric and Verso come to mind, and perhaps even Steinberger 🙂. Regardless, it’s an incredibly innovative marvel of design and engineering and I’d love to play one after this review!
I play an older Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro and love the feel. I can play play Spanish style while sitting which improves reach and reduces fatigue. The Tau looks to have all the benefits and lots more features. I couldn't find the "mystery girl" accessory, though.
If it is stays in tune and it is overall comfortable to play, it looks like having that around in a recording studio would be a good idea, specially with the hotswap of pickups so you can do traditional single coil, p90s or humbuckers with just one guitar in the recording sessions.
Not a guitar I would normally take a second look at but there's something cool about it. The design is really intelligent and practical. Very cool. Great review.
I'd still say an assymetric S-type with effortless upper fret access, an HSS pickup configuration, 24 frets, compound fretboard radius and an assymetric/compound neck profile with a tremel-no, Piezo saddle and D-tuna upgraded Floyd Rose is about as comfortable and versatile of a guitar that most people could ever ask for, but then again I'm a traditionalist as far as instrument design goes
Great video, as always. In regards to the Strandberg NX, you can solve the string end problem by buying an end cutting wire nipper. It will cut the strings short enough to bent out of the way.
I hang all my guitars, the inability to use a hanger is basically the only reason I haven’t given a headless instrument a try. Hope more guitars adopt a hangable headless system
This might be the best studio guitar on the planet. Just imagine... You need to track 4 guitar tracks. Two need humbuckers, one needs a P90 style tone, and the other needs a bright single coil tone. it has to stay in tune the whole time. BAM! break out this guy with two Nintendo carts and I have the job done in the studio in an hour. Done.
Oz actually intended it to be a studio guitar! But imagine this, a MacBook Pro, one of those tiny interfaces, and logic with some drum software. You could record an entire album in Starbucks with a rig that fits in a small book bag. Crazy how far technology has come
Nice, thorough review of all the features. Hoping there’s a version of Dr Fludd’s “What a Wonderful World” by Christmas. It sounds so awesome the way you’re playing it.
thanks for sharing! That was very thorough. I laughed when you were just casually going through the kitchen, then stopped for a quick jam lol. I was honestly surprised at the price of only $1500; I expected it to be like 3 grand or something, as is tradition with these sorts of things. I'd love for them to make a 7-string and/or baritone version >_>
The Gittler Guitar is a fascinating minimalist instrument. Although prohibitively expensive, it would be cool if you could get your hands on one to review in depth. Thanks for a great review of the Tau guitar!
@@andrefludd I kind of figured you might! :0) Maybe they would be willing to send you one to review...? I wish there was a way to bring the cost down without lowering the quality. Maybe they could use a material other than titanium which is expensive and very difficult to work with.... Did you know about the Bar Rashi guitar that was made of wood after Allan Gittler moved to Israel and changed his name to Avraham Bar Rashi? He was selling them for about $200 back in the early 1990's when I was communicating with him. Might be worth looking at if you're curious. Peace.
I understand it’s not “cheap,” but as a quick comparison, the least expensive Strandberg costs more than this, is made entirely overseas, and has almost zero customization. Again, I love Strandberg, I’m just trying to compare this guitar to other similar instruments.
Just to be a butthead, I think the Yamaha Revstar is a 3 way combo (ergonomically) of a strat (forearm contour) LP (it’s thick) and SG (upper fret access). Sonically, it’s a Lester. My favorite of the non traditional shapes 😁
I feel like you could the far left point on a graph of guitarists who value functionality over aesthetics. Or as I would put it, "on a scale of Andre Fludd to Zakk Wylde, how gaudy do you like your guitars?"
Enjoyed the video and the point is well taken that this is not a travel guitar. As for a usable travel guitar I have used the Steinberger Sprit (also Honer) for at least 10 years if not longer and found it to be an incredibly practical solution at a price point I can live with. Spent many hours in hotels and airports with the Spirit and a Korg Pandora!
