Wood Steel Spring 2012

7/22/2019 Wood Steel Spring 2012

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I N S I D E T H E W O R L D O F T A Y L O R G U I T A R S / V O L U M E 7 1 S P R I N G 2 0 1 2

SpringLimiteds

Koa 300s / Cocobolo 800sPremium GS Minis

Baritone 416ce

Builders Reserve

Rare European MapleArt Deco Guitar + Amp

Latin Guitar Grooves

David Mayfield


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12 Builders Reserve V: Euro Meets Deco Our latest small-batch guitar/amp release pairs European maple with European spruce and embraces a vintage Art Deco aesthetic.

14 Latin Guitar Grooves Wayne Johnson explains how to weave independent thumb and finger picking patterns together to create Latin rhythms with percussive effects.

16 The NAMM Show We showcased a colorful lineup of guitars and artists at one of our industrys

top trade shows.

22 Guitar Spotlight: The Nylons Weve put a modern twist on the classical guitar with the help of our slim, easy-

playing necks. Choose from 16 models and an array of appointment packages.

28 What Are You Working On? A look at humidity control within the factory, repairing a crack in a sunburst top, and laminating and bending Baby Taylor sides.

Volume 71Spring 2012

3

Find us on Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/taylorguitars

2 Letters

4 Kurts Corner

5 BobSpeak

5 Editors Note

10 Ask Bob

24 Soundings

27 Taylor Notes

30 Events

31 Calendar

32 TaylorWare

Departments

18 The 2012 Spring Limiteds Our seasonal serenade revives the

senses with exotic koa and cocobolo,an ovangkol baritone, and a trio ofpremium-wood GS Minis.

On the Cover

Features

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Cover photo: (L-R) Cocobolo 814ce-LTD, GS Mini Maple

6 David Mayfields Americana Parade The generously bearded newgrasser reflects on

his bluegrass past, humor-laced performances,and recording his Taylors with vintage gear.

Going Deutsche Two days ago I received Wood&Steel,Vol. 70 [Winter 2012], and it is written inGerman. This really surprised me. Gen-erally, I dont need a German version,and Im sure most of us here dont. Butit shows your relation with one of yourmost important markets. And the deci-sion to go that way is absolutely correct.Congratulations. Reading it will give mehours of relaxation.

Frank Kern(XX-RS, XX-MC, DCSM)

Guitar Sustain I just finished reading the latest issueof Wood&Steeland want to thank Bob,Kurt and everyone at Taylor for activelypursuing business practices that sup-port the environment and promote envi-ronmental sustainability. When Im play-ing my Taylor guitars it is nice to knowthat I not only have a great-soundingand great-playing guitar, but that I am

also supporting a company with a con-science. I applaud Taylor for setting anexample and taking the lead in this area.

Fred Leonard

Slow Ride Thank you for the great articleSlowly But Surely [Winter 2012]. Ialways wanted to learn to play the guitarbut knew I was musically challenged,intimidated and worried about failure.My wife finally bought me a guitar andthen a lesson. While my progress hasbeen slow, the article was very inspiring.We all learn at a different pace, and ifyou keep playing, progress will come.

Pat

Chance Encounter I have been an electric guitar playerall my life, dabbling in acoustic guitarsevery now and then. I was at a local

guitar store and chanced upon yourGS Mini. I was so taken by the beauti-ful sound and resonance that I couldnot put it down. I purchased one soonafterwards and play it all the time. I canhonestly say my acoustic chops haveincreased greatly due to the playabilityof the guitar, along with that wonderfultone. I also installed the ES-Go pickup,which sounds terrific. I had alwaysrespected the reputation of the Taylorname but now am a proud part of theTaylor family. Many thanks for this won-derful guitar.

Michael Cefola

Scarsdale, NY

Close Friends I am Michel from Holland, a singer-songwriter ever since I started playingin 1973. I have played many guitars, but4-1/2 years ago, I fell in love with theTaylor 315ce. I was looking for a newguitar after losing my sister in Novem-ber of 2006, my mother in Februaryof 2007, and her friend that March. Itmade me understand that you have tolive your dreams when youve got thechance, because tomorrow everythingcan change. So I went to a big storein Amersfoort, where they had about800 guitars in stock and many differ-ent brands. Once I started playing theTaylor I was lost, and there was no wayback. The 315ce became my closestfriend. He talks to me, listens to myheart, and helps me to express my sad-ness and joy. Since then Ive writtenmany new songs with it. It was the best

choice I could ever make. Playing itconvinced other friends to buy a Taylor,too. Thank you for building such beauti-ful guitars. My Taylor will keep me com-pany on my search through life.

Michel Risseeuw

Sprang-Capelle, Holland

Full Service I recently bought a Taylor T5 [Clas-sic] with the ovangkol [top] and all-nat-ural finish, and besides being the bestguitar I have ever played, your serviceand customer care are absolutelysecond to none! When my battery com-partment door failed a short time afterpurchase, I had my guitar whisked awayto [repair technician] Al Clegg fromWaterloo, Ontario. He not only repairedthe problem under warranty, but alsolowered the action a little and restrungit. It was back in my hands before mynext gig. Now I am thrilled to be receiv-

ing Wood&Steelfor my reading plea-sure. This company truly cares aboutme and my guitar, and for that I am trulygrateful. The only question on my mindnow is, which Taylor to buy next!

Fionn Closs

P.S. If this letter makes it into Wood&Steeland my wife is reading, please buy methe suede Taylor guitar strap.

Smooth Operation I would like to thank your team forthe great service and instrument quality.I called your PR office and asked if theycould locate a Blue Edgeburst T5-C1within 100 miles of my house. Theyimmediately followed up with the storesin my area that had acquired this guitar.

I called Accent Music in Wilmington,Delaware, who did not have any, butthey came back with, We can haveone for you in a week. They then calledTaylor and secured the exact guitarand model year I wanted. Everythingwent smoothly until I opened the case.Wow! I almost lost it. This is not onlya beautiful work of art, but a smooth-playing, great-sounding guitar. I amhighly impressed. I have been playingfor 10-plus years and own over 15 gui-tars, some very high-end. I would liketo thank Bob, all the craftsmen, and therest of your team for making my newyear start off very well.

Philip Oneschuk

Mixed Feelings When I retired, I vowed to do whatId never done throughout my life: settledown and really learn to play guitar. Atthat time I had an acoustic dreadnoughtand a 12-string. I made pleasing pro-gress until Ouch! I sliced my left

palm when woodworking. Blood eve-rywhere. My local hospital delayed toolong before microsurgery; as a result,my left hand index finger has virtually nofeeling, and my middle finger has seri-ously impaired feeling. If finger memo-ry exists and I now definitely believethat it does it was as if those fingersno longer knew where to go when Iwas playing unless I watched themclosely and controlled every movement.Guitar sizes became an issue, and Ilost motivation. Several years after the accident, Iencountered the GS Mini. The com-bination of size, shape, shorter scale,sound and comfortable feel trans-formed my musical life and banishedmy hitherto lost sense of motivation. Ienjoyed playing again! Maybe not per-fectly, but definitely enjoyably. My fingers have never regained theirsense of feeling. If anything, things haveworsened, but the GS Mini has allowed

me to develop my own rather uncon-ventional left hand technique, whichworks just right for me. I wont ever beas good as Id hoped to be, but I loveplaying the Mini. So, thanks to Bob andthe entire Taylor team. Heres one UKretiree who salutes you with gratitude.

Alan Sturgess

Gargrave, North Yorkshire, UK

Downsizing Last year I finally purchased what Ithought would be the guitar of guitars.It was a 2010 416ce [walnut/spruce]Spring Limited. As expected, I wasnot disappointed with its full but clearsound. Shortly after the purchase, I real-ized there was a problem. I had beenexperiencing some pain issues in my

right shoulder and found that the biggersize of the GS did not feel comfortable.I subconsciously began to avoid playingit and instead would pick up the T5 orthe Baby Taylor. I recently realized why,and thought a slightly smaller guitarmight do the trick. I visited my localTaylor dealer, and lo and behold, theyhad a 412ce-LTD in stock. It took onlyfive minutes to realize I had found theperfect acoustic guitar for me. Afternegotiating a trade on my 416ce, Ibrought her home and I am playing andsmiling more than ever. Just about allthe reviews on guitars are about thesound or the bling. But you dont readmuch about the fit how it feels whenyou have it in your arms. I found that tobe very important. I am so thankful thatyou make several great shapes in eachwood combination. This 412ce-LTD hassuch beautiful sound in the highs, midsand the lows. For a fingerpicker whodoesnt wander from the designatedmusic room in the house and plays forpure self-enjoyment, there couldnt be

a better size/wood combination. Myshoulder loves it too. Thank you!Gary Livesey

Knoxville, TN

Life With Guinnevere In 1983, after playing guitar for afew years, I went shopping for a goodguitar. I went to the local guitar store,expecting to try Martins, Gibsons anda few other brands, but there in therack were three Taylor guitars, a brandI had never heard of. They were a 515,a 615 and a 555. Of all the guitarsin my budget range, the 615 was theone I fell in love with. The appearanceand craftsmanship were outstanding; Icouldnt believe a guitar that size couldbe so light and vibrant. Twenty-eightyears later, other guitars have comeand gone, but I still have Guinnevere.She is my lifetime guitar, the one I willnever sell.

A few months ago, I took her intomy local Taylor dealer for some repairwork. I was pleasantly surprised, as Ihad actually forgotten about the lifetimewarranty, which covered everythingexcept a re-fretting. In addition, thetechnician registered the guitar for me,which I apparently neglected to do in1983! Then, this afternoon, I found myfirst issue of Wood&Steelin my mail-box another unexpected pleasure. Inow feel like a long-lost cousin who hasbeen welcomed back into the family!

