"Blue Custom" Taylor Dreadnought -- For Real?

[timfitz63]

Saw this pop up on eBay and was wondering how legitimate the story given by the seller is:

Mid 80s TAYLOR GUITAR Blue Custom dreadnought (Lemon Grove built) LTD. EDITION

Anybody familiar with these?  The headstock logo is clearly not typical of more recent Taylors, but I don't know much about the really early guitars.

[Minnesotaman]

I do not have an answer, but it would seem to me, if Bob Taylor had interest in this guitar he would cough up the sellers price and it would not be on ebay.

[Strumming Fool]

It's for real. For those of us who have the Taylor books, they are part of its history. As I recall, the mid eighties, with its electric, synthesized  music, compelled Taylor to offer a flashy acoustic guitar  to compete on stage  They were called the Artist series, and they came in several colors that displayed the maple grain.

Pretty cool, eh?

[timfitz63]

... it would seem to me, if Bob Taylor had interest in this guitar he would cough up the sellers price and it would not be on ebay.

You know, I had the same thought:  why not just contact Bob Taylor now and offer it to him -- assuming Bob had legitimately made an earlier offer to swap it out...?

That thought -- and the fact the seller has zero (0) feedback and no other guitars listed from his alleged collection made me wonder about his claims...  He also seemed to misstate the serial number off of the pictured label...

It's for real. For those of us who have the Taylor books, they are part of its history. As I recall, the mid eighties, with its electric, synthesized  music, compelled Taylor to offer a flashy acoustic guitar  to compete on stage  They were called the Artist series, and they came in several colors that displayed the maple grain.

Pretty cool, eh?

Ah, very good!  So it is a legitimate Taylor!  I figured someone on this forum would know for sure!  Thanks, "SF!"

Yeah, it's an interesting piece.  And since he was in Texas and reluctant to ship it, it caught my eye.  Does your book say anything about the value on these Artist Series guitars?  I don't know whether his asking price is fair, crazy, or a real bargain...  (Anyone:  feel free to PM me on that topic.)

[Strumming Fool]

I don't whether it's a fair asking price. For me, a guitar is worth  what one is willing to pay for it. It certainly is a collectible. There are one or more Taylor limited editions for which I'd be willing to pay a good sum. One that comes to mind is the Gallery series turtle guitar. If this guitar were in my crosshairs, I wouldn't object to the asking price.

[jalbert]

Notice two things about the logo. First is that it's rotated 90 degrees so that it'll read "correctly" when viewed while being played. That and the larger font means it's easier for a viewer to tell which brand of guitar it is from a music video. That's some shrewd marketing! The 80s were a tough time for acoustic guitars in general and Taylor specifically. I'm glad they made it through!

[Dakell]

What an incredible looking guitar. In the few days looking into Taylors and joining this forum I've become a fan of the incredible range of visual appearances of different Taylor models. Seems like a dangerous brand to develop an affinity for. Pretty soon I'm gonna want one of each! Guess I'll have to double up on playing the lottery and hope the universe is on my side.

[timfitz63]

What an incredible looking guitar. In the few days looking into Taylors and joining this forum I've become a fan of the incredible range of visual appearances of different Taylor models. Seems like a dangerous brand to develop an affinity for. Pretty soon I'm gonna want one of each! Guess I'll have to double up on playing the lottery and hope the universe is on my side.

Now you're starting to understand why we all seem to end up with an ever-growing collection of Taylors...

I spoke to Taylor Customer Service the other day about this guitar; they had very limited information on it.  Basically, it was listed in their records as "blue guitar," built in 1984 -- nothing else.  They actually advised me to consult with Elderly Instruments in an effort to get more information on it.  So, Susie ("TaylorGirl"):  who's best to talk to there about this topic?