I have never heard of Tau Guitars, and seems like there's a lot features in more expensive guitars for not as much money as I thought. Thanks for the video!
hey andre! i dont comment on videos that much and i’ve never commented any of your videos i guess. i just wanna say thank you for the great content. your reviews are entertaining and useful at the same time. i find myself binge watching your videos for the past couple of weeks and i dont even like modern guitars :D keep to good work up man! cheers!
It would be cool to see something like this but symmetrical with a hole for the pot on both sides so it can be set up right or left handed. Seems like it would be easy to do
Wow. Such a cool concept, but I just couldn't get around the knob location and the absence of a tone knob. If I were playing jazz, I'd be picking up over the neck pickup or just a couple inches back from there and the knob location wouldn't be a problem.
Just a little trivia, I'm in Botswana "Tau" means Lion in Setswana. I just found your channel last night, I've must of watched 8 vids already. Have been very interested in this style of guitar for a while.. Thank you for your content especially the lesson.
Awesome video Andre. Are you planning on doing anymore videos about this guitar? I am really interested in getting a travel guitar but not sure if this should be the one. Thanks.
If you arent going to use the real estate on the body for any innovation, then theres no reason not to omit it, right? Not for this particular concept, at least. The nascar pit stop pickup swap is pretty rad. This seems like one of those guitars that if you throw down for, that you throw down for every accessory and a couple spares then cross your fingers that they dont go out of business.
Conceptually, I really like the guitar. From a functionality standpoint, it's fantastic. Customizable, minimalist, flexible. But... I struggle with the aesthetic. It has two color options: solid black, or chrome. No body wood grain. No color options. No fun shapes. Yeah, I get minimalism, but... I don't go to music for minimalism. I look at these guitars and think "wow they're cool and can do lots of things." But they don't really seem "pretty" to me. I fully acknowledge that this is 100% subjective, but as far as guitar vibe goes, they're just not for me. At least, not as a main guitar.
This is such a fun review and such a cool instrument. I know there's no room for a preamp and 9v battery, but imagine if this thing also had a piezo system built in. It'd be the only guitar I ever needed and would be able to do anything I ever wanted.
Bro, that thing is super cool and loaded with awesome options. I love all the tones you demod. That said, it looks like you're playing a wooden spoon. 😂😂😂
This guitar seems promising but I wish I could swap individual pickups like other guitars that have this feature. I rather the hot swap modules contain a single pickup like a PAF, Fishman, Single coil, Noiseless Single Coil, P90, etc. and mix and match them like Legos. Thanks Doc.
Man i wish this sorta design was in a bass, tau is gonna make basses, but no extended range unfortunately, id love a 7 string bass with this sort of body
I'd like to hear your thoughts on a guitar with an EverTune bridge. I'm surprised you haven't done a video about it yet since it's the kind of thing you'd talk about and there's a lot of production guitars that come stock with it.
Very cool guitar and I'm listening to the podcast now because I love this sort of thing, it's obviously made by an engineer. It's a bit too ugly for me though. The interchangable pickups is something I would never use and seems to add unnecessary bulk. It also seems like you could do that easier and cheaper by keeping the electronics on the guitar and just mounting pickups to a plate with an easy interconnect you could wire your own pickups to. Maybe use the seymore duncan hyper switch to handle all wiring configs.
Making a guitar as practical as possible is right up my alley. I don't think I fully understood the string height adjustment part though. Did you say it's not possible to change that without shimming the bridge? How does that work in practice, what kind of action does the guitar ship with?
That's a warmoth neck, I can tell by the specs all he did was cut the head stock to his shape, I think he should be giving warmoth some credit for the necks on those guitars
Hey Andre, great video as usual. Have you ever considered buying and building a guitar with a warmoth neck and body? That would make a intresting series 😄
Yep. Hopefully 2024 :). The issue is I want warmoth to sponsor it so I can try a ton of stuff and make it educational. But I haven’t pitched them my idea yet.
the cartridge swaps look like the Boaz one idea....though those are made of plastic and god knows if they'll ever be ready. could you make a quick review maybe of those weird chinese batking headless travel guitars?
