What's happening with the Solid Body Series?

[Sword Bringer]

 As far as I can tell, the Solid Bodies have been removed from the Taylor line. I presume because the volume of sales didn't justify keeping them. I have called Taylor Service about this but have received cryptical answers. One person said they were no longer available, another said they were being "redesigned." These are different answers. What i really want to know is how can current Solid body owners get new or different loaded pickgards? This was a major selling point for the guitar and at least for me was the deciding factor. Service says they are no longer available.

I don't understand how Taylor would cease providing a key accessory to a major line component, or the line itself and not give any indication to current owners that this was going to happen. It's not like Taylor to do this sort of thing. It's not good customer service nor is it a good business practice. I received the newest e-mail newsletter which still has a section on the solid bodies, but it can't be accessed without a password. Why the secrecy? I was about to order two new pickgards because I fine the two mini-buckers which came with my classic are not doing what I need. I've called distributors from all parts of the country and no one has them in stock. I would think, Taylor would have anounced the demise of this great program, and kept providing the pickgards for several months after they made some kind of announcement. Does anyone know what's going on here? I feel I've been let down by a company that used to pride itself on customer Service greatness.

[rbr49x]

I attended a Taylor Roadshow in mid-November and the Taylor rep was asked about the status of the SolidBody - his reply was that it had officially been discontinued. 

I still bought one - Taylor had cleared out a bunch of old inventory by donating them to charitable organizations and one of those groups is auctioning them on ebay - bought a brand new SB Classic for about the street price of a GS Mini.  I felt like it was such a well made and good playing guitar that I couldn't pass it up at that price and I've been very pleased with that decision.  Knowing it was discontinued when I bought it - I wasn't too surprised when I started to try find loaded pickguards and, like you, found that they're pretty much nonexistent at dealers.  I was a little surprised, however, that Taylor themselves didn't have them either - I asked the rep if they'd been sold to some other company to dispose of so that I could contact them, but he indicated "just not available".  I did get the impression that they have a stash of parts for warranty purposes, but I guess that's it. 

If you do find a source for the loaded pickguards - pass it on here (after you get yours of course).  I don't really need 'em - I love my single coil solution and the mini-hums on the Taylor give me a nice alternative - but I'd play with 'em just the same and it'll make for a nicer package when I eventually pass it on to my son.

[michaelw]

... Does anyone know what's going on here? ...

this
http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/electric/t5z

i wouldn't be surprised to see a T3z some time later on, a T5/3 style bass or an archtop,
but i'm thinking that there will probably be many more series & models gone through,
classicals, ukuleles & possibly even amps before the electric side of things is revisited

[Sword Bringer]

  I had heard that parts were given to charities  from a Distributor. I'm all for philanthropy, but shouldn't the owners of these guitars have first crack at any accessories, like loaded pickgards?

Again, I ask - isn't this unlike Taylor? Not only have they left us with no recourse, but they didn't even tell us about what was occurring. This is very disappointing. I own 3 Taylors. I save a long time to get them.
I think I deserve better treatment than to be ignored.

[michaelw]

there were some donated here
http://www.taylorguitars.com/media/taylor-guitars-pledges-300-guitars-little-kids-rock
& here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Taylor-Solid-Body-Electric-Guitar-Red-Model-2008-SB-X2-w-Hard-Case-/271360340508?pt=
Guitar&hash=item3f2e56321c&nma=true&si=Xebj%252BsrU4uk0HriveOii9xsp3bQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Taylor-Solid-Body-Electric-Guitar-Natural-Rust-Pick-guard-w-Hardcase-/271352098687?pt= Guitar&hash=item3f2dd86f7f&nma=true&si=Xebj%252BsrU4uk0HriveOii9xsp3bQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

sometimes, they're offered for sale with additional loaded pickguards
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Taylor-Solidbody-Custom-Koa-with-extra-loaded-pick-guards-and-free-shipping-/261324961160?pt=Guitar&hash=item3cd82e7588&nma=true&si=Xebj%252BsrU4uk0HriveOii9xsp3bQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[Sword Bringer]

 Apparently, there was a store in MO that was selling off seven loaded pickgards. Word must have gotten around quick because, they were gone in less than a day. Imagine how many Taylor could have sold if they JUST TOLD US what was going on? Unfortunately, the sale was on the one day I didn't check e-Bay.

[michaelw]

... Imagine how many Taylor could have sold if they JUST TOLD US what was going on? ...

