Wood and Steel

[Ed422]

The new CATALOG arrived today.  I can't see how they can call it anything but a *catalog*.  I wish they'd save the paper.  I think marketing has taken over the company.

Ed

[bo1142]

I actually enjoy it.  I look forward to getting it in the mail.  I'm sure if you emailed them, they would take you of the shipping list.

[ataylor]

The new CATALOG arrived today.  I can't see how they can call it anything but a *catalog*.  I wish they'd save the paper.  I think marketing has taken over the company.

Ed

Funny you should talk about saving paper. Taylor used to print a separate catalog every year but has merged it into the W&S to do just that -- save paper.

And of course it's a marketing tool. They send these magazines out to dealers where people who are looking for their first Taylor can pick one up, and they send them to current Taylor owners, who are are -- judging from a lot of the signatures I see here -- likely to buy again.

Not sure what you'd like to see them do -- review Martins and Gibsons? A one-on-one with Bill Collings? (Although in one of the letters to Bob, he does advise the person to buy a Godin!)

I'm sure in time the W&S will be phased into an online/tablet format where they can post soundclips and video demos and all other kinds of fun stuff. But for now, some of us really enjoy getting the issue in the mail, and Taylor wouldn't do it if it wasn't good business sense for them.

[Walt Q.]

Sure it's a marketing tool, but I look forward to getting it. What do want for free anyway?

[Edward]

The new CATALOG arrived today.  I can't see how they can call it anything but a *catalog*.  I wish they'd save the paper.  I think marketing has taken over the company.

Ed

Nahhh, I like it! 

"Catalog" if you will, but it's a dang nice "catalog" which I am completely ok with.  A catalog with user letters and comments; one with Bob's and Kurt's thoughts; and the occasionally cool writeup on practicing chops or miscellaneous musician's ramblings, both cool.  All good, IMHO, and hopefully one that will stay in paper  print and not go way of the web.

As for "marketing taking over the company," well, dunno nothing about that.  But if marketing didn't do their job, then we wouldn't have a company for very long, now would we.  So that leaves me with yeah, "Taylor's doing a great job!"

EDIT: "boone" makes a great suggestion: email them and ask that they take you off their mailing list ...that may help ease your conscience.

Edward

[jjrpilot-admin]

The new CATALOG arrived today.  I can't see how they can call it anything but a *catalog*.  I wish they'd save the paper.  I think marketing has taken over the company.

Ed

So many Edwards here!  Ok back to our topic.

Ed422, I for one really enjoy it.  Of course Taylor will advertise their new guitars in THEIR own magazine.  Personally, I'm GLAD that they do!  It gives people the ability to see what's new etc! 

Here's a little story on my 1st Taylor purchase.  I had gotten through a local Taylor dealer copies a W&S.  I LOVED them...I read them multiple times.  In fact I still have the issue that talked and compared different tonewoods.

Why did I go buy a GS8?  Because of W&S.  I read up, studied etc.

I love W&S and feel that Taylor does a darn fine job with it.  I WANT it to be a catalog as well...and so do many others...especially those who are looking to buy their 1st Taylor or their 57th Taylor.

It's Taylor's magazine, and I'll stand with them 100%.

[DennisG]

When people say that they like W&S, it's not clear to me if what they like is the content or the fact that they get to hold a magazine in their hands.  I suspect there will come a time when iPads will be so pervasive that it will make sense to distribute W&S in the iBookstore.  That way people will be able to read W&S wherever they want (just like they can with the paper version), have an even better reader experience with the content, and yet not contribute to the denuding of forests.  When that day comes, I will be the first one in the iBookstore.

[Edward]

Yeah, the "ebooking" of "print" material is certainly where we're all goin.  Not that I resent that by any means ...it's just that I like a magazine in my hands, especially for the large pics (this holds true for my car mags, music mags, or whatever ...pics just rock on large paper ).

As for "killing trees," this is a giant misunderstanding of where paper comes from.  No one in these modern times (what, 50+ years at the very least) cuts trees for paper.  Those industries who depend on wood (lumber for building/construction being one of the principals), buy from the mills.  Once wood is cut and sold, it is the sawdust and scraps that are sold to be processed for paper manufacturing.  Yes, refuse.  By contrast, what is the environmental impact of the manufacturing of any electronic device from its inception through R&D to the consumer's hands?   Not making any "political" statements, mind you.  Just trying to offer another POV 

No doubt that one day we'll be at the e-reader stage for everything.  But until really large versions arrive, and that are nary more costly than an annual magazine subscription, I'm a stickin to print

Edward

[John429]

I personally *really* enjoy my W&S. It is a very high quality publication, with great photos of the new products (which I love) as well as Q&A with Bob Taylor on guitar tech subjects (which I also love) as well as neat educational guitar exercises, new artist profiles and more. Best yet, it is free from Taylor. I am impressed with this publication and look forward to receiving each issue. If Brian reads this, thank you very much to Taylor for providing this to us!