Where exactly does the pinky rest in order to anchor the hand? Strumming seems fine with that guitar but I want to know is it comfortable being able to anchor the hand and wrist with the pinky so you can get accurate string hits?
love your presentation, thats a brilliant/creative tech packed design that doesn't lose sight of the "human"...never liked the "minimalist" terminology/concept.... as there is no 180 spectrum claiming to be MAXIMALISTS...lol
I like the idea of beint able to swap pups, but I hate it lol. Id feel silly playing that, and its probably prone to neckdive. I have a Yamaha silent guitar, which is similar I suppose, but even with more "body" it neckdives like crazy
@@andrefludd ok, so it's a switch to turn the pickups off/on or use tweaks. I understand the design need, but makes it difficult to change pickups during play as many people may not be able to implement the dual output option.
What?! No super rare endangered wood to give me unicorn dust tone? How will I feel a sense of undeserved superiority over the squier plebs? I think any new guitar design or innovation is a good step for the guitar world.
@@andrefludd yes I have, but I just can't justify that cost for something so tiny! I guess when it comes to saving space in my gig bag, I'm not willing to save space in my wallet too 😅
Your videos are always first-rate - intelligently produced, informative and imaginative. Entertaining as well.
Thanks Simon :)
No one gets as in depth with these reviews as Andre does, he covers things the average reviewer seems to not even think of. Great stuff!
Thank you :)
This guitar is a brilliant example of the “form follows function” school of design. The shape of every element relates to its intended purpose. Even so, I’d hesitate to label it “minimalist”, because minimalism is so strongly associated with a visual harmony of simple geometric forms. The shape of the Tau is really determined entirely by function. There are very few guitars that I’d describe as minimalist - Millimetric and Verso come to mind, and perhaps even Steinberger 🙂. Regardless, it’s an incredibly innovative marvel of design and engineering and I’d love to play one after this review!
Fair criticism. Thanks for sharing it in a way that’s respectful and educational for me and others.
I play an older Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro and love the feel. I can play play Spanish style while sitting which improves reach and reduces fatigue. The Tau looks to have all the benefits and lots more features. I couldn't find the "mystery girl" accessory, though.
Same here. Love the Steinberger Spirit - and it's not expensive either ($400ish)
Everything about this guitar surprised and amazed me. Professional job as always Doc! You deserve a zillion followers.
Steinberge created a new category. This product looks like refinement within that category and with a pretty nice feature set worked in. I like it.
Paraphrasing the great YJM "how can less be more? more is more!!"
I don't necessarily subscribe to that but is fun to say.
If it is stays in tune and it is overall comfortable to play, it looks like having that around in a recording studio would be a good idea, specially with the hotswap of pickups so you can do traditional single coil, p90s or humbuckers with just one guitar in the recording sessions.
Not a guitar I would normally take a second look at but there's something cool about it. The design is really intelligent and practical. Very cool. Great review.
I'd still say an assymetric S-type with effortless upper fret access, an HSS pickup configuration, 24 frets, compound fretboard radius and an assymetric/compound neck profile with a tremel-no, Piezo saddle and D-tuna upgraded Floyd Rose is about as comfortable and versatile of a guitar that most people could ever ask for, but then again I'm a traditionalist as far as instrument design goes
I like this design for a travel guitar. I'm currently building my own headless guitar, and I ended up with a similar headstock "stump", as it were.
I loooove the headstock design on this. The function of it is nice and it looks really cool.
Yeah, why aren't more headless companies doing this lmao, it's so simple.
Great to be able to practice with a full scale guitar wherever you are!
I do appreciate the thoughtful design with this, and it sounds ok too.
Great video, as always.
In regards to the Strandberg NX, you can solve the string end problem by buying an end cutting wire nipper. It will cut the strings short enough to bent out of the way.
I hang all my guitars, the inability to use a hanger is basically the only reason I haven’t given a headless instrument a try. Hope more guitars adopt a hangable headless system
This might be the best studio guitar on the planet. Just imagine...
You need to track 4 guitar tracks. Two need humbuckers, one needs a P90 style tone, and the other needs a bright single coil tone. it has to stay in tune the whole time.
BAM! break out this guy with two Nintendo carts and I have the job done in the studio in an hour. Done.
