Taylor Baritone 6-string User manual

The Jason Mraz

Signature Nylon

The 12-Fret

Rosewood GC

Customize Your SolidBody

Choose your color, pickups,

pickguard & more

The 2010

Guitar

Guide

We’d like to

hear from you

Send your e-mails to:

pr@taylorguitars.com

Hammer Off

Thank you for making your new

Factory Service Center available for

the repair of all brands of guitars. The

announcement which appeared in

Wood&Steel Vol. 61 (Taylor Notes)

featured a photo of your technician

working on a fine Taylor instrument.

I’m concerned, though, that the

luthier’s hammer appears to be rest-

ing upon the top of this guitar. Surely

the tool belongs on the workbench

in keeping with sound repair shop

standards. I respectfully suggest that

here is not the place to “hammer-on.”

Kenneth Wepman

Studio City, CA

[Good one, Kenneth, but not to

worry: The hammer is resting on

our protective fret buck, a tool we

designed to absorb impact when

frets are replaced in the fingerboard

extension over the guitar body. – Ed.]

Tune Hound

I just about fell off my stump

when I read the latest Wood&Steel.

I have been a singer-songwriter

and recording artist since the early

1970s. As a solo performer I began

creating unique guitar tunings back

in the late ’60s and up until this date.

My first two albums for Kama Sutra

contained all original material, and

not one song was written in stan-

dard tunings. I mixed and matched

strings and had tunings that were all

over the place…very cool sounds. I

actually had to create stick-on chord

pictures so I could remember the fin-

gering to over 2,000 original songs.

My friend John Fahey used to buy me

drinks trying to “over-serve” me and

gain access to my secret tunings.

I can NOT WAIT to play and pur-

chase the baritone 8-string and the

9-string. I am panting like a hound

dog that has been climbing hills and

valleys all day. When, where and how

do I get my hands on these instru-

ments? I will drive to you…unless of

course, you wanna drive here and we

can jam.

Chet Nichols

Playground Parlor

I bought one of the 35 parlor gui-

tars last week in Augusta, Georgia

and played it out last night at a local

club, The Playground. Just wanted

you to know it was a big hit — big

sound from a little box. It might be

the coolest guitar in my collection.

Pete Boyzuick

Driving Miss Winny

I just wanted to tell a short story

of how a 72-year-old student of mine

got a new Taylor guitar. I’m a teacher

in the Nashville, Tennessee area, and

I’ve had a nice lady named Winny

taking guitar lessons with me for a

while. I’ve always used my Taylor

814ce during the lesson, and one

day she said she wanted one, after

she played mine. I wondered if she

was serious, because I work in a

small retail shop where we sell only

beginner guitars and work a large

amount of lessons. I told her that

we would take a field trip to Gruhn

Guitars here in Nashville, so off we

went. I drove her big ole Buick. We

tried out 4-5 different models and

ended up getting the Taylor 516ce

with a cedar top and mahogany

sides. It was the best sounding guitar

we tried that day, and we had a great

experience. They gave us a great

price and set it up perfectly!

Lance Allen

TwilaSpeak

Good morning. First of all, let

me introduce myself. I am Bob

Taylor’s mother, residing in Spokane,

Washington. Yesterday we received

our Wood&Steel magazine, which

we have for many years now. We

naturally go through it over and over

sometimes, enjoying the articles

and pictures, etc., but I have one

complaint. The picture of Bob in the

“BobSpeak” column is the worst

I have ever seen. Ha! Is there any

chance that you could find another

one to replace it? I would be so

grateful to you if you would, and I

would continue being one of the big-

gest fans of Taylor Guitars. Who but

a mother would ever make a request

like that? Have a great day.

Twila Taylor

[You betcha, Mrs. Taylor. We had

planned to shoot new photos of Bob

and Kurt for 2010 anyway, but had

we known how you felt, we would

have changed Bob’s sooner! We’re

running the new one past you before

we go to print. – Ed.]

Passion Forward

After the recent W&S issue

highlighting 10 years of the NT neck

design, I realized that my Taylor is

now about 10 years old. You see, I

passed up a guitar equipped with

the NT because I simply could wait

no longer to enjoy the workmanship,

innovation and sheer cloud nine

enjoyment of a Taylor! I purchased

a K14c just as the new design was

about to roll out and have no regrets.

The guitar has never approached

needing any adjustment whatsoever

until recently when I adjusted the

truss rod to lower the action. One

other thing: I am absolutely stunned

by the pace of innovation at Taylor.

Never have I seen such profound

breakthroughs with essentially the

same raw materials. I believe it is

passion of the highest order that can

only make such incredible advances

happen, and Taylor has harnessed

that passion. I can’t wait to plumb the

depths of the new 8-string baritone

at an upcoming Road Show. A hearty

congratulations, Taylor, on 35 years

of passionate excellence. Here’s to

another 35!

Scott Lehrer

Big Rock, IL

No Tweaking Required

I was in Buffalo, New York and

on impulse stopped at a music shop.

I was marveling at the Taylor guitars

and told the salesman, “If I play

one of those I’ll buy one, and I can’t

afford it,” so he started showing me

other guitars and nothing sounded

good. I asked if they had a 214ce.

They had two, and I bought one. I

watched the [accompanying] DVD.

I have quite a pedal board I use to

color my budget acoustics. The DVD

talked about plugging straight into

the amp, so I got a long cord and

plugged directly in. It sounded fan-

tastic. I am a self-taught repairman

and would always tweak any acoustic

I previously bought — new saddle,

nut, bridge pins, neck adjustment —

but I left my new Taylor alone. The

set-up was perfect, and it plays like

an electric. You folks make a great

product, and my only wish is that I

had bought one sooner.

Francis LaChappelle

Hitting 21

I had to write. I just got a beauti-

ful Taylor SolidBody Standard, which

makes 21 Taylor guitars I currently

own. What a fantastic instrument:

clear, loud, accurate, great sustain,

high gain pickups, great electron-

ics…this could easily become my

favorite electric, and I own a few that

cost three times as much. Kudos to

Bob and the crew for another great

guitar. In today’s market, there is no

other guitar that gives me what a

Taylor does. Tone, quality, looks....

That’s why I own 21 Taylors.

Ron Cabrera

Canadian Ambassadors

Just a quick note to say a great

big thanks after having the oppor-

tunity to enjoy the Taylor Road

Show experience at Lauzon Music

[in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada] on

October 1. What a great night —

even my wife was impressed, and

she is not even a guitar crazy like me.

(I am working on it.)

We were thoroughly blown away

after listening to Marc Seal work his

magic. What a talent and a down-to-

earth guitar guy — a great ambassa-

dor and a perfect match to promote

the results of your vision. I definitely

left the evening more inspired about

improving my own play. Isn’t that

what it’s all about?

Speaking of great ambassadors,

the hosts of the evening, Ken and

Dave Lauzon and the rest of the

gang at Lauzon are a fantastic bunch.

No matter your level of ability, you are

never made to feel judged. The only

thing they offer is sincere encourage-

ment to “give it a try.” If you are a

“private performer” or a little shy they

will set you up in one of their sound

rooms to get properly acquainted

on your own terms. No pressure, no

restrictions and no obligation. If you

enjoy making music or you want to

learn, you are automatically made to

feel like part of their family. The best

store in the city, period. Thank you

to all those involved for bringing us

such a great evening.

Dan Bourgeault (and Melanie)

We Feel Your Pain

My name is Pete Bellotte, respon-

sible for the Donna Summer hits

“Hot Stuff” and “I Feel Love.” I have

a Taylor 20th Anniversary, and the

other day a 5’ x 4’ painting fell from

a great height straight through the

side of the guitar. Despite the impact,

the guitar remained on its hook, and

when I took it down it was still in

tune and STILL sounded great. It will,

of course, be repaired very soon!

Pete Bellotte

An Extra Sense of

Accomplishment

I recently purchased your

NS74ce. After an exhaustive search

for the right nylon instrument and

having already been a Taylor owner

(614ce), I must tell you I have never

played a finer guitar! The NS74ce

has opened new doors for me simply

because this instrument far exceeds

normal boundaries of tonality, master

craftsmanship and just plain playabil-

ity. I have toured the world playing

guitar and performed with several

national and international artists, and

even as an accomplished guitarist,

the Taylor allows me to sound bet-

ter than ever! I couldn’t be more

pleased. Thank you!

John Cook

Ft. Myers Beach, FL

Letters

2www.taylorguitars.com

ANNIVERSARY

Fall Limiteds

Taylor Swift’s

Signature Baby

8-String

Baritone

Artist vs.

Airline:

Dave Carroll’s

Big Breaks

LIMITEDS

The Armrest,

Parlor, 9-String,

12-Fret & More

6 Jason Mraz

The acoustic-grooving Grammy

nominee visits the Taylor

factory to talk about the

inspiration behind his new

signature nylon-string model.

On the Cover

14 BT Talks Shop

Bob Taylor fans the creative sparks from 2009 and explains why Taylor’s

unique blend of vision and passion will continue to inspire in 2010.

14 36

Volume 62

Winter 2010

Departments

Features

2 Letters

4 Kurt’s Corner

5 BobSpeak

5 Editor’s Note

10 Ask Bob

12 Soundings

60 TaylorWare

Find us on Facebook. Add us on MySpace. Subscribe on YouTube. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/taylorguitarspr

16 The 2010 Guitar Guide

We ring in the new year with a fresh tour of our 2010 line. There’s a lot to

love here.

18 Finding Your Fit: Woods and Shapes

You might know what you like, but is it the right match for the sound you

want? We break down the elements of tone to help you understand what

makes a guitar right for you.

20 The Acoustic Line

From the Koa Series to the Baby Taylor, we proﬁle our many ﬂavors of

acoustic tone.

36 Specialty Models

A sweet-voiced 12-Fret and a pair of rich Baritones promise to take you

somewhere new.

38 The Electric Line

This year, SolidBody customization leads the way. We’ll walk you

through the new color and pickup options, including our new vintage

alnico humbucker.

48 Build to Order

If you’ve been dreaming of a custom Taylor, our Build to Order program

gives you a broad array of choices and an impressive turnaround time.

50 Acoustic Electronics

Whether for stage or studio, the Taylor Expression System®captures all

the natural tonal richness you love about a Taylor and helps you share it

with the world.

52 Customer Service

We take service as seriously as we take guitar-making. From helping

you ﬁnd a guitar to helping you care for it, we’re all about giving you the

support you need.

54 The Specs

Here’s a closer look at the details that deﬁne each guitar we make.

