BTO Bliss - Taylor Guitars

5Editor’s NoteStraight from the SourceLately I’ve been traveling more,working on wood legality issues andhelping to ensure that Taylor Guitars isin good standing when it comes to ourpractices and the practices of thosewho cut our wood. In this issue, youcan read of my recent trip to Hondurasto visit the three communities that cutmahogany for us and to celebrate the10-year anniversary of the firstcommunity, Copen. The article will giveyou the meaty stuff, about the woodand the elegant way it’s extracted, leavingthe forest in good shape.I want to talk about the rain.The first rain came while I was inmy hotel room the first night. This wasa two-story, Travelodge-type hotel, withmultiple buildings and outside accessto each room. I was checked in, waitingto meet for dinner, lying on the bed andlistening to the TV when the nightly rainbegan to fall.Within minutes it was pouring, andyou could hear it outside running offthe roof. Then harder, and even harder,until it was so noisy on the tile roof twostories up that I could no longer hearthe TV. I went outside and watchedin amazement. I’ve seen heavy rainbefore, but not this.The next day it came down likethat again, after we’d driven far into aforested area. While stopped for lunch,we watched from inside a thatchedroofdining room as rain dropped inbuckets. My PVC-coated duffel bag,Sometimes I wish I could take eachand every customer to the sources ofour wood so they could see for themselveswhat people do to get it out.with all my clothes and sleeping gear,was in the exposed truck bed. Thethought never occurred to me to takemy bag out of the back because I thinkof it as being waterproof. Yeah, right!Southern California waterproof. Let’sjust say I had to pour water out of it.By the time a couple more dayshad passed, I was outside on horsebackin the rain, working my way tomore remote communities. By then Iwas like, “Who cares? So I get wet.”And I did, and then I got dry, and thenwet and then dry. I adapted. You wouldhave, too. It made the whole experiencericher. You can see why treesgrow there. The daily rain was epic,BobSpeakand this was the dry season. In the wetseason no work occurs in the forestbecause, even for the locals, it’s justtoo much.Life in these areas is hard and notat all what most of us are used to. It isimpressive how much work is done toget guitar wood from the forest to theworkbench. Sometimes I wish I couldtake each and every customer to thesources of our wood so they could seefor themselves what people do to get itout. Whenever I do that, people alwaysmake comments like, “Gosh, I hadno idea! I will never complain about astreak in my guitar top again!”Sometimes we get so far removedfrom the products we buy: our clothes,our food, our cars, and, yes, our guitars.I can do the same thing when itcomes to raw materials. That’s whyit’s always good for me to go visit theplaces and the people who make thewood possible. I jokingly tell peoplethat “wood doesn’t grow on trees,”meaning it’s not so easy to obtain,and when you go to the source it suredrives that home. I hope the article inthis issue gives you a little glimpse ofthe source for the wood on your guitar,along with the people who toil to makeit available to us.— Bob Taylor, PresidentFriends Far and WideIt’s official: Taylor’s Facebook community has passed the75,000-member mark. The growth of the community has been exciting towatch over the past few years, as people from all walks of life and everynook of the world have brought their unique voices to the conversation.From artist recommendations to homespun performance videos tophotos and personal stories, people love having a place to talk aboutmusic and their guitars, and for those of us who work at Taylor, it’sgratifying to be a part of it all. As I’ve told guests who tour the factory, Ifeel fortunate to arrive at work each day knowing that we’ll be shippingout a fresh batch of guitars that are destined to be instruments of joy,comfort and inspiration to another group of people.The personal accounts that Taylor owners share underscore howprofound an influence music can be in life. We recently posted aquestion to our Facebook friends soliciting anecdotes from those whohave used their Taylors as a tool of music therapy for people with injuriesor other disabilities, and the replies were powerful. People wrote ofplaying for patients with cancer, soldiers suffering with post traumaticstress disorder, autistic and learning-challenged kids, recovering addicts,nursing home residents, and more. What was especially poignant was toread how meaningful these experiences were not just for the listeners butalso for the players themselves. We plan to explore this theme in greaterdetail in future issues.Facebook is just one example of the value we place on personalconnections. This issue, you’ll read about the sourcing relationshipswe’ve forged directly with remote Honduran communities that supplywood we use for our necks. In Taylor Notes we relay a pair of accountsfrom our spring season of Road Shows, including an educational eventwith the general public at the Orlando Science Center and a gathering inJoplin, Missouri only a few weeks after the community was ravaged by atornado. In Soundings we report on a recent get-together with some ofNashville’s leading players to share some new prototypes and elicit theirfeedback. WorldView spotlights our reinvigorated customer outreach inEurope. Our story on Coheed and Cambria highlights our commitment toworking with artists and their sound crews to help them sound their best.And in late July and all of August, we’ll be scattering across the U.S. fora series of “Find Your Fit” special events at dealers (see page 30), wherewe’ll be offering one-on-one consultations with people to answer anyquestions they have about finding the right guitar.All of these connections may start because of a guitar, but that’soften just the beginning of something much more, something that has thepower to resonate deeply with many others. Thank you for sharing yourstories, and please keep them coming. We promise to do the same.OnlineRead this and other back issues of Wood&Steel attaylorguitars.com under “Resources.”— Jim Kirlin

Breakingthe MoldPracticing scales builds muscle memory butcan leave you stuck in a rut. Wayne Johnsonshows you how to break free to become amore expressive player.By Wayne Johnson

Guitar Spotlight: SolidBody StandardCutaway: DoubleColor: Borrego RedPickups: 2 Single Coils/1 Full-size HG HumbuckerBridge: TremoloPickguard: White PearloidTone Profile: A popular, versatile setup that allows youto switch between the sparkle of our silent single coils andthe raw power of a high-gain humbucker.Build yours with the SolidBody Configurator at taylorguitars.com

10 www.taylorguitars.comAsk BobVapor barriers, finger vs. scarf joints, elusiveEngelmann, and guitar smellsleft to use on a regular model. We didfor 20 years, but alas, it’s nearly gone.We did just purchase some very oldEngelmann tops, several thousandin fact, and are using them on BTOguitars, as we have no idea when thenext supply of Engelmann will comeour way.Why isn’t the inside of a guitarsealed? Wouldn’t it help lessenthe effect of humidity changes? Iassume it has to do with sound, butwith modern [developments], it justseems like there should be somethingthat could seal the inside andnot hurt, or maybe even improve,the sound. Has much research beendone on this?Travis TTravis, people ask this question a lotbecause it seems as though it wouldbe the ultimate solution to the problem.But there’s a catch, so I’ll play therole of “Mr. Science” for a moment.It’s true that sealing wood makes abarrier, and when it’s thick, it makesa moisture barrier. But humidity is inthe form of vapor, and the finish ona guitar is not a vapor barrier. Vapor,as you know, is the gaseous form ofwater. Each form has different properties,and one interesting property ofvapor is that it moves right throughthings like paint. As an example, we’veall had a door that is painted yet willswell and stick in the humid months,and shrink and not stick in the drymonths. So, sealing the inside of theguitar is ineffective, not only theoretically,but in real life. I know, becauseI’ve tested it many times in the hopethat science was wrong. It wasn’t. Thefinish on the guitar is a nice water (liquid)barrier, but that’s not what makesthe guitar shrink and swell.I own a 2010 T5 Classic and a 2006614ce, which just came back fromthe factory for an ES upgrade. Whenit came back, I was reminded aboutthe neck/headstock joint questionthat came up when I purchasedmy T5. The T5 (and all newer Taylormodels I’ve looked at) has analmost seamless scarf joint, whereasmy 614 has a finger joint. Whatled to changing from the finger tothe scarf joint? What are some ofthe pros and cons of each design?John WhirledgeGreenville, OHJohn, here’s the simplest explanation.The finger joint was our first joinedpeghead design. It was strong andvery effective. However, some peopledidn’t like the look, so I starting thinking,and eventually I came up withour unique scarf joint. It’s a curvedjoint, so it ends up being very beautifulwhen you can see it. Some woodleaves it invisible, and others show itoff. So, the idea was to design a morebeautiful joint than the very utilitarianfinger joint. They are both strongerthan a solid design.Scarf jointI’m looking at your “modify a model”program to take a GA8 acoustic andsubstitute an Engelmann sprucetop and a bone nut and saddle. I’mreading a lot about Engelmann andlike what I read, but I can’t understandwhy you do not use it on anystraight acoustic models. Am I missingsomething? Do rosewood andEngelmann not pair well on a GA?I’m looking for a really sweet andmellow sound that will go with alight touch as I round the corner on60. Advice?Michael BrinkMichael, it’s a straightforward answer.There’s simply not enough EngelmannAs I search for my next axe (I’mcurrently enjoying the rich, warmtones of a 514ce), I keep comingback to my two unknowns: How doa cutaway and the Expression Systemaffect the tone and sustain of aguitar? I’m not currently playing live,but I do go high up on the neck.Am I sacrificing acoustic tone dueto the extra parts of the ExpressionSystem? Am I getting an alteredsound with the cutaway verses anon-cutaway?AustinChicago, ILAustin, I’ll give you the simple answerand then the complex, “Bob Sez”answer. First the simple answer. No, itdoesn’t affect the tone, and you don’tsacrifice anything by having a cutaway“The differencebetween a cutawayand noncutawayis sosmall it becomesacademic.”and an ES. The more complex answercontains philosophy and some ambiguity,and goes something like this:Even if there was some differencein the sound between the two, andsome people might want to argue that,who’s to say the cutaway is automaticallyworse? To some people it mightbe better, you know? So, each guitaris an individual and has to be taken onits own merits. It’s hard to find a Taylorthat isn’t a cutaway, so we know howour cutaways sound. If I played on thehigh frets, I’d want a cutaway and I’dbe totally confident that the guitar willsound great. I wouldn’t worry abouthow it might be different than a noncutawayversion. The difference is sosmall it becomes academic and notpractical to debate or worry about. So,get your cutaway. And the ES is nonintrusive.It won’t affect the sound inany noticeable way. I hope that helpsyou be confident in your choice.Any plans to make the 12-Fret an option on anybody shape? I think a 12-fret Dreadnought or a GAwould be very cool.DaveYes, I’m sure that’ll happen, Dave. We did make alimited run of GA 12-Frets this spring. They weregreat, but the GC is the one for me!

