I bought my Baby Taylor last July, for the purpose of travel. But I soon learned
that this guitar was much more than just a convenient carry-on; it sounds great and
is fun to play. I knew I would be visiting Aspen in the fall and looked forward to
bringing the Baby with me. This little guitar was small enough to carry-on and the
airlines had no problem with that.
Begun in October 1998, hundreds of John Denver fans gather in Aspen to celebrate a
"Musical Tribute to John Denver". It has become so popular that the town of Aspen has
issued an official proclamation, declaring it John Denver Week!
John Denver played Taylor Guitars and several of his fans play them also. I knew that
many of them would be in Aspen too, and that's when I got the idea of including all the
Taylor guitars in the picture.
This picture was taken on Sunday, October 15, 2000, in front of one of the world's most
photographed mountains in the world, Maroon Bells. We gathered an astounding eight
different Taylor models, and two Baby Taylors. The people in this photograph traveled
from all over the country to attend the John Denver tribute events. They are:
Standing in back row, left to right: Rod Hier (Nebraska) -
K22; Dr. Christopher Westfall
(New Jersey) -
814 with custom inlay; Steve Gorman
(Northern California) - 355; Frank
DeLaMarre (Michigan) - K65
Kneeling in front row, left to right: Dave Howard (Texas) -
512; Pat Hier (Nebraska) -
Baby Taylor; Shirley Pestana
(Southern California) - Baby Taylor; Melanie Trondson
(Colorado) - 655; Judy Therrien
(Northern California) - 815E
Thank you for making such great sounding guitars and for making the Baby Taylor.
Shirley Pestana
Via the Internet
"BEAUTY FROM EL CAJON"
Not long ago, I stopped at Madison Music (in Madison, Wisconsin), to pick a few of the beautiful Taylors they had on hand. I asked
Mike Turk if he had a 512 in stock. He did. I played it, and knew I would not leave the store without that beauty! I'd been
debating for three years (the length of time I've been playing) about getting either a Taylor or a [different brand].
I have a lot of friends who play Taylors, so I have had ample opportunity to hear them used in coffeehouses and concert halls.
I also had the joy of attending a Chris Shaw guitar workshop you sponsored, after which I knew I wanted a Taylor, for sure! When
I played the 512, an amazing feeling came over me. It was as if this specific guitar was crafted just for me!
I began playing guitar at age 51, and I'm a poet/songwriter/folksinger, who, by day, works as a Labor Market Analyst for the
state of Wisconsin (have to pay the rent somehow). I can tell you without reservation that my Taylor 512 really makes me look
and sound like I've been playing for more than three years! Yes, even a novice doing simple, three-chord love songs sounds great
on a 512!
I even wrote a poem, called "Beauty From El Cajon", to honor you and your luthiers for making this beauty that is now mine. It
captivated me only as a truly beautiful lady could!
Dan Curtin
Neenah, Wisconsin
NO REGRETS
I recently took one of my guitars to a shop to have some fret work done. After
leaving, I walked to another shop that carries Taylors. There was a 512-M hanging on the wall, and I had to pick it up. Well, to say the
least, I fell in love with it, but not having the money or the need for another guitar, I put it back on the wall. A few days later, I
went back to pick up my other guitar, and I had to stop in to look at the Taylor again, figuring that something that played that good
and was that beautiful would be gone, but it was not. So, after a month of stopping by that store almost twice a week, I finally came
home with it. I have not regretted it yet.
Craig Eller
Via the Internet