[DennisG]

Edward,

I appreciate your response, and after I read it, I went and Googled "paper and environmental impact."  It made for some interesting reading.  Such as:

As it exists today, the paper-making industry primarily depends upon virgin wood-based fibers to make the pulp that becomes sheets of paper. Much of the wood used comes from old growth and environmentally sensitive forests in all parts of the world – to give just two examples, the boreal forest in Northern Canada and tropical forests in Southeast Asia. In a number of countries like Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Russia, the logging that takes place is not only unsustainable but also carried out in areas where it is illegal to log. Once exported to other countries to be milled and manufactured into a variety of products, including paper, it is difficult to tell whether the wood was legally or illegally logged.

I've already begun the process of changing my reading source over to my iPad.  I did this slowly at first, because I suspected that I wouldn't like holding an iPad as opposed to a magazine.  But what I discovered is that every magazine or book that I read offers more than its paper counterpart in terms of enjoyment and value.

[michaelw]

The new CATALOG arrived today.  I can't see how they can call it anything but a *catalog*.  I wish they'd save the paper.  I think marketing has taken over the company.

Ed

Nahhh, I like it! 

"Catalog" if you will, but it's a dang nice "catalog" which I am completely ok with.  A catalog with user letters and comments; one with Bob's and Kurt's thoughts; and the occasionally cool writeup on practicing chops or miscellaneous musician's ramblings, both cool.  All good, IMHO, and hopefully one that will stay in paper  print and not go way of the web.

As for "marketing taking over the company," well, dunno nothing about that.  But if marketing didn't do their job, then we wouldn't have a company for very long, now would we.  So that leaves me with yeah, "Taylor's doing a great job!"

EDIT: "boone" makes a great suggestion: email them and ask that they take you off their mailing list ...that may help ease your conscience.

Edward

i agree Edward,
if i wanted to print an issue from a PDF file, it would take a good bit
of quaity paper & photo grade ink , not to mention electricity & time

W & S is printed on FSC certified paper with eco-friendly inks & printing process,
so from start-to-finish, the design of W & S takes into great consideration the
environment & its resources ... plus, i believe it can also be recycled, if desired

i like the fact that Wood & Steel is in the format that is being used (paper & staples),
as it makes for much easier reading outside on a sunny day than on a touch tablet, imho

ymmv

[ataylor]

W & S is printed on FSC certified paper with eco-friendly inks & printing process,
so from start-to-finish, the design of W & S takes into great consideration the
environment & its resources ... plus, i believe it can also be recycled, if desired

Yep. Taylor has gone out of their way in their printing process -- at their own expense -- to do things the right way. While I'm sure they'll eventually go digital simply as a matter of cutting costs and providing interactive content, I'm glad to see them put a tangible product in our hands that speaks to the responsibility they've taken with resources in an industry that directly affects them.

[michaelw]

plus, if one should happen to be in the area, stops by to visit the factory
for the tour & ends up 'rubbing elbows' with some of the folks who have
contributed to the publication, it's also a good medium to collect autographs

[Steve]

The new CATALOG arrived today.  I can't see how they can call it anything but a *catalog*.  I wish they'd save the paper.  I think marketing has taken over the company.

Ed

Taylor is now the biggest dog on the porch. Like every other company which has held that before them, Taylor uses marketing to help them get there.

If it such a concern for you, you can always opt out of receiving it.

[Edward]

Well in terms of paper, I gave only part of the answer for the sake of brevity.  The other part is that paper comes from trees that are farmed for the express use of paper.  Fast growth (as much as is possible), not high grade for construction or beauty, just for paper.  Very much analagous to the farming of livestock.

Not to mention the myriad Enviro laws dictating from where the future pulp comes.  Gibson got raided for what amounts to a fistful (in the grand scheme of things) of neckblanks; paper mills with their massive bulk and yield doing business here would get roasted in nanoseconds were they to commit any clearcutting.  Like Bob ensures that he will have wood sources to last him for the foreseeable future, paper mills do the same, ensuring that their sources are on the up and up since them getting busted would not only be easier (given their volume), but likely more costly than "just" a guitar maker.  It is simply in their interest to farm it, as well as get it from lumbermills on the form of "refuse" wood. 

In any event, information sources on the net are what they are.  Google is what it is, as is Wiki, as is whomever.  We may choose to believe who we may.  That's all I'm saying

And back to the W&S, like the sourcing and manufacture of his guitars, Bob considers the big picture when producing his publication.  And so long as they choose to make it in paper and so long as the content is good, I'm taking it! 

Edward