11We just bought our third Taylor guitar,a GS Mini (414ce, NS72ce). Thesustain is awesome, and the workmanshipis, well, Taylor. I see thatyou install Elixir mediums on the Miniand I was wondering why. Is it simplyto get a bigger sound out of a smallerguitar? My 414ce is equippedwith light strings, and it seems that abigger guitar would handle the tensionof the medium strings better. Oris there no difference in the tension?Dennis DuffyHollywood, FLWell, Dennis, the scale (length of thestrings) of the GS Mini is much shorterthan the full-sized guitars. Therefore,the strings are tuned down loose toget to the right notes. That makes lightgauge strings a little floppy, and mediumsfeel almost like lights. So, mediumis the hot ticket for the Mini.Any chance you will be making theGS Mini with finer-grade tonewood?Ray LangenbergYes, Ray, there’s a chance. Rememberin Dumb and Dumber when Jim Carrey’scharacter asks what the chancesof going out with the girl are, and shesays, “Oh, I’d say one in a million.” Andhe thinks for a second and says, “Yes!There’s a chance!” Well these chancesare better than that. You’ll see GSMinis made in LTDs eventually, fromall solid wood, with binding, etc. It’llhappen.I recently purchased my first newguitar, a Taylor 210. I’m so excited tolearn! The guitar came with a hardbag, as opposed to a hard shellcase. Will controlling the humiditybe more of a challenge with a more“fabric”-type bag?Betsy ErcoliniRenton, WANot at all, Betsy. I recommend Humidipaksto control your humidity. Just putthe guitar away in the hard bag whenyou’re not playing it and keep a coupleHumidipaks in there. It’ll be just fine.I have been taking Hawaiian slackkey guitar for two years and considermyself a beginner. My instructor tellsme if I am serious about music, Ishould get a good guitar. I agree.What I am looking for is a sweetsoundingguitar that will deliver thatOpen G or Dropped C tuning formy Hawaiian music. I noticed thatTaylor makes a koa guitar; wouldthat give me the sweet sound? I livein the Pacific Northwest and wonderif I should purchase a guitar inwhich the woods are adaptable forthis area. Moisture is a big problemhere. Any suggestions from you oryour team would be wonderful.JudyK26ceJudy, all the woods are adaptable toyour area. It’s how we treated the woodwhen we made it and how you treat itwhen you own it that make the difference.With that in mind, you should geta koa guitar. It will respond to slack keyvery well. Get a large guitar like a GS.You’ll sound like a Hawaiian, and it’llbe deep and sweet, like a big stalk ofsugar cane!What’s your favorite guitar — bothTaylor and non-Taylor — and why?Brent SprouseClovis, NMOh gosh, don’t make me, Brent, pleasedon’t make me. I’ve seen too manyguitars to name a favorite. We havecustomers who own dozens of guitars.None of us can say which is the favorite.I just can’t; it would all be madeup if I did. But I will say I love any GSwe make, and a non-cutaway 810,and a rosewood/spruce GC 12-Fret.I love Tom Anderson guitars, and BillCollings guitars, and Lakewood guitars.I recently played an HD-28 that was avery, very nice guitar. And I love guitarsmade by Andy Powers. And Paul ReedSmith, too. And Telecasters. Yep, allthose and more. Oh yes, I love a Larriveeguitar, any of them.I play fingerstyle guitar in standardand open/altered tunings, and I’mconsidering either a BTO GrandConcert or an R. Taylor Style 2. Asmy hands age — just my hands, mindyou — I think a short-scale guitarwould be great. I currently have twofantastic hand-built Grand Concerts,which sound great but are both longscale. I want a guitar that’s veryresponsive to a light touch with a fullbut balanced tone. I like a fat, crisptreble that doesn’t sound thin in themix. Knowing guitars like you do, I’mwondering what wood combinationyou’d recommend on a GC.GordonGordon, have you played mahoganywith a cedar top? If you don’t playsuper hard, it’s one of the best woodcombinations for what you describethat I can think of. Maybe you couldfind a 514ce in a store, just to play that514cewood combo. A GC will be smaller, butstill, the wood tone-print will transfer. Ifyou want an extra deep sound with theGC, then I’d also recommend buildingit with a 12-fret neck. Same amount offrets, mind you, only it joins the body atthe 12th fret rather than the 14th. Andas your hands age while the rest of youstays young, I’d definitely recommend ashort scale — it’ll be way better on yourhands. In fact, we make all GCs withshort-scale necks standard nowadays.I own a 2003 314ce. Recently I havebeen tuning the whole guitar downone full step. I enjoy the warm toneI am getting from it. Should I makeany other adjustments to the guitarto help it adjust to this new tuning?I was told that it is “wrong” for me tokeep my guitar on this tuning, but Ireally like it there.Dave G,Rochester, NY314ceDave, you’ve committed no crimeshere. Tune it down if you want. If itplays well, then you’re all set. If it’sbuzzy, then you may need to loosen thetruss rod because the lesser tensionmight be pulling less on the neck. Butif it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Just playand enjoy.I purchased a 2008 GS7, with acedar top and rosewood back andsides. The top had darkened to anice light brown, but what I reallyloved was the smell every time Iopened up the case. I recently purchaseda 2010 GS7. The top is muchlighter, and the smell is gone entirelyexcept for the “new” smell of theguitar. Will the top darken, and willthe smell eventually come out of thisGS7 like my last one?Jerome LittmannPittsville, WisconsinJerome, you can expect the top todarken, as all tops do. Your first topmight have been a darker piece tostart with, as cedar comes in variousshades, from light yellow to very darkbrown. But yours will darken from itsnew color. The smell? I doubt it willever smell more than now. Do I needto add a sniff-inspector to the factorynow? Please don’t tell me!Ed. Note: Since Bob has been receivingmore and more questions fromfolks looking for advice as they considertheir next Taylor guitar purchase,this is a great place to remind everyoneabout our “Find Your Fit” guitarevents in late July and August, at dealersacross the U.S. (see p. 31). Weinvite you to come and pick the brainof one of our knowledgeable salesstaff about your particular preferencesas a player and get some great tipsfor what to consider. Since our salesreps write the specifications for mostof the custom and one-off guitars thatthey bring to Road Shows, they’re alsoa great resource for questions aboutBuild to Order models. Our teamlooks forward to helping you find agreat-fitting guitar.Got aquestion forBob Taylor?Shoot him an e-mail:askbob@taylorguitars.com.If you have a specificrepair or serviceconcern, please callour Customer Servicedepartment at(800) 943-6782,and we’ll takecare of you.

The Wood&Steel InterviewSO U LStirrerRuthie Foster’srich amalgam ofgospel, blues andsoul has earnedher a passionatefollowing. Themultiple awardwinner talks aboutbuilding a buzz,blending herinfluences, and thepower of performingwith other women.By Dan Fortephoto: John Carrico

