EYE-, EAR-CATCHING
I currently own a '96 410ce. Recently, I went to my local guitar
dealer, Gordon Music in Southbridge, Massachusetts, to pick up an inexpensive acoustic - something I wouldn't mind taking
outside, to the beach, etc. If it got a little nick, no big deal. I was at the register paying for a [different brand]
import when a Taylor 510 caught my eye. I played it for 15 minutes
and ended up spending an extra grand and taking it home.
It is difficult to put down.
What a fine instrument. I love the sound and response. The cosmetic touches add so much to its beauty. The built-in
pickup is a great-sounding feature. It's a great additon to my collection. Keep up the the excellent craftmanship!
Mark Kelly
Via the Internet
PICKIN' ON THE UN
 I recently returned to Scotland after a successful US tour (my 12th) that took in 21 gigs in 25 days and covered 4,500
miles in eight states. Highlight gigs included a "Songwriters in the Round" at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, and a
showcase performance at the North East Regional Folk Alliance, Split Rock, Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania. Most prestigious
of all, I took part in a concert series at the United Nations in New York (see attached JPG).
The guitar I play is a custom 510
(cedar instead of Engelmann top and Fishman blender, which was upgraded in the factory
with a better-quality Fishman mic during one of my previous tours). I also own a
514c. I received many comments about
my guitar sound in a variety of venues, as I always do. However, here's what I thought would most interest you: I am
not a cutting-edge guitar wizard, [but] rather a singer who fingerpicks guitar in a style that is gently melodic but
solid (not dissimilar to John Denver and Tom Paxton). Yet, at the Folk Alliance conference, which attracts the cream of
the world's folk musicians, I was approached by many "real" guitarists who were knocked out by my sound and asked
questions about my guitar. My only answer was, "it's a Taylor!" Thanks for making such fine instruments.
Bruce Davies
Via the Internet
TAYLOR AND THE ART OF MAKING MUSIC
Recently, I chatted with one of your sales reps over the phone, and I just wanted to say "thanks" for the excellent info I received. As a result of
that conversation, I ended up buying a Commemorative Model 314-MCE last weekend, and I'm incredibly delighted with it.
This is my fourth Taylor, and I love each one of them in its own way. I use a 510 and a
714 for recording at home, and now I've got a 310-MCE and a 314-CE for gigs.
I've got a truly fine stable of instruments and, at this point, I really don''t want to play anything else.
I'm selling my last "othermajorbrandofamericanmadeacousticguitars" to help subsidize the cost of the 310-MCE and, to be honest, I'm never looking
back. I've always been impressed by how well Taylors are intonated and are so wonderfully playable, right off the shelf. That cannot be said
for guitars made by many other manufacturers and is something that you folks should be very proud of.
So, anyway, thanks for the help and, most of all, thanks for the truly superb instruments that you folks make. They make the art of making
music so much more enjoyable.
Geoff Schuller
San Jose, California
Via the Internet
LOCAL GIRLS IN THE HOUSE
 Thought you all would get a
kick out of seeing me and my Taylor 510 performing at a Candlelight
Tour of the White House on Dec. 28, 1998. I play with the singing group Local Girls, who have performed together for 10 years. All of my acoustic
playing on their new CD (due out late this summer) was on the same guitar. I really love my 510, and all the other Taylor instruments I've played!
The staff at the White House was very gracious to all of us, and it was a wonderful experience!
Mike McGannon
Via the Internet
JAWDROPPING TONE
I am the proud owner of (among other guitars) a '68 Guild D-35. I've had it since it was new, when it was "voiced" by a guy named
Stutzman in New York [David Stutzman of Stutzman Guitar Center in Rochester, NY], resulting in a gorgeous tone with deep,
tight bass and ringing highs. Over the years I would play other "high-ends" at music stores. None sounded nearly as good as
my Guild. About a year ago, I was at Guitar Center in Fountain Valley [California] fingerpicking new [other brand] and really wondering
what people saw in those guitars. To me, their sound was "muddy" and muted. I was about to leave when I spotted a new Taylor.
I had known of the brand, but I thought, "if a [other brand] sounded like it did, what could this Taylor sound like?" I picked it up,
played a chord, and the sound made my jaw drop. It was the first new guitar I ever played that sounded as good as my beloved Guild.
Since then, I have played other Taylors and am still amazed at the sound. I am now a devout follower, and will soon be a proud owner.
Thanks for the experience.
