Taylor Guitars

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications.
Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page.
This article has been tagged since April 2008.
The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia.
Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions.(April 2008)
The introduction of this article is too short.
To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, it should be expanded to summarize the article.
This article has been tagged since April 2008.
The Taylor logo.
The Taylor logo.

Taylor Guitars is an El Cajon California‐based luthier, widely regarded as one of the finest and most prestigious makers of acoustic guitars.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

In 1973, at age 18, Bob Taylor began working at American Dream, a small guitar-making shop owned by Sam Radding, where Kurt Listug was already an employee. In 1974 Sam Radding decided to sell the business. Taylor and Listug became partners along with Steve Schemmer and bought American Dream which they renamed Westland Music Company hoping to conjure the image of a larger company in the minds of the public. Needing a more compact logo suitable for the guitars' headstock, the founders decided to change the name to Taylor as it sounded more American than Listug and because as Kurt Listug put it, "Bob was the real guitar-maker." Listug became the businessman of the partnership for which he was to prove well suited while Taylor concentrated on design and production. Taylor and Listug expanded their small shop into a major guitar manufacturing company while maintaining creative control and ownership. As of 2008 Taylor Guitars has more than 550 employees. The factory is located in El Cajon, California with worldwide distribution. A second plant has been opened 40 miles away in Tecate, Mexico where the smallest guitars of the Taylor line, the Baby and Big Baby, are made along with the Taylor guitar cases. All other Taylor guitars are made in El Cajon, California. Taylor's corporate office is located in El Cajon, California.

[edit] R Taylor

In 2005, Bob Taylor set up a separate company which is dedicated to making a small number of ultra-premium acoustic guitars available via a few select dealers within the US. The R Taylor workshop is located in a separate facility next to the main Taylor factory in El Cajon, which has enabled R. Taylor to draw upon an extensive supply of top grade wood as well as a highly skilled workforce. R. Taylor otherwise remains an entirely independent operation.

[edit] Product Range

In 2007 Taylor restructured its range into six categories:

Left-handed versions are available on all models at no extra charge.

[edit] Acoustic/Electric models

  • Dreadnought (x10)
  • Grand Concert (x12)
  • Grand Auditorium (x14) - Also available in 12-string (x54)
  • Jumbo (x15) - Also available in 12-string (x55)

Each model includes a cutaway and is equipped with the Taylor Expression (pickup) System.

Naming Conventions
The numbers for the body style above combine with the series number to create the product number. For example, a 314ce is a 6-string 300-series guitar with a Grand Auditorium body style, cutaway and electronics (Expression System).

Guitar Series Strings Body Styles Finish Wood (Top) Wood (Back/Sides) Soundhole Rosette Inlays
300-series 6 and 12 All styles Satin with gloss top Sitka spruce African Mahogany Plastic Large pearl dots
400-series 6 and 12 10, 12, 14 Satin with gloss top Sitka spruce Ovangkol Plastic Large pearl dots
500-series 6 only 10, 12, 14 Full gloss Western red cedar/
Sitka or Engelmann spruce		 American mahogany Koa Small pearl dots
600-series 6 and 12 All styles Full gloss Sitka spruce Big leaf maple Abalone Pearl 'leaf' pattern
700-series 6 only 10, 12, 14 Full gloss Western red cedar/
Engelmann spruce		 Indian rosewood Koa Small pearl dots
800-series 6 and 12 All styles Full gloss Sitka spruce Indian rosewood Abalone Pearl 800 series pattern
900-series 6 only 10, 12, 14 Full gloss Sitka spruce Indian rosewood Abalone Pearl 900 series pattern
Nylon series 6 only 12, 14 Varies Varies Varies Mexican cypress None

[edit] Acoustic models

  • Dreadnought (DN)
  • Grand Concert (GC)
  • Grand Auditorium (GA) - Also available in 12-string (GAx-12)
  • Grand Symphony (GS)

Acoustic models do not include a cutaway although the Taylor Expression (pickup) System is an optional extra.

Naming Conventions
The letters for the body style above combine with the series number to create the product number. For example, a GA3 is a 6-string 3-series guitar with a Grand Auditorium body style.

