TEYE GUITARS
LA PIRATA CUSTOM PLUS
BY ADAM PERLMUTTER
DiMarzio Tone Zone
humbucker
Engraved
metal face
Korina body
Môd knob
At first glance, a Teye guitar could easily be mistaken for one of the rare metal-faced
guitars that made Tony Zemaitis a legendary
luthier in the 1970s and a favorite of elite players from Keith Richards to Chris Robinson.
But though the design homage is clear, the
resemblance is mostly superficial. Thoughtfully
designed in all aspects—from their proprietary
hardware and electronics to handrubbed finishes—Teye guitars occupy a singular place in
the world of boutique instruments.
These excellent axes are the creation of
Teye, a Dutchman who resides and works in
Austin, Texas. As a rock ’n’ roll-loving teen-ager, Teye began tinkering with his electric
guitars under the direction of his engineer
father. Eventually, the two got into guitar
making together, creating a Lucite instrument
so that Teye wouldn’t have to take a beloved
see-through Dan Armstrong to gigs.
Teye studied classical guitar at the
Netherlands Conservatory of Music and
devoted 25 years of his life to playing flamenco guitar. But he remained connected to the
electric guitar, and in the 1990s, after acquiring two Zemaitis guitars, he became inspired
to make a metal-topped solidbody of his own
that drew from what he’d learn about sound
production and analysis of the construction of
his flamenco instruments.
Walnut neck with 24-fret
ebony fretboard
In 2006, Teye starting building guitars like
the stunning, triple-pickup Electric Gypsy La
India and La Mora models, each of which now
sells for just under $10,000. More recently,
though, Teye introduced the T-Series—
including La Pirata, El Platero, and Media Noche—
which are made by a team of three luthiers that
he oversees, and which range in price from
$2275 to $2950. The La Pirata (“the Pirate”
en Español) reviewed here is so named because
it has a single pickup instead of the customary
pair or trio—a configuartion Teye likened to
the plight of a peg-legged buccaneer. But, like
a crafty pirate of the high seas, the Pirata is no
less dangerous for such limitations.