Cover Feature

Contributors

Bob Borbonus / Jonathan Forstot / David Hosler / David Kaye / Kurt Listug

Shawn Persinger / Shane Roeschlein / Bob Taylor / Corey Witt / Glen Wolff

Chalise Zolezzi

Technical Advisors

Ed Granero / David Hosler / Gerry Kowalski / Andy Lund / Rob Magargal

Mike Mosley / Brian Swerdfeger / Bob Taylor / Chris Wellons / Glen Wolff

Contributing Photographers

Rita Funk-Hoffman / David Kaye / Steve Parr

Circulation

Katrina Horstman

900 SERIES, Baby Taylor, Big Baby, Bridge Design, Doyle Dykes Signature Model, Dynamic Body Sensor,

Expression System, GALLERY Series, K4, Liberty Tree, Peghead Design, Pickguard Design, PRESENTATION

Series, Quality Taylor Guitars, Guitars and Cases & Design, T5, T5 (Stylized), Taylor, Taylor (Stylized), Taylor

ES, Taylor Expression System, TAYLOR GUITARS Taylor Guitars K4, Taylor K4, TAYLOR QUALITY GUITARS

and Design, TAYLORWARE, and WOOD&STEEL are registered trademarks of the company. Balanced

Breakout, Dynamic String Sensor, ES Blue, Grand Symphony, GS, GS SERIES, T5 Thinline Fiveway, Taylor

Acoustic Electronics, ES-T, Thinline (T5) Fiveway, T3, T3/B, and T-Lock are trademarks of the company.

Patents pending.

I’ll start the new year with a

confession: I really enjoyed the chal-

lenges and problem-solving of last

year. While we didn’t start the year

anticipating that the economic issues

would be as dire as they were, we

shifted gears and changed our game

plan to adapt, and we came out on

top! It felt great to meet the chal-

lenges head-on and win.

While other guitar companies

retreated from higher-end guitars and

focused on going down-market to

pacify dealers, asking for lower price

points (and in the process abandon-

ing the high-end customer), we took

our message on the road and sold a

whole order of magnitude more high-

end guitars than ever before.

Taylor increased its market

share last year and was the top-

selling acoustic guitar brand in

terms of retail revenue generated.

Interestingly, Taylor guitars gener-

ated higher retail revenue at U.S.

cash registers in 2009 than we did

in 2008. This is despite the acoustic

guitar market being down from the

prior year.

Early in the year we had to lower

our production, as we were building

too much inventory. We had to cut

back and reduce the work hours of

the majority of our employees. We

retained nearly everyone and paid

their benefits, and we were able to

take advantage of a work-sharing

program, which paid people unem-

ployment for the hours not worked.

This lasted for several months while

we sold down our inventory, and

we’ve been back at full production

since early November. We’re now

very lean on inventory, and have had

to increase our projections for 2010

several times. This was a painful pro-

cess to go through, but we’re now

in great shape and well positioned

for 2010. Moreover, we’ve put bet-

ter controls and planning in place

to keep sales and production in bal-

ance.

Working with others on a team to

solve problems can be very reward-

ing and fun. It can also be not very

much fun at all when you don’t have

the right group chemistry. I’ve expe-

rienced it both ways. In fact, one of

the biggest disappointments of my

career was in assembling a group of

talented people that were dysfunc-

tional as a team. This completely took

the fun out of doing business. Life

is too short to not have fun or enjoy

your work. When you have a group

of people who like and respect each

other, have fun working together,

are talented and can each handle a

large area of responsibility, it can be

really enjoyable. That’s how I would

describe the great group of execu-

tives we have now at Taylor,

and is the biggest reason why I’m

really enjoying business, even when

it involves managing through a tough

year and a tough economy.

Here’s wishing you a successful

and prosperous 2010!

Sizing Up a Down Market

Publisher / Taylor-Listug, Inc.

Produced by the Taylor Guitars Marketing Department

Vice President of Sales & Marketing / Brian Swerdfeger

Director of Brand Marketing / Jonathan Forstot

Editor / Jim Kirlin

Senior Art Director / Cory Sheehan

Art Director / Rita Funk-Hoffman

Graphic Designer / Angie Stamos-Guerra

Photographer / Tim Whitehouse

Printing & Distribution

Woods Lithographics - Phoenix

Volume 62

Winter 2010

Kurt’s Corner

2010 Taylor Factory Tours & Vacation Dates

If you plan to tour the Taylor Guitars factory in 2010, please note that we’ve

added Fridays back to our tour schedule. A free, guided tour is given every Mon-

day through Friday at 1 p.m. (excluding holidays). No advance reservations are

necessary. Simply check-in at our reception desk in the lobby of our main build-

ing by 1 p.m. We ask that large groups (more than 10) and school-supervised

groups schedule special tours in advance by calling (619) 258-1207 and asking

for the Factory Tour Manager. We kindly request at least two weeks’ notice for all

group tours.

While not physically demanding, the tour does include a fair amount of walk-

ing. Due to the technical nature, the tour may not be suitable for small children.

The tour lasts approximately one hour and 15 minutes and departs from the main

building at 1980 Gillespie Way in El Cajon, California.

Please take note of the weekday exceptions below. For more information, includ-

ing directions to the factory, please visit taylorguitars.com/contact/factorytour.

We look forward to seeing you!

Holiday closures:

Monday, February 15

(President’s Day)

Monday, May 31

(Memorial Day)

Monday-Friday, July 5-9

(Independence Day / company vacation)

4www.taylorguitars.com

—

Kurt Listug, CEO

While other guitar companies

focused on going down-market,

we took our message on the road

and sold more high-end guitars

than ever before.

Photo Synthesis

As you’ve probably noticed, our winter Guitar Guide issue is a

little different from our other issues. Over the years, as Taylor has

evolved, so have these pages. In the old days, as some of you will

recall, Wood&Steel’s newsprint paper made it difficult to convey the

beauty and details of our guitars. But we managed just fine, in part

because what was important to Bob and Kurt was to connect with

Taylor owners in a personal, down-to-earth way. Of course, there

was a certain irony to the fact that we printed pictures of our beauti-

ful high-end guitars on newsprint, yet created a glossy insert to sell

T-shirts and guitar accessories.

The Taylor catalog, by contrast, provided the sexier print vehicle

for showcasing the glorious details of our instruments and refining

the Taylor brand. We worked with a design agency to produce those

catalogs, and we’re proud of the way they captured not just the pre-

mium quality of our instruments, but also the passion and personality

of the brand. Yet, for all of the effort and expense that went into the

catalogs, their shelf life was becoming shorter and shorter, especially

for a company like ours, whose product development efforts were

outpacing our print cycle. Our website certainly added a better com-

munication channel to update you on our latest news and develop-

ments, but for a company whose products are predicated on having

a tangible experience, we felt strongly that a print publication was

important, too.

Ever since Wood&Steel made the transition to higher quality

paper with our summer 2008 issue, we’ve taken full advantage of our

upgraded “canvas,” starting with special features on guitar shapes

and woods, and a year ago creating our first expanded-format Guitar

Guide. It was meant to serve some of the function of a catalog, as

we presented our line in its entirety, complete with the specs details

that many folks crave. Yet, as a quarterly, we were also able to update

our “catalog” throughout the year, which proved especially beneficial

in 2009, given the number of new guitar models that came to life.

This year, we’re pleased to bring you our second annual Guitar

Guide issue. We really wanted to take the photography to another

level, and we hope you enjoy it. Nearly every photo in this issue

was shot by our lean, mean in-house team (with the exception of

Soundings), including the shots of Jason Mraz. Some guitar photos

were taken in our on-site studio, while others were shot in real-life

settings to capture the experience of what makes playing a Taylor so

rewarding. It was a lot of work, but sometimes it’s the challenge that

makes it fun. One thing’s for sure: Shooting guitars is a lot cooler

than shooting medical supply equipment.

Look for more editorial coverage next issue. In the meantime, we

hope your year is off to a happy, music-filled start.

— Jim Kirlin

Correction: In last issue’s Editor’s Note, I made reference to the

epic 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” fight between Ali and Frazier;

it was actually Ali and Foreman.

Editor’s Note

Read this and other back issues of Wood&Steel at

taylorguitars.com under “Resources.”

Online

BobSpeak

New Tones for ’10

—

Bob Taylor, President

It’s been ten years since the world

was going to collapse into utter

despair due to the fact that comput-

ers wouldn’t be able to reconcile

the date. I guess that didn’t happen.

Instead, we made cool guitars, peo-

ple dug them, and more good play-

ers were added to the world. Other

great things have happened since

the dawn of the new millennium. For

example, I now have a guitar tuner

on my phone. OK, I’m just sayin’. The

world is so much more in tune now,

exactly the opposite of what they

predicted. Good times.

We haven’t released any signa-

ture models for some time because

you can just do too many of those,

you know? But this issue will show-

case a Jason Mraz model. Jason is

a great player and songwriter, just

doing his thing with a huge following.

He’s the real deal. It’s been my plea-

sure to see him use his Taylor guitars

to perform his art.

Taylor Swift has also shown her

following what a good guitar looks

like in the form of her Taylors. And

a lot of people are looking. You can

thank her for getting a lot of young

people going on the guitar — our

Taylor Swift Baby Taylor model is

already in the hands of hundreds and

hundreds of young players who are

starting out because of her. She’s

become an excellent player, and I’m

proud to watch her progress. What a

pleasure it’s been to see her success

simply rocket out of this world.

I have a few surprises for this

year, probably my favorite being the

OMG-sound of the 12-fret Grand

Concert. This is a guitar that needs

to be in every guitar store for every

player to come hear. You’ll want to

own one, because it just sounds

so beautiful. People can talk about

how much bass or treble a guitar

has, or the sustain, or the projection,

but what is often missing from the

conversation is the tone. The tone of

those frequencies is as different as

the tone of people’s voices. Sheryl

Crow and Josh Groban can both

sing the same notes, yet the tones

of their voices are different. What

gets me about this 12-fret is its tone

coupled with its large voice, all in a

small, lightweight, package. But it’s

the tone that just continues to blow

me away. You’ll probably see a ver-

sion of this guitar as a twin to Jason’s

nylon signature model at some point.

I sat down with Jason and showed

him the guitar, and he strummed it

once and looked up amazed and just

said, “Wow.” Then he got lost in it for

a while. I sent one off to Taylor Swift

and had to ask her dad how she

liked it, because she was off doing

her thing, and he said, “She loves it

and hasn’t put it down for days.” It’s

easy to fall in love with.

The SolidBody tremolo is out,

it works like a dream, and it looks

so beautiful. You know, when we

designed that first bridge for our

SolidBody, we wanted it to be origi-

nal, not a copy of anything, and to

be pretty and feel good. That’s hard

because your mind just slides into

designs that you’ve known and seen

for years. But we managed, never

thinking that we’d have to make a

trem version of it someday. Ouch!

But it happened — it took a year,

but it happened — and we’ve taken

another committed step into the elec-

tric guitar world with it. We’re here

and here to stay, and it’s fun to show

players what we’re up to with elec-

trics. Look for them in stores. They’ll

be arriving as the weeks roll on.

