Unofficial Taylor Guitar Forum - UTGF
Taylor Acoustic & Electric Guitars => Taylor Acoustic & Electric Guitars => Topic started by: jjrpilot-admin on January 15, 2012, 02:54:54 PM
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I personally LOVE Taylor's "Wood & Steel" magazine, and if they came out with it monthly, I'd gladly pay for a subscription. I love the articles on wood, and guitar design etc...especially the pictures. The tips and interviews with the different artists are always interesting.
I just wondered how you all felt about the publication...
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Dunno if this puts me in the minority, but I said "no" to paying extra. It's a great mag that I like reading, to be sure. And I do enjoy seeing it in the mailbox. But I doublt I'd shell out for it unless it was at a giveaway price. Great pics and some fun stuff in there, but it really does feel like a large ad. Not that I resent that ...'cause it's free (with the price of admission, of course ;) ).
And FWIW, I think Wood and Steel was yet another one of Bob and Co's brilliant moves. Including the mag subscription with purchase not only feeds owners' interest in their guitars and future projects, but it also includes owners comments/questions as if we're lending a voice that really is being heard. Companies pay big bucks to marketing analysts and focus groups to figure out how to keep/grow their customer base: Taylor done figured it out by catering to the customer. Hahaha, go figure!
Edward
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Dunno if this puts me in the minority, but I said "no" to paying extra. It's a great mag that I like reading, to be sure. And I do enjoy seeing it in the mailbox. But I doublt I'd shell out for it unless it was at a giveaway price. Great pics and some fun stuff in there, but it really does feel like a large ad. Not that I resent that ...'cause it's free (with the price of admission, of course ;) ).
And FWIW, I think Wood and Steel was yet another one of Bob and Co's brilliant moves. Including the mag subscription with purchase not only feeds owners' interest in their guitars and future projects, but it also includes owners comments/questions as if we're lending a voice that really is being heard. Companies pay big bucks to marketing analysts and focus groups to figure out how to keep/grow their customer base: Taylor done figured it out by catering to the customer. Hahaha, go figure!
Edward
+1, I'll agree.
Great publication and I enjoy reading it, but it's still an corporate marketing publication. Free is fine, but I would not pay for it.
Gary
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I really enjoyed the W&S.The first issue came out about the time I bought my first Taylor.For years,I kept the complete collection,often using them for reference.I wasn't the only one that liked them,as soon as they started enclosing them in a plastic bag(how many remember that time?),my copies weren't late anymore.Several never arrived.Guess the bag wasn't easily replaced. Anyway they all got really,really wet August,2005.I rarely look at them now,the website is my choice.
Pay for monthly,no. That's how I paid for my first Taylor guitar.
Steve
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Yes, I wish it came out far more often, as long as they had actual information to fill it with. But I sure wish they'd change the name.
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Wood & Steel comes out quarterly & the format has changed from the original 'fold-out mini newspaper' design to a
stapled 'magazine-style' (still on newsprint-type stock, which i believe used a good percentage of recycled paper), to
the current version (semi-gloss finish, color on nearly every page, FSC certified paper, eco-friendly ink & printing process
there are other large scale builders that offer their publications every 6 months & there are some that
do not offer anything on a regular basis, other than for new product roll-outs or yearly guitar catalogs
Taylor does not require one to maintain a 'membership' of any kind to receive W & S &
if one registers their guitar (new or previously owned), they can receive W & S, although
i'm not sure exactly how that works in areas that are outside of the US & North America
i believe that even for W & S to become a bi-monthly publication, much less than monthly, it would
likely require a tremendous increase in the amount of resources used in order to make it happen -
my take on it is that i feel that Taylor is doing what is best for them overall (including media & events)
while continuing to providing great customer service & standing beside their instruments & products :)
they do a great job & i think that it'd be a huge undertaking to roll out a Taylor 'magazine' -
imho, it would be nice & i would pay for a 'subscription', but i'm happy with it the way it is :D
hopefully there will be more media, as i think a DVD of their 2012 line, with performances, would be cool 8)
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I love the publication and prefer having a hard copy rather than viewing the PDF online. I also like the fact that they don't have any advertising in it other than Taylor items. I'd pay for it although like Michael said, it would involve a lot more work to publish monthly or bi-monthly. I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive via snail mail. :(
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I enjoy W&S thoroughly for the reader/owner input, answered questions, and even the lessons and playing tips. In order to see a more frequent publication, it would need to still have substantive material. I've subscribed to several mags in the past that could have better been served being a quarterly mag because the monthly was just chock full of ads and junk. I like the idea of getting the W&S free simply because I'm an owner. Just another reward of owning a fine instrument. Whether I'd pay for it or not, most likely yes for now.