I am now saving up for another Tay-lor to complement Guinnevere. Thanksto the great info in Wood&Steel, I amthinking either a 512ce or a mahogany12-Fret. Then again, Im also lusting foran all-mahogany GS Mini. Maybe Illget that while Im saving for the Grand

Concert.Thank you for building wonderful

guitars and for your great service.Dave Morse

Energy Boost I wanted to share with you the posi-tive experience I had in a chance meet-up with [Taylor district sales manager]Eric Sakimoto here in Longmont [Colo-rado]. This past Christmas I purchaseda little Taylor Swift Baby Taylor for my8-year-old daughter. My goal was to gether excited about playing music andexpose her to positive energy. We hadjust finished up a guitar lesson whenwe were approached by Eric. He hadspotted her Taylor guitar and askedhow she liked it. She was surprisedand excited that anyone took noticeof her guitar! He showed her a supernice Taylor and asked her if shed liketo hold it, which she did and was justthrilled. Thanks to Eric and Taylor Swift,you now have a lifelong customer! We

met with her girlfriends after that, andall she talked about was the guitar andhow cool it was. Shes always playingher guitar now, and soon she will beplaying for friends and at school. I guar-antee you other parents are going tobe looking into Taylor guitars! Anyway, Iwas appreciative of Erics professional-ism and passion for getting kids excitedabout music.

Cory Dudley

Wed like tohear from you

Send your e-mails to:[email protected]

Letters

2 www.taylorguitars.com


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Read this and other back issues of Wood&Steelat taylorguitars.com

Online

5

Sounds of the Season Out here in San Diego, our consistently pleasant climate occasionallytakes a jab from transplants who pine for the more dramatic seasonalchanges theyve experienced in other regions of the country. As a nativeof the East Coast myself, I understand, although, more often than not, thequibbles I hear mostly stem from missing the bold-colored scenery of fall.Winter, not so much.

Though we might not experience quite the same dynamic shifts fromMother Nature here each quarter, people who spend time here come toappreciate the incredible diversity of our regional microclimates theocean, inland valleys, mountains and desert which present us with avariety of year-round outdoor options. We actually have an abundance ofseasonal changes; theyre just different. Wildflowers bloom in the desert

each spring. Gray whales migrate along our coastline each winter. Surfswells and ocean temperatures change throughout the year. Its not so different here at Taylor. Like the weather, theres a level ofyear-round consistency to our guitar production, thanks in part to peoplelike our internal climate control guru Jim Setran, whose role we explorein this issues installment of What Are You Working On? Yet we alsohave our own seasonal product developments that bring new guitars tothe world: the debut of our new guitar line each winter; spring and falllimited editions; Builders Reserve specials; and usually something funeach summer, too.

I was reminded of the benefits of working for a Southern Californiaguitar company as we planned an outdoor photo shoot for this issuesspring limiteds and realized wed be able to shoot outside in warm, blue-sky conditions, in mid-February. It was the perfect kind of day for sittingin the sun and strumming one of our beautiful new GS Minis. Whereveryou live, I hope the weather has invited you to get outside and play.

Jim Kirlin

Editors Note

Youve likely heard of the NAMMShow before, and in this issue youllread about our presence at this yearswinter show. NAMM stands for theNational Association of Music Mer-chants and is the U.S.-based tradeorganization representing the musicalinstrument industry. NAMM is bestknown for the huge trade show it pro-duces each January in Anaheim and itssummer show each July in Nashville. Theshows provide an exhibition for thoseworking in the industry, such as musicstore owners and employees, along withthe press, as opposed to a public show

thats open to anyone. In terms of itsscope, it is one of the largest musicalinstrument trade shows in the world,rivaled in size by only the Musikmesseheld each spring in Frankfurt, Germany.

The NAMM Show is an excitingevent to attend, with virtually every musi-cal instrument manufacturer or distribu-tor present displaying their newest prod-ucts. The exhibit halls are full of creative,optimistic people who feel passionateabout the things theyve invented or pro-duced, and are anxious to tell the worldabout them. There are non-stop musicalperformances on stages throughout theconvention center, in exhibitors displaybooths, in performance rooms such asTaylors huge room, in nearby concertvenues, and in the hotel lobbies untilwell after midnight. Many of our musicalheroes can be seen performing live, andwe have the opportunity to see them upclose and speak with them afterwards. NAMM does a fabulous job produc-

ing these shows, but thats far from allthat NAMM does. NAMM is a non-profitorganization, endowed with a missionto expose more people to the benefitsof playing music, create more musicmakers, and grow the industry. I had theopportunity to learn more about all thatNAMM does, as I just finished a three-year term on the organizations Board ofDirectors. It was an honor to serve onthe Board, and it was an enriching expe-rience for me. NAMM works in many ways to growour industry and help create more musicmakers. It provides grants to many

organizations that teach people to playan instrument or expose people to thebenefits of playing music, such as LittleKids Rock (www.littlekidsrock.org), Mr.Hollands Opus Foundation (www.mho-pus.org), or Music Monday (www.music-monday.ca). The work these organiza-tions do, and the events they produce,all serve to create more music makersand generate more positive news storiesabout the benefits of playing music.

NAMM also provides a voice inWashington to those of us who are inthe business of making and selling musi-cal instruments. Lawmakers need tounderstand the impact of the decisionsthey make and the legislation they pass,and they wouldnt know their impact onmusic stores and musical instrumentmanufacturers if NAMM wasnt theretelling our story and representing ourinterests. To help facilitate this, NAMMorganizes an annual Advocacy Fly-InEvent, sending members to Washington

NAMMs Music-Making Mission

Kurts Corner

Contributors

Jonathan Forstot / David Hosler / Wayne Johnson / David Kaye / Kurt ListugShawn Persinger / Shane Roeschlein / Bob Taylor / Glen Wolff / Chalise Zolezzi

Technical AdvisorsEd 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

2012TaylorGuitars. TAYLOR,TAYLOR(Stylized);TAYLORGUITARS,TAYLORQUALITYG UITARSandDesign;BABY TAYLOR; BIGBABY;PegheadDesign; BridgeDesign;PickguardDesign;100SERIES;200SERIES;300 SERIES; 400SERIES;500 SERIES;600 SERIES; 700SERIES;800 SERIES;900 SERIES; PRESENTATION SERIES; GALLERY; QUALITY TAYLORGUITARS,GUITARS ANDCASESandDesign;WOOD&STEEL;ROBERTTAYLOR (Stylized);TAYLOR EXPRESSIONSYSTEM;EXPRESSION SYSTEM;TAYLORWARE;TAYLORG UITARSK4; K4,TAYLORK4; TAYLOR ES;DOYLEDYKESSIGNATUREMODEL;DYNAMICBODYSENSOR;T5;T5 (Stylized);BALANCEDBREAKOUT;R.TAYLOR;RTAYLOR(Stylized);AMERICAN DREAM;TAYLORSOLIDBODY; T3;GRAND SYMPHONY;WAVECOMPENSATED;GS;GSMINI;ES-GO;V-CABLE;andGA areregisteredtrademarksofthecom-pany. DOYLEDELUXE;GA MINI;YOURTONE. AMPLIFIED;andFIND YOURFIT;NYLONSERIES;KOASERIES;WALNUTSERIES;GRANDAUDITORIUM;GRAND CONCERT;SIGNATUREMODEL;

GSSERIES;LIBERTYTREE;LEOKOTTKESIGNATUREMODEL;DANCRARYSIGNATUREMODEL;DYNAMICSTRING SENSORare trademarksofthe company. Patentspending. Pricesand specificationssubjectto changewithoutnotice.

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

Courier Graphics / CEREUS - Phoenix

Volume 71Spring 2012

4 www.taylorguitars.com

2012 Taylor Factory Tours & Vacation Dates A free, guided tour of the Taylor Guitars factory is given every Monday

through Friday at 1 p.m. (excluding holidays). No advance reservations arenecessary. Simply check-in at the reception desk in our Visitor Center, located

in the lobby of our main building, bef ore 1 p.m. We ask that large groups (morethan 10) call us in advance at (619) 258-1207.

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

walking. 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,

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

We look forward to seeing you!

Holiday Closures

Monday, May 28(Memorial Day)

Monday-Friday, July 2-6(Independence Day/Company Vacation)

Monday, September 3(Labor Day)

BobSpeakA Glimpse Ahead Matt Guzetta and I were once theentire tooling department at Taylor Gui-tars. Or should I say, I was, and thenMatt joined me. But Matt had been anindustrial next-door neighbor for years,with his own shop, making motorcycleaccessories, and we shared ideas evenbefore he joined Taylor. Soon after Mattjoined us, the workload began to pile up,so we decided we needed help. We were in the middle of some proj-ects that seemed like theyd never becompleted, so Matt called his machinistfriend, Pete. Pete was running a home-based machine shop and was pretty

busy, but Matt wooed him, saying thatTaylor Guitars was a fun and stableplace to work. He told Pete about proj-ects we were behind on and how weneeded his help.

As Pete considered, he had onequestion: What am I supposed to dowhen we finish this machine you wantme to build? We told Pete not to worry,that we had lots of work for the future,even though we couldnt tell him what itwas yet, because we didnt know.

Pete retired from Taylor a year orso ago at over 70 years of age, and heliterally had to break away from the workhe was doing. It turned out that therewas sufficient work for him, even thoughwhen he left, the department had about20 people working alongside him. I thinkMatt might be hitting the happy trail ofretirement at the end of this year, butwe all will believe it, and mourn, whenwe see it! Theres plenty of work for himas well.

