Taylor Guitars
| Taylor Guitars
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | Incorporated |
| founding | 1974 |
| Seat | El Cajon , California , USA |
| management | Bob Taylor, Kurt Listug |
| Number of employees | > 900 |
| Branch | Musical instruments |
| Website | www.taylorguitars.com |
Taylor Guitars (Taylor Listug, Inc. dba Taylor Guitars) is an American manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars . The company was founded in 1974 by Bob Taylor, Kurt Listug and Steve Schemmer and, in addition to its headquarters in El Cajon , California, has another production facility in Tecate , Mexico . Taylor Guitars is one of the leading guitar manufacturers in the premium segment.
Company history
Bob Taylor started working at American Dream , a music store , in 1972 at the age of 18 . When the company owner Sam Radding decided to sell the company in 1974, Bob Taylor, Kurt Listug and Steve Schemmer bought it, which laid the foundation for Taylor Guitars in Lemon Grove, California . Initially the company was renamed Westland Music Company, but because of the size of the lettering for the guitar head, a more compact name had to be found. It was therefore decided to name the company Taylor , especially since Bob Taylor was the actual guitar maker . Listug took care of the financial and business administration, while Taylor was responsible for design and production. In 1976 the company decided to sell its instruments through a nationwide network of retailers.
Taylor initially concentrated on building acoustic guitars, combining high-quality materials and fine woods with precision craftsmanship from the start. The company was soon recognized as a manufacturer of instruments with extraordinary sound and playing properties. In addition, there is the use of innovative and computer-aided manufacturing techniques and design features, such as the patented, one-piece, screwed-on NT neck, which has been installed as standard since 2001 . Special pickup systems made the products very popular with amateur musicians and professional artists, especially for live use. When Taylor Guitars ran into financial difficulties in 1981, it saved itself by taking out a bank loan and expanding further by purchasing better production machinery. In 1983 Schemmer was paid off and left the company.
Taylor Guitars is one of the leading guitar manufacturers in the premium segment with over 900 employees. The instruments are sold internationally in more than 60 countries, including through our own shipping and logistics center in the Netherlands . In 2008 Taylor Guitars entered into a strategic partnership with competitor Fender to increase awareness of the Taylor brand in Europe.
Models
Over the years Taylor has developed a wide variety of models and series to meet a wide variety of needs. In addition to western guitars with steel strings, concert guitars with nylon strings are also manufactured. There are different body sizes with and without a cutaway . Production was later expanded to include the manufacture of high-quality electric guitars and semi-acoustic semi- resonance guitars . Taylor now also produces guitars in the middle price segment, so-called Baby Taylor with 3/4 body.
The fact that many prominent bands and guitarists such as Taylor Swift , Bruce Springsteen , Peter Maffay , Prince , David Gilmore , Lenny Kravitz , The Rolling Stones , One Direction or Leo Kottke play Taylor guitars not only led to a whole series of Signature models of special quality and equipment, but also an equipment and support program for musicians, which is divided into Featured Artists and Supported Artists , comparable to the endorser programs of other manufacturers.
Model codes
Since 2013, Taylor has been using a multi-digit code to identify the various acoustic models and series. The first digit provides information about the series type of the instrument, for example standard series 100–900, presentation or KOA series (PS, K) and others. The second digit indicates whether it is a 6-string (1) or 12-string (5) guitar, while the third digit documents the body shape. A distinction is made here:
- 0 = dreadnought
- 2 = Grand Concert
- 4 = Grand Auditorium
- 5 = Jumbo (production stopped in 2011)
- 6 = Grand Symphony
- 7 = Grand Pacific
- 8 = Grand Orchestra
An optional addition is a letter code that indicates whether the instrument has a cutaway ("c"), is equipped with a pickup system ("e") or has nylon strings ("N"). For example, the model number for a 6-string acoustic guitar from the 400 series with a dreadnought body, cutaway and pickup system is 410ce. Special design and material features can also be identified by a code. So "K" stands for the use of KOA -Holz, "SB" and "BLK" for a Sunburst - or black finish paint . A coding "GB", which is no longer used in the meantime, refers to the standard delivery of the respective instrument, especially in the lower price range, with a Taylor gig bag, a robust transport bag.
When it comes to electric guitars, a distinction is made between the T3 and T5z model series.
Build-to-order
A specialty in industrial guitar making is the possibility to order instruments according to your own ideas via an authorized dealer. The customer can use all available woods, materials, construction methods, processing features, pickups, mechanics, design selection, inlays etc. and thus have a very individual guitar made. This applies to acoustic and semi-acoustic as well as electrical models.
sustainable production
The Taylor Guitars company uses ecological and environmentally conscious production methods in instrument construction. This is based on the responsible handling of forests and raw materials, from cultivation to clearing and transport to processing, which the company has assured by the raw material suppliers and dealers along the supply and supply chains in corresponding partner contracts. In addition, there is more effective processing with a corresponding reduction in waste, the development of environmentally friendly plastics and the recycling of raw materials. Taylor Guitars maintains a close partnership with the global environmental organization GreenWood Global.
Sources and web links
- Official website of Taylor Guitars
- Guitar Guide: Taylor Guitars
- Taylor 918e Review on AcousticGuitar.com
- Bob Taylor, Cofounder and President of Taylor Guitars Writes New Book about Life, Passion and Business
- The Californian: Taylor Guitars - the whole and hum of its parts
Individual evidence
- ↑ Legal: Terms & Conditions
- ↑ Taylor Guitar Story - From the Beginning - Musician's Superstore.com ( Memento of the original from January 5, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Tony Bacon, Paul Day: The Ultimate Guitar Book. Edited by Nigel Osborne, Dorling Kindersley, London / New York / Stuttgart 1991; Reprint 1993, ISBN 0-86318-640-8 , p. 41.
- ^ Machining beautiful music
- ^ Taylor Guitars NT Neck
- ^ Taylor Guitar Expression System
- ↑ About Taylor Guitars
- ↑ Taylor and Fender join forces in Europe - businesswire.com
- ↑ One Direction Play Taylor Guitars ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Taylor Signature Models
- ^ Taylor Artists
- ↑ Taylor Wood & Steel Magazine, Issue 93 Spring 2019
- ^ Taylor Guitar Model Index
- ^ Build-To-Order Taylor Guitars
- ↑ Branding for Good - Taylor: Premium Acoustic Guitars, 2012 ( Memento of the original dated August 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ GreenWood Global - Major current Partnerships