All in all, 2009 was a good year

for us. We made progress along

many fronts, all during a frightening

recession. We thank our dealers

for their love of guitars and their

willingness to keep showing and sell-

ing them amidst stomach-churning

financial news. We thank you players

for playing music and adding your

artistic flair to the world. Guitar play-

ing, singing songs, performing and

listening to great music all helps the

world stay afloat.

Y2K didn’t end up killing us all

ten years ago. Last year took a stab

at it and lost, and people want their

music enough that already this year,

we’re starting out with a shortage of

guitars to go around. It’s a strange

world, and I’m glad to toss some gui-

tars into the mix.

JASON MRAZ

The Wood&Steel Interview

JASON MRAZ

Pacific storm has made for

a rare day of steady rain in San Diego,

upsetting morning commutes and tempo-

rarily throwing people a bit off-kilter —

remember, this is Southern California,

where rain is a major event — but the

weather’s dour context only serves to

amplify the laid-back vibe of Jason Mraz

as he arrives at the Taylor factory. The

hat-clad, smooth-crooning tunesmith has

driven down from his home in nearby

Oceanside during a precious pocket

of down time between his return from

a South American tour and the start of

recording sessions for his fourth studio

record. He is here to survey the close-to-

final version of his new nylon-string sig-

nature model, adorned with the custom

inlay work he commissioned. Taylor artist

relations rep Bob Borbonus is in the

house, and before long Bob Taylor stops

in to hang out and talk about the guitar

with Mraz, who has just been presented

with it for the first time.

“I love it,” he says, admiring the

inlays, before settling into a comfy couch

with his new namesake guitar to finger-

pick a progression of sweet chords. The

nylon is a variation on the rosewood/

cedar NS72ce he’s been playing and

touring with for a while now. “It feels like

something I’ve had for a long time,” he

decides after a few more lightly plucked

chords.

The one remaining cosmetic revision

for the model is the choice of woods for

the guitar’s custom rosette design. A

few variations are on their way from the

Finish department for Bob and Mraz to

discuss. While they wait, as Mraz works

through another pretty progression on

the nylon, Bob picks up a steel-string

GA and asks Mraz about the chords to

the tune “You and I Both,” the opening

cut from his 2002 debut album Waiting

for My Rocket to Come. Mraz obliges,

playing through and calling out the

changes as Bob follows, setting up a

little jam that’s followed by another tune

Bob likes, Mraz’s island-chill mega-hit,

“I’m Yours.” Both song titles, coinciden-

tally, seem fitting choices to christen the

relationship between a songwriter and

his new guitar.

It wasn’t far from the Taylor com-

plex that Mraz’s successful career was

launched, in the coffeehouses of San

Diego. It was his equivalent of the

Beatles’ Hamburg period, during which

he honed his talent for blending acous-

tic grooves, supple melodies, and clever,

heartfelt lyrics into compelling pop

songs. He played out often, developing

himself into a compelling live act who

seemed destined to make it.

Mraz, 32, grew up in Mechanicsville,

Virginia, where, as a teenager, he started

writing and taught himself to play gui-

tar, often covering Dave Matthews and

Bob Dylan tunes with his brother. He

later moved to New York City to attend

the American Musical and Dramatic

Academy to study acting, but continued

to play guitar and sing. It was there that

he discovered he had a natural knack for

making up funny songs on the fly with

his acoustic.

“It became a party trick,” he told

the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2009.

“People would come over and chal-

lenge me with objects or situations, and

I would just make up a song about it

and get a good laugh and make people

really connect.”

The experience prompted a recali-

bration of his career plans. He realized

that the creative freedom of writing and

playing his own songs beat auditioning

for acting jobs.

Mraz moved to San Diego in 1999,

and it didn’t take long for him to plug

into the collaborative acoustic scene

and, before long, set in motion a word-

of-mouth groundswell. He frequently

performed as a duo with local percus-

sionist Toca Rivera (who remains a core

component of his live band), eventually

setting up residencies at various local

venues, where Mraz cultivated a pas-

sionate following. The buzz spread to

L.A. and beyond.

Mraz’s talents as a songwriter and

performer led to a major label deal,

and his 2002 debut introduced him to

the world with the help of several hits,

including “Remedy (I Won’t Worry),”

“You and I Both,” and “Curbside

Prophet.” Mraz’s second effort, Mr. A-Z

(2005), spawned the hit “Wordplay”

and was nominated for a Grammy.

From local coffeehouse king to international star, the acoustic tunesmith is

laying his good-vibe grooves on the world, fueled by love and a new signature

nylon-string By Jim Kirlin

continued next page

8www.taylorguitars.com

His most recent studio effort, We

Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.,

included the soon-to-be-epic hit

“I’m Yours,” which was nominated

for two Grammys last year and set

the record for the longest running

song on the Billboard “Hot 100”

Chart. The tune is also one of the

best-selling digital songs of all time

in the U.S., with more than of 4.4 mil-

lion paid downloads. Another pair of

tunes from the album recently scored

Grammy nominations: “Make it Mine”

(Best Male Pop Vocal Performance)

and “Lucky” with Colbie Caillat (Best

Pop Collaboration with Vocals).

At times, Mraz’s sound suggests

a more caffeinated, rock-centric

version of breezy jazz-pop singer-

songwriter Michael Franks, whom

Mraz cites as a musical influence (he

points to Franks’ 1976 album The Art

of Tea as an inspiration). But Mraz

brings more of a street/beat poet and

hip-hop sensibility to the party, as he

assimilates an array of musical flavors

into his world: jazz, funk, reggae, soul

and Latin music, each of which inject

unique rhythmic accents to his fluid,

mellow-rock vibe.

Seeing Mraz perform is to experi-

ence the fullness of his multi-pronged

artistry. His nimble, crystalline tenor,

his melodic and rhythmic sophistica-

tion, his strong pop instincts, and his

ability to unleash a sonorous gush of

lyrical wordplay together all coalesce

into a soulful groove on stage. His

music has a certain lightness to it

that’s conspicuously devoid of ste-

reotypical rock ‘n’ roll angst or brava-

do. On stage, he’s playful, funny and

spontaneous. He has a good time

messing with his persona: part hip-

ster geek, part street performer, part

ladykilling balladeer. Mraz innately

understands music’s power to uplift

and empower people, along with his

own ability to use his songwriting

voice to make soul-nourishing music.

It’s a testament to his songcraft that

his music connects not only in a

coffeehouse but at a huge festival.

Through his world travels and diverse

musical experiences, he says he’s

gained a greater appreciation for a

universal desire among audiences

everywhere: They want to be happy.

And through music, happiness is

exactly what Mraz delivers.

At the Taylor factory, Mraz took

time to talk about the way his Taylors

inspire him, the concepts behind his

signature guitar’s inlay designs, his

techniques for keeping songwriting

fun, and why “I’m Yours” became the

hit it did. Soft-spoken, thoughtful and

articulate, Mraz makes it clear that his

musical journey is part of a deeper

spiritual journey.

Do you remember your first Taylor

experience?

The first Taylor I ever purchased I got

from a local artist who had upgraded

and didn’t feel the need to hold onto

her guitar, so I acquired a 612ce,

and I was still kind of exploring in my

guitar playing. At that time, I think

I’d been playing for like six years

and had gone through probably six

or seven guitars, all different makes

and models, different sizes, shapes.

I stumbled upon this little 612 and

it just rocked. It was built in ’95, I

believe, so it was pretty old — it was

at least five years old at the time I

purchased it. Nice and worn in. It just

worked with what I was doing; I really

connected with it. And in buying that

guitar, I realized that Taylor was a

San Diego company, and the guitar

was built in San Diego. I’d been liv-

ing in San Diego for a little bit of

time, and here was this guitar that

suddenly was working with the songs

I was writing and the way I was per-

forming. It was a mellow guitar but

very true — in fact, I don’t think it had

any controls on it; you’d just plug in

and go. It was pretty amazing what it

could do.

You have a couple of other models

on the steel-string side. Was the

714ce the next one you acquired?

I think I experimented for like a month

with a 9 Series. I took it on the road,

and it was such a nice guitar I was

a bit nervous to bring it on the road.

And I found the 714 was a great

compromise to the grandness that

was that guitar, but it had sort of a

road-ruggedness that I could tear up.

I’d also started playing with a band

and went digging in a little more, so

I left the 612 at home after a while

and was playing the 714 with a little

bit bigger body.

You’re a fingerstyle player, but

especially when you’re playing on

stage with a band, is it primarily

still fingerstyle, or are you doing

some strumming?

Back when I was playing the 714 in

my shows, I was definitely using a

pick, and then I would throw the pick

and use my fingers and reach into my

pocket and grab the pick again, and

it was kind of messy. I hate to tell

guitar players what I was doing be-

cause I don’t recommend it, and I

look back — in fact I was playing my

714 last night and they should put

the pickguard up here [above the

soundhole] because how I was play-

ing with a pick was digging in at the

top. So, it was a little bit of every-

thing. I had picked up a nylon-string

to bring to my show for one song,

and just having that guitar around

I started to play it a lot more. And I

found that I could still do the strum-

ming, the digging in, and go right into

picking, and basically all the dynam-

ics that I liked with the 714 I could

still get out of the nylon-string. All I

needed to do was put some acrylic

on my nails, so I had four guitar picks

on my fingers. I could get that soft

sentiment, that really mellow, liquidy

tone that I really love about the nylon-

string, but I could also get really

rhythmic and percussive instantly,

without changing guitars and without

changing picks or any type of pat-

terns. It took me a little while to figure

out, but it’s definitely something I

don’t think I’ll stray from.

So these days, are you performing

primarily with the nylon?

Yeah. In fact, the last tour I didn’t

even take the 714. It was the first

tour where I only took two nylons

with me. I took two because one was

going to be in an alternate tuning

[DADGAE]. So the whole show was

played pretty much with just this.

One or two songs I’d switch it up

with the alternate tunings, but that

was it.

The nylon has such a different

flavor from a steel-string. When

you started playing nylon more,

did you feel like you were writing

in different ways, that you were

responding to the guitar’s tonality

in a different way?

Absolutely. When I would write with

the nylon, something about it and the

voicings I would use — the mellow

tones of the nylon — it just opened

up a whole new channel for songs.

I guess when I had the larger steel-

string 714, I feel like I had to work

a little harder. So, the nylon was

more of a feeling that I got, but it

nurtured a whole album’s worth of

songs. It made road life a lot easier.

It just gave me this way to commu-

nicate with the audience without a

guitar standing in my way. It felt like

it was a part of me, it was a part of

the energy that I wanted to put out

there. But it still drove it home when

I needed to drive it home. I could still

play the big rock and pop songs with

the nylon.

Let’s talk about your signature

model. It’s based on the model

you’ve been playing, an NS72ce.

What’s nice about the signature is

being able to add your aesthetic

to it. Can you explain the fretboard

inlay and the rosette?

Well, I didn’t touch the design of the

guitar because the NS72 is great.