Which is why Im amazed at timesthat I ever bother wondering what thenext thing of interest will be at Taylor,and when it might present itself as amajor project. The world keeps unfold-ing before our very eyes, even in themidst of record production and sales,alongside a fulfilling array of newdesigns, projects and inventions. Can Igive you just a little glimpse? I know allyou bass players are sitting up straightright now, hoping for news about anew bass, but alas, Ill talk about gui-tars. Sorry, guys. David Hosler is at it again. Hes

reinventing guitar pickups. Its true,and this is something new altogether,and really quite remarkable. You know,ideas come when they come, andthis one came to him probably in thenight. Now were pouring considerableresources into the idea, and well havesomething to show before long.

Now remember, these are glimpses,not announcements. My service repswill probably clobber me because youllall start calling and asking when thenew pickup is coming out, but we dontknow, we honestly dont know; we stillhave to finish inventing it. I just thoughtId share how we keep finding newthings here that are worthy to develop.

Andy Powers, who I believe to bethe most talented guitar maker Ive evermet, walked into my office the otherday with a new prototype guitar thatis an all-new body shape, and also anall-new sound. As Ive explained, Andyis a fantastic player. I mean a really

accomplished player, one who knowsthe difference between good and greatguitars. He designed this guitar tosoundwell, how can I say it, perfect?It has perfectly even notes in volume,from the open strings to the 20th fret.They all work together, without beatingeach other up. The tone is clear, loud,harmonious and sweet. Its musical.And what blows my mind is that Andypre-destined it to be like that, takinghis theories and then fashioning theminto a guitar that performed like hehoped. Yeah, hes a better guitar makerthan me. I dont do too badly, but Im

happy to have him on my side.Were deep into a guitar casedesign project. Cases and bags arealways a big challenge as we try tokeep the cost reasonable enough tonot eat up any profit we might try tomake from our guitar operation andyet still deliver a nice case. Look at anaverage hardshell case sometime andask yourself how that can be madeand sold for the $100 price tag thatson it. The dollar constraints we haveon the product make it very difficultto get the job done, so weve put ourbest minds on it, and together wereexploring new ground. I believe we willhave something to be proud of within acouple years.

Were trickling out a limited numberof ukuleles and guitar amps now aswell just enough to put somethingnice into the market and test thewaters. We want to branch out andmake nice musical instruments, so

with these were starting very slow andlearning our craft and the market at thesame time.

This issue is filled with all the coolstuff were doing right now. Guitarsyou can buy now, our latest work, ourbest efforts. Yet it seems that evenwhile people are signing their creditcard receipt as they purchase a newTaylor guitar, they often ask me whatis next for us. I often shrug and say,

Well do something of value, I prom-ise. I just dont know exactly what thenext thing is.

So today I thought Id give you alla glimpse of some of the things wereworking on for the uncharted future. Oras Matt always says, We dont work,we just come in and play! And sinceIm on the subject of Matt, and mightnot get the chance again, Ill share myfavorite Matt-ism with you all. This isfor when we try, and fail. Matt likes tosay, Well, we might be slow, but wedo bad work! Thats the kind of funwe poke at ourselves that keeps it realaround here.

Bob Taylor, President

to meet face-to-face with Congressionalofficials and urge their support for musiceducation.

NAMM has filmed scores of videotestimonials with musicians, celebri-ties, athletes and politicians who haveone thing in common: they love to playmusic. The video spots all feature theperson sharing why they play music andwhat benefits they derive from playingan instrument. You may have seen afew of these on TV, such as the spot byRobert Downey, Jr. You can check theseout at www.wannaplaymusic.com.

Have you ever wanted to hear oneof the founding members of the Doors

talk about how the band was formed?Or how BB King came to buy his firstamplifier? Or how Gary Hurst developedthe Tone Bender? Do yourself a favorand visit the Oral History section ofNAMMs website, in the Library section(www.namm.org/library/oral-history).There youll find more than 1,000 oralhistory interviews with the talented musi-cians, inventors and entrepreneurs ofthis great industry. I know youll have alot of fun. The executives and staff of NAMMdo a terrific job, some of it quite appar-ent to the eye, such as the highly-successful NAMM Show, and much of itbehind the scenes yet equally important.I encourage you to take a moment tovisit NAMMs website and learn moreabout the important role the organizationplays in keeping music alive and in theforefront in our culture.

Kurt Listug, CEO


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After seeing David Mayfields rollicking set

7

in the Taylor room at the NAM M Show,one impression lingered above the oth-ers: This guy is fully committed to hiscraft. Though the set was shorter thana normal gig, and the audience atypicalcompared to a public show, Mayfield, aself-confessed ham since he was a kid,didnt hold back, embellishing his well-honed Americana tunes with playful,Vaudeville-meets-Hee Hawhumor andshowmanship. By the end of the set,the entire room had become an exten-sion of the stage, with Mayfield reveal-ing a fondness for on-stage tumbling,a knack for flatpicking solos while lyingon the floor surrounded by the crowd,

and an eagerness to test the weightlimits of our TaylorWare counter in theback of the room. But what makes Mayfields stageantics ultimately work is the substanceof the music behind it strong, heart-felt songwriting and musicianship. Animble flatpicker with a sweet, high-lonesome tenor, Mayfield is somethingof an Americana alchemist, adept attapping the different strains of tradi-tional roots music and stirring them intoa rich melting pot. His songs are likeheirloom recipes he has inherited andpreserved, and yet made his own. Fromvintage rock & roll to lovelorn bluegrassballads, his tunes have elicited wavesof critical raves, and some of his big-gest fans are acclaimed Americanapeer-friends like Mumford & Sons andthe Avett Brothers.

Bluegrass is in Mayfields bones.His parents each played in bluegrassbands prior to meeting and eventuallyformed a band together. As a pre-teengrowing up in Kent, Ohio, Mayfield got

in on the family act, as did his youngersister Jessica Lea. The road becamehome after his folks sold their houseand bought a 1956 Flex touring bus,which they lived in for three years asthey traveled between festivals and per-formed together. The experience taughtMayfield the ropes both as a musicianand entertainer. The family later settledin Nashville for a time before ultimatelyreturning to Ohio, but Mayfield migratedback to Music Row to ply his craft. Hescored a gig as a touring guitarist withcountry artist Andy Griggs, and alsoplayed bass with his singer-songwritersister. It was through her that he metScott and Seth Avett (the Avett Broth-ers), who became good friends andencouraged Mayfields own musicalpursuits. Mayfield joined the acclaimednewgrass band Cadillac Sky in 2009and contributed substantially to their2010 album Letters in the Deep, pro-duced by fellow Ohioan Dan Auerbach

of the Black Keys. When the bandmembers amicably parted ways, May-field recorded an album as the DavidMayfield Parade, with parade servingas an apt description for the fluid castof musical contributors, including theAvetts and his sister, who have helpedbring his music to life. We caught up with Mayfield in earlyFebruary, a few weeks after the NAMMShow. He had just finished recordinghis sophomore DMP record at a pairof historic studios in Nashville and wasgearing up for the first leg of a tour thatwill cover about 200 dates in 2012. Hetalked about how his Taylors a pair of

DN3s and a DN8 prototype fit into therecording sessions, reflected on whathe learned as part of an itinerant familyband, explained the benefits of workingwith a shifting ensemble of musicians,and offered his thoughts on the cur-rent mainstream embrace of Americanamusic.

How did the recording sessions go?

Great. We got the whole record donewith the exception of a few overdubsand maybe some guest spots thatwell do after this tour. We were in twostudios. One was RCA B, which is thehistoric studio where all the Roy Orbisonhits were recorded, and where Elvisrecorded a bunch of songs, and DollyParton and Jim Reeves. We did threedays there and then three more daysat Quonset Hut, another famous studiowhere Crazy was recorded by PatsyCline. It was really neat to not only bein those spaces with all that history butto use that same equipment. I sang intothe same microphone that a lot of those

hits were recorded on. It was pretty coolto be in there and to have vintage micro-phones and all this warm analog gear,and then a brand new Taylor.

That vintage vibe just suits your

music so much. For some people,

the studio experience can feel ster-

ile, but in this case I would think

it would be a compatible environ-

ment. Did you feel comfortable?Yeah. I think before we got into thestudio the anticipation was killing mebecause it is such a special space somuch greatness has been capturedthere that I didnt want to do it anyinjustice. But once you get in there, youunderstand why so much great musicwas recorded there. Its just a reallygreat environment to work in, in the wayits laid out. Everyones in a big room [atQuonset Hut] and can see each other,and you dont need to wear headphonesto be isolated; you just treat it more like

FitR O O T S R E V I V A L I S T

D A V I D M A Y F I E L D T A L K S

A B O U T H I S B L U E G R A S S

PAST , TH E ART OF

S H O W M A N S H I P , A N D

TH E WAY H I S TAY LOR

D R E A D N O U G H T S S U I T

H I S V I N T A G E S O U N D

THE WOOD&STEEL INTERVIEW

Retro

continued next page

getting a great sound as a whole, asopposed to all the separate little isolatedsounds in more modern studios. So,once we got in there and the first couplesongs were recorded, we knew it wouldbe easy.

Why did you record in the two dif-

ferent studios?

At first we had talked about doing itall at RCA B and found out later that itprobably wasnt the best room for thereally loud, rocking stuff because of thelayout. It would be tons of bleed ontoeverything because youre so close inthis room. So thats when Mike Janas,

who engineered the record, recom-mended that we go over to QuonsetHut, which was kind of RCAs archenemy back in the late 50s when theywere each others biggest competition.That room was set up so we could getthose sounds easier. We did the softer,more acoustic sounds at RCA B and thelouder, rowdier ones at Quonset Hut.