Oz actually intended it to be a studio guitar! But imagine this, a MacBook Pro, one of those tiny interfaces, and logic with some drum software. You could record an entire album in Starbucks with a rig that fits in a small book bag. Crazy how far technology has come
@@andrefluddI would watch that series
@@andrefludd Youre right! That is kinda nuts to think about.
I’ve known Oz for a few years. Great small business owner and human being. His guitars are quality for sure.
I’ve talked to him a bit as well. He seems like a really genuine guy. I hope to meet him in the future.
Nice, thorough review of all the features. Hoping there’s a version of Dr Fludd’s “What a Wonderful World” by Christmas. It sounds so awesome the way you’re playing it.
Thanks for the idea I’ll make that my December song
@@andrefludd thank you 🙏
Bought one! I ordered it with two Seymour Duncan Vintage P90s. It's everything I hoped it would be. Thanks for your review,
Very happy it worked out for you!
I can always count on you to provide excellent videos about interesting guitars. Well done!
i like that white guitar to your left, or "stage left". that shape looks like it would be good for your back
Good review. Wasn't expecting it since, like you said, most travel guitars are lacking. Seems like a really high quality instument.
thanks for sharing! That was very thorough. I laughed when you were just casually going through the kitchen, then stopped for a quick jam lol.
I was honestly surprised at the price of only $1500; I expected it to be like 3 grand or something, as is tradition with these sorts of things. I'd love for them to make a 7-string and/or baritone version >_>
The Gittler Guitar is a fascinating minimalist instrument. Although prohibitively expensive, it would be cool if you could get your hands on one to review in depth. Thanks for a great review of the Tau guitar!
I’ve wanted to try that as well
@@andrefludd
I kind of figured you might! :0) Maybe they would be willing to send you one to review...? I wish there was a way to bring the cost down without lowering the quality. Maybe they could use a material other than titanium which is expensive and very difficult to work with.... Did you know about the Bar Rashi guitar that was made of wood after Allan Gittler moved to Israel and changed his name to Avraham Bar Rashi? He was selling them for about $200 back in the early 1990's when I was communicating with him. Might be worth looking at if you're curious. Peace.
This is fascinating. I was recently thinking how I generally dont need anything above the 12th fret. I am interested in exploring this.
Definitely interesting. At that price I wouldn't use it as a travel guitar. I'd be too worried about something happening to it.
minimalist aesthetic, maximalist price
I understand it’s not “cheap,” but as a quick comparison, the least expensive Strandberg costs more than this, is made entirely overseas, and has almost zero customization. Again, I love Strandberg, I’m just trying to compare this guitar to other similar instruments.
Certainly looks like a lot of players could benefit from having something like this! Cheers for showing it to us bro 🤘
Thanks Jack. We gotta talk again soon.
@@andrefludd I’d love to dude 🙏
A lot of thought clearly went into that guitar - interesting!
Just to be a butthead, I think the Yamaha Revstar is a 3 way combo (ergonomically) of a strat (forearm contour) LP (it’s thick) and SG (upper fret access). Sonically, it’s a Lester. My favorite of the non traditional shapes 😁
Very cool design. So I ordered one with a Gibson scale.
I feel like you could the far left point on a graph of guitarists who value functionality over aesthetics. Or as I would put it, "on a scale of Andre Fludd to Zakk Wylde, how gaudy do you like your guitars?"
Enjoyed the video and the point is well taken that this is not a travel guitar. As for a usable travel guitar I have used the Steinberger Sprit (also Honer) for at least 10 years if not longer and found it to be an incredibly practical solution at a price point I can live with. Spent many hours in hotels and airports with the Spirit and a Korg Pandora!
I have never heard of Tau Guitars, and seems like there's a lot features in more expensive guitars for not as much money as I thought. Thanks for the video!
hey andre! i dont comment on videos that much and i’ve never commented any of your videos i guess. i just wanna say thank you for the great content. your reviews are entertaining and useful at the same time. i find myself binge watching your videos for the past couple of weeks and i dont even like modern guitars :D keep to good work up man! cheers!
Thank you!