Michael Sebastian
Via the Internet
BURNS' FINGERTIPS
As a new and extremely satisfied owner of a 510 (with equally sore fingertips),
I am taking this opportunity to congratulate your company on the production of an excellent musical instrument, as well as the outstanding product support of this
website and the Wood&Steel publication. It is clear to me that Taylor is truly dedicated to excellence.
I look forward to a visit to your new factory installation in the near future.
Robert Burns
Fair Oaks, California
Via the Internet
NO DULL GUITARS
I bought my 510 in 1979. I paid $300 and have been offered many times that for
it, over the years. I added a 750 to my collection in 1997. I was tempted to buy [another brand], but then I tried a 714-CE. The [other brand]
sounds so dull in comparison. My next acoustic will, once again, be a Taylor. I enjoy your Wood&Steel publication.
William Kambeitz
Sunnyvale, California
Via the Internet
GROWING TOGETHER
My name is Jeff Timms and I am the original owner of a beautiful 915-C that I special-ordered through the Ithaca Guitar Works (Ithaca, New York) back in the fall of 1982. By coincidence, it is the last guitar listed in your 1982 series with serial number 1951 [see Details/"Dating Your Guitar"].
At the time, I was a very serious player (still am, but I also need to eat and pay my mortgage), and I had decided that after playing and owning numerous electric and acoustic guitars, I was going to purchase my last acoustic guitar. I looked at [several brands], myriad other custom makes and models, and then Chris at Ithaca suggested that I try one of these new guitars called Taylor.
I played an 810 and fell in love. I played a 510 and loved it. I played all four Taylors (which I now realize after reading your "History" must have been a great sale for you guys at the time) that they had in stock and loved every one of them, and they all played great - something I could not seem to achieve with any two consecutive [other brand] that I played.
As a result, I decided to take a chance on this little unknown company called Taylor, which, to the dismay of my other guitar-playing friends, seemed to be a risky proposition at the time (as a music store clerk recently said, "before they were even cool"). I took the last $1,000 of my college student loan and $700 from my fiancée, and ordered a tiger-maple 915c with a cutaway, no pickguard, flawless German spruce top, and rosewood bindings on the body.
When it arrived, on Christmas Eve of 1982, I was delighted. It was, and still is, a beautiful piece of work that only sounds better as we both get older. To me, and I think to others as well, it is the most beautiful Taylor I have ever seen. I'm not so sure as to the status of my then fiancée.
Since that fateful day, I have watched with pride as this little unknown company grew into what I believe to be the top guitar manufacturer of the day, and I feel that through this purchase and my constant promoting of the guitar (onstage and off), it's as though I have been a part of that growth in some small way.
Over time, I moved to Atlanta, got responsible, and now have two children. My daughter, age 10, has a most wonderful Baby Taylor that gets quite a workout from dad from time to time.
I'm not one to write letters like this, but I just wanted to say, "Thanks, Bob." Someday, I would like to meet you face to face, for your craftsmanship has been a major part of my life for many years.
Jeffrey L. Timms
Lawrenceville, Georgia
Via the Internet
TAYLOR TRILOGY
Well, it happened. I got all the information that you promised to send me within three days of the
my e-mail. The efficiency of your company is amazing and appreciated. So, the catalog. I sort of skipped over the 300 Series, because I knew what
was coming at the end - the beautiful Koas and the most beautiful of them all, in my humble opinion, the PS-14. Wow. Amazing, and I bet it
plays as nice as it looks.
After a week of drooling over the catalog, my high school graduation came along. All I got from my parents was a card. Actually two taped
together. I was hoping for a new amp for my electric (Fender Strat Custom Shop), but no such luck. Only two stinking cards. Maybe it's money.
I opened the first, "We're so proud...blah blah blah..." Sweet. Then the second. Inside, I saw a picture of a man walking into the sunset,
with a guitar case in his hand and a sign above him saying,"Taylor" On the bottom was the number 310-CE. The Dreadnought
Cutaway with Fishman Electronics.
OK. I had skipped over them in the catalog for a reason, or so I thought. My dad walked out with the guitar in his hand, Taylor hardshell
case and everything. I wasn't expecting it to sound as good as Taylor Dwyer's 510, the first Taylor I ever played, but
when I hit that big old open E chord, I started crying. It was exactly everything I have ever wanted in a guitar. So what, I was crying at my
party in front of 40 people who know me well and I didn't even care. I played it for 2-1/2 hours before my dad told me I had to come out and be
sociable. Anyway, sorry for the long story, but I am perfectly pleased with everything. Thank you.
P.S. My girlfriend, one of my best friends, and my guitar are all named Taylor. Coincidence? I think not.
James Koehn
Via the Internet
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