Did you record with the band you

had out at the NAMM Show?I used them and I used a few othermusicians as well, and some peoplewho may be touring with me in thefuture. It kind of feels like a parade ofmusicians, which was kind of what wewere going for not making it somekind of star-studded roster, or a giant listof different people on every song, buttheres a core and then lots of differentflavors added.

I wanted to ask you about that

because as Ive listened to your

music and read about your career,

youve had a lot of interplay withdifferent artists and ensembles. Do

you see it as a natural part of the

Americana scene?I just like to play with as many differ-ent people as possible. Im constantlylearning from people and getting dif-ferent ears on my tunes because, likea lot of songwriters, I tend to go to thesame places a lot of the time becausethats where Im comfortable. So thenyou bring someone else in, and theymay have radical ideas about my ideas,and then that takes things to a differ-ent place. If you just play with the samepeople, then you can end up in thesame places as well. So, its alwaysnice to bring new people in and stretchyour comfort level. Also, I just think thistype of music, Americana or folk-rock orwhatever you want to call it, has alwaysbeen very collaborative.

By Jim Kirlin

Photo by Josh Joplin


5/19

9

How does the material on this

record compare to your previous

record?

I definitely feel like its a more maturerecord than the last one. On the lastone, some of my songs were really old,and I feel like that record jumps genresa lot like, this is my country song,and this is my AM radio song and itdances around because I had all thesedifferent songs that I had been workingon and none of them had really founda home, and thats kind of where I wasprompted to do a record. Now that Ivehad a year of really solid touring andgrowth, this next record feels a lot morefocused and more aware of a wholevision, as opposed to just a bunch ofsongs thrown together.

I will say in tribute to that first

record that although there was

a lot of diversity, as a listener it

felt really cohesive, and there was

enough variation that it felt like a

journey. I dont know how much

you worked on the sequencing of

the songs.Yeah, I pained over the sequence for alittle while. I worked on the sequenceof this next record before we ever wentinto the studio. It was telling a story. Itsnot quite a concept album, but thereare songs here and there that are kindof attached to each other in some way.

In the past youve talked about a

couple of your favorite albums,

Simon & GarfunkelsBridge Over

Troubled Waterand Randy New-

mansSail Away, and made the

point that the records that really

stick with you feel like a cohesive

whole.

Yeah, I miss the days of getting arecord and lying on my belly on thefloor with headphones on and just div-ing in and really exploring it. Now evenmore so with Spotify, where you justpull a record up and flip through songsa little bit or hear the single. The art ofthe album is being sort of lost some-where along the way, so I really likecurrent bands that are keeping that up.

Will you be pressing your record

in vinyl?

Yeah, definitely. I would like to put itout on cassette tape, too, just to makemy dad happy because hes got a tapeplayer in his truck.

I wanted to ask you about using

Taylors on the record. One of the

photos from your recording ses-

sions showed you playing what

looked like a tobacco sunburst

DN8.

Yeah thats the prototype we got fromSoundcheck [a staging company thatsupplies music gear, rehearsal spaceand storage]. I dont know a whole lotabout it, other than that it was rose-wood with a spruce top. [Ed. Note: Itsone of several revoiced Dreadnoughtprototypes that Taylor luthier Andy Pow-ers brought to Nashville last summer.]

How did it sound to you?Amazing. Actually I had a very similar[other brand] guitar in the studio thatmy buddy had brought for me to use if Iwanted. I said, I have this prototype, soIll see how it sounds. The other guitarwas rosewood with an Adirondack top,almost a sloped shoulder design. Theydbe in the control room, and Id switchfrom the other guitar and grab the Taylor,

and theyd say, Oh, yeah, that soundsgood. Whatd you do? Its so funnybecause I come from the bluegrassand folk world. Im not supposed toplay a Taylor; Im not even supposedto likea Taylor. So it was cool to havethese guys there in these old studioswho have recorded all these [vintageguitars] and hear them talk about howeasy it is to record that Taylor becauseits so even; its just a balanced sound.They didnt have to try to move themicrophone around to the right place toget rid of things.

From talking to people over the

years, Ive heard of other instances

where artists and engineers have

ghost-recorded with Taylors for

similar reasons. You also had both

of your Taylor DN3s in the studio,

right?

I did.On the one I put the DAddariohigh-strung set Nashville tuning soits an octave up, and we added thaton some tracks. I strung the other onewith a set of flatwounds. So we kind ofhad this whole spectrum of tone thatwe could layer up acoustically. We hadthe rosewood powerhouse [DN8 proto-type], and then we had the high-strungDN3 for sparkle, and the flatwound onefor that kind of dead, thuddy sound. Onone song we used the flatwound Taylorfor almost the whole thing, and then

on the last chorus played the proto-type, and it sounded like someone justkicked some kind of amazing filter onthe guitar and it just opened up.

When you use your Taylors on

stage do you use the ES pickup?

My DN3s came without pickups, andI put other pickups in them, but I usedthe Expression System on the DN8 Iplayed at NAMM and it blew me away.So I plan to get a DN8 as my next roadguitar and use the ES with that.

I wanted to touch on your forma-

tive years and musical develop-

ment. You won some guitar and

mandolin competitions when you

were young. Were you a flatpicker?Yeah. When I was 13 or 14 I wasgoing around to the different festivalsin Ohio and Kentucky and Indiana justtrying to get into that world. I won afew little contests, and some mandolincontests.

You also played in your parents

band as a kid. What was that like?My parents actually met at a bluegrassfestival. They were both in bands, sothey had a band ever since they weretogether, and I think I was about 12when I decided that I should probably

be in the band as well. I kind of talked

them into it. I said, I could play bass,and they said, We dont have a bass.So I said, Well, buy me a bass and Illlearn to play it, and they said, Howabout this: You learn to play bass onthe guitar, and then well buy you abass. So I practiced and practiced,and I learned to play a bunch of theirsongs just on the bass strings of aFender acoustic that my papaw hadbought for me at a pawn shop. Wedsit in the living room and practice,and Id pluck as loud as I could sothey could hear me play those basslines. I think my dad got an incometax [refund] check and took me downto the store and bought me an elec-tric bass. So I joined the band. Andmy younger sister, whos now a verytalented singer-songwriter in her own

right, Jessica Lea Mayfield, she joinedthe band a few years later, and thenmy parents had to let the non-familymembers go, and we became more ofa straight family band. Then my parentsdecided to sell their house and webought an old bus and dropped outof school and just lived in the bus andtraveled the country kind of as thisbizarre gypsy bluegrass family.

What are your memories of that

period? You must have met so

many interesting characters.Yeah, it was so bizarre. We went intohome schooling, and you hear peoplesay that home schooling is great buttheres no social interaction for thekids. I definitely had the social scenecovered, but it was always with peoplewho were 30 or 40 years my seniorand were completely crazy. Wed playat some festival or something, and thenwed have a week before our next runof shows, so some old widower at thefestival would say, Come park your

bus on my farm for the week. So wedbunch of harmonies on my last record,and when I started my own band theyhad me come and open shows forthem.

You also have played with Mum-

ford & Sons. Whats your take on

the rise and mainstream popularity

of these Americana bands?

This kind of music has always beengoing on; its just now starting to bemore readily accepted I think in partbecause you really cant go much fur-ther in the world of digital pop music.I dont know where innovation is goingto be unless its just the computerwriting the songs and singing them.But I think people are like, OK, afterLady Gaga, where else is there to gobut back to something like Mumford& Sons, which is just four guys withacoustic instruments. They couldplay their show in your living room.They dont need big TV screens and

pyrotechnics. So, I think people are[feeling that] folk and Americana musicare real, and it could be them doing it.Thats what a lot of people loved aboutDylan he was just a guy with anacoustic guitar. That could be me, or Icould be Mumford & Sons. Or even theAvett Brothers. Theyre not virtuososon their instruments. It makes it seemmore attainable. Theres a lot of thatproduced pop stuff that I still enjoylistening to, but it doesnt grab me inthe same way. It might grab me as earcandy or something to dance to, butits not going to really tug at my emo-tions.

For more on David Mayfield, visit

www.thedavidmayfieldparade.com. You

can also watch a NAMM performance

clip from the Taylor room on the

Wood&Steelpage at taylorguitars.com.

go out there and milk some cows, andhed end up teaching me chords on afretless gourd banjo. Living in a bus forthree years, we had all these strangeadventures. But it was great. My familywas so close, and it made us all feellike we were equals, even when I was13 or 14 years old, because the wholefamily was supporting itself. Its not likedad was busting his ass all day and Iwas home playing video games. We allwere going to clubs and county fairs,working as a family, and busking on thestreets of Nashville.

It must have helped you hone your

performance skills. Did you learn

how to be not only a musician but

also an entertainer, or did that

come later?

No, I definitely was a ham back then,and thats one thing I really thank myparents for. They made me aware ofwhat an entertainers role in societycould be. My dad would say its no dif-ferent than a janitor. Its not about us.For a lot of musicians I think its turnedinto this ego thing. I have no problemswith ego because you cant play rock& roll without ego. But I think a lot ofpeople forget that the audience comesand pays their hard-earned money tobe entertained, and thats the wholeidea for the David Mayfield Parade. Itwould be this almost vaudevillian, HeeHaw-inspired show, and when we doour full-on set theres a lot of comedyand a whole scope of unpretentious,unbridled entertainment. And my par-ents really instilled that in me in thoseyears on the road with them.

