This stage-ready high-performance guitar, like all Cléroux guitars, has all the right features to make it a standout.
-
Neck is reinforced with two carbon fiber rods to keep it straight no matter what season or country you travel through.
-
An adjustable stainless steel reinforcement rod is inlaid in the neck, allowing you to adjust its relief to suit your playing style.
-
A compound radius fingerboard 9.5 to 16 inches in length to offer unparalleled comfort at the base of the neck and a real racetrack for solos at the top of the neck
-
Stainless steel frets for smooth gliding and exceptional durability
-
All joints glued with hide glue to ensure optimal sound transfer between wood parts.
Standard features in every Model T :
-
Bone nut
-
Tone specific pickups
-
Stainless dish style bridge with brass saddles
-
Silver-soldered electronics with low-impedance directional mogami wires.
-
Silver-plated Italian double-contact jack
Details to note
-
The parts that require out of this world precision are milled on a CNC machine, leading to unsurpassed precision in fret position and neck pocket adjustment, beyond what the human ear can detect.
-
This guitar is fully customizable. I can add a third pickup, change the wood options, equip it with a tremolo and adapt the electronics to your liking and playing style
Cléroux guitars are presently available for custom order only.
Model T
Body: Anigre
Neck : Maple
Fingerboard: Indian rosewood
Wood options
Features and options
My criteria when I choose wood species for my guitars :
1. Sound
They have to resonate and allow the sound to travel freely through each part in order to produce a responsive and resonant guitar
2. Sustainability
It's very important for me to use species that are sourced locally as much as possible and to work with suppliers who harvest them with the greatest care
Body
Anigre
I first used this wood when a cabinet maker offered left overs from a kitchen he had just finished. I tapped it and was impressed with the resonance it had. I wouldn't usually use African wood for a body since came from so far away, but when I come across leftover wood that rings like a bell, I go for it.
This wood is slightly heavier than the other options, but is still comfortable to play during a long period.
It is the wood with the best resonance and snap, making it the ideal choice for the Model T and largely making up for the extra weight.
Swamp Ash
This is a classic wood choice for the Model T, used in the most iconic télés. This wood grows mostly in Eastern United States and the south of Eastern Canada.
This wood is light and has distinctive grain lines that will beautifully show through the thin finish as your guitar ages.
It is warm, yet resonant. A perfect choice if you want a warmer light guitar.
Neck
Maple
I do not remember the first time I tasted maple. I was probably under age one. In Quebec and in Canada, Maple is part of our identity. In Quebec we use it to make maple syrup which is the most tasteful sweet delicacy ever. As Canadians it is literally on our national flag!
I use hard rock maple for my neck since it is the most stiff and resonant in my opinion. It is of a lighter colour than other maples so it wears all colours really well.
Flamed Maple
150$
Flamed maple is exactly the same as regular maple but has that beautiful wavy pattern.
Flamed maple tend to be less stable than regular maple, but my carbon reinforced neck ensures perfect stability.
Fingerboard
Rosewood
This one is a true classic that almost needs no presentation.
The Indian rosewood I use comes from plantations in India. I tried to research long and wide on the subject of plantations versus old growth harvesting, and I tend to lean toward plantations as a better environmental choice.
It is my favorite in terms of sound and look. For me it pairs beautifully with a maple neck and adds a warmer attack, making each note ring like a bell.
Maple
50$
As a Canadian, using maple for the fingerboard is an obvious choice.
This option is slightly more expensive since the fingerboard has to be finished before I install the frets for a perfect look.
I really like this option since it can totally change the look of your guitar depending on the neck colour you'll choose. It's resonant and will give you the most agressive attack.
Finish
I work closely with a finisher who lives 30 minutes away from my studio. Since he is as perfectionist just like me, we make a really good team when it come to colour pairing and attention to detail.
We chose polyurethane finish for both the body and neck since, when it's applied as a really thin layer, it allows the body to sing freely.
Body Colour
Here are my favorite colours for the Model T.
For a 150$ extra we can create a custom colour, just specify it in the special demand field of the order form
Light Surf Green
Sonic Blue
Off white
Neck Colour
Here are my favorite colours for the Model T.
For a 50$ extra we can create a custom colour, just specify it in the special demand field of the order form
Brown
Yellow
Neck Finish
Standard
The beautiful standard option is a satin neck with an high gloss headstock. It's classic and comfortable for most people.
Gloss Neck
For a 50$ extra you can have the whole neck with a gloss finish.
It is my favorite finish as it feels more premium to me.
Matching headstock
With this option your head stock will be the same colour as your body for a great colour touch
Equipment
I carefully curate all the parts on my guitars. When I add a part to my options list it's because I am certain it will thrive even in the most demanding situations. I alway prefer parts made as locally as possible, so most of the parts are made in the United States.
Bridge
Standard
I use a stainless steel dish style bridge on which I do some custom modifications to make it even more comfortable. That bridge has 3 adjustable brass saddles so the intonation can be fully adjusted with your favorite string set, making it the perfect bridge.
Tremolo Descendant
I love tremolos, but I had an hard time finding something that was a really good fit for my Model T. The Descendant is a match made in heaven with my guitar. It has a really low string angle so the pressure on the bridge saddles is optimal and gives the best performance I've experienced so far from a tremolo.
Custom
If you have a favorite bridge you would like to have on your model T, I'm open to discussion, just add it in the special demand field of the order form.
Dish bridge
Descendant
Frets
Stainless steel
This material is my favorite for frets. It stays shiny for ever so you can bend comfortably for months without that rusty feeling standard nickel frets tend to give you after a few gigs. They also last 3 to 5 times longer than nickel frets!
Evo Gold
For gold lovers this is a fabulous option. It falls right between stainless and nickel in terms of durability and is ideal if you have metal allergies.
Tuners
Tuners are super important to precisely tune your Cléroux to pitch.
I love vintage style 6-in-line tuners for their ease of use, so it was important to me for offer them.
For optimal stability, I really like locking tuners. I highly recommend them if you choose the tremolo option.
Gotoh Vintage
Sperzel Locking
Pickups
I am truly fortunate to be an ambassador for Tone Specific pickups. Randall always delivers the sound I dream of. You can choose between the 1955 Blues set, as well as the premium one, the Deluxe, for an extra 100$. This one is of course my preferred choice for its incredible musical response and quick attack. For more information on Randall's pickups and descriptions in his own words, visit his page by clicking the Tone Specific title.
Lollar
I used Lollar pickups for a decade before I discovered Tone Specific. They are truly amazing and I know you might have a favorite pair already. I suggest the Special set.
Others
I strongly suggest the pickups above as great fits on my Model T, but as always, I'm open to discussion. I will use any standard Tone Specific or Lollar pickup without extra. Any other pickups will require a 200$ extra for research and adaptation time.
3rd Pickup in the middle!
600$
I am happy to offer a 3rd middle pickup option on my Model T since the Nashville mod is too cool to ignore. If you choose this option, we'll discuss the electronic options together.
Humbucker!
450$
If you are an humbucker fan, and would like a Tone Specific set, I'm ready! Just tell me in the special demands and we'll discuss.