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i enjoy the W & S very much but I am not sure I need a paid subscription for a company advertisement.
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Would I like to see it more often? Yes. My favorite part is the "Ask Bob" section - actually his responses. I also like the articles about wood sourcing and the factory, and some of the playing "lesson" type stuff. But all-in-all, it's 90% marketing and I would not pay extra for it. Plus, I figure I did pay for it when I bought my guitars. It just wasn't itemized on the invoices. ;)
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Quarterly is perfect for the W&S issues -- anything else can and should be published via Taylor's website and their e-newsletters.
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Quarterly Wood & Steel is like getting your favorite special meal only once in a while - More often and it loses its uniqueness and begins to become mundane. I'd say keeping it quarterly is just fine with me.
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I'd kind of rather they kept the info online and saved the paper, to be honest. I used to like it more than I do now. It seems like it used to be informational and now it is just sales pitch.
Ed
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there have been some guitar guides & catalogs phased into some of the issues,
along with LTD models, but i would think that just about anyone that is interested
in Taylors would like to know what is new & changes that are 'around the corner' -
by integrating everything in one 'place, so to speak, rather than having separate
LTD brochures, annual catalogs (the last one 'guitar life' was in 07) & a third
periodical (that might then be a bi-annual) it makes sense as a format, to me
with the changes that will be made to their websites, other web pages,
their official forum roll-out & Winter NAMM in a few days. i think it'll be fun
i can see how it could be viewed as advertising & to me when ads come to mind, either
in the paper, radio or tv commercials, some of it may be of interest, but much of it is not -
here, this is information that i'm interested in & i like to know 'what, when & where'
i appreciate Brian S for taking the time to stop by, sharing a preview of the 2012s
with us (he covered pretty much the entire line) & for responding to questions -
this comes across to me as a very friendly, generous & accommodating gesture,
something that i believe is quite a rarity these days ... thank you so much B :)
i would like to think that we choose to be here because we're interested in Taylors & in sharing
information, pics, our experiences & other interests, i hope that we're able to catch up with
'old friends', to meet new ones, get to know each other better & have an absolute blast here ;D
have a good one, all :)
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after reading some of the posts i agree it would be hard to find enough interesting articles to keep a magazine on one particular guitar to fill a monthly publication. i would imagine taylor has a tough time keeping up with a quarterly issue. therefore i change my vote to no, i think it is great just the way it is. it sure is a great publication and fun to read.
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I'm glad Wood & Steel got it's own topic - it deserves it!
W/S is a labor of love, and a reflection of our love for guitars and the people that play them. It takes all-the-King's-horses and all-the-King's-men (and women!) to get it together and out every quarter. We're very proud of the fact that just like our guitars, we produce it cover-to-cover in-house. The current issue is the first ever to be published/printed in FOUR languages: English, German, French, and Spanish.
Thanks for the warm welcome here - I'm here as a guitar lover first and foremost! I'm happy to answer questions when I can, and I do look to you guys for W/S topics of interest and other.
I'm off to Anaheim to set-up NAMM - see you soon!
B
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I do enjoy reading and looking at the W&S mag.. but I would NOT pay for it by subscription on a monthly or quarterly basis.. like a lot have said its basically a marketing tool for Taylor and a good one, but not worth my paying for it...
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Brian,
You are always a class act, friend! And great meeting you personally at the F&F ...always nice to put a face to a name!
Please relay to the mothership how much we appreciate W&S. The "labor of love" is evident! And keep it in a paper publication as long as you can hold out ...I love being able to grab it and take it with me if I know I'm gonna be "waiting" somewhere. :)
Edward
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Brian,
You are always a class act, friend! And great meeting you personally at the F&F ...always nice to put a face to a name!
