What attracted you to Taylor?

[Mark Stone]

I guess this question is for people that would consider Taylor as their favorite make, and came from another manufacturer. Looking at sigs tells me that many members here own a Taylor instrument in addition to several other manufacturer's guitars, so you decide if this question applies to you or not: What attracted you to Taylor?

Most of my guitar life I've been a Gibson guy. I've owned and played a number of Gibson acoustics through the decades: a B25, an SJ-200, a J-50 and most recently a Hummingbird Pro. All of these instruments were very well made and had wonderful tone and feel, and I think my Bozeman Hummingbird Pro was my favorite of the lot.

A couple of summers ago I was "playing around the room" at my local GC when a 614ce just simply blew me away. To make a short story long, I spent the next 30 minutes playing through their many Taylor guitars and it was a real eye opener. I decided at the time that if I ever replaced the Hummingbird Pro, it would be with a Taylor.

Circumstances took away the Gibson and I found myself playing an Epiphone for a while. A friend offered to trade his 110e for my Epi EJ-200, and -- voila -- I was suddenly a Taylor owner. This took place only a month or so ago.

Although at the modest end of the Taylor lineup, my new 110e is just - how do I put it - a step ahead of my experience with Gibson. There's an attention to detail that I had not experienced with Gibson, and a lot of innovation present even in the 100 series that I had not seen. For example, the arched non-braced back on the 110e is flippin' genious. The playability and feel of the Taylor is on a higher level. The bolt-on neck is relaxing (Relaxing? The inevitability of a neck reset is no longer frightening lol).  ES2 is substantially better than many people think, and is better than the LRBaggs element on the Hummingbird Pro (although YMMV on that one). As far as stage practicality, the Hummingbird Pro and the 110e are equals. The tone, volume, and "punchiness" of the Taylor are very good for stage work.

Don't get me wrong, I still love Gibson - but a 100 series Taylor compares so favorably to the many expensive Gibbie guitars I've used? Yeah, I'm becoming a Taylor guy. 

So what's your story?

[mgap]

What attracted me was:

1)  Feel.  The first time I picked one up an (110) I loved it

2)  TONE.  I absolutely loved the sound of it.

3)  Fit.  That Taylor just felt right.

4)  Construction.  It was really made well and looked the part.

[ebick]

In '82 I bought my Alvarez Yairi DY-46 brand new.  Now, that may not be a $$$$$$ guitar, but it was one the best buys I ever made in my life.  After a number of years, I started to think about another guitar....not that there was anything wrong with the Yairi, but sometimes a new guitar brings inspiration with it. Over the next several years, I would go to a guitar store ready to pull the trigger, but leaving with nothing thinking, "nothing here was as good or better than what I have". 

Until I played an 814ce.

The feel....the tone......I couldn't afford one at the time, but I knew that one day I would have one.

Four Taylors later.........

[TaylorGirl]

I agree with MGap and will add a couple:

1)  Feel.  The Taylor playability is awesome.
2)  Tone.  It just fits with my style of play. Intonation done well.
3)  Fit.  Fits me like it was made for me.
4)  Construction. Second to none.
5)  Aethetics. Taylor's are truly works of art.
6)  Mindset.  Taylor's view on the environmental impacts.

[timfitz63]

Like others, I'd say mainly feel and tone.  I had a couple of starter guitars when I was in college; bought a better starter guitar (a budget Ovation round back) after I graduated.  But the Taylors are just so easy to play; and as soon as it made a sound, I was hooked...  Heck, anything that can make me sound good is worth every penny...!   Everything else that Taylor does (outstanding quality and customer service) made buying a Taylor that much more of a no-brainer...

[Jersey tuning]

After 40 years of playing on modest instruments with modest skill, I decided to upgrade my guitar experience (2007).  Went to a GC that then still had a great selection of Martins, Gibsons, and Taylors.  I was into owning products from iconic brands back then -- had to have a genuine Chippendale mirror, an Old Town Canoe, etc, so I was on a quest for a Martin guitar, as I only had casually even heard of Taylors.  My budget was in the D-28//D-35 range, which included Gibson SJ's and Taylor 600's-800's.  I was fairly clueless to the significance of different tonewoods and body sizes, so I focused entirely on playability, tone, and esthetics.  The Martins didn't do it for me on either playability or esthetics--I was quite disappointed, in fact.  The Gibson was, well, too cowboy for me.  I loved the esthetics and playability of the Taylors, and narrowed my choices to the 614, 714, and 814.  I ultimately loved the bright tone and gorgeous esthetics of the 614, which happened to have a 3-piece maple back.

Since then, I have become quite a different player, and now am obsessed with rosewood guitars........  Oh, and I finally got my Martin, a 1930 petite size 2 solid mahogany guitar with Brazilian rosewood bridge, fretboard and headstock plus ivory bridge and ebony nut and tuners.  Sold for thirty bucks in its day................