Guitar Series Strings Body Styles Finish Wood (Top) Wood (Back/Sides) Soundhole rosette Inlays
3-series 6 and 12 DN, GC, GA Satin with gloss top Sitka spruce Sapele Plastic Large pearl dots
4-series 6 and 12 DN, GC, GA Satin with gloss top Sitka spruce Ovangkol Plastic Large pearl dots
5-series 6 only All styles Full gloss Western red cedar/
Sitka spruce		 American mahogany Koa Small pearl dots
6-series 6 and 12 GC, GA, GS Full gloss Sitka spruce Big leaf maple Abalone Pearl 'leaf' pattern
7-series 6 only GC, GA, GS Full gloss Western red cedar Indian rosewood Koa Small pearl dots
8-series 6 and 12 All styles Full gloss Sitka spruce Indian rosewood Abalone Pearl 800 series pattern
810/910 6 only DN Full gloss Sitka spruce Indian rosewood Abalone Pearl 800/'Cindy' inlay
LKSM (Leo Kottke Signature Model) 6 and 12 Jumbo Full gloss Sitka spruce American mahogany Wood fibre None

[edit] Electric models

Taylor introduced their first electric guitar in 2005; the T5 (Thinline Fiveway). 'Fiveway' refers to the different tones available via a five-way switch which range from jangling acoustic to raw electric. It is available in five different configurations. In 2008, the Taylor Solidbody line was added containing three distinct models:

Model Strings Pickups Wood (Top) Wood (Back/Sides) Inlays
T5-S
Standard		 6 or 12 1 or 2 Sitka Spruce Sapele Micro dots
T5-S1
Standard		 6 or 12 1 or 2 Maple Sapele Micro dots
T5-C
Custom		 6 or 12 1 or 2 Sitka Spruce Sapele T5 'artist' inlay
T5-C1
Custom		 6 or 12 1 or 2 Maple Sapele T5 'artist' inlay
T5-C2
Custom		 6 or 12 1 or 2 Hawaiian Koa Sapele T5 'artist' inlay
Solidbody
Classic		 6 2 Swamp Ash Swamp Ash Micro dots
Solidbody
Standard		 6 2 Tamo Ash Sapele Micro dots
Solidbody
Custom		 6 2 Walnut, Koa Sapele, Blackwood Diamond Pattern

[edit] Presentation Series

The pinnacle of the Taylor line, the Presentation Series guitar is built using Taylor's oldest and finest master-grade wood including the rare and increasingly expensive Brazilian rosewood, considered by many to be the ultimate tonewood. Available in all body styles and as a 6 or 12-string, each guitar can be tailored to an individual's requirements.

[edit] 100/200 Series

  • Dreadnought (x10)
  • Grand Auditorium (x14)

Taylor's entry-level guitars

Naming Conventions
The numbers for the body style above combine with the series number to create the product number. For example, a 214e is a 200-series guitar with a Grand Auditorium body style and electronics.

Guitar Series Strings Finish Wood (Top) Wood (Back/Sides) Soundhole rosette Inlays
100-series 6 only Varnish Sitka spruce Sapele laminate Wood fibre Pearloid dots
200-series 6 only Satin with gloss top Sitka spruce Indian rosewood laminate Plastic Pearloid dots

[edit] Baby Taylors

Considered to be travel guitars, the Baby Taylor is 3/4 size of a conventional dreadnought guitar with the Big Baby being 15/16 size of a dreadnought.

Model Strings Finish Wood (Top) Wood (Back/Sides) Soundhole rosette Inlays
Baby 6 only Varnish Sitka spruce or American mahogany Sapele laminate Laser-etched Pearloid dots
Big Baby 6 only Varnish Sitka spruce Sapele laminate Laser-etched Pearloid dots

[edit] Construction

Taylor guitars are made with a patented bolt-on neck; the NT neck (new technology). It differs from other necks, whether bolt-on or glued, by supporting the fretboard all the way to the 19th fret with a continuous piece of wood. The standard practice is to support the fretboard up to the fourteenth fret with the unsupported portion being glued to the constantly moving soundboard. The NT neck fits into a pocket on the top of the guitar body with the desired angle being achieved by small, accurately milled neck spacers (shims). After time, some guitars require the neck angle to be realigned (referred to as a neck reset). This process is greatly simplified by allowing the replacement of different sized neck spacers to return the neck to the required angle.

Taylor's proprietary pickup system, the Expression System consists of a patented humbucking induction pickup mounted in the neck and a pair of dynamic soundboard transducers wired to an on board preamplifier designed by Rupert Neve. The first generation system was powered by a pair of AA batteries. Starting in 2007 the electronics use a 9-volt battery.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Taylor Guitars | The Products

[edit] External links

Languages