Please relay to the mothership how much we appreciate W&S. The "labor of love" is evident! And keep it in a paper publication as long as you can hold out ...I love being able to grab it and take it with me if I know I'm gonna be "waiting" somewhere. :)
Edward
Yes, I agree! ;D We appreciate your input and are glad to have some of our questions answered! And please let the Taylor Team know how much we enjoy Wood & Steel. ;)
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Dunno if this puts me in the minority, but I said "no" to paying extra. It's a great mag that I like reading, to be sure. And I do enjoy seeing it in the mailbox. But I doublt I'd shell out for it unless it was at a giveaway price. Great pics and some fun stuff in there, but it really does feel like a large ad. Not that I resent that ...'cause it's free (with the price of admission, of course ;) ).
And FWIW, I think Wood and Steel was yet another one of Bob and Co's brilliant moves. Including the mag subscription with purchase not only feeds owners' interest in their guitars and future projects, but it also includes owners comments/questions as if we're lending a voice that really is being heard. Companies pay big bucks to marketing analysts and focus groups to figure out how to keep/grow their customer base: Taylor done figured it out by catering to the customer. Hahaha, go figure!
Edward
Well said. I agree 100%.
-Dave
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I enjoy Wood & Steel ... although certainly a marketing tool, it does contain a great deal of good information ... articles from Wood & Steel helped me to decide on tone woods and body shapes to go out and try before buying my first Taylor ...
I think quarterly is about right myself ... in any interim period you can search archived articles on-line ... and besides, I already have a problem with always wanting a new guitar and in that regard it is "bad" enough to get it as often as it comes ... :)
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Brian,
You are always a class act, friend! And great meeting you personally at the F&F ...always nice to put a face to a name!
Please relay to the mothership how much we appreciate W&S. The "labor of love" is evident! And keep it in a paper publication as long as you can hold out ...I love being able to grab it and take it with me if I know I'm gonna be "waiting" somewhere. :)
Edward
I couldn't agree more!!! Brian IS a class act.
Brian, like others have said, please let Taylor know how much we appreciate the publication! *whisper* I've kept every copy, I've gotten. ;) As far as topics go? I absolutely LOVE the articles on tone woods, and articles that compare different tone woods to each other! ;D
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To the two questions from the OP:
Yes and Yes!
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To the two questions from the OP:
Yes and Yes!
Okay.....yes......no.
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i would like to think that we choose to be here because we're interested in Taylors & in sharing
information, pics, our experiences & other interests
have a good one, all :)
I'd also like to hope it is a place where we can give actual opinions. I am interested in Taylor guitars but that doesn't mean I think they are the be all and end all of acoustic guitars. I hope the forum doesn't become a "group speak" kind of place.
Ed
To the first sentence: what ever gave you the idea that this isn't a place where one can give "actual opinions"?
To the second sentence: who in this thread/forum ever suggested that Taylor was the "be all and end all" of acoustic guitars?
To the third sentence: what have you read here that gives you the idea that this forum will turn into a "group speak kind of place"?
Sorry, but I have no idea where any of this comes from :o ???
Edward
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Edward, I think you are taking some of what Michael said out of context. I read his entire post as a unification of the forum along with Wood & Steel and Brian's input as an exciting way to learn about Taylor Guitars. This forum is primarily for Taylor Guitars (as is evidence by the URL) but is not exclusive to just Taylors. :) I believe most of us (including Michael) understands that. :D
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w&s is great, and I always look forward to it's publication... it might get less exciting or seem less special if it comes out more frequently as there are certain times of the year that I'm crazy busy and wouldn't have time to pick one up at all, I really enjoy the format they have now but it's interesting to imagine what it could be if offered more frequently....
someday I'll get a hang of the times of year that big announcments or changes are made to the product line of the guitars as my last two taylors were purchased within days of w&s releases announcing changes to something that I had just purchased or desired to purchase that may have been a tad bit better than what I had just bought haha! it's what keeps the gas attacks coming back tho I guess :) kudos to taylor for running a brilliant company and can't wait to see more changes and have more of their guitars come into my hands!
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Edward, I think you are taking some of what Michael said out of context. I read his entire post as a unification of the forum along with Wood & Steel and Brian's input as an exciting way to learn about Taylor Guitars. This forum is primarily for Taylor Guitars (as is evidence by the URL) but is not exclusive to just Taylors. :) I believe most of us (including Michael) understands that. :D
Sorry, perhaps my point was not clear. I was reacting to "Ed's" comments who quoted Michael. It is his reaction to Michael that I am puzzled by as it "seems" to be loaded with some kind of baggage ...at least from the verbiage, which is why I included the entire exchange.