13Al Kooper has had a storiedcareer. Besides foundingBlood, Sweat & Tears,he’s played on albums by B.B. King,Jimi Hendrix, the Who, the Stones,and a couple of Beatles, and playedthe organ on Dylan’s “Like A RollingStone.” His songs have been recordedby everyone from Donny Hathaway (“ILove You More Than You’ll Ever Know”)to Gary Lewis & The Playboys (“ThisDiamond Ring”). And as an A&R man,he signed the Zombies and LynyrdSkynyrd (producing “Free Bird”). Youmight say he’s got an ear for talent.So it’s nothing to sneeze at when,in his recent “New Music For OldPeople” column in The Morton Report,he wrote of Ruthie Foster’s “exquisitesinging”: “On the sidelines I sit andwatch this woman get more and morelisteners each year. She truly deservesthem. This is timeless blues musicdone masterfully.”People are still debating how tocategorize Foster, but she’s amassingawards in the meantime. Her 2009CD, The Truth According to RuthieFoster (on the Blue Corn Music label)was nominated for a Grammy in theContemporary Blues category. In 2010,the Blues Music Awards declared herContemporary Blues Female Artist ofthe Year, although at this year’s BMAs,she won the Koko Taylor Award forTraditional Blues Female Artist.Foster’s 2007 offering was titledThe Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, inpart because of the inclusion of MayaAngelou’s “Phenomenal Woman.” ButFoster backed up the superlative witha strong set of originals and materialfrom Eric Bibb (“A Friend Like You”)and gospel legend Sister RosettaTharpe (“Up Above My Head”).Foster grew up singing in churchwith her family in a tiny Texas town,but as an adult ricocheted from NewYork to South Carolina (with a stint inthe Navy) and back to Central Texas,where she took the musical cauldronknown as Austin by storm — seeminglycoming out of nowhere, her style fullyformed.She recorded the Truth CD inMemphis, backed by an all-star ensemblethat included guitar great RobbenFord and the late Jim Dickinson onkeyboards, for one of his last sessions.Her latest release, though, is herLive at Antone’s DVD, filmed in Austinwith her own band — featuring drummerSamantha Banks, bassist TanyaRichardson, and keyboardist ScottieMiller. One of the impressive set’shighlights is a duet with her guitarist,Hadden Sayers, on his original “Backto the Blues” — from his new CD, HardDollar (also on Blue Corn), which alsoincludes the tandem vocal.Awards and releases are one thing,but in May Foster and her partner welcomeda baby girl — no doubt Foster’sgreatest award to date.There was a definite buzz goingaround when you moved to Austin.I had just recorded Runaway Soul[released in July 2002].Everybody’s “overnight sensation”comes after a whole lot of work,but when you came to Austin, yousomehow avoided getting stuck inthe “Austin rut,” so to speak — ofkicking around the club scene andsort of plateauing there.Yeah, I get that. I rarely get people totalk to me face to face, but I was hearingit from my booking agent at thetime — especially when I got on theAustin City Limits TV show.You got on that within about ayear.I did, yeah. And it was weird, because Ididn’t expect that.It’s not the norm.No. There are people who’ve beenknocking around this town for yearsand haven’t gotten that show. I got alittle bit of backlash for that. It wasn’tmean or anything; it was like, “How didthat happen?”I was touring with my friend [percussionist]Cyd Cassone at the time;she and I were a duo. One of thethings we sat down and figured out isyou don’t have to go through the frontdoor all the time when it comes to tryingto get into someplace. There’s awindow or a back door or something. Itwasn’t a strategic thing, but we lookedat what was really important. And forme, it was about really managing howI wanted to get to where I wanted togo. I wanted to play a major festival, soI sought out Kerrville. You know, half ofAustin disappears and goes to Kerrvilleevery year. That was one way ofjust trying to be seen. I didn’t have agig; I just went to go camp. But you goaround to different campsites and singand play.Did you get to play on the mainstage?They did put me up there the nextyear. I got invited to do that. I thinkit was about just figuring out whereI wanted to go. A lot of it was PR. Ihave a degree in broadcasting, andI know that TV and radio — whenyou work that — people will swearthey’ve seen you somewhere beforewhen they haven’t. It’s just all aboutthe buzz. When South By Southwestcame around, I didn’t have much of ashowcase, but I did nothing but PR fortwo days. What’s great about that isyou don’t have to run yourself into theground; you just go and play one songon the radio, and people swear theysaw you somewhere.It was also a lot of luck, a lot ofexperience, because I always showedup and didn’t leave anything behind.Also, hooking up with some really greatpeople who helped out — from peoplewho let me on stage to do those openmicnights to Jimmy LaFave, who letme sit in, to [publicist] Cash Edwards,who gave me great advice — evenwhen I wasn’t living in Austin yet. Folksjust being really generous with theirtime, allowing me to get in front of theiraudiences.Who are your main influences?Gospel singers, like Mahalia Jackson— because it’s more about a feel anda spirit of what I’m doing. But then interms of songwriting, Patty Griffin andLucinda Williams — I just love whatthey say. I’m trying to tap into thatstorytelling, which is kind of where Istarted, then it sort of shifted more intoR&B and blues. That’s what I cut myteeth on, really. Aretha, Sam Cooke,Johnnie Taylor, Otis Redding — thatwhole style and feel.You grew up in Gause, Texas?Yes. When I was there, there weremaybe 500 or 600 people.Was your family musical?They all sang, and I had great-uncleswho would go around to differentchurches and sing. My mother’s folkswere all into church, and I had an unclewho played piano in our church. I washis little organ player. I’d sit at theorgan with my little legs swinging andplay “Amazing Grace” with him. Thatwas my first song.It was the Missionary BaptistChurch, so it wasn’t the HolinessChurch, where you can play all thesegreat instruments. I could play the guitar,but piano had to be my first instrument.Which was a great idea; it turnedout to be what was best anyway. Aftera while, I was a really young persontraveling around to different churches,playing piano and guitar, singing DorothyNorwood songs, like “Jesus Is theAnswer” — that was my tune I’d playeverywhere on guitar — and AndraéCrouch songs.Do you ever turn to the pianowhen you’re writing songs?All the time. The piano is what I go towhen I really want to go deep. Guitaris good for me too, but it takes me ina different direction. It’s great to haveboth options. On the Phenomenalrecord, “Heal Yourself” was done onthe Wurlitzer — after recording it onguitar on Full Circle — because itneeded something different.Do you have a modus operandiwhen it comes to writing, or does itjust have to happen?These days it’s just got to find itself,because my home life is just as busyas my road life. When I’m home I wantfew pointers from him on how to relax,because I tend to tense up when Iplay. And he’s so effortless and at easewhen he plays.Even with a rhythm section andelectric instruments and soloists,is your rhythm guitar the startingpoint — sort of the anchor?Very much so. That’s a throwback to“I loved the big groups, but peoplewho really got my attention wereJanis Ian and Phoebe Snow —one woman, one guitar, and justbeautiful. That was the reason Iwanted a guitar when I was 12.”to try to be home. But I have to be in acertain emotional and mental place, asfar as my energy goes, for me to write.I haven’t really written much lately,because we’ve been on the road somuch. When I’m not traveling with myband, I’ll go out and do some singing,like I just did with Warren Haynes. Iwent on the road with him as his backgroundsinger, because I’m all over hisCD [Man In Motion].Did you and the rest of the playerscut the Truth CD together in thestudio?Yeah, it’s pretty live. In fact, there area couple of songs where we just keptthe first take. I did my final vocals inL.A., while I was touring, but we kept alot of the vocals I’d laid down with theband in Memphis, because it was allabout the feel with those guys. Robbenwas great with how to get out ofthose songs, so we wouldn’t have tokeep doing them [laughs]. I guess thatcomes with being in the music businessfor as long as he has, and beingthe front person.I was on tour for a month or so withRobben and Jorma Kaukonen, and Ilearned so much from these guys. Iremember telling Chris [Goldsmith,producer], “Why am I on this again?[laughs]” I guess what I brought tothe mix was something really different,because at the time I was not only playingthe Taylor, doing a lot of fingerpicking,but I had a resonator guitar, doingslide.We’d close the show with Dylan’s“Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” andJorma commended my fingerpickingstyle. Over the years, I’ve just developeda different way to play. I tried tolearn the banjo a few years ago, so mystyle may be a mix of that and just myown fingerpicking. But I picked up athe ’70s, when rhythm guitar was everything.That was the groove for bandslike Chic and Con Funk Shun. That’sthe way I play when I play rhythm.How and when did you get yourTaylor?It’s a 312ce with the Grand Concertbody. Some friends had a music storein downtown Bryan when I was living inCollege Station, where Texas A&M is.I went in one day to buy some strings,and they told me they were going tobe carrying the Taylor brand soon, andI said, “Definitely call me when thathappens.”They got them in, and I just fell inlove with this model, because it wasa small body, and I was ready to goto that, because I had a huge Dreadnoughtat the time. The Taylor playedso beautifully and stayed in tune. Thatwas great, because I played pretty hardduring that time. I was playing acousticover two electric guitars and a horn,and it was really getting lost. But thislittle sucker was great. I liked the Fishmanelectronics too.So this had to be at least a decadeago, before the Expression System.Right. It was prior to that.What do you look for in a guitargenerally?At the time I was playing more folkmusic and some R&B kind of riff stuff.So I wanted to keep the full-bodyacoustic sound — which this guitar has.For being so small, it really does carryquite a bit. I remember seeing PhoebeSnow play when I lived up in NewJersey for a while, and she had a littleguitar that had this great sound. I alsoliked what the lighter strings brought tocontinued next page

Tommy working out a part in the studioit. You have to play light strings on it tokeep the neck in shape, and I like theway it cuts through, as far as the tonegoes.What about the feel — the weightand the balance?The smaller body is a nice plus, to feelcomfortable about having somethingaround your neck while you’re runningaround on stage. The way it feels, it’sbetter balanced than the Dreadnoughtis for me — I’m a small person.I was thinking about the 414,because I do love that sound, but it’sa little bigger, and I need to be able tofeel comfortable when I play it or swingit around my back when it’s time to justdo some real singing. The 312 is madefor my body.Do you have to monkey aroundmuch with the electronics, changingfrom one venue to another?Not at all, and that’s what I love aboutthe Taylors. Besides the fact that theystay in tune no matter what you do tothem, with the electronics I have onmine I don’t have to play with them atall; it just stays there. Certain places, I’dkick the bottom up a little, just becauseI like that feel. It being a lighter guitar, Ilike to feel the bottom, especially withlight strings — so I do kick the low-endup a bit.Do you go through a preamp orequalizer?I have a Boss EQ that I kick in sometimes.I don’t really solo. A solo for meis like going back to the ’70s, whereyou just do a funky riff — so I’ll kick myEQ in for that. I give it a little more gainin the mids and even more in the lows,and it makes it meatier.For different functions — like writingas opposed to performing, orin a recording situation — do youuse specific guitars, or do you mixthem up?I usually stick to one guitar, and theTaylor has served me well. In the studio,it’s clean and the electronics aren’tnoisy at all. As far as writing, it’s beautifulto write with because of the action.I’ve got a great guitar guy here in Austin,who helps keep it in shape for me— Ed Reynolds. We call him “SpecialEd” [laughs].It’s not as unusual as it used tobe to find female artists who playguitar, but female “sidemen” — likeSarah Brown on bass or CindyCashdollar on steel — are still aslightly rare breed. Was it importantfor you to have women in yourband?Yes, it’s important for me now. Andthese are my “sisters,” in so many waysnow. We knew each other for yearsbefore we started playing together.They had a jazz-fusion band in Houston.Yeah, it was something I reallywanted to do, and I think that comesfrom my background in TV and all that.I am conscious of it. I’m OK with bringingfellas into my group, and obviouslyI have a couple of guys when I have myquintet, but I think there’s somethingreally powerful that happens visuallywhen you see us up on stage. I thinkit’s important for both men and women,but really empowering for youngwomen and little girls; just that visualsays something. It all came togetherwith the “Phenomenal Woman” songcoming out. People really feel it andsee that when we perform.You were nominated for a Grammyin the blues category. So do youfeel you have more of an affinitywith singer-songwriters like PattyGriffin and Lucinda Williams orwith your female blues contemporaries,like Janiva Magness, CandyeKane, and Susan Tedeschi?I’m comfortable with either one. That’swhat’s kind of fun and comical. The

15other day, UPS dropped off a package,and I was trying to remember if I’dforgotten about something I ordered,but it was the Koko Taylor Award thatI won while I was away touring withWarren. It was such a whirlwind, I’dtotally put it out of my mind. I needto send some thank-yous out! But Istarted thinking, “Wow! How did I getthat?”I’m comfortable in both, but it canbe… not necessarily a curse — that’sthe wrong word. But, at first, peoplejust didn’t know what category to putme in — even my record company,when it comes to entering my nameinto nominations.You mentioned folk music andtalked about Kerrville. Deep down,blues and soul music seem tobe in your arsenal naturally, butyou kind of networked yourselftowards what was just becomingthe “Americana” category — folkie,singer-songwriter, indie label. Wasthat a conscious thing?Yes and no. When I got out of the Navyin 1990, I was living in Charleston,lot of singer-songwriters in there, but Iwas the only person doing more ArethaFranklin and Sam Cooke — black soulsingers — on acoustic guitar. So I“We’d close the show with Dylan’s‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,’and Jorma commended my fingerpickingstyle. I tried to learn thebanjo a few years ago, so my stylemay be a mix of that and just myown fingerpicking.”South Carolina, and I wanted to singfull-time. There was a little club thatused to be a strip club, but it wasturned into a folk music club. It waslike whiplash for the clientele that usedto be there [laughs]. I ended up beingthe stage manager, and we brought abrought something different to that, butit was mostly because I just didn’t reallyknow much about folk music. But youknow, growing up we had a TV showcalled The Midnight Special. I loved thebig groups, but people who really gotmy attention were Janis Ian and PhoebeSnow — one woman, one guitar, andjust beautiful. That was the reason Iwanted a guitar when I was 12.The club owner introduced me topeople like Josh White, Jr., and GlennYarbrough from the Limeliters. We gotto be good friends, because my husbandat the time, John Lamb, producedhis Christmas album. So I got into thisfolk world through that. Also, the ownerinsisted I read the Woody Guthrie book[Bound For Glory], so I read that andfell completely in love with folk music. Istarted looking up all these names onmy computer — because I knew aboutOdetta, but I hadn’t really heard a lot ofher. Here I was falling in love with thismusic that the acoustic guitar is builtfor. I knew about blues singers like MississippiJohn Hurt and Lightnin’ Hopkins,and what they were doing at thefolk festivals, but this opened a wholebig world for me.So I kind of got into it there. Andthen I had a life, and ended up backin Texas. So there was this folk festivalin Kerrville that I’d heard about whenI was going to [McLennan CommunityCollege] in Waco. Here was anopportunity to do this stuff, and I’d hadtime to learn these tunes and learn adifferent way to write. I had a chanceto put it all together and still keep myroots with blues and soul, just mix it alltogether. I kind of ran with that — andI’m still running with it.www.ruthiefoster.comIn a career spanning 35 years, DanForte has interviewed such legendsas George Harrison, Frank Zappa,Eric Clapton, Duane Eddy, Albert King,David Lindley, Stevie Ray Vaughan,Buck Owens, David Grisman, andCarlos Santana for Rolling Stone,Musician, Guitar Player, and VintageGuitar. He received the ASCAP/DeemsTaylor Award for excellence in musicjournalism.photo: John Carrico