Cosmetically I added my “Be Love”

symbol, which I recently got tattooed

on my arm, so in a sense…maybe

I’ll add frets to my tattoo. This is a

design I saw repeated over and over

from hieroglyphs to various denomi-

nations using it in art, and I choose

this symbol simply because I want

to be whole in mind, body and soul.

I think that’s a divine trinity there.

What is “Be Love” but cutting out the

middle man. You don’t have to have

a certain someone to be loved. You

don’t have to have certain conditions

to have love in your life. You can just

be love. So, it’s basically a practice

of unconditional love, a practice of

unabashed generosity. You can’t be

love and have a bad day. You can’t

have a bad mood. If I’m committed to

being love, I have to show up every

day, and I really like that. It creates

me as bigger than I’ve ever chosen

myself to be in my life. And every

song I write is based on love, no mat-

ter what kind of song it is. So that’s

why I brought it into the guitar.

The rosette is based on one of my

favorite Mucha paintings. [Alphonse

Mucha, 1860-1939, was a Czech

art nouveau painter and poster

designer.] Mucha was pretty much

the inventor of graphic design; he did

it all by freehand. In fact, most rock

posters today can be traced back to

Mucha. He did original designs for

opera, stage shows, cabarets back

in Paris and throughout Europe. One

of his designs is called “Zodiac,” and

it embraces all different astrological

and zodiac signs. And that’s another

thing that drives me: I’m always look-

ing into the cosmos to inspire me or

to help me create my schedule even

for tours and for when I’m going to

write and what I’m going to do. So,

everyone can relate to this because

your zodiac sign is going to be in

the rosette somewhere, in the per-

son you love; all the relationships in

your life can be related to this. Every

chart pretty much in the history of

calendar making comes down to a

circle, and the rosette is here for us

to put ourselves into the universe.

So, I thought it was beautiful. We just

today looked at having bloodwood

underneath the signs. It really creates

contrast, so you can see the signs;

the symbols will really pop a lot more

on the final product. [Ed. note: The

final choice was bubinga.] And that’s

basically it. I didn’t want to go too

crazy. I thought long and hard, and

you can get lost in the world of inlay.

But I honestly didn’t want to add any

more weight; I didn’t want to add

anything too strong. I still would want

any player to take it on and have their

own relationship with the guitar.

“When I would write with the

nylon, it just opened up a whole

new channel for songs.”

Jason Mraz on the

evolution of his nylon

fingerstyle technique:

“I had the pleasure of tour-

ing with Raul Midón, and

he’s the one who helped me

organize my style of playing.

Where I used to keep picks

on my knee — play and then

pick and then strum — he’s

the one who really pushed

me to let my nails do all

the work and not be afraid

of treating the guitar like a

percussion instrument. And

Raul, if you’ve ever seen

him, really goes for it. In fact,

I’ve never seen anyone play

guitar like that guy. And I

know that he has a nylon in

his arsenal, and it was right

around the same time I start-

ed playing nylon, so I wasn’t

so worried about playing soft

or just being stuck in light

picking and melody work. It

really got me to change, to

really bang on it.”

This question goes back to the

songwriting process. I know that

you’re a buddy of Bob Schneider,

who’s a great singer-songwriter

from Texas, and I’d read that you

guys have kind of an ongoing

songwriting challenge, where you

use a phrase to spur on songwrit-

ing. Can you talk a little about

that? I think that people who write

songs would be interested in how

that works.

Absolutely. Basically we have a little

online songwriting support group. It

isn’t a test or challenge or something

where anyone is going to win. We

don’t even critique each other. The

whole idea is to stop being so darn

precious about the songs you’re

going to write. Stop worrying about

if the world will like it; don’t worry if

it’s going to be a single. Don’t write

for any other reason than your love

of writing songs and connecting

with your instrument, connecting

with your divine. Whatever reason

you love to write, this is a songwrit-

ing group that’s going to support

that. And to get you started, here’s

a word or a phrase. So, let’s say the

phrase is “me talking to you.” It’s as

simple as that. And I’ll give you until

Friday to create a song and e-mail

it to us all. So, by Friday you get all

these songs in your inbox from all

these different writers, and you hear

everyone’s different interpretation

of “me talking to you.” The thing I

turned in for that turned out to be

“Lucky,” which was a great hit from

the last record. And the whole song

opens with: [plays and sings] “Do

you hear me talking to you / Across

the water…” so it gives you a launch

point to write. I end up writing for my

friends and for me instead and for

the sake of a game rather than the

pressures of any label or any other

group that wants me to write. So,

I encourage anybody to do it with

your friends because it puts the fun

back in playing. Like, for me, I’ve

taken my hobby and turned it into

my career. And sometimes that can

be a huge distraction. So adding

this game with some songwriters

like Billy Harvey, a tremendous writer

from Austin, Texas, Bob Schneider,

Tom Freund, Minnie Driver has got-

ten involved, Mike Doughty from

Soul Coughing. Every now and then

you see some real surprises enter

the game. It’s all about the Internet.

In fact, I’ve never even met most of

the people face to face.

The Jason Mraz

Signature Model (JMSM)

Based on the nylon-string

NS72ce, the JMSM has

Indian rosewood back and

sides, a Western Red cedar

top, and custom inlays. The

fretboard inlay features the

words “Be Love” below Jason

Mraz’s circle/triangle symbol,

both in Mexican cypress. The

rosette design is a series of

zodiac symbols in Mexican

cypress against a bubinga

background, set in a ring of

Hawaiian koa. The pickup is

the new ES-N®, which comes

standard on all nylon-string

models. Each JMSM comes

with a custom guitar label and

a certificate of authenticity,

both of which will be signed

by Mraz.

Mraz’s other Taylors include

a 612ce, 714ce, 414ce-R,

314ce-LTD, 612ce, NS52ce

and NS72ce.

Note: The prototype pictured

has the Fishman pickup

formerly installed on our

NS72ce. The ES-N features

our standard ES controls on

the upper bout.

Speaking of surprises, I have to

bring up “I’m Yours” because it’s

been on the charts forever. It’s a

song that you wrote five years ago,

and it was almost a cast-off song

and then got out and through the

underground became this huge hit.

Were you surprised by it?

Yeah, totally surprised by it. I was

just kinda churning on some chords

in my bedroom while I was making

my second album, and the song just

came out quickly. I wasn’t even think-

ing of sitting and writing a song, but

it just happened so I recorded it, and

I thought, cool, it’s a happy little hip-

pie song. I knew I’d play it live, but it

wasn’t fully realized for me to go and

put it on the record I was making at

the time. So, I started playing it live,

and I noticed that people were really

responding to it and singing along,

and they started to request it. Having

road-tested it for three years before

we put it on the record, it gave me a

chance to record it with a new energy

compared to how it was when I wrote

it. And I honestly just put it on the

record because I felt like it needed a

home for the audiences that already

knew it. I didn’t really expect it to

grow, and here it is two years since

I recorded it, and it still seems to

be growing in certain parts of the

world. The beauty of the song is that

I wasn’t expecting anything out of it. I

wasn’t thinking of singles or records.

I didn’t relate it to that part of my life.

For me, the song is about my relation-

ship with whatever inspires me. If

you listen to the lyrics, it’s about me

surrendering to that, which gives me

songs. I think for every other listener

it’s a song about generosity; it’s

about giving yourself or your time to

someone or something else. A lot of

people relate to it as a love song, like

a man giving his life to his woman — a

lot of people use it in their wedding

ceremonies. It can be anything to

where you give yourself up. Because

as soon as you give it away, you’re

suddenly free to receive. And I think

a lot of the success had to do with

the right message at the right time.

I think we’re bored of hearing about

climate crisis and economic struggle,

and we’re tired of continuing to sup-

port and hear about war and famine

and the whole darkness that kind of

saturates the news. It’s nice to turn

on the radio and, oh, yeah, there’s

also light and love that’s flourishing in

the world, and I think “I’m Yours” kind

of fed that.

You’re getting ready to record

a new album. In fact, tomorrow

you’re starting. Can you tell us a

little about the material? Is it stuff

that you’ve been playing out and

that you’re now ready to record?

There are only a few songs I’ve

played out so far. I’ve been protective

of everything else because it’s new

for me. It’s a lot more passionate. It’s

still spirited and joyous and positive,

but there’s a certain, I want to say,

anguish, but not from a negative or

heavy side. But there’s a certain pas-

sion. To me it’s music that gets you

by the shirt collar and says, “Listen to

this. Stop and listen.” Because that’s

what’s happened to me. I don’t know

where songs come from. I just like

to pick up a guitar and emote, and

it’s like something has just grabbed

ahold of me and said, “This has got

to be done.” And I’m really moved by

it, but I haven’t yet had an arena to

go on stage and do that yet because

our show has been of a different cali-

ber. So we’re basically starting from

scratch. We start tomorrow, and I’m

really excited to get the basics down.

Also, this is the first album where I’ve

got access to the world’s greatest

arrangers and voices and collabora-

tion partners, and because of the

success of “I’m Yours” on our last

record, everyone has shown up to

say, “How can I help?” So, in a sense,

I’ve got this great opportunity — I’m

one phone call away from anything

and anyone in the world. I’m not

afraid to use all those resources on

this record, as well. I’m thinking big.

My fingers are crossed.

What happens when you “play-

in” a guitar? I have a koa

Dreadnought and didn’t know if it

would play-in with light fingerpick-

ing or if I need 10 years of heavy

strumming for this effect to take

place. Could you accelerate this

effect at the factory by vibrating

the guitars after they are made,

on a vibration machine at differ-

ent harmonics for a continuous

period? I understand if it’s just

another guitar myth, backed up by

perceptions and anecdotes from

musically knowledgeable people,

but I’m curious to see if you have

a more scientific take on this sub-

ject.

Richard Nelson

Butte, MT

Richard, it’s more than a myth that

guitars sound better with age and

with playing. However, people don’t

know why. Not that it couldn’t be

studied, but who’s going to do

that? There are some theories, like

the vibrations from playing break

down the wood, or the age and

seasoning of wood break it down

somewhat. Yes, people have made

“time machines” to vibrate guitars,

and a difference can be perceived,

but not a difference that is as appar-

ent as the natural change in aging.

I can tell you this: When spruce is

relatively new, its grain structure is

like celery. If you pick at one strand

you can pull off a long strip, even

with your hands. We clamp binding

to guitars with masking tape and

have to be very careful not to pull

up the spruce grain when removing

the tape the next day, as you can

pull a strip out, like pulling a hang-

nail gone bad. When a guitar gets

old, this is no longer a problem, as

the grain becomes less stringy. So

toss that into the data bank of things

that make you go, “Hmm.” I have

noticed that guitars change with both

playing and with age. I have a 20th

Anniversary Taylor that sits in a dis-

play case in my house. Today it

sounds way better than when it was

new, with very little playing in its his-

tory. It’s undeniable. Currently it’s

getting played a lot just because it

sounds so good. Your guitar will con-

tinue to age for the better, and your

effort won’t really speed or slow the

process.