Do they ever come out to your

shows these days?

Yeah, if we play Cleveland or some-where nearby theyll come. Were tap-

ing a PBS special later in February justoutside of Nashville, and they mightmake the trip down for that. Its us andThe Civil Wars.

Throughout your career, youve

played with some interesting

bands that have become pretty

popular, like the Avett Brothers.

Did you connect with them when

you were playing with your sister?

I did. I was playing bass for her, andwe opened for them for a bunch ofshows and just kind of instantly hit itoff. I think at that time they were onlyselling a hundred tickets here, 200there, so they were growing but hadnthad that big Rick Rubin blowup yet.We just made good friends with them,and I actually played drums with themfor a bunch of shows, including Bon-neroo. Im not even a drummer; I wasjust faking it [laughs]. But they ve beena big help, and they played and sang a

Above: Photoby JoshMarx; Belowleft:Mayfieldinthestudiowitha

prototypeDN8.Note thedoublepickguardonhisDN3 inthebackground.

Photoby Crackerfarm

MayfieldandhisParadeatNAMM


6/19

I saw the sinker redwood/Massacar

ebony guitar on the back of Volume

69 [Fall 2011] of Wood&Steel, and all

I could say was Wow! To my sur-

prise, a few days later my wife com-

mented on how beautiful it was and

suggested that I sell my koa T5 and

my 914ce and get one. It was the

first time shed ever noticed anythingin the magazine, so I thought Id bet-

ter pay attention. My previous Taylor

was a cedar-top 710ce. How would

that redwood GC compare in tone to

the warmth of the 710, or the trans-

parency and clarity of the 914? Also,

please explain what you mean by

sinker redwood.

Bruce Stevenson

Frisco, TX

Bruce, first off, sinker redwood is aterm that all of us luthiers, not justTaylor Guitars, have coined to describethese redwood trees that the rivers upin redwood country cough up once in awhile. The trees sank a hundred yearsago. A storm can dislodge them, andwe make guitars out of them. Its a coolthing. A GC compared to your 710will sound, well, smaller. Just smaller.Brighter and not as good for strum-ming. Overall, Id say that the soundI think of when I hear Macassar andredwood is what I like to call low-fi inthat its clear but in a duller sort of way.Hows that? Clear and dull? Yep, thatswhat I said. It reminds me of some ofthe cool old Gibsons. And note that Isaid reminds me of them, not soundslike them. Compared to the clarity ofthe 914, it wouldnt be as clear. Themain thing is that you need to comparebody size to body size, and then starttalking about the wood differences.

Its been said that spruce tops are

best for strummers, and cedar fits

fingerpickers. I play in a duo, songs

like Crash Into Me by Dave Mat-

thews but also Motrhead, so I do

both. I sometimes strum very hard,

though I like the warm sound of

cedar much better than the clearer

spruce sound. Are there any disad-

vantages regarding the cedar top

when strumming hard? Could a

After years of fighting against your

very sensible humidification advice (I

just couldnt trade the sight of those

beautiful instruments and spur-of-

the-moment picking for ugly piles of

guitars in cases around my playing

area), my Road Show-purchased

K26ce spurred me to give in. For

a couple of years I hid that beauti-

ful koa guitar in its case (yes, with

Humidipaks and everything), but it

broke my heart to do it. This week I

decided to order a glass-front dis-

play case from Acoustic Remedy in

Wisconsin. The AR case has a UV-

glass option, an upgrade I ordered

on the assumption that UV r adiation

cant do any instrument long-term

good, but that led me to wonder

about something. Since Taylor uses

UV to cure its guitar finishes, mightthere be some particular relationship

between sunlight and Taylor guitars

that would make UV protection more

appropriate for them than for tradi-

tional varnish or lacquer finishes?

Don Jonovic

First of all, Don, bravo for buying ahumidified display case. Im glad yourealize that a fine musical instrumentsprimary function is playing music, notbeing on display. Display is great, ifone takes care of the environment,so thanks for setting the example. Toanswer your question, the UV that weexpose the guitar to during finish curingdoesnt imprint any need for the guitarto be protected from UV light in itsfuture. UV light will darken the spruceand lighten the koa, and make theguitars appearance age quicker, as itwould with any other guitar.

I have crowned my Taylor collection

(11 acoustics) with a 710 (cedar top,

built in 1998). This guitar is a beauti-

ful masterpiece and beats everything

I played before. The sound is very

warm, clear and brilliant. The fret-

board is a dream for fingerpicking.

Unfortunately the guitar is without

electronics. I do not want to ruin the

guitar with a pickup installation in

the sides, and soundhole pickups do

not look very nice on the guitar. Is

there any under-saddle system Tay-

lor uses or recommends?

Dr. Udo Steppat

Frankfurt, Germany

Udo, we like both Baggs and Fishmanpickups. They both have systems thatdo not need holes in the guitar, so thatswhere I would start.[Ed. Note: These other brands of after-market pickups can be easily installedby most qualified service technicians.

Its not necessary to send it to our Fac-tory Service Center for installation.]

Two quick questions: 1) According to

your tone guide [a visual chart cre-

ated by Taylor to show the frequency

ranges of different tonewoods], koa

and walnut have a break-in period

[for the low-end frequencies to

emerge]. What is the ballpark break-

in period in hours? 2) True or false:

Applying fretboard oil to condition

the fretboard has an effect on tone,

since hydrating the fretboard would

affect its ability to transmit vibra-

tions.

John Hlasney

Flemington, NJ

John, the break-in period is a crossbetween playing and time. Id have tosay the first change happens withindays and the next change happensyears later. As for your second ques-tion: false. Oiling the fretboard doesntchange the tone of the guitar. Whatevereffect it has on the tone could not beheard by any of us, in my opinion.

In September I purchased an awe-

some custom GC TF [12-Fret]

with AA rosewood, a particularly strik-

ing sinker redwood top, and a Gothic

Vine fretboard inlay. Its truly one of

the most beautiful guitars I have ever

seen. How much lower is the string

tension due to the shorter scale,

and is the top braced more lightly in

consideration of the reduced string

tension? If I wish to go to an alternate

tuning, should I consider tuning up

rather than down?

Mark Kantrowitz

Hillsdale, NJ

Mark, to be clear, lets not confuse a12-fret with a short scale. A 12-fret anda 14-fret have the same string length.The bridge is farther back on the top tocompensate on the 12-fret. That said,all of our GCs have a shorter scalethan our other models, independent ofwhere the neck meets the body, andthat scale is of an inch less than ourother, longer scale. The tension is a bitless, but that tension changes the feeland the tone, so we dont want to tryto compensate for that by changingthe bracing, if you know what I mean.The tops on GCs are lightly bracedbecause of the size of the guitar, morethan because of the length of thestring, but it all marries together any-way. You can tune up or down; theyllboth work. The thing to rememberis that it is what it is, and you like it

because of that. We dont want to tryto make that guitar be a different gui-tar, or it wouldnt be that guitar. Makesense?

I have owned a lot of Taylors through

the years. You guys have always

been innovators. When will you

release an acoustic 12-string with a

neck narrower than 1 7/8, perhaps 1

3/4? Those of us with small hands

need it. Also, would an Engelmann

spruce top on a 12-string GS prove

to be more fragile over a long period

of time?

Jim Nakao

Huntington Beach, CA

Jim, first, the Engelmann. No, its plentystrong. We make a narrower neck onthe T5 12-string, and people seemto dig it. Maybe we could offer it onacoustics someday as a BTO option.Good idea. Well consider it.

I live in Tallahassee, which is in the

very northern part of Florida. The

summers here are long, hot and

humid. My guitar friends tell me I

should never take my Taylor 510

outside in the summer (due to the

effects of the humidity) or even dur-

ing the cold winters. That said, while

reading the latest edition (Volume

70/Winter 2012) of Wood&Steel, I

couldnt help but notice the cover

showing you and Andy Powers

playing the guitars outside. Then

I noticed all through the edition

that the guitars are presented at

picnics, truck tailgates, etc. I love

it! Will my guitar sustain any dam-

age (short- or long-term) from being

played outdoors due to humidity or

cold? I always keep my Taylor in its

case and always inside my home

or office. I would really enjoy taking

it outdoors and letting it be more a

part of my lifestyle.

Paul A. Posey, CPA

Paul, your guitar is granted parole thisvery day! Its whereabouts must bemonitored, and it isnt allowed to carrya handgun or work in a carwash, but itcan go outside accompanied by you aslong as you return it to its rightful rest-ing place at the end of the day. Do itnow, and send us a photo of you play-ing it outside.

I own a 714ce and wondered if

its a good idea to run the [guitar

cable] directly into a mixer and into

the board for recording. The sound

man recently doing the recording

for me was using a mic close to the

soundhole, but I thought it might be

better to plug in directly. He advised

against it, but I thought I would ask

if you or others have experience in

this area.

Tracey McFadden

Well, Tracey, thats a big one. The mostnatural sound will come from using amic. Period. So thats that. But whatif you dont want a perfectly naturalsound? What if you like the sound ofthe pickup? Then plug it in. You knowwhat? Some people love the recordedsound when you do both. And thatgives you lots of tonal control. Itsmusic there are no hard and fast

rules, so you can experiment. But agood mic will always record a soundthat is closest to what you hear withyour ears when you play unamplified.

A few years back I decided to pur-

chase a Taylor nylon-string acoustic

simply for the fact that I could be

more flexible with my fingerpicking.

I wanted a guitar that had a wider 1

7/8-inch or 2-inch nut so I could get

a little more fingerpicking room for

my technique. The nylons nut width

helps me a lot, but I miss the sound

and comfort of steel strings. Do you

offer any steel-string guitars with a

wider nut width? An electric would

be even sweeter.