SoundAdviceTaylor’s Rob Magargal spent twodays at tour rehearsals withCoheed and Cambria and theirlive sound crew. It helped themtake their amplified acousticsound to the next level.By Jim KirlinIt all started at Winter NAMM.Alt-prog rockers Coheed andCambria, beloved by fansworldwide for their epic sci-fi conceptalbums, dynamic acoustic-to-metalmusical range, and emotive vocalmelodies, were in the house to playan intimate acoustic set on the Taylorstage. Like any of our guest performers,the band was invited to roam the roombeforehand and select their stageguitars from the wall-to-wall treasuretrove of acoustic goodies that representthe Taylor line and then some. It’s oneof the pleasures anyone visiting ourexhibition space experiences — handsonaccess to the full monty.Taylor’s Andy Lund, an in-houseproduct specialist who frequently workswith artists, played guitar conciergewith singer-guitarist Claudio Sanchez.Although Claudio’s longtime stageacoustic has been an 815ce, Andyturned him on to a pair of sonorousbeauties that would be a better matchfor the fingerpicking he would bedoing: a mahogany/cedar GC5 and arosewood/spruce 12-Fret. BandmateTravis Stever, whose longtime Taylorsare an 814ce and an LKSM, opted for apair of maples — a GS6 and a 614ce —whose crisp tones would add a nicecounterpoint texture.The choices played out well duringthe set. As Andy tuned in to the richacoustic nuances and the uniquecharacter of each guitar, it sparked anidea to take things a step further withthe band.“I thought it would be cool to spendtime with them before their upcomingtour and recommend different guitarsthat would be compatible with differentsongs,” he says. It would also give hima chance to hang and talk shop withtheir live sound crew, including theirguitar techs and the front-of-housesound engineer, and to survey their liveperformance signal chain and see howthe Expression System was workingfor them.The project had the makings of acompelling acoustic case study. Forone, Claudio and Travis tended to tourwith several different Taylor modelsbecause they played in a variety oftunings and didn’t want to have toretune on stage between songs. Thiswould be an opportunity to showcasehow the unique voicings of differentmodels really could translate live.Also, the band and crew had alreadybeen using ES-equipped guitars, soit wouldn’t be a shock to the systemfor the sound crew. And it just sohappened that they would be openingeach show on their upcoming tourwith a 35-minute acoustic set. In manyrespects it was an ideal environment fora little Taylor field study.The band and their manager werereceptive to the idea, so it just camedown to scheduling. They had a twodaywindow in April and would berehearsing for a show In Kansas City.It turned out that Andy was alreadycommitted to a trip to Australia for astring of Taylor Road Shows on thosedates, but Taylor’s Rob Magargal,another guitar guru and all-aroundaffable guy, was happy to oblige.Based on Coheed’s NAMM set andtheir playing styles, Andy selected anassortment of models to ship to theMidland Theater in Kansas City, wherethe band would be rehearsing andopening their tour: a 12-Fret, GS8e,GS6e, 616ce, 716ce, GC5e, Baritone6, 614ce and NS74ce, along withseveral K4s and Balanced BreakoutBoxes. Rob would spend two daysthere, accompanied by a videographerto document some of the interactionwith the band and sound crew.A Guitar-Fitting SessionDuring the first day of rehearsals,Rob spent time with Claudio and Travisas they sampled the guitars that hadbeen sent. Not surprisingly, because ofNAMM, Claudio immediately gravitatedtoward the 12-Fret, and it turned outto be his favorite of the lot. It’s a bigcontrast to his 815ce.“It’s nice to get that 12, certainlyfor the fingerpicking stuff, which we’redoing a lot of in the acoustic set,”Claudio tells Rob. “It’s just a little moreclear, as opposed to the bigger bodiesthat kind of darken that stuff up, so I’mreally liking that.”Rob explains that with the 12-Fret,you can still get a nice fullness anddepth without the issues that a biggerbodiedguitar can pose on stage.“A lot of times people will go for aguitar [based on] how it sounds sittingin a music store or in their lap, notrealizing that [with] the type of musicthey’re playing and what they’re goingfor, they may need a smaller body guitarbecause you can EQ it better,” he says.“It doesn’t have the overtones that willget in the way of the EQ. The frontof-housecan really make a differencethere.”Based on Claudio’s preference forthe 12-Fret, Rob handed Claudio theGC5 next, which he had also played atNAMM.“He strummed one chord and it wasover,” Rob says. “He ended up usingthat one as well, and tuning it down ahalf-step and using it with a capo.”Travis had his 814ce and LKSM

Left (top down): Pipeline inlay, Engraved Twistinlay, and traditional cherry mahogany stain;Right: T5 12-string featuring a densely figuredmaster-grade Hawaiian koa top with abalonetrim, ebony binding, and Taylor’s iconic “Cindy”fretboard inlay

21live there can, especially if they’re outworking in it, taking some trees eachyear. They know what’s going on, andthey can report.”As a guitar company, Taylor is anideal client for a community like Copénbecause of the high-dollar value thewood generates for guitars. (Bobestimates that close to 50 percentof Copén’s GDP comes from sellingguitar wood to Taylor.) Communitymembers have been able to use theproceeds to purchase livestock likepigs, chicken and cattle. During hisvisit, Bob saw other quality-of-lifeimprovements that have come fromdoing business with Copén.“I arrived to the first electric lightbulbs they’ve ever had,” Bob says.“They’ve got solar panels on everyhouse, and for the first time in thewhole Valley, the workers have medical,death and disability insurance. They’repaying off their mill, and they’ve gotan economy going. It’s really textbookperfectdevelopment. They were able tobuy a little turbine and put it upstream,and they’re bringing in electricity. Theyhave a new stake bed truck that theyuse to transport wood, and all of thisis done on several mahogany treesin a year. It’s very primitive, but it’ssustainable forever because they havesuch a huge tract of land.”It’s sustainable enough — bothenvironmentally and economically —that two other forest communities atthe edge of the Río Plátano Biosphere,Miraveza and Limoncito, subsequentlypartnered with GreenWood,MaderaVerde and Taylor to implementtheir own mahogany harvestingprograms. Taylor has been receivingwood from Miraveza for about threeyears and Limoncito for about twoyears. Together, the three groupssupply Taylor with about 30 percent ofthe mahogany used for guitar necks.Bob envisions partnering with othervillages at in the future.“I received a letter recently from aninspector for UNESCO World Heritagesites,” Bob says. “He goes all over theworld and looks at these things, andthe letter basically said what we’redoing is awesome. And that’s the typeof forestry you want to do — wherepeople come in and go, ‘Wow, that’sreally good.’”Getting the Wood OutEach community cooperativeconsists of about 25 members who areresponsible for various facets of theforestry operation. The different rolesinclude forest inventory; scouting fortrees and patrolling the boundaries;sawyers who fell trees and chainsawthem into rough cants; mule driversresponsible for transporting the cantsfrom the source; river drivers who floatcants downriver to the mill; sawmilloperators; truckers and mechanics;blade sharpeners; wood graders;chain-of-custody bar-coding technicianswho document the origin of the woodfor legal purposes; and the treasurer/bookkeeper.Because of the lack of roadsdeep in the Honduran forest, mulesare used to transport lumber from aharvested mahogany tree back to thecooperative’s sawing shed. It maytake upwards of a month and a half totransport all the wood. It might be an8-hour round-trip for a mule to retrievea load in the forest and return. After thetree is cut, an Alaskan chainsaw mill isused to rip slabs and then rough cants.The mules can carry two cants, orthe equivalent of about four 4x4s at atime. The Copén cooperative may haveaccess to as many as 30 mules, whichtranslates into about 60 cants, or 1204x4s a day.Bob recognizes that the moreprimitive harvesting approach isn’t asefficient as transporting a whole logback to a modern sawmill, but doingso would require building a road andinfrastructure that would disrupt theforest ecosystem.“It’s the price we pay to leave theforest in great shape,” he says.In Copén, the rough-cut cants arehauled to the cooperative’s sawingshed, which is equipped with a Wood-Mizer portable sawmill that is used toresaw them into clean 4x4 neck blanksand other dimensional lumber. Theyuse their stake bed truck to transport500 board feet at a time to a storagearea that MaderaVerde maintainsoutside the town and that can beaccessed by a tractor trailer. Whenthey’ve accumulated 5,000 feet, atrailer transports the wood eight hoursto the coastal city of San Pedro Sula,the second largest city in Honduras,located in the northwest corner of thecountry. This is where the kilns arelocated, and where the wood from allthree communities is dried to about 8percent moisture content before it’sshipped to California.“Our suppliers do a great job ofgetting us the right pieces of wood,”Bob says. “It really is unbelievable theamount of activity that takes placebefore we even get to start a guitar. Ifour guitar owners could experience thiswhole process firsthand, they’d have aneven greater appreciation for what goesinto their guitars.”Belizean Field TripIn April, not long after Bob Taylor’s trip to Honduras, Taylor Seniorpurchasing manager Bob Zink and Build to Order program manager JoeBina flew to Belize for a mahogany mission of their own. Belize remainsTaylor’s primary source of mahogany for necks (providing about 70 percentof it), and the two spent time with our supplier there, New River Enterprises.The proprietor, Joseph Loskot, owns about 5,000 acres of land south ofOrange Walk and sustainably harvests mahogany trees based on CITESregulations and a quota determined by the Belizean government’s forestrydepartment. Loskot told Bob and Joe that the operation helps support thelocal community by offering much better-paying alternatives to working inthe sugar cane fields. By training people in woodworking, the employeesare able to earn a significantly higher wage and improve their standard ofliving. Taylor is the company’s largest client.While they were there, Bob and Joe spent time at the main mill andthen ventured out on a 3-1/2-hour drive (at 15 mph on some rough dirtroads) to a makeshift logging camp. Out in the forest, they surveyed severalmahogany trees that were casualties of last year’s hurricane season and arein the process of being harvested. A few had blown down entirely, exposingthe root ball, and were a priority.“They need to get them off the ground quickly or else they’ll rot from theoutside in,” explains Joe. A couple of other trees were effectively standingdead, Bob says, because the branches had been blown off, preventing thetrees from being able to photosynthesize. If they aren’t harvested, they willbegin to rot.The logging season is a relatively short three-month period due to theheavy rain the region receives the rest of the year. Once a tree is harvested,it’ll usually be about six or seven months before the milled and kiln-driedwood will arrive at the Taylor factory.In addition to surveying the overall operation and talking about woodfor guitar necks, Bob and Joe also talked about wood sets that might beusable for bodies.“That includes figured mahogany, because every once in a while they’llrun across a figured tree,” Joe says. “We let them know that rather thancut it up into necks, we would take that for sets. So, it was educational forthem to find out that we can use some of that stuff that they would normallycut into flooring or use for cabinets.”Joe also spent time discussing other exotic wood species milled therefor flooring and cabinets, which might be viable for BTO guitars in the future— woods like ziricote, granadilla, chechem, black cabbage, and billy web,among others. Because New River’s customers typically don’t want figuredwood for cabinets or flooring, they can set some of that aside for Taylor toconsider. The plan was for them to ship Joe some samples of these woods,from which we plan to build guitar prototypes and then assess the tonalproperties. We’ll let you know if any of them make the grade.