It would be cool to see something like this but symmetrical with a hole for the pot on both sides so it can be set up right or left handed. Seems like it would be easy to do
Wow. Such a cool concept, but I just couldn't get around the knob location and the absence of a tone knob. If I were playing jazz, I'd be picking up over the neck pickup or just a couple inches back from there and the knob location wouldn't be a problem.
Just a little trivia, I'm in Botswana "Tau" means Lion in Setswana.
I just found your channel last night, I've must of watched 8 vids already. Have been very interested in this style of guitar for a while..
Thank you for your content especially the lesson.
For me, the ultimate minimalistic guitar is any one pickup Danelectro/Silvertone. But then again, I'm going a different direction on minimalism
Awesome video Andre. Are you planning on doing anymore videos about this guitar? I am really interested in getting a travel guitar but not sure if this should be the one. Thanks.
If you arent going to use the real estate on the body for any innovation, then theres no reason not to omit it, right? Not for this particular concept, at least. The nascar pit stop pickup swap is pretty rad. This seems like one of those guitars that if you throw down for, that you throw down for every accessory and a couple spares then cross your fingers that they dont go out of business.
Conceptually, I really like the guitar. From a functionality standpoint, it's fantastic. Customizable, minimalist, flexible. But... I struggle with the aesthetic. It has two color options: solid black, or chrome. No body wood grain. No color options. No fun shapes. Yeah, I get minimalism, but... I don't go to music for minimalism. I look at these guitars and think "wow they're cool and can do lots of things." But they don't really seem "pretty" to me. I fully acknowledge that this is 100% subjective, but as far as guitar vibe goes, they're just not for me. At least, not as a main guitar.
This is such a fun review and such a cool instrument. I know there's no room for a preamp and 9v battery, but imagine if this thing also had a piezo system built in. It'd be the only guitar I ever needed and would be able to do anything I ever wanted.
Would love to see a bass Tau
That’s actually coming neck! He mentioned it at the end of the podcast
Bro, that thing is super cool and loaded with awesome options. I love all the tones you demod. That said, it looks like you're playing a wooden spoon. 😂😂😂
My Gittler Titanium is minimalist, it has frets without a fretboard, internal pickups, etc., and looks a like a fish spine.
This guitar seems promising but I wish I could swap individual pickups like other guitars that have this feature. I rather the hot swap modules contain a single pickup like a PAF, Fishman, Single coil, Noiseless Single Coil, P90, etc. and mix and match them like Legos. Thanks Doc.
Being able to put my guitar on a guitar stand would be nice yes.... it is a bigger deal than one might think
I'm only 1:10 in and it's already an amazing review. 👏
Thank you :)
Man i wish this sorta design was in a bass, tau is gonna make basses, but no extended range unfortunately, id love a 7 string bass with this sort of body
I'd like to hear your thoughts on a guitar with an EverTune bridge. I'm surprised you haven't done a video about it yet since it's the kind of thing you'd talk about and there's a lot of production guitars that come stock with it.
I’ll be covering one within the next 6 months!
Very cool guitar and I'm listening to the podcast now because I love this sort of thing, it's obviously made by an engineer. It's a bit too ugly for me though.
The interchangable pickups is something I would never use and seems to add unnecessary bulk. It also seems like you could do that easier and cheaper by keeping the electronics on the guitar and just mounting pickups to a plate with an easy interconnect you could wire your own pickups to. Maybe use the seymore duncan hyper switch to handle all wiring configs.
4:08 I feel like I have been called out.
I have a crazy switch guitar too so I’m calling “us” out haha
@@andrefludd I would love to hear about it some time, apologies if it was featured in one or more older videos I have not watched yet.
ua-cam.com/video/7TNG5t25ODg/v-deo.html@@Robstafarian
Making a guitar as practical as possible is right up my alley. I don't think I fully understood the string height adjustment part though. Did you say it's not possible to change that without shimming the bridge? How does that work in practice, what kind of action does the guitar ship with?