Eric S.

Eric, we do offer a wide neck optionfor acoustic steel-string guitars throughour BTO program (but sorry, not forelectrics), and that neck width is 1 7/8inches (47.6mm), which would probablymake you a happy guy. Anytime youreready, we have our tools out, sharp-ened and waiting.

I love the photos of your guitars in

the [winter] Guitar Guide issue that

comes out each year, but Ive always

had a question about the armrest

feature on some of the higher-end

guitars. The pictures are usually at

an angle, and I wonder how the body

size and shape are affected by the

addition of the armrest. Is the top

smaller? Is the body larger? If its

all the same, how did you do that!?

A picture of the body from the lower

bout end lying flat, like taking a

picture of the end pin and the bat-

tery compartment would really

help me visualize how that works.

Especially one that compares a

non-armrest guitar with an armrest

one, one above the other. My local

stores (Russos and Guitar Center in

Omaha, NE) have never had Taylors

with armrests when Ive been there,

so I dont know if Ill ever see one in

person!

Michael Wolfe

Michael, it requires some pretty trickywoodworking. The outside of the bodyis the exact same size, and yes, thearmrest does take away a little of thevibrating top. But they still sound great,and most people wouldnt hear thedifference. And remember, like I saidin response to another question, it iswhat it is.

My sweetheart and I have a few Taylor guitars

between us: a Baby, a SolidBody and a 414ce. Im

writing about this last one in particular. We play

together frequently (at home, open mics, bars, jam

sessions) and want to get another acoustic gui-

tar to complement the 414s sound when we playtogether. Can you recommend some Taylor models

that would give us and our audience a pleasing

contrast of sounds?

Dave

Menlo Park, CA

Dave, if you and your sweetheart strum, Id add a

GS to your quiver. But if Sweetheart likes to finger-

pick while you strum, or if you like using capos and

getting high up on the neck, then Id add a GC, as

being little would be a real sweetie-pie together

with the 414. So, strum equals GS, and fingerpick

equals GC.

Got aquestion forBob Taylor?

Shoot him an e-mail:

[email protected]

If you have a specific

repair or service

concern, please call

our Customer Service

department at

(800) 943-6782,

and well take

care of you.

10 www.taylorguitars.com 11

Ask BobSinker redwood, pore-filling pumice, andarmrest impact

spruce-top GS guitar solve those

problems? My shop doesnt have

one. I could only compare an 814 to

a 514 and the 514 won. Should I

take a beautiful 514 and thats it?

Bastian Schwinghammer

Bastian, take the beautiful 514 and go

make music. Every rule can be broken.These are generalities that we talkabout when it comes to tone. One ofthe big contributors to tone is whatwe call bone tone, which is the tonethat you bring to the guitar. Dont worryabout liking a cedar guitar that mostpeople like for fingerpicking. You canplay your Motrhead songs on it. Itsall good.

Bob, have you done any research on

the pore-filling process using pumice

during the French polishing proce-

dure? Would it not be better to have

stone (pumice) up in those pores

on the open-pore woods rather than

gummy, tone-deadening filler? I real-

ize French polishing is not the best

for average or professional use, but

the open-pore woods need to be

filled before finish can be applied.

I have done some research on the

Stradivarius violins. Sandpaper was

not invented yet, so this is what they

used, along with soaking the wood in

various solutions. Is this the secret

to the famous tone? This subject has

always intrigued me. What do you

think?

Rick H

Los Banos, CA

Yes, Rick, it would be better. Bettertone anyway. So, I will agree, and ifwe could do a French polish finishafter that, it would be incredible. Butheres the deal: Someone would haveto pay for that. You might be interestedto know that were working on somehand-applied finishes, very much likethose you describe, which may be anavailable option in the future, and couldbe cool for the person who wantsan extra pop of tone from the guitar.Now, before some readers get crankybecause they think I admitted that weuse gummy, tone-deadening filler in our

guitars, I didnt. The filler is really notthat bad, and those are Ricks words.Im just agreeing that something likepumice and French polish would be theultimate.

I am not a huge fan of standardcutaways on acoustic guitars. How-

ever, I think a Florentine cutaway is

beautiful. I recently looked at a 2010

Fall LTD 816ce with the Florentine

that was amazing. Why doesnt Tay-

lor make more Florentine cutaways

available on standard guitars?

Brad Hennessee

Good question, Brad, and not every-one gets a good question from me!Its like when the waiter says Goodchoice, sir when I order; I feel like Ipassed a test! The answer is really sim-ple and practical. Florentine cutawaysare more detailed and time-consumingto make. Theres just not enough timein the day to make them. It would alsoraise the price of guitars a bit. TheVenetian cutaway is one piece androunded, so its not only integral withthe side, but the binding work is simpleby comparison. Considering how manycutaway guitars we make every day, wejust wouldnt have the capacity to piecetogether Florentine cutaways on allthose guitars.

I was fascinated by your article

about building a classical guitar and

wanted to know what progress has

been made on that project.

Robert Wheeler

Robert, weve made some progressin the area of thinking, which is away of saying that over the last eightmonths we havent touched them. Butweve thought a lot about them. Actu-ally, in the practical world, were in theprocess of making some tooling thatwill allow the development to continue,and were totally committed to the proj-ect, so you will see it come to fruitionbefore too long.

Body depth of a standard maple

Grand Auditorium

A maple Grand Auditorium with

an armrest


7/19

For our latest Builders Reserve guitar/amp pairing,

rare European maple and European spruce receive

the Art Deco treatment, while a neo-vintage cabinet

design echoes the sentiment

ur special celebration of amplified acoustic tone continues this quarter with our Builders Reserve V Series, as we unveil the latest in boutique-level Taylor craftsmanship with an ultra-limited guitar/amp pairing. Each BuildersReserve offering is uniquely inspired by select tonewoods, and for this small-batchrelease, Bob Taylor personally secured a cache of European maple and chose topair it with European spruce tops. European maple is lighter in color and densitythan the more prevalent Big Leaf maple that we typically use. As a result, it pro-duces a slightly more complex tone, adding a splash of extra warmth to the clear,focused tone associated with maple. Similarly, the European spruce yields a distinc-tive sonic profile relative to other spruce species, blending the power and head-room of Adirondack spruce with a touch of cedars warmth. The unique tonewoodcombination is paired with our Grand Auditorium body style, making for a guitar thatwill match well with sophisticated chords and fingerstyle arrangements, strummerswith a firm attack, and any player looking for a fast, clear response. Inspired by the shared European heritage of the woods, Taylor guitar designerAndy Powers revisited an earlier era of guitar-making and conjured an Art Decoaesthetic reminiscent of European design in the 1920s and 30s. Figured Hawaiiankoa provides a dramatic visual counterpoint to the blond hues of maple and spruce,appearing as a back mini wedge, backstrap, armrest and binding. The fretboard andheadstock inlays also feature a contrasting mix of maple and koa, arranged in a geo-metric Art Deco design that blends diamonds, triangles and circles in a symmetricaldescent down the neck. Geometric elements also appear within the alternating koaand maple rings of the rosette. The retro, wood-rich aesthetic carries over to the beautiful hand-built cabinet forour Expression Systemacoustic amplifier. The cabinet is crafted from figured BigLeaf maple and embellished with an Art Deco cloud lift that extends out from eachside. A contrasting speaker baffle of figured koa, adorned with three maple fins,helps transport the amp to another era, evoking the elegant look of a vintage radiocabinet.

The Builders Reserve V guitar and amplifier are sold as a pair, and only 50 setswill be made. For a list of dealers who stock them, along with full specifications andphotos, visit taylorguitars.com.

euro deco

GuitarModel: BR-VShape: Cutaway Grand AuditoriumBack/Sides: European Maple withKoa Mini WedgeTop:European SpruceBackstrap:Hawaiian KoaBinding/Armrest:Hawaiian KoaInlays: Maple and Hawaiian Koa

AmplifierModel/Type : BR-V ES AcousticPower: 40 WattsTechnology : Solid StateSpeaker Size/Type: 8-inch CustomPoly Cone Woofer, 1-inch Textile DomeTweeterSpeaker Arrangement:Bi-AmpCabinet: Big Leaf MapleSpeaker Panel: Hawaiian Koa withMaple Fins

Right:The BR-Vs contrasting wood details include (from top) a figured koa mini

wedge, armrest and binding; koa/maple inlays adorn the headstock and fretboard,

and form the rosette

Below: The maple amp cabinet features a triple cloud lift on the sides, a figured

koa front panel, and contoured maple fins

O


8/19

m excited to share one of my favorite guitar-playing techniques: a Latin rhythm fingerstyle patternwith percussive effects. I first learnedthe coolness of independent righthand thumb and finger playing fromlessons with Mick Goodrick, a jazzguitarist and instructor at BerkleeCollege of Music, back in Bostonmany years ago. Since then, it seemsIve always had gigs that featuredsolo guitar and vocal at some point inthe evening including shows withManhattan Transfer, Rickie Lee Jones,Bette Midler and Natalie Cole so Iveput this to good use. Over the years

Ive developed many different patterns,but they all have a common thread:to simulate all the essential parts of abands rhythm section bass, drums/percussion, and harmony (guitar) played simultaneously. This is a fingerstyle concept, soif you use a pick, you can lose it fornow. Thumb picks are acceptable,but I prefer the sound and feel of thethumbs flesh. Although this style ofcomping seems to be made for nylon-string guitar, you can also apply it tosteel-string and even electric guitar,with each instrument producing aunique sonic flavor. I use this concept

in a variety of situations with all ofmy gigs, on different guitars, and fordifferent musical textures, not just Latingrooves. With some practice, youll beable to do the same. One last note before we begin.There are several details to incorporateinto this lesson (although it is onlytwo measures long). Because thesedetails are very visual, it may be helpfulto watch my companion video tothis lesson now, which youll find attaylorguitars.com (under Lessons &Tips). In fact, you may be able to getmost of the lesson just from the video. OK, time to assume your playing

position! For your fretting hand, weregoing to use a basic Am7 bar chordon the fifth fret. For your picking hand,youll want your thumb on top of thesixth string and fingers 1-4 belowstrings 4-1, in that exact order. Youshould be touching every string exceptthe fifth. Your thumb will eventually playit as it alternates between strings 6and 5.