ForestFriendscontinuedBob Taylor’s itinerary in Honduras began at the airport in La Ceibawith a press conference to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Taylor’sinvestment in sustainable forest management there. After visiting withthe staff of MaderaVerde, Bob and Greenwood’s Scott Landis traveledto the communities of Copén and Miraveza, then flew to San PedroSula, where the milled mahogany is kiln-dried before being shipped tothe U.S. A selection of Bob and Scott’s photos, featured here, capturesome of the sights of their travels.Welcome to CopénBob being interviewed by a local TV stationafter the press conference in La CeibaThe home of the mayor of MiravezaProceeds from Taylor’s wood-purchasing arrangement with Copén haveenabled members of the cooperative to purchase livestock.A young girl in Copén charms BobRiver crossings are a regular part of life in rural Honduras. The “ferries”are rafts mounted on two canoes and propelled with an outboard motor.Here, a Wood-Mizer portable sawmill is moved

GPS-based technology enables foresters to create bar code tags thatidentify the source coordinates of a tree. A bar-coded clip is implantedinto the stump of a harvested tree, while every 4x4 receives a correspondingbarcode. The technology provides a supply chain management trackingsystem to ensure compliance with environmental laws.Bob and his ride on the wayinto the forestBob shows a group of sawyers in Miraveza photos of ebony being cut inAfrica, where he had recently visited. “They were interested in other woods,where they come from, and what those people look like,” Bob says.In Miraveza, a mahogany cant’s dimensions are measuredon a Wood-Mizer. The sawyers are also trained to make andsharpen their blades and properly maintain the machine.An Alaskan chainsaw mill is used to rip a slab from a mahogany tree.A stake bed truck purchased by the community of Copénusing proceeds from their arrangement with TaylorBob and Scott wait to cross the Paulaya River near Miraveza with members of the community.Bob with staffers from MaderaVerde at their offices in La Ceiba

24 www.taylorguitars.comSoundingsFish TalesAndy Hillstrand, co-captain anddeckboss of the crab fishing boat theTime Bandit from the popular DiscoveryChannel program Deadliest Catch,dropped by the Taylor complex in Aprilfor a tour with his wife Sabrina. Hillstrand,who owns an 810ce he says heloves, was initially drawn to Taylor afterseeing an online video of Bob Taylortalking about guitar making. Duringhis visit, Hillstrand shared some colorfultales, including a funny account ofthe dramatic demise of his first guitar,an Esteban, which he used to defendhimself in an altercation with anotherfisherman. He also recounted the perilsof battling six-story waves, on-the-jobsleep deprivation (his record is 80hours) and other treacherous workingconditions that keep Deadliest Catchviewers on the edge of their seats eachweek.While making the rounds at thefactory, Hillstrand had a chance tospend time with Bob Taylor, who happensto be a longtime fan of the show.The two chatted at length, during whichHillstrand assured Bob that the seventhseason, which premiered in April, wouldfeature plenty more gripping drama,including blood and broken bones,along with an epic prank at some point.Hillstrand also played a pair of tuneshe wrote following the death of anotherskipper on the show, Captain Phil Harris(the Cornelia Marie), whose passingfactored heavily into the drama at theend of the previous season. Hillstranddownplayed his singing and songwritingskills, but says that after Harris’sdeath on the show, he woke up withthe lyrics already formed in his head,and the rest of the songs came quickly.“Ode to Phil” is a poignant ballad thatpays tribute to his friend, while thebluesy tune “A Fisherman’s Life” is asalty homage to his seafaring trade.Taylor’s Andy Powers sat in and playedsome tasty fills, prompting Hillstrandto half-jokingly try to recruit him as hislead guitarist.Besides his 810ce, Hillstrand had apair of 812ce models on order, whichhe was planning to take on a string of“Captains’ Tour” live events startingin May with his brother, Time Banditco-captain Johnathan, along withCaptain Sig Hansen of the boat theNorthwestern. The shows mix firsthandstorytelling, previously unseen videofootage, Hillstrand’s songs, and anaudience Q&A.TAYLORCODECAPTAIN ANDYTo watch AndyHillstrand’s renditionof “A Fisherman’s Life,”scan the Taylorcode.North Face SouthYou can count David Murphyamong the happy new GS Mini ownersout there. A former professional marathonerand now Senior Brand MarketingManager for outdoor gear manufacturerThe North Face, Murphy touched basethis spring after returning from a photoand video shoot in Patagonia, Argentinafor some running apparel that will beintroduced this fall.The North Face has a built a reputationfor top-flight action photographyin their marketing campaigns, featuringimagery shot on location in areas andconditions that are authentic environmentsfor testing their respectiveproducts. For this shoot, photographer(and world-class mountain climber)Tim Kemple suggested the El Chalténregion of Patagonia, where the climate,terrain and light would be ideal, and acrew of about 10 made the trip, includingMurphy and his Mini.“The guitar was a massive hit withthe athletes and camera crew,” he says.“They really seemed to enjoy hearingme play music out there in the wild,as usually these shoots can get quitetedious with no entertainment. I wasplaying while some of the shooting wasgoing on, and Tim really enjoyed it. Hetold me I need to keep bringing it onthe shoots with me.”Murphy says he couldn’t help butbe inspired throughout the trip and washappy to have the Mini to express himselfmusically.“Between the landscape and thecreativity that’s going on around youvisually, if you tune into that it’s reallyspecial. And Patagonia has a uniqueatmosphere to it; you can really feel thatwhen you’re out there.”After the Patagonia shoot, Murphybrought his Mini with him on a shoot inSedona, Arizona for yoga apparel.“We were out at Red Rocks, and itwas spectacular,” he says. “The Mini isso portable — what I notice is you don’tget any hassle at airport security; youcan carry it right onto the plane, it fits inthe racks. And it’s just really versatile. Ididn’t have any hesitation putting it intothe car, and then just strap it on yourback and off you go. That’s what weneed when we’re on a trek like that.”Blue NoteWe were saddened to learn of thepassing of longtime Taylor friend SteveWhite on April 22, at the age of 61,after a long battle with throat cancer.White was a propulsive one-man bluesband, a musical dynamo, whose funky,gritty, soulful, churning grooves, wry wit,and generous spirit warmed the heartsand souls of many who encounteredhim. A true artist and a man of theworld, Steve’s bohemian spirit luredhim far and wide throughout his life,and he channeled his experiences intohis sinewy Delta-funk-blues-world-popfolk,giving his tunes an incredible colorand depth.Steve’s self-styled approach to playingwas mesmerizing to see in person:the percussive snap and twang of hisright hand as he wrung syncopatedrhythms out of his tuned-down acoustic;his delectably greasy slide playing;the locomotive chug of notes blownon a braced harmonica; the poundingof his clog-clad foot on an amplifiedstomp board; and vocals that mingledthe darker and lighter sides of life withclever lyrical wordplay. It’s no surprisethat he was also an accomplishedpainter; his songs were sonic canvassesthat he would masterfully layer witha brilliant collage of sounds.Though Steve’s work largely flewunder the mainstream musical radarin the U.S., he developed a strong followingin Europe, and he left a lastingimpression on nearly everyone who sawhim play.Even after cancer necessitated theremoval of his vocal chords in 2009,he continued to perform his regularweekly gig at an outdoor market in hishome town of Encinitas, California.For a number of years, Steve’s 510cwas his workhorse, and in addition toshowcasing for Taylor at events like theFolk Alliance Conference, he played ata number of Taylor gatherings over theyears.If you like roots music and haven’thad a chance to sample Steve’s work,do yourself a favor and soak up a bit ofhis music and life at stevewhiteblues.com. You’ll be glad you did.Homegrown VibeAs a singer-songwriter who typicallywrites and performs on his own, JustinRoth (812c) has learned that makingan album in a studio with other playerscan pose artistic challenges.“I’m on the clock, and I don’t havethe freedom to just experiment withhow I hear the music,” he says. “I’vealways hired players who I have somuch respect for, so when they’d hearsomething and play a part, I woulddefer to them sometimes because theymust know better than me. SometimesI’d think, wow, that’s not really how Iheard it, but it’s really cool. OK, let’sgo in that direction. All of a sudden itstarts turning into something else.”Though Roth insists he’s proudof his past records, he decided to gothe DIY route for his latest project,Now You Know, working out of hishome recording studio (a 10x12-footbedroom). Among his self-imposedlimitations were that the sounds on therecord would only be what he couldplay and record himself so the projectwouldn’t get away from him or soundlike a band. Despite — or perhapsbecause of — the restrictions, he saysthe experience was priceless.“You can do so much with micplacement and playing your instrumentwell,” he says. “Does it sound like me?Yes. Does it have a vibe? Yes.”Indeed. Roth’s singular vision yieldsa cohesive batch of songs that feel intimate,personal, and richly melodic. Atits core, the album is anchored by hiseloquent fingerstyle chops, which strikea nuanced balance between simplicityand sophistication, blending alternatetunings and percussive techniques. Thetone of his 15-year-old 812c is warmand sweet, and his expressive voicehas a soothing, complementary timbre.When he layers up his vocal harmoniesand soaks them in reverb-y effects, theyinflate the music with potent emotionalambience. Honorable mention goes tohis selection of percussion instruments,which include cardboard box kick drum,three-quart sauce pan, and aluminumgutter.Roth did enlist some friends forsome lyric co-writes on a few tunes,including talented indie artists BrianJoseph, Emilia Dahlin, and criticallyacclaimed singer-songwriter LJ Booth,with whom Roth has toured as a percussionist.He also covers a DarrellScott tune, “Love’s Not Through WithMe Yet.” From the atmospheric beautyof the title track like to the instrumentalgem “Spaghetti Junction,” Roth deliversa lucid record that reveals an artistwho’s taken his craft to the next level.You can watch newly posted performancevideos at www.justinroth.com.Maine EventAs his band’s national profile growswith increased AAA radio exposure,Portland, Maine-rooted singer-songwriterJason Spooner (910) has been atouring fool this summer in support ofhis latest release, Sea Monster. Frontinga tight, nimble trio that featuresAdam Frederick on bass and ReedChambers on drums and percussion,Spooner and friends continue to doleout tasty portions of rootsy, funky popthat manage to expand their alreadyrangy musical boundaries. ThoughSpooner’s songwriting bedrock remainshis acoustic guitar and his brightlyglimmering voice, his deft electric worktaps into a fresh palette of tones, andthis rhythm section is built to groove inevery stylistic direction.Frederick’s slick bass work overprogrammed beats on the opener,“Crashing Down,” lets you know thatthese guys are more than New Englandfolksters, and the scenic ride continueswith the wah-wah funk of “Half a Mind,”nuanced Reggae vibe of “Time is RunningOut,” and a soulful, R&B cover ofthe Terence Trent D’Arby dance-pop hit“Wishing Well.” From the gritty pleadingon “Let It Go” to the haunting, pedalsteel-infused folk of “Fossil,” Spoonerreels the listener in with his voice, andthe band keeps you on the hook withfluid interplay and plenty of pocketygoodness. There’s a wistfulness inSpooner’s voice that gives his lyricsextra resonance and, together witheverything else the band does, makesfor a great record that gets even betterwith repeat listens. www.jasonspooner.com.Crashing NashvilleIn June, Taylor artist relations repTim Godwin flew to Nashville withluthier Andy Powers and the Marketingdepartment’s Shane Roeschleinfor a whirlwind trip to make the roundsand meet some old and new friends.Among the events on tap were CMAFest, the CMT Awards, and a “GuitarTone” open house event that Taylorhosted for local players.The day-long Taylor shindig, heldat Soundcheck in downtown Nashville,was organized to introduce Andy to thelocal talent and to share some of hislatest guitar prototypes, featuring somenew bracing designs. A steady streamof players dropped by throughout theday to hang out and play.“The talent pool and the highlevel of musical ability are pretty eyeopening,”Andy said afterwards as hereflected on the experience, emphasizingthe value he places on interactingwith a diverse group of great players.“I’ve always found it enlighteningto watch and listen to other musiciansplay an instrument I’ve made,” hecontinued next page

