Successful Innovations by Taylor Guitars Leads to Line Reorganization

Press release
Source: Taylor Guitars

Over the past three decades, Taylor Guitars has established itself as a market leader in acoustic/electric guitars. The instant success of company president Bob Taylor's recent innovations in the acoustic and electric markets with the GS and T5 have inspired a bold new restructuring of the Taylor line for 2007 into three distinct instrument families – “Acoustic,” “Acoustic/Electric” and “Electric” guitars.

TAYLOR ACOUSTICS
Taylor’s Acoustic line has blossomed with the success of the Grand Symphony (GS) acoustic guitar. The GS won Music Inc. magazine’s “Best in Show” award at Winter NAMM 2006, and its big, bell-like sound has surprised even Taylor fans who thought they knew the “Taylor sound”. All Grand Concerts in the Acoustic line have a new slotted headstock, and all gloss-finished Acoustics have a “level” pricing structure inspired by the GS Series, so that a player’s choice of guitar may be based on personal preferences for tonal qualities, rather than on the affordability of a particular wood combination.

Taylor 12-strings are represented in the Acoustic line by two new satin Grand Auditorium 12-strings and by the Leo Kottke Signature Model, one of the best-selling acoustic 12-strings of all time.

Taylor's patented Expression System (ES) acoustic pickup is an available option on all Taylor Acoustics.

TAYLOR ACOUSTIC/ELECTRICS
Taylor pioneered Acoustic/Electric guitars, and flagship models in its Acoustic/Electric category, such as the 814ce and 310ce, are among the most widely imitated guitars in the world. Taylor Acoustic/Electrics won the Gold in Acoustic Guitar magazine’s 2006 “Players’ Choice Awards". It was the second time Taylor Acoustic/Electrics have taken the Gold in this category, the first being in 2000. (The Players’ Choice Awards are held every two years; winners are chosen by readers who participate in a poll published in Acoustic Guitar magazine.)

All Taylor Acoustic/Electrics come standard with cutaways and the award-winning ES, which received a prestigious 2004 Mix Foundation TEC Award in the category of "Musical Instrument Technology." The Taylor ES was the first-ever acoustic pickup to win a TEC Award in the 25 year history of the Awards.

TAYLOR ELECTRICS
The heart of Taylor’s Electric category is the revolutionary T5, a chameleon-like axe that won both “2005 Best New Electric Guitar” and “2005 Product of the Year” awards at Winter NAMM ’06. New in the Electric category is the T5 12-string. Built with Taylor’s proprietary T5 electronics, the T5 12-string may be plugged into either a P.A. system or an electric amp, and can go from clean acoustic chiming to soaring electric textures (and a wide range of sounds in-between), with the flick of a five-way switch.

Standard and Custom models are available. T5 6- and 12-strings are available in an array of arresting finishes, including natural, sunburst, and metallic colors.

OTHER NEWS
There also are big changes for Taylor’s mid-priced guitars. The company has completely revised its 200 Series and is now offering two Dreadnoughts (210 and 210e) and two Grand Auditoriums (214 and 214e) built with Indian rosewood laminate backs and sides, and glossy tops of solid Sitka spruce. Guitars in the 200 Series come with Taylor hardshell cases.

Taylor’s original mid-priced 100 Series has expanded to include two new Grand Auditoriums, the 114 and 114e, in addition to the popular 100 and 110e Dreadnoughts. All 100 Series guitars have sapele laminate back and sides, solid Sitka spruce tops, and come with a rugged, lightweight Taylor gig bag.

All 100 and 200 Series guitars with electronics, signified by the “e” in the model number, come with the “ES Element” — a new proprietary pickup design from Taylor.

In addition, as of 2007, dealers may order deluxe Presentation Series (PS) guitars in any Taylor body shape and with a variety of different inlays at no extra charge. Brazilian rosewood, Mexican cocobolo, Hawaiian koa, Big Leaf maple, and walnut are all Premium tonewood options for PS guitars.

For more information, visit Taylor Guitars at NAMM, Meeting Room 213 A/B, or contact Taylor Guitars at 1980 Gillespie Way, El Cajon, CA, 92020-1096, (619) 258-6957, or visit Taylor on the web at www.taylorguitars.com.

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