This playing pattern can take a lot ofrepetition before you feel comfortable.If your fretting hand cramps up alongthe way, feel free to change chordsor even let go of the neck entirelyfor a break, but be sure to keep your

picking hand pattern going. Since thisis more of a physical exercise andyoure actually trying to promote musclememory, you may find it less fatiguing(once you start to get it) to watch TVwhile you practice. When I first movedto Los Angeles and started workingon my right hand thumb and fingerindependence, I would practice theseand other fingerstyle string sequencepatterns while watching a movie everyafternoon, not thinking too much butworking on the patterns to develop thatmuscle memory. It was amazing what Iwas able to accomplish in a week. Ofcourse, when you start to apply your

not change. That said, Id like to note alittle detail regarding your fretting handthats holding down the Am7. As youstart the pattern (on the & of 4), thefirst chord is tied over the bar line tothe downbeat (1), which is why thatdownbeat is not played. You shouldhold down (sustain) the chord throughthis beat (1) until you re-pluck it on the& of 1. This re-pluck is not sustainedas it is followed by a rest. This is whenyou can let up on the chord, or take abreath, as we say when talking aboutphrasing. The following &s are playedthe same way (in groups of two): firstlong, then short, long, short, long, short,etc. And thats the whole chord pattern.

Combining Patterns Now lets try putting our twoseparate patterns (Fig. 1a and 1c)together. This is the part thats likeclimbing on a bike for the first time.Hang in there. Youll get it and it willbe fun! Well get to the third element,the percussive click, in a moment. Inplaying them together were going toslow the process down and look at theactivity for each individual eighth note.Your beginning & of 4 starts with bothparts. Pluck your thumb (bass) andfingers (chord) simultaneously, Am7.On the downbeat (1), re-pluck justyour thumb (bass) on the sixth string(A) while your fingered chord remainsheld down from the initial pluck. Onthe & of 1, while holding down yourbass note, pluck another upbeat withyour fingers (chord). Now lets insertthe percussive click (Fig 1b). On thedownbeat (2), continue to sustain thebass note, but take your fingers thatjust plucked the chord and tap themback into playing position between thestrings to create a percussive sound.Often, a finger or two will make it allthe way to the guitars top as you tap,which is where the clickterm comesfrom. Ill cover these percussive clicksmore in the companion video. So far weve covered four eighthnotes, with three individual patterns

(bass, chord and percussive click)played simultaneously. Rhythmically,youre done! These four eighth notessimply repeat to complete the measure,with one alteration: the bass note(thumb) changes in this second halfof the measure to the E, fifth string,seventh fret (remember the openingexercise, Fig. 1c?). Lets walk throughthis last half measure with the bassnote change. We left off on thedownbeat 2 performing the click. Now this eighth-note pattern startsall over again on the & of 2withthe bass (thumb) and fingers (chord)playing together, but this time our bassnote is the E on the fifth string, seventhfret. On the downbeat (3), you re-pluck

just your thumb (bass) on the fifth stringE while your fingered chord remainsheld down from the previous eighthnote. On the & of 3, while holdingdown your bass note, pluck anotherupbeat with your fingers (chord)and finally, on the downbeat (4), youperform another click. Since we started our measurewith an eighth note pickup on the &of beat 4, we are now back to thebeginning of the pattern, ready to startit all over again for the identical secondmeasure. Down the line when you feelcomfortable with this two-measureAm7 pattern, try substituting anotherchord in the second measure, suchas D9. (The Am7 to D9 pattern is verypopular.) From here, you can startplaying different chord progressionsand entire songs. Youll probably becoming up with your own derivationsof this pattern as well. The only thing

to be aware of when playing differentchords is the string order of bassnotes. Depending on whether the rootof each chord is on the sixth stringor fifth string, your first degree to fifthdegree bass line will either be sixthstring (root/first degree) to fifth string(fifth degree), as in this lesson, or fifthstring (root/first degree) to sixth string(fifth degree). When playing a chordwhose root is on the fifth string, the fifthof that chord is always on the same fret(as the root), sixth string. One final note on percussive clicks:If you grow your fingernails out forpicking, and especially if you use acoating to strengthen them, be awarethat aggressive clicks, where youactually tap the guitar top, can leavevery small dents in the finish. Overtime it can become more visible. Youcan protect the guitar top in that areawith a variety of non-adhesive, cling-on,

removable pickguards. If you need moreinformation, contact Taylors CustomerService department. That wraps up this lesson. As Imentioned earlier, because of thespecific details presented here, mycompanion video will provide a usefulvisual reference. Watching it willhelp you smoothly integrate thesepattern elements. Ill also includeextra tips, including an extendedchord progression using this lessonstechnique, along with several variations.Good luck and make it fun!

You can watch Waynes video

lesson at taylorguitars.com, in our

Blog section under Lessons &

Tips. You can also find him at www.

WayneJohnsonOnline.com

newly learned pattern(s) and makemusic, youll want to turn the TV offand your creative brain back on! Thisprocess will be like learning to ride abike: unnatural at first, but once you getit, youll never forget it. Lets look at Figures 1a-c. Here yousee all three elements (guitar chords,percussive finger clicks, and bassnotes) in a two-measure pattern thatrepeats over and over via notation andtablature. We are going to divide eachmeasure into eighth notes, so wellhave eight beats per measure: fourdownbeats and four upbeats. Noticethat the pattern starts on the & ofbeat 4 going into it. A metronome willbe helpful as you count these eighthnotes in your head or out loud:& [: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & :]

Everything in this lesson is eitheron a downbeat (1, 2, 3 or 4) or on the& beat, an upbeat. Visualizing both ishelpful for proper rhythmic placementwhile playing.

The Bass Pattern

Lets start with just your thumbplaying the bass line (Fig. 1c). Keepingyour fingers in place below strings 4-1,start with your thumb on top of the sixthstring, using mainly the side of yourthumbs flesh. All bass notes are downstrokes. Remember, were holdingdown that Am7 bar chord on the fifthfret with your other hand. Count off onemeasure: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. You start thepattern on the & of 4 and come rightback to play the downbeat (1), holdingit through beat 2. On the & of 2 youplay the E on the fifth string, seventhfret, and then come right back and playitagain on the downbeat (3), holding itthrough beat 4. At this point, it simplystarts over again. The second measureis identical to the first.

Note the rhythmic symmetry foryour bass line. You play four times permeasure on beats 1, & of 2, 3 and& of 4. The first two notes are A, thesecond two notes are E. The notes onbeats 1 and 3 are sustained, and thebeats on the &s are shorter. Im sureyouve heard this common Latin patternbefore. Practice it over and over witha metronome until its ingrained in yoursoul. It will be the backbone for not onlythis pattern, but many derivations. Next,it starts to get interesting!

The Chord Pattern Now were going to add our chordson top of this bass line. Fig. 1a iswhat this looks like. Notice that thispattern also starts on the & of beat4. What is unique about this chordpattern is that it continues being playedon every & of all four beats (everyupbeat). This constant upbeat makesthis pattern totally symmetrical. It does

By Wayne Johnson

Latin Guitar

Grooves

With a little practice, you can weave

separate fingerstyle patterns together

to create your own Latin rhythm

section

15

I

Fig. 1a

Fig. 1b

Fig. 1c


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were more hugs than handshakes. Members of our European salesteam were equally enthused aboutthe year ahead, especially after a yearspent building the infrastructure of ourEuropean headquarters in Amsterdam.They were excited to see the winterissue of Wood&Steelprinted in Span-ish, French and German a move, theysaid, that demonstrates Taylors level ofcommitment to European dealers andcustomers.