Clockwise from top left:Justin Roth; Captain AndyHillstrand at the factory;Steve White (photo byMarshall Harrington,marshallharrington.com);David Murphy entertainsthe crew in Patagonia(photo by Tim Kemple);the Jason Spooner Trio(photo by Jose Azel)

26 www.taylorguitars.comsays. “I like to take note of the way theyapproach an instrument; the peculiarnuances and individuality of their ownunique style of playing; the songsthey find in a guitar; their techniqueand the sounds they produce from aninstrument. Hearing a wide variety ofimmensely talented players helps mefigure out what’s working and whatisn’t. Each of these artists is as uniqueas a fingerprint, so no two players willsound or play the same way on oneguitar. When I hear a guitar really workwell for one player, then work equallywell for the next player who has avastly different style, the same with athird player, I know I’m onto somethinggood.”By all accounts, he’s definitely ontosomething good. The feedback wasoverwhelmingly positive, and guitaristDanny Rader (DN8) from KeithUrban’s band ended up borrowing oneof the Dreadnought protos to try outand possibly use on tour. Another wasleft at Soundcheck for more players tosample.A lot of guitarists in Nashvillehave an existing perception of whatour guitars are, and this event gavethem a chance to reconnect with ourlatest instruments in an organic wayand refresh that perspective with newTaylor tones. Among the other playerswho visited were Jerry McPherson,George Marinelli, Stu G., PatBergeron, Steve Mandile, AndyChilds, Marshall Altman, and JeffKing.“I came back full of new music andsome fresh thoughts to pour into theinstruments, as well as a lot of encouragementand affirmation that these newinstruments have a musically rewardinglife ahead,” Andy shared after the event.Another guest, singer-songwriterSonia Leigh, also dropped by to pickup a custom Grand Auditorium she hadordered, along with a K4.“Andy built me the most beautifulguitar, I was speechless!” she wrote inher blog afterward. “I named it Jacksonafter one of my favorite writers, JacksonBrowne.” She performed with it the nextnight in front of 70,000 people at theCMA Fest with the Zac Brown Band,whose Southern Ground label is hermusical home.Tim and Andy also met with producer/composerFred Mollin, anddropped by the studio of guitarist/producer John D Willis, who showedoff his Dan Crary long neck guitar,one of only three that exist. They alsosidled over to the Wildhorse Saloon forCMT’s Fan Social, where ThompsonSquare performed and where Andyplayed Vanna White, giving away asigned Taylor to an audience member.On their last day in town, Tim and Andycaught up with Danelle Leverett andSusie Brown from the on-the-rise duothe JaneDear Girls (410ce, 712ce,614ce). Susie noted that she’s planninga series of YouTube videos inwhich she plays the songs she grew upwith on the 712ce.Acoustic MedleyAndy Innes, the guitarist andmusical director for celebrated SouthAfrican singer-songwriter and musicalactivist Johnny Clegg, visited the factoryin May during a tour stop in SanDiego. Innes, a longtime Taylor playerwho’s been with Clegg for 19 years,has an 815ce, 414ce and a recentlyacquired Baritone 8-String he sayshe loves. While at the factory, he had achance to play a 12-Fret that wastedno time seducing him. He says heplans on picking up a Grand Concertin the near future….Singer-songwriterChristina Perri was recently interviewedfor Spin.com and called out herblack 614ce: “This is my favorite instrumentand has been with me througheverything,” she says. “When I’m holdingher, I feel better and ready to writea song or play a show.” Perri’s leadguitarist, John Anderson, loves hisT3/B….Guitar legend James Burtonraved about his Taylors during a recentinterview with Randy Patterson, editorof Boomerocity.com, calling them “firstclass quality instruments.” “I just thinkthat it’s one of the finest guitars madetoday,” he said. “Bob Taylor and KurtListug, these guys are my friends. Theywould not release an instrument unlessit was inspected, perfected and readyto go….” Guitarist, songwriter andproducer Buddy Miller, who’s beentouring with Robert Plant’s Band ofJoy, has been having fun exploring aBaritone 6-string. He told Taylor’sAndy Lund at Merlefest that he likes ita lot, and that it feels “alive.”Clockwise from top right: Sonia Leigh with “Jackson”; (L-R) Andy Powers,Susie Brown and Danelle Leverett from the JaneDear Girls, and Tim Godwin;Andy listening to Danny Rader sample a prototype at Soundcheck; Christina Perri

27Taylor NotesSolidBody Configurator 2.0If you’ve been to the Taylor websitein the last month, you’re probably awareof the newly relaunched SolidBodyConfigurator. Our dynamic online toolhighlights the flexible ordering optionsavailable to you by walking you throughthe process of building a virtual model.You can choose your body style (Standardor Classic), cutaway (single ordouble), color, pickups, bridge (stoptailor tremolo), and pickguard color (ordirect-mount option). As you make yourchoice in each category, your virtualmodel will display that option. It’s agreat way to explore different combinationsof features together to give youan idea of what they would look like.Ultimately, the Configurator gives you away to create a visual blueprint for thetones and looks you crave. This latestversion incorporates all the optionscurrently available for 2011, includingthe double cutaway and new colors forthe Standard. It’s also a great tool forexperimenting with different LoadedPickguard options.Once you’ve designed your model,you can save the image and your customizedspecs and have them e-mailedto you. We’ve even made it easy toconnect with a Taylor dealer to get moreinformation about ordering a model. Ifyou haven’t built a model yet, give it atry. We hope you like it.GS Minis for Everyone —Including LeftiesAfter last year’s debut of the GSMini, the hot demand outpaced ourability to fill the pipeline for a while, butwe’ve been steadily ramping up production,so you should find it much easierto get your hands on one this summer.And lefties, rejoice! Now you can orderone too.MusicWood DocumentaryTaylor’s efforts to support the sustainableharvesting of Sitka spruce, themost prevalent tonewood for acousticguitar tops, have been well documentedon our pages in recent years.Most of the supply comes from thecoastal rainforest region of SoutheasternAlaska, on private land that hasseen aggressive clear-cutting over theyears. You may recall that in 2007, Taylorjoined together with several othermajor guitar manufacturers, includingMartin, Fender, and Gibson, tobecome members of the GreepeacefoundedMusicWood Coalition. Oneof the organization’s goals is to raiseawareness of the depletion of oldgrowthspruce and, more specifically,to convince Sealaska, a native-heldcorporation that owns much of theland where the spruce clear-cuttinghas been happening, to adopt moresustainable logging practices beforeit’s too late.When a pair of music- and guitarlovingdocumentary filmmakers, MaxineTrump and Josh Granger of Brooklyn,New York-based Helpman Productions(helpmanproductions.org), gotwind of the threat to Sitka spruce andthe future of acoustic guitars, theyfelt instantly compelled to make adocumentary to amplify the story andsupport the push for sustainable solutions.They contacted members of theMusicWood Coalition, who welcomedthe participation. A film crew eventuallyjoined members of the coalition on atrip to Alaska, and they’ve continued towork over the past three years to completethe documentary project, titledMusicwood, relying on a mix of selffundingand private donations.When the funding well recentlywent dry, they turned to kickstarter.com, an online funding platform for creativeprojects, and were able to raiseadditional funds to finish filming andpay for post-production editing. In additionto the documentary, the productionteam has also been filming musicalperformances from bands that supportthe cause, including Yo La Tengo andTurin Brakes. To read more about theproject and watch a trailer for the film,which includes comments from BobTaylor, visit musicwoodthefilm.com.Road Show ReviewOur Road Show teams had a blastthis spring and early summer as theyscattered across North America andEurope — presenting 115 shows — tobring you the latest and greatest ideasand guitar concoctions direct from theTaylor mother ship. Normally we wouldreport about how much the attendeesenjoyed these events — which wasclearly the case again this time — butit’s worth noting how much our Taylorsales managers and product specialistsalso enjoyed the interaction and passionshared by so many people, includingour dealers. Every Road Show isa truly unique event, but a couple ofrecent shows stood out for unusual andvery different reasons. Our sales repswho presented the shows share theiraccounts below.The Orlando Science CenterOrlando, Florida, June 18, 2011Aaron Dablow:What a fun day. I met Angella(Director of Special Exhibits for theOrlando Science Center) last Novemberat a Road Show in Daytona Beach,and she reached out to see if we’d beinterested in doing a Road Show withthem for a special touring exhibit theywould be hosting. The Science Centeris huge — four floors of educationalexperience for all ages (dinosaurs,astronomy, nature, physics, etc.). Theexhibit is called “GUITAR: The Instrumentthat Rocked the World.”I did a meet-and-greet from 11 a.m.to 1 p.m. I set up a few guitars in theexhibit and let people know we weregoing to do a Road Show at 2 p.m.in the auditorium. There was a steadystream of people all morning, and Italked to many people who didn’t playguitar or know anything about them. Itwas fun educating non-players aboutguitars and how we differentiate ourselvesfrom other manufacturers.By the time 2 p.m. rolled around,the theater was packed with 250-pluspeople. We did an exact replica ofevery Road Show we’d do at a dealer,and it was an amazing experience.Marc Seal and I entertained the crowd,and we did a bit more detail about thedesign of our guitars to promote the“science” aspect of the event. Manypeople hung out afterwards to thank us,and we had great interaction with themthroughout the day.That night there was a fashion showevent called “Cocktails and Cosmos” inthe Science Center’s astronomy/planetariumsection, and Marc played someof his songs for 45 minutes before theevent. We thought he was going to bebackground music, but about 50 peopleactually stood and listened to himplay. The fashion show was interesting,as a couple of the models actually usedour guitars as props when they walkedthe catwalk. We were at the ScienceCenter for 14 hours, but it was wellworth it.Ernie Williamson MusicJoplin, Missouri, June 15, 2011JR Robison:After the tornadoes ripped thoughJoplin on May 22, I thought the upcomingRoad Show would be canceled.After speaking with Mitch, the storemanager, he told me there was no waythey would cancel. It will be a goodescape for everybody, he said. I’d beentold for weeks that I wouldn’t believewhat we’d see when we got to Joplin,and they were right. The pictures can’teven come close to showing the puredevastation they’ve experienced. Morethan 100 people were killed, and thousandsare displaced from their homesand businesses.Despite what Joplin has beenthrough, we had a great turnout. Wemodified the presentation a bit. It’s notlike the Road Shows are pushy salesevents, but we didn’t want to be evenremotely insensitive. We still talkedabout body shapes and tonewoods,the T5, Baritone and GS Mini, but[product specialist] Michael Lille playedmore, which was great. We set up avocal mic, and he even sang a fewtunes, much to the delight of those inattendance. We also did a GS Minigiveaway to a customer of the dealer’schoice. It went to Justin Nevins, a localworship leader who lost everything —his house, both cars, all his guitars,everything material, but he got out safewith his wife and four children. Hethanked us profusely not only for theGS Mini, but also for bringing the RoadShow to Joplin.