Looks like a modern interpretation of the Les Paul Log.
thats the coolest travel guitar ives ever saw
That's a warmoth neck, I can tell by the specs all he did was cut the head stock to his shape, I think he should be giving warmoth some credit for the necks on those guitars
I said it’s a warmoth neck in the video
It should use a zero-fret, maybe a Zero Glide nut.
this reminds me of guitar i used to own, Aria Sinsonido AS-100S, but that was cheap and absolutely not customizable)
Hey Andre, great video as usual. Have you ever considered buying and building a guitar with a warmoth neck and body? That would make a intresting series 😄
Yep. Hopefully 2024 :). The issue is I want warmoth to sponsor it so I can try a ton of stuff and make it educational. But I haven’t pitched them my idea yet.
the cartridge swaps look like the Boaz one idea....though those are made of plastic and god knows if they'll ever be ready.
could you make a quick review maybe of those weird chinese batking headless travel guitars?
F yeah it's Fludd day
We have an extra video coming this weekend :)
Where exactly does the pinky rest in order to anchor the hand? Strumming seems fine with that guitar but I want to know is it comfortable being able to anchor the hand and wrist with the pinky so you can get accurate string hits?
I'm confused.. Yngwie has only taught me More is More!
love your presentation, thats a brilliant/creative tech packed design that doesn't lose sight of the "human"...never liked the "minimalist" terminology/concept.... as there is no 180 spectrum claiming to be MAXIMALISTS...lol
For me minimalism was a tele with one pickup and no tone buttons.. this is Just a weird guitar
I like the idea of beint able to swap pups, but I hate it lol. Id feel silly playing that, and its probably prone to neckdive. I have a Yamaha silent guitar, which is similar I suppose, but even with more "body" it neckdives like crazy
Center of gravity at 21st fret.
Reasonable price, that is debatable
Yes, Maximalism, the philosophy of Yngwie Malmsteen.
Yeah that's pretty nifty, not gunna lie
Is there a pickup selector switch somewhere on the body? Did I miss you talking about that?
He didn't talk about it but it looks like there's switches on the side to turn on each pickup individually.
I talked about it in the electronics section
I talk about it in the electronics section
@@andrefludd ok, so it's a switch to turn the pickups off/on or use tweaks. I understand the design need, but makes it difficult to change pickups during play as many people may not be able to implement the dual output option.
To me, the side access truss rod adjustment location is the best design.
Good Morning Mr. Fludd,
I need to ask a question about this guitar and that question is..... Is there neck dive while standing ?
Thank you.
No neck dive at all
Thank you very much Mr. Fludd.
@@andrefludd
I can't find the dimensions anywhere. Anyone know the total length of the guitar and possibly the length of the case? Thanks!
max guitar length 30.25", case 35"
Are the newer, $400 steinbergers the poor man's version of this ($1600) or junk?
I haven’t tried one. I can’t imagine they can be great considering the price, but I’d love to be wrong.
What?! No super rare endangered wood to give me unicorn dust tone? How will I feel a sense of undeserved superiority over the squier plebs?
I think any new guitar design or innovation is a good step for the guitar world.
Agreed. I want to share and learn about as many as possible.
Maybe I missed it but what does it cost?
depends on how you configure it but starting around 1500 USD.
@@andrefludd That's not crazy!
Anything with nylon strings?
Not yet
That's not a PRS guitar ... ?
Huitar commenting man
Needs a block with only one single pickup to be truly minimalist 😅
True true.
I appreciate the engineering, but guitars like this don't interest me. (unless PRS develops one 😂)
Cuccurullo vibes.
$1500? I guess less is more... expensive.
1500 is a steal. Have you seen the price of one size fits all strandbergs lol
@@andrefludd yes I have, but I just can't justify that cost for something so tiny! I guess when it comes to saving space in my gig bag, I'm not willing to save space in my wallet too 😅
a cat for the algorithm 🐈
That headstock isn't minimal.
...and it looks like a foot in a sock.
Yu😅 Pop😅😢😅 pp my loo😊
L
Looks like a goofy toy. I can't see anybody using this on a stage.
Most people spend most of their time off stage.
@@andrefludd Right but this doesn't seem like it's aimed solely at practice or travel. Not at that price.
I think I'll stick to my air guitar for the ultimate "minimal" guitar experience.
Thats not a minimalist guitar.. playing air guitar is...