Edward
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I thoroughly enjoy Wood & Steel, and read every issue cover to cover, even though by the time mine arrives I've already read and discussed a number of it's articles and columns with my online friends who get theirs first. :)
That said, no, I'd probably not pay for a subscription to it, for two main reasons. - While I was unemployed, my wife and I learned that we could do quite nicely without printed magazines and newspapers, and the money we saved could be put to better uses.
- As I said, by the time I hold my copy in my hand, I've already read and discussed much of it online.
That said, I do enjoy receiving the Taylor Insider, and I'm especially glad to see Brian's sharing pictures, etc. here. I always enjoyed "Uncle Bob" and others from Taylor when they posted on the original "Taylor Guitar Forum" years ago. That extra personal touch is a great way to build relationships and foster customer loyalty - and it's just plain fun!
cotten
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I really do enjoy Wood and Steel, but there are already quite a few other publications that they would have to compete with if Taylor were to publish their own periodically distributed magazine. I think a free quarterly publication as good as W&S in it's current format it a nice "gift" or "Thank You" from Taylor and is very much appreciated. Producing a magazine is a costly endeavor requiring many resources to pull it all together, and therefore requires a fairly large circulation in order to justify it, otherwaise the price would be too high for most of us to subscribe, especially when you can get magazines like Acoustic Guitar for $20 per year.
Just my opinion...
Jim
Taylor, please keep up the good work!
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Edward, I think you are taking some of what Michael said out of context. I read his entire post as a unification of the forum along with Wood & Steel and Brian's input as an exciting way to learn about Taylor Guitars. This forum is primarily for Taylor Guitars (as is evidence by the URL) but is not exclusive to just Taylors. :) I believe most of us (including Michael) understands that. :D
Sorry, perhaps my point was not clear. I was reacting to "Ed's" comments who quoted Michael. It is his reaction to Michael that I am puzzled by as it "seems" to be loaded with some kind of baggage ...at least from the verbiage, which is why I included the entire exchange.
Edward
Ahh yes...you would be correct in that I misread your intentions! I am VERY sorry for that and appreciate your clarification! :)
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This is torture.......I haven't received my print copy and the the pdf is not posted at the Taylor website!!!!! :(
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I'd be most happy to get an email with a link to a pdf. I subscribe to Flatpicking Magazine via pdfs, and that works out very well for my uses. I rarely get paper magazines or books these days; I download almost everything to my computer or iPad.
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Are there back issue pdfs stored somewhere? I've got the last four issues, but I'm wondering how far back the pdfs go and where an archive might be found?
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The day after Wood & Steel comes out, they start working on the next issue.
And they work hard on it.
A lot of work goes into it, and I think they'd have to have a lot more people on staff to put it out more frequently than quarterly.
The current schedule is perfect, in my opinion...
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The day after Wood & Steel comes out, they start working on the next issue.
And they work hard on it.
A lot of work goes into it, and I think they'd have to have a lot more people on staff to put it out more frequently than quarterly.
The current schedule is perfect, in my opinion...
i agree :)
i also like the change in format over the years, as the first issues were on newsprint style
fold-out paper, the ink would come off on one's finger tips & pages sometimes easily torn
in the mail, or accidentally shortly thereafter, & pages could be lost or gotten out of order
the latest format with glossy pages, fsc certified paper & eco-friendly inks/printing process
really shows (to me) that Taylor works very hard, & takes pride in, all aspects of Wood & Steel ... nice :D
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i also like the change in format over the years...
It could be said that Wood & Steel has evolved over the years just as Taylor has.
I took my first tour at Taylor back in 1992. Going through the factory now, though, you see soooooo much that's different. There's actually very little that you see now that you'd have seen 20 years ago. Taylor is also putting out their best guitars ever.
W&S has kinda' done the same thing. It looks nothing like it did years ago, and the staff over there is putting out their best publication ever...
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Are there back issue pdfs stored somewhere? I've got the last four issues, but I'm wondering how far back the pdfs go and where an archive might be found?
Shannon, one of the Taylor employees who is working on their new site, had this to say in another thread:
Please don't close the back door to the past W&S til I get them downloaded and saved. Purty Please. ;)
Steve
Don't worry. We'll get them back up :)
It will probably just be a matter of time, Duke. :)
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Right on. Thanks Cindy.
Also, does anyone view W&S on a Nook? I'm curious about the layout. The publication looks more square than rectangular.