& yet, there are still a couple of guitars available new
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SBClassTR?device=c&network=g&matchtype=&gclid=COi45ojfqbwCFaE7OgodAikA9A

Models and specifications are subject to change without notice.

[Sword Bringer]

Mike,

As i said on the other topic. this is legal speak. All companies have this published somewhere to avoid law suits. The good companies communicate changes in spite of the legal threshold.

[michaelw]

to me, this is more than just "legal" speak -
for anyone that's been following Taylor for a little while, it should  be apparent that Taylor
is a company where things rarely remain "static" in that they don't stay where they are &
very rarely do they "go back" to where they've been, unless there's a good reason for it -
97-00 appointments on the 11-current 900 series, red lining in the deluxe hardshell cases,
removing the acoustic model XX# designations & returning to the numbered series,
while phasing the nylon string models in for matching aesthetics within that series

the fact of the matter is, for the time being, the solidbody series is no longer in current production -
i would imagine parts & support will continue to be available for some time to come & near new/used
models will likely be able to picked up for little more than a song, with the possible exception of this one
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/taylor-builders-reserve-sb-br1-electric-guitar

what's done is done -
contacting Taylor customer service would be best way to find out if there are any solidbody guitars,
parts or accessories you might be interested in that could be still available at one of their dealers

[Edward]

I know the "replace-the-pickguard" feature was one that Taylor touted.  Heck, if the guitar took off in the marketplace, it'd be a boon for them.  But that the guitar is not popular enough to justify continuing their manufacture (and thus no support in pickguards and pups), take heart in the fact that any good electric is good by virtue of its build and playability; these are the core trademarks of a good electric, and electronics are simply added/modded later to suit your liking.

Think about it: folks have been swapping out parts to their electrics since day one, and now more than ever.  Even a pg is not difficult to find, either by virtue of a few mouse clicks to a simple custom-cut from any of a number of skilled guitar techs.  And pups?  Whoa, flavors abound from off-the-shelf to the myriad custom winders who will build you pups to your near-exact specs.  Then there are pots, caps, etc and you can personalize to your heart's content ...or leave it bone-stock and have a "classic" 37 years from now.  Today is, arguably, the golden era of guitar-parts options.

It sounds like you feel the factory abandoned you and your SB. But if you received a headsup on their demise, I'm not certain how many folks would really go out and order another pg or any spare parts for that matter.  So perhaps they simply did the simplest thing and ended the line to move on.  Take heart that you own a good guitar that you clearly love playing.  Ultimately, the actions of the factory does little to affect your real enjoyment of an excellent guitar! 

Edward

[michaelw]

although it's not quite changing pickups, this is an interesting idea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhrsyW5vP48

[Earl]

I had a friend who was recently really hot to get a SB, but no dealer would stock them.  They sold for more an American made Fender strat, so the SB's would just sit on the rack.  He ended up with a brand new strat.  So in the end it was a marketplace thing.  Who is going to pay more for this newbie when you can get an established electric guitar icon for a much lower price than the SB?

No offense intended, but I was never a fan of the solid bodies.  I freely admit I am not an electric guitar player.  I often wondered about Taylor diluting their focus and splitting their resources by going into electrics.  Apparently the marketplace agreed.  The couple of times that I saw and tried them, they were impressive instruments with some cool features, and the modular concept of the loaded pickguard was quite clever.

$

[Herb Hunter]

although it's not quite changing pickups, this is an interesting idea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhrsyW5vP48

Thanks for the link. It’s an interesting idea.

[AmazingJourney]

although it's not quite changing pickups, this is an interesting idea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhrsyW5vP48

That's pretty cool. Thanks for posting the link.

[michaelw]

checking out some T3 vids, which i never paid much attention to, even though it's been around since 09 -
for me, i don't think it'd really be necessary to rewire or change out the pickups in this one

andy lund
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlbEaZyeLXs
corey witt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFq_rNyQtPk
mick taylor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0BfFqVGngI

a T3z with HG 'buckers, 12" fretboard radius , jumbo frets & the smaller body,
would feel more "in-place", especially in high gain situations, whereas the T3
is more of an ultra-slim grand auditorium shape, with 16" lower bout

if a 3z could be offered at the current T3 $ level & knocking off a bit
for a satin 'hog top classic with a heavily padded gigbag ... sign me up

i'll go with the stoptail, thanks