28 www.taylorguitars.comWorldViewSix months into self-distribution in Europe, Taylor has laida strong foundation for growth from its new headquartersin Amsterdam“Wow, it’s a real Taylor stand!”beamed Steve Gray from Taylor’s biggestUK dealer, Guitarguitar, as hesurveyed Taylor’s exhibition spaceat April’s Musikmesse trade show inFrankfurt, Germany. The effusive toneseemed to epitomize the prevailingvibe in the Taylor room throughout theshow. At the time, Taylor was just threemonths into handling its own distributionin Europe, and this marked thecompany’s first presence at Europe’sequivalent of the U.S. NAMM Showfully representing itself and operatingdirectly with dealers.While establishing our own Europeandistribution has been logisticallydemanding, the longterm benefits areconsiderable. Being able to sell directlyto dealers instead of working throughan export distributor allows Taylor tostreamline its distribution processesand make better connections with bothdealers and end customers. It alsogives Taylor a better platform to delivera complete brand experience, as Musikmessedemonstrated.Taylor’s showcase area was a doublefeature of sorts, featuring acousticson one side and a full array of electricson the other, with a carpeted walkthrougharea connecting the two. LikeWinter NAMM, the acoustics werearranged by body shape, and the electricsshowcased the new colors anddouble cutaway models, which werewell received by dealers and players.“It’s fair to say that the way we displayedour guitars served as an inspirationfor dealers on how to displayguitars in their stores,” says Taylor’sDirector of European Sales, FrankStevens. “It was also great to see howmany people played so many guitars, allday long. At one point, only three guitarswere hanging on the wall — all ofthe others were in the hands of peopleplaying them!”With VP of Sales & Marketing BrianSwerdfeger on hand, along with BobTaylor, Kurt Listug, and a new Europeansales and service team, the overallmood of the booth throughout theshow, says Frank, was one of “excellence,positivity and professionalism.”“Our sales team managed to conveythe Taylor values to everybodywho came to see us at the booth,” heexplains. “It’s that perfect balance ofenthusiasm and professionalism thathas made this a successful transitionperiod for the dealers all over Europe.Existing Taylor dealers told us they’revery happy about our approach andabout the new distribution model. Andothers who’d had a ‘wait and see’mindset came by eager to be openedas a Taylor dealer. It was also very interestinghow many of our competitorswere ‘hanging out’ at our booth to seewhat all the fuss is about.”Assorted views of the Taylor exhibition booth at Musikmesse (photos by Katrina Horstman)

29Setting Up Shop in AMSAs we noted in the winter issue,Taylor moved into its new Europeanheadquarters in Amsterdam in Decemberof 2010, and the ensuing monthshave been spent fleshing out our warehouse,sales offices, and service andrepair center. David Hosler, our VP ofCustomer Service, had relocated toAmsterdam in 2010 to spearhead thedesign and logistics of setting up thenew venture. He simultaneously beganfocusing on staffing the service andrepair center and developing a networkof authorized repair technicians basedin other areas of Europe to extend Taylor’sservice outreach.Two long-tenured Taylor repair andservice managers from the factory in ElCajon, Rob Magargal and Glen Wolff,also were deeply involved in the trainingprocesses, and brought aboard tworepair techs, Uwe Dierkes and Roy Willems,along with two customer servicereps, Sander Van der Sluis and Eri Carrillo,to anchor the Amsterdam-basedservice center.The service and repair reps weretrained in El Cajon in late 2010, wellbefore the new building in Amsterdamwas even ready to house instruments orhad phone service. Rob and Glen thenspent the month of January abroad tohelp get the service center established.They returned to Amsterdam in Marchand April for about three weeks to hireand train a pool of outside repair techniciansfrom other countries in Europeto become Taylor-certified.In years past, service, repairs andwarranty coverage were the responsibilityof the distributor. By handling itsown distribution, Taylor will be able togive customers in Europe a consistentlevel of service, including the samekind of repair quality one would findfrom Taylor’s factory service center inthe U.S.“Repair materials and tooling aretransferred from El Cajon to Amsterdamwith the weekly shipments of guitars,”says European Service and RepairManager Uwe Dierkes. “Every item fitsthe exact specifications of the repairdepartment in El Cajon, so a techniciancoming over to help or work will justfind him/herself at home. The foodis different, but the workplace is thesame.”While they were in Amsterdam, Roband Glen also presented training seminarsto some of the dealers in Europe,covering the construction details of aTaylor, like the NT neck, that highlightthe serviceability of the guitars. Educatingdealers in this way gives them astrong selling point that they can sharewith customers.“Even the most sceptical candidateleft as one of our best service buddiesto represent our mission at his localstore,” says Dierkes.Taylor currently has 130 authorizeddealers throughout Europe, with a goalof adding many more by the end of theyear.This spring, Taylor also launcheda marketing outreach campaign to reengagewith European Taylor owners.Taylor ads placed in European guitarmagazines featured translated reprintsof our classic “Play Time” campaign,and encouraged owners to registertheir guitars with Taylor if they hadn’t.An added incentive was an offer ofextended warranty coverage and coveragefor used Taylors if they register bythe end of this year. Amsterdam’s repaircenter is also offering the same array ofservice packages as in the U.S., includingExpression System installation andupgrades.On the sales side, Taylor’s Europeansales team, like the service and repairstaff, were carefully selected to bethe best possible ambassadors ofthe company’s culture. The reps allreceived extensive training at thefactory in El Cajon, and this spring eachrep was paired with a sales rep in theU.S. as they spent a week out in thefield doing Road Shows. After morethan a dozen Road Shows in Europethis past spring, a fresh tour is beingplanned for the fall.Meanwhile, back in Amsterdam, theinterior design of the entire complex isnearing the final stages of completion.Two floors of custom-designedoffice and lounge space provide acomfortable working environmentfor Taylor staffers as well as a greatplace to host visiting artists, servicetechnicians, and dealers. The bottomfloor of the complex is a customdesignedTaylor Experience Centerthat will host a complete display ofthe Taylor acoustic and electric lines.A virtual tour of the El Cajon factory isalso being produced, and will be shownin HD video on a large-screen TV.“The entire facility was designedto bring a complete Taylor brandexperience into the Europeanmarketplace, and to serve our dealersand customers as completely andprofessionally as we do in the U.S.,”says David Hosler.The European Factory ServiceCenter is open Monday through Fridayfrom 09:00 to 17:00. To schedule anappointment for service, European Taylorowners can contact the CustomerService team by visiting the Internationalsection of the Taylor website andviewing their country’s web page. Here,players will find the toll-free numberfor their country to arrange for service,along with other basic information intheir native language.Above: Members of the European sales, service and repair team in Amsterdam. L-R: Frederic Mardelle, PaulChalder, Rob Magargal (El Cajon), Roy Willems, Eri Carrillo, Peter Samuelsson, Sander Van der Sluis, Uwe Dierkes,Stephan Fuchs; Below left: Service reps Sander and Eri in a second-floor office; Below right: the preferred modeof transportation in the city

Come meet a Taylor factoryexpert for a personal guitarconsultation!Is there anything more inspiring thandiscovering a Taylor that sings in yourhands? The good news: You have moreoptions than ever before. The bad news:You have more options than ever before.We can help.In late July and all of August, our friendlyfactory experts will visit 65 dealers acrossthe U.S. for the sole purpose of helpingyou find the Taylor that’s right for you.They’ll identify your player profile and tellyou which body shape and wood pairingsbest match your playing style. They’llanswer any questions you have. And ifyou’re not sure where to begin, they’llhelp you understand the basics.Look for tour dates and dealer locationsin the Calendar section to the right. Comesee us this summer and find your fit!SALES EVENTComing to a Taylor dealer near you.taylorguitars.com