On the Taylor Stage As we do each year at NAMM, Tay-lor hosted several artist performancesin the afternoons. On Thursday, theWayne JohnsonTrio, featuring SteveHaason drums and Rufus Philpotonbass, pumped out an adventurous blastof jazz-rock fusion. Wayne confessedit was his first live gig with the newlineup, an impressive feat given thebands nimble interplay and polyrhyth-mic grooves. The sonic shapeshiftingveered from Waynes Latin-flavorednylon fretwork (914ce-N) to electro-industrial space funk. Wayne playedhis red SolidBody Classic on mostsongs and noted it was the first time heplayed a trio gig with single coil pick-ups, which he had swapped out as aloaded pickguard. Later that day, our friends fromSixwire, a bona fide sideman super-group, dialed up a tight, rocking setfilled with soaring vocal harmoniesand well-groomed electric tones. Theband played several catchy new tunesfrom an album-in-progress, alongwith a pair of cover tune medleys thathave become fan favorites: one witha nod toward strong vocal harmonies( la The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, theEagles, the Doobie Brothers, etc.);the other (dubbed The Beast) stitch-ing together some of the best-known

classic guitar riffs in rock history andserving as the ultimate showcase forTaylors SolidBody pickups. FrontmanAndy Childstalked about the bandslongstanding relationship with Taylorand acknowledged our receptivenessto their feedback on our electric modelsover the years. Friday brought a pair of neo-Americana roots acts. San DiegosThe Silent Comedyplayed a rousingset that swelled from dark, hauntingballadry to exuberant, foot-stompingfolk-punk. Steeped in traditional music but notconfined by it, the band mingled tradi-tional instruments like banjo, mandolinand acoustic guitar with electric guitar,adding quirky touches like donkeyjawbone as a percussion instrument.The spirited urgency of the music con-nected with the crowd as they blendedoriginals with covers that included

Tennessee Ernie Fords 16 Tons andTonights the Night by Neil Young. The David Mayfield Parade(seethe W&S interview this issue) keptthe retro vibe going with their uniqueamalgam of old-school roots, drawingfrom bluegrass, early rock & roll, coun-try and folk. Frontman David Mayfieldwas equal parts bandleader, singer andcomedian, reeling in the crowd with hisplaintive tenor, on-stage banter, fero-cious flatpicking, and comical interplaywith listeners which culminated atthe end of the set with him climbing upon our TaylorWare counter in the backof the room in a parody of over-the-topshowmanship. Saturday brought a special appear-ance by rocker and former RunawayLita Ford, who played acoustic ver-sions of her classic hits Kiss Me Dead-ly and Close My Eyes Forever joinedby guitarist/producer Gary Hoey. GooGoo Doll John Rzeznikalso droppedby with guitarist Brad Fernquistandplayed a surprise two-song set featur-ing their hits As I Am and Broadway.In between songs, Rzeznik thankedTaylor for making guitars that he saidhave helped the band carve out theirsound over the years. Other featured performers includedsinger-songwriter Javier Colon, win-ner of the first season of NBCs TheVoice, who opened with a knockoutcover of Adeles Someone Like You,wowing the crowd with his vocalchops. Colon performed a mix of origi-nal tunes from his new record, ComeThrough For You, plus other covers,ending with a soulful rendition of TimeAfter Time, the song he played in hisaudition for The Voice. Closing out the day was Grammy-winning gospel artist Israel Hough-tonwith his band New Breed, whoreprised last years inspired NAMM

performance with another raise-the-rafters set. The 10-piece gospel/R&Bensembles electrifying sound seguedseamlessly from song to song, withHoughton and his band in commandevery step of the way. He thanked Tay-lor for designing a custom T3/T5 hybridwith separate outputs, which he playedthroughout the set. When all was said and done, theTaylor room had once again proven tobe a dynamic microcosm of the greatermusic world. From Bob and Kurt affa-bly chatting with dealers and artists toplayers eagerly gorging on cool guitars,there was no doubt that the show hadhelped re-inspire the musical pursuitsof many. To watch performance clips and seemore photos from the Taylor room atNAMM, visit taylorguitars.com.

Winter NAMMJanuary 19-22, 2012Anaheim, California

Taylors 2012 guitar line came alive in

the hands of our many guests

For four days in January, Taylorsannual home away from home at WinterNAMM was abuzz with music and con-versation as we welcomed old and newfriends and unveiled our 2012 guitarline. A steady stream of guests, includ-ing dealers, artists, industry peers, themedia, vendors and other Taylor-lovingdrop-ins, stopped in for some hangtime, blissfully surrounded by walls ofguitars, including some Build to Orderstunners. One of the most enticingaspects of the room is the ability to playand compare so many different Taylormodels in one setting. That, coupledwith our friendly and helpful staff,always makes the room a favorite desti-nation of many. The show opened on a sweetnote, as our 814ce was named BestAcoustic Guitar by the music tradepublication The Music and SoundRetailer. The awards are voted on by

dealers across the nation, and it wasgratifying to be recognized by so manyof our retail partners. Taylor was alsorecognized elsewhere at the show. Oneof the NAMM U Breakfast Sessionswas hosted by marketing and socialmedia expert and bestselling authorDavid Meerman Scott (The New Rulesof Marketing and PR). Scott spokeabout the importance of engagingcustomers through real-time marketing,and cited Taylor-playing musician DaveCarrolls United Breaks Guitars viralvideo from 2009 as a case study. Scottchronicled Taylors quick response onthe Web, which in turn provided play-ers with helpful information about flyingwith guitars. Among our new offerings, theredesigned Koa Series and vintage-look 700 Series were big winners. Themahogany-top GS Mini also found itsway into lots of hands, while our nylons

were widely embraced as they debutedtheir expanded range of appointmentpackages. On the electric wall, peoplemarveled at the breadth of our electric

line, especially the flexible optionsoffered with the S olidBody. Taylor Prod-uct Specialists Corey Witt and KellyHulme handled electric demos duringthe show and said the swappablepickup/pickguard assemblies especiallyimpressed players. The nearby BuildersReserve wall was never lonely, as visi-tors were eager to check out our firstukulele and acoustic amp. Our domestic and European salesteam spent a lot of time with dealers atthe show, and the meetings set a greattone for the year.

This proved to be one of our mostpositive NAMM shows in recent his-tory, reported Director of Sales MonteMontefusco. Dealers were enthusiasticabout our refreshed model lineup andthanked us for our efforts to keep cus-tomers excited. The majority of dealersattending NAMM grew their businesswith us in 2011. Like last year, there

The Silent Comedy on the Taylor stage at NAMM

Clockwise from top left: Sixwire, Javier Colon, David Mayfield, Israel Houghton and New Breed, Houghton with his custom

T3/T5, (L-R) Goo Goo Dolls Brad Fernquist and John Rzeznik, (L-R) Gary Hoey and Lita Ford

The Wayne Johnson Trio


10/19

SPR I NGPICKIN

n the heels of refreshing the 2012 line, Bob Taylor and his design crew keep the

creative juices flowing with an inspired batch of Spring Limited Editions. For this

years run, ever-popular cocobolo joins the 800 Series, exotic Hawaiian koa pays a rare

visit to the 300 Series, an ovangkol baritone brings a unique voice to the 400 Series,

and the GS Mini adds a triple-shot of fun with three premium laminate models. Look for

the Spring Limiteds at local Taylor dealers. For more photos and full specifications, visit

taylorguitars.com.

Cocobolo 800 SeriesModels: 814ce-LTD, 816ce-LTD

Few woods can match cocobolos assertive visual beauty, expressed through bold, fiery hues

and dramatic variegation. Tonally, cocobolo is known for its volume and a deep low end thats

balanced by an overall brightness, making it a favorite among players. Normally used for our

Presentation Series and Build to Order guitars, this spring weve paired cocobolo with our

premium 800 Series appointments, featuring contrasting curly maple binding and our popular

pearl inlay design.

O

A seasonal selection

of exotic woods, plus

an ovangkol baritone,

highlight this yearsSpring Limiteds

Front and back of a

cocobolo 814ce-LTD.

(Note: Some cocobolo

backs feature

light-colored

sapwood, while

others do not)

GS Mini Limiteds

NI 0 Hawaiian Koa 300 Series


11/19

Models: GS Mini Blackwood,GS Mini Rosewood, GS Mini Maple

The raves keep coming for the mighty GS Mini as it continues to redefine whata small-bodied guitar can be. A big sound, a real Taylor playing experience,and a do-it-yourself add-on pickup option already make it hard to resist, butwe thought wed up the ante with some beautiful wood veneer options, too.Choose from gorgeous maple, blackwood and rosewood laminate for theMinis backs and sides, all with a solid spruce top.

Clockwisefromleft:GSMiniRosewood,MapleandBlackwood

GS

M

IN

KOA

30

BARITONE

Models: 310ce-LTD, 312ce-LTD, 312ce-N-LTD,314ce-LTD, 314ce-N-LTD, 316ce-LTD

Hawaiian koa occupies rare air among tonewoods, and for good reason: Its tone iscrisp and complex, its figure can be variegated and striking, and it is among the moredifficult woods to procure. Though its normally r eserved for the upper end of the Taylorline, our years of buying whole koa logs can sometimes yield sets of wood that have allthe tonal character and charm of premium koa but arent quite as figured as the mostprized sets reserved for the Koa Series. Thats where our 300 Series Koa Limitedscome in, offering a special treat and a great value.

416ce-LTD Baritone

Were excited to bring the Taylor Baritone-6 to the 400 Series in this one-of-a-kindSpring Limited, taking advantage of ovangkols full midrange and bright top end. Thoughslightly less dense than most rosewoods, ovangkol shares much of rosewoods clarityand fidelity. This pairs well with our baritone design, producing a deep, rich voice withrosewood-like richness and clear note definition. The baritones lower B tuning, coupledwith a 27-inch scale length, make it possible to generate tonal depth with normal stringtension, giving players a familiar playing experience. Its a great choice if y ou have a lowervocal range or favor a de-tuned guitar sound.

L-R: 314ce-LTD, 416ce-LTD Baritone

23

G U I T A R S P O T L I G H T


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ob Taylor has built a flourishing guitar-making enterprise by following a deceptively simplepremise: remove the barriers to agood playing experience. He beganwith a fresh take on the steel-stringacoustic, delivering slim, comfortablenecks with the playability of an electricguitar. Years later, our nylon-stringmodels arrived in response to a similarcrossover goal: to rethink the traditionalclassical guitar with the contemporarysteel-string player in mind. Once again,we retooled the neck, splitting the dif-ference between a wide, two-inch clas-sical neck and the standard 1-3/4-inchneck found on most of our steel-strings,opting for a 1-7/8-inch width and ourcomfortably thin profile. We also intro-duced a gentle 20-inch fretboard radius

(a classical fretboard is typically flat,while our st

Wood Steel Spring 2012

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