[RileyKendall]

For me as a beginner, it was the creation of the academy series.  Then once I heard how they sound, I was hooked. What sealed the deal was videos they did to explain why did this or that. 

[SoCalSurf]

One day, after deciding to learn to play guitar, I blindly walked into a Guitar Center to the wall of $300-$400 price range guitars. Prior to doing this, I hadn't watched a single youtube guitar video, hadn't read a single guitar review, or hadn't studied different guitar manufacturers. I was going to choose one that looked the coolest. I thought I had settled on a red fender acoustic and when the salesperson came over to ask if I had any questions, I said, "No I think I like this guitar." He was like, "Cool. Let me get the case." As he was doing so, I also blindly walked over to the Taylor wall (I had heard of that brand name before but knew nothing about them) and picked up a 214CE DLX, just for ****s and giggles. Took one strum, and, I'm not exaggerating at all, put the other guitar back and told the sales kid, "Sorry, I want this one instead." He was like, "Wow, you just made a huge jump." And I'm very happy I did.

The next 4 guitars I bought were all Taylors. I wouldn't even consider buying another brand. Once I got better at guitar, I decided to branch out, subsequently picking up the other guitars you see in my signature. I am especially smitten with Lowdens, although can only afford to have just one.

However, no matter how many guitars I have played, I seem to always go back to my Taylor Custom GC in Adirondack and Cocobolo. I think it is the best guitar I have ever played and is absolutely getting noticeably better over time. I can seem to do anything with it and it responds as if it knows exactly what I am trying to do with it. As much as I have yearned for other guitars and other brands, this is truly the one I know will stick with me forever. It is a true life guitar, and one that will keep me loyal to the Taylor brand.

[donlyn]

What attracted me to Taylor?

I used to say I never met a Gibson I didn't like, but at some point I stopped playing plugged in. As part of a then ongoing (20+ year) search for the 'right' 12 string, I had walked into my then favourite guitar store (since out of business) and happened to play what became my brand new Taylor 355. I bought it the same day. That was almost 20 years ago. Like the guy said in the movie, that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. And I was very impressed with the amount of information about everything guitars available from Taylor. Still am.

If Taylor Guitars were a song, then it would be "(Simply) The Best".

[Strumming Fool]

In a word, "Cujo". I have owned Gibsons, Martins, Larrivees, Loudens, a Santa Cruz, and several other brands, but when I first set eyes on Cujo in 1997, I was intrigued by its very different appearance from the traditional shapes and sizes. Then I played this cedar/black walnut beauty, and I was smitten. First of all the tone was new to my ears - powerful with glassy bass, chimey high-end sparkle and everything in balance! That 90s slim carve neck made this guitar a joy to play - again, like no other acoustic I had ever played before.I took it home several days later and never looked back. All the other brands are gone, but the Taylor GA is now my mainstay. Cujo (125 of them built) remains with me, and I had the opportunity to pick up that 1995 GA-KS (100 made) in an estate sale. They're all wonderful, including the custom builds. The Taylor GA will always be my go-to instrument!

[Mark Stone]

Great responses everybody! Keep 'em coming. Taylor is indeed a very special make.

[cc7]

In my mind, it's the NT neck. But what FIRST attracted me to my one current Taylor...well, look at my avatar!

[Mark Stone]

In my mind, it's the NT neck. But what FIRST attracted me to my one current Taylor...well, look at my avatar!

Oooooh!! That is gorgeous.

[Guitar Cowboy]

About  7  years ago,   I got back into playing guitars after taking about 25 years off. After some skills returned and I continued to enjoy it ( wishing I  had never stopped playing) , I told myself "Its time to treat yourself to a quality guitar. I'm going to buy  a Martin". I shopped for a few months and each time kept on going back to various Taylors. Then I reached to the top row and pulled down and 816ce. That was it. My forever guitar.  So for me its:

the playability; the sound; the quality craftsmanship (my opinion:  they are not factory guitars , they are hand made in a very cool shop with a lot of cool tools); innovations; they are works or art ( bindings, rosettes, backstraps, inlays , back , side and top woods...what can I say, I like a little bling), they are American made... responsibly,  and finally just the Taylor story.

Thanks Bob, Kurt, Andy an all the rest.

[StrummingMadMan]

My dad played guitar and when I was young he taught me how to play. He was a Martin man through and through, so that is what I grew up playing. I loved them, still do to a degree. After my father passed, I was going through all of his guitars and there was one lonely Taylor from 1979. I played it and loved everything about it. A few years later (appr. 2000), I was in the market for a new guitar. When I went to my guitar shop he had a Taylor on the wall and when I played it, everything was just perfect. It really sang to me. Ever since then, I've followed what Taylor was putting out and have been buying them ever since. I truly love everything about them. The design, how the feel to play, the selection of woods, styles, and overall aesthetics. Then, when you add how Bob Taylor and the company view the sustainability of the materials they use and the mad scientist Andy Powers, it's hard not love them.