31CalendarWehope you can make it to a dealer near you for a Find Your Fit sales event this summer. All dates are listedbelow. A fresh Road Show tour will roll out again this fall.Find Your Fit Sales EventsSarasota, FLMonday, July 25, 201111 a.m. - 6 p.m.Sarasota Guitar Company(941) 924-8321Spring Hill, FLTuesday, July 26, 201111 a.m. - 7 p.m.Quality Guitars(352) 442-7817Raleigh, NCTuesday, July 26, 201112 p.m. - 7 p.m.Harry’s Guitar Shop(919) 828-4888Minneapolis, MNTuesday, July 26, 201110 a.m. - 6 p.m.The Podium(612) 331-8893Daytona, FLWednesday, July 27, 201111 a.m. - 7 p.m.Total Entertainment(386) 254-8727Wilmington, NCWednesday, July 27, 201112 p.m. - 7 p.m.The Music Loft(910) 799-9310La Crosse, WIWednesday, July 27, 201111a.m. - 6 p.m.Dave’s Guitar Shop(608) 785-7704Ocala, FLThursday, July 28, 201111 a.m. - 6 p.m.Sound Exchange Music(352) 694-7290Greenville, SCThursday, July 28, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Fifth String Music(864) 242-5428Rockford, ILThursday, July 28, 201111 a.m. - 7 p.m.Randee’s Music Center(815) 399-1500Panama City, FLFriday, July 29, 201111 a.m. - 6 p.m.Leitz Music(850) 769-0111Columbia, SCFriday, July 29, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Sim’s Music(803) 772-3966Highland Park, ILFriday, July 29, 20112 p.m. - 8 p.m.The Music Gallery(847) 432-6350New Berlin, WISaturday, July 30, 201110 a.m. - 5 p.m.Cascio Interstate Music(262) 789-7600Cornish, METuesday, August 2, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Friendly River Music(207) 625-8639Littleton, NHWednesday, August 3, 201111 a.m. - 5 p.m.Northern Lights Music(603) 444-7776Manchester, NHThursday, August 4, 201112 p.m. - 7 p.m.Manchester Music Mill(603)623-8022Lexington, MASaturday, August 6, 201111 a.m. - 5 p.m.The Music Emporium(781) 860-0049Corpus Christi, TXSunday, August 7, 201112 p.m. - 5 p.m.Sound Vibrations(361) 884-8981Montgomery, ALMonday, August 8, 201111 a.m. - 6 p.m.Elite Music Sales(334) 215-0215San Antonio, TXMonday, August 8, 20111 p.m. - 7 p.m.Alamo Music(Babcock location)(210) 525-1010Birgmingham, ALTuesday, August 9, 201111 a.m. - 8 p.m.Bailey Bros. Music(205) 271-7827Houston, TXTuesday, August 9, 20112 p.m. - 8 p.m.Great Southern Music(281) 550-4545Huntsville, ALWednesday, August 10, 201111 a.m. - 8 p.m.The Fret Shop(256) 430-4729Chattanooga, TNThursday, August 11, 201111 a.m. - 6 p.m.Guitar Galleria(800) 304-3111Austin, TXThursday, August 11, 201112 p.m. - 5 p.m.Austin Bazaar(512) 300-0487Atlanta, GAFriday, August 12, 201111 a.m. - 6 p.m.Maple Street Guitars(404) 231-5214San Diego, CASaturday, August 13, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Guitar Trader(619) 583-9751Tustin, CAMonday, August 15, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Jim’s Music Center(714) 669-3600Lansing, MITuesday, August 16, 201112 p.m. - 8 p.m.Marshall Music(517) 337-9700Santa Monica, CATuesday, August 16, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.McCabe’s Guitar Shop(310) 828-4497Fishers, INWednesday, August 17, 201110 a.m. - 6 p.m.Reno’s Music(317) 849-5744Santa Barbara, CAWednesday, August 17, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Instrumental Music(805) 569-5055Galesburg, ILThursday, August 18, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Music Makers(309) 342-0176San Jose, CAThursday, August 18, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Guitar Showcase(408) 377-5864Crystal Lake, ILFriday, August 19, 201111 a.m. - 8 p.m.The Player’s Bench(815) 459-8614Santa Rosa, CAFriday, August 19, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Bananas at Large(707) 542-5588Roslyn, NYSaturday, August 20, 201111 a.m. - 4 p.m.The Music Zoo(781) 631-9292Virginia Beach, VASaturday, August 20, 201111 a.m. - 6 p.m.Alpha Music(757) 486-2001Sacramento, CASaturday, August 20, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Skip’s Music(916) 484-7575Renton, WASaturday, August 20, 201110 a.m. - 6 p.m.A Sharp Music(425) 251-5929League City, TXMonday, August 22, 20111 p.m. - 7 p.m.Danny D’s Guitar Hacienda(281) 338-1830Catonsville, MDMonday, August 22, 201112 p.m. - 8 p.m.Appalachian Bluegrass Shoppe(410) 744-1144Seattle, WAMonday, August 22, 201110 a.m. - 6 p.m.Dusty Strings(206) 634-1662Memphis, TNTuesday, August 23, 201112 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.Martin Music(901) 729-2466Hawkins, TXTuesday, August 23, 20111 p.m. - 7 p.m.Action Sound(903) 769-5262Trenton, NJTuesday, August 23, 20112 p.m. - 8 p.m.Russo Music Center(609) 888-0620Bellevue, WATuesday, August 23, 201110 a.m. - 7 p.m.Bellevue American Music(425) 641-5005Sevierville, TNWednesday, August 24, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Music Outlet(865) 453-1031Grapevine, TXWednesday, August 24, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Grapevine Guitar Works(817) 909-2427New London, CTWednesday, August 24, 201112 p.m. - 7 p.m.Caruso Music(860) 442-9600West Chester, PAWednesday, August 24, 20112 p.m. - 8 p.m.West Chester Music Store(610) 436-8641Olympia, WAWednesday, August 24, 201110 a.m. - 7 p.m.Music 6000(360) 786-6000Lexington, KYThursday, August 25, 201112 p.m. - 7 p.m.Willcutt Guitar Shoppe(859) 276-2713Weatherford, TXThursday, August 25, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Craig’s Music(817) 599-8021New York, NYThursday, August 25, 201111 a.m. - 7 p.m.J&R Music World(212) 238-9000Phillipsburg, NJThursday, August 25, 20112 p.m. - 8 p.m.Dave Phillips Music & Sound(908) 454-3313Corvallis, ORThursday, August 25, 201111 a.m. - 6 p.m.Gracewinds Music(541) 754-6098Cincinnati, OHFriday, August 26, 201112 p.m. - 6 p.m.Buddy Roger’s Music(513) 247-0022Plainview, NYFriday, August 26, 201112 p.m. - 7 p.m.All Music Inc.(516) 433-6969Red Bank, NJFriday, August 26, 20112 p.m. - 8 p.m.Monmouth Music(732) 747-8888Coshocton, OHSaturday, August 27, 201112 p.m. - 5 p.m.Wildwood Music(740) 622-4224Potomac Falls, VASaturday, August 27, 201111 a.m. - 6 p.m.Melodee Music(703) 450-4667SALES EVENTRoanoke, VAMonday, August 29, 201111 a.m. - 7 p.m.Fret Mill Music(540) 982-6686Pittsburgh, PAWednesday, August 31, 201112 p.m. - 8 p.m.Empire Music(412) 343-5299

TaylorWare®summer 2011CLOTHING / GEAR / PARTS / GIFTSJarrett (left) and Troy build coolthings around the factory and helpfabricate our NAMM Show roomeach year.

men’s t-shirtsABNewCFGNewHNewA) Taylor Stack Guitar T100% cotton, slim fit, roundlogo on the back.(Brown #1465; S-XL, $24.00;XXL-XXXL, $26.00)B) Guitar Hammock T100% preshrunk cotton,generous fit. (White #1600;M-XL, $24.00; XXL, $26.00)C) Headstock T100% cotton. (Deep Heather#1474; S-XL, $24.00;XXL, $26.00)D) Lone Guitar T100% preshrunk cotton.(Camel #1479; M-XL,$24.00; XXL, $26.00)E) Taylor Logo Stamp T100% combed cotton. Logostamp design with reversesilhouette guitar neck.(Silver #1200; S-XL, $24.00;XXL, $26.00F) Vintage Peghead T100% combed cotton.(Black #1480; S-XL, $24.00;XXL-XXXL, $26.00)G-H) Logo TPreshrunk 100% cotton,generous fit. (Heather CardinalRed #1900, Light Blue #1800;S-XL, $20.00; XXL-XXXL,$22.00)I) Case Label T100% cotton, fashion fit.Small guitar on front, largecase label design on back.(Black #1000; S-XL, $24.00;XXL, $26.00)DINewENew

great gifts for any Taylor fanABCDEFGGHHIAll straps available in additional colorsA) Taylor Pub Glasses. 20-oz glass, setof four. (#70011, $25.00) B) TaylorPorcelain Cup. 11-oz thermal cup, flexiblesilicone sipping lid. (#70008, $15.00)C) Taylor Water Bottle. 24-oz, stainlesssteel, threaded loop cap. (Black #70014,$15.00) D) Taylor Coffee Mug. Black withwhite logo, 13 oz. (#70009, $10.00) E)Taylor Silver Dial Watch. By Fossil,stainless steel, Taylor-branded tin gift boxincluded. (#71025, $99.00) F) FrontPocket Wallet. By Fossil, three card slots,two slip pockets, money clip. Fossil tinincluded. (Brown #71300, $35.00)G) Web Guitar Strap. (Black #65000,Brown #65010, Camouflage #65030,$24.00) H) Suede Guitar Strap. (Black#62001, Honey #62000, Chocolate#62003, $35.00) I) Leather Guitar Strap.(Burgundy #64000, Black #64010, Red#64020, Brown #64030, $70.00)

ABCNewGhats, more shirts,parts and accessoriesHEIFDJTaylorWare®CLOTHING / GEAR / PARTS / GIFTSA) Tattered Patch Cap. Flex fit, two sizes. (Brown, S/M #00150, L/XL #00151, $25.00) B) Military Cap. Enzyme-washed 100% cottonchino twill, Velcro closure, one size. (Black #00400, Olive #00401, $22.00) C) Trucker Cap. Organic cotton twill front with Taylor patch;mesh sides/back. Structured, mid-profile, six panel, precurved visor. Plastic tab adjust. (Black/Crème #00387, one size, $25.00)D) Ladies’ Short-Sleeve Floral Guitar T. 100% organic pima cotton, regular fit. (Ocean Blue #4088; S-XL, $25.00) E) Tri Blend Polo.cotton/poly/rayon polo, slim fit. (Tri Black #2703; S-XL, $39.00) F) Taylor Sketch T. 100% combed cotton. (Navy #1419; S-XL, $24.00;XXL, $26.00) G) Loaded Pickguards. Swappable pickup/pickguard unit for your SolidBody. For a complete list of ordering options,go to taylorguitars.com/taylorware. $195.00 (Single HG Humbucker: $148.00) H) Taylor V-Cable. TM Volume control cable, 250K.Note: The V-Cable is not intended for use on a passive piezo pickup. ($62.00-$74.00) I) Guitar Lessons by Bob Taylor. (WileyPublishing, 2011, 230 pages; #75060, $20.00) J) ES-Go Pickup. exclusively for the GS Mini. (#84022 $98.00)Choose from an assortment of replacement partslike chrome or gold tuners, nuts and saddles, guitarcables, pickguards and bridge pins — with or withoutabalone dots, at taylorguitars.com.taylorware.Visit our website for moreinformation about theTaylorWare Gift Card.Visit taylorguitars.com/taylorware to see the full line.

Cert no. SCS-COC-001210XX%A Publication of Taylor GuitarsVolume 68 / Summer 2011Taylor Guitars | 1980 Gillespie Way | El Cajon, CA 92020-1096 | taylorguitars.comPresortedStandardU.S. PostagePAIDPhoenix, AZPermit No. 5937The paper we used is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The FSC is anon-profit organization that supports environmentally friendly, socially responsibleand economically viable management of the world’s forests.Star PowerThis BTO GS6-12 was made for guitarist andsongwriter Brian Ray, who has worked withEtta James and Smokey Robinson, and is amember of Paul McCartney’s touring band.Ray already owns a pair of Taylor maple 12-stringJumbos that have logged a lot of touring milesover the years. This time around, he chose a GSbody and an Adirondack spruce top for an evenbolder, richer voice, and opted for the cleanvintage look of a tobacco sunburst, ivoroidbinding, and a mother-of-pearl star inlay pattern.Ray’s latest solo release is This Way Up.www.brianray.com