I have been gigging [with] a 614

and love it to bits. I am consider-

ing the BTO program. I know I like

the 614 shape and a Florentine

cutaway. I have fallen in love with

Macassar ebony and wondered if

that would work as a top, as well

as back and sides? The visual

is important for me, too. If not

Macassar ebony, then what sort

of similar, visually appealing tone-

wood would you recommend for

the top?

Ben Hicklin

Ben, I wouldn’t recommend an ebony

top. It’s just too heavy, too hard. Top

wood needs to vibrate. I haven’t tried

ovangkol, like the back and sides

on a 400 Series, but it would prob-

ably make a top similar in sound

to koa, which sounds pretty good.

Mahogany makes a good top. The

hot ticket, though, on a Macassar

ebony guitar is sinker redwood with

gray streaking that matches the color

of the ebony. It’s very limited and

comes and goes here at the factory.

You could inquire whether we have

some or not. I own such a guitar,

it sounds great, and it’s amazing

how the looks of these two woods

complement each other!

I am fortunate enough to own a

Taylor 310 imbuia LTD from 2001

and love the look, sound and

especially the smell of imbuia. In

my opinion, it is one of the more

underrated exotic woods out there.

Are there any plans to reintroduce

imbuia to the Taylor line or into

the BTO program in the future?

A custom imbuia Taylor with

the newest voicings would be

wonderful!

Dennis

Greensboro, NC

Dennis, imbuia is a classic example

of a wood species that needs a

much larger audience than the guitar

buyer. There was a time when other

woodworkers used imbuia, although

for what I’m not sure. During that

time we bought some. The method

was to go to a large lumber com-

pany that imports the wood and sort

through it, buying the guitar-grade

stock. A year later we’d return to do

it again, but their inventory would

be the same as the previous year

and already picked through. Without

other people using it, we get no

fresh stock to select from. The other

method is to develop a source

whereby the tree is selected and cut

into guitar wood. But we don’t use

enough to do that. So, we keep our

eyes open and look for good imbuia

at the right price when it comes

along. In 10 years it hasn’t. It could

change tomorrow, but it would be

from some outside influence that

happens on its own. I can tell you

that I’m also a big imbuia fan, but 99

percent of imbuia is not guitar quality.

I was paging through Wood&Steel

[Fall 2009] and saw the 8-string

head. As a mandolin player my

pulse raced, but I quickly saw that

it was for your baritone series.

Still, wouldn’t a mandocello bridge,

saddle and nut be relatively trivial

compared to programming the

headstock?

I’ve taken to the mandolin

as my preferred instrument for

tunes. For singing, however, it’s a

little high pitched, so most often I

use a guitar. I see artists like Tim

O’Brien and Ricky Skaggs use

a mandocello as a vocal rhythm

instrument, and it sounds great.

I think the “Taylor sound” would

be well suited to a mando family

instrument. If, as you say in the

latest Wood&Steel, you’re going to

use the growing flexibility of your

manufacturing process to fill spe-

cialty niches like 8-string baritones

and 9-string guitars, why not add

the mandocello to the list?

George Wilson

San Antonio, TX

I just got Volume 61 of

Wood&Steel

(Fall 2009) and

have fallen in love with the 35th anniversary bari-

tone guitar and the new 8-string baritone. After

reading in the 8-string article the sidebar [about]

the 6-string baritone, I wondered if that option is

simply for a guitar made for baritone purposes, or

if I could experiment and try the 6-string baritone

option on my 310ce. Would I be able to use bari-

tone strings?

Chris Garnett

Chris, I think you’re asking me if you can put bari-

tone strings on your 310ce and tune it down. If so,

I’ll say yes, but it’s not the same guitar because the

baritone has a much longer fret scale. You need a

longer string to get to the low notes. With a stan-

dard guitar scale, when you tune down, the strings

get loose and floppy and don’t really do a great job.

This is why it’s a big deal that we made a baritone:

because it took a real investment to produce the

tooling for an all-new neck. But give it a go; there

are no fret scale police.

10 www.taylorguitars.com

Ask Bob

The art of aging, elusive imbuia, G-string

distress and birthday quilt

Well, George, I’ve got to say that if

an 8-string baritone is obscure, then

making a mandocello would take

that to a new level. Your logic makes

sense until we try to support the

idea with dealers, sales, marketing,

etc. For us, it’s not just a matter

of making anything that could be

made, but also staying in the fam-

ily of guitars, where we know the

instrument and know the customer.

The soonest exception to that might

possibly be a ukulele, but the bass

players would filet me alive if I made

a mandocello before they get their

bass. I hope you understand.

Bob, have you folks ever con-

sidered crafting a travel cover

for your hardshell cases, much

like the ones that Colorado Case

Company makes? I love the

Deluxe Hardshell case that came

with my 814ce, but the vinyl gets

beat to pieces! Like every musi-

cian/singer who travels, I gate

check every time it’s available, but

that means carrying 18 pounds

through many airports. Having

a travel cover would protect the

case itself, possibly offer even a

few more degrees of temperature

protection, and, if you would offer

backpack-like straps, carrying it

as far as I could through airports

would be a lot easier.

Alan Parks

Myrtle Beach, SC

Alan, yes, we’ve made them in the

past, and people didn’t order them.

Like you, I think they’re great. We’ll

keep it in mind. It might become a

TaylorWare product someday.

Bob, I am very interested in pur-

chasing an acoustic guitar and

was wondering what recommen-

dations you might have for some-

one who does a lot of fingerpick-

ing (Chet Atkins style) and a lot

of chord-strumming backup in a

church band. I thought I wanted

a 614ce. Your thoughts would be

greatly appreciated.

Jerry Stanton

Well, Jerry, if you like Chet and

strumming, you’ve already picked

one of the best guitars when you

think of a 614ce. It’s great for both

purposes. A 514ce is also nice, but

it has more breath and high end.

The maple in the 614ce can dig in

more, cuts through the band better,

and will always deliver a solid per-

formance with Chet-style playing.

I recently became the proud

owner of a beautiful 614c. The

dealer (Electro Music Services in

Doncaster, here in the UK) told

me that the guitar was made of

a particularly highly figured piece

of maple, which had been given

to you as a gift for your birthday.

Hence, the guitar gained the nick-

name “birthday quilt.” I would be

very grateful if you could clarify

this story and perhaps tell me

more about this amazing guitar,

and if any more were made of this

beautiful wood. This is my third

Taylor guitar. In more than 30

years of playing, I have yet to find

a better instrument than yours.

Graham Campbell

Graham, that story is on the right

track. Once upon a time, my won-

derful wood supplier, Steve McMinn,

sent me some killer, over-the-top

quilted maple for my birthday. We

coined it “birthday quilt,” and the

name stuck and became a wood

grading word around our shop. It’s

kind of a fun name, you must admit.

So, from then on it was declared

in the Taylor kingdom that any quilt

with such beauty would be referred

to as birthday quilt. Yours is such a

grade, just not the actual wood that

I got for my birthday, which is March

12, in case you want to make a note

of that.

After reading the response to Mr.

Yoburn’s question [“B Keeper”

in “Letters”] in the fall issue of

Wood&Steel regarding the myste-

rious small metal button imbed-

ded in the NT neck paddle (it’s

a magnet used to balance the B

string on the Expression System

pickup), I got to wondering: Do

you add this button to the guitars

you retro-fit with the ES, such as

the one you did on my 855ce?

I’m not about to remove the neck

myself to find out!

Blair Hayes

You bet we do, Blair. But you didn’t

get one because yours is a 12-string

and doesn’t need it. It has to do

with the 12-string pickup’s unique

design and the difference in string

gauges between 6-string guitars and

12-string guitars. I suggest you tell

this to your wife, who will then give

you permission to run right out and

buy a new 6-string so you can get

the magnet!

I live in Japan, so finding the right

guitar can be somewhat of a

challenge. I have finally ordered

and eagerly await delivery of my

new GS6-12, and I can’t tell you

how excited I am! I have done my

homework watching your videos

and have read the technical advice

for maintaining the proper humid-

ity. My problem is that the relative

humidity here is regularly well over

60 percent. I use a dehumidifier,

AC and, in the winter, the heater

to keep my rooms around 50 per-

cent RH. I have hygrometers for

my guitar cases and keep them

acclimatized with the room. While

you go into great detail describing

the effects of low humidity, what

should I watch for in a high humid-

ity environment? Do you have any

other recommendations?

Russ Hagan

Thanks, Russ. I’m happy to talk

about high humidity. Let’s start with

this: As always, my message is that

the safest place for a guitar is in

its case, not displayed in a house.

Now, I realize that I mentioned in a

previous question that I displayed a

guitar in my home. That’s because

I know how. You sound like you’re

doing all the right stuff. I would

suggest getting your hands on the

Planet Waves Humidipak and using

it in your case with the guitar. The

Humidipak not only will humidify

your guitar, but also dehumidify it

based on the humidity level of the

environment. It’s pretty easy to use.

Also, when you remove your guitar

from the case, please close the

case, which will maintain the humid-

ity within the case and not allow it

to absorb excess moisture from the

atmosphere.

To answer your question about

effects of high humidity, here are

some. Your guitar will swell, and its

sound will change, becoming more

“wet” sounding. That’s because

the excess moisture content adds

weight. But it won’t crack, and at

50-60 percent, it won’t swell very

much. In short, I don’t think you have

too much to worry about if you do

what you’re doing now. So, keep the

guitar in the case when it’s not in

use, and pop a Humidipak in with it.

[We also have a pair of relevant

Tech Sheets posted at taylorguitars.

com under Service & Support:

“Symptoms of a Wet Guitar” and

“Preventing the Summertime Blues.”

— Ed.]

I’ve owned a Taylor 615 and an

810 and have enjoyed them both

a great deal. I noticed in the new

Wood&Steel that the ES system

is available to be installed in all

brands for $500.00. Since one of

the elements of the ES is under

the fretboard, does this apply only

to guitars with a bolt-on neck, or

can you accomplish this on a set

neck, as well? For example, my

Martin HD28LSV.

Richard Alan Prow

Richard, for guitars with a set neck

we make a pickup that fits into the

soundhole right at the edge of the

fretboard. The pickup is encased in

a very slim and beautiful machined

ebony housing. It looks good, and

a set neck guitar can enjoy the full

benefit of ES.

I bought a Taylor 114ce about

nine months ago. It was a perfect

fit for me. But I keep encountering

one problem: Sometimes when I

am just jamming out, my G-string

will break right around the nut. I

use Elixir Ultra-Light strings. I am

wondering if it has to do with the

guitar or the strings.

Michael Gibson

...Or the player. Don’t forget the

player, Michael. And please don’t

take offense, because none is

intended. It’s just the player is part

of the package. Now, the core string

on an ultra-light G string is super-

duper small. It’s not strong at all.

So, ultra-light strings just aren’t as

strong as normal strings. They need

to be played, tuned and treated

as such. So, that’s a factor. Also,

if the nut is tight at all, or if it has

developed a cross-hatch wear pat-

tern in it, that could be a problem.

The wraps of a string can wear

into the nut, almost like threads on

a bolt. The string needs to slide

freely when being tuned and played.

Imagine if the string is slightly hung

up, plus it’s small and not very

strong, and maybe you play harder

than it can stand. All that can add

up. I’d suggest, first off, just putting

a little pencil lead in the slot, which

will lube it. Look with a magnifying

glass to see if there are string wrap

impressions in the slot. If so, a luth-

ier might be able to smooth those

out. You might also try a heavier

string just for the G. I hope that’s

enough to help you track it down.

Give us a call anytime!

With the help of YouTube, I

recently was introduced to a

wonderful tuning (Open Db) that

Jackson Browne uses for some of

his acoustic renditions. This has

caused me to want to keep my

6-string Pelican PG-LTD tuned to

Open Db, but I worry about the

impact on the guitar. Two ques-

tions: Need I worry about keeping

my PG-LTD tuned to Open Db for

an extended period of time, and

second, if I were to purchase a

third Taylor (I also own a 12-string

355ce), what might you recom-

mend to work well with this type

of tuning?

Rob Reiman

Rob, this won’t hurt your guitar in

the least. Your truss rod might need

to be loosened with the lesser ten-

sion, but that’s the extent of it. If you

were to buy a new guitar for this, I’d

go for a large body like a Jumbo or a

GS. Any wood will work, but my first

choice would be maple.

Got a

question for

Bob Taylor?

Shoot him an e-mail:

askbob@taylorguitars.com.

If you have a specific

repair or service

concern, please call

our Customer Service

department at

(800) 943-6782,

and we’ll take

care of you.

unique, charitable hobby of sorts

among her repertoire: painting Baby

Taylor guitars and seeking out the

legends of Nashville to have them

sign the back to be raffled off at a

fundraiser concert, usually one in

which she was performing. In planning

to attend PeaceJam that September,

Chapman wanted to take her

fundraising to a new level.

“I decided to see if I could have

some really serious artists design the

guitars,” she says. “My plan was to

take them with me to the event, and

in my dreams I thought, I’ll get the

Nobels to sign them and gift them to

PeaceJam. Never did I really expect to

get all the Nobels to sign!”

Five artists committed to the

project, and with the Babys in hand,

Chapman and PeaceJam volunteers

were able to make her dream a

reality. Although it took a nudge from

Archbishop Desmond Tutu to get

the Dalai Lama’s signature, ultimately

Chapman collected the signatures of

10 Nobel winners, including Máiread

Corrigan-Maguire, Shirin Ebadi, Adolfo

Perez Esquival, José Ramos-Horta,

Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Oscar Arias

Sanchez, Betty Williams and Jody

Williams, on each guitar.

The five guitars were auctioned

off in mid-December on eBay to raise

money for the PeaceJam Foundation.

At press time, the opening bid on each

was at $2,999.99, and Chapman

hopes they will inspire their lucky

owners.

“Music and peace have always

gone hand in hand,” she shares.

“Young people have so much energy,

such great ideas, and they hold the

key to peace in the future. We owe

it to them to inspire them to use their

gifts, musical or otherwise, to create

a bridge between cultures and unfold

into their lives with a sense of hope for

the future.”

bethnielsenchapman.com

peacejam.org

Building Wells

Across the Country

L.A.-based singer-songwriter

Tyrone Wells (810, GSRS) was

profiled in a cover story on Pollstar

magazine in November about the

grassroots approach he’s taken to

building his career. The article relates

Wells’ experience of signing up with

a big-time booking agency, only to

languish due to the bigger fish on its

roster. Wells eventually moved on,

booking shows himself, many on the

band like ours to get this opportunity,”

Lippencott explains. “We wanted to

create a video that was a throwback

to the great stories of thievery, like

an Ocean’s Eleven or The Italian

Job. We contacted a local museum,

and they graciously let us use their

space. On the wall there were super

expensive paintings, and the thought

of putting the guitar in a glass case

just seemed like such a cool idea.”

myspace.com/thenresult

youtube.com/thenresult

Taylorspotting

To lead off his interview in the

January issue of Acoustic Guitar

magazine, former Creedence

Clearwater Revival frontman John

Fogerty was featured in a full-spread

photo with his ES-equipped 510,

his main stage acoustic. Fogerty

talks about his 15-year rededication

to improving his playing technique,

including a hybrid flatpick/fingerstyle

approach inspired by Nashville

players, and the making of his recent

solo record, The Blue Ridge Rangers

Rides Again… Champion surfer Rob

Machado and his longtime friend,

surf filmmaker Taylor Steele, recently

collaborated to create The Drifter,

a film that follows Machado as he

ventures through Indonesia in search

of waves and self-awareness. The

film, which was released in November,

blends elements of a solitary, soul-

searching adventure with Machado’s

experiences with local villagers he

meets along the way. Machado had

picked up a Baby Taylor for the trip,

and it gets some camera time in the

film… In November, singer-songwriter

Katy Perry released a DVD of her

MTV Unplugged performance from

July of 2009. Perry played her 814ce

on several songs during the show…

If you like old school R&B and soul,

don’t miss Raphael Saadiq’s

acoustic set from NPR’s Tiny Desk

Series, which you can find archived

on NPR’s website and YouTube.

com. Saadiq and guitar partner

Rob Bacon cover three tunes

from Saadiq’s Grammy-nominated

2008 album, The Way I See It, a

sweet throwback to the days of the

Temptations and late ’60s soul. The

mini-set features Saadiq on a 314ce

and Bacon on an 810ce as they

strip their tunes down to their pure,

unplugged essence. Saadiq’s voice —

and the guitars — sound great.

college circuit, where’s he’s become

enormously popular, and later signing

with a smaller agency that better

understood the types of venues and

crowd draws he could realistically

expect. Managing his touring logistics

and expenses smartly, Wells says, has

allowed him and his band to support

themselves on tour, even when playing

to modest crowds, as they continue to

cultivate their audience base across

the country. Wells has also gained

exposure through song placement on

TV shows like “One Tree Hill,” “The

Vampire Diaries,” “Rescue Me,” and

in promos for “Grey’s Anatomy.” He’s

currently on tour in support of his

second album, Remain.

Tyronewells.com

The N Result:

Gear and Studio Time

Earlier this year, Taylor Guitars and

Elixir Strings®partnered up to give

one lucky band or artist the ultimate

in guitars and strings. Musicians

who had registered with the band-

promoting website Sonicbids.com

were invited to TestDrive 2009, a “fan-

favorite” contest that would award five

select artists with Taylor SolidBody

guitars and Elixir strings and cables.

One overall winner would be awarded

recording time at a marquee studio.

Out of 2,000 entrants, 25 were

voted into the semifinals, and of those

25, five finalists were chosen by the

Taylor Guitars and Elixir Strings artist

relations teams. The top five included

power rockers The Better World,

singer-songwriter Matt Duke, genre-

crossing band The N Result, modern

pop act Kenotia, and energetic

rockers Facing Forward. In the

end, it was the New Brunswick, New

Jersey-based band The N Result

that took the top prize. The band has

amassed a strong following both on

campus at Rutgers University (where

most of the band are students) and

along the East Coast.

“We are so excited to record,”

exclaimed Ross Lippencott, the

band’s lead vocalist and guitarist,

upon hearing the good news. As

part of the contest, each band had

to make a video showing how they

were using their gear. Lippencott and

his bandmates decided to make a

full-scale, heist-themed music video

featuring their song “Break it Down”

off their debut album, Lines.

“We wanted to portray how we

felt about having premium products

and what it means to an emerging

A Heroic Effort

Ever since we heard about the

lineup of guests on Doyle Dykes’

new DVD, Live Sessions: People...

Places...and Pickin’ — which includes

Phil Keaggy, Duane Eddy, Tommy

Emmanuel and Steve Wariner —

we’ve been champing at the bit to get

a taste of what Doyle and friends had

cooked up. Alas, our press deadline

kept us from a reviewing it this issue,

but by the time you’re reading this, it

should be available. Doyle says the

project initially was going to be a

follow-up to his Bridging the Gap CD,

featuring him playing live but without

an audience, in various settings. But

according to Doyle, the death of

legendary guitar innovator Les Paul

changed the concept.

“After I got word that our old

friend had died, I felt part of me was

gone,” Doyle explains. “Then one day

I realized that there are so many great

musicians who I admire, and the fact

is there are still heroes out there. So,

I called some of my own personal

‘heroic’ friends and family. Suddenly

this project escalated into a whole

different realm. It was like heaven and

earth kissed and I got caught up in the

middle of the ‘smack’!”

Among the recording locations

were the studios of Ricky Skaggs and

Steve Wariner, along with Doyle’s

own living room. Other guests

included Dave Pomeroy, Jimmy

Capps and John Gardner, plus

Doyle’s son Caleb, daughter Haley

and brother Aubrey. In addition to

the performances, there’s plenty of

bonus footage, including an interview

between Doyle and Bob Taylor at the

Taylor factory, along with interviews

from his Bridging the Gap sessions.

Look for a full review next issue. You

can order the DVD at doyledykes.com.

Western Wins

Congratulations to the 2009

Western Music Association Male

Performer of the Year Bill Barwick

and Female Performer of the Year

Juni Fisher. Barwick, a longtime 410

player, is a multiple award-winning

cowboy performer and a regular at

events like the Walnut Valley Festival

in Winfield, Kansas and the Colorado

Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Barwick

was presented with a brand new

DN8 at the WMA awards event in

November, and dropped us a thank-

you note shortly afterward, following

his regular gig at the Buckhorn

Exchange in Denver, to say the guitar

came out of its case “player ready”

and that it works perfectly.

Fisher, a multiple WMA winner in

recent years, took home a GS5 and

also e-mailed us a gracious thank-you,

following up a couple of weeks later

after some quality time with her new

guitar. A longtime Larrivee player,

Fisher said that Taylors had never

resonated through her the right way.

But when she sat down with the GS5,

her reaction was different.

“Oh, my goodness, the

responsiveness, the clarity of tone, the

sustain: all there,” she said via e-mail. “I

especially like the rich bass tones. This

beauty will go into the studio with me

for my next album (along with a couple

of Larrivees) to go on some tracks… I

am most delighted with this GS5.”

Other Taylor-playing WMA award

winners this year included Dave

Stamey (Entertainer of the Year);

the Sons of the San Joaquin

(Traditional Duo/Group); and Jim

“Curly” Musgrave (Instrumentalist

of the Year). On a sad note, we

learned at our press deadline that

Musgrave had succumbed to a brain

tumor on December 13. Our deepest

condolences go out to his family.

A Nobel Cause

In September of 2006, on the

10th anniversary of the founding

of the non-profit organization

PeaceJam, 10 Nobel Peace Prize

Laureates and thousands of kids from

around the world came together in

Denver, Colorado to celebrate the

organization’s commitment to foster

a new generation of young leaders

committed to positive change in

themselves, their communities and

the world. Among the attendees was

Taylor fan and singer/songwriter Beth

Nielsen Chapman, who has penned

numerous hits for a wide selection

of artists, including Faith Hill and her

Grammy-nominated song, “This Kiss.”

While known for her poignant lyrical

compositions, Chapman counts a

12 www.taylorguitars.com

Soundings

Clockwise from top left: PeaceJam’s painted Baby Taylors

and their Nobel Laureate signers; The N Result; Tyrone Wells

on stage during a sold-out show at the House of Blues in

Anaheim, California (photo by Max Roper); (L-R) WMA

winners Juni Fisher and Bill Barwick with their new Taylors

(photo by Lori Faith Merritt); Katy Perry performs on MTV

Unplugged (photo by Frank Micelotta)

A Conversation

with Bob Taylor

2010

Vision

Bob talks about the

company’s creative

philosophy, the 2010

guitar line, and Taylor’s

commitment to customers

was a great year

for creativity,” reflects Bob Taylor

from his office on a late November

afternoon, assessing a year that

other manufacturers might be less

keen to dwell upon. Despite 2009’s

economic slump, Taylor fared well

relative to the MI industry as a

whole, buoyed by product develop-

ment efforts that led to a bounty of

exciting new guitar offerings. The

year saw the successful debut of

the semi-hollowbody T3, the formal

launch of a fully loaded Build to

Order program, and an expansion

of the SolidBody electric line to

include an optional tremolo, new

colors, and “plug and play” loaded

pickguards. The Nylon Series wel-

comed the NS24, new artist signa-

ture models were born, and several

series of limited editions, including

spring and fall LTDs, culminated

with Taylor’s bold and inspiring 35th

anniversary collection. That creative

surge delivered a parlor guitar, a

baritone, a 9-string, and, in another

breakthrough moment, an 8-string

baritone.

In plenty of ways, the year was

hardly business as usual, but as Bob

points out, every year — whether an

up or a down year — brings a unique

set of challenges. And within those

challenges lie unique opportunities

for creative companies.

“When you’re growing, you tend

not to focus on small-selling items,”

Bob says. “You focus on the big

tickets. You might spend your tool-

ing or design money on making the

factory efficient so you can produce

and sell more of your top-selling

models. If you’re not growing, you

might think, we need to get where

we need to be one guitar at a time,

which means that 35 9-strings might

be welcome, where another year we

wouldn’t have time for that.”

While creativity has never been

lacking around the Taylor complex,

the key, Bob says, is to apply it to

the right projects. “In 2009, we

were willing to look at guitars we

wouldn’t necessarily sell in high

volume. But out of that comes some

pretty cool stuff.”

Having built Taylor into a suc-

cessful company that has become

synonymous with innovation, Bob

shares his thoughts on the underly-

ing Taylor philosophy that continues

to guide the company’s efforts mov-

ing forward through 2010.

A Manufacturing-Driven

Approach

“I think life is about 10 percent

ideas and about 90 percent imple-

mentation,” Bob says. “Once an idea

is out there, you have to figure out

how to make it real. This is where

most people or companies fail, and

this is where we excel as a company.”

What helps Taylor implement

ideas better than other companies,

Bob feels, are vision and passion.

“We are a builder-driven com-

pany, not a sales-driven company,”

he elaborates. “Companies that lack

innovation, I believe, are run by their

sales force. And the sales force really

wants the best-sellers at a lower

price. We’re a company driven by our

love of the guitar. If I say we want

to make something, we start making

it. I can add enough excitement to

a project and release the funds to

do it because we believe that this

thing needs to live and breathe. We

can hear an electric pickup and go,

‘I guess we’re in the electric guitar

business.’ That’s not a sales-driven

decision. It’s like it’s our destiny. We

have to now put a design shoulder

to the task of making a cool guitar so

these pickup ideas can live.”

The same mindset was applied

in 2009, and as a result, three mod-

els — a 6-string baritone, an 8-string

baritone (a spinoff from the 6-string

baritone and a 9-string) and a 12-fret

Grand Concert — inspired enough

excitement that they were added to

the Taylor line for 2010.

“I’ve fallen in love with that 12-fret

GC,” Bob says. “It’s that pure and

wonderful. We’ve got something in

our lineup that affects me that way,

and it all sort of happened because

my building team and I got excited

about them and I was able to pull the

trigger on them. There are excited

builders at other guitar companies,

but often times, nobody in that group

has the authority to pull the trigger.

That’s the difference.”

After last year’s 35th anniversary

embrace of more niche-oriented

guitars like the parlor, 9-string and

baritone, the question on the minds

of Taylor enthusiasts for 2010 might

be, “What’s next?” Not surprisingly,

requests for other specialty instru-

ments that Taylor has never made

before continue to trickle in, like a

mandocello (see “Ask Bob”) and a

tenor guitar.

“Give them an inch and they’ll take

a mile,” Bob laughs. “As far as the

more obscure guitars go, a lot of

what we chose to build this past year

was based on steady requests over a

pretty long time. It would make more

sense for us to develop the bass

next. People are also dying for us to

make ukuleles.”

But he’s not ready to promise

either.

“I think 2010 will be a bit different

than 2009 in that we will find our-

selves needing to make more guitars

from Taylor’s standard line,” Bob says.

“We ended up selling well in the

stores this year, so there will be some

inventory pipeline we’ll want to fill to

keep the right amount of inventory in

stores.”

Bob concedes that the year won’t

pass by without Taylor introducing

something entirely new. In fact, there

are a couple of development proj-

ects in the works that Bob and his

team are very excited about, but it’s

too early to make an announcement.

However, the company was plan-

ning to bring some prototypes to the

NAMM show in January, so it won’t be

long before the word starts to get out.

More Custom Capability

Alongside the standard Taylor line,

an emerging theme that delivers even

more possibilities in 2010 is model

customization. In 2009, the ability to

order a custom guitar through Taylor’s

Build to Order (BTO) program quickly

caught on with dealers and custom-

ers. Hundreds of BTO guitars were

ordered last year, and now that the

program is well-established and more

dealers are hip to the ordering pro-

cess, the program is poised for more

growth in 2010.

“We could potentially become the

world’s largest custom guitar com-

pany,” Bob says. “People are getting

used to the idea that these guitars

are available, that it’s not so exclusive

“It

“We are a builder-driven company,

not a sales-driven company. Compa-

nies that lack innovation, I believe,

are run by their sales force.”

or difficult to order one, and that you

don’t have to wait forever to get one.”

Taylor’s BTO program expands

its menu options for 2010, including

the ability to order a custom 9-string,

12-fret or baritone acoustic, as well

as an optional armrest or backstrap.

The T5 can be custom-ordered with

binding of maple, koa, or ebony. (See

our BTO spread on pages 48-49.)

Meanwhile, greater customization

is a driving force behind this year’s

expanded line of SolidBody electrics.

Customers will have more color

choices for the Classic, and numer-

ous pickup configurations will be

offered for the Classic, Standard and

Custom. The Standard and Custom

are also available with a pickguard

this year, and a new Vintage Alnico

(VA) humbucker also joins the mix.

(See our SolidBody coverage on

pages 38-43.)

Raising the Bar on

Customer Support

As passionate as Taylor is about

guitar making, the company is equally

committed to being a full-service

resource that helps people with virtu-

ally every aspect of their relationship

with guitars.

“I think it’s about time a guitar

company gives service like we expect

from other companies that we buy

things from,” Bob says. “If you buy a

Canon camera, you want someone

at Canon to back you up. If you

buy a car, you want service. When

I first started, guitar company ser-

vice meant fixing your guitar under

warranty if something went wrong.

That’s how it was defined until we

started to change it and make it more

‘service’-like — a combination of pre-

sale info, tech support, straight-up

repairs, and referrals to authorized

people in your area who can get you

taken care of really fast. For us, ser-

vice might be answering questions

about care of the guitar. It might be

answering questions about your next

purchase and how that guitar might

be different than your others. It might

be answering questions about the

tone or specific applications.

“People just want to feel like

they can call and get support,” Bob

continues. “So we offer that. We

have six people on the phone, just

answering calls, talking with people

about guitars all day long. That’s big.

I’m sure it helps us sell guitars, but

that’s not really the point. The point is

to treat someone who already bought

a guitar as well as you treat someone

who might buy a guitar. That’s really

what service means to me. Because

in reality, you’ll roll out the red carpet

for someone who’s thinking of buy-

ing. Why not roll out the red carpet

for the person who already bought?

If you can treat the person who

already paid as well as you treat the

person whose money you want, I

think you’re doing a good thing.”

You can read more about our

Customer Service department in our

Guitar Guide on page 52.

new year brings fresh possibilities, and our 2010 guitar

line is no exception. Boasting more guitar choices than ever before,

this year’s lineup of Taylor models celebrates the many flavors of

musical inspiration, some already discovered, others yet to be born

in your hands. Whether you’re a beginner, a virtuoso, or somewhere

in between, our guitars promise a playing experience that brings out

your best.

In our 2010 Guitar Guide, we present an overview of the many

flavors of Taylor tone that are available to you. Like people, each gui-

tar has its own unique personality, and with more than 100 different

standard Taylor models on the menu, our guide is intended to help

you find the right one.

This year we’re pleased to welcome three fresh acoustic voices

to the line as part of our “Specialty” series. Two of them are baritone

models, a 6-string inspired by our 35th anniversary LTD and an

8-string we introduced last issue. Joining them is an amazing new

12-fret rosewood Grand Concert, also inspired by a 35th anniver-

sary model.

As we detail elsewhere in this issue, our Artist Series continues

to grow this year, starting with a new signature nylon-string designed

with popular singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, a longtime Taylor player.

We also debut a new pickup for our nylons, the Expression System-

derived ES-N®.

In our electric division, the big news is the evolution of our

SolidBody series to offer a much greater ability to custom-order a

model. Now you can choose from a variety of options that include

new colors, new pickup configurations, pickguards — now available

for the Standard and Custom — and a tremolo option for any model.

We also have a new pickup, a vintage alnico humbucker. And from

the T5 series comes the new ovangkol-top T5 Classic.

Each year it seems to get a little harder to contain the Taylor line

for very long because we’re constantly working on new designs that

spring to life throughout the year. But we wouldn’t have it any other

way.

As you leaf through the following pages, we hope you get a

sense of one of our underlying goals: to make the guitar-playing

experience more enjoyable. We do it through constant innovation

that redefines what a guitar can be, and we do it through the kind of

customer outreach and support that strives to help you enrich your

life through music.

L-R: Bob Taylor and Jason Mraz at the Taylor factory in December.

THE 2010

GUITAR GUIDE

Specialty acoustics,

custom electrics, and more

expand this year’s Taylor line

Choosing a guitar is a highly

personal, subjective process. This

is both the beauty and the chal-

lenge of finding the right model

— one that inspires you and deliv-

ers the sounds that you’re after.

Each person has different playing

mechanics, we each perceive tone

in a unique way, and our attrac-

tion to a certain look may get in

the way of finding the right sound.

Understanding a few basic ideas

about the factors that contribute

to acoustic and electric guitar tone

will streamline your search and

help you find the most compatible

instrument for your musical needs.

Keep in mind that certain gui-

tars are highly versatile, while

others shine in a more specialized

playing application, so knowing

what you want always helps. If you

aren’t sure, you can always talk to

a Taylor dealer or call Ben Bena-

vente at the Taylor factory (1-888

2TAYLOR) for recommendations.

When Taylor product specialists

talk with customers at Road Shows

about acoustic guitars, they often

start by offering this basic “tone

equation” for reference:

A guitar’s body shape + the

tonal properties of woods +

player technique = guitar tone

In other words, a guitar’s dimen-

sions generate the guitar’s funda-

mental sound, the types of woods

used for the guitar help flavor that

sound, and the way one plays inter-

acts with those tonal attributes. The

idea is to choose a body shape and

combination of woods that respond

well to the way you play. For

example, if you’re a lively strummer

who wants a lot of volume, a small-

bodied guitar may not be right for

you. Or, if you’re a fingerstyle player

who craves a warm sound with rich

overtones, maple probably won’t

cut it. Working out your own per-

sonal tone equation will help you

find some great model options. Grand Auditorium (GA)

The medium-size GA gave the world

an identity-defining Taylor shape

Finding Your Fit

The right pairing of shape and woods will lead you

to a Taylor that sounds great on you

Acoustic Shapes

A guitar’s overall shape defines

how big the soundboard is, and

a bigger shape tends to translate

into more tone because there’s

more surface area vibrating with

the strings. Each Taylor shape fea-

tures a refined design that helps

establish a distinctive sound for

that guitar. Here’s a rundown of

our five standard shapes and their

accompanying sounds.

Grand Auditorium (GA)

The medium-size GA gave the world

an identity-defining Taylor shape

and sound. It was big enough to

compete with the bigger, traditional

dreadnought shape, long established

in the acoustic world, yet the GA

offered more sonic balance instead

of a bass-dominant tone. The slightly

tapered waist helps create an even

blend between the bass, midrange

and treble notes. That tonal balance

comes through for strummers, the

clarity suits fingerstyle playing, and

the overall presence sits well in a

studio mix with other instruments.

The GA is a superb all-purpose gui-

tar shape that rewards players with

versatility and incredible range.

Grand Symphony (GS)

If you crave acoustic horsepower — if

you’re a strummer or picker who likes

to drive a guitar and get full-bodied

tone and robust volume, yet without

compromising balance — the GS

is your shape. It’s Taylor’s boldest,

richest acoustic voice, and, like a

good sports car, blends power with

responsiveness, which means players

can drive the GS hard without sacri-

ficing clarity.

Grand Concert (GC)

Taylor’s smallest body shape features

a slender waist that helps curb the

overtones. As a result, the GC tends

to occupy less sonic space, which

helps it blend well with other instru-

ments both on stage and in a record-

ing mix. Because of its tonal clarity,

the GC is well suited for fingerstyle

and for pickers who play lead lines.

With the availability of the Expression

System®acoustic pickup or studio

microphones, acoustic volume is

not an issue. The GC also features

a shorter 24 7/8-inch scale length,

which, together with the more com-

pact size, offers physical comfort and

playability that may appeal to players

with smaller hands.

Dreadnought (DN)

Bob Taylor chose to honor the large,

traditional guitar shape he inherited

by refining it, taking a potent tone

known for its strong bass response

and adding a balanced midrange

and clear notes to give flatpickers

and strummers the ability to be both

aggressive and articulate across the

tonal spectrum. Strong pickers are

bound to love the blend of power

and fidelity, which adds a new tonal

dimension to roots-flavored music.

Jumbo (JM)

Taylor’s biggest shape delivers a big,

full sound without the bottom-heavy

boominess. The curvy dimensions

present a lot of soundboard real

estate, yet the contoured waist helps

tighten the midrange, keeping the

overtones in check. Jumbos are great

as big, full strummers, especially for

solo artists who want a robust acous-

tic voice without sacrificing balance.

Taylor Jumbos particularly shine as

12-strings, yielding a rich, lush tone

with lots of signature Taylor clarity and

balance.

Woods

The woods used on the top, back

and sides of an acoustic guitar inter-

act with the fundamental sound profile

established by the shape, adding

distinctive tonal “flavors.” A wood’s

stiffness and density, for example, will

influence its tonal frequencies, mean-

ing that different species of woods

will yield different degrees of bass,

midrange, treble and overall sustain

relative to each other.

The description of each series in

our acoustic/electric line on the fol-

lowing pages includes a note on the

distinguishing properties of the tone-

woods used on the back and sides of

the guitar. These are just generaliza-

tions for reference; keep in mind that

each set of wood is unique, which of

course adds to the fun of sampling

guitars.

When it comes to soundboards,

Sitka spruce is far and away the tone-

wood used most often for guitar tops.

It’s strong yet flexible, which produces

a clear acoustic tone. Here is a brief

rundown of soundboard properties

among the woods we commonly use

for guitar tops:

Sitka Spruce — Used on the majority

of Taylor acoustics, it yields a broad

dynamic range and accommodates a

versatile range of playing styles.

Western Red Cedar — Cedar’s softer

density adds an element of warmth to

a guitar’s tone, especially for players

with a softer touch, like fingerstylists

or moderate strummers and pickers.

More aggressive players are better

matched with spruce, as they might

run out of headroom with cedar.

Adirondack Spruce — Compared to

Sitka, it has more dynamic range and

can be driven hard for greater volume

without losing clarity. Some players

also perceive an additional sweetness

in the midrange tones. Its availability

is limited.

Engelmann Spruce — Compared to

Sitka, Engelmann often has a hint of

additional richness that sounds like

an aged or played-in guitar. Its avail-

ability is also limited.

Hardwood Tops — Woods like koa

and walnut that are used on the back

and sides of a guitar are sometimes

used as tops, as well. Their stiffness

translates into a bright tone initially,

but the more the guitar is played, the

more full-bodied the tone becomes.

To read more about acoustic shapes

and woods, visit taylorguitars.com

under “Features.”

Player Technique

It’s fair to say that a guitar’s tone

is largely in the hands of the player,

so it helps if you understand what

kind of a player you are and what

you’re going for when you play. Your

playing style (strumming, flatpicking,

fingerstyle), your attack (how hard or

soft you hit the strings), string type

and gauge, the way you fret — essen-

tially the sum total of everything you

physically do to the guitar — is a big

part of the equation. For more on the

tone-shaping variables of the player

and how they can be matched up

with the right tones or woods, go to

taylorguitars.com/guitars/features/

woods/tone.

Electric Tone

When it comes to electric guitars,

pickups are another key part of the

tone equation. In the electric portion

of the Guitar Guide, you’ll find more

details on Taylor’s proprietary electric

pickups, their tonal personalities, and

the different pickup configurations

that are available.

In terms of body styles, certain

distinctions are reflected in the differ-

ent body designs of the T5, T3 and

SolidBody. The T5 is a fully hollow-

body design, which helps yield more

natural acoustic tones that contribute

to the T5’s incredible sonic range.

The T3 is a semi-hollowbody with a

solid center block that runs down the

length of the center. The SolidBody

is, as the name suggests, the most

solid, although the Standard and

Custom feature special tone cham-

bers, partly for weight relief but also

to optimize the body’s natural acous-

tic “bloom.” This enhances sustain,

which is otherwise hard to create on

an electric when everything is locked

down.

Bob’s Guitar Tips

People often have questions as they consider the many guitar

choices available to them. Bob Taylor answered a few common

questions and offered some personal advice on finding the right

guitar.

What qualities set a Taylor acoustic guitar apart from other

guitar brands?

A Taylor has a unique tone, known for its clarity and balance. This

tone-print not only sounds fantastic when played on its own, but

works very well when played with other instruments or when

recorded. Equally important and widely recognized are the superb

playability and intonation of a Taylor. Currently our NT®neck design

is the ultimate in straight, precise, adjustable guitar necks. It allows

total control over action and intonation. This adjustability allows the

original factory setup to be perfect, and allows easy, quick, afford-

able adjustments for the life of the guitar after the purchase. It’s the

best neck/body attachment in the industry today.

How will I know when I find the right guitar?

Sometimes this is easy, and sometimes this is hard. First, try not

to second-guess a feeling when you know you’ve found the right

guitar. All too often a person laments the guitar that got away, so

when one inspires you in a way that you know is right, act on it.

Now, if that doesn’t come to you, and you’re shopping for a guitar

among many options, try to define what the guitar is meant to do

for you. Is it a one-time purchase to solve all your guitar needs for

life, or is it a guitar to fit a particular musical style or desire? Most

people have multiple guitars because they have multiple needs

and play many styles. For instance, a small-bodied guitar might be

perfect for fingerstyle, but you might want a larger guitar for strum-

ming. This is where people get confused. It’s so much easier if you

try not to make each guitar solve every musical problem, especially

if you’re a person who already knows you need more than one

guitar. However, even with these challenges, you will eventually like

one particular guitar more than the others, and when that happens,

go for it!

How will an acoustic guitar’s sound change over time?

It will develop more clarity, more depth and more volume. In short,

it will just sound better and better. It’s one of the amazing treats

of buying a guitar. Whereas your clothes, car, computer, TV and

furniture wear out with age, your guitar wears in with age. Sure,

it gets worn cosmetically, but the tone just improves. It’s most

noticeable when you play your 10- or 15-year-old guitar against a

brand new one of the same style. I often smile when I read forums

where people proclaim that Taylor made better guitars in the early

’90s than now because their old guitar sounds better. They’ll claim

it has some quality they can’t describe. I can describe it very eas-

ily: It’s called “age.”

What are the most important things to remember about

caring for a guitar?

Caring for a guitar is easy if you consider heat and humidity. Low

humidity ravages a good guitar. Also, heat, as in leaving your guitar

in the trunk of your car while you shop or eat at a restaurant on

a summer day, will wreak havoc on your guitar. But in our experi-

ence, it’s the long, slow lack of humidity that does more damage

to a guitar than anything else. Store you guitar in its case rather

than displaying it in the living room or music room, unless you are

controlling the humidity in those rooms. Use a soundhole humidi-

fier to restore lost humidity to the wood in your guitar. Sharp fret

ends or low, buzzy action are signs of a guitar drying excessively.

Other than humidity control, in my opinion a guitar doesn’t need

too much other care. Just play it, wipe it down, polish it once in a

while, and change the strings to